Mulcahy's to Host Long Beach Benefit Concert

Mulcahy's Pub & Concert Hall in Wantagh is hosting a “Long Live Long Beach” benefit relief concert Wednesday night.

The event, scheduled from 6-11 p.m. will feature a performance by Ben Metzger, author of "Lord, I love This Town, 11561, which was written in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Metzger of Benoir & The Long Beach All Stars said the song celabrates all things Long Beach, from the city’s firefighters and police officers to the Polar Bear Club that hosts a massively-attended annual ocean splash each Super Bowl Sunday.

“I tried to shout out many slices of our community in the chorus,” Metzger said. 

The concert at Mulcahy's is one in a series of fundraiser events spearheaded by Metzger and Howie Appel of Merrick, host of the radio show “Broadcasting on the Beach with Halftime Howie,” and their friend, Steve Vaccaro. The show airs every Wednesday, from 8 to 9 p.m. on AM 1240 WGBB, and Appel decided after the storm to turn it into a benefit to assist recovery efforts in the storm-ravaged beach town. Previous events were held at the VFW in Long Beach and Hub Billiards Club in Island Park.

Ten percent of the proceeds from the concert will go directly to the City of Long Beach Relief Fund, Metzger said, while the remainder will go into a new account opened for Long Live Long Beach.   

“Howie, Steve and I will designate money towards specific local charities, families and individuals from there,” he said. “We will also use a small portion of funds to keep the show alive and any operating costs as we continue helping the community. For example the $700 it cost to rent Mulcahy’s, or if there aren't enough advertisers to pay off the $150 per show to broadcast.”

Wednesday’s concerts features a variety of local acts, including Benoir & The Long Beach All Stars, Steel Horse, DJ Chef, Rebel Soul, and Golden Ax Attack. The cost is $25 per person at the door.

So far, “Long Live Long Beach” has donated money to the Long Beach Relief Fund, the Long Beach and Oceanside VFWs and other local organizations. 
“Last week during our show, a Long Beach musician named Ralph Palladino donated hundreds of brand new coats and many people from Long Beach, including many youths from the MLK Center, were able to get the new coats,” Appel said. “So we are doing everything we can to help out our Long Beach residents during this trying time.”

At Wednesday’s event, resident Liz Nachman will sell “Rebuild The Beach” t-shirts, all proceeds of which will go to recovery efforts at Long Beach schools.

For information about “Long Live Long Beach,” call 516-476-6271, or visit Appel’s Facebook page or him directly at halftimehowie33@aol.com, or visit these other fundraiser-related sites: www.musicnoir.com or www.longbeachmusic.org. Make checks payable to "Long Live Long Beach."