Mulcahy’s Pub & Concert Hall in Wantagh will be the site Thursday evening of a music benefit raising funds for Long Island's oldest non-commercial radio station.
The Hofstra Radio Alumni Association (HRAA) will be presenting its first radio concert showcase at the famed Wantagh concert venue featuring two local bands with unique sounds. The RBC, known for performing one of the area’s best dub-reggae-jam experiences, and CFR, which mixes its Brooklyn born, California infused funk-soul-R&B to create a smooth sound anyone can dance to, will headline the fundraiser being held for 88.7 FM WRHU (Radio Hofstra University). Both bands feature members who were formerly apart of WRHU, an award-winning college station that consists mainly of students and community volunteers.
The organizer of Thursday’s HRAA fundraiser is Northport native Andy Gladding, a bassist for CFR who was an active member of WRHU from 2001-2004. Gladding said he wants to see his old college station continue to thrive and pointed out the importance of fundraising for a non-commercial station like WRHU. CFR and the RBC are both playing Thursday’s Mulcahy’s fundraiser for free as away to give back to the college radio station they once called home.
“I’ve been pushing hard to try and make this particular event a success so we can do it on a regular basis,” said Gladding, who credited Mulcahy's for their support in organizing Thursday's music fundraiser. “It is really important for a station like WRHU to focus on music because it’s a non-commercial station playing bands you are not going to hear in the mainstream and it gives a chance for the artists to get exposed and plus it allows the station to foster local music, which really is not happening anywhere anymore.”
The RBC feature all Long Islanders including Hewlett High School graduates Andrew Gedacht (vocals/guitar) and John Carey (bass/backup vocals), Merrick native Mike Celano (drums) and Jimmy McGerald of Bay Shore (melodica). Gedacht, Carey and Celano were all members of WRHU in the mid 2000s. The RBC have made strides as a band in recent years including having the opportunity to perform at the annual Bonnarroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee with the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Wonder, John Fogerty, and Jay-Z.
"WRHU is our roots," said Celano. "It's the birthplace of the RBC and we're happy to be apart of the event and show support, just like they would do for us."
WRHU has been the home of many Hofstra graduates who went on to excel in media careers such as Alan Colmes, who co-hosted the hit Fox News Channel television show “Hannity & Colmes” from 1996 to 2009 and Dan Ingram, who was an on-air personality at WABC for 21 years. WRHU was named the fifth most popular college radio station in the country by Princeton Review this past summer and is entering its second year as the on-air home of the New York Islanders with students playing a central role in the broadcasts.
Doors open for Thursday’s HRAA radio concert showcase at 7 p.m. with the show scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $10 with all proceeds going toward furthering the educational mission of WRHU.
