Adults Rock Out For Teens

The Scarsdale Teen Center held its 6th annual “Adult Night Of Rock” fundraiser at Vintage Bar in White Plains, hosted by 107.1 The Peak's Jimmy Fink on Saturday night May 5th. Scarsdale adults flocked to Vintage to hear performances from We Stole The Kids, The DB6, and Skyfactor, all of which have ties to Scarsdale. While listening to the bands, guests bid in a silent auction which included items as varied as the music. Included in the auction were a signed picture of New York Yankee Curtis Granderson and a brick from the old Yankee stadium, both of which were donated to the Teen Center by Last Licks. Local Scarsdale businesses such as Moscato, Chat and Learning Express were also featured in the auction.

But what really brought in the crowd were the music and the $4 margaritas. The doors opened up at 7:30 pm with the band Harvest the Champion playing a short set. Leading Harvest was Scarsdale High School student, Connor Bodine. The opening act served as a reminder of what this night was all about and what the Teen Center was raising funds for: the teens. As The DB6’s guitarist Dave Cannon said, “It’s all about the kids.” For years the Teen Center has been putting on the Adult Night Of Rock as a way to get the community involved in keeping teens safe and away from alcohol and drugs.

Parents and community members have always shown resounding support through their donations and participation in the Adult Night Of Rock, and this year it was no different. While their crowd was small, Harvest the Champion played liked the room was packed and the adults clapped at the end of their set to show their support. “We’re excited to be playing here,” said Bodine, “We’ve played a bunch of shows at the Teen Center, and we have great time doing it.” A few Scarsdale teens had shown up to support Harvest the Champion but once the local high school band had finished their set the bar became 21 and over and it was time for the featured performers to take the stage.

Vintage started to fill up as We Stole The Kids (WSTK) began playing. For the most part the audience was made up of Scarsdale parents and community members, but sprinkled throughout the room was the occasional college student, home for the summer. While We Stole The Kids has played venues from Dewey Beach Fest in Delaware to The Studio at Webster Hall, they haven’t forgotten where they got their start, their hometown of Scarsdale. Members Eric Sherman, Daniel Lonner (aka August Coupe), Scott Jacobson and Ziya Smallens played together while they were students at SHS, performing at the Teen Center and larger venues like the Apollo Theater in Manhattan. Since then they have added Jess Ingui on vocals and Brett Schneider on drums and have continued to have success. Lonner, a sophomore at the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at the Tisch School, said he likes playing at large festivals but he was excited to be playing a gig in his hometown in a more relaxed setting. Eric Sherman, a junior at Boston University said, “it’s nice to play a show close to home where people can come out and enjoy themselves and support a great place like the Teen Center.” While WSTK’s sound may be geared toward a younger audience, the adults in the room danced and bopped their heads to Daniel Lonner’s rapping and Jess Ingui’s diva style vocals.

We Stole The Kids wasn’t the only band present with Scarsdale roots. Skyfactor’s Jon and Cliff Rubin grew up and in town and were part of the band “Sky Blues” in the early nineties, which recorded five albums at an indie label. But like We Stole the Kids, the Rubin brothers got their start in the halls of SHS. “We both grew up in Scarsdale and had a great experience there, so agreeing to lend our time and talents for the Scarsdale Teen Center was a no-brainer for us,” Rubin said. Skyfactor has been playing together for seven years with their drummer Jason Taylor and lead singer Bob Ziegler. Taylor and Ziegler have been playing music with the Rubins for seven years and are Westchester residents as well. Skyfactor was eager to bring their jam band sound to the stage at Vintage, representing a musical style that pre-dated the electronic and alternative sound of We Stole The Kids.

However, it was The DB6 that put the “Adult” in Adult Night Of Rock. Not to be outdone by the younger bands, The DB6 jammed on classic rock tunes, bringing to the stage their versions of songs like American Girl by Tom Petty and Ramblin’ Man by The Allman Brothers. The DB6 band members Dave Cannon, Dan Groner, Dan Bernstein, and Eric Wayne, play in another Scarsdale band that has been around for several years, The Del Bocas. However, two of The Del Bocas were unable to make it to Night of Rock this year, so they added Steve Rabinowitz on guitar and Mike Pearson on drums to form The DB6. One of The DB6’s guitar players, Dave Cannon, has participated in every Adult Night Of Rock, playing in different bands over the years. “It’s an important night for us,” said Cannon after he and The DB6 had finished their sound check, “It’s a great cause because the Teen Center keeps kids drug and alcohol free, and we have a lot of fun doing it. Any way to help out the Teen Center’s cause is worth it.”

That seemed to be the overall sentiment of the night. It was all about helping the Teen Center raise money and to put on a great show. Like Cannon, the event’s host, Jimmy Fink, has been involved in the Adult Night Of Rock every year. He summed up the night quite nicely. “I think the Teen Center is something unique to Scarsdale. If we can help by having an event like this, all the better.”

This article was contributed by Sandor Mark, a 2009 graduate of Scarsdale High School who currently attends Boston University. He is a former member of the Scarsdale Teen Center board.