RED BANK: A ‘VET FEST’ ON THE RIVER
“Medicated” Pete McHeffey is one of the Downtown All-Stars of Red Bank teaming up to raise funds for veterans in a special Wednesday evening event on Front Street.
They’re called the Downtown All-Stars of Red Bank LLC — “a collective of local musicians and performing artists bound together to raise both funds and awareness.” You know them as the folks who entertain regularly at venues that range from your favorite neighborhood watering hole to the summertime sidewalks of Street Life, and in some instances they’re “the people that you meet when you’re walkin’ down the street.”
But every so often these artists convene like some jukebox Justice League, to address a cause dear to their hearts and musician’s souls — and this Wednesday evening, the occasion is a concert and CD release party for those who’ve served in the United States military.
Strumberry Pie, seen here in a fair-weather appearance during one of Red Bank’s Street Life sessions, can be found among the participating artists on the new Downtown All-Stars release ‘Magic on the Navesink.’
Hosted at Red Bank Elks Lodge #233, the multi-act Red Bank Vet Fest is a benefit for the lodge’s Veterans Charity that also doubles as an official launch for Magic on the Navesink, the all-new charity compilation CD that spotlights the various member artists of the All-Stars.
Colossal Street Jam, Strumberry Pie, Scott Elk, Dawn Hopkins, Johnny Hathaway and Carol Barbieri are among the acts represented on stage (as well as on the CD) for the show that’s scheduled to run from 6 to 11 p.m. They’re joined for the occasion by a special guest: “Medicated Pete” McHeffey, the longtime Red Banker who parlayed his appearances on Howard Stern’s radio broadcasts into full-fledged membership as one of the Stern Wack Pack — and even, as featured here on redbankgreen, a degree of movie stardom.
You can find Medicated Pete, all the aforementioned acts and much more on Magic on the Navesink — and you can receive a copy of the CD at the door for the price of admission to Wednesday’s event ($20; $10 for veterans and active duty service members).