Sept. 14 rock/blues concert at Bousquet to benefit Katrina victims

Posted for Megan Whilden of Cultural Pittsfield, 499-9370
Reply-To: mwhilden@pittsfieldch.com
Media contact: Don Harris, Day Mountain Sound: 413-684-1218

PITTSFIELD -- In response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, members of the local music community and others are collaborating together on a benefit concert to be held Wednesday, September 14, outdoors at Bousquet Ski Area at 101 Dan Fox Drive in Pittsfield. The concert features the Reverend Tor Band, renowned blues guitarist Albert Cummings, Xavier, and more.

All proceeds from the concert, entitled the Hurricane Katrina Relief Jam, will go to the American Red Cross Emergency Relief Fund. In addition, the group Strangers Helping Strangers will conduct a non-perishable food drive at the concert. Concert sponsors include Day Mountain Sound, the City of Pittsfield, Berkshire Vox Radio Group, and Bousquet Ski Area.

“Hurricane Katrina struck at the heart of the birthplace of jazz and the
vibrant home of the blues, zydeco and more. What better way to reach out and help our fellow Americans in dire straits than
through music, honoring New Orleans and the Gulf Coast’s musical gifts to the world,” noted Reverend Tor Band frontman, Tor Krautter, a lead organizer of the event.

The concert is for all ages, and food will be available for purchase. A $10 donation is requested at the door, and kids 12 and under are free. Kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Dogs and
coolers are not allowed and in case of rain the concert will be moved indoors into Bousquet’s ballroom.

Berkshire native and celebrated blues guitarist Albert Cummings has played with many of the greats, including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, John Hammond, Susan Tedeschi, the Neville
Brothers, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Blues Rocker magazine wrote of him, "He is a gifted songwriter…a passionate vocalist, and a ferocious guitarist who can gently pull on your heart strings
with a sensitive ballad, but then ignite in explosive fury like an inbound meteor on a Texas blues/rock tune." His second album, "From the Heart," was recorded it in Austin, Texas with the late,
great Stevie Ray Vaughan's bandmates Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon serving as his rhythm section and co-producers. For more information visit www.albertcummings.com.

Local and regional favorites the Reverend Tor Band’s large original repertoire feature funky, bass oriented rhythms and foot stomping percussion. Bouncy guitar lines pull the whole groove together and
creates an entrancing state that makes ones body want to move. Soulful melodies are immediately memorable.

Members of the Reverend Tor Band have worked with the likes of The Band, Little Feat, Bill Monrow, Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie, and the band has shared the stage with members of The Grateful Dead,
Phish, The Allman Brothers, and New Riders Of The Purple Sage. They have performed at festivals and concerts with The Jerry Garcia Band, Los Lobos, The Funky Meters, Leftover Salmon, String Cheese
Incident, and Max Creek, and tour regularly with Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten.

They have recorded four CDs: Relix magazine wrote of their first one "The album is a real gem that jumps across musical boundaries with ease and imagination….Krautter comes over like a cross between
Steve Winwood and Robert Cray." For more information visit www.revtor.com.

Bousquet ski area in south Pittsfield was the first ski area in the world to offer night skiing and one of the first two resorts in the world to install snow making equipment in 1956. In the summer
Bousquet transforms into a Family Fun Center featuring water slides, go-carts and miniature golf. For more information visit www.bousquets.com.

For more information about the concert, please call Don Harris of Day Mountain Sound at 413-684-1218.