Clear your schedule for the night of Friday, February 3, and make plans to be at Verona High School for Cops & Rockers 2012, the teen band competition sponsored by the Verona PBA Local 72. It’s going to be a big, big show.
So many bands signed up to perform this year that Cops & Rockers 2012 has to start an hour earlier than last year to fit them all in before VHS turns the lights off and kicks everybody out for the evening. Nine teen bands–plus the musicians from law enforcement–will be taking the stage, including last year’s winner, Fusion.
At stake are bragging rights and a whole lot of good things. The grand prize will be a day in the recording studio courtesy of Cat Eyez Studios in Verona. Rocktec Music, which is donating two Dean guitars to be raffled off for the audience, will be providing a backline of quality instruments for the kids to use, as well as fog machines and PA equipment. The entire show will be professionally recorded by Cat Eyez and the bands will get a copy of their performance. Chris Segarra of Legendery Entertainment will be the MC for the event and MyVeronaNJ.com will be providing real-time audience voting via cell phone.
The next three weeks are going to be a lot of work for Sergeant Dan Greco. “I was so overwhelmed by how successful the first annual Cops & Rockers event was,” he says. “Our sponsors, friends and fellow officers came together to make it a special memory for the kids, their families and for us too. It went so well that I was a little worried about how we can make the show even better this year.”
The show is a fundraiser for the PBA’s scholarship fund and for the Verona Music Parents Association, which is one of the co-sponsors. The ground rules are simple: Each band will play an original composition and a few popular cover songs. The music will be family friendly–but, if it’s anything like last year, loud.
“This year is really shaping up to be an incredible event,” Greco says. “The word got out and bands were contacting me from all over the place. I unfortunately had to turn down bands from neighboring towns because the show booked up so fast. The stage set-up will be awesome and the kids are sure to have a memory to last a lifetime. I love that we found a way to raise money for two great causes while giving kids a chance to feel like rock stars”.
In addition to Fusion, this year will see the return of black metal band Angmar, Leo’s Arrow and Where Eagles Dare. The newcomers include Feux Johnny, NaH, Nex Parvulus, Sector 4 and The Loop, and MyVeronaNJ.com will be showcasing each of the bands in the days leading up to the show. This year’s logo was designed by VHS senior Tim Hatcher. Cops & Rockers has its own Facebook page this year, which will take you to a lot more information on each of the bands and their music.
The show will be held at the VHS auditorium. The doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door or by contacting Greco at 973-857-4764.
THE ROCKERS
Angmar: Conor Lawless, Tyler Butkowski, Brian Fong (Listen to a song)
Feux Johnny: Giancarlo Cordasco, Alex Campbell, Patrick Mac
Fusion: Ryan Yeates, Nick Celfo, Steve Wynen, Andrew Capuano, Austin Williams (Listen to a song)
Leo’s Arrow: Evan Yee, Mike Bartell, Matt Bartell, Patrick Sullivan, Torsten Kolind
NaH: Ben Shooter, RJ Challice, Zach Thomas
Nex Parvulus: Steven Rust, Wesley Ostrander, Matt Wolfman, Ella Yarmo-Gray, Nagee Diaz-Carpening
Sector 4: Colin Pope, Jon Pinon, John Gleason, Nick Sambataro, David Ben-Israel
The Loop: Theresa Courter, Joey Fierro, Chris Ehrich, Chris Buneo, Nick Fierro
Where Eagles Dare: Isaac Rubins, Dom Gagliano, Mike Basil, Nick Celfo
THE COPS
Dan Greco, Sgt. Verona Police Department, guitars; Stephanie Egnezzo, Sgt. Montclair Police Department, vocals; Marty Santuoso, Ret/Sgt. VPD, drums, Gerard DiNola, Special Deputy Verona, vocals; Pat Filoso, Special Deputy Verona, bass
The Loop performed at OLL’s Kinderfest in October. Give a listen.
