Sikorsky & Pilot Pen OCC-designed & built-bikes on display

Fairfield University joins Band Together, the Mid-Fairfield County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation to present "Southern Rock," a fundraising concert at the Quick Center for the Arts, Wednesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. Continuing the Southern Rock theme, three custom high-end choppers will be on display in the Quick Center lobby. Tickets are $27 and proceeds from the southern rock, blues and country concert will benefit Connecticut Burn Care Children's Burn Camp and Mid-Fairfield County Red Cross community efforts.

From the hit television show American Chopper on the Learning Channel and Discovery Channel, two custom-themed motorcycles designed and built by Orange County Choppers, Inc. for Sikorsky and Pilot Pen will be showcased and Bourget Bike Works will display a high-end performance oriented motorcycle - all in the Quick Center lobby.

University College and the Quick Center for the Arts in collaboration with Band Together and the beneficiaries of the Southern Rock fundraiser, present a roster of veteran musicians that features Fairfield singer/songwriter/guitarist Christopher Robin and Blues diva Debbie Davies. Joining them are Band Together founders and musicians Jerry Vigorito and Rob Fried with Thierry Arpino, Andy Abel, Christine Tambakis, Ronnie Ciccia, Roy Rodrigues and John Mamone rounding out the list.

Robin has opened for or played with Gregg Allman, Robert Cray, Lee Sklar, The Marshall Tucker Band, Tony Joe White and Steve Cropper among others. And Blues Review Magazine definitively described Davies' impassioned performance style by saying: "She pulls out all the stops. She can play it all:  seductive, soulful material, down-home delta blues or humorous tales of life on the road." Nominated for eight Blues Music Awards, Davies won the 1997 award for Best Contemporary Female Blues Artist and was again nominated for the award in 2008.

The concept of Band Together grew out of Vigorito's and Fried's love of music, talents as businessmen and determination to fuse these gifts with a desire for community enrichment. The Band Together movement creates musical events that unite a community of talented musicians and partners with non-profit organizations needing to raise funds that enable them to carry out good works. To date, their events have raised over $300,000.

The Mid-Fairfield County Chapter of the American Red Cross provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies, www.mfcarc.org. House fires are the most prevalent local disaster that the Mid-Fairfield County Chapter faces and to date the Chapter has responded to 231 incidents this year representing 635 individual clients and over $114,000.

The Connecticut Burns Care Foundation, Inc., a charitable organization, was established in 1978 and has grown in stature as a leading educational and funding resource in support of burn safety and burn care.  In 1991, the Foundation Board of Directors established a children's burn camp for severely burned children between the ages of 8 and 18, which all children attend free of charge. All expenses for lodging, meals, arts/crafts, activities and programs are paid for by the Foundation. http://ctburnsfoundation.org/cbc_mission.htm

Tickets for "Southern Rock" are available at fairfield.edu/quick , by calling the Box Office at (203) 254-4010 or the toll-free line at 1-877-ARTS-396.

Posted On: 05-06-2009 10:05 AM

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