Patchogue Theatre Announces Musicians for Fundraiser ELTON IN THE LOBBY, 9/18

The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts has announced the local musicians that have volunteered alongside the Live in the Lobby team to be a part of the annual "Covers in the Lobby" show this year to celebrate the music of Elton John. This show will raise funds for the Tenth season of Live in the Lobby at The Patchogue Theatre that starts October 23. Elton in the Lobby is featuring performances by Featuring performances by JellyBand, Guilty Pleasures, Cheap & Dirty, Hank Stone, Cassandra House, Sim Urivetzky, Valery Levine, Leah Kay, Carl Ferrara, Dan Donnelly, Jonathan Evensen, Andrews-Blessing Band, Chris J. Connolly... and more!

ELTON IN THE LOBBY: ANNUAL FUNDRAISER FOR LIVE IN THE LOBBY
Thursday, September 18 at 7:30 PM
Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts Lobby, 71 E. Main St., Patchogue, NY
Tickets: $10 and include a beverage at the bar; available at the box office the day of the performance or call 631-207-1313 to reserve tickets. Seating is limited; doors open at 7:00 pm. Now in its TENTH season, Live in the Lobby at the Patchogue Theatre has earned a reputation as a major Long Island venue for Local Original Music from a variety of genres and given birth to several performance events in the PTPA Lobby. Concerts in the Patchogue Theatre lobby started in the winter of 2005 at the suggestion of several people. Patchogue Village Deputy Mayor Jack Krieger is the liaison to the PTPA board and he pulled together a group of volunteers for two shows to create a small "sit down" music space, thinking it a good way of bringing more people to Main Street on nights that the theatre was "dark."

One of those volunteers was Christopher Capobianco, who was elected to the PTPA Board later that year and got approval to make concerts in the lobby a regular event. With that, "Live in the Lobby" was born and a group of volunteers was assembled to present a series of Local Original Music concerts with seating for about 60 and standing room for another 40 around the bar. The concept took hold as singer-songwriters, original bands and their fans found a venue that welcomed original music in a comfortable "listening room" setting.

In 2007, funds were raised for a sound system and Bill Herman of Long Island based Paradiddle Records signed on as a volunteer, bringing a talented group of sound technicians to the Lobby team that are still with us today. With our own sound and lighting, the Lobby became a "venue within a venue" and The New York Times called us "A felicitous space for music listening."

With no shortage of original music in the area, Live in the Lobby has continued, and the crowds have gotten larger. We celebrated the 100th show in February 2014 on the same day Christopher Capobianco was named Man of the Year by the Long Island Advance newspaper for his efforts as "The Impresario of Patchogue." Based on this success, more events have found a home in the Lobby, including Patchogue Folk Festival, All That Jazz, Patchogue Arts Festival, Music on Main, The Patchogue Arts Council Lobby Gallery, The New Musicals Project and Laughter in the Lobby.

When we started during the 2005-2006 season, there were not a lot a lot of choices for live music in Patchogue, especially for original acts. That has changed in a big way, as Patchogue is now a well-known destination for live music and the arts. We are proud of our part in helping that happen.

Financial support for the mission of Live in the Lobby to nurture and support original music from Long Island comes from our annual "Cover in the Lobby" fundraiser, ticket sales, and our Sponsors. If you'd like to support Live in the Lobby as a sponsor for Season Ten, please contact info@patchoguetheatre.com and we'll tell you how.

Live in the Lobby 2014 Line Up
September 18 - Elton in the Lobby - Annual Fundraiser in Support of Live in the Lobby featuring local musicians celebrating the music of Elton John
October 23 - Opening Night for Live in the Lobby Season Ten - Chris J. Connolly and Bryan Gallo with Butchers Blind
November 13 - Rupert Wates Trio and Toby Tobias Ensemble
2015 Shows with Performers TBA: January 8, February 5, March 5, April 2, May 7, and June 4

Live in the Lobby Volume 1 CDs are available at the Patchogue Theatre and the Volume 1 and Volume 2 recordings are available for download at ParadiddleRecords.com.