SHOW AT THE DRAKE IN SUPPORT OF THE AMHERST SURVIVAL CENTER 

Lev BenEzra, Executive Director of the Amherst Survival Center, and Northwestern District Attorney Dave Sullivan reconnected with Donnie Gallagher at the Center’s “Empty Bowls” fundraiser recently. It was there that they set another call to action into motion. Gallagher now devotes his time to being a singer-songwriter and grandfather after years in the nonprofit and private sectors. Gallagher, who had worked with Sullivan and BenEzra on different projects in the past, had just returned from recording and mastering his first solo record in Colorado.

Following the discussion at the “Empty Bowls” event and conversations with his musician friends and local activists, Gallagher made a call to Lincoln Allen, Managing Director of the Drake in downtown Amherst. Combining the release of his debut album, Living to the Fullest, with raising much-needed funds for the Survival Center quickly became a reality. The Survival Center/Drake event will take place on Wednesday, June 4th, from 7:00 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Drake website: [www.thedrakeamherst.org]

“Here was an opportunity to collaborate with folks who were committed to feeding the bodies and souls of individuals in the heart of the valley and bring together all the right ingredients,” Gallagher shared.

The record release coincides with the 50th reunion of Gallagher’s Springfield College class, where many of the musicians on his record first met and played together in bands. “After fifty-plus years, my best friends and bandmates from college get to come together from across the country to play—and pay it forward,” Gallagher said. Proceeds from the event at the Drake, along with the first sales of the CD and vinyl, will go directly to the Survival Center.

After moving to the valley from the Berkshires over twenty years ago, Gallagher and his wife Karen immersed themselves in what he calls “a community filled with passion and hope.” He worked with an ad hoc group to create “Hurricaid” at the UMass Campus Center, raising money to support victims of Hurricane Mitch, which devastated coffee cooperatives in Nicaragua that supplied Dean’s Beans and other roaster-distributors globally. Shortly thereafter, Gallagher and co-president Deborah Evans helped incorporate the North Amherst Community Farm, playing an instrumental role in raising funds for the forty-plus acres now farmed by Simple Gifts Farm. Music was always a part of farm life, and for many years Gallagher organized that aspect of their Harvest Festivals. Planning a concert to support the efforts of the Survival Center seemed like a natural fit.

“We hope to see music lovers and folks who support the sorely needed and fine work of the Survival Center come out for a fun evening at the Drake,” Gallagher said.

THE CAUSE

Acclaimed area musicians will take the stage at the Drake in Amherst on Wednesday, June 4th, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. to benefit the work of the Amherst Survival Center. The Center is one of many agencies and organizations affected by significant budget cuts in Washington. Organizer and singer-songwriter Donnie Gallagher and Friends will provide three sets of popular music.

THE MUSIC  

Valley singer-songwriter Peter Newland and his band, Radio X, will open the show. Newland was the lead singer and harp player for the legendary 1970s rock band FAT and has been instrumental in growing the Blues to Green Festival in downtown Springfield.  

Newland will be joined by Guy DeVito, the bass player from FAT. After twelve years on Atlantic and RCA Records, DeVito spent four years on the island of Montserrat playing bass in live shows featuring artists produced by George Martin’s AIR Studios. Upon returning to the States, DeVito played with John Kay and Steppenwolf and became one of the Valley’s most sought-after bassists while also producing records for some of the area's most successful acts.

Southampton’s Tim Smith, who toured with Poco during Rusty Young’s final decade, will be on drums.  
The program will conclude with selections from Donnie Gallagher and Friends’ new record, “Living to the Fullest”, along with popular cover songs from the 1970s.  

Joining Gallagher on stage will be Colorado guitarist and record producer Curtis Dagostino; Bay Area bass player Roger Winkelman; Pocono guitarist Keith Naylor; and Orlando's Jim Mahoney.  

Dagostino, a native of Longmeadow, has played with members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Buddy Miles, Dan Fogelberg, Starwood, the Bobby Mason Band, and John Sommers, who wrote for and performed with John Denver.

Ticket and merchandise proceeds will directly benefit the Amherst Survival Center and can be purchased through the Drake’s website at [https://www.thedrakeamherst.org]

For more information, please contact: donniegallaghermusic@gmail.com