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By Natalie Musumeci
Brooklyn Daily
Bay Ridge bands brought more than 350 big-hearted Brooklynites out to the Salty Dog on Sunday — where the bands rocked out and concert goers dug deep into their pockets to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims.
More than $14,000 was raised at the 10-hour concert at the Salty Dog Restaurant on Third Avenue between 76th Street and Bay Ridge Parkway, where Brooklyn music legend Frankie Marra and other neighborhood band favorites rocked all day and night.
The lump sum will directly aid storm-ravaged victims in hard-hit areas across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, Marra said.
“The turn out was just phenomenal and all the bands were excellent,” said Marra, who spearheaded the event. “It was an outpour of love and support.”
Classic rock to southern rock bands who performed included Frankie Marra and his band — featuring special guest John Rafferty — Lepore, Cassone, and D’emic; Dirty Stayouts with Janice Higgins; High Tides; The Piranha Brothers; The Ridge; Radio Daze; Head N’ South; and Out of the Blue.
Event organizers also collected a multitude of supplies ranging from toys to cleaning products to pet food, which was donated by concert attendees.
“We have enough supplies to fill a U-Haul,” said the neighborhood headliner. “I’m elated with what we raised. What we are doing is just a drop in a bucket, but we need all of those drops because the devastation is just phenomenal.”
All of the money and donations raised will be divided up among hurricane recovery funds including the Breezy Point Cooperative Disaster Relief Fund, the Brooklyn Recovery Fund, and the Tunnels to Towers Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund for Staten Island.
Many displaced families whose homes fell victim to the storm came out to the concert and had the opportunity to speak to a Federal Emergency Management Agency official who was on hand to answer any questions, Marra said.
“They needed this celebration to let their hair down and listen to some good music,” he said.
A displaced woman who lost her Breezy Point home in the storm won a complete kitchen set that was donated by Joe’s Appliances on Fifth Avenue.
Longtime Bay Ridge resident Paulie SanFilippo said it made him “feel great to be apart of an event like this.”
“The bands were great and the energy level was amazing,” said SanFilippo. “It’s always great to see the people of Bay Ridge come out to support a great event and have a lot of fun while doing it — it’s a win-win situation for everybody.”