BY NICKI MAYO
“You listen to any kind of song, any kind of music and drums are in my opinion the most important part of any song,” said Nicholas Plant. The Williamsville music teacher is one of one hundred drummers “Sticking it to Hunger” in Cheektowaga.
One hundred Western New York musicians are drumming up money for an area food bank. The drummers played together for the “Sticking It To Hunger” fundraiser in at the Marygold Manor in Cheektowaga.
It’s part of an international campaign to raise money to fight poverty and hunger, while promoting music education in schools.
“One guy started the event on his own and he had 533 people the same place,” said Buffalo Drum Outlet Owner Paul Musilli.
It’s the second year for the event happening in about 12 cities to drum up money for area soup kitchens. Musilli helped organize the Buffalo-area fundraiser. There were others taking place in the following locations:
Bellevue, WA: Donn Bennett Drum Studio – bennettdrums.com
Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Drum Outlet – buffalodrumoutlet.com
Champaign, IL: Skins-n-Tins Drum Shop – skinsntins.com
Columbus, OH: Columbus Percussion – columbuspercussion.com
Hollywood, FL: Resurrection Drums – rezdrums.com
Houston, TX: The Percussion Center – percussiononline.com
San Jose, CA: Lemmon Percussion- drumsusa.com
St. Louis, MO: Drum Headquarters – drumheadquarters.com
Toronto, ON: Just Drums – justdrums.com
Tulsa, OK: Drum World – drumdaytulsa.com
Willowick, OH: Stebal Drums – stebaldrums.com
READ ABOUT THE “BIG BEAT” http://www.fivestardrumshops.com/PDFs/BB_PR_Aug.pdf
Buffalo area drummers are raising money for the Saint Adalbert’s Response To Love Center in East Buffalo.
“It’s in one of the poorest neighborhoods. We counted the houses going down the street and about ¾ of them were boarded up,” said Musilli. Response to Love offers hot meals, groceries, job training and G-E-D classes to low income families.
SAINT ADALBERT’S RESPONSE TO LOVE CENTER
http://www.responsetolovecenter.org/
130 Kosciuszko Street
Buffalo, NY 14212
716-894-7030
The musical fundraiser also contributes to the Mr. Hollands Opus Foundation working to enhance music education programs. So far they’ve raised $3,300 for instruments at Buffalo’s South Park, Grover Cleveland and Seneca High Schools.
“It’s a great thing when you get people of all ages doing a positive thing for other people,” said Musilli with a smile.
“My whole family plays drums. I like to get to learn stuff and basically I like to beat on things,” added six year old Roco Lucciano.
