The Dave Matthews Band may be gearing up to start their 2010 Summer Tour next month in Washington, D.C., but that didn't stop local fans from enjoying live cover versions of their favorite DMB songs at the third annual Earth Day Concert at Bellevue State Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Grey Street Band, one of the area's premiere Dave Matthews tribute bands, teamed up with the 93.7 WSTW Street Team and the Delaware State Park Commission to raise awareness about environmental issues while providing musical entertainment.
A number of organizations, including the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and the New Castle County Master Gardeners, set up kiosks to provide the audience with information about how to get involved with statewide wildlife conservation efforts.
Nathalie Antonov, a member of the WSTW Street Team, says her radio station helped spread word of the event through on-air advertising and online press releases on WSTW.com.
"We just wanted to make sure people knew about the event and what it stands for," Antonov says. "93.7 WSTW and WDEL 1150 AM are really proud to be supporting such an important cause."
Supporting the Bellevue Park's Earth Day Concert is just one step the popular local station is taking towards "going green" in their day-to-day operations. Antonov says WSTW has been using a computer program to keep track of all important events, which allows them to cut down on their paper usage. They also purchased a Ford Escape hybrid for their daily Traffic Watch vehicle — something Antonov says the station is very proud of.
"We just try to do whatever we can, every little bit counts," she says.
Dorothy Sheehan, who works at the Delaware State Park Commission and who made the event possible, encourages students at the university to check the Delaware State Park website for future concerts and events featuring other popular university bands such as Spokey Speaky and Diego Paulo.
Jesse Weimer, a senior at the university and bassist for The Grey Street Band, says he and his group were very excited to perform at a venue that promotes a positive message.
"All of us in the band are all about supporting the environmentalist in any way we can," Weimer says.
He says public events like these have always been positive exposure for the band, which has only been performing for a few months. The band formed in July when Weimer and guitarist/lead vocalist Ron Sill joined up with drummer Jimmy Palmer, violinist Craig Ziccafoose and saxophonist Dave Hopkins. The tribute band's goal is to give audiences "the Dave Matthews Band experience."
Despite the fact they have only been on the scene for a short while, the band is no stranger to outdoor events. They will be performing at a campaign party for County Council candidate Andrea Daly on June 5.
"Any time you have people outside listening to our music and having a good time, it's just a great thing to be a part of," Hopkins says.
When asked if The Grey Street Band have any gigs planned in the Newark area in the near future, Weimer admitted breaking into the Main Street live music scene has proven somewhat difficult. However, he is more than confident his group will be coming to Newark soon.
"I always hear people raving about Jefe, but I feel like we have the same amount of talent as him and can put on just as good a show," Weimer says.
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