Hello everyone and welcome to this issue of Preston’s Beat. For those of you who are new readers, this newsletter is my forum to my friends out there about what’s new with my music and my universe, and this issue is primarily about some of the wonderful artists I’ve had the opportunity to befriend and hear recently. And I will also fill you in on some of my friends I’ve written about in the past, as well as an update on what I’m up to as well. Welcome!

Memorial Day Weekend and a Few Words About an Album that Knocked my Socks Off

I was fortunate this past Memorial Day Weekend to have attended not one but two bbqs that had music jams with some dear friends of mine and included some of the finest musicians I’ve heard anywhere. I’m fortunate for the people I have in my life, and things just seem to get better! What great talent I was surrounded by! I’d like to tell you about some of the people I met.

First, there’s Edward Rogers, a very nice guy who just released his third solo album, “Sparkle Lane”, which quite frankly, is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. I can’t express enough how much I love this album – it registered high up on my goose bump meter! Ed has been fortunate in his previous solo efforts to work with some good friends of his that include Roger McGuinn of The Byrds and Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent of The Zombies. In “Sparkle Lane” Ed is on his own with a terrific band and a group of songs that takes him to new musical heights. As I listened to the album, I got more excited with each track – something that doesn’t happen with me very often. This is that rare kind of experience that I had when I first heard such classic albums such as The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” and the The Zombies“Odessey and Oracle”. It was just extraordinary. When you give this magnificent work a listen, it is clear that he is from the same school as The Kinks, The Zombies, The Move, The Byrds, David Bowie, Brian Wilson and of course The Beatles, among others; however, Ed brings his own special and unique voice and vision that creates a work that stands apart. You can read and hear more about at Ed at his website, http://www. edwardrogersmusic.com. “Sparkle Lane” is also available for purchase on Amazon.com and on iTunes. And you can hear Ed and his band play live this coming Monday, June 21, at the The Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery, NYC, just a few doors down from former location of CBGB’s. For tickets, got http://www. theboweryelectric.com. It should be a great evening and I’m looking forward to it!

Second, there’s Gary Roupenian, a long time friend of my friend Ted Knapp’s who back in the 70’s was the lead singer for the group Lover and for the last 20+ years has fronted the group The Bangs. Gary has one of the voices that also knocks my socks off – what an incredibly gifted singer! Popular on the New Jersey scene for years, The Bangs have opened for many prominent national acts when they have appeared in NJ, and Jon Bonjovi cited The Bangs as one of the groups that influenced him. The Bangs next public appearance will be on July 17th to celebrate the birthday of his friend, Sopranos star Vincent Pastore (“Big Pussy”), at The Primetime Comedy Club and Theater in Sayreville, NJ. Looking forward to this show too! You can read about and hear more of Gary on the web at http://www.myspace.com/getreadythebangs . Tickets are available for the July 17th show at http://www.primetimecomedyonline.com.

And third, there’s Brooklyn, NY based singer/songwriter Lisa Brigantino, who is releasing a new CD called “Wonder Wheel”. Lisa is an incrediblely gifted singer, songwriter guitarist. As a matter of fact, if you are in NYC on Friday, June 18th, Lisa will be performing with a full band and special guests at 7:30 at the Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street, NYC. The show starts at 7:30. It’s going to be a a great show and I’m looking forward to it! You can find out more about Lisa at her website, http://www.lisabrig.com.

News and Updates on Other Friends of Mine

One of the nice things about being surrounded by terrific musician friends is that these days I’m always busy catching their shows. I always enjoy hanging out with my great buddy Jimmy McElligott (Jimmy Mack)who’s group Better Days always rocks. And Jimmy introduced me to another great musician who’s become a very good friend, Glenn Kidd, who is currently working on a new CD and can be heard playing acoustically on Thursdays and sometimes Fridays in NYC at Monaco’s Restaurant on W. 80th St. and Amsterdam Ave. You can check Jimmy out on the web at http://www.myspace.com/tunetownusa , and you’ll find out and hear more about Glenn at http://www.myspace.com/glennkidd .

One of my dearest friends, Noah Zacharin, will be down from Toronto in July, appearing on Friday, July 23rd in upstate Clifton Park, NY, at the Jonesville Store, and on Monday, July 26th, in Cambridge, MA at the Cantab Lounge. He’s one of the finest guitarists and writers I know, and shouldn’t be missed if you have the chance to see him. In Toronto, you can catch him hosting his weekly jam every Wednesday at The Liberty Bistro. You can always find out what Noah is up to at http://www.noahsong.com. I’m looking forward to seeing his shows!

My longtime friend Kenyon Phillips’s band Unisex Salon continues to expand into the universe. They recently had a big show over at the Highline Ballroom in NYC, where they will once again play on Monday, July 19th. Their music just keeps popping in various TV shows. You can read, see and hear some of what he’s up to at his very cool website http://www.unisexsalonband.com. For advanced ticket purchase for their show at the Highline, go to http://www.highlineballroom.com. Since it has just been booked, tickets may not yet be available. JUST ADDED – Unisex Salon will be playing a benefit for The Anti-Violence Project this Sunday, June 20th at 4PM at Folsom Street East Street Fair – 28th Street, between 10th and 11th Aves., NYC. $ 10 suggested donation!

And one more Zombies connected note. Keith Airey, who has been their guitarist since they started touring again back in 2002, has left the band to focus on his up coming solo album Crimson Tear. I recently heard from Keith, who’s informed me that new album will include a couple of tracks with his older brother Don Airey (co-founder of Deep Purple), as well as daughter Olivia playing bass on three of the tracks. I’m glad Keith has the opportunity to work with family. And drums he has Steve Rodford, who is also the drummer for the Zombies. And what I like best about Keith’s solo effort is the new name of his band – Airyea 51 – I love it! You can follow what Keith is doing on the web at hear some clips from the CD at http://www.myspace,com/aireya51. I wish Keith all the best in his new venture.

I also have to tell you about an incredible show that blew me away this past weekend. Joe McGinty, who plays keyboards on “Sparkle Lane” and was the keyboardist for The Psychedelic Furs for five years, is also the founder of The Losers Lounge, which has been playing sold out tribute shows in NYC since 1993. This past weekend, they sold out Joe’s Pub in NYC for three days with an absolutely incredible tribute to Brian Wilson. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen in some time – and Ed was among the great lineup of singers, giving the crowd an intense cover of The Ramones version of “Do You Want to Dance”. Be sure to check them out at http://www.loserslounge.com . Congratulations to Joe for successfully taking on such a massive project that totally worked and was appreciated my it’s audiences.

And my vocal coach, renowned singer Susan Collins, has a very talented son, Tucker Caploe, who will be singing in NYC at Birdland as part of Jim Caruso’s Cast Party this coming Monday, June 21st. This is one of the best open mics in the city that often features a lot of Broadway people on their day off (Black Monday!) So if you are in the Times Square area, stop by and see Tucker (Birdland, 315 W. 44th St., NYC – http://www.birdlandjazz.com).

The Super Mega Show and Festival – July 9, 10, and 11th
There is a super pop convention taking place over the course of three days in Fairfield, NJ that pays tribute to The Beatles and 60’s and 70’s pop culture over in Fairfield, NJ. My good friend May Pang will be one of the all star panel of guests appearing at this event, which will feature music, television and cultural personalities of the era, and will also have an all star jam and auction on Saturday evening. There are too many people to fit into one paragraph so I’ll give you the link to the show, its http://www.supermegashow.com. The promoters of the event have partnered up with The White Feather Foundation, a charity established by Julian and Cynthia Lennon that works with partners in raising funds around the world for the benefit of environmental and humanitarian causes. The charity is dedicated to John Lennon’s memory. It’s going to be spectacular event, and I hope to see some of you there!

So What Am I Up To?

I’ve been keeping busy working on some of the instrumentals for my CD that I hope to have out by late fall. In the meantime, here are two takes from some of the work I’m doing on my “Song of Gratitude” – it’s simply two guitars at play, one by myself and the other by friend Brandon Terzic. Here’s the link: http://prestonsbeat.com/blog/audio/Song-of-Gratitude-Preston-Terzic.mp3 .

And What’s Happening in My Favorite English Market Town – Midhurst?

Since I’ve written quite a bit about Midhurst before, I don’t want to repeat myself, so I’ll just tell you what’s coming up there this summer. The big event so far this summer is the Rother Raft Race, which brings together a large cross section of the Midhurst community, and will take place the last Sunday August. Another event, tentatively scheduled is the MADHURST Music and Arts Festival, which if it takes place will be in the last week of August as well. If you are in the UK, be sure to visit this lovely town in West Sussex, which is just a few miles away from one of my favorite places in the world, The South Downs National Park. You can find out more about Midhurst and the Downs on Facebook by looking up “Friends of Midhurst” (I urge you to join too, if you haven’t). My friend John Trueman has been the one spearheading efforts to get word about Midhurst to the world. You can also go to John’s website for Midhurst, The Midhurst Pages, at http://www.violetdesigns.co.uk/midhurst.htm. And as a reminder, you can also read more about Midhurst and the Downs, as well as my relationship with the U.K., in my article “Britain and Me”, at: http://prestonsbeat.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Britain-and-Me-with-photo-inserts.pdf

And One Final Note . . .

Actually, that’s about all I have to say – thanks for taking time out of your day to read my newsletter – it’s much appreciated!

Peace and Love,

Mark Preston
Preston’s Beat
The Music of
Mark Nelson Preston
www.PrestonsBeat.com

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Hello everyone,

As I have a lot of new readers this issue, I hope my older readers don’t mind while I briefly talk about this newsletter. I’m Mark Nelson Preston, and I’ve been putting out this newsletter for about a year and half, and it’s a platform to tell my friends about the musical happenings of myself and my friends, from public appearances, fundraisers (for which I had four in 2009), to music links and most recently, the chronicles that I have started writing. I said it would be brief, so welcome!

Midhurst, My Friend John, and The South Downs

As some of you know, I have taken some time off musically to work on new material; there are a lot of things going on withmy friends, so this issue is dedicated to some of my dear friends and what they are doing. I would like to start off by talking about John Trueman, of Midhurst Pages fame. First, I want to thank my many friends who have joined Friends of Midhurst on Facebook, whether through my invites or reading my article “Britain and Me” (link will be at the end of the article). I’m grateful to John for reaching out to me last fall after I came across Friends of Midhurst while reading news about one of my all-time favorite British dramas, Foyle’s War. John is a magnanimous spirit whose tireless efforts are inspiring to me. I truly admire his efforts to bring about a global awareness of what this wonderful town has to offer, an effort which is creating a network that is drawing people worldwide. John has also been a pivotal figure in keeping the land around Midhurst preserved (some of you have read about the”sand pit” battle”). And now there is more news to tell you about Midhurst. As some of you have seen or read, on my last trip to the UK I spent a nice amount of time in the town of Eastbourne, which is a little about 60 miles east of Midhurst, and the time I spent exploring the South Downs. The Downs, a sprawling 99 miles of rolling landscape which to me is one of the most spectacular places anywhere in the world, is now the UK’s latest national park. This was a long time in the making, and it is through the efforts of people like John. Midhurst is just a short distance off the Downs, at about the halfway point, and will be the administrative centre for the new park. The UK, and the world, will now be able to enjoy this unspoiled wonder for all eternity. Great news indeed! Also, speaking of Foyle’s War, ITV, the British network, has brought the show back for a new season of three movies, over three consecutive weeks, starting this Sunday, April 11 on ITV1, so all my UK readers take note! It will air here in the U.S. on PBS, but now date has been set. Thanks again John for making the connection and all you have done. To my readers on Facebook, if you haven’t already, I once again invite you to join Friends of Midhurst on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44426501173&ref=ts; and you can find the Midhurst Pages at: http://www.violetdesigns.co.uk/midhurst.htm.

St. Paddy’s and My Friend Jimmy

Although I haven’t been out playing myself, I have been finding the time to listen my friends. One of them is my good friend Jimmy McElligott (Jimmy Mack), I was fortunate to have a double St. Pat’s celebration, which I had a wonderful time spending with the Rockland gang. Jimmy packed the house twice up at the Fireside up in Stony Point, NY, and the crowd and his friends loved him! Jimmy is a gifted singer, guitarist and songwriter, and I invite all of you to check him out. You’ll be able to read about him, hear the great music he wrote and performed with his late 70s/early 80s group The Propellors on My Space. For those of you who were in NY back then, The Propellors used to play at places like Dr. Bs and CBGBs. Here’s the link: http://www.myspace.com/tunetownusa . Enjoy the music, and thanks Jimmy!

May in Miami

I met Jimmy through our great mutual friend, May Pang. May has just finished a Beatles Tribute Cruise which raised money for our friend Dara Roberts, who I’ve written about before – she’s a remarkable 19 year old with cerebral palsy who’s attending her first year at Stanford University. The cruise is over but May has extended her stay in Florida for a few days to have a book signing this evening in Miami, so I hope some of my south Florida friends can make it. She will be signing copies of her photo memoir of her time with John Lennon, Instamatic Karma, this evening, Friday, April 9th, at Books and Books, 927 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, at 7 PM. For those you haven’t seen the book, it truly is a great piece of lost rock and roll history. The book is available, among other places, at Amazon, so get your copy! You can also keep up with May by visiting her website, http://www.maypang.com, or by joining The May Pang Fan Page on Facebook. So once again, if you are in the Miami area, stop by and say hi!

Canadians Heading South

I spent a lot of time in Toronto in 2009, playing there, meeting great friends, raising money for some great charities, and having truly wonderful times. I have not been able to spend anytime there so far this year and truly miss being around them; however, some of them will be in New York City in the next few months playing, and am thrilled. I will be putting out more details as the time gets closer, but here’s what I have so far. One of the first friends I met in Toronto is my great friend Jon Travis. Jon is a truly gifted performer and songwriter, who will be appearing in NYC on May 26 at the Sidewalk Café. Also traveling with him will be the great young talent, Carl Lorusso Jr. On June 18, my buddy Jeff Alan Greenway and his band will be playing in Times Square at Open Stages 2010 at the New World Stages, and it will be filmed in front of studio audience – congrats Jeff. And finally, my dear friend Noah Zacharin will be south of the border in July, appearing July 23 at the Jonesville Store in Clifton Park, NY, and will be the featured performer at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, MA on July 26. I’m looking forward to seeing all of them and hope to see some of you there too! Here are the links for my beloved Canucks:
Jon Travis – http://www.myspace.com/jontravistrain
Carl Lorusso Jr. – http://www.myspace.com/carllorussojr
Jeff Alan Greenway – http://www.myspace.com/jeffalangreenway
Noah Zacharin – http://www.noahsong.com

And Finally . . .

Actually, that’s about it! Due to the length of the article “Britain and Me”, I left the link to the end – I figured if people clicked the link earlier they wouldn’t get back to this newsletter. You can read it in it’s entirety by clicking here:
http://prestonsbeat.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Britain-and-Me-with-photo-inserts.pdf

That’s all for now!
Peace and Love,

Mark Preston
Preston’s Beat
The Music of
Mark Nelson Preston
www.PrestonsBeat.com

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Hello Everyone,

It has been sometime since my last newsletter and I hope all is well with all of you. I’ve been on a bit of a break since the December 19th “Preston and Friends Holiday Benefit”, which despite taking place in the middle of a blizzard, still managed to generate a nice turnout, and still enabled us to raise some funds for the New York Foundling and the Children’s Aid Foundation. With about seventy people in attendance, and over a dozen performers, including five of my good friends from Canada – Noah Zacharin, Jon Travis, Laura Fernandez, Rehan Dalal, and Carl Lorusso, Jr. – it truly was a special evening. Also a special thanks to my friend Kevin So for making it up from Nashville, and my local friends, Evan Palazzo and his band, The Hot Sardines , John Henry Olthoff, Jason Fien, Blake DeLong, Bill Chu, and Kelly Thomas for making it out for the weather. You can see some videos of the event as well as some photos, by going to the event section of PrestonsBeat.com or by clicking the following link – http://prestonsbeat.com/blog/events-calendar/ .

Also, in late November and early December, I visited the United Kingdom for eleven years. For those of you who don’t know, I have visited the UK quite frequently over the last few years and have established some wonderful friendships there. On my most recent journey, which lasted eleven days, I spent quite a bit of time in the county of Sussex, which among other things, is where you can find some of the world’s most incredible scenery in the South Downs. I also spent time in the medieval village of Midhurst, and was asked by my friend John Treuman to write about my UK experiences for their local website, The Midhurst Pages. It turned into an extensive writing project, and you can read the entire article, titled “Britain and Me”, all with some of my pictures, on PrestonsBeat.com or by clicking the following link, which will open up as a PDF, by clicking the following link: http://prestonsbeat.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Britain-and-Me-with-photo-inserts.pdf. You can also find out more about Midhurst, where the article will appear shortly, by going to the Midhurst Pages at http://www.violetdesigns.co.uk/midhurst.htm. It is a town that really opened themselves up to me (as you will read in the article) and it’s a community that I will continue to support where I can. If you are on “Facebook”, you can also find out more through” Friends of Midhurst”. You’ll also see pictures of my friend Martin Swatton’s award winning redesign of 1930’s English bungalow. Martin is a great talent and you can see more of his work at http://www.martinswatton.com .

Speaking of friends, I was fortunate enough to celebrate the Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day at the home of my good friend May Pang along with some of her family and friends, and May and her radio co-host Cynthia Neilson broadcast their weekly radio program that afternoon. You can hear a streaming of the one hour program, where the conversation ranged from discussing the day’s holidays to William Shatner, by clicking the link to the Feb. 14th broadcast of “Dinner Specials with May Pang and Cynthia Nielson” here – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maypang/2010/02/14/dinner-specials-with-may-pang-and-cynthia-neilson-live. You can also read more of what May is up to, including an upcoming trip to Scotland for a special exhibition of the works of the late photographer Iain Macmillan, who was one of the great Beatles photographers (his most famous work is perhaps the “Abbey Road” cover), by visiting May’s site, http://www.maypang.com . And on a sad note, George Harrison’s nephew, Gordon Caldwell, recently lost his six year battle with colon cancer. He was 52. My condolences to his family; and having lost my own mother to colon cancer, I can’t tell you enough how important it is to get a colonoscopy every few years, especially if it has occurred in your family. I know for myself and some members of my family, it has helped saved our lives. I usually don’t preach about these things – but be sure to get yourself checked.

And finally, as I said at the beginning of this newsletter, I’ve been taking some needed time off, but am in the midst of putting together the music for my upcoming “Preston and the Fifty-Sevens” CD, which will be a group effort that will be a mix of blues and jazz classics and originals. You can see a video of a rehearsal of one of the numbers Evan and I are working on, an original blues shuffle titled “The Sands of Time” in the My Music section of PrestonsBeat.com or by clicking the following link – http://www.youtube.com/prestonsbeat#p/u/0/f0PiRX20xjE.

Well, that’s all for now. I wish everyone best for 2010, and I hope to see you all soon!

Peace and Love,
Mark Preston
Preston’s Beat
The Music of
Mark Nelson Preston

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Hello everyone,

The play has finished it’s run and it’s back to music. Thanks to all my friends who worked on Wait Until Dark at the ACC, it was huge show that everyone gave 110 percent, that packed the house every night, and made me very proud. What a show! Now back to music!

I’m happy to report that the Dec. 19th fundraiser is moving along and I have some more details for you. The Preston and Friends Holiday Benefit will be raising money The New York Foundling and The Children’s Aid Foundation. I’m thrilled to have the Foundling on board. The Foundling is now celebrating its 140th year as they continue to build on their legacy saving children, preserving families and building communities. It’s an honor to be raising funds for them. You can read more about them by visiting http://www.nyfoundling.org.

Now to the event itself – we have quite a line up! Featured performers include by dear friend Noah Zacharin; renowned folk singer Ed Romanoff; my accompianist and renowned jazz pianist Evan Palazzo with his awesome 30’s style dirty jazz band The Hot Sardines –featuring Miss Elizabeth on vocals and Eddie Francisco on taps; singer/songwriter Kevin So; country singer/songwriter Harold “The Deuce” Allen; Toronto based singer/song writer and latin jazz extraordinaire Laura Fernandez; a contigent of my beloved Canucks including my buddies Jon Travis, Carl Lorusso Jr., Greg Bie, Jeff Kahl and Rehan Dahl; Toronto based New Zealander and Grammy nominee candidate Olivia Colenso; the awesome Fred Bement on harmonica;my buddies the TuTones from NJ; my good friend Jason Fien; the talented voice of Chris Kardos – who’s caught the attention of Rolling Stone; and NYC country singer/songwriter John Henry Olthoff - to name a few! The show starts at 7:00 PM at Slattery’s, 8 East 36th Street; there’s a $ 15 cover and if you get their early – there will be some really good food too. Drinks are up to you – it’s a cash bar. We will also be raising money through a silent auction, T-shirt sales, and sales of the artists’ music. Even more details in a few weeks!

Other notes and upcoming performances. I will be appearing this Thurs., Nov. 19th in Little Falls, NJ playing a set with my buddies Pete and Lenny – The TuTones – at their Caffeine Caberet at the Fine Grind, 7A Paterson Ave., Little Falls, NJ – 7:30 to 9:30. Then I’m off to England for 11 days. It was planned as a vacation but I will be playing! I’ve been invited to play with the members of The Croydon Blues and Folk Club on Sunday, Nov. 29 at The Ruskin House in Croydon – a venue that prides itself as a great place to create music AND drink beer! My kind of establishment! I may also make an appearance in Hastings (they had a big battle there in 1066!) at Bar-Celona on Thurs. Dec. 2.

Also forgot to tell many of you that I posted a new song a few weeks ago titled Coming Home (which is also the name of the 2010 alumni scholarship benefit I’m producing for Ridgefield Memorial High School). The song was inspired by my 30 year reunion back in October. You can see the video on my website, PrestonsBeat.com, or going directly to You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j995cIml4fY.

Finally, wanted to remind you all of a great vacation idea that’s being put together by my good friend May Pang to raise money for our friend Dara Roberts, a 19 year old with Cerebal Palsy who’s attending Stanford University. It’s a Beatles Cruise on The Royal Caribbean – it’s 6 days of events, celebraties, great food, and lots of good fun! For more details, go to http://maypang.com/?p=63 or http://www.beatlestributecruise.com .

And one last finally – need a great escape on the web – go to the Kitsch! Allee Willis, who wrote all the great hits for Earth, Wind and Fire, has what is quickly becoming one of my favorite websites – Alle Willis Museum of Kitsch – www.awmok.com. You’ve got to check it out!

That’s all for now!

Peace and love,
Mark Nelson Preston
www.PrestonsBeat.com

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I’ve been on a bit of a music break since the summer fundraisers in Ontario. The talent that played was great, the audiences were wonderful Thanks again to my great friends who took part, including Noah Zacharin, Jon Travis, Evan Palazzo, Jeff Kahl, Greg Bie and the rest of the performers. Also, to my good friends Ted Knapp and May Pang for their help with the great items we had at the silent auction, and the charity people – Rebecca Lewellyn of the Children’s Aid Foundation, Jade DeCiccio of The Sick Kids Foundation, and Jill Osborne of The Children’s Health Foundation. I’m look forward to producing a similar event this December, here in New York City. I’m pleased to officially announce that on Saturday, Dec. 19th at 7:00 we will be taking over the second floor of the Slattery’s . The Preston and Friends Holiday Benefit will once again feature some of the best indie talent from New York, Toronto and other colorful places. The beneficiaries will be The New York Foundling Hospital and the Children’s Aid Foundation, based in Toronto, ON. More details to follow next month. We will also be returning to Toronto in 2010 for another fundraiser for the Children’s Aid and Sick Kid Foundations as well.

I will be performing this Saturday, Oct. 10, in Bergen County, NJ. My friends Pete and Bernie DeMaio will once again be hosting their Music in the Yard – Food Bank Drive in Little Falls, NJ. The address is 2 Elm Street, Little Falls. The show starts at 2 PM and will run until 8 PM. I’ll be going on some time after 3, and will be playing a set with Pete and Lenny (they were bass and drummer for the May show in NYC). It’s a great cause and if you come, we request you bring your own chair, refreshments, and food items.

Also, I’ll be posting some new videos this week to my website You can see and here me on http://www.PrestonsBeat.com under the music section. When they are posted, I’ll send out a brief note.

Broadcasting notes. May Pang has a talk radio show podcast this Friday, Oct. 9th at 11:00. Dinner Specials with May Pang and Cynthia Nielson premieres on the anniversay of John Lennon’s birthday. May will be talking about her personal experiences with John and The Beatles, and will have guests as well, including Chris O’Dell, who has just written MISS O’DELL: My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved. The show will be on BlogTalkRadio.com and you can click on this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maypang/2009/10/10/Dinner-Specialsserving-it-up-with-May-Pang-and-Cyn.

Other performance notes – I’m producing Coming Home, a two performance show featuring alumni from my high school , Ridgefield Memorial, sometime in the spring. The performances will be raising money for the Alumni Scholarship Fund, of which I’ve had the pleasure of working with on several events and was founded by dear friend Michele Petrillo. They just had a Boot Camp fundraiser with fitness celebrity, former RMHS alumni and neighbor of mine, Rocco Castellano, several weeks ago and their next event is a NY Giants football party on Nov. 1. Rock on Michele – keep up the great work!

Other notes. I’m producing my first major play for the ACC – Wait Until Dark, which will run from Nov. 2 thru Nov. 14. Tickets are not available as the ACC is a private theater club and attendance is by invitation only, but of course if you are a friend of mine and would like to attend, just give me a shout – just know that seating is very limited! It’s a very tense murder and we hired an excellent director for the show, Andrea Andresakis, a seasoned director and choreographer who was also in the original Fame film, as well as the series.

And finally, I’ll be in the UK for ten days in late November and will be playing at some various places yet to be named. Looking forward to chilling, playing, traveling the country, and catching a good scrum (rugby reference) as well!

And one final, final note – Thanks to all my longtime friends for coming out the RMHS Class of ‘79 30 Year Reunion. It was truly remarkable to once again to be among so many longtime friends and many who I had not seen it at least 30 years. And to my dearest of friends, Joann Riggi, for putting this whole thing together. It was the gathering of a lifetime, and a weekend we will always remember!

That’s all for now my friends!

Peace and love,

Mark Preston
www.PrestonsBeat.com

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Hello everyone,

Hope you are all well! The Toronto fundraiser on July 16th to raise money for the Sick Kids and Children’s Aid Foundations was a big hit, and we will be doing it again next year! You can now see some video on www.PrestonsBeat.com, and in a few weeks the highlight film will be available. Thanks again to all my friends for taking part of this magical evening! There are also a few other events currently being planned, including –

Dec. 19, 2009 – Preston and Friends Christmas Benefit, NYC. Details TBA

Feb. 2010 – Preston and Friends Austin Children’s Benefit, Austin, TX. Details TBA

April, 2010 – Preston and Friends 2010 Benefit for The Sick Kids and Children’s Aid Foundation. Details TBA

Other News. “It’s About Time” has advanced to the semi-final round of the 2009 ASA Songwriting Competition! Keeping my fingers crossed. Also, my friend May Pang is taking part in a fundraiser on Saturday, August 1, to raise money for a wheel chair for Dara Roberts, a 19 year old girl with cerebral palsy who is attending her first semester this fall at Stanford University. As most of you know, May as wonderful photo memoir of John Lennon titled “Instamatic Karma”; what you may not know is that is also a wonderful jewelry designer and her work will be featured as well. The event will have other artist and performers as well a silent auction. It all takes place at S.R. Riley’s Music Café, 101 East Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ from 11 to 4. I will be there and hope you can too. You can see more of May on her website, www.MayPang.com.

Finally, let me tell you about my friend Kevin So. Back in June I was up in Toronto at my dear friend Noah Zacharin’s show when we had a visit from a featured performer at Toronto’s North by Northeast Festival. Noah, my other dear friend Jon Travis and I spent the next couple of hours with Kevin and we had an awesome evening. Kevin is an incredibly gifted performer (as are Noah and Jon) – a really great blues artist. Kevin is playing a show next Wednesday in NYC at the Bitter End at 8:00. I’ll be there and hope you can be there to. You want to catch him. I give him a very high recommendation. You can see a clip of Kevin performing his bluesy tune “All I Need is You“. And you can visit Kevin on the web at www.KevinSo.com.

That’s all for now. Rock on!

Mark

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Hello everyone,

I’m pleased to officially announce that along with my very talented music friends from New York, Toronto, and London (Ontario), we will be holding two concerts to raise money to raise money for three institutions that play a vital role in children’s lives. An Evening with Mark Nelson Preston and Friends to Benefit Childrens Charities will have shows on two consecutive evenings. The first show, taking place in Toronto, will benefit the Sick Kids Foundation and The Children’s Aid Foundation, both located in Toronto, on Thursday, July 16th at 7:30 PM the very cool Gladstone Ballroom, 1214 Queens Street, Toronto. The second show takes place in London, ON the following evening on Friday, July 17th at 8:00 PM and will benefit the London based Children’s Health Foundation, It will be held at the spacious London City Music Theatre (formerly the IMAX theatre), 900 King St., London. I will be releasing more details in the coming weeks.

At press time, we have a lineup of 15 performers for the Toronto show and are expecting a similar number in London. My featured performers for both evenings will be my good friend, the very gifted Noah Zacharin and the awesome Dan McLean Jr. My other friends who will be appearing on one or both evenings include my good friends Evan Palazzo, Greg Bie (who helped make the London show possible and will be featured that evening), Jon Travis, my right hand man for both events – Jeff Kahl, Laura Fernandez, Carl Lorusso Jr., Jory Berger, Tony Rabalao, Rex Baunsit http://rexbaunsit.com), and Rehan Dalal, There will be more to be announced in the coming weeks.

These events were inspired my a few things. The indie music scene in Toronto has been a great source of inspiration in my life since I went back into music – it’s one of the great treasures of that wonderful city. I’ve met a great wealth of talent and have made some very dear friends in the process. The idea behind the events is bring some of this talent to a larger audience and raise money for organizations that help our youth. The charities that we are helping have played an important part in the lives of some of those performing. This is one way for my friends and I to give something back.

Another important charity to me is one which is making a difference in the lives our returning war veterans. My buddy and childhood friend Ted Knapp, along with his longtime friend, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Dave Mason, have been making a big difference with Work Vessels for Vets. Be sure to visit workvesselsforvets.com. Also, check out the following link from Fox News program Red Eye this week where Dave talks about their work (and you will see Ted, too!). Also, he has a great new album out, 26 Letters – 12 Notes. You can also click to find out more about Dave and Ted on the web.

One final note to my Ridgefield friends. Another good friend, Michelle Petrillo has organized a Multi-Class RMHS Reunion this Friday, June 12th, in Ridgefield, NJ at the Café Tivoli to raise money for a scholarship fund. It’s $ 37.99 per person and promises to be a great party.

Thanks for reading. I know I keep mentioning “my dear friends” a little bit like the late great Sammy Davis, Jr.! What can I tell you, I’m a blessed man! That’s all for now.

Love and Peace,
Mark

Preston’s Beat
The Music of Mark Nelson Preston

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