WASHINGTON — “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” told us to put another dime in the jukebox, baby. But this weekend, your dime can go in the donation box of an annual rock charity for a great cause.
The Rock and Roll for Children Foundation Annual Bash returns to the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club on Saturday night to benefit The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health.
This year’s musical guests include Ricky Byrd, the shredding guitarist for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 18.
“Listen man, I’m just a Bronx boy,” Byrd tells WTOP. “I grew up listening to all these great people that are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was our third time nominated, so I knew eventually we were going to get in, but it’s certainly a humbling experience.”
Byrd has been participating with the Rock and Roll for Children Foundation on and off for the last 10 years. He said he had a “great time” last year and is excited to be invited back. In fact, the Bethesda location isn’t far from where Jett graduated from Wheaton High School in Rockville.
“Every generation should have their own music. That’s the way it’s always been and always will be,” Byrd says. “But you should always know the history of where it came from.”
Another guest this weekend will be Simon Kirke, drummer with the ’70s rock band Free before he and Paul Rodgers left to form the legendary group Bad Company. He says classic rock is eternal.
“I think it’s timeless, and one of the main reasons, I think, is there’s no computers involved,” Kirke tells WTOP. “What you hear is really what was on the tape. There’s a certain charm or magic to it that you just don’t get on Pro Tools and Autotune and drum loops and drum machines.”
This Saturday, Kirke will play everything from Free’s “All Right Now” to Bad Company’s “Can’t Get Enough.” He may also play “Shooting Star,” which opens with the lyric: “Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatles song. ‘Love Me Do,’ I think it was, and from then it didn’t take him long.”
Kirke reveals to WTOP that it was Rodgers who wanted to reference “Love Me Do,” but if Kirke had his way, it would have been another Beatles song: “She Loves You.”
“I was 15 years old and (‘She Loves You’) really changed my life,” Kirke says. “I remember hearing their very first, ‘Love Me Do’ … I didn’t like that one. Paul (did).”
Either way, “Shooting Star” tells of a child being inspired by another band to pursue a career in rock ‘n’ roll, which may be the case this weekend for the kids on the receiving end of charitable donations. It may be part of our “Rock and Roll Fantasy,” but this weekend it’s all part of our rock ‘n roll charity.
“Anything to do with kids, I’m there,” Kirke says. “I have four kids myself; I have five grandchildren, so anything to do with children who are at a disadvantage, I’m there.”
This won’t be the first time that Kirke and Byrd have performed together.
“I grew up on Bad Company and Free,” Byrd says. “I can close my eyes and remember nights I’d be playing, and I would think to myself, oh man, that’s the ‘All Right Now’ beat from the actual guy!”
Joining them on stage this weekend will be Jeff Kazee, keyboardist for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, the favorite band of Bon Jovi when he was coming up in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Stevie Van Zandt co-founded the band and Bruce Springsteen wrote songs for them, while Max Weinberg brought the horn section (including La Bamba) to NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”
“They all grew up together,” Kazee says.
As fate would have it, Bon Jovi was such a fan of Southside Johnny that he invited Kazee to tour with him on the “Have a Nice Day” tour.
“He’s very charitable,” Kazee says of Bon Jovi. “He believes in giving back to the community. I did many, many charitable things with him. I really learned that it’s very important.”
And so Kazee will be playing for charity this weekend.
“The best thing about our job is, we get to meet so many interesting people. And a lot of times, these people have the means to help other people,” he says.
The event will include live music, dancing, food, drinks and a silent auction of rock memorabilia.
Here’s the full list of musical guests:
- Ricky Byrd — Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
- Simon Kirke — Bad Company
- Jeff Kazee — Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny
- Mark Rivera — Billy Joel Band
- Derek St. Holmes — Ted Nugent Band
- Christine Ohlman — Saturday Night Live Band
- Snuffy Walden — Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, award-winning TV composer
- Sarah Niemietz — Singer/Songwriter
- Amy Keys — Phil Collins, Toto
- John Bisaha — The Babys
- Holly Bisaha — The Babys
- Neal Pawley — Southside Johnny
- Chris Anderson — Southside Johnny
- Shawn Pelton — Saturday Night Live Band
- David Santos — John Fogerty/Billy Joel
Here’s a selection from last year’s event:
General admission tickets cost $75. If you up that to $175, you get stage-front access, buffet food and an open bar. For $400, you can get VIP access, including the sound check, autographed memorabilia and photo opportunities. Click here for ticket information.
“I have the set list, and it’s going to be a rock ‘n roll night for sure,” Byrd tells WTOP. “We will leave that stage (with) gas tanks empty. Loud and proud, baby.”
