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Rhythms of Life Showcase Concert benefits Music Smiles

3 min read
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Stevee Wellons performs with Soulful Femme in Mt. Lebanon, June 2018.

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Katie Simone performs in Blawnox, January 2013.

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Evan Dean performs with guest singer Jae Marie in Collier Township, May 2017.

The 18th annual Rhythms of Life Showcase Concert is scheduled for Nov. 3 at Linden Grove Nightclub and Restaurant in Castle Shannon.

Held in memory of Upper St. Clair drummer Sonny Pugar (1950-2004), the concert benefits Music Smiles, which provides live music at area hospitals and other places of caring. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the concert begins at 7.

Sonny Pugar performed for more than a decase with Singer Etta Cox in a Gateway to the Arts assembly program.

The event is open to people of all ages, although minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Raffles and door prizes will be featured.

Topping the evening’s bill is the Rhythms of Life House Band, with Charlie Barath, Matt Barranti, David Granati, Drew Pinchotti, Jason Kendall, Ron Soltis and Ben Tryc.

The concert features the Granati Brothers, with Ben Tryc on drums; vocalist Katie Simone, the duo of singer Stevee Wellons and guitarist Cheryl Rinovato as Soulful Femme, with Greg McIltrot, drums; and performers Evan Dean, Shelley Duff, Joel Lindsey and Bastard Bearded Irishmen

Kendall and Bob Banerjee are serving as musical directors, and staging is by Banerjee and Dean. Sound engineers are Caitlin Jones and Nick Heisler. David Oleniacz is handling videography, and rehearsal space and hosting are provided by DaveWorld Productions.

Music Smiles produces and funds live music visits to area health facilities, generating an environment for healing for those who are ill, and a time for rest and regrouping for their families who spend countless hours at their side.

Building new paid performance opportunities for musicians in the greater Pittsburgh region, Music Smiles benefits the Pittsburgh area twofold with life-changing events for patients and their families, and for the musicians who impact their lives.

For nearly 12 years, Music Smiles has sponsored almost 800 live music performances at medical facilities around Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Bob Banerjee, president of the Sonny Pugar Memorial Inc. board of directors, performs with his band Corned Beef and Curry Band in Bridgeville, February 2014.

Performances have continued on a virtual basis during the COVID-19 pandemic, and live visits have started again.

Music Smiles is offered by the Sonny Pugar Memorial Inc., a nonprofit for which his wife, Annie Dorn Pugar, serves as executive director.

According to the organization’s website, Sonny performed for more than a decade with singer Etta Cox in a Gateway to the Arts school assembly program.

“Etta’s show for the kids was one of his favorite gigs, so it seemed fitting that when he died, the Memorial continued to focus on music for children,” the site states. This was how we decided that our initial effort would be supporting the existing music therapy program at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.”

The Rhythms of Life Showcase Concert serves as the Memorial’s major fundraising event, combining regional established artists and emerging talent, with musicians encouraged to perform original composition to introduce to their audiences.

Tickets for the 2021 concert are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Advance tickets are available at www.sonnypugar.org or by email at spugar@comcast.net.

Harry Funk/The Almanac

Matt Barranti of Peters Township opens with his band for Foghat in South Park, August 2019. He previously had toured as a Foghat guitarist.

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