By Kevin Zimmerman
Nearly 2 1/2 decades after Greg Cerar first imagined himself headlining his neighborhood park’s bandshell, he’ll finally get his chance with the debut of the Forest Park Rock Fest this Saturday.
Cerar, who grew up in Woodhaven and now plays drums for rock group The Boom Section, may have relocated to Howard Beach but he never lost the desire to play that home town show in Forest Park.
“It’s been a driving force,” Cerar said. “I finally have the means. So, I went to the Parks Department’s website and put in an application and the $25 charge. Then, there was a lot of nail-biting.”
He may be a couple of cuticles shorter today but with Park’s OK, Cerar and bandmates Paul Wunsch, Mario Robles and James Hayes organized the free show, which brings four musical acts and four hours of tunes to the community.
On the bill with The Boom Section are StillTheVizitors, SystemInChaos and Daniel Tighe.
“We’re friends with SystemInChaos, StillTheVizitors is led by my father-in-law and we’ve seen Daniel Tighe play at local places,” Robles, who is the band’s lead singer, said.
Although the show’s emphasis lands squarely on rock ’n’ roll, each performer and band brings a different style of the genre to the stage. Soloist Tighe opens things on a light note with his brand of folksy and what Robles called “fun” music. But then things get rockier.
“You’re going to get three shades of rock and roll,” Robles said. “StillTheVizitors plays classic blues. We are alternative hard rock, like AC-DC. And SystemInChaos is really harder, darker rock.”
No word yet on whether amps will be turned up to 11, but audience members won’t have trouble hearing the performances.
“Every band gets louder than the last,” Hayes, the band’s bassist, said.
If all goes as planned, the June 15 show will be the start of an annual event for Queens and will grow to include an expanded scope of musical styles, Robles said.
But no matter what, these four home town musicians will continue to be “rock stars with day jobs,” who celebrate the beat and the borough.
“We all started out in the Queens tribe,” Wunsch said.
If you go
Forest Park Rock Fest
George Seuffert Sr. Bandshell, Forest Park Drive, Woodhaven
Saturday, June 15, 1 pm – 5 pm (Rain or shine)
Free
www.theboomsection.com
