A local brewery in Astoria will honor rock legend Tom Petty while raising funds for those affected by Hurricane Maria.
SingleCut Beersmiths, located at 19-33 37th St., will host “You Don’t Know How It Feels: A benefit show for Hurricane Maria” tonight at 7 p.m.
The brewery, which was opened by Queens native Rich Buceta in 2012, is named after the body style of a guitar and regularly names its brews after his favorite musicians and songs.
Dan Bronson, the general manager of the brewery, said staff started planning the event just last week to help “raise some funds for our fellow Americans in need.”
“We had been wanting to do something to support the people who are suffering in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria and after the passing of Tom Petty who is one of our huge heroes we thought what a perfect opportunity [to host a benefit show],” he said.
Rebekah Payton, the taproom manager, helped lead the effort. Payton, who is half Puerto Rican and has a cousin who currently lives on the island, said she wanted to help with the island’s disaster relief. Currently, only 17 percent of Puerto Ricans have power, 64 percent of residents have access to water and 37 percent of cell towers are functional, according to statistics from the Puerto Rican government.
With the help of Chris Pizzolo, a local concert organizer, musicians in the area signed up for a chance to play Petty covers for a good cause. Petty died on Oct. 2 at the age of 66.
“It only took him a few minutes, a few text messages later he had a whole roster of bands who were super excited to come out,” Bronson said.
Bands such as The Roys, Sick Walt and musicians including Jamie Thomas, Colin Dempsey and Zach Vox will play classics like “American Girl,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin'” and more.
All proceeds from the sales of the brewery’s 19-33 Pilsner and 18watt IPA will go to the Hispanic Federation. SingleCut Beersmiths will also match the amount raised from the sales.
There will also be raffles where participants can enter for a chance to win offers from HiFi Records & Cafe, The Bonnie, Bareburger and more.
For more information, visit the event Facebook page.
