Jamming To Save The Bays

By Maggy Kilroy

A heavy electric guitar hums over the speakers of the Peconic Public Broadcasting studio in Southampton, segueing into the distinctive voice of radio personality Bonnie Grice.

“Mr. Rick Derringer and his version of ‘Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,’” Ms. Grice announced into her microphone last Thursday morning, July 24, as the song faded out. “You know, he played on the original—Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter—and he could tell us so much about Johnny Winter. I cannot wait to meet this man.”

She turned to greet her guests—Beau Hulse, principal of Beau Hulse Realty Group in Southampton and frontman of Doors tribute band LA Woman, and fellow real estate broker Donna Lanzetta of the East Quogue Chamber of Commerce, which is hosting the first-ever All for the Bays concert with the Hamptons Visitors Council on Thursday night, July 31, at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays.

The concert, which aims to raise awareness of the issues surrounding local bays, while benefiting the Shinnecock Bay Stewardship Fund, will feature performances by Rick Derringer, Maria, Dub Steady and Mr. Hulse’s very own LA Woman.

“Beau Hulse, good morning to you,” Ms. Grice smiled. “And you brought the LA Woman, right?”

“I did, I did,” Mr. Hulse laughed, referring to Ms. Lanzetta. “Donna is working to death, God bless her.”

Ms. Lanzetta nodded modestly and quickly redirected the compliment to the cause at hand. “It’s truly all for the bays,” she emphasized.

The concert is the brainchild of Ms. Lanzetta and Southampton Town Trustee Scott Horowitz, who said they have seen a decline in the East End water quality of their childhood homes over the years. “There were so many clams [in Shinnecock Bay] then,” Ms. Lanzetta recalled during an interview after her on-air segment.

“Like, a bed of them, really,” Mr. Hulse added. “You could just walk across them.”

Mr. Hulse hails from four generations of baymen, but he said he turned to real estate and music when he realized he wouldn’t be able to make a living off the deteriorating local waters. “We saw that the red tide came, we lost our scalloping, and then the seaweed left us,” he said. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to carry on that legacy.”

The musician will be carrying it on in a different way, he said, by volunteering to play at All for the Bays, which will benefit the Shinnecock Bay Stewardship Fund. The Southampton resident plays at least two benefit concerts a year with LA Woman, after the group’s touring days ended in 1984—six years after the group’s formation in 1978. Their first gig was at Good Times Café in Commack, kicking off their career in front of nearly 200 people, Mr. Hulse said.

Thursday night’s concert organizers said they hope for a large turnout, with Mr. Derringer headlining, Ms. Lanzetta said, all in the name of the bays.

“We all know that this is a problem,” she said of the local water quality. “What I love about this is that it goes directly to the bays. There are so many wonderful causes out there, but to throw your energy into Shinnecock Bay is an honor, actually.”

The All for the Bays concert, featuring performances by Rick Derringer, LA Woman and Dub Steady, will be held on Thursday, July 31, at 7 p.m. at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays. A VIP meet-and-greet with the talent and host Bonnie Grice will be held before the concert. Tickets are $200, which includes an open bar, or $20 for the concert only. All proceeds benefit the Shinnecock Bay Stewardship Fund. For more information, call 741-4438, or visit hamptonsvc.com.