Cabin Fever music series puts bands in many venues

Winter got you down? Feeling hemmed in and restless? Brendon Henry and Paul Fallo have a solution; they’re bringing back the Cabin Fever Music Festival for a third year. The series of music shows will be presented in venues from Southampton to Westhampton Beach.

All of the groups in the lineup play original music and have devoted fans. The mix of great bands in relaxed settings, mostly popular local bars, has attracted nine more bands and three new venues to the festival, which translates into one more week of music than last year’s festival. This year includes an all-ages show so everyone can enjoy Long Island bands selected by the two music lovers.

“There’s a little bit of something for everybody,” Mr. Fallo said in a recent interview. “The main point is that we created a showcase to bring different bands together to try to revive the music scene out here. We wanted to get people to notice that there are great bands playing on Long Island and to find new acts that they didn’t know before.”

Cabin Fever kicks off on Friday, February 5, at the Fisherman’s Quarters in Hampton Bays—the de facto headquarters of the festival. Music continues Saturday night at Tom McBrien’s Restaurant and Pub, also in Hampton Bays. Music continues Friday and Saturday nights through March 5. Each show features two to three bands plus displays of young fashion designers. Venues include Buckley’s Inn Between in Hampton Bays and The Artful Dodger in Westhampton Beach.

New to the festival are the punk bands 5 Star Heroes and The Broosevelts. Also new is the rock band Jett Blackk Heart Attack. The alternative garage band Contagious Drip and the ’80s cover band Easy Money are also new to the Cabin Fever scene. The teenage band In Circles, which is new to the festival, is one of the bands performing for the all-ages show on February 28 at 230 Elm (formerly the Southampton Polish Hall).

Returning bands include Haunted Hacienda, Supercargoman, Project Vibe, Hands Like Feet and Only Son (who recently opened for Ronnie Specktor) plus others. The lineup includes Losers Sometimes Win, Planeside, Button Face and Mick Hargreaves, Kaleidoscope Collision, Critical Condition and Jeff LeBlanc.

All shows begin promptly at 10 p.m. and each has a $5 cover charge. A full festival lineup (venues, bands, music clips, photos and more) can be found at www.myspace.com/cfmf09.

The only exception is the all-ages show on February 28. The show begins at 3 p.m. with doors opening at 2:30 p.m. There are still a few spots open for high school or college bands looking to perform. For information, e-mail cfmf2010@gmail.com or brendonhenry98@hotmail.com.

The all-ages show is an important addition to the festival, Mr. Henry and Mr. Fallo agreed. Providing music and a fun time for locals was foremost in their minds when they founded the festival three years ago, and it took years for the right venue to fall into place so those younger than 21 could tap into the Long Island music scene, Mr. Fallo said.

Another important aim is to foster a sense of community among Long Island musicians, Mr. Henry said. Music scenes flourish when musicians support other musicians, he explained. Cabin Fever’s month-long series provides a temporary scene where musicians know they can connect with other talented performers and hear 
some great bands, Mr. Henry said, speaking from personal experience as a vocalist and guitarist with Haunted Hacienda.

The formula is working. Last year, he noticed that musicians turned out to hear music on nights when they weren’t scheduled to play. This year, requests for spots in the lineup were numerous, Mr. Henry said. The buzz created by the annual winter festival plus the first Cabana Festival held in September 2009 at Neptune’s Beach Club in East Quogue is attracting more musicians and adding legitimacy to the Cabin Fever Music Festival.

“We were able to get bands that we admire to come out and play,” Mr. Henry said. “That’s another part of this. All of the bands are quality. We put together shows with bands playing different types of music, but they’re all great musicians. All of the music is original and you’re bound to hear something that you like in every show.”

The Cabin Fever Music Festival launches at 10 p.m. on Friday, February 5, at Fisherman’s Quarters, 87 North Road, Hampton Bays. For a complete lineup, visit www.myspace.com/cfmf09.