Event Details
FOREVER YOUNG is:
violin, acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals, keys
acoustic & electric bass, vocals
6 &12 string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, vocals, keyboard, 6-string
banjo, mandolin
drums & percussion
electric & acoustic guitars, vocals, harmonica
lead electric & acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin, keys, vocals, lap steel
__________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE BAND:
Now in their fourteenth year, the Forever Young band is a group of performers
that pay tribute to the SONGS of Neil Young. No one in the band tries to imitate
Neil Young. There are five vocalists in the band and the songs are fronted by
different members with added backing harmonies. All of the musicians performing
in Forever Young are staples of the Rhode Island music scene and veterans of many
national and regional tours. In addition, they are all fans and have been influenced
by the music of Neil Young. Four of the members are performing singer songwriters
who have their own projects on the side. Drawing on the 40+ year career of Neil
Young the show highlights many of Young’s popular songs and a few “deep cuts”.
The band performs both the acoustic and electric songs that Neil Young is famous
for. Their performances are reminiscent of and are heavily influenced by the "Four
Way Street" live album recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. They are a high
energy band that is just as fun to watch as to listen to. Audiences are always
“wowed” by a Forever Young show!
THE SHOW: A typical Forever Young show will be two sets of music and run from 2-3
hours depending on the venue and audience. Sometimes even three hours is not
enough for the fans! During the set they will seamlessly play through the rock, folk,
and country styles of Young's music. The performers trade off on lead vocals and
will switch instruments many times during the night. Two, three, and four part
harmonies have been incorporated into many of the songs. The numbers include
anything from Young's Buffalo Springfield days all the way up to his current Promise
of the Real phase. Forever Young never disappoints and garners new fans with
every show!
__________________________________________________________________
THE MEMBERS:
violin, vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboard
(Greenville, RI)
Amy Bedard joined Forever Young as a violinist and vocalist in 2011. She is a
classically trained violinist and studied violin and voice at Rhode Island College,
where she obtained a degree in Music Education. She is public school music/
orchestra teacher and also maintains a violin teaching studio. Amy started playing
electric violin and singing with the Sliders in the 90's and then in an acoustic duo
called Providence Underground for before joining Forever Young. She also plays
guitar, mandolin, and keys. Amy loves playing different styles of music, and also
plays with the New Bedford based Celtic punk band, The Pourmen. Most recently
she has been performing and recording with singer-songwriters in the RI are a
including John Fuzek and Dan Lilleyof Forever Young. She has a wedding business
called Classy Strings and continues to play in orchestras, churches, and for theater
companies throughout Southern New England.
acoustic and electric bass, vocals
(West Warwick, RI)
Sean Finnerty is a bassist, guitarist, and singer/songwriter who has been
performing in the Northeast for more than three decades. His first band,
the Vectors, was a punk pop trio playing his original songs. He then played
for the Marlowes, a power-pop outfit from Providence, with whom he performed
and recorded for eight years, before leaving to pursue other interests, including
recording his own songs in his basement, embracing a lo-fi aesthetic. He also
began freelancing with several acts, and eventually became a first-call bassist
for many area country bands, including the Hayloft Jamboree, with whom he was
inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2013. While Sean often plays
solo acoustic shows, he has also played bass for the DJ Lauria Band, Luv 'n'
Country, Branded, Kenny Law and the Lawmen, and Bobby Carlson and Stones
River. He has shared the stage with the Silos, Luka Bloom, Marshall Crenshaw,
Drivin'n'Cryin', the Del Fuegos, and Buddy Jewell. In addition to Forever Young,
Sean also plays with the Joint Chiefs, a band that features current Forever Young
members Pete Vendettuoli and Gary St. Germain, former FY member John Amitrano,
and Selena Wilson. He also gigs regularly with his duo, theHeads of State, as well
as the bands Biscuit City and the Robcats.
6 & 12 string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, vocals,
6-string banjo, keyboard, mandolin
(Harmony, RI)
John Fuzek is a Rhode Island based, award winning singer-songwriter-guitarist that
has been performing around the Northeast and various points in the US for over 30
years. His folk-rock sound, unique guitar playing and vocal style has won him both
fans and critical acclaim. John’s original songs touch on the environment, politics,
social issues, history and relationships. He has recorded full length or contributed
songs to ten CDs that have been heard around this country and in others as well.
In addition to his solowork and his work with the award-winning band, Forever
Young, John also performs as part of the award-winning Fuzek-Rossoni duo. He
has shared the stage with suchnotable artists as: Judy Collins, Steve Forbert, Paula
Cole, Noel Paul Stookey, Livingston Taylor, Don Mclean, Richie Havens, Iris Dement,
Aztec-Two-Step, Cheryl Wheeler, TomRush, River Phoenix, Kevin Bacon, Marshall
Crenshaw, and many others.
Drums & Percusion
(Chepachet, RI)
Inspired by the music revolution of the late sixties and seventies Gary began
studying drums at the age of 11 which led to a early musical career. Playing with a
variety of working bands for the last 45 + years Gary has performed on the night
club and the college concertcircuit, as well as opening shows with his band Rizzz
for some great nationally acclaimed acts, such as Bonnie Raitt, Lowell George and
Little Feat, Tower of Power, Robert Palmer, N.R.B.Q just to name a few. St.Germain
was inducted into the Rhode Island Musicians Fall of Fame in 2017 and continues
performing regularly with other bands such as Dan Lilley and the Keepers, Violin
River, and The Joint Chiefs.
acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, harmonica
(East Providence, RI)
Dan Lilley's first guitar was an F-hole acoustic given to him at age 14 by his
brother's girlfriend. The girl's grandfather had made it by hand out of leftover
scraps of wood from his carpentry shop. Dan named the guitar The Tree because
it was as stiff and stubborn as an old oak to play. But, he wrestled and wrangled
with that guitar and taught himself to play every song in the Neil Young Complete:
Volumes 1 and 2 song books. During his long career Lilley has fronted many bands
such as Tyger Tyger, The Flying Ditchdiggers, and Lovetrain. Dan was voted Best
Male Vocalist in the 2010 Motif Magazine Music Awards. Dan's songs have been
featured on The Flying Ditchdigger's 1991 CD release, Still A Kid At Heart. He also
released3 CDs with his band Lovetrain (Off the Track, Almost Home, and Destination).
His songs canalso be heard on the Rhode Island Songwriters Association Round 3
compilation CD and Hope for the Holidays, a Christmas compilation benefiting The
Izzy Room at Hasbro Children's Hospital. Nowadays when Dan isn’t playing pubs,
taverns, and restaurant in his duo, Dan Lilley & Scatman or with Forever Young he’s
out there in his 4 piece rock and roll band, Dan Lilley & The Keepers. The Keepers
consist of Dan’s longtime side man, Mike “Scatman” Sullivan on lead guitar and two
veteran players from the legendary Rhode Island band, Rizzz, drummer Gary
St. Germain and bassist Kenn Reynolds. The band jokingly boasts the motto “Old
Guys Rule”, but in reality this may be the best lineup Lilley has ever played in. The
style is classic and original rock which apparently never goes out of style judging
from the enthusiasm with which the band is received at their shows in clubs
throughout the state. The Keepers are an outlet for Dan’s latest original songs
and are working on a new recording..
lead electric guitar, vocals, keyboard, banjo, lap steel, mandolin
(Carolina, RI)
Pete Vendettuoli has been a fixture in the New England Music Scene for over
twenty years. He started in the area with the band Fat Glass and then began
playing mandolin for No Shamus. From 2004 until 2015 Vendettuoli played banjo
with the award winning bluegrass band, Rank Strangers. As the former owner of
PM Recording in North Kingston, Pete had his finger on the pulse of the RI Music
Scene and accompanied many of the area's finest talent. He has been fronting the
dance/jam band The Free Radicals since 2015 and is co-founder, with current and
former members of Forever Young, of the band The Joint Chiefs, where he has
an outlet for his original music. In addition to this, Pete is also a singer-songwriter
and performs solo.
Andy Thresher
guitar tech, stage
(Exeter, RI)
Organizer Information
