COME SEE THE TASH BROTHERS BAND PLAY THE NYC MARATHON AND HELP FEED THE HUNGRY

It's that time of year again, folks, when nearly 40,000 maniacs run 26 miles through the streets of New York City powered mostly by the music of THE TASH BROTHERS BAND. On Sunday, November 1st, at 10 AM, the 39th NEW YORK CITY MARATHON will commence by running by The Tash Brothers playing loud rock & roll in front of the Bay Ridge Honda dealership at 4th Avenue & 88th Street in Brooklyn. This is our 19th consecutive year playing the beginning of the great race, and as a result of our superb and energetic playing, average finishing times have improved every year. You're welcome, runners.

These past few years we have also been collecting food for New York City's hungry. Hunger in America, you say? Sad but true, and so we turned to the great urban charity, CITY HARVEST, who have been collecting food for our less fortunate brothers and sisters for years. The band gathers quite a crowd, people who love great music, marathons or both. We start playing around 10 AM, when the first wheelchair marathoners and the world-class distance runners whiz by and continue until the last wheezing granny runs past the bandstand a couple of hours later. In between is when almost 40,000 running, cheering and smiling amateur runners flow by the band, every one of them getting a jolt of high voltage energy from the music of the Tash Brothers.

They whistle and cheer, wave and dance and high-five the crowd. Many stop to take pictures with us as they jog in place. Some shake a tambourine and sing backup for a minute or so before continuing on their way. It is a wild sight to behold and one of the most unusual and enjoyable gigs for a rock & roll band to play. It's well worth getting up at a very unrock & roll hour of the morning and setting up a full band and PA system for a 10AM start on the first Sunday of every November. The spectators that gather to watch the race and the band also have a fantastic time, and the crowd gets bigger and bigger on our corner of the race every year.

The past couple of years they've had an even better time since we started collecting food for CITY HARVEST. A whole lot of people bring a parcel of non-perishable food and toss it in the collection bins at the bandstand. It doesn't have to be much, but when enough people chip in we collect a lot of good food for people who really need it. Think canned goods, rice, cereals, macaroni and foods in jars or plastic bottles. Maybe some juices in cans or bottles too. Nothing that needs refrigeration or will get stale quickly. If you're wondering what hungry people like to eat, just think of what you like to eat and bring some. The music and the race is free, so a few bucks for some food is basically a real cheap date.

The band also donates a lot of food, as well as our services. The NYC Marathon people are a bunch of cheapskates and so is their giant corporate sponsor, some gazillion dollar financial joint called ING who won't part with a nickel to pay the musicians or help feed the hungry. We figure they use their spare megabucks on cheap publicity like sponsoring the Marathon like they were some sort of civic minded outfit, and handing each other giant bonuses. So we're on our own here. The band loves to share our music with people so it was a logical step to share some love too, love in the form of food for the hungry. We cannot turn our back on people who are hurting and ask that you open your hearts too. Think of them next time you are in the supermarket and pick up some staples for those in need. We know these are hard times, but hard times are no times for hard hearts. Show your love. Share.

We cannot rely on the government to properly feed the hungry children and adults, and we sure as hell can't expect the corporations to chip in. This is the greatest city in the world filled with the greatest people in the world. If some are going hungry, well, that doesn't sit right with us and we are going to do something about it. It's up to New Yorkers to take care of our own. Let's follow the example of CITY HARVEST and put our money where are mouth is. After the race, they will send a truck to pick up the food and get it to those who need it right away, no bull, no red tape. It's a simple concept and done very efficiently and without a lot of fuss. So come down to Bay Ridge on Marathon Sunday. Bring your rock & roll shoes, a lung full of cheers for the runners and a bag of food for our hungry brothers and sisters. THE TASH BROTHERS BAND guarantees you will go home with a rocking song in your brain and feeling better than you have in quite some time. See you there.