New Music Festival to Benefit Cape Cod Healthcare

HYANNIS – A new music festival is coming to the Cape Cod Melody Tent this August to raise funds for Cape Cod Healthcare.

The inaugural Hope Music Festival, organized by Brian Serpone Productions and presented by Cape Cod Broadcasting Media, features rock artists from the 60s, 70s, 80s and today.

The festival includes award winning artists who have performed for Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, Boston, The Cars, B52s, the J. Geils Band and more.

“It’s a one of a kind charitable event bringing a legendary lineup of rock n’ roll artists to the Cape – something that hasn’t been done,” said Brian Serpone.

Serpone expects the event to raise $250,000 or more for the healthcare organization, which operates Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis and Falmouth Hospital.

Ayla Brown

Cape Cod Healthcare CEO Michael Lauf said the funds will be used to enhance healthcare across the region, along with fighting the opioid epidemic and substance abuse.

“We have expanded psychiatric services and have also invested in prevention, education, treatment and recovery programs to battle this significant opiate crisis,” Lauf said. “Proceeds from the Hope Music Festival will have a tremendous positive impact on this front.”

Lauf said one goal is to stop the next generation from trying these drugs.

“We’re committed to getting the 5^th and 6^th graders to educate them on the perils of this catastrophic disease,” he said.

Cape Cod Healthcare is also going to work with high school students and college graduates so they understand the impacts from addiction.

“We’re going to make sure that you can get into a treatment program and a recovery program,” Lauf said. “We’re going to make sure that we go and partner with others so we are not creating more bureaucracy – rather we are spending money on programmatics.”

Managing Partner of Cape Cod Broadcasting Media Gregory Bone said he believes in Cape Cod Healthcare’s efforts to combat opioid abuse.

“We know that their prevention, treatment, education and recovery programs help combat this crisis and are vitally important to our community – and we want to support them,” Bone said.

The Hope Music Festival is August 23. Artists performing include:

Mark Farmer, founder of the band Grand Funk Railroad, with epic smash hits such as “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)” and “Some Kind of Wonderful.”
Guitarist Barry Goudreau, formerly of the band Boston whose self-titled debut album sold more than 17 million copies, breaking that record in 1976 as the best-selling debut album of all time. Goudreau will introduce his new collaboration, Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room
Elliott Easton of the Grammy Award winning band The Cars, bringing his signature Gibson guitar and a boatload of talent to the Melody Tent.
Ayla Brown, from American Idol to a national recording sensation. The Nashville sound of Ayla Brown will grace the Melody Tent with country flair.
Grammy Award winning producer and guitarist Rick Derringer, fresh from the Ringo Starr tour; his earlier hit songs include Hang On Sloopy and Rock and Roll Hoochi Koo
Two-time Grammy Award-winning producer and guitarist Paul Nelson for the late Johnny Winter and the Johnny Winter Band
Grammy Award winners, The Uptown Horns – horn section of the Rolling Stones, B52s, and the brass behind James Brown
Rock icon and Grammy-nominated James Montgomery, who has played with Janis Joplin, The Allman Brothers, Kid Rock, Bruce Springsteen and Muddy Waters
Many other celebrated artists also to perform