Mother of Scranton musician Ed Cuozzo remembered in 3-day music festival at The Keys June 15-17
For most of his life, Scranton singer/songwriter Ed Cuozzo has been creating music as a solo artist and with local bands like Melded, A Fire with Friends, A Social State, Weezer tribute No Memories, and his most recent project, University Drive. That is all thanks to his mother, Doreen Cuozzo-Demming, a music lover who was a big supporter of her son and the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene in general.
Ed Cuozzo and his family suffered a terrible loss in January when she passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 57, so the scene has since banded together to create a three-day music festival dubbed She’s the One: A Weekend for Doreen in her memory.
“Anybody who knows Ed also knows that Doreen was not only a compassionate, supportive, kind soul and mother to Ed, but she was also the source of his obsession with music. Starting with a love (read: obsession) for Bruce Springsteen, her contagious passion for the art of song was passed onto Ed and the entire NEPA music scene and, for that, we are eternally grateful to her,” organizers wrote on the Facebook event page.
Running Friday, June 15 through Sunday, June 17 at The Keys (244 Penn Ave., Scranton), the festival will not only host over 25 performances from various local acts, but it will feature Cuozzo playing a comprehensive solo set of songs from all his bands, a University Drive acoustic set, Jeff Cavanaugh playing a Springsteen acoustic set and, most notably, a Melded reunion set, marking the first time the band has performed together in nearly a decade. Fondly remembered by many local music fans, Melded formed in January of 2001, toured the East Coast, and released four albums with various lineups before disbanding about nine years later.
Other artists scheduled to perform include A Fire with Friends, American Buffalo Ghost, Anytime Soon, Brad Parks, Blind Choice, Black Hole Heart, Brighter Days, The Charming Beards, Days in Transit, Down to Six, E57, Ed Zaleski, Esta Coda, Eye on Attraction, Facing the Giants, Keep Flying, Old Charades, Patrick McGlynn, Permanence, Pull the Pin, Rosary Guild, Static in the Attic, and more.
The shows will run on June 15 from 6 p.m.-10 p.m., June 16 from 2 p.m.-1 a.m., and June 17 from noon-8 p.m.
Tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door on Friday and Sunday, $10 in advance or $15 at the door on Saturday, and weekend passes are $20. The festival will also have basket raffles, a 50/50, official shirts for sale, and other fundraisers to benefit the family of Doreen Cuozzo-Demming. Donations can be made at The Keys at any time in lieu of attending.
Learn more about Ed Cuozzo and his band University Drive and hear him play two acoustic songs in Episode 2 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
