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Tech students have long been strong supporters of the national non-profit, whose individual local chapters are dedicated to building decent, affordable homes in an effort to wipe out poverty housing and homelessness.
Friday’s Habitat for Humanity concert will also be a reunion of sorts: Richie Arthur of Wyckoff, who leads the group Fast Forward, met Doomsday Diaries twins Jay and Sean Sproviero of Hasbrouck Heights (left & below) at the School of Rock in 2007. They’ve been in two other bands together.
The lineup also includes Suburbia, led by Zen Thomas of Fort Lee; Practice to Deceive; Self-Tapping Screws; and The Tonight Life.
Suburbia
Doomsday Diaries gets to try out some new material on Friday.
That includes “The Dark Medley,” which blends an original composition by the twins, “The Black Queen,” with their take on Porcupine Tree’s “The Blind House.”
Jay got the piece going after a stormy afternoon marathon session of “The Di Vinci Code” and “The Omen” triology, compressing history from the time of Christ through the Houses of Steward and Windsor to Prince William. Heady stuff for a 15 year old:
They’ll also be doing another relatively new number, “Rabbit Hole,” written by the twins for singer Jessica Kenny’s Sweet 16 Party, which had an “Alice in Wonderland” theme:
Friday’s concert at Bergen Academies (200 Hackensack Avenue, just south of Route 4) begins at 6:30 and is scheduled to run till 10:30 – it not being a school night and all. Tickets are only $5 if you get them from one of the band members and $7 at the door.
The musical reunion of old friends for a worthy cause promises a special evening.
IN TUNE: You can’t help but perk up when the talented members of Doomsday Diaries, who are among the acts playing “The Best of Bergen Bandfest” tonight in Overpeck Park, praise the likes of Mick Ronson, Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder and the Smiths. Y’see, none of them is over 15. READ MORE….
Habitat for Humanity is not welfare. By using volunteer labor and donated materials, HFH creates at-cost homes for the needy at no interest. The sweet part: Habitat homeowners must invest an average of 400 hours of sweat equity-time building their own home or other Habitat houses.
First buy-back option clauses are included in the mortgage agreements to prevent unscrupulous types from house-flipping.
Richie Arthur & Fast Forward
Habitat for Humanity was launched by Millard & Linda Fuller in 1976 in Americus, Georgia. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, who live in nearby Plains, Ga., brought worldwide attention to its work, and the organization has continued to grow.
Homeowners are chosen without regard to race, creed or nationality. All volunteers are welcomed.
Some remain skeptical of what “affordable housing” will do to their neighborhoods. But studies repeatedly have show that Habitat homes, because of the mandatory buy-in by the owners, increase tax bases, strengthen community spirit – and, yes, boost property values.
An HFH project in Oradell has had trouble with local officials, who have denied the organization’s request for a construction trailer while it’s being built – even though borough code doesn’t prevent them.
HFH officials say they think the alternative is worse: A pickup truck parked in the street.
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