Guitarist Cohen Hosts Annual FoodBank Concert

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OCEAN GROVE – When David Cohen decided to hold a concert in 2003 to benefit The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, he didn’t expect the event to go beyond the first year.

David Cohen is holding his 10th annual concert on Jan. 26 to benefit The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
David Cohen is holding his 10th annual concert on Jan. 26 to benefit The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

He and friend Lois Hetfield reserved the 80-seat Thornley Chapel for a hastily organized show. When he arrived at the chapel on that cold January night, he was shocked to see it filled to capacity. Later, he learned that people who weren’t lucky enough to get a seat filled the back room, hallways and even the bathrooms just to hear the music.
For the next eight years, the show was held in the 400-seat Ocean Grove Youth Temple, and this year, on Saturday, Jan. 26, it begins a new tradition in its new home, the 400-seat theater at the historic Jersey Shore Arts Center, 92 Lawrence Ave. in Ocean Grove. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the show begins at 7 p.m.
Celebrating its 10th anni­versary, the David Cohen concert is a well-established Ocean Grove tradition, drawing not only enthusiastic music fans but an eclectic Who’s Who of local musicians. Cohen and Hetfield, along with the Ocean Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, plan a very special evening this year: Cohen, a classical and flamenco guitarist who also plays the Chinese pipa and bagpipes, will be joined by blues rocker Jo Wymer, percussionists M’zume Carni­val and special guests, The Pipes and Drums of the Jersey Shore Shillelaghs.
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door and are available the Chamber of Commerce Office, 45 Pilgrim Pathway, by calling 732-774-1391 or online www.foodbankconcert.org. Online ticket purchases are automatically entered into Ocean Grove Getaway Weekend drawing.