It has been sometime since my last newsletter and I hope all is well with all of you. I’ve been on a bit of a break since the December 19th “Preston and Friends Holiday Benefit”, which despite taking place in the middle of a blizzard, still managed to generate a nice turnout, and still enabled us to raise some funds for the New York Foundling and the Children’s Aid Foundation. With about seventy people in attendance, and over a dozen performers, including five of my good friends from Canada – Noah Zacharin, Jon Travis, Laura Fernandez, Rehan Dalal, and Carl Lorusso, Jr. – it truly was a special evening. Also a special thanks to my friend Kevin So for making it up from Nashville, and my local friends, Evan Palazzo and his band, The Hot Sardines , John Henry Olthoff, Jason Fien, Blake DeLong, Bill Chu, and Kelly Thomas for making it out for the weather. You can see some videos of the event as well as some photos, by going to the event section of PrestonsBeat.com or by clicking the following link – http://prestonsbeat.com/blog/events-calendar/ .

Also, in late November and early December, I visited the United Kingdom for eleven years. For those of you who don’t know, I have visited the UK quite frequently over the last few years and have established some wonderful friendships there. On my most recent journey, which lasted eleven days, I spent quite a bit of time in the county of Sussex, which among other things, is where you can find some of the world’s most incredible scenery in the South Downs. I also spent time in the medieval village of Midhurst, and was asked by my friend John Treuman to write about my UK experiences for their local website, The Midhurst Pages. It turned into an extensive writing project, and you can read the entire article, titled “Britain and Me”, all with some of my pictures, on PrestonsBeat.com or by clicking the following link, which will open up as a PDF, by clicking the following link: http://prestonsbeat.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Britain-and-Me-with-photo-inserts.pdf. You can also find out more about Midhurst, where the article will appear shortly, by going to the Midhurst Pages at http://www.violetdesigns.co.uk/midhurst.htm. It is a town that really opened themselves up to me (as you will read in the article) and it’s a community that I will continue to support where I can. If you are on “Facebook”, you can also find out more through” Friends of Midhurst”. You’ll also see pictures of my friend Martin Swatton’s award winning redesign of 1930’s English bungalow. Martin is a great talent and you can see more of his work at http://www.martinswatton.com .

Speaking of friends, I was fortunate enough to celebrate the Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day at the home of my good friend May Pang along with some of her family and friends, and May and her radio co-host Cynthia Neilson broadcast their weekly radio program that afternoon. You can hear a streaming of the one hour program, where the conversation ranged from discussing the day’s holidays to William Shatner, by clicking the link to the Feb. 14th broadcast of “Dinner Specials with May Pang and Cynthia Nielson” here – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maypang/2010/02/14/dinner-specials-with-may-pang-and-cynthia-neilson-live. You can also read more of what May is up to, including an upcoming trip to Scotland for a special exhibition of the works of the late photographer Iain Macmillan, who was one of the great Beatles photographers (his most famous work is perhaps the “Abbey Road” cover), by visiting May’s site, http://www.maypang.com . And on a sad note, George Harrison’s nephew, Gordon Caldwell, recently lost his six year battle with colon cancer. He was 52. My condolences to his family; and having lost my own mother to colon cancer, I can’t tell you enough how important it is to get a colonoscopy every few years, especially if it has occurred in your family. I know for myself and some members of my family, it has helped saved our lives. I usually don’t preach about these things – but be sure to get yourself checked.

And finally, as I said at the beginning of this newsletter, I’ve been taking some needed time off, but am in the midst of putting together the music for my upcoming “Preston and the Fifty-Sevens” CD, which will be a group effort that will be a mix of blues and jazz classics and originals. You can see a video of a rehearsal of one of the numbers Evan and I are working on, an original blues shuffle titled “The Sands of Time” in the My Music section of PrestonsBeat.com or by clicking the following link – http://www.youtube.com/prestonsbeat#p/u/0/f0PiRX20xjE.

Well, that’s all for now. I wish everyone best for 2010, and I hope to see you all soon!

Peace and Love,
Mark Preston
Preston’s Beat
The Music of
Mark Nelson Preston

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The Hot Sardines “Tain’t Nobody’s Business” – Preston & Friends Benefit – 12/19/09

Evan and Elizabeth kicked off the evening with a great set! 30s style jazz from one of NYC’s best bands! They were one of a dozen performers who made it to the “Blizzard 2009″ benefit! It was great to finally share a stage with them!

“Every Child Deserves a Chance” by Mark Nelson Preston, 2009 Holiday Benefit

From the “Blizzard 2009″ Benefit for the New York Foundling. All proceeds from this song, available on iTunes and Amazon, benefit various children’s charities. Copyright (c)2009-2010 by Mark Nelson Preston. All rights reserved.

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My great friend Jon Travis made it down from Toronto!

More Canucks! Carl Lorusso Jr.joining Jon Travis

Mark joins Jon Travis on “Devil in Disguise”

My dear friend Noah Zacharin made it down from Toronto too!

Mark Preston and Evan Palazzo

The Hot Sardines, Evan’s awesome jazz band

The Hot Sardines

Blake DeLong wooed the crowd with some nice country tunes

Jason Fien got the crowd going

Kelly Thomas wowed the crowd with “Winter Wonderland”

Carl Lorusso Jr. and another great Canadian talent, my friend Rehan Dalal

Chris Kardos, performing Sam Cooke’s “What a Wonderful World”

Preston and Friends Holiday Benefit, 12/19/09

The very talented country singer/songwriter John Henry Olthoff

My co-producer Bill Chu gave a moving rendition of “Oh Holy Night”

Rehan Dalal

Jason Fien, Evan Palazzo, and Rehan Dalal

Singing goodnight and Merry Christmas! Laura Fernandez, Mark Preston and Jason Fien

Get home safe!

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Preston and Friends Holiday Benefit in Support of the New York Foundling and The Children’s Aid Foundation. Scheduled guests so far include Mark, Noah Zacharin, The Hot Sardines, Ed Romanoff, Kevin So, Harold “The Deuce” Allen, Laura Fernandez, Carolyn Messina, Kelly Thomas,Chris Kardos, Carl Lorusso Jr., Greg Bie, Jason Fien, and others to be named.

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I’m look forward to producing a similar event this December, here in New York City. I’m pleased to officially announce that on Saturday, Dec. 19th at 7:00 we will be taking over the second floor of the Slattery’s. The Preston and Friends Holiday Benefit for Children’s will once again feature some of the best indie talent from New York, Toronto and other colorful places. More details to follow next month. We will also be returning to Toronto in 2010 for another fundraiser for the Children’s Aid and Sick Kid Foundations as well.

I will be performing this Saturday, Oct. 10, in Bergen County, NJ. My friends Pete and Bernie DeMaio will once again be hosting their Music in the Yard – Food Bank Drive in Little Falls, NJ. The address is 2 Elm Street, Little Falls. The show starts at 2 PM and will run until 8 PM. I’ll be going on some time after 3, and will be playing a set with Pete and Lenny (they were bass and drummer for the May show in NYC). It’s a great cause and if you come, we request you bring your own chair, refreshments, and food items.

Also, I’ll be posting some new videos this week to my website You can see and here me on http://www.PrestonsBeat.com under the music section. When they are posted, I’ll send out a brief note.

Broadcasting notes. May Pang has a talk radio show podcast this Friday, Oct. 9th at 11:00. Dinner Specials with May Pang and Cynthia Nielson premieres on the anniversary of John Lennon’s birthday. May will be talking about her personal experiences with John and The Beatles, and will have guests as well, including Chris O’Dell, who has just written MISS O’DELL: My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved. The show will be on BlogTalkRadio.com and you can click on this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maypang/2009/10/10/Dinner-Specialsserving-it-up-with-May-Pang-and-Cyn.

Other performance notes – I’m producing Coming Home, a two performance show featuring alumni from my high school , Ridgefield Memorial High , sometime in the spring. The performances will be raising money for the Alumni Scholarship Fund, of which I’ve had the pleasure of working with on several events and was founded by dear friend Michele Petrillo. They just had a Boot Camp fundraiser with fitness celebrity, former RMHS alumni and neighbor of mine, Rocco Castellano, several weeks ago and their next event is a NY Giants football party on Nov. 1. Rock on Michele – keep up the great work!

Other notes. I’m producing my first major play for the ACC – Wait Until Dark, which will run from Nov. 2 thru Nov. 14. Tickets are not available as the ACC is a private theater club and attendance is by invitation only, but of course if you are a friend of mine and would like to attend, just give me a shout – just know that seating is very limited! It’s a very tense murder and we hired an excellent director for the show, Andrea Andresakis, a seasoned director and choreographer who was also in the original Fame film, as well as the series.

And finally, I’ll be in the UK for ten days in late November and will be playing at some various places yet to be named. Looking forward to chilling, playing, traveling the country, and catching a good scrum (rugby reference) aswell!

And one final, final note – Thanks to all my longtime friends for coming out the RMHS Class of ‘79 30 Year Reunion. It was truly remarkable to once again to be among so many longtime friends and many who I had not seen it at least 30 years. And to my dearest of friends, Joann Riggi, for putting this whole thing together. It was the gathering of a lifetime, and a weekend we will always remember!

That’s all for now my friends!

Peace and love,

Mark Preston
www.PrestonsBeat.com
www.PrestonForKids.com

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I will be performing this Saturday, Oct. 10, in Bergen County, NJ. My friends Pete and Bernie DeMaio will once again be hosting their Music in the Yard – Food Bank Drive in Little Falls, NJ. The address is 2 Elm Street, Little Falls. The show starts at 2 PM and will run until 8 PM. I’ll be going on some time after 3, and will be playing a set with Pete and Lenny (they were bass and drummer for the May show in NYC). It’s a great cause and if you come, we request you bring your own chair, refreshments, and food items.

Also, I’ll be posting some new videos this week to my website You can see and here me on http://www.PrestonsBeat.com under the music section. When they are posted, I’ll send out a brief note.

Broadcasting notes. May Pang has a talk radio show podcast this Friday, Oct. 9th at 11:00. Dinner Specials with May Pang and Cynthia Nielson premieres on the anniversay of John Lennon’s birthday. May will be talking about her personal experiences with John and The Beatles, and will have guests as well, including Chris O’Dell, who has just written MISS O’DELL: My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved. The show will be on BlogTalkRadio.com and you can click on this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maypang/2009/10/10/Dinner-Specialsserving-it-up-with-May-Pang-and-Cyn.

Other performance notes – I’m producing Coming Home, a two performance show featuring alumni from my high school , Ridgefield Memorial, sometime in the spring. The performances will be raising money for the Alumni Scholarship Fund, of which I’ve had the pleasure of working with on several events and was founded by dear friend Michele Petrillo. They just had a Boot Camp fundraiser with fitness celebrity, former RMHS alumni and neighbor of mine, Rocco Castellano, several weeks ago and their next event is a NY Giants football party on Nov. 1. Rock on Michele – keep up the great work!

Other notes. I’m producing my first major play for the ACC – Wait Until Dark, which will run from Nov. 2 thru Nov. 14. Tickets are not available as the ACC is a private theater club and attendance is by invitation only, but of course if you are a friend of mine and would like to attend, just give me a shout – just know that seating is very limited! It’s a very tense murder and we hired an excellent director for the show, Andrea Andresakis, a seasoned director and choreographer who was also in the original Fame film, as well as the series.

And finally, I’ll be in the UK for ten days in late November and will be playing at some various places yet to be named. Looking forward to chilling, playing, traveling the country, and catching a good scrum (rugby reference) as well!

And one final, final note – Thanks to all my longtime friends for coming out the RMHS Class of ‘79 30 Year Reunion. It was truly remarkable to once again to be among so many longtime friends and many who I had not seen it at least 30 years. And to my dearest of friends, Joann Riggi, for putting this whole thing together. It was the gathering of a lifetime, and a weekend we will always remember!

That’s all for now my friends!

Peace and love,

Mark Preston
www.PrestonsBeat.com

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Hope you are all well! The Toronto fundraiser on July 16th to raise money for the Sick Kids and Children’s Aid Foundations was a big hit, and we will be doing it again next year! You can now see some video on www.PrestonsBeat.com, and in a few weeks the highlight film will be available. Thanks again to all my friends for taking part of this magical evening! There are also a few other events currently being planned, including –

Dec. 19, 2009 – Preston and Friends Christmas Benefit, NYC. Details TBA

Feb. 2010 – Preston and Friends Austin Children’s Benefit, Austin, TX. Details TBA

April, 2010 – Preston and Friends 2010 Benefit for The Sick Kids and Children’s Aid Foundation. Details TBA

Other News. “It’s About Time” has advanced to the semi-final round of the 2009 ASA Songwriting Competition! Keeping my fingers crossed. Also, my friend May Pang is taking part in a fundraiser on Saturday, August 1, to raise money for a wheel chair for Dara Roberts, a 19 year old girl with cerebral palsey who is attending her first semester this fall at Stanford University. As most of you know, May as wonderful photo memoir of John Lennon titled “Instamatic Karma”; what you may not know is that is also a wonderful jewelry designer and her work will be featured as well. The event will have other artist and performers as well a silent auction. It all takes place at S.R. Riley’s Music Café, 101 East Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ from 11 to 4. I will be there and hope you can too. You can see more of May on her website, www.MayPang.com.

Finally, let me tell you about my friend Kevin So. Back in June I was up in Toronto at my dear friend Noah Zacharin’s show when we had a visit from a featured performer at Toronto’s North by Northeast Festival. Noah, my other dear friend Jon Travis and I spent the next couple of hours with Kevin and we had an awesome evening. Kevin is an incredibly gifted performer (as are Noah and Jon) – a really great blues artist. Kevin is playing a show next Wednesday in NYC at the Bitter End at 8:00. I’ll be there and hope you can be there to. You want to catch him. I give him a very high recommendation. You can see a clip of Kevin performing his bluesy tune “All I Need is You“. And you can visit Kevin on the web at www.KevinSo.com.

That’s all for now. Rock on!

Mark

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Mark Nelson Preston and Friends 2010 Benefit for the Sick Kids Foundation and the Children’s Aid Foundation. We will be returning for another magical evening like the one we had on July 16th 2009. Guests to be announced.

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We have a little over a week to go for the two fundraisers in Ontario and here is the update:

As previously announced, I’ve gathered some of the best music talent from New York, Toronto, and London (ON) for two concerts benefiting children’s charities. The Toronto show, which will benefit The Sick Kids Foundation and the Children’s Aid Foundation, will take place at the very cool Gladstone Ballroom on Thursday, July 16. The show starts at 7:30 P.M., and we are having a “Meet and Greet” wine and finger food party at The Gladstone’s Art Bar from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. that will having a silent auction featuring the following very cool items: A rare early pressing of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason’s classic solo debut “Alone Together” signed by Dave, copies of May Pang’s photo memoir of her life with John Lennon “Instamatic Karma” which will be personally autographed by May; tickets for the August Pearl Jam concert, and a week’s vacation on Florida’s Emerald Coast at the world renowned Sandestin Resort.

Some of the great talent you will see and hear: Noah Zacharin, Dan McLean Jr., Jon Travis, Laura Fernandez, Evan Palazzo, Tony Rabalao, Jeff Kahl, Rex Baunsit, Carl Lorusso Jr., Greg Bie, Mark Cassidy, Rehan Delal, Jory Berger, Mark Cassidy, Jeff Greenway, Myke Mazzei, and Steve York. Cost: The VIP package, which includes the Art Bar party and admission to the show is $40. Admission to the show only is $10. Admission is paid at the door. More event details available at – www.gladstonehotel.com or the official event website – www.PrestonForKids.com.

The London show, which benefits the Children’s Health Foundation, takes place the following night on July 17th at 8 P.M. at the spacious London City Music Theatre, and in addition to the Toronto talent,
we will also feature great London talents the Crystal Kage and Bill Savage. Tickets are available online by visiting www.londoncitymusictheatre.com or by clicking the link at www.PrestonForKids.com. We’ve gathered a lot of local attention and the plan is do these events in other cities in the future. So far, we are looking at doing one in Austin, Texas sometime next winter.

Also, for those of you who don’t know, my official site, www.PrestonsBeat.com, is now up and running. You can hear some of the demo sessions for my upcoming CD – “Time and Chances” – under the music tab. There are currently demo versions of six of my songs, as well as my arrangement of “Over The Rainbow”. There will be another two tracks posted by the end of the week. Once the upcoming events are finished, I will be back in the studio to make more complete versions of what you hear, and I’m looking at a release in September or October.

That’s all for now!

Peace and Love,
Mark

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I’m pleased to officially announce that along with my very talented music friends from New York, Toronto, and London (Ontario), we will be holding two concerts to raise money to raise money for three institutions that play a vital role in children’s lives. An Evening with Mark Nelson Preston and Friends to Benefit Childrens Charities will have shows on two consecutive evenings. The first show, taking place in Toronto, will benefit the Sick Kids Foundation and The Children’s Aid Foundation, both located in Toronto, on Thursday, July 16th at 7:30 PM the very cool Gladstone Ballroom, 1214 Queens Street, Toronto. The second show takes place in London, ON the following evening on Friday, July 17th at 8:00 PM and will benefit the London based Children’s Health Foundation, It will be held at the spacious London City Music Theatre (formerly the IMAX theatre), 900 King St., London. I will be releasing more details in the coming weeks.

At press time, we have a lineup of 15 performers for the Toronto show and are expecting a similar number in London. My featured performers for both evenings will be my good friend, the very gifted Noah Zacharin and the awesome Dan McLean Jr. My other friends who will be appearing on one or both evenings include my good friends Evan Palazzo, Greg Bie (who helped make the London show possible and will be featured that evening), Jon Travis, my right hand man for both events – Jeff Kahl, Laura Fernandez, Carl Lorusso Jr., Jory Berger, Tony Rabalao, Rex Baunsit, and Rehan Dalal, There will be more to be announced in the coming weeks.

These events were inspired my a few things. The indie music scene in Toronto has been a great source of inspiration in my life since I went back into music – it’s one of the great treasures of that wonderful city. I’ve met a great wealth of talent and have made some very dear friends in the process. The idea behind the events is bring some of this talent to a larger audience and raise money for organizations that help our youth. The charities that we are helping have played an important part in the lives of some of those performing. This is one way for my friends and I to give something back.

Another important charity to me is one which is making a difference in the lives our returning war veterans. My buddy and childhood friend Ted Knapp, along with his longtime friend, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Dave Mason, have been making a big difference with Work Vessels for Vets. Be sure to visit workvesselsforvets.com. Also, check out the following link from Fox News program Red Eye this week where Dave talks about their work (and you will see Ted, too!). Also, he has a great new album out, 26 Letters – 12 Notes. You can also click to find out more about Dave and Ted on the web.

One final note to my Ridgefield friends. Another good friend, Michelle Petrillo has organized a Multi-Class RMHS Reunion this Friday, June 12th, in Ridgefield, NJ at the Café Tivoli to raise money for a scholarship fund. It’s $ 37.99 per person and promises to be a great party.

Thanks for reading. I know I keep mentioning “my dear friends” a little bit like the late great Sammy Davis, Jr.! What can I tell you, I’m a blessed man! That’s all for now.

Love and Peace,
Mark

Preston’s Beat
The Music of Mark Nelson Preston

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