On a perfect Saturday night, we headed over to "The Metal Mecca" (A.K.A. Duff's Brooklyn). This time around it was not just a Heavy Metal party, this time the Duff's family was remembering and celebrating the legacy of the great Ronnie James Dio. As soon as we arrived at Duff's we ran into some familiar faces including drummer/comedian Richard Christy from the Howard Stern Show and Alex Skolnick from Testament. We also run into Jimmy Duff (owner), who was pumping the jukebox with all of Dio's back catalog.
After a few drinks with lots of good people, lots of Dio being cranked and lots of horns being thrown, we realized that Jimmy was scratching his head. Unfortunately his partner in crime Nightcrawler was indisposed that night and Jimmy had no one to help him with the fund raiser. Since Jo Schüftan from Horns Up Rocks "walks the walk", he volunteered to help out and raise some money for "The American Cancer Society". Hint to all the man out there: women love when a guy shows his soft humanitarian side.
Nights like this one are proof that the New York City Hard Rock community comes together strongly, whether it is at a show or at a celebration of someones legacy. We had experienced this first hand when Peter Steele passed away last April. Ronnie James Dio was remembered and celebrated by everyone who packed Duff's that Saturday night. Lots of people helped out by donating money, and left home with Dio music provided by the great folks at Rhino and Eagle Rock Entertainment.
At the end of the night we had the chance to chat with Alex Skolnick of Testament and the Alex Skolnick Trio, about Ronnie James Dio and his contributions to Heavy Music. We also discussed Alex's tremendous career, his musical influences and how it all started for him. Here are the results:
Here are a few interviews we previously conducted about the legacy of Ronnie James Dio:
Related links:
Duff's Brooklyn
American Cancer Society
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