Hudson Water Club Hosts Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert Featuring the Amish Outlaws Cover Band

BY MICHAEL RICONDA

West Haverstraw – In an effort to raise funds for North Rockland residents impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the Hudson Water Club hosted a benefit show featuring the Amish Outlaws cover band on the night before Thanksgiving.

The Club organized the event through Help North Rockland, a group created to provide aid to area businesses and residents, including the 97 people currently being housed at the Stony Point Center who lost their homes in the storm.

The Hudson Water Club itself was hit particularly hard by the storm. The November 21 concert was the Club’s first night open since the storm, which nearly destroyed the restaurant’s deck area.

In an effort to contribute to the cause, the Amish Outlaws offered to perform at the event with their unorthodox but energetic stage act. The band members dressed in traditional Amish clothing and covered a variety of popular songs.

The act is not merely a gimmick. Hezekiah Yoder and three other band members were born into the Old Order Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The band itself was put together in Philadelphia about ten years ago and released original material until they decided to take inspiration from their cultural roots.

“It’s been beautiful,” Yoder said. “We’re about to celebrate our tenth birthday, and it’s been a wonderful experience through-and-through,” Yoder said.

The band has a particularly strong connection to North Rockland and the Hudson Water Club. Yoder and other band members are personal friends of the Club’s owners and felt a compelling need to provide help by doing what they love.

“When you tie in the fact that we’re actually doing something for charity tonight, for good people that got really hurt in this storm, I’m not lying here, I’m jumping around in my pants I’m so happy.”

  amish outlaws, Haverstraw, hudson water club, hurricane sandy, rockland county, Stony Point, thanksgiving