Chappaqua Dads to Rock at P’ville Tavern to Help Boy With Leukemia
By Molly Stazzone
The five members of Natterjack Toad plan to have plenty of fun on Saturday night when they take the stage at Paulie’s in Pleasantville. However, the reason why they’ll be playing is for a serious cause.
Natterjack Toad, a rock, funk and blues band that includes three dads from Chappaqua, will have its second annual holiday bash where they’ll be looking to help ease the financial burden just a bit for a young man and his family.
Last year, 12-year-old Danny Van Schaik of Suffern was diagnosed with leukemia. The band members have scheduled Saturday night’s concert at the Marble Avenue bar and grill to help raise money toward the cost of treatment and will be donated through the Caring Bridge website. Those who attend Saturday night can also make a donation.
“My wife and Danny’s grandfather work at IBM,” said Ira Langstein, a Rye Brook resident and Natterjack Toad’s guitarist, one of the band’s two members who live outside of Chappaqua. “He (Danny) has had a lot of treatments and near-death experiences.”
At their first holiday bash last year, band members collected food for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Vocalist and guitarist Mike Corso, one of the three Chappaqua residents in the quintet, said about 150 people showed up, filling an SUV that would transport the supplies to Long Beach and Island Park, Long Island.
Langstein, a dentist, said they expect 100 to 150 people at Paulie’s on Saturday night. They plan to play a wide assortment of music to create sort of a ’70s basement vibe, with selections from the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Black Crows, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and many other artists.
“Natterjack Toad always looks forward to gathering our friends and neighbors from the community for an outstanding evening of music and libations but this year’s performance is especially important to us as we will be paying tribute to those who have left such a strong legacy and inspire us to keep jammin’ until we draw our final breaths,” said Corso, an Internet marketer.
The group, which has played classic rock at Paulie’s many times over the years, is also comprised of bassist Barry Wiseman and guitarist Jamie Propp, the other two Chappaqua residents, and drummer Gary Schwartz of Brewster. Although, the current band is less than 10 years old, Langstein said some of the members have played together since they were teenagers.
Corso said he met Langstein and Wiseman while playing in a different band.
“I was in a Middle Eastern Jewish band before Natterjack Toad,” Corso said. “That is when I met Barry Wiseman and Ira Langstein. After 9/11 we played songs outdoors and that inspired us to become a band.”
Natterjack Toad, which is named for the toad that makes the loudest sound, gives about four performances a year and also plays private parties throughout Westchester. Upcoming performances will be at MTK Tavern in Mount Kisco and Vintage Lounge and Restaurant in White Plains.
But Saturday night is all about helping the Van Schaik family and a brave young man fighting leukemia.
“No matter what obstacles he has faced, Danny has persevered,” Langstein said. “Let’s all sing a tune for Danny. Give a little bit and help heal a young boy who has his whole life ahead of him.”
There is no cover charge for all Chappaqua softball players, parents of Horace Greeley High School football and soccer players, all Greeley coaches, friends of the Westchester Boxing Club, all members of the Armed Forces and their families and those who are signed up to Chappaqua Moms on Facebook.
For more information about Danny Van Schaik’s story and how to donate, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/dannyvanschaik. To donate directly, mail to the family and 410 Pawnnee Court, Suffern, N.Y. 10901.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
