By Tiffany Razzano

The North Shore Boys & Girls Club has been bringing music to the teenagers of the area for nearly 10 years through their concert program known as the Rock Lobster.

Though they average between 100 and 150 people at their monthly concert of local bands, they brought in a record 250 teens to their June 10 Rock Lobster festival, also referred to as the Long Island Resurrection.

Amanda Corbo, the cultural arts director of the club, said that while the event is held monthly, the Resurrection event is considered to be the "Super Bowl" of Rock Lobsters. "We put on live music, with all different bands, some in high school, some more experienced," Corbo said. "We put on live music for the kids in a drug and alcohol free environment."

Two teens, Lauren Vodentine, a junior at Glen Cove High School, and Ryan McCauley, a senior at the same school, both youth directors at the Boys & Girls Club have taken over organizing the Rock Lobster series. Vodentine said she has been attending the club for four years, and has been aware of the Long Island music scene for just as long, attending tons of local shows, as well as being introduced to bands through MySpace and the Internet. This is how she and McCauley discover many of the bands they sign up for Rock Lobster.

Pasquale Iannelli, event coordinator for the Boys & Girls Club, as well as saxophonist for Glen Cove-based pop/funk/rock band Hyjinx, works to organize the concert series. Not only did Hyjinx play at the club's June festival, but they also played the Sept. 9 show, along with Pennsylvania-based band, Not Alone.

Corbo said that during the upcoming months, "the Rock Lobster will be taken to new levels and will help breathe life back into the local music scene by giving teens a drug free, smoke free and alcohol free environment to enjoy the art of music."

A local parent said, "It's a wonderful thing to know that my child can attend a live band show and not have the pressures of doing drugs or trying alcohol at the event. I know where my child is at all times and know that they are safe and well cared for."