Rick Derringer to headline upcoming MetroWest Music Fest

Grab your lawn chairs and picnic blankets — a Beatles tribute band, a jazz saxophonist, and a legendary rock ’n’ roll guitarist all will be hitting the stage at MetroWest Music Fest this weekend.

Liverpool Live, Will Donato and Rick Derringer are all part of the star-studded lineup for the annual event, which regularly draws up to 3,500 attendees.

Produced by the MetroWest Master Association and held at the MetroWest Golf Club, Music Fest is a conglomeration of musical performances of all genres, vendors, family-friendly activities and community camaraderie. 

Liverpool Live has been voted the No. 1 Beatles tribute band in Florida, and Will Donato is a national recording artist and jazz saxophonist.

Headliner Rick Derringer is a Grammy Award-winning producer, guitarist, vocalist and entertainer who made his way into the music industry in the 1960s as a member of The McCoys, when he was brought in to record lead vocals for the No. 1 hit single, “Hang On Sloopy.” 

Derringer has a 1974 blues-rock hit, “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” He has also worked with Edgar and Johnny Winter, Steely Dan and “Weird Al” Yankovic and with the World Wrestling Federation, penning entrance songs for Hulk Hogan and Demolition.

Derringer has played music since he was 9 years old and loves putting on a great concert for his audience. No matter how many times he has played a specific hit or song, the reward comes when he sees his audience having a great time hearing it.

“I feel like the songs people liked and the songs people have bought — records, CDs, downloads, whatever — those are the songs that are special to them and that makes them special to me,” he said. “I want to go out there and want the audience to feel that they had the opportunity to have a special time and hear some music they enjoy and that they wanted to hear. That’s what it’s all about for me. … That’s why I do what I do, because I enjoy the communication with the audience.”

He also loves when the audience gets involved and asks questions. 

“Your heart is where the music comes from and where your feelings come from, and that’s what makes the music and each performance special,” he said. “We’ll play all the hits and stuff they want to hear. We’ll throw in some new stuff they maybe haven’t heard yet, and once again, it’s just between me and them. It’s very personal in that way, and that’s why we want as many people as possible to come out.”