Stella Maris Rock of Faith Benefit Concert

Stella Maris Alumni discounted tickets available for $15
Family tickets available for $60 (for families of 3 or more)

Why you should see this show…

The “Rock of Faith” concert will take the audience on a beautiful journey through the transformation of the soul from addiction into recovery and will help people gain a better understanding about the heart and soul of a person who suffers from the disease of addiction. In its 11th year, proceeds from Rock of Faith will benefit Stella Maris, Cleveland’s oldest and best choice for addiction treatment services. Narrated by Carole Negus, songs will be performed by a cast that will also include Stella Maris alumni and current clients.

Stella Maris, a 501©(3) provides transformational chemical dependency and mental health treatment services to anyone regardless of their race, religion, how they identify, or their ability to pay. From its beginnings as a home for 11 men, Stella Maris has grown to serve thousands of men and women each year; last year treating over 3,700. Although Stella Maris’s treatment services have expanded over the years, their purpose has not changed. Stella Maris treats addiction, guides recovery, and rebuilds lives.  
 

 

Bright Lights Big City Band

Featuring Jeff Negus (Lead vocals), Carole Negus (Lead Vocals), Peter Psarras (Keyboards), Doug Bukovac (Lead Guitar), Mike Bukovac (Bass), and Gary Stevens (Drums)

Jeff Negus
Jeff Negus is the Son of John and Carole Negus. He runs the Chagrin Falls Larchmere Imports and lives in Auburn with his wife Aschli and two children Sloan and Dean. He has sung lead vocals in various bands in Cleveland including Lake Effect, 80HD and currently The Cleveland Whiskey River Band. He has always enjoyed singing and performing and also has inherited his fathers’ passion for fine cars.

Carole Negus
Carole sang with the Contemporary Music Praise Band at First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland for over 20 years. She is currently singing with the Cleveland Whiskey River Band all over the Cleveland Area. Carole Graduated from Nursing School in 2001 and is currently the Director of Nursing at Stella Maris. Her love for Rock Music and her personal journey with Addiction and Recovery is what sparked the idea for the Rock of Faith. She has sung with several of the musicians above in various band and Rock of Faith Events over the Years. In her spare time Carole is a competitive curler and travels to compete in Bonspiels with her husband John.

Peter Psarras
Pete grew up in Shaker Heights where he became involved in classical piano at a young age. Pete was introduced to the viola by music by Shaker Heights music teacher Barbara Hise which helped segue his transition into electric bass. Pete has enjoyed performing across the country and has been playing Keyboard for the Contemporary Music Praise Band at First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland. Pete studies climate change as a Research Professor at The University of Pennsylvania,

Doug Bukovac
Growing up in Willowick, Ohio, Doug picked up his first guitar at a young age and has seldom put it down since. He started forming bands early on and throughout his childhood and high school years, he was the “go to” guitarist in the Cleveland area. Out of school he traveled with various bands including the late Gerald Baxter playing the club scene throughout the Cleveland area. Doug is currently the lead guitarist for several bands in the area playing with the Bright Lights Big City Band, original progressive Rock Band 6T4B, The Surfside Band, and the Mary Taylor Brooks Band. He is well known to local musicians and audiences alike and is a fan favorite wherever he goes! He resides in Lake County where he has been part of the local music scene for decades. During the day Doug works with his son Mike in their own business remodeling kitchens and bathrooms. Doug loves to spend time with his family and grandkids anytime he is not working or on the stage. He is excited to be part of the Rock Of Faith and re-connect with Carole Negus who he has worked with musically in the past.

Mike Bukovac
Mike Bukovac grew up in a musical family in Willowick, Ohio, and seeing as how there were already two guitar players in the family, he picked up the bass. Mike has played in numerous local bands over the years, most recently with his brother Doug in Bright Lights Big City and The Surfside Band. Together with Doug and good friend Gary on drums, they strive to provide a solid rhythm section for the band to build on.

Gary Stevens
Having enjoyed diverse success in two progressive careers, Gary Stevens has developed a unique perspective working as a VP-Level dealmaker/executive in the retail real estate industry, with early experience and business sense taking root as a performer and leader in the music business. A native of West Springfield, Massachusetts, his love of music started at a very early age, starting drum lessons at age seven, playing paid “gigs” starting at age 10, and teaching his own students at age 13. Gary’s musical tastes and skill set are advanced and very broad, ranging from jazz, pop, and rock on drum set, to Latin hand percussion, to classical snare drum and tympani. After obtaining a business degree from Western New England University, he played professionally as a studio musician and toured extensively until age 30, playing drums and signing lead and harmony vocals with New Haven’s Eight to the Bar, including the lead role on the band’s 1984 HBO Video Jukebox release “Swingin’ School.” Eight to the Bar alumni have gone on to notable long-term gigs with David Crosby, Bruce Springsteen, Chic, Ray Charles, Danny Gatton and The Saturday Night Live Orchestra. Gary has played all over the east coast including venues as diverse as The Waldorf-Astoria New Year’s Eve Celebration, The Bottom Line, The Miami Beach Art Deco Festival, and Toad’s Place. “When your playing career spans over a half century, you definitely experience growth and change in your abilities and perspective”, Gary noted. “As a young gun, I was all about the speed and flashy fills, but now, I truly work for the song and the singer, trying to create a solid, yet dynamic bed to bring a heartbeat to the music”.
 

Dining Option

Our Concert Hall menu is fast to the table and allows you to dine right in your ticketed seat. Tableside food service will start 2 hours before showtime and the kitchen will close approximately halfway through the show. Tableside beverage service will continue throughout the concert.

For the Rock of Faith Benefit Concert, ticketing is general admission. If you are attending with a party of two or more, please have one person make a reservation for the whole group to ensure you are seated together. If you are attending with a party of eight or more, you must call the Box Office to make your reservation at (216) 242-1250.

To better serve all our customers, we request that you arrive on time for your dining reservation.