Stony Brook, NY —Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) will host Blotto Fest at its Stony Brook Village location (97 Main Street) on Sunday, Nov. 8th at 3pm. The event is free for members and included with general admission ticket or $10 at-the-door concert ticket.
BlottoFest will celebrate the popular rock band Blotto, formed in 1978 in Albany, NY, which was known for blending music with sharp humor, goofy charm, and playful stage persona. The band became a cult favorite in the early 1980s, with songs like “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard” and MTV-era visibility helping spread their offbeat comedy-rock appeal.
“Blotto proved that great rock and roll doesn’t have to take itself too seriously, and we hope Blotto Fest becomes an annual celebration where fans can come together to laugh, sing, and keep their unforgettable spirit alive,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF Vice Chairman.
Three original Blotto band members, including Paul Rapp (F. Lee Harvey Blotto) Paul Jossman (Bowie Blotto), and Bill Polchinski (Broadway Blotto) will host the event where performers will share the stage playing memorable songs and deep cuts from Blotto. This event aims to launch a fun annual tradition celebrating the band’s humor and musical legacy and recognize their pop-culture appeal.
Earlier this year, LIMEHOF put out a call for local musicians to participate and play the band’s classic songs. In the tradition of the band, each member chose a “Blotto” name. Selected participating performers include: Mike the Rodgers — Bald Beauty Blotto, Paul Graf – Billy Bob Blotto, Play Area: Frank Doris — Deuce Blotto & Tony Carrollo — Blaze Blotto, Grand Folk Railroad: Frank Doris — Deuce Blotto, Gary Schoenberger — Apple Blotto, Artie Rosato — Arturo Zamboni Blotto, Mike Christian — Faux Blotto, and Susan Schwartz-Christian — Bo Blotto. Music Supervisor’s include Frank Doris (Deuce Blotto) and Producer: Tom Needham (Spider Blotto).
Musician Bill Polchinski, AKA Broadway Blotto is the only band member from Long Island. He graduated Port Jefferson High School and Suffolk Community College before attending Albany State where he met the like-minded “bunch of guys” who would become his Blotto band mates. Even though the band is more associated with Albany and upstate NY, Broadway says that his experiences on Long Island strongly influenced Blotto’s music.
“When we began to write our own songs, I drew subject matter from carefree adolescent memories of life in Suffolk County: garage bands, drive-in movies, shopping malls, cars, and, of course, the beaches where lifeguards reigned as the epitome of coolness during the hot summers. It was a personal thrill when WLIR, WBAB and WUSB started playing our record, “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard” and sponsored our first Blotto concerts at My Father’s Place, Long Beach Pier, Belmont Park and Stony Brook U. Forty-five years later, it was an even bigger thrill to have our biopic, “Hello! My Name Is Blotto. The Movie!” chosen for the inaugural Music Documentary Film Festival at the L.I. Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. Most amazing to us was that the festival screening and a follow-up showing were both completely sold out. Talk about coming full circle, my first high school band rehearsed about a mile away from the Hall of Fame.”
The surviving members of the band visited LIMEHOF in 2025 as part of LIMEHOF’s Music Documentary Film Festival which showed the film Hello My Name is Blotto: The Movie! (which won the LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival’s Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award).
About LIMEHOF
Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook, New York. To date, the organization has inducted more than 130 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.
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