The 7 PM concert at the Triad, 158 W. 72nd St. in Manhattan, will boast the folk-rock songs of Rideout, who is also a Celtic rock fiddle player.

"Inspired by such artists as Sean Colvin, Eileen Ivers and Melissa Ethridge, Leenya Rideout has performed her songs all over Manhattan and beyond at venues such as the Cutting Room, the Bitter End and the Gold Rush," according to ASTEP.

In the Tony Award-winning Company she plays Jenny. She also plays Belva Chalk in the country-Western/comedy improv "sister" trio The Chalks and has toured the country as the fiddle player for the Celtic rock band Finn's Fury.

Her debut CD, "Phoenix," is available on her website, www.leenya.com. It includes 14 original songs including "The RightTrack," which was featured in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame Showcase and on season two of "Nashville Star."

Joining Rideout for her June 18 concert will be Matt Castle (piano/vocals), Dana Alling (drums), Peter Lettre (bass/vocals), Fred Rose (cello/vocals) and Elizabeth Stanley (vocals). Admission price for the concert, one in a series of ASTEP evenings that showcase emerging songwriters, is "your spare change…by the jar, by the bag, as much as you can scrape together."

There is also a two-drink minimum. For reservations, call (212) 706-1516 or by sending an email to [email protected].

All proceeds from the concert benefit ASTEP. Visit www.createsomethinggood.org to learn more.

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Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP) "is a non-profit organization dedicated to mobilizing the global community of artists in an effort to create positive change for young people in need worldwide. ASTEP's programming, which includes arts camps in South Africa and Florida, an arts-based and centered orphanage in India, and outreach in New York City, takes place in communities with populations of impoverished children who have limited access to arts education. The children who experience ASTEP are empowered with creativity, knowledge, and a stronger sense of self-esteem, factors which help them break the cycle of poverty in their communities and in their own lives. At a time when funding for the arts is nearly extinct, ASTEP provides essential nourishment for young minds through song, dance, drama and the visual arts."

The ASTEP Board of Directors is comprised of Mary-Mitchell Campbell (founder/chair), Michelle Miller (vice-chair), Queen Nworisara-Quinn (treasurer), Jessica Walling Stokes (secretary), Kristin Chenoweth, Mark Canavera, Gavin Creel, John Doyle, Raul Esparza, Deb Lapidus, Anne L. Nathan, Timothy Thomas, Pascal Van Kipnis and Susan Vargo.