Ninth annual Band Blitz

For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News

March 06, 2009 08:08 am

— CUMBERLAND — The ninth annual Band Blitz will be held Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. at the Cumberland Outdoor Club, 31 Thomas St.
Proceeds from the fundraising event, which will feature at least seven different bands, will benefit individuals with development disabilities in the area, using the services provided through the Abilities Network and Friends Aware.
A $6 donation will be collected at the door. Food and beverages will be available. Tip jars will be offered and raffles and 50/50 drawings will be held.
All money raised will be used to meet needs of clients.
“We purchase personal care items for people, among other things. We have bought shoes for people who were walking around with holes in their shoes; just a variety of different things,” said Tim Haines of the Abilities Network, who organizes the event with Kim Plummer of Friends Aware. “Sometimes it’s an outstanding bill that they have no other way to pay ... we just do what we can for them.”
Scheduled to perform are The Limit, Takoma Park, Surrender Dorothy, Strangers with Candy, Charlie Kenny, KGD and Tucker Hill Haze.
The Limit, which reached its height of popularity in the 1990s and rarely performs together, consists of Haines, guitar and vocals; Mike Duncan, keyboard, bass and vocals; Jim House, lead vocals and acoustic guitar; and Kent Beeghly, drums. The band, which specializes in classic rock and original music, recorded a CD in 2000. The group traveled around the region, booking gigs in in Ocean City, Baltimore and Shippensburg, Pa., among other locations. They stopped performing regularly in 2002.
Takoma Park, a group of four local musicians, debuted in January 2004 and offers an energetic and interactive stage show featuring a unique repertoire of currently charted country music, along with Top 40 and classic rock. The group has played at venues including local clubs and taverns, wedding receptions, class reunions, fundraisers and private parties. They have ap-peared at many community events including Oldtown Days, Cumberland’s Canal-fest/Railfest and Friday after Five, Frostburg’s Block Party, Frostburg’s Summerfest, Rio Days, the Burlington Apple Festival, and the Hoedown at the Wisp resort.
They have opened for national acts Exile and David Lee Murphy. The band consists of John Wilson, rhythm guitar and lead vocals; Steve Baer, lead guitar and vocals; Dave Lapp, percussion; and Larry Ward, bass guitar and vocals.
Surrender Dorothy offers a solid playlist — mainly classic and new rock.
Strangers with Candy is billed as “the area’s wildest, craziest party band.” Formed from the remains of Uncle Fester, Chris Haines (guitar, and son of Timothy Haines), Eric Houdersheldt (bass), and Donny Carman (drums), the group employed local veteran singer Gene (Genie Bear) Bonner and from that point on “it’s been rock ’n’ roll to the max.”
Tucker Hill Haze is a local four-member rock band from Mineral and Hampshire counties, W.Va. Wes Deurr, Green Spring, is the drummer. Kenny Flanagan, Fort Ashby, plays lead guitar, while Josh Dietz, Fort Ashby, is on the bass. Lead singer is Todd Southerly, Short Gap. According to band promotional material, “We are a bunch of down home boys who like to play music for fun.”
Charlie Kenney is a popular local country singer. His debut album, “Wrong Side of Right,” was released last Friday by Three Hat Records based in Nashville, Tenn.
Kenney, a native of Short Gap, W.Va., has performed at many local venues with his band Fire Creek and at shows across the United States. For more information, visit www.charliekenney.com.
For those unable to attend the Band Blitz, donations may be made by calling the Abilities network at (301) 777-2895 or Friends Aware at (301) 722-7268.

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