Now days there are many people in the world who strive to help others in need. The band Long Time Gone has been together for a year and a half and has been performing their “Summer Concert Series”. Recently, they have played a Jimmy V fundraiser in Apex, a Children’s Miracle Network benefit sponsored by Food Lion, a Relay for Life benefit at Cloer Family Vineyard and a cancer benefit at Stars Theater in Fuquay to raise money for a local family in need. Long Time Gone has really been a helping hand in society but the “Summer Concert Series” isn’t over yet!
Ed Williams, the band manager of Long Time Gone always loved the songs of Stephen Stills and Neil Young, he had trouble finding people in the area that wanted to form a group and do those types of songs. He always knew that there was a market of people that would like to hear live versions of CSN&Y group and solo music. Ed Williams had the voice, the looks, the desire and the right guitars for the job; the struggle was finding people who were interested.
Eventually Ed Williams stumbled across Mike Stanton, Deidre Kinville and Steve Sanger at Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church; they all played in the praise band at the church. He then met Tom Stacy through a mutual friend later down the road. The last member to join was William Simkiss, her use to be Ed’s guitar teacher. Together the six members formed the band Long Time Gone with only one goal, to use their music to perform at benefits and raise funds to help their neighbors and friends in the area.
Long Time Gone has been making such a difference in the community. Back in January, they had a fundraiser to help a FVUMC church family that was in financial need, as the husband/father of the family was stricken with cancer. In just two hours, they raised over $5,000.
The “Summer Concert Series” will continue at the musicSPARK Festival. Long Time Gone will be performing at Humble Pie in Downtown Raleigh at 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15.
Long Time Gone will also be performing at the VFW open house event on Saturday, Oct. 20 beginning around 11 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. Long Time Gone will be performing at this event for approximately three hours. “The fact that we can give back a little something to war veterans is very appealing.” Ed Williams explains, “In fact, we do a CSN song called ‘Find the Cost of Freedom’ that usually brings the house down.” There are over 1000 people expected to attend, along with the mayor of Cary and Town Council members according to the open house promoter.
To kick off the end of the “Summer Concert Series”, there is a benefit for ALS and autism coming up on Saturday, Nov. 10, at Stars Theater in Fuquay-Varina where Long Time Gone will be performing. The time is not set in stone yet but it will most likely begin at 7 p.m. and go until around 9 p.m. Long Time Gone was inspired to do this show after a good friend of theirs found out her mother had Alzheimer’s. Ed Williams is looking to have the show reordered and having a DVD produced that the ALS Association could use for the continual generation of funds from the sales of the DVD.
You can check out Long Time Gone at their webpage http://www.reverbnation.com/ltgrocks. We all hope to see this thriving community of Wake County at these benefits and fundraisers!
Post a Comment
