Rockers look to turn it up to 11 for children

Friday, Dec. 17, 2010

Even local musicians can get in on the act of charity during the holiday season.

This Friday night, Chesapeake Beach-based rock band Live N Breathe will perform a concert at Calypso Bay Boatyard Bar and Grill in Deale, with all proceeds going toward a toy drive benefitting Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Band lead singer Bryan Bande of Chesapeake Beach said the toy drive organizers approached the band at a recent gig in Hughesville.

"[They] asked if we would consider doing the show [and asked] what would we charge," Bande wrote in an e-mail. "We jumped at it and said, ‘You won't pay us a thing."

Bande said the band got together in 2005 while he was working for a music management company in Germany. It later recorded a two-song demo in Los Angeles with producer Luke Ebbin, who has worked with Bon Jovi and The All-American Rejects, and another three songs with Germany-based Rammstein producer Milos Dolezal in the Czech Republic. Bande said the two separate groups of songs showed two different versions of the band — a pop music side and a heavy metal side. They later recorded their own CD and called it "Country Metal," releasing it in 2007 and selling 10,000 copies. The group signed with Big Noise, a U.S. recording and promotion company, and released "Midnight in the Garden of Good N' Evil," which will receive two Gazelle awards this month for two landmarks: selling 50,000 and 65,000 independent global sales. Gazelle awards are given to independent artists who manage to sell a certain amount of units on their own.

Bande said he and his new wife of four months moved to Chesapeake Beach in 2008. He said in an e-mail that he had been touring for more than four years internationally, and the German members of the band returned to their normal lives after becoming "burnt-out from constant touring." He then recruited the current members: guitarist Patrick Holliday (after meeting him at St. Nicholas Lutheran Church in Huntingtown), North Beach drummer Jesse Roehsner and bassist Brittany Whyte. He said the group's sound has been likened to "a young, modern Guns N' Roses." The group has played gigs at Chancellor's Run Park and St. Mary's Square in St. Mary's County, Six Flags in Prince George's County and Krug's Place in Frederick, and will play its next gig in Towson on Christmas Day.

The charity show will begin at 8:30 p.m. There will be a $5 cover charge, with all of the cover and 10 percent of the bar tab going toward the toy drive.

For more information about Live N Breathe, go to www.live-n-breathe.com or facebook.com/livenbreathe.

Members Helping Members

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) introduced the Members Helping Members program recently to give customer-members in Southern Maryland an opportunity to help their neighbors who are struggling to pay their electric bills throughout the year.

Members of the cooperative who enroll in the program will be billed an additional $1 each month on their SMECO electric bill. Contributions are tax deductible. SMECO will match customer donations up to $25,000 in 2011. This program is voluntary, and customer-members can choose to cancel their participation at any time, according to a press release.

Each month, the accumulated donations will be sent to the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, which will administer the funds to those customer-members who seek aid and meet the qualifications. Only SMECO customer-members who meet the eligibility requirements will receive assistance to pay their electric utility bill.

SMECO customers who are interested in enrolling in the program can call 1-888-440-3311, go to the website at www.smeco.coop/mhm, or sign up in person at one of the customer service counters at a SMECO location. Anyone who would like to make a larger donation to Members Helping Members may send a check to Members Helping Members at P.O. Box 1937, Hughesville, MD 20637.

"The economy has had a devastating effect on many families throughout the nation and at home," Austin J. Slater Jr., SMECO president and CEO, said in the press release. "SMECO remains dedicated to offering programs that help strengthen and sustain our community. Giving $1 a month to help a neighbor who is struggling is one thing many of us can do."

SMECO customer-members who need assistance with paying their electric bill can contact the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee for information on eligibility requirements and an application for assistance.

Other programs are also available to help eligible customers avoid having their electric service turned off. These programs include the Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) and the Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP).

To determine eligibility, customer-members requesting assistance should contact their local Office of Home Energy Programs.

rperry@somdnews.com