5th Annual Veterans Benefit Concert

Larry Goren, guitarist and vocalist with Midnite Run, is hosting the annual Veterans Benefit Concert presented by Music Healing Heroes on Saturday, September 7, 2019, at the Timonium Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall. Joining Midnite Run on the 2019 bill next month are Crack The Sky, Going For The One, and the Dave DeMarco Band. Bassist Dave DeMarco was kind enough to participate in an exclusive interview.

Questions & Answers with Dave DeMarco

Crack The Sky will be anchoring the 5th Annual Veterans Benefit Concert along with your solo group the Dave DeMarco Band. Are you aware of the impact your participation has had aiding military veterans in need or on services provided by this fundraising project?

Dave DeMarco: Yes, we’re very aware of the positive impact and that’s what fuels us to keep doing these shows and refining our mission.

Have you had an opportunity to interact with any of the military veterans who benefit from the services funded by this organization?

DD: Last year I visited The Baltimore Station, which provides rehabilitation and job training to veterans and I did get to meet a few of those enrolled. They all have a story and just need someone to hear them.

Have you received any feedback from Maryland veterans thanking you or commenting on your participation in aid of wounded veterans?

DD: Yes, some come to our shows while others send us messages letting us know how meaningful our concerts are to them. Often, it’s the spouses who are the most vocal. They share a lot more insight than the veterans themselves ever would.

It’s Getting Better all the Time

Crack The Sky’s latest album Living In Reverse is another strong release. The band have been touring nationally outside their comfort zone. Is the band generating new fans? What responses have you been getting on the new album?

DD: Right out of the gate, the response to Living In Reverse was overwhelming. We sold more records in the first two weeks than we had with any previous record going back 20+ years. We’re attracting new fans for sure, but mostly this year’s outreach has been about reconnecting with fans who haven’t seen the band in decades.

During the last 20 years that we’ve been out of the national circuit, we’ve been spoiled that so many of our fans have traveled across the country to see us on the east coast. So it’s been a real treat to bring the party to their home turf. The Canadian fans in particular have been so fired up! I felt like a missionary sharing the good news!

Rumors indicate that Crack The Sky has plans to record another new album. Can you give any insight into the new material?

DD: We’re smack dab in the middle right now! At the risk of sounding cliché, this is some of John Palumbo’s best material to date. There are elements which sound like a natural progression from our last record and there are others which, in CTS tradition, boldly go where we have not gone before. We sound like a band of 20-somethings which has been playing for forty years.

What is your favorite part about being the bassist in Crack The Sky?

DD: I was a fan first and that will never change. Getting to contribute to the band’s longevity is an honor and a privilege. That I was given the opportunity to jump into this band’s forward path and witness this very exciting time in its history is something I would have never dreamed possible in 7th grade art class, being wowed by “Surf City” on the radio. My favorite part? Being here.

Enjoy an Evening of Classic Rock & Roll

Proceeds raised from concert tickets sales empower this ongoing musical charity to conduct important services that offer assistance to disabled Maryland veterans by bolstering extended aid once government care no longer meets the needs of struggling veterans and their families. For further information, please log onto MidniteRunLive.com

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Timothy Tilghman

Timothy Tilghman is a Columnist for NRN. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Tilghman earned a Master of Arts degree in verbal and visual communications in December 2002. He has hosted a weekly radio program since June 2010. He has been a contributing Reporter to the Northern News since July 2013, which publishes weekly in Carroll County. Tilghman has written for two collegiate campus newspapers and published several independent newsletters.

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