Band Together NC, a Triangle-based organization whose mission is to raise funds and awareness for select charities through events that showcase and support musical talent, has announced that multiplatinum-selling alternative rock band Third Eye Blind will top the bill for this year’s charity concert May 7 outside Lincoln Theatre in downtown Raleigh. For the first time ever, the general admission area will be available to attendees 18 years or older.

Last year’s Band Together NC concert featuring Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Old Ceremony, Anoop Desai, One EskimO and Holy Ghost Tent Revival attracted more than 2,500 music lovers and raised more than $358,000 for StepUP Ministry. Supporting acts and activities for 2011 will be announced as the event date approaches.

Music as a Voice

With nearly two decades of musical success, Third Eye Blind has sold more than 8 million albums. Best known for the singles “Semi-Charmed Life,” “How’s It Going to Be,” “Graduate,” “Jumper” and “Never Let You Go,” to date the band has released four albums, with rumors of another release later this year. Over the past 20 years, Third Eye Blind has been able to adapt to changes in the music industry and shift its focus to bring people together as a community.

According to lead singer Stephan Jenkins, Third Eye Blind hopes “to find people and groups coming together through music [in order to] find problems that they care about and ways that they can express themselves creatively through music.”

Benefitting Alliance Medical Ministry

In October 2010, Band Together NC’s Board of Directors announced the charity recipient for 2011 would be Alliance Medical Ministry, a faith-led nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable healthcare to the working uninsured in Wake County. In 2009, Alliance served more than 7,000 patients and conducted 10,179 patient visits.

“Our goal this year is to raise $500,000 for this organization making a difference in the lives of people in our community,” said Danny Rosin, president and co-founder of Band Together NC. “After nearly tripling the amount raised from 2009 to 2010, we can’t wait to see what the 2011 event with Third Eye Blind has in store. Our goal is to touch the community in a different way each year using the powerful medium of music. We are hopeful the community, in kind, will support our efforts so that we can reach our goal of helping 1,000 local patients in need.”

Through corporate and individual donations, Band Together NC has raised more than $1 million for local nonprofits since 2001. Large contributions have come from Cargill, S&A Cherokee, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Bank of America, Duke Realty Corporation, Lincoln Theatre, Synergy Commercial Advisors, RPG Solutions, Brand Fuel, Trisure, Capstrat, Prometheus, Hosted Solutions and Manning, Fulton & Skinner, PA. Sponsorships begin at the $300 level and are still available.

Tickets for the event are only $20 in advance or $25 day of the show. VIP tickets are $150 and include exclusive access to catered food and beverage, VIP seating close to the main stage, and a silent auction. Tickets will be on sale starting Friday, March 11 through Band Together’s revamped website: www.bandtogethernc.org.

For more information about Band Together NC, please visit www.bandtogethernc.org, become a fan on Facebook or follow @BandTogetherNC on Twitter. For more information about Alliance Medical Ministry, go to www.alliancemedicalministry.org/. Additional information on Third Eye Blind can be found at http://thirdeyeblind.com/.