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Higher Ground: Tim Carless Flood Recovery

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The Cause

In September 2018, as Hurricane Florence released massive amounts of rain on the Carolinas, Carrboro, NC-based musician, producer, and educator Tim Carless watched in dismay as his recording studio began to flood. Water breached the banks of a nearby creek and rushed into the ground floor of the home where Tim lives with his two young daughters,  destroying his furnace, washer and dryer, piano, and studio where he teaches, composes, and records music.

This is the sixth time Tim’s home has flooded, and he’s now engaged in a complex process that will hopefully result in the federal government buying his house. Tim and his girls will move to higher ground as soon as possible. In the meantime, they’re living through the winter hoping a fireplace will be enough to keep them warm.

Let’s add to that warmth.

The Backstory: Why I’m Raising Funds for Tim

I’m an independent musician, and Tim produced my debut album, Hollow, last year. We recorded it in his studio, which became a nest for my fledgling songs as they took form, bit by bit.


Tim told me horror stories of prior floods, particularly “the big one” in June 2013 that destroyed a massive amount of studio equipment and his entire musical archive.

But it hadn’t flooded in a long time, and Tim was finally beginning to relax. Then, just a few days before I released Hollow in September, Hurricane Florence hit, and Tim's home and recording studio flooded yet again.


I've already described how bad the damage was. Now Tim’s youngest daughter becomes anxious and upset whenever it rains. He can’t sell the house because of the prior flooding, and he can’t walk away from it because most of his financial assets are tied up in the property.

In short, he’s a self-employed musician and single father of two who’s in a dreadful pinch.

The Costs

Since the first flood in 2013, Tim has incurred $88,000 in total losses for home repairs and for repairing or replacing damaged studio equipment. (That figure does not include loss of earnings during the recovery efforts, which he estimates to be in excess of $25,000.)

Still, there’s a lot of studio gear he hasn’t been able to replace, and he’s been trying to get by with a patchwork of borrowed equipment for years now. He does have flood insurance, but the deductible is $3,000, and his reimbursements for damaged items were drastically reduced because of depreciation. For instance, he paid $2,000 for his studio piano, but after the hurricane destroyed it, the insurance company payout for it was only $80.

I’d like to raise $5,000 to help him offset these losses.

Donations Will Go Toward

All donations will go toward Tim’s studio and business expenses. After years of bearing flood-related recovery costs, Tim says, with a nod to Bruce Springsteen, that he has “debts no honest man can pay.”

How You Can Help

1. Donate now to help my friend and musical mate, Tim. Any amount is greatly appreciated!

2. Help me get the word out by sharing this GoFundMe link with your friends on social media. Many hands and hearts make light work.

3. Enjoy a night of local independent music at the Cat’s Cradle Back Room on Friday, 1/25/19, in Carrboro, NC. I will open; Anne-Claire will headline. There's no cover, and donations are encouraged! (Huge thanks to Frank Heath, owner of the Cat’s Cradle, for his generosity.)

So Many Thanks

I keep a  book where I write down something I'm thankful for every day. On New Year's Day 2019, I wrote this:

I am grateful for Tim because he’s brought so much gorgeous music and art into my life, plus an entirely new way of looking at the world as a creative person. He inspires me to live more broadly and creatively and to dream bigger.

Please consider making a donation, sharing this GoFundMe, or coming to the benefit show. Thank you for opening your heart to a friend in need.

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Donations 

  • Evan Darden
    • $40 
    • 5 yrs
  • Jan 25 Cat's Cradle Show Donations
    • $992 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Angela Winter
Organizer
Carrboro, NC
Tim Carless
Beneficiary

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