There are no roadies to load their equipment, no tour bus — and no paycheck.

 But The Resistors — Gulf Power Company’s all-volunteer rock group — don’t mind. They play for free to help non-profit and other community groups with fundraisers and other events.

Here’s the concept: Many service organizations run on shoestring budgets and can’t afford entertainment. So a group of Gulf Power employees formed The Resistors to plug in and crank up a variety of rock favorites. And besides being really good, they are all-electric and all community-minded.

The group has been playing for more than two years, putting in many hours of practice and performing at lunchtime and weeknight events — all for the community.

“It’s not every day you get a rock band waking up a United Way breakfast,” said John Hutchinson, Gulf Power’s guitar-playing General Manager of Corporate Services. “We help some of these community groups hold fundraisers and other events at no cost. It’s good to be out in the community and show we’re more than just a utility — we’re part of the community. And we like to have fun and help out in unique ways.”

Playing for company as well as external audiences, The Resistors have rocked the United Way annual meeting at Seville Quarter, and they jammed for more than 12,000 participants at the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in the Cordova Mall parking lot last year.

“The Resistors make our events special, and they go beyond what you normally expect at a nonprofit,” said Andrea Farage, president and CEO of United Way of Escambia County. “They always try to find a way to fit us in, and when they play you can tell they actually have fun — and everyone else does too.”

The music has evolved over time. The Resistors can rock out sets with classics from the The Black Crowes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Joan Jett, and modern rock from bands like Tonic, Train and Shinedown.

The Resistors’ current members include: John Hutchinson (guitar), Ron Robertson, Market Specialist with Energy Select (vocals); Chris Edwards, Client Services Analyst-IT (bass); Mark Davidson, Real Estate Specialist-Land (drums); Jeff Pike, Engineer-System Protection (guitar and vocals); and Caroline Wilson, Market Specialist (vocals).

The band members come from different walks of Gulf Power and the players have changed over time as careers have changed. But the band members must have a common commitment to the community and to practice, practice and practice. Benefitting the community is pay enough for the long hours.

The Resistors are plotting their performance tour for 2012, with many gigs already lined up across Northwest Florida.
 

ATTACHED PHOTO: The Resistors (L-R: Mark Davidson, Chris Edwards, Ron Robertson, Caroline Wilson, Jeff Pike and John Hutchinson)