Main Menu
Classic Rock News And Views
Browse: Classic Rock Gear Classic Rock Ringtones Classic Rock Posters
September 18, 2009
Rush Auctions Memorabilia on eBay For Charity
Could there be any doubt which member of Rush is behind the the selection of the beneficiary for a charity eBay auction that will offer up various Rush memorabilia? “Grapes For Humanity” is the charity organization in question, and in light of the fact that the group’s bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee is well-known a wine aficionado, and even has is own spacious wine cellar in his home.
Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart may also be among those that enjoy wine, and evidently are fully behind this event, however, as someone whose wine cellar was once featured in a Toronto magazine called City Bites, one has to suspect Lee as the man behind this particular choice.
“Grapes for Humanity” is described as an “organization that helps to raise funds to benefit humanitarian causes around the world with the assistance of the international wine community.”
Now as someone who cannot drink the stuff (it gives me terrible headaches), I’m not on board with the whole wine thing, but I’m sure that “Grapes For Humanity” is a very worthy cause if the guys from Rush support it. I’ve heard stories from people that have actually worked with Rush that describe them as some of the nicest guys in the business.
For those interested in what little bits of Rush history might be up for grabs on eBay, here’s a sampling:
- A Geddy Lee Signature Fender Jazz bass AND a rare Garrison G-50E Custom Acoustic guitar used by Alex on the Snakes & Arrows tour. They have both been signed by Geddy and Alex as well as by members of Depeche Mode, TOOL,The Fray, Pearl Jam, Judas Priest and many more in Support of Grapes for Humanity.
- A Gibson Les Paul Axcess "Custom Shop" guitar which was used by Alex Lifeson in a recent secret session. The guitar will be autographed and will be accompanied by a signed photo of Alex with the Guitar.
- A Sabian Paragon Diamondback Chinese 20" Cymbal, from Neil Peart’s personal kit, with Neil’s signature.
If you’d like to toss your hat in the ring, you can visit eBay and enter your bid.
“Grapes For Humanity” cites their main focus as “To provide a better quality of life for victims and survivors of disasters. We help these individuals become self-sufficient citizens to go on to lead fulfilling and productive lives. Funds are raised through various international wine events, wine auctions, corporate and private home wine tastings. Through our partners we direct the proceeds of these events to those in immediate need. Grapes for Humanity is an organization that is run on the strength of its volunteers. We pride ourselves on the fact that all monies raised go directly to our chosen partner.”
In this particular case, the chosen partner is HALO (Hazardous Area Life-Support Organization) for their on-going work with victims of landmines in the African nation of Angola. In addition to the money that will be raised through the auction, that sum will be matched by the Julia Burke Foundation in California.
More information is available at Rock Star Weekly.
March 3, 2009
Rockers Donate For Auction To Benefit Los Angeles County Deputy
L.A. County Deputy Robert Corrales has probably faced his share of dangerous and potentially deadly situations on the streets of the Los Angeles area, but this time the veteran deputy is facing the fight of his life.
Diagnosed with myeloid leukemia, Deputy Corrales needs is awaiting a suitable donor for a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment against the disease. Although he has medical insurance, it does not provide coverage for some 
expenses that involved an emergency trip home for medical treatment while on a cruise. Those expenses amounted to about $30,000.
Two of Corrales’ colleagues stepped up and organized an effort to help his family raise the funds that are needed to cover the extra expenses. Deputies John Maio and Deputy Mike Ascolese got in touch with some friends in the music industry who were able to enlist the aid of some well-known artists who agreed to donate various items for an auction to help the Corrales family.
Included among the musicians who lent a helping hand are drummer Neil Peart of Rush, who donated an autographed drum head, despite his usual reluctance to affix his signature to anything.
Fellow drummer Alex Van Halen signed snare drum from his personal kit as well as a drum head that was signed by himself, brother Eddie and Eddie’s son Wolfgang.
Paul Stanley of KISS donated a autographed Silvertone guitar and the members of Velvet Revolver signed a Epiphone guitar that had been donated to the cause by Guitar Center’s Dave Weiderman. Velvet Revolver’s Matt Sorum also donated a pair of autographed drumsticks as well as drum head that he signed on which he also drew a caricature of himself.
The items were auctioned on eBay with bidding ending yesterday, and it appears that about $4600 was raised, which should provide some much-needed help for Deputy Corrales and his family.
January 7, 2009
Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Wolfgang’ Guitar To Debut This Month
Back in November we first heard about the new custom guitar that Eddie Van Halen has been working on. Van Halen shared some details with Guitar World magazine at the time, and he sure made the new EVH Wolfgang sound like a work of art.
The good news for those who find themselves lusting after their own copy of this creation is that we are about a week away from its official debut. The new axe will be unveiled at the National Association of Music Merchants trade show which will convene in Anaheim, California between January 15th and 18th.
The Wolfgang is said to be the product of two years of work by Van Halen and Fender, and is expected to sell for around $3,000. That may be out of reach for a lot of EVH fans but I suppose the upside is that it is a lot less than the “Frankenstein” replica’s $25,000 asking price.
Van Halen, well-known for his guitar-building abilities in addition to his legendary talent for playing, is said to have been deeply involved in every step of the Wolfgang’s creation and left no detail to chance. Fender guitar designer and builder Chip Ellis reported that working with Van Halen on the new instrument was both “a dream and a nightmare.”
With an ear that tells him the difference in sound between a 5-foot guitar cord and a 10-foot guitar cord as well as what kind of wood a guitar is made of, to say that working with Eddie Van Halen on a project like this is daunting would be an understatement.
Although it may seem like an inopportune time to be introducing a new guitar due to the current economic turmoil, the good news for guitar manufacturers is that they actually do very well during times like these. In fact, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz reports that the company experienced its best quarter ever at the close of 2008.
“The guitar market has been counter-cyclical for 100 years — we even did well during the Great Depression," Juszkiewicz says. "In times of distress, a guitar can be a relatively inexpensive way to create entertainment at home. Of course, there’s also that rock-star image that comes with the guitar. And people want to play what the rock star plays.”
Although many guitar enthusiasts may have to save up for a while to get one of those $3,000 Wolfgang’s in their collection, there is another way to get your hands on one if you are in a significantly higher tax bracket and have a penchant for classic cars.
An EVH Wolfgang guitar will be awarded to the highest bidders when Van Halen auctions off two classic cars from his personal collection. A 1956 Chevrolet 210 and a 1956 Chevrolet Nomad will be on the auction block at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, which begins on January 11th. Van Halen says he no longer has the time to drive them.
Oh yes, in addition to the complimentary Wolfgang guitars, the two winning bidders will also receive a pair of black EVH striped sneakers. I’m not sure what kind of value they place on those, but they certainly must be a lot less expensive than cars or the EVH Wolfgang guitar.
For more, check out USA Today.
November 11, 2008
Classic Rock Briefs For November 11, 2008
Pretenders Planning Tour Next Year
To support their latest album, Break Up The Concrete, The Pretenders are planning to tour during 2009 and according to Chrissie Hynde, they hope to be on the road for most of the year.
Currently, there are no plans for another act to join them on the tour. They did tour with ZZ Top and Stray Cats last year, but Hynde hopes to headline the tour since Hynde is a vegan and would rather avoid dealing with another group that they would have to share catering with, and may want to include meat on the menu. Full Story.
John Deacon Stays Out of Queen Lineup
According to the current group of fellows that comprise Queen and Paul Rodgers, their former band mate John Deacon has so far declined to take part in any of the group’s recent activities. The former Queen bass player is always welcome to re-join the group if he wishes, but he has refused.
For the group’s latest album, The Cosmos Rocks, bass duties were shared among Rodgers, May and former Blue Oyster Cult bassist Danny Miranda.
There is no mention of Deacon’s reason for refusing to be part of the group. Perhaps he just feels like some fans do that Queen is no longer Queen without frontman Freddie Mercury. Full Story.
Zeppelin-signed Ron Wood Painting Readied For Auction
A rare painting of late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun by Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones will be going up for auction by Christie’s in New York City on November 24th.
The portrait has been signed by Wood as well as the three surviving original members of Led Zeppelin. Jason Bonham, son of original drummer John Bonham, also signed the limited edition print. The print was created to commemorate Led Zeppelin’s reunion show at the O2 last winter in tribute to Ertegun.
Although 100 prints were produced for the original issue, and were being sold at the O2 event for $10,000 each, only eight of them include the Led Zeppelin signatures and are only now being made available. Full Story.
November 6, 2008
Bruce Springsteen Readies New Album
Fans of “The Boss” can expect a new album release in January, right around the time President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office. Whether or not that is a coincidence is not known, but it is well known that Springsteen was one of Obama’s most loyal celebrity supporters, and performed at numerous events in support of the Democratic candidate.
The newly debuted song “Workin’ on a Dream” is likely to be included among the tracks on the new album. Springsteen played it publicly for the first time at an Obama rally in Cleveland, Ohio recently.
It has been reported that a wealth of material was left over after Springsteen’s most recent album, Magic, was completed, and there is speculation that some of that material may be included on the new album.
Springsteen also made a showing at the “Stand Up For Heroes” charity event last night, where he contributed to the cause by auctioning off a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and accompanying leather jacket for a reported $75,000. He also auctioned off the guitar he had played three songs on during the event to entertain the attendees. The guitar is said to have fetched $50,000.
This was the second “Stand Up For Heroes” event, something that was organized by ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff and his wife Lee to raise money for injured soldiers returning from duty in Iraq. Woodruff himself was seriously injured in 2006 while covering the war in Iraq.
