Music Rising Awarded Heroes of the Storm on 3rd Anniversary

We wanted to let all of you know that last night in Denver as part of the Democratic National Convention festivities, Music Rising was awarded a Heroes of the Storm Award from the Friends of New Orleans who produced a concert event to raise awareness for the help and aid still needed in the Gulf Region. Music Rising was awarded for its continuous efforts to support the Gulf Coast Region and we are happy to report that over 2,700 musicians have been given new instruments to regain their livelihood and Music Rising has also aided over 50,000 students and parishioners to date. Soon we will announce Phase III so stay tuned to the blog. The Music Rising Heroes of the Storm award was accepted on our behalf by legendary musician Allan Touissant, The Meter's Leo Nocentelli and Walter Wolfman Washington. It was an exceptional evening of New Orleans entertainment and a moving moment. For more information on Music Rising go to www.musicrising.org or www.gibsonfoundation.org. Thanks to all of you for your continued support of our effort and lets not forget on this third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that there are many still in need. Thank you. 

Star Studded Red Carpet at Music Rising Auction News

**NEWS & PHOTO TIP SHEET FOR SATURDAY MAY 31, 2008**


U2’s The Edge Hosts Icons of Music II Auction to Benefit Music Rising
At Hard Rock Cafe New York

Event to Include Star-Studded Red Carpet

WHO: U2’s the Edge to host with special performance by Aaron Neville and appearances by Les Paul, Tiki Barber, Christy Turlington, Petra Nemcova, Joan Jett, “Cry-Baby” Broadway star James Snyder, Earl Slick, Jody Porter of Fountains of Wayne, writer May Pang, Donna Karan, legendary producer and Music Rising co-founder Bob Ezrin and many more. Jim Kerr will emcee the auction. Lisa Loeb will be hosting the Auction Network show live from the red carpet.

WHAT: U2’s the Edge, will host the star-studded Icons of Music II Auction at Hard Rock Cafe New York to benefit Music Rising, a campaign founded in 2005 to support musicians, students and parishioners of the Gulf Coast Region affected by the hurricanes. Music Rising has since aided over 2,700 professional musicians and nearly 50,000 students and parishioners and will soon launch Phase III of the campaign. The event will be conducted by world renowned Julien’s Auctions (www.juliensauctions.com). The exclusive event will include a performance by legendary musician Aaron Neville and a star-studded red carpet. Auction Network, the first 24/7, multimedia network solely dedicated to auctions, will conduct a live webcast in real-time streaming video of The Icons of Music Auction II hosted by Lisa Loeb.

For more information about how to register to bid, etc. please visit www.juliensauctions.com or call (310) 816-1818. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

WHERE: Hard Rock Café New York
1501 Broadway
New York, NY 10036

WHEN: 5:30 PM Media Check-In
6:00 PM Red Carpet
6:30 PM Performance
7:00 PM Auction

MEDIA RSVP: Caroline Galloway Maureen O’Connor
Music Rising/Gibson Guitar Rogers & Cowan
440-338-3469/615-423-4904 310-854-8116
Caroline.galloway@gibson.com moconnor@rogersandcowan.com

About Music Rising
Music Rising, a campaign launched in 2005 to replace musical instruments lost or destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Region. It has since launched a second phase dedicated to the aid of schools and churches. Music Rising was formed by U2’s the Edge, legendary producer Bob Ezrin, Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. Partners of the campaign represent the most diverse partnership in the entertainment industry and include MusiCares, Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, Live Nation, Kennedy/Marshall, Ticketmaster, Hard Rock International, VH-1, MTV, Real Networks, ABC News Now, The NFL, Rolling Stone, Mr. Hollands Opus, Juliens Auctions, ACT and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. Music Rising is the recipient of the prestigious 2005 HALO Award for Cause Marketing and the 2006 Billboard Humanitarian Award, the 2008 PRISM Award and has been recognized around the world by various media organizations. Music Rising is administered by the Gibson Foundation. For more information go to www.musicrising.org and www.gibsonfoundation.org

Tickets on Sale for Music Rising Icons of Music II

As noted before, the Icons of Music II to benefit Music Rising will take place on May 31, 2008 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square in NYC. A limited number of tickets are on sale with 100% proceeds going to the charity. The tickets, $250 each, are available at Ticketmaster or at Hardrock.com. Tickets include food and beverage, commemorative catalog and entry into the private affair where celebrities will mingle amongst the world's greatest rock memorabilia. Tickets are available now and can be charged via the sites above. For more information check back at MusicRising.org or Hardrock.com.  Thanks for your support of Music Rising, rebuilding the Gulf Coast Region note by note. 

Icons of Music Sale 2 Announced

Music Rising has announced that the 2nd Icons of Music Sale to be held at Hard Rock NYC Times Square will be held on Saturday May 31,2008. Juliens Auctions will host a day full of rock n roll memorabilia in a star studded auction event that will benefit Music Rising. Tickets to the event will go on sale next week via Ticketmaster or HardRock.com. The day will begin at 10am and last well into the evening. Juliens will be offering three sessions and special entertainment in the evening. For more information check back here regularly or check out www.juliensauctions.com . We will continue to update you on all the great things around this event. And as always we thank you for your continued support.

The Music Rising Team

Music Rising Shines at the Grammys 2008

Gibson, U2, artists come together to support charity at the Grammys
by Jim Dalrymple
Feb 10, 2008 3:17 pm

Behind the glitz and glitter of the 50th annual Grammy Awards, there is something special going on to help victims of the 2005 hurricanes in the Central Gulf region. Founded by U2’s the Edge, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and legendary producer Bob Ezrin, Music Rising is an organization dedicated to replacing musical instruments lost in the devastating storms.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the unique musical heritage that is New Orleans,” said U2’s the Edge. “So much has come from that part of America. From the birth of jazz, the roots of R&B and Rock ‘n’ Roll, to the traditional celebrations in the streets, New Orleans has provided all of us with so many traditions.”

When the artists are finished with their Grammy rehearsals they go to a special area where they can relax and talk to some of the companies attending the event. This is where Gibson set up its area with several Music Rising Les Paul guitars available to be signed.

After explaining to each artist what the guitars and Music Rising project were all about, each gladly sat down and the signed the guitars. The guitars will be up for auction on May 31, 2008 in the second Icons of Music Sale in NYC, where some of the worlds great rock memorabilia will be up for grabs. All proceeds will go to Music Rising — last year the group raised $2.4 million.
Artists that signed the Music Rising guitars include Ringo Starr, Foo Fighters, John Paul Jones, Plain White T’s, Blair Underwood and Brad Paisley, to name just a few.

“When we created Music Rising in 2005 we had a mission which was to preserve the musical culture of the Central Gulf Region by replacing the instruments that were lost or destroyed in the storms,” said producer and co-founder Bob Ezrin. “We will continue to do that until the region is rebuilt and the music is restored no matter how long it takes.”
In phase one of the project Music Rising has helped 2,700 musicians gain back their livelihood by making sure they had new instruments. Phase two of Music Rising focused on replacing musical instruments for schools and churches — so far 40,000 parishioners and students have been aided from the project, but the work continues.

“We continue to support Music Rising as a cofounding partner and will do so in every effort to help restore the rich musical heritage which originates from New Orleans,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “With the support of the Gibson Foundation we plan on staying the course until the region is rebuilt ‘Note by Note.’”

Music Rising Stays the Course in 2008 Giving Hope for the New Year

Music Rising, a campaign founded in 2005 after the devastation from Hurrican Katrina continues to support the schools and churches of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region through its outreach efforts to replace musical instruments. Over 40,000 students and parishioners have been the recipients of Music Rising's aid through the Gibson Foundation's assistance. In its first phase, Music Rising assisted over 2,500 musicians. Photos attached are fof students at Andrew Jackson Elementary in New Orleans, one of the many schools helped by Music Rising, whic his administered by the Gibson Foundation.

About Music Rising:
The Music Rising campaign was launched in 2005 to replace musical instruments lost or destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Region. The initiative continues to aid those in need through its consistent efforts to aid professional musicians, churches and schools. Music Rising was formed in late 2005 by U2’s The Edge, legendary producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. Partners of the campaign represent the most diverse partnership in the entertainment industry and include MusiCares, Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, Live Nation, Kennedy/Marshall, Ticketmaster, Hard Rock International, VH-1, MTV, Real Networks, ABC News Now, The NFL, Juliens Auctions, Toyota, Rolling Stone, Mr. Hollands Opus Foundation, ACT and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. Former President Bill Clinton has even participated in press coverage for the campaign when he presented a Music Rising Gibson Les Paul guitar to a recipient in Baton Rouge, LA in 2006. Music Rising is the recipient of the prestigious 2005 HALO Award for Cause Marketing , the 2006 Billboard Humanitarian Award and the 2007 PRISM Awad. It has been recognized around the world by various media organizations. Music Rising is administered by the Gibson Foundation. For more information go to www.musicrising.org and www.gibsonfoundation.org

Happy Holidays from Music Rising

Happy Holidays to everyone who have continued to support Music Rising in its efforts to bring aid to musicians, schools, churches and celebratory groups in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region since Hurricane Katrina struck. We are so grateful to call of you friends and promise to continue our efforts until everyone is taken care of in those areas most affected. Look forward to our involvement with the All-Star game in New Orleans in February and our next Icons of Music Sale in New York on May 31, 2008. To all of you we wish you the best of the holiday season and many blessings in 2008.

All the best,
The Music Rising team