The fundraiser, organized by Binki Shapiro of Little Joy, will benefit the relief efforts in Haiti via Artists for Peace and Justice.
Artists who have donated one-of-a-kind items include Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear, Fran Healy from Travis, Kate & Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, Liv Tyler, Shirley Manson, Tegan and Sara, among many many others.
If you follow me on Facebook / Twitter, you probably noticed how I totally freaked out last night when absentmindedly watching SNL with host Jude Law.
(This was after my earlier freak out in the evening when I saw actor (and celebrity blogger) Michael Kenneth Williams — aka “Omar Little” from The Wire — playing a would-be terrorist on Law & Order.)
The reason was Julian Casablancas induced — as soon as I heard the begining beats of “Boombox,” the song which Julian guested on for the Lonely Island album, Incredibad, I knew what was coming — hilarity and awesomeness.
Not only were all the scenes described in the song acted out, but Julian is sporting this hideously weird side rat tail hair with the multicolors — but staying on trend and totally making it work. I’m convinced, Julian Casablancas owns neo-80s style. But probably my favorite moment is at the end when Julian smashes a flower pot and declares that “a boombox is not a toy.” [UPDATE: Reader Melissa pointed out that there is actually a "Boombox" shirt being sold on the Lonely Island site. Rock it!]
So true.
Check out the video and you will not be disappointed:
Expect to find items inspired by North Carolina’s native son such the Rescue Blues (rosemary garlic fries), the Easy, Tiger (soup of the day), the Heartbreaker (classic Caesar salad), New York, New York (tomato sauce, Giacomo’s sopressata, arugula, fresh mozzarella, pine nuts, fresh basil, parmesan).
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of checking out the legendary “Queen of Rock,” Miss Wanda Jackson, as she hit Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory.
Although the evening was supposed to start rather early (with Wanda hitting the stage around 9pm), Snowmageddon caused a delay in her flight, and the 72-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was coming directly from the airport to the gig. Openers Luster Kings vamped their set with jokes comparing Wanda to Santa Claus (or Waldo), asking the audience “Where’s Wanda?” and giving updates on her current status (“She’s landed! She’s on the ground.”)
I was thinking about how much travel takes out of you and wondering if Miss Wanda would be tired, but as soon as she sauntered onto the stage, there was no doubt — this lil’ lady still had it, and was raring to go!
Dressed in sensible black wedge shoes, black pants, and a sparkly red blouse with a diamante musical note pin, Wanda was ready to rock — thanking the crowd for their enthusiastic welcome. She played the hits — “I Gotta Know,” “Mean, Mean Man,” a cover version of “Hard-Headed Woman” and a rendition of her Japanese number one rock and roll single, “Fujiyama Mama” — putting her famous growl into the sassy pro-female lyrics of the songs.
Binki Shapiro of Little Joy has gotten a TON of top-notch musicians, artists, and celebrities to contribute custom made artwork and items for her Crafts for a Cause auction. All proceeds will be donated to Artists for Peace and Justice, a charitable organization started by filmmaker Paul Haggis.
The online auction will begin on March 15th, but for now you can check on Binki’s Tumblr blog for the event which features teaser shots of some of the goods that will be for sale. Contributers are a who’s who of popular indie rock and mainstream musicians (Daft Punk, The Strokes, Norah Jones, No Doubt, Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Mark Ronson, Adam Green, SIA, Grizzly Bear, Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, just to name a few!!!) and film celebs (Spike Jonze, Natalie Portman).
Photo of Fab Moretti and Nick Valensi with the signed bag from The Strokes from the Crafts for a Cause site
You’ll find hand-drawn artwork, signed canvas bags, designed t-shirts, embellished guitars, and much more.
Sounds like an amazing collection of artists helping out for a great cause. Don’t forget — March 15th the auction starts online!
Here’s a video of SIA creating the wallet she donated:
Another glimmer of hope about the fourth Strokes album has surfaced courtesy of an interview with Fabrizio Moretti on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show. According to Moretti, the band may be ready to release their long-awaited follow-up album to 2006’s First Impressions of Earth as early as September 2010.
The band reported from their site a the start of this month that they are currently in the studio with Grammy-winning producer Joe Chiccarelli and engineer Gus Oberg in NYC.
The fabulous five-some are scheduled to make a live comeback with a headlining spots at this year’s Isle Of Wight and Rockness festivals in June.
Jack White has certainly had some well-publicized beefs in the past, but this major beef that started with a smack-down on the Air Force Reserve and beat its way down to a lone Salt Lake City-based 56-year-old ad and film musician named Kem Kraft.
It all started when The White Stripes took great offense to a recent Air Force Reserve advertisement that aired during the Super Bowl containing a song that sounded eerily similar to “Fell In Love with a Girl.” This prompted the band to post this statement on the Third Man Records website:
We believe our song was re-recorded and used without permission of the White Stripes, our publishers, label or management.
The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support.
The White Stripes support this nation’s military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don’t want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops.
We have not licensed this song to the Air Force Reserve and plan to take strong action to stop the ad containing this music.
