Guinness has stepped up this year as the first large company to approach the Leary Firefighter's Foundation to show their support. Guinness has pledged $100,000 to the LFF and you can help them reach their goal by texting "Guinness" to 878787. With each text Guinness will give $1 as part of the Guinness Gives Back program. You can get more info here.
Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to Noreen Lucey, cousin of LFF founder and Boston Comic Denis Leary. Noreen's involvement in the LFF is very personal due to the loss of her Brother Jerry Lucey in the 1999 Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire. You can hear our conversation here:
WAAF will also be helping Guinness raise money for the LFF by "Painting The Town Black" with Guinness nights at local bars where we will be taking donations while enjoying many Pints Of The Black Stuff. Here's a list of dates for the upcoming Guinness nights:
3/7 – Banner Bar in Worcester 9p-11p
3/8 – Green Briar in Boston 10p-midnight
3/15 – BBC in Framingham 9p-11p
3/17 – The Burren in Somerville 10a-2p
Please try to join us for these events and show your support for the Leary Firefighter's Foundation.
The picture below depicts about how much Guinness I will consume in the month of March alone. Join me!
See this at the Kappy's at Wellington Circle, Medford.
Zakk Wylde and members of Sevendust and Candlebox have recorded a song called "The Pride," to benefit the The Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund, a Staten Island-based, non-profit organization which helps with Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts.
The recording features Zakk Wylde, Morgan Rose (Sevendust, Call Me No One), Kevin Martin (Candlebox, The Gracious Few), John "JD" Deservio (Black Label Society, Cycle of Pain) and The Infinite Staircase.
The song was recorded at Architeckt Music in New Jersey and both the studio and the recording engineer, Mike Ferretti, graciously donated their services to the project.
Since Zakk is a New Jersey native I'm sure he feels strongly about the project and the recovery efforts. The song will be available on iTunes later this month.
The Gaslight Anthem have released a video for "National Anthem" which comes from their excellent album Handwritten. The video is a montage of images from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sand in their home state of New Jersey. They are also selling two specially designed t-shirts via PunkCares.org to benefit organizations helping to aid in the recovery. The band's upcoming concert at Terminal 5 in New York City will air on AXS TV and the channel will make a donation to the recovery effort that matches the amount of money raised by sales of the t-shirts, according to Rolling Stone.
Guns N' Roses were kind enough to help out The Bridge School this past Saturday by playing an acoustic set at the yearly benefit show put on by Neil Young. Below are three of the the seven they performed. There has been a lot of criticism about Axl's voice for this show. He definitely lacks the visceral bite and hateful attitude that made his voice so distinctive back in the day, but the guy is 50 and no longer sleeping on the floor of a practice space, so those days are gone. "You're Crazy" still seems to have some of that old piss and vinegar. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
Three days of bad weather during this past Summer's Bolton Fair has put organizers in debt and next year's fair in jeopardy. Bolton Fair President Rose Darden said in a press statement, "We may be forced to sell the fairgrounds which will mean an end to a 130 year old tradition. We really need the communities’ help." You can check out the story here. Tomorrow, you'll be able to keep a Massachusetts tradition alive and support The Bolton Fair by going to the Rock And Blues BBQ Festival at The Lancaster Fairgrounds with live music from some of the areas finest bands and delicious BBQ from Firefly's. It's rain or shine, BYOB, you can bring blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers to make yourself comfortable. You can get more info, band schedule, and purchase tickets or donate here.
The Bolton Fair started out in 1874 and has evolved into a showcase for local agriculture community. If this tradition stops, part of that area's identity will disappear and The Fairgrounds will have to be sold. Please try to stop by the festival or donate here.
