A CALL TO ACTION - FRIENDS OF THE GEORGIA THEATRE

The initial stages of gathering auction items to raise $250,000 towards the rebuilding of the GA Theatre are going very well. With a few very generous donations from private collectors, as well as the UGA football team, we look to have about $50,000 of items already pledged. Finding the next $200,000 will prove more challenging, and we need your help. Most everyone reading this is either a musician, or a music fanatic with lots of connections. If all of you could help me gather at least three items, and all the music fans reading this can consider donating a single item from their personal collection, then our auction will be a smashing success. I figure we need 500 items (100 at $50, 100 at $100, 100 at $250, 100 at $500 and 100 at $1000), along with one more big ticket item (think of a guitar signed by the original members of The Who, a guitar played and signed by Bob Weir, original reels from the Widespread Panic first recording sessions, an original Jerry Garcia painting, etc.).

To the musicians out there, we can use things like used drums heads signed by your band, signed tour posters or flyers, broken guitar strings (some cool art items to be made from those), signed CDs, VIP passes to your shows – anything that you can spare will be put to good use, and most appreciated.

We are also looking for artists willing to participate in a series of private benefit shows. The idea here will be to two musicians with common interests that do not normally perform together, creating a once in a lifetime performance. Plans are to host these shows in a private location, completely catered with drinks included, and to sell just twenty tickets per show, at $250 a ticket. This will keep these events small and intimate, and ensure that everyone involved is given a total 5-star treatment.

Publicists please ask bands you work with to donate, venue owners and employees, can help too by starting to gather these kinds of items from bands that play at your venue. Just getting signed tour flyers from all the bands that you book can go a long way towards helping the cause, and supporting your fallen brethren. Just contact me to let me know what you can offer, and I will make arrangements to have all items picked up at you convenience.

Please pass this along to everyone you know, post on your wall in Facebook and MySpace, anything whatsoever that you can do to help get the word out. Anyone with ideas or items to donate can email FriendNamedFred@gmail.com.

We anticipate launching the first round of auctions on September 1, so we need your help gathering everything possible in the next 45 days. Thanks in advance for your help!

If you would like to go ahead and donate cash now (it’s needed to get construction underway), please visit Help Rebuild The Georgia Theatre and hit DONATE. Check back for updates soon on additional ways you can help the cause. Here’s to drinking from fresh tap by this time next summer!