Icons of Music Auction II to Benefit Music Rising on Saturday May 31, 2008 to be Held at Hard Rock Cafe New York

Icons of Music Auction II to Benefit Music Rising on Saturday May 31, 2008 to be Held at Hard Rock Cafe New York

Unprecedented Collection of Music Memorabilia to be Offered in a Live and Televised Auction Event

Hosted by U2's the Edge With Special Performance by Aaron Neville

NEW YORK, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- U2's the Edge announced the Icons of Music Sale II to benefit Music Rising to be held on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at Hard Rock Cafe New York in Times Square. This second annual auction event, hosted by Julien's Auctions (http://www.juliensauctions.com/), will offer one of the most significant collections of music memorabilia from many of music's greatest legends with proceeds benefiting Music Rising (http://www.musicrising.org/), a campaign co-founded by U2's the Edge, legendary producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz in 2005 to aid musicians of the Gulf Coast Region in regaining their livelihood after the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Four-time Grammy Award winner Aaron Neville, who has joined the Music Rising campaign and helped bring major attention to some of the charity work being done in New Orleans today, will appear at the Icons of Music Sale II and perform at the evening session. Neville, who with his family, lost everything in the storms of Katrina brings a unique personal experience to Music Rising and will give guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness his great musicianship when he brings the spirit of New Orleans to the auction.

The ongoing efforts of Music Rising have, thus far, aided over 2,700 professional musicians and nearly 50,000 students and parishioners. The charity has been the recipient of numerous awards since its inception including the HALO 2005 Award for Cause Marketing, the 2006 Billboard Humanitarian Award and the 2007 PRSA PRISM Award. After the campaign received a Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund grant, former President Bill Clinton personally presented a Music Rising Gibson Les Paul guitar to a recipient in Baton Rouge as a symbol of Music Rising's dedication to the region.

"No one could ever come close to repaying the debt to those who have established this form of music that we all take totally for granted, this hybrid of European melody and African-American rhythm that's given us jazz and R&B and rock 'n' roll," said the Edge. "There's something powerful about musicians giving instruments they own to an auction to aid musicians who are going through a particularly difficult time."

"When the hurricanes first hit we knew we had to do something to help preserve the musical heritage of the Gulf Coast Region," said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "We've been honored to work alongside some of the world's greatest musical talents in our efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast Region and to understand the needs of the people who were devastated by the hurricanes. This auction serves as a reminder of much work that still needs to be done in bringing back one of the world's greatest regions."

Bob Ezrin, legendary producer and one of the co-founders of the organization added, "It is amazing to us that even after all this time there is still so much need for support in the Central Gulf -- and so many schools, churches and community organizations are just now coming on line again. Music Rising will be here to provide the instruments and support they need until that need no longer exists, however long it takes."

Amongst the donations from the Edge is his early stage played 1976 Gibson Explorer Guitar. Edge used this guitar in many stage performances since Joshua Tree as well as U2's Music Video for "Beautiful Day" (est. $80,000 and up), his silver adjustable U2 block rings featured on the cover of Atchung Baby (est. $2,000/4,000), a blue Gibson Les Paul electric guitar used by Edge in many studio recordings (est. $20,000/40,000) and his personally worn custom designed Converse shoes (est. $800/1,200) along with an assortment of property donated by his fellow band members to Music Rising.

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. Auction Network will provide music fans around the world a front row seat to watch the action and excitement of the live auction and the ability to bid in real-time on items via the Internet. Pre-show video highlights include the emotional and historic stories behind such items from such legendary icons as the U2, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley and many more legendary artists.

Included in the unprecedented collection of auction offerings will also be a Kurt Cobain played early bass guitar with home photos of him playing guitar (est. $40,000/60,000), a Jim Morrison handwritten poem (est. $4,000/6,000), a Miles Davis stage played trumpet (est. $10,000/20,000), a Jimi Hendrix signed receipt (est. $2,000/3,000), Slash's first stage played Gibson Les Paul Guitar with Velvet Revolver at The Roxy on May 9th, 2004 (est. $20,000/30,000), a Bob Dylan handwritten set list (est. $2,000/4,000), Beatles four D.A. Millings suits from Madame Tussaud's ($60,000/80,000), a Patti Smith hand drawn self portrait (est. $1,000/2,000), a Johnny Cash owned and played guitar (est. $10,000/20,000), an MTV Award presented to Nirvana for "Smells Like Team Spirit" (est. $4,000/6,000), Kurt Cobain stage worn jacket from MTV performance (est. $6,000/8,000), Paul McCartney's Christmas card to Adam Ant (est. $1,000/2,000), Bono stage played guitar (est. $80,000 and up), Madonna's original signed contract with Vogue (est. $800/1,200), Duran Duran meet and greet backstage V.I.P. experience package (est. $5,000/10,000) a Janis Joplin handwritten love letter to boyfriend (est. $1,000/2,000) and Jim Hendrix's Wah Wah Pedal (est. $1,000/2,000).

Additional highlights include a leather jacket worn by the Edge on the Zoo TV Tour in 1992 (est. $6,000/8,000), a Jimmy Page 2008 Gibson Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue in a "lemon burst" finish personalized to the winning bidder (est. $4,000/6,000), Bono's Bullet leather jacket worn on the Vertigo Tour 2005 (est. $6,000/8,000) and Pete Townshend's 1967 Monterey Pop Festival concert used Maestro fuzz pedal (est. $2,000/4,000). Festival concert used Maestro fuzz pedal (est. $2,000/4,000)

Also included will be an exclusive Toyota Sequoia donated by automotive leader, Toyota. The vehicle made a special appearance at the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans in February and features special paint and interior autographed by some of NBA's greatest players and New Orleans performers. An exclusive Gibson Custom Les Paul guitar accompanies the vehicle and features the Music Rising logo (est. $40,000/60,000). A limited edition Indian Motorcycle featuring the spirit of rock-n-roll (est. $35,000-$45,000) and much more is included in this historic auction.

To place proxy bids, register for the auction or explore the history of the more than 400 lots in the Icons of Music Auction II benefiting Music Rising go to http://www.juliensauctions.com/. A limited number of tickets to this exclusive event will be sold beginning Friday, April 11, 2008 through Ticketmaster and Hard Rock Cafe New York. The benefit tickets will sell for $250.00 each with proceeds going directly to Music Rising. Tickets include entry into the evening portion of the event, special catered services and a complimentary Icons of Music collectible auction catalog detailing all lots in the sale in full color. For ticket information go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/

Highlights from the Icon's of Music auction have toured The Museo De La Moda in Santiago, Chile (March 25th - April 18th). Other press exhibits include The Museum of Style Icon's at Newbridge Silverware in County Kildare, Ireland (May 2nd - 4th), Celebrity Vault in Beverly Hills, CA (May 22nd - 24th) and The Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square (May 26th - May 30th) prior to the live auction on May 31st.

Full color collectible catalogs detailing the history and images of each lot of this historic event will be available for purchase through Julien's Auctions. In addition to the live auction event, Grammy winner Aaron Neville will perform as a tribute to his native New Orleans. The performance will be scheduled prior to the third session of the auction and will offer guests an exclusive opportunity to witness the great musicianship of one of New Orleans' own.

Registering to Bid

Registration is required to bid in this live auction and can be done either in person at any one of the exhibitions showing the highlights from the collection or by visiting http://www.juliensauctions.com/ any time before the sale, or calling (310) 816 1818. Online bidding registration can be completed via Auction Network online.

   Placing Bids   There are four ways to bid in this sale:   -- Bid through Auction Network on Internet using real-time and absentee      bidding.   -- Place bids in the room by attending the auction.   -- Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative, who      sits in the room and conveys the bid to the auctioneer.   -- Enter Absentee bids. Absentee bid forms are printed in the back of each      catalogue, and are available at Julien's Auctions offices and on      http://www.juliensauctions.com/     About Music Rising:  

Music Rising is 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, 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, Rolling Stone, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, Julien's 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 2007 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 http://www.musicrising.org/ and http://www.gibsonfoundation.org/

About Hard Rock International

With 126 high-energy Hard Rock Cafes and nine Hotels/Casinos in 48 countries, Hard Rock International is one of the world's most globally recognized brands. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia which is displayed in locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. In addition to the two flagship Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., Hard Rock Hotels/Casinos are located in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Orlando, Chicago, San Diego, Pattaya and Bali. Additional hotel and casino projects have been announced in Macau and Penang, both scheduled to open in 2009; Palm Springs, Atlanta and Panama, scheduled to open in 2010; and Dubai, scheduled to open in 2011. Hard Rock Park, the world's first rock 'n' roll theme park is scheduled to open in Myrtle Beach in Spring 2008. Hard Rock International, Inc, is owned by Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. For more information on Hard Rock go to http://www.hardrock.com/

About Julien's Auctions

With expertise specializing in entertainment memorabilia, Julien's has quickly established themselves as the premier auction house in high profile celebrity and entertainment auctions. Julien's Auctions presents exciting, professionally managed and extremely successful auctions with full color high quality auction catalogues unlike any other auction company. Previous auctions include the collections of Cher, Madonna, U2, Barbara Streisand, Muhammad Ali, Debbie Reynolds, the estate of Marilyn Monroe and many more. For more information on Julien's go to http://www.juliensauctions.com/.

About Auction Network

Auction Network is the first 24/7, multimedia network solely dedicated to auctions. Auction Network celebrates the sport and competitive spirit of auctions with a fast-paced, interactive programming environment where buyers meet sellers.

    PRESS CONTACTS:    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     Meredith Miesieski             Lori Earl    Coyne PR                       CodeBlue Media    973-316-1665/732-619-4355      818-704-1200    mmiesieski@coynepr.com         codebluemedia@gmail.com  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Gibson Guitar

CONTACT: Caroline Galloway, Music Rising|Gibson Guitar,
+1-440-338-3469|+1-615-423-4904, Caroline.galloway@gibson.com; or Maureen
O'Connor of Rogers & Cowan, +1-310-854-8116, moconnor@rogersandcowan.com; or
Meredith Miesieski of Coyne PR, +1-973-316-1665|+1-732-619-4355,
mmiesieski@coynepr.com; or Lori Earl of CodeBlue Media, +1-818-704-1200,
codebluemedia@gmail.com

Web site: http://www.juliensauctions.com/
http://www.gibsonfoundation.org/
http://www.musicrising.org/
http://www.ticketmaster.com/
http://www.hardrock.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment