Bid On “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Silent Auction Items Now!
At last year’s “A Family Holiday Benefit,” our raffle raised a few hundred extra bucks for 826NYC.
At this summer’s Authentic Record’s Flood Relief Benefit, though, we tried a silent auction instead and raised a few thousand.
And so, for Monday’s big “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II,” we’ve got a bunch of cool silent auction items. And you can bid on them online!
Just email me (benjamin at mtvi dot com) your item number, description and bid by 10:00pm ET on Monday, December 1, and I’ll be sure you’re in the running. I’ll let you know if your bid is a winner by no later than 12:01am ET on Tuesday, December 2. Payment can then be made via cash or check (payable to me). And please bear in mind that we’ll have to factor in additional shipping costs.
And of course, all proceeds benefit 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students ages 6-18 develop their writing skills.
Here’s what we have:
1) “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Signed CD: ’08 holiday compilation signed by each performer. Minimum Bid: $25
2) “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Signed CD Set: ’08 holiday compilation signed by each performer, plus signed copies of each performer’s most-recent release. Twelve CDs in all! Minimum Bid: $50
3) “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Art Set: One-of-a-kind framed original album art plus ’08 holiday compilation, both signed by each “A Holiday Benefit” performer. Minimum Bid: $75
4) “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Guitar: First Act single-cutaway electric guitar (black w/ white pick guard and single coil pickup) plus ’08 holiday compilation, both signed by each “A Holiday Benefit” performer. Minimum Bid: $100
5) 826NYC Blue Gift Set: T-shirt (Blue), 826NYC Review, Can of Justice. Minimum Bid: $25
6) 826NYC Green Gift Set: T-shirt (Green), 826NYC Review, Can of Gratitude. Minimum Bid: $25
7) Ultimate Concord Fan: “Flight Of The Conchords” Season 1 DVD signed by stars Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Minimum Bid: $50
8) Custom Benjamin Wagner Song: Singer/songwriter will collaborate with YOU on a song. At the end of the process, you’ll get two (2) signed CDs with YOUR song plus original album art. Minimum Bid: $75
9) Jamie Leonhart Vocal Lesson: Chanteuse will help you cultivate YOUR voice in fifty-minute, private lesson. Minimum Bid: $50
10) Canal Room VIP Package: Two tickets to future show of your choice, plus one free drink each. Minimum Bid: $50
“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Rehearsal
My primary assignment was bartender, but I also played the role of backing vocalist, reporter, photographer and tambourinist.
Most of the “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” gang got together to rehearse last night: Chris Abad, Tony Maceli, Jaime Allegre, Casey Shea, Jamie Leonhart, Bryan Dunn, Deena Goodman, Rosi Golan, Derek James, Dov Rosenblatt and Amber Rubarth.
Tony, Chris and Jamie are the house band for Monday night’s big charity event. They learned nearly twenty songs in two days. I’m doing “Blue Christmas,” and “Merry Christmas Baby” with Ms. Leonhart, plus “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” Bryan, Jamie, Deena and Brent Shuttleworth. We jammed through those in just a few minutes.
I spent most of the night running back and forth to the corner store (a fairly sketchy one, it’s worth noting, there on the corner of 30th & Eighth) for Budweiser Tall Boys. Oh, and drinking them. I helped with that too.
I also lent vocals and tambourine to Bryan’s phenomenal “Father Christmas (really, it’s the album’s standout) and Chris’ “Felize Navidad” and “Last Christmas.”
Also, I’m MCing Monday night’s show with Rebel Music Spirit founder, Deena Goodman, so I also did some reporting, getting the basics on each artist so I can give each a proper introduction. Amber Rubarth, for example, was once a chainsaw wood sculptor. Rosi Golan was born in Israel. All sorts of interesting things.
Plus, I took lots of rehearsal photos.
It’s an excellent collection of musicians, and a great group of people. I’m glad we had this extra time together to come together even more cohesively as a group. Which sounds really clinical. What I mean is, we had a blast. There’s nothing like a few songs, a few beers, and a few laughs to bring a bunch of people together. At one point, I turned to Deena and said, “I’ve been waiting for this for twenty years!”
The fun really began at the after party at our favorite dive, Tempest Bar where — after four hours of rehearsal — Tony, Chris, Jamie, Bryan and I finally exhaled.
“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Rehearsal - Photos
November 27th, 2008
“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Due December 1
Comprised of eleven tracks from some of New York City’s finest emerging artists plus their collective cover of “Happy XMas (War Is Over),” A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II is a charity CD spanning the sacred (Brent Shuttleworth’s “The God In You”), the profane (Derek James & Kyle Paas’ “Mele Kalilkimaka”), plus plenty of rockin’ holiday tracks in-between (Bryan Dunn’s “Father Christmas”).
The CD’s release is set for December 1, 2008, and will be marked by a party at New York City’s Canal Room. In addition to performances from Shuttleworth, Kelley McRae, Casey Shea, Chris Abad and others, the benefit will feature DJ sets from Todd Spinn and Night Owl, plus a silent auction.
All proceeds from will be donated to 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.
Rebel Spirit Music Presents: A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II
Monday, December 1st 8-12pm @ Canal Room
285 West Broadway New York, NY 10013 212-941-8100
A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II participants first gathered at Kyle Paas and Jeffrey Swart’s Kingsland Studios in Brooklyn, spending an October Sunday afternoon together recording their cover of the 1971 John Lennon classic. Each was then tasked with covering a favorite holiday tune, or penning a new one. The results are decidedly different, and surprising.
Kelley McRae delivers a playful version of “Winter Wonderland,” Deena Goodman, Dov Rosenblatt & Rosi Golan team for an acoustic rendition of the traditional, “Ma’otzur,” while Benjamin Wagner and Jamie Leonhart turn Elvis’ “Blue Christmas” into a heartbreaking duet. More surprising, though, is the breadth and depth of the brand-new songs, like Nate Campany’s melancholy “Be Home For Christmas” and Ian Axel’s “This Is The New Year.”
The complete A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II track listing:
1. A Holiday Benefit Singers - Happy XMas (War Is Over)
2. Bryan Dunn - Father Christmas
3. Chris Abad - Last Christmas
4. Derek James & Kyle Paas - Mele Kalilkimaka
5. Casey Shea - A Very Merry Christmas
6. Nate Campany - Be Home For Christmas
7. Deena Goodman, Dov Rosenblatt & Rosi Golan - Ma’otzur
8. Kelley McRae - Winter Wonderland
9. Benjamin Wagner & Jamie Leonhart - Blue Christmas
10. Ian Axel (Featuring Chad Vaccarino) - This Is The New Year
11. Brent Shuttleworth - The God In You
The now-annual A Holiday Benefit series was conceived by singer/songwriter Benjamin Wagner as a means for local artists to give back to the community from which the participating artists were born. Last year’s A Family Holiday Benefit featured local faves Wakey! Wakey!, The Undisputed Heavyweights and Flying Machines raised nearly $3000 for 826NYC.
For Vol. II, Wagner enlisted the support of Rebel Spirit Music co-founders Dean McCarthy and Deena Goodman. Rebel Spirit Music is a community and a network for fans, artists and industry professionals.
For more information and a preview of the tracks, please visit www.myspace.com/aholidaybenefit.
Live Forever For You (Or, How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love The Smart Bomb)
At 7:16pm Wednesday night, I was working on a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “The Smart Bomb,” a very serious, very substantive, 16-page strategic document.
At 7:17, the butterflies in my stomach overtook the synapses in my brain’s ability to make any further Q4 projections. There was a rock show to be had.
So I left.
Less than two hours later — having raced home, microwaved a frozen pizza, packed my guitar, hit the ATM, met Chris, hailed a cab and raced downtown to Rockwood Music Hall (and exchanging a record twenty-six emails with my “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” colleagues Dean McCarthy and Deena Goodman in-between) — I was standing on a stage, strumming a guitar and singing.
There was scarcely enough time to worry. Which is fortunate; I’m good at worrying. And a fair dose or worrying can torpedo a show.
I’m not sure it was the distraction of the PowerPoint, or the specter of presenting it first thing this morning (and again this afternoon), but last night’s “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” record release show was one of our best ever.
I don’t really know how to explain it. It just felt right: sonically huge, musically cohesive, spiritually jubilant.
Now, I’ve played a lot of shows. And a lot of the time, I’m uncomfortable up there, second-guessing every note and chord. Not last night, though. I was milking every note. It was like I was riding a wave or something. I knew I had some bearing on the outcome, but mostly, I was a guest in my own body.
It was pretty awesome.
In fact, the last chord I played was a G (an oft-used favorite). Never in my nineteen years of playing guitar have I ever played each string so slowly, letting each ring out as I leaned back into the light relishing a moment I didn’t want to end.
Why did it go so well? Well, I’m not sure. Lucky, I guess. Well-rehearsed, maybe. Surrounded by terrific musicians, absolutely. Mostly, though, I didn’t have time to worry. I just let go.
And here’s the thing that dawned as we were performing “Live Forever.”
I love music because it makes me feel like crying, dancing, and smiling. It makes me my heart feel full. I love making music for the same reasons. But I got into making music for different reasons. I liked the applause. I loved the applause. No, I needed the applause as some sort of evidence that I don’t suck. At some point in the last few years, though, it struck me that rock ‘n roll is a zero sum game; I knew there had to be another way, another reason. But I didn’t know why. Which made its way into a song.
I don’t wan to live forever
I just want to know
That there is something better
Than a rock ‘n roll show
That there is something greater
Than the sound of applause
I won’t make it
I won’t fake it, because
I wrote “Live Forever” in 2003, just a few hours after seeing Oasis perform at Radio City Music Hall. I was going for a simple, four-chord stomper, and I ended up with some kinda’ cool, kinda’ resigned-but-resolved lyrics (”There nothing left here to do / But live forever for you”), but I had no idea what I was writing about.
Until last night.
The best part of last night? Making something live, on-the-spot, together and in-public with Chris, Tony, and Jamie. Hanging out with Christofer, Mark and Patrick, Nick and Amanda, Abbi, Pembry, Bethany and Jon, Casey and Jim and Jordan and all of my friends and family — making a moment with them, together.
That’s it, right?
That’s what’s “greater than the sound of applause,” right? Love and laughter, and the things that we make when we make things together.
There are no formulas for that, no projections or pie charts. Just leaning back, letting go, and letting the light shine on all of us.
Together.
“Live At Rockwood Music Hall” LP Release - Photos
November 19th, 2008
Rockwood Music Hall (New York, New York)
Giving Up The Ghost
Caramelize
St. Anne (Of The Silence)
The Last Time
Promise
Dear Elizabeth
Live Forever
Killing The Blues
New York
“Live At Rockwood Music Hall” LP Release!!!
See the photos from the “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” release party here.
“Live At Rockwood Music Hall” Available Now!
As The A-Team’s Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith used to say, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Benjamin Wagner “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” is available for download now!
The online-only LP comes in two flavors: an 8-song iTunes version, and 10-song Authentic Records version.
Tracks were culled from three separate performances over the course of sixteen months: March 25, 2007; July 10, 2008, and September, 25, 2008.
My longtime band mates and pals Chris Abad (guitar), Tony Maceli (bass), Ryan Vaughn (drums) and Jamie Alegre (drums) all appear on the recording, as does singer/songwriter extraordinaire Jamie Leonhart. The Nadas’ bassist Jon Locker mastered the collection.
Here’s the complete track complete list:
1- Giving Up The Ghost
2- The Last Time
3- Promise
4- How To Fight Loneliness
5- Killing The Blues (featuring Jamie Leonhart)
6- Live Forever
7- The Boys Of Summer
8- Wonderwall
+ Harder To Believe
+ Milk & Honey
Download your copy from Authentic Records Online or iTunes now! Then please post a review, and tell a friend!
And if you’re in New York, we hope to see you at tonight’s big release party:
Wednesday, November 19th
9:00 - 10:00 pm
Rockwood Music Hall
196 Allen Street (below Houston)
Hey, Whatever Happened To That Documentary?
What’s going on with Wagner Bros. Pictures, LLC’s still-forthcoming documentary, “Mister Rogers & Me?”
I’m glad you asked. Or, I’m glad my pen pal Magnus did.
“When I inquired about the documentary a few months ago [you said] it was on hold,” he writes. “I don’t know what the progress is, or what’s holding it up, but I just wanted to encourage you to keep at it. I know you are extremely busy with all your other endeavors, but this project is as important now as it ever was. Keep at it! You were chosen to remind people of the deep and simple.”
Find out what’s up at “Making ‘Mister Rogers & Me” now…
Backstage At The TRL Finale (Or, At Home At The End Of The World)
When I walked into Times Square this afternoon, the sidewalks were overflowing with wide-eyed, stargazing teenagers hoping to steal a glimpse of a celebrity — any celebrity — pouring out of a limo and into MTV Studios.
Tonight was the end of an era: the finale of MTV’s flagship, Total Request Live.
Two hours after navigating the crowds, gaining my credential, and prowling around backstage, I walked towards Downtown Studio’s great mezzanine windows and looked out on the masses. Kids screamed, waved signs and pointed at every silhouette. Cops fought to keep crowds from spilling into traffic. It was like 1998 all over again.
Backstage became a zoo, quickly, though. Nelly blew by me, laughing. Snoop strode past, smiling, tailed by four 6′8″, 400 pounders. Carson Daly poked his head out of his dressing room. Damien Fahey prepped his cue cards. Suchin Pak and La La giggled in makeup. And all around, publicists blew air kisses and exchanged brief greetings.
I wandered the crowded halls, then took my station at MTV News’ Stage Door Interviews location between the studio and the building’s private entrance where one of our two crews was gathering news.
For an hour and a half, I snapped photos (like this one of reporter Tim Kash and Hillary Duff, who Abbi and I watched just last night in “War, Inc.”), and tapped notes into my Blackberry. In that time, I came within reach of Justin Timberlake, Good Charlotte, Kid Rock, Miley Cyrus, Ludacris, Diddy and Beyonce (who I saw exchange air kisses before being wanded by security).
I felt largely invisible and irrelevant, and marveled aloud at how much infrastructure was born of these stars: make-up, security, publicity, press, lighting, production, and yes, journalists.
Later, I repaired to my office where I transcribed interviews, green-lit articles, obsessed over headlines, captions and photos, and generally managed our online coverage. When my colleague, Jonathan, noticed that Jesse Camp was blowing up on Google Trends, for example, we dove on the story (which, oddly enough, has only logged 100 page views in its first two hours).
And when I finally stumbled out through the revolving doors just after three o’clock this morning, Times Square was empty. Doors were shuttered. Lights were dimmed. Sewer grates billowed steam. And a rogue newspaper blew across 44th Street.
It was like 2008 again.
