Dangerfields' Andrew's Husky Sled Challenge

Two blogs about fundraising musicians in one day? Well I find this stuff more worthy of mentioning than most the other stories that pass as being newsworthy in the music world right now. Do I care that The Edge from U2 is angering neighbours in Los Angeles who are disputing his plans to build multiple homes on a prime piece of real estate? Zzz, seriously...

This morning I posted a blog about the Deftones quest to raise money for their coma-induced bassist Chi Cheng. Across the globe, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, local music man Andrew 'Griswold' Johnston is about to embark on a Husky Sled Challenge in the Arctic in aid of the UK charity Mencap.

Andrew is music writer, and the drummer and founder of the Dangerfields - a band I know well, and who I met while filming My Tour in 2007. (Andrew is the guy on the left in this Dangerfields video interview.)

This Saturday, March 21, at The Bunker at Lavery's pub in Belfast, Andrew is holding a fundraising gig, a day before he sets off on his Arctic challenge. Entry is only £4, so if your live in Belfast you should check it out. As I write this Andrew still has over £1000 to raise in order to reach a target of £4500.



You can also support Andrew's expedition for Mencap by sponsoring him online. Visit his page here on JustGiving.com to find more about the challenge.

Isn't it nice to be reminded that there are some musicians out there that are actually doing some good for others? Best of luck to Andrew and his expedition teammates in the Arctic.

Deftones launch a fund for their comatose bassist Chi

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng has been in a coma since November last year, after being involved in a car accident. The band have now launched a fund raising website, OneLoveForChi.com, with an aim of raising $20,000 to help cover medical costs.

This website was created to help raise funds for Chi and his medical expenses. Any amount that you can donate is very much appreciated by the Cheng family! All funds raised are sent directly to Chi's mother, Jeanne Cheng, via PayPal.com. - Deftones

There website states that other fund raising events are in the pipeline.

The Deftones have not played a gig since Chi's accident, but are scheduled to play at the Bamboozle - Left festival in Irvine, CA, this April.

Polar Bear Club Announce UK Dates

Polar Bear Club are heading to Britain for a couple of weeks worth of gigs, from May 23. I like these guys and recommend you check them out. I first saw them live back in December at The Mod Club in Toronto - click here for that gig review.

The tour dates look pretty familiar - the usual deal of a band playing a lot of gigs across England, then just one token night in Scotland. Incidentally, that's the reason why gigs in Glasgow are usually always so damn good, because international touring bands rarely travel any farther north than the two big cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. This means that so long as the band are at least half-decent then the show will sell-out, and a frenetic atmosphere is almost guaranteed.



As I write this, Polar Bear Club have yet to post these UK dates on their MySpace, but here they are;

May 23 - Kingston, Peel
May 24 - Leeds, Slam Dunk Festival
May 25 - Bristol, Croft
May 26 - Brighton, Freebutt
May 27 - Birmingham, Academy
May 28 - London, Underworld
May 27 - Nottingham, 7
May 30 - Exeter, Phoenix
June 1 - Glasgow, Cathouse
June 2 - Newcastle, Academy
June 3 - Manchester, Musicbox
June 4 - Norwich, Marquee

Look up your local venue or use the power of Google to find out about tickets for these dates.


Brian, Editor, MusicVice.com

Michael Jackson's London Farewell Concerts

Heard the news? Michael Jackson announced details yesterday of ten London gigs. The ten shows, with the tag-line, 'Is This It?', will be played at London's O2 Arena.

The first concert will be on July 8, with tickets going on sale for £50-£75. Those tickets will be like gold, and will likely have a re-sale value for over 10 times that price. That's one news story I'm definitely expecting to hear about in July; there will probably be some touts re-selling tickets for over £1000.

Chances are that you either regard the man as a being freak-show Wacko or, alternatively, the legendary King Of Pop - I think it's probably safe to call him both. In any case it is certain that this will be one of the most publicised and talked about events of the year.

Just don't expect those shows to go smoothly... I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing get's cancelled after a couple of nights.

For anyone interested, the official ticket pre-sale site is available here.