Artwork from David Byrne and Joan Baez, and signed memorabilia from Ringo Starr and Def Leppard’s Rick Allen are among the highlights of “Turn It Up!,” an online auction benefiting the New York City charity Housing Works. The second annual event benefits
the organization’s efforts to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment.
The lots also include contributions from Matt Berninger of the National (a baseball with handwritten lyrics and decorations), a signed print by Ani DiFranco, and a vintage concert poster for a Patti Smith and Television appearance at Max’s Kansas City, donated by Richard Hell. There are also art pieces by Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal) and Foxy Shazam’s Eric Nally, and one of photographer Bob Gruen’s iconic shots of John Lennon at the Statue of Liberty.
Last year’s inaugural “Turn It Up!” auction, which was initially the idea of music publicist Melissa Nastasi, featured donations by the likes of Patti Smith, Eddie Vedder, and Paul McCartney, and raised more than $25,000 for Housing Works.
“The auction is a natural fit for the organization,” says music journalist Alan Light (a former Rolling Stone senior writer), who has served on the board of the Housing Works Bookstore in SoHo for more than 20 years. “We’ve done hundreds of concerts in our bookstore, presenting artists like John Mellencamp, Björk, John Mayer, and Chrissie Hynde. We were even the location for the final scene of Taylor Swift’s ‘All Too Well’ video! The community of musicians has been a great asset in raising money for the essential efforts of Housing Works.”
The link to bid on the “Turn It Up!” items is here. Bidding will close at 10 p.m. ET this Thursday, Oct. 1.
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