Look To The Stars News: Smashing Pumpkins

Smashing Pumpkins Release Charity Single

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

The Smashing Pumpkins have released a brand new track – “Spangled” – for free download to benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund

“It’s just a pretty song,” says Bill Corgan of “Spangled,” which marks the sixth release from the band’s in-progress 44-song project TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE. It is the second song (the recently released “Freak” was the first) from what will be the band’s second EP—TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE VOLUME 2: THE SOLSTICE BARE (release date TBA)—tied to this project.

When visitors go to the Sweet Relief website, they’ll be encouraged to donate to the organization, although it is not a requirement to contribute money when freely downloading the song. The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems. Visitors to the site who donate $10.00 (or more) to the Sweet Musicians Relief Fund can also enter a raffle to win a Fender “Billy Corgan Stratocaster” custom guitar that will be signed by the musician.

Celebrity Charity Auction Raises Funds For Museum

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

A new charity auction is giving you the chance to bid on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and items to raise money for a state-of-the-art museum in New York City designed to highlight the achievements of songwriting greats and acknowledge their rightful place in culture.

Going under the hammer are opportunities to have lunch with Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan, backstage meet-and-greets with Cher, Jason Mraz, Wynonna, Chris Daughtry, Clint Black and Bonnie Raitt, as well as guitars signed by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Peter Wentz, handwritten lyrics signed by Paul Simon, Rob Thomas and Carley Simon, and other items signed by Elvis Costello, Julianne Hough, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, John Mayer, and much more.

The new museum facility will serve as a resource and center of study for scholars, aspiring songwriters, students and music lovers young and old to learn about America’s musical heritage.

Smashing Pumpkins Support PETA Petition

Thu, 07 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Last month, Smashing Pumpkins members Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin joined the growing list of compassionate musicians who have teamed up with peta2 US, the youth arm of PETA, to sign a petition aimed at KFC – and they are asking their fans to do the same.

In the petition, Corgan and former Smashing Pumpkins drummer Chamberlin urge KFC to “improve the lives of” chickens who “suffer from extremely crowded conditions, crippling bone and joint problems resulting from top-heavy breeding, callous handling, inhumane slaughter techniques, and shortened life spans”. The nearly 1 billion chickens slaughtered for KFC every year have their sensitive beaks cut off and are drugged and abused.

Smashing Pumpkins joins an ever-growing list of musicians, including Bat For Lashes, Fall Out Boy, Rise Against and Hadouken, that have teamed up with peta2 US to speak out against KFC’s suppliers’ blatant abuse of chickens.

Celebrity Auctions Kick Off The New Year

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:24:10 +0000

The new year has kicked off with a flurry of celebrity charity auctions, with items for sale to benefit a plethora of worthwhile causes and issues.

The American Civil Liberties Union is a national organization that advocates individual rights by litigating, legislating, and educating the public on a broad range of issues, including free speech, AIDS, human rights, racism, and more. The Southern California branch of ACLU has launched an auction on www.charityfolks.com to raise much-needed funds.

Items up for auction until January 3 include lunch with Jake Gyllenhaal on the set of his new film, a framed and autographed art print by Viggo Mortensen, the chance to dine with Harry Belafonte or Mike Farrell, a signed T shirt and photo from Danny Glover, and original artwork from singer Maria McKee, and an autographed copy of Corinne Bailey Rae’s single, “I’d Like To”.

A Very Special Christmas

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:14:56 +0000

Christmas may already be upon us, and Santa may at this very moment be squeezing his way down your chimney, but there is still time for one last fix of Christmas shopping.

Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, U2, and Eric Clapton are just some of the stars to be featured on the first ever DVD collection from the “A Very Special Christmas” holiday music series to benefit the Special Olympics.

“A Very Special Christmas – 20th Anniversary Music Video Collection” is out now, and is the latest release in the series that has already raised more than $100 million for Special Olympics programs around the world.

Stars Keep On Giving

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:28:26 +0000

The giving just keeps on going this holiday season, with a whole bunch of celebrities donating items to charity auctions, and others taking the time to attend events and fork out massive amounts of money for good causes.

Such was the case on December 11, when the husband and wife team of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith paid $50,000 for a pair of artworks by Joan Miro and Salvador Dali at an auction in Chile.

“They bought the two works for a price much higher than their commercial value, because the proceeds of the auction went to UNICEF,” said Denise Ratinoff, head of the auction house that ran the event. “It was virtually a donation to UNICEF, and it helped a lot. Their presence in the auction made many other people also pay steeply for what they purchased.”

Celebrities Lend Their Hands To Charity

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:58:29 +0000

Over 40 celebrities from around the world are featured in a special new book to be released in time for Christmas.

“Celebrity Handprints”, set to be published on December 1, is the culmination of two years work for author James Preston. Since November 2005, Preston has scoured the globe in search of famous names who were willing to dip their hands in ink and leave a lasting mark on paper. And his peculiar pursuit opened doors to some of entertainment’s biggest stars, including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Matt Damon, and Keira Knightley.

Over the course of his travels, Preston collected more than 100 handprints and accompanying photos of some of the brightest stars in film, television, music and sports, 42 of which are to be included in the new book. All of the proceeds from the publication will go to benefit two British children’s charities – Children in Need and the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Stars Line Up For Wildfire Auction

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:19:45 +0000

An exciting new auction, featuring memorabilia from rock bands young and old, has been launched on eBay to raise funds and awareness for victims of the recent Californian wildfires.

Rockers Linkin Park, and their charitable foundation Music for Relief, have teamed up with the non-profit organization Unite The United to stage the auction, which runs on eBay Giving Works until November 15. Proceeds from the auction are to be donated to the California Community Foundation’s Southern California Relief Fund, which is working hard in the aftermath of the wildfires to support victims and firefighters. A portion of the money raised will also go to American Forests, an organization that will help with the reforestation of 800 square miles of greenery destroyed in the fires that raged for over two weeks from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border.

Over 60 items, including signed instruments and concert tickets, are up for sale in the auction, which follows an earlier donation of $50,000 made by Linkin Park to wildfire victims. This was followed by a donation from classic rockers the Eagles, also of $50,000, made to the firefighters involved in stopping the fires, and $160,000 donated to the cause by Gwen Stefani.

Richard Branson Attends Virgin Festival in Baltimore

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:55:09 +0000

Soaring temperatures of over 100°F did not stop 80,000 music lovers from attending a massive two-day charity concert held at the Pimlico Raceway in Baltimore on August 4 and 5. The Baltimore Virgin Festival was part of a series of concerts being held this year, partly organized by Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin brand.

Concert goers were treated to performances by 40 groups and artists, including Sting and The Police, Ben Harper, The Beastie Boys, Iggy Pop, and The Smashing Pumpkins. $1.50 from every ticket sold was donated directly to Virgin Unite, the charitable arm of the Virgin Group, dedicated to “tackling some of the tougher social challenges by uniting people and Virgin’s global resources.”

The concert also featured a huge tent village which housed a mall of philanthropy booths, where concert attendees could find out more about non-profit organizations such as Oxfam, The Living Classrooms Foundation (which uses maritime settings to train at-risk youth), StandUp For Kids (which helps homeless children), and Youth Noise (a website where teens can talk about significant issues and raise money for their chosen causes).