Gibson Guitar and its philanthropic division, the Gibson Foundation, have announced a series of programs to help aid the victims of the recent Nashville floods. The Gibson Foundation, which is based in Nashville, will spearhead an initiative with landmark venues and businesses throughout the city including the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau Visitor’s Center, Gibson Café, and Diana’s Sweet Shoppe to place Gibson Guitar banks created from actual Gibson guitar cases for visiting patrons to make a donation. The guitar case banks will be placed in area establishments in Nashville through June 18, when the initiative will culminate in a final push to raise funds through a sponsored event titled Night Out for Nashville – An Evening for Music City Flood Relief. Participating Clubs and venues around the city will host simultaneous music events with all donations made to the guitar case banks going directly to the Gibson Foundation Flood Relief Programs. The Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau is supporting the effort and will be helping to spread the word on where donations are being accepted, along with having a guitar case bank set up at their downtown Visitor Center. 100% of all proceeds will benefit the flood victims in Nashville and surrounding affected areas.
Austin, TX, sister city and home of Gibson Guitar Austin, has also pledged its support with special events being planned with a host of celebrity musicians. Gibson Guitar case banks will be set up in area establishments throughout Austin during the popular Memorial Day weekend, again with 100% of the donations collected going for flood relief. For many years Austin and Nashville have competed for the title of “world’s greatest music city.” But now, the two cities have come together in an effort to spearhead events across their markets in an effort to garner proceeds to support the flood relief programs initiated by the Gibson Foundation. Landmark venues across Austin, including Antone’s Home of the Blues in downtown Austin and Maggie Mae’s on 6th Street, are participating. At select locations, each donation of $20 or more will automatically enter the patron into a sweepstakes to win an exclusive Gibson or Epiphone guitar. The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau has volunteered to help spread the word through social media and several local marketing company resources.
Gibson Foundation has also launched a series of Public Service Announcements by such popular Gibson and Epiphone artists such as Slash, Zakk Wylde, Peter Frampton, Luke Bryan, Keb Mo, Heart, Sammy Hagar, Corey Taylor, JT Hodges, Honor Society, Rev Theory, Gloriana, Paulie Z, Billy Morrison, Ray Benson, Austin City Limits’ Terry Lickona, Jonathan Singleton and others. All PSAs have been donated by the artist. Gibson Foundation will also place the series in a viral campaign via YouTube in an effort to bring attention to the current need for donations for Flood Relief. The Jonas Brothers, a signature Gibson band known for their sold-out tours and No. 1 hits, have also been tweeting and asking their Twitter followers to support Gibson Foundation’s request for donations.
Click here for more information on the Gibson Foundation’s flood relief efforts.
