The Edge: Personal items up for auction

U2 guitarist The Edge hopes to raise money for charity by donating items from his own personal collection. He's putting two Gibson guitars up for an auction that will benefit Music Rising, an organization he co-founded to help replace instruments destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. The "Icons of Music" auction will also feature guitars played by Kurt Cobain, Slash and Johnny Cash, a trumpet played by Miles Davis, and handwritten notes by Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and Janis Joplin.

Bids will be placed May 31st at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. Aaron Neville is scheduled to perform at the event.

The Edge, who will serve as host, told the Associated Press, "A lot of musicians were forced to leave the city, leaving behind their instruments and record collections, everything they needed to do what they do. The kind of organic community music academy that was so supportive of handing down the traditions of this music from generation to generation was really vulnerable."

Music Rising has provided grants to replace instruments and equipment for 2,700 professional musicians and 50,000 students and church parishioners to date.

The Edge created Music Rising in 2005 with record producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson chairman Henry Juszkiewicz.

In other news, U2 is back in Dublin, Ireland working on its new album. The Edge said things are picking up, explaining, "We went into this project allowing ourselves the indulgence of making music without thinking about where it was going to end up. We're starting to get serious now." The band expects to release it this year, but the Edge says not to expect it in the next few months.
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