Wednesday 30 September 2020

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest partners with Gibson Gives to Celebrate John's Birthday

 


Gibson Gives Comes Together With John Lennon Songwriting Contest

Partnership Celebrates Lennon’s 80th Birthday

With Live Virtual Events and Giveaways

 

NEW YORK, NY (September 21, 2020) In honor of John Lennon’s 80th birthday, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (JLSC) have announced a partnership with Gibson Gives--the charitable arm of Gibson, the iconic American instrument brand--to support musicianship, music education and songwriting for people of all ages. Among the initiatives, 24 Lennon contest winners will receive an Epiphone LTD Edition Les Paul Quilt Top Pro and an Epiphone Zenith Masterbilt Acoustic Round Hole.  Songwriters, artists and bands are encouraged to enter the 24th annual JLSC with over $300,000K in cash awards and giveaways. All entrants will also qualify for weekly contests, offering additional gear giveaways including a Gibson guitar.

October 9, 2020 would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday. His contributions to music, culture, activism, art and fashion resonate to this day. In celebration, the Lennon Bus and Contest will have a virtual Imagine Party on October 9 on the Lennon Bus’ Instagram Live (HERE). The special show will feature celebrities, JLSC winners, Lennon Bus participants and educators. Tune in to hear in depth stories around John Lennon’s Gibson guitars and the songs he wrote with them, as well as giveaways and promotions.

Brian Rothschildco-founder and executive director of both the Lennon Bus and the JLSC, said, “While venues, live music and events are on hold, we’re focused on the songwriting contests and providing songwriters with even more gear each week while they are stuck at home. Contest entries help support Lennon Bus programs and Gibson Gives shares the same commitment to the next generation of players.”

“Gibson Gives is all about inspiring, creating, and supporting music one guitar at a time,” says James ‘JC’ CurleighCEO of Gibson. “This is our opportunity to ‘imagine’ what could be possible for future musicians by partnering with the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, especially during this challenging era.”

John Lennon Songwriting Contest and John Lennon Educational Tour Bus:

JLSC.COM |LENNONBUS.ORG TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK 

Gibson Gives:

GIBSON GIVES.ORG

Gibson:

GIBSON.COM | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | GIBSON TV

Epiphone:

EPIPHONE.COM | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE

 

Monday 28 September 2020

GET READY TO ‘TWIST AND SHOUT’ with THE MERSEY BEATLES


 GET READY TO ‘TWIST AND SHOUT’ – THE MERSEY BEATLES
ARE HEADING TO BLACKPOOL FOR A VERY SPECIAL SHOW

 

Blackpool’s special place in the story of the greatest band of all time will be celebrated when The Mersey Beatles bring their smash hit show to the resort’s famous Winter Gardens.


After wowing sell-out audiences around the globe, the world’s best-loved Liverpool-born Beatles tribute will play an unmissable show at Blackpool Opera House on Saturday November 21.


Tickets – priced just £18 – went on sale at 10am on Friday September 25 from
www.ticketmaster.co.uk


The Beatles themselves played Blackpool no fewer than 11 times – including two sell-out dates at the Opera House in 1964. They also played legendary hits Help! and Yesterday live for the first time anywhere in the world during a live TV broadcast from the resort in 1965.


These unforgettable Blackpool moments will be replayed by The Mersey Beatles on November 21 in a true feel-good show that not only captures the spirit and sound of Beatlemania, but the psychedelic wonder of the Fab Four’s Sgt Pepper album and the melodic brilliance of their later work.


Formed in Liverpool in 1999, The Mersey Beatles – Mark Bloor (John), Steven Howard (Paul), Craig McGown (George) Brian Ambrose (Ringo) any Tony Cook (keyboards) – were the resident Beatles’ band at the legendary Cavern Club between 2002-2012 where they clocked up more than 600 shows.

 

Since leaving The Cavern, The Mersey Beatles have toured the world many times over winning legions of fans, including members of the Beatles’ own families.


Julia Baird, John Lennon‘s sister
: “The Mersey Beatles absolutely nail the sound of The Beatles. They have that brilliant ability to get people up on their feet dancing and John would have loved that!”


And The British Beatles Fan Club described them as:
"The best Beatles tribute band around”


The Mersey Beatles know the Fylde coast well. They have played three sell-out nights at Lytham Festival and cannot wait to return to Blackpool on November 21.


Steven said:
“We’ve played all over the world in the last 20 years, but Blackpool Opera House is a real bucket list moment for any performer. The list of artists who have performed on that world-famous stage – including The Beatles themselves – is just incredible.


“Blackpool has such a strong connection with The Beatles and their story so we can’t wait to play the very same songs they did when they were here and celebrate those legendary moments with the audience.”


The show is part of the Winter Gardens’ Safe and Sound series of events. The Opera House’s 3,000 capacity has been reduced to 800 to allow for social distancing between audience members. There are also increased public health measures throughout the venue.


Mark added:
“Given the global pandemic, this year has obviously been really hard for all musicians. Our world tour was stopped back in February and we’ve been itching to get back out to play for a live audience so this gig is going to be very special.


“It’s brilliant that with the measures the venue has put in place people can come to shows again. We’ve had some great gigs on the Fylde coast – most recently three sell-out nights at Lytham Festival – so it will be great to return and play the Opera House. Blackpool get ready for a fantastic night!”



Wednesday 23 September 2020

Dear John - Streaming Concert for John's birthday - Oct 9

 

 

‘DEAR JOHN’

 

FREE STREAMED JOHN LENNON TRIBUTE CONCERT

OCTOBER 9TH 2020

 

A HOST OF ARTISTS INCLUDING PERFORMANCES BY OR APPEARANCES FROM:

PP Arnold, Peter Gabriel (as part of the 'Dear John' video), KT Tunstall, John Illsley of Dire Straits, Richard Curtis, Lindsay Ell, Larkin Poe, Gowan, Graham Gouldman of 10cc, Andy Fairweather Low, Nick Van Eede of Cutting Crew, Mollie Marriott, Lyndon J Connah, Maxi Jazz, Laura Jean Anderson, Blurred Vision and more TBA

 

Hosted from the Hard Rock Hotel, London

Donations in aid of War Child UK

'Dear John' - the 2nd annual John Lennon tribute concert in aid of War Child UK - will be taking place as an online event on Friday 9th October, hosted, as in 2019, from the Hard Rock Hotel in London. The concert stream will be live on Youtube at 8pm BST.


Put together by Blurred Vision band frontman
, the enterprising and articulate Sepp Osley, who himself could have been a poster child for War Child UK having escaped war-torn Iran as a young child in the 80s, the ‘Dear John’ concert is not only a celebration of the music, legacy, and 80th birthday of the Beatle legend, but a coming together of fans and artists from different generations and backgrounds

The evening will include performances of Lennon songs by/or tributes from KT Tunstall, Larkin Poe, Peter Gabriel (part of the Dear John video), Richard Curtis CBE, Maxi Jazz of Faithless, Lindsay Ell, PP Arnold, Andy Fairweather Low, John Ilsley of Dire Straits, Graham Gouldman of 10cc, Gowan ( AKA frontman of Styx), Nick Van Eede of Cutting Crew, Blurred Vision with Lyndon J Connah, Mollie Marriott, Laura Jean Anderson, and more to be announced.

A video of the Blurred Video anthem ‘Dear John’ can be seen now on the band's Youtube page, blurredvisionmusic, featuring tributes from Peter Gabriel, Donovan, Fish, Marc Almond, Paul Young , John Otway and many more as well as messages from fans around the globe.


The concert will be streamed online around the world for free but audiences are being encouraged to donate whatever they can to the fundraiser. Donation links are available before, during and after the show for easy access to the fundraising page.

Full details of the event and the direct link to the streaming and donations can be found at https://blurredvisionmusic.com.