Suddenly, I'm feeling guilty about wasting my money on all those crappy 'Mats bootlegs over the years instead of saving the loot for something as noble as this: Tommy Stinson is auctioning off a bunch of items from his rock 'n' roll past and present to benefit Timkatec Centers, a network of schools in the still-very-much-earthquake-ravaged area around Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Not just helping from afar, the Replacements/Soul Asylum/Guns N' Roses bassist recently visited the schools, which also provide shelter, food and clothing for children. Click here to go to the auction site.
Among the items he's selling are: vacation packages to the Bahamas; a pair of bass guitars he has used on stage with all the various bands; plaid suits he has worn onstage with GNR; VIP tickets to the Coachella Fest and any GNR show of your choice; Arcade Fire tickets for their L.A. show (co-leader Regine Chassagne is from Haiti); a package of artwork by 'Mats drummer Chris Mars; plus a guitar by Paul Westerberg-brand First Act, signed by Westerberg, Mars and Stinson.
The auction site has photos of Paul and Tommy signing the guitar together, which not only authenticate the signatures but are also another confirmation that the M.I.A. Replacements frontman is indeed still living on Planet Earth (and actually looking quite healthy). If you read the listing for the guitar, it says that Soul Asylum singer Dave Pirner actually found the PW guitar in a thrift shop and gave it to Tommy as a present (and joke?). That actually makes it all the more priceless.
If the auction items are beyond your means -- right now, the aformentioned guitar is at $2,350 -- you can always support Tommy's efforts by going directly to the Timatec website.
