Billboard Bits: David Bowie, Aftershock, Rock For Hope

7/11/2001

News on David Bowie, Aftershock Benefit, Rock For Hope auction

David Bowie will launch a kid-centric Internet radio station tomorrow (July 12), dubbed "Kick Out the Jammies." The station, his third Web-based program, will be available through his online community, Bowienet both for members and non-members. According to a spokesperson for the site, at deadline Bowie had not yet turned in a finalized playlist, so it's unknown what songs will be available.

The idea came to Bowie after the birth of his daughter Alexandria last August. "I was putting together tapes to play while Alex took a bath or had breakfast and it occurred to me that it would be a nice thing to put together a station's worth of stuff for kids," Bowie said in a statement.

-- Todd Martens, L.A.

Former Eagles' guitarist Don Felder and former Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter will join Marc Anthony onstage during the July 29 Aftershock concert to benefit earthquake victims in El Salvador and India. Felder and Baxter will lend their talents to a performance of the Eagles' "Hotel California," according to the event's official Web site.

As exclusively revealed by Billboard last month, Lauryn Hill and Luther Vandross will also perform for the cause at San Jose, Calif.'s Compaq Center, as will sitarist Anoushka Shankar, daughter of sitar master Ravi Shankar.

According to Aftershock founder Mickey Shapiro, proceeds will directly benefit victims. "Our goal is to raise $5 million, and we're not giving any of the money to the governments of El Salvador and India," he told Billboard last month. "We'll be working with an organization called Operation USA that was involved with distributing funds for 'We Are the World.'"

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

Rare photographs of Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Marley, among others, will be up for auction tomorrow night (July 12) in Culver City, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles. City of Hope's "Rock for Hope" project will feature the work of Rolling Stone photographer Mark Seliger, as well as noted photojournalists Chris Cuffano, Dennis Keeley, and Pam Springsteen, who will all be in attendance.

The auction starts at 7 p.m., and those interested in attending should call (213) 202-5735 or check out City of Hope's Web site. The auction will benefit cancer treatment for children.

-- Todd Martens, L.A.