Sunday, September 9, 2012

Freddie featured in mötley metal mural


Like my blog on The Queen Boutique a while back, I discovered another unconventional Queen sighting here in Calgary. I drove past a utility trailer in the heart of Calgary’s corporate district that was muraled up for a music promotion of some kind. Here’s a look at one side of the trailer which featured '80s metal bands:


The other side featured classic rock icons from an earlier era and there was Freddie, leading the charge near the front of the trailer.


As I drove by, there wasn’t much time to determine the purpose of the trailer or who put it there. So I did a simple Internet search when I got home and found a few items on this specific trailer, such as this Calgary Herald newspaper article from a few days ago.

The Rock Guitar Shelter is the brainchild of J.R. Fleet, a retired musician committed to sharing the magic of guitar playing to youth that haven't experienced it or cannot afford their own instrument.

The RGS actively solicits for guitar donations and refurbishes them with the intent of donating them back into the community to support and inspire young new guitarists. To date, more than 800 guitars have been donated back to the youth of Calgary.

The mandate of RGS is bigger than this, though, as their website explains:


  • We accept donated guitars and other musical instruments from the public and re-gift them to qualified children and youth;
  • We aid our clients in learning how to restore and maintain the instrument they have received;
  • We teach youngsters how to play guitar, and provide a sound stage on which they can edit, mix and record their music;
  • We provide a safe, drug-free environment where youth can form new friendships and share in their love of music

And they provide a bit of a music history lesson, too, it would seem.

The Rock Guitar Shelter Facebook page has some interesting photos of the mural being repainted after it was vandalized one night. More than any other rock god on the trailer, however, it’s Freddie who is shown coming to life in pictures:


To learn more about E.J. Negre, the artist who remuraled the trailer, feel free to check out his blog here or his Facebook page here.


http://rockguitarshelter.com
https://www.facebook.com/RockGuitarShelterFoundation
http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Rock+guitar+charity+feeds+spirit+youth/
Freddie mural painting photos: © Tony Martin Blass

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