On Saturday April 11th, the David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation (DEYMF), in conjunction with the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition (GMEC), held the "Oh Say Can You Stream" broadcast fundraiser to benefit the "SCHOOL’S OUT" initiative, providing professional music instruction, gear and more to kids under COVID-19 lockdown.

Hosted by David Ellefson (Megadeth) and Thom Hazaert, the event was co-hosted by Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson, Craig Gass and Riki Rachtman, with special appearances from Alice Cooper, Troy Sanders (Mastodon), Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Kirk Loureiro (Megadeth), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Carla Harvey (Butcher Babies), Bumblefoot (Sons of Apollo, ex-Guns N’ Roses), Frank Hannon (Tesla), Mark Slaughter, Chip Z’Nuff (E’nuff Z’nuff), Drake Bell, YouTube phenomenon Rhett and Link from Good Mythical Morning, Dash Cooper, Andre Comeau (The Real World New York), John Driskell Hopkins and Daniel De Los Reyes (Zac Brown Band), Brian O’ Halloran (Clerks), Marilyn Ghigliotti (Clerks) and many more.

The event was broadcast via streaming web player courtesy of YOURMUSICLIVE.COM, and simulcast on multiple radio and TV outlets nationwide. The event simultaneously streamed for 9+ hours on the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition's Twitch and Facebook channels, as well as David Ellefson's YouTube and Facebook, among other partner outlets. The event drew over 250,000 viewers Worldwide, and was a monstrous success.

Now DEYMF has announced its “MAKE-UP TEST” broadcast on Friday, Apr. 17 at 9 PM ET. The streaming recap show will be hosted by Ellefson and Hazaert, with new segments featuring new celebrity guests that were unavailable for the original show. The show can be streamed on GMEC's Twitch and Facebook, David Ellefson's Facebook and YouTubechannels, as well as DEYMF's Facebook page.

“With the help of our friends at The Grammy Music Education Coalition and everyone who supported us, The Oh Say Can You Stream! broadcast was an amazing success, but also a huge undertaking," says co-host and co-organizer Thom Hazaert. "Of course, with an event of that magnitude, there is always going to be some technical issues and some people you want to have on, but aren’t available. In the days after, talking to everyone about the event, and some of our friends who missed, or couldn’t make the original show, we came up with the concept of THE MAKE-UP TEST, which gave us a great opportunity to not only recap the original broadcast, but include some more of our friends that were not included the first time around. Obviously, our fundraising mission is ongoing, especially as the duration of the lockdown enters more and more uncertain terms every day, and to be purely selfish we just had so much fun we wanted to do it again.”

“Our reach to the hundreds of thousands of people watching on social media platforms, as well as the many radio and television stations around the USA who were airing the stream, has brought a real human touch, which we now know resonated so strongly with the listeners and viewers," adds Ellefson. "A big part of our job as entertainers is to create for our audiences a sense of departure from day to day life. And in the case of this event, it was our humanness which left an even bigger impression on our community of fans and industry alike.

It is our hope that our creative community is now even stronger as a result of our efforts together on Saturday, and it will serve as a source of connectivity for each of us in these uncertain times affecting our industry. And we look forward to taking a few more laps around the track on Friday, continuing our fundraising mission, and connecting with more of our friends and fans.”

The star-studded guest list for Friday’s event is another delightfully head-scratching amalgamation from all corners of the intersection of music and pop culture. Guests include Dee Snider, Mark Tremonti, Brian “Head” Welch, Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Ray Parker Jr, Fran Strine (Hired Gun), Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot), Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, Dokken), Jon (Jonny Z) Zazula (Megaforce Records), Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot), Lew Temple (The Walking Dead), Jason Bieler (Saigon Kick), Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God) and many more.

The David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation is an affiliate of the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition, a collaborative movement whose goal is ensuring all students in public schools across America have music education.

“Our Coalition of supporters of public music education numbers more than 70 organizations, and the David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation joined us early on,” says GMEC Executive Director Lee Whitmore. “David’s enduring support for what music does in students’ lives is unwavering. There was a phenomenal response to OH SAY CAN YOU STREAM, no doubt from its original format and intimate glimpse of rock and metal luminaries and renowned actors. MAKE-UP TEST features an equally exciting lineup and, like its predecessor, will be a thoroughly fascinating show that supports kids and music education, and helps provide COVID-19 relief in our communities.”

For the full lineup and details, please visit ellefsonyouthmusicfoundation.org.

The DEYMF has also set up a fundraiser in support of the SCHOOL’S OUT initiative.

SPONSORS:

Cisco, GRAMMY Music Education Coalition, Samson Tchnologies, Hartke, Jackson Guitars, Metal Devops, YOURMUSICLIVE.COM

OH SAY CAN YOU STREAM “MAKE UP TEST”

Hosts:

David Ellefson (Megadeth) + Thom Hazaert

Special Guests:

DON JAMIESON

DEE SNIDER (TWISTED SISTER)

BRIAN “HEAD” WELCH (KORN)

MARK TREMONTI (ALTER BRIDGE, TREMONTI)

WES BORLAND (LIMP BIZKIT)

LEW TEMPLE (THE WALKING DEAD, THE DEVIL’S REJECTS)

ZACH GALLIGAN (GREMLINS)

JEFF PILSON (FOREIGNER, DOKKEN)

JIMMY DEGRASSO (Ex-MEGADETH, ALICE COOPER)

FRAN STRINE

RAY PARKER, JR

JASON BIELER

BUMBLEFOOT

ARI LEHMAN (FRIDAY THE 13TH, FIRST JASON)

CHUCK BEHLER (EX-MEGADETH)

CHRIS POLAND (EX-MEGADETH)

AL PITRELLI (EX-MEGADETH, WIDOWMAKER, TSO)

CHUCK BILLY (TESTAMENT)

PAUL SHORTINO (ROUGH CUTT)

CARLOS CAVAZO (QUIET RIOT)

RANDY BLYTHE (LAMB OF GOD)

MARK “WEISSGUY” WEISS

MIKE GITTER (CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS)

BRIAN SLAGEL (METAL BLADE RECORDS)

JONNY Z (MEGAFORCE RECORDS FOUNDER)

RACHAEL RINE (PARADISE KITTY)

BRANDON NOVAK (JACKASS, VIVA LA BAM)

THE LOYAL ORDER

THE CROWNED

THEY MIGHT BE ZOMBIES

• more TBA