The virtually unblemished rep of Merge Records continues unabated as they embark on their third annual holiday-time charity auction. They've gathered up a load of great autographed, silk-screened gig posters by artists from their roster from venues across the country, and will begin posting them today on eBay a few at a time until they're all gone. "[It] will probably be through the beginning of the year because we've got so much," says Merge spokesperson Lindsey Kronmiller. "It's going to take a while because we're still sending some out to the bands first, and they're all over the place." Acts participating include Arcade Fire, Robert Pollard, M. Ward, Oakley Hall, Spoon, the Rosebuds, Superchunk, Portastatic, Destroyer and more. The proceeds gathered from the fevered bidding will go to Oxfam America and the Food Bank Of Central And Eastern North Carolina. "We always try to pick a local charity for these auctions," Kronmiller says, in keeping with the Carolina-centric pride Merge is known for. And in case you just want to donate to Merge's musical relief, nab the recently released Merge sampler, free with every purchase from the Merge website through December 20. Tracklist For Merge 2007 Sampler: 01. The Broken West - Down in the Valley 02. David Kilgour - BBC World 03. Arcade Fire - No Cars Go (Neon Bible version) 04. M Ward - Beautiful Car 05. Camera Obscura - If Looks Could Kill 06. The Rosebuds - Get Up, Get Out 07. The Clientele - Bookshop Casanova 08. Spoon - The Underdog 09. The Ladybug Transistor - Three Days from Now 10. Imperial Teen - Shim Sham 11. Caribou - Melody Day 12. Oakley Hall - No Dreams 13. Shout Out Louds - Tonight I Have To Leave It 14. Robert Pollard - Rud Fins 15. Robert Pollard - The Killers Merge's eBay page www.mergerecords.com
