On October 9, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson will be honored in his former hometown of Jackson, Minnesota with a declaration of a ceremonial annual holiday. "David Ellefson Day" will kick off at Jackson High School, David's alma mater, with Jackson mayor Wayne Walter in attendance. Ellefson will also perform a special variation of his "Basstory" performance to the student body and gathered local attendees and media. The event in Jackson will be the official announcement of the formation of the David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation, a charitable foundation which will help put instruments into the hands of underprivileged and deserving youth, as well as underfunded public-school music programs, starting with a donation of items to the Jackson public schools of donated gear from Jackson Guitar, EVH Amps, Hartke and more. Says Ellefson: "I grew up in Jackson, and the music program at the high school was so instrumental to the fundamentals of my music education, and, really, served as a huge part of the foundation that I would build my career on. So it is a tremendous honor to not only be able to be honored by my hometown in such an incredible fashion, but to be able to give back, and hopefully help inspire the dreams of the next generation of musicians." Ellefson left Jackson in the early '80s to move to Los Angeles, where he met former METALLICA guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the pair co-founded multi-platinum, Grammy-winning hard rock act MEGADETH, going on to become one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal. Ellefson's smalltown Jackson roots have been immortalized in MEGADETH lore as the subject of classic songs including the smash hit "Foreclosure Of A Dream" and the underground classic "Mary Jane". Ellefson, who has lived in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1994, is also an author and entrepreneur, with partner Thom Hazaert, holding the reins of EMP Label Group, Combat Records, Ellefson Coffee Co., and more, in addition to a diverse portfolio of brands and signature products. Ellefson was also inducted into the 2018 class of the Iowa Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame, just over the border from Jackson in Spirit Lake, Iowa. There will be a public after-party at Ellefson Coffee Co. inside Kat's Hog Heaven, 608 2nd St. in Jackson, Tuesday afternoon following the ceremony. Ellefson is currently the middle of his "Basstory" world tour, with shows across America and Europe. Photo credit: Mike Savoia
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