Garth Hudson Auction on Hold

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Late last month, several of Garth Hudson’s belongings were sold to the public by a Kingston, New York landlord who claimed Hudson failed to pay more than $50,000 in storage space fees. The event drew Hudson supporters after the former Band keyboardist encouraged Facebook friends to buy the items and allow him to reimburse them. "Garth Hudson would like his belongings back," a message on the keyboardist’s Facebook page read. "We were not seeking funds, but were asking purchasers to allow us to reimburse them for what they bought as we were not on premises ourselves."

Hudson isn’t backing down: after his attorneys filed a complaint, a New York judge granted a temporary restraining order that puts a planned April 6th auction of more of Hudson’s belongings on hold. Hudson accuses Mike Piazza (no relation to the All-Star catcher) of attempting extortion and is demanding the landlord return items from his personal archive – including musical instruments, reel-to-reel tapes, memorabilia, sheet music, photographs and more – plus pay punitive damages and Hudson’s attorney fees.

500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Band, 'The Band'

Legal documents provided by Hudson’s attorney, John Clark, claim Hudson and Piazza entered an arrangement in 2004 for a two-year lease of a storage space in Kingston, New York for $567 per month. Over the next several years, Hudson alleges Piazza hiked the rent hundreds of dollars, at one point attempting to raise it from $800 to $1,600 per month. "Some increases were understandable, some were outlandish," says Clark. "[It's like] going to the store, buying your bagel for $1.75, then you walk in the next day and they want 15 bucks."

The complaint also alleges Piazza moved Hudson's possessions twice without permission, damaging some items. "He knew it was valuable. Memorabilia signed by the band, notebooks and sheet music by Garth Hudson – this stuff is highly collectible," says Clark. "At some point, they should end up in a museum or library."

Clark says Piazza demanded $75,000 in December for unpaid rent. Prior to that, the court complaint alleges that Piazza looted Hudson’s belongings, including a pump organ, putting some items up for sale on eBay and keeping some. "At [a meeting] in December 2012, Plaintiffs’ representative observed that Piazza’s office was adorned with several pieces of memorabilia, including gold records, that were the property of Plaintiffs which had come from the Garth Hudson Archive," the complaint reads.

In February, Piazza held a public sale of Hudson’s items to recoup some of the funds he says were owed for unpaid rent, including furniture, family mementoes and more. Other items from Hudson's archive  were planned to be sold by an auction house next month. Now they are being moved to a new space where lawyers for both sides can inspect them. A meeting between both sides regarding document requests and depositions is scheduled for April 11th.

Clark says Hudson isn't letting the situation get him down. "He was in the recording studio a couple nights ago and he’s making music," he says. "He’s relying on the justice system to sort this out appropriately."

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Garth Hudson Auction on Hold

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Late last month, several of Garth Hudson’s belongings were sold to the public by a Kingston, New York landlord who claimed Hudson failed to pay more than $50,000 in storage space fees. The event drew Hudson supporters after the former Band keyboardist encouraged Facebook friends to buy the items and allow him to reimburse them. "Garth Hudson would like his belongings back," a message on the keyboardist’s Facebook page read. "We were not seeking funds, but were asking purchasers to allow us to reimburse them for what they bought as we were not on premises ourselves."

Hudson isn’t backing down: after his attorneys filed a complaint, a New York judge granted a temporary restraining order that puts a planned April 6th auction of more of Hudson’s belongings on hold. Hudson accuses Mike Piazza (no relation to the All-Star catcher) of attempting extortion and is demanding the landlord return items from his personal archive – including musical instruments, reel-to-reel tapes, memorabilia, sheet music, photographs and more – plus pay punitive damages and Hudson’s attorney fees.

500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Band, 'The Band'

Legal documents provided by Hudson’s attorney, John Clark, claim Hudson and Piazza entered an arrangement in 2004 for a two-year lease of a storage space in Kingston, New York for $567 per month. Over the next several years, Hudson alleges Piazza hiked the rent hundreds of dollars, at one point attempting to raise it from $800 to $1,600 per month. "Some increases were understandable, some were outlandish," says Clark. "[It's like] going to the store, buying your bagel for $1.75, then you walk in the next day and they want 15 bucks."

The complaint also alleges Piazza moved Hudson's possessions twice without permission, damaging some items. "He knew it was valuable. Memorabilia signed by the band, notebooks and sheet music by Garth Hudson – this stuff is highly collectible," says Clark. "At some point, they should end up in a museum or library."

Clark says Piazza demanded $75,000 in December for unpaid rent. Prior to that, the court complaint alleges that Piazza looted Hudson’s belongings, including a pump organ, putting some items up for sale on eBay and keeping some. "At [a meeting] in December 2012, Plaintiffs’ representative observed that Piazza’s office was adorned with several pieces of memorabilia, including gold records, that were the property of Plaintiffs which had come from the Garth Hudson Archive," the complaint reads.

In February, Piazza held a public sale of Hudson’s items to recoup some of the funds he says were owed for unpaid rent, including furniture, family mementoes and more. Other items from Hudson's archive  were planned to be sold by an auction house next month. Now they are being moved to a new space where lawyers for both sides can inspect them. A meeting between both sides regarding document requests and depositions is scheduled for April 11th.

Clark says Hudson isn't letting the situation get him down. "He was in the recording studio a couple nights ago and he’s making music," he says. "He’s relying on the justice system to sort this out appropriately."

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Garth Hudson's Belongings Sold Off at Garage Sale

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The Band's Garth Hudson saw some of his belongings sold off this weekend by his landlord in a Kingston, New York, garage sale after failing to pay rent on his loft space for about seven years, the Times Herald-Record reports. The multi-instrumentalist, most-known for his organ and keyboard playing, kept the space for storage. He stored everything from personal possessions and household items to handwritten sheet music, and among the goodies are uncashed checks, including one issued from EMI in 1979 for $26,000.

Hudson originally moved into the 2,000-square-foot loft in 2002 after his house was foreclosed on, but later reduced his space and moved twice. Mike Piazza, owner of the loft Hudson occupied, said rent checks from Hudson stopped six months after he moved in. Though Piazza tracked down Hudson's representatives in Canada and the U.S., managing to secure some installments from them and Hudson himself, the payments weren't lasting. Piazza estimates the unpaid bill to be between $60,000 and $70,000 over the past 11 years.

100 Greatest Artists: The Band

Piazza had also attempted to partner with Hudson's former bandmates Robbie Robertson and the late Levon Helm to sell the items as a fundraiser, but Piazza said neither showed interest. The History Channel program American Pickers also made offers to Piazza but Piazza and the show's producers were unable to reach Hudson's lawyers for clearance.

Hudson's Facebook page had a note to fans encouraging them to attend the garage sale and purchase items to allow Hudson to buy them back. "We were told everything there was sold," read the note. "We were not seeking funds, but were asking purchasers to allow us to reimburse them for what they bought as we were not on premises ourselves."

Piazza maintains it's either sell the items or lose out on a sizable chunk of rent. "My intent was just to get rid of it," he said. "I'm a real estate person, not a collector." He has already made an agreement with an online auction company to sell off the music-related items on April 1st. As for the fans, they're already on it: one woman bought Hudson's household items and personal belongings for a few thousand dollars with the apparent intention to return them to him.

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Garth Hudson's Belongings Sold Off at Garage Sale

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The Band's Garth Hudson saw some of his belongings sold off this weekend by his landlord in a Kingston, New York, garage sale after failing to pay rent on his loft space for about seven years, the Times Herald-Record reports. The multi-instrumentalist, most-known for his organ and keyboard playing, kept the space for storage. He stored everything from personal possessions and household items to handwritten sheet music, and among the goodies are uncashed checks, including one issued from EMI in 1979 for $26,000.

Hudson originally moved into the 2,000-square-foot loft in 2002 after his house was foreclosed on, but later reduced his space and moved twice. Mike Piazza, owner of the loft Hudson occupied, said rent checks from Hudson stopped six months after he moved in. Though Piazza tracked down Hudson's representatives in Canada and the U.S., managing to secure some installments from them and Hudson himself, the payments weren't lasting. Piazza estimates the unpaid bill to be between $60,000 and $70,000 over the past 11 years.

100 Greatest Artists: The Band

Piazza had also attempted to partner with Hudson's former bandmates Robbie Robertson and the late Levon Helm to sell the items as a fundraiser, but Piazza said neither showed interest. The History Channel program American Pickers also made offers to Piazza but Piazza and the show's producers were unable to reach Hudson's lawyers for clearance.

Hudson's Facebook page had a note to fans encouraging them to attend the garage sale and purchase items to allow Hudson to buy them back. "We were told everything there was sold," read the note. "We were not seeking funds, but were asking purchasers to allow us to reimburse them for what they bought as we were not on premises ourselves."

Piazza maintains it's either sell the items or lose out on a sizable chunk of rent. "My intent was just to get rid of it," he said. "I'm a real estate person, not a collector." He has already made an agreement with an online auction company to sell off the music-related items on April 1st. As for the fans, they're already on it: one woman bought Hudson's household items and personal belongings for a few thousand dollars with the apparent intention to return them to him.

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Garth Brooks Awarded $1 Million from Hospital

Garth Brooks performs at the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Morgan Freeman.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI

An Oklahoma jury has awarded Garth Brooks $1 million, saying that a hospital company defrauded the country star by accepting a $500,000 donation and failing to honor his request to name a building after his late mother. The total includes Brooks' original donation along with an extra $500,000 in punitive damages.

Brooks made the donation to Integris Health – the largest health care system in Oklahoma – in 2005. According to the lawsuit, Brooks made a verbal deal with James Moore, the president of the company, to have a women's center named after his mother, but Moore insisted that no promises were made.

Photos: Random Notes

Hardy Watkins, vice president of marketing and communications for Integris, claimed that they had tried to return Brooks' $500,000 – which he had sent as an anonymous donation – after the lawsuit was filed, but the singer turned it down. Integris had not offered to return the money before the suit because they had hoped to reach an agreement with Brooks.

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Garth Brooks Awarded $1 Million from Hospital

Garth Brooks performs at the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Morgan Freeman.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI

An Oklahoma jury has awarded Garth Brooks $1 million, saying that a hospital company defrauded the country star by accepting a $500,000 donation and failing to honor his request to name a building after his late mother. The total includes Brooks' original donation along with an extra $500,000 in punitive damages.

Brooks made the donation to Integris Health – the largest health care system in Oklahoma – in 2005. According to the lawsuit, Brooks made a verbal deal with James Moore, the president of the company, to have a women's center named after his mother, but Moore insisted that no promises were made.

Photos: Random Notes

Hardy Watkins, vice president of marketing and communications for Integris, claimed that they had tried to return Brooks' $500,000 – which he had sent as an anonymous donation – after the lawsuit was filed, but the singer turned it down. Integris had not offered to return the money before the suit because they had hoped to reach an agreement with Brooks.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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