Producer and engineer Will Yip has launched a huge raffle of gear, merch, records, and more in response to the wave of anti-Asian racism and violence in the U.S., with all proceeds going to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Fund.
Fans can buy raffle tickets for chances to win three grand-prize lots full of items like mint-condition Fender guitars and Zildjian drums, along with vinyl records, merch items, test pressings, lyric sheets, and more from some of the many punk, emo, and indie rock acts that Yip has produced or engineered (as well as other friends and colleagues in the music business).
Among the artists with items in the prize lots are Japanese Breakfast, Mannequin Pussy, Code Orange, Title Fight, Turnstile, Tigers Jaw, La Dispute, Bartees Strange, and many more. Record labels such as Relapse, Roadrunner, Secretly Group, Epitaph, and Run for Cover also contributed items to the raffle. Each prize lot also includes a one-on-one Q&A with Yip.
“The growing racism and violence against Asians in America have been horrific,” the producer said in a statement. “It’s been even more apparent as of late. We need to come together and stand up for one another and keep each other safe. I’m very grateful for the community of artists, instrument makers, record labels, and brands who stand with me in fighting for the rights of AAPI.”
On top of the raffle, Yip’s fundraiser also includes three separate eBay auctions: one for a snare drum signed by Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg, one for a Fender Stratocaster designed by the band Nothing, and one for Yip’s own custom drum kit.
In a longer statement posted to Twitter, Yip wrote about his parents’ experience emigrating from China in the Seventies. “My parents… made it to America with just the clothes on their back in hopes of a better life and better opportunities for their children,” he wrote. “This is the same dream all of our ancestors in this country had. They all just wanted a chance to do better, for their future generations to do better. Instead, we live in a world where the color of your skin still dictates so much.”
He also shared his own early experiences in the music business. “Personally, getting into the ‘rock music’ scene that’s dominated by white males as a Chinese kid wasn’t easy. No one wanted to make music with a Chinese kid because I didn’t look like what their rock idols looked like. But I was lucky. My parents always taught me to have thick skin. I always felt like I had to work five times harder to get what I wanted though. I want it easier for any Asian and POC in the future, it has to be.”
Enter the raffle here, and read more about how to stand against anti-Asian racism here.Producer and engineer Will Yip has launched a huge raffle of gear, merch, records, and more in response to the wave of anti-Asian racism and violence in the U.S., with all proceeds going to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Fund.
Fans can buy raffle tickets for chances to win three grand-prize lots full of items like mint-condition Fender guitars and Zildjian drums, along with vinyl records, merch items, test pressings, lyric sheets, and more from some of the many punk, emo, and indie rock acts that Yip has produced or engineered (as well as other friends and colleagues in the music business).
Among the artists with items in the prize lots are Japanese Breakfast, Mannequin Pussy, Code Orange, Title Fight, Turnstile, Tigers Jaw, La Dispute, Bartees Strange, and many more. Record labels such as Relapse, Roadrunner, Secretly Group, Epitaph, and Run for Cover also contributed items to the raffle. Each prize lot also includes a one-on-one Q&A with Yip.
“The growing racism and violence against Asians in America have been horrific,” the producer said in a statement. “It’s been even more apparent as of late. We need to come together and stand up for one another and keep each other safe. I’m very grateful for the community of artists, instrument makers, record labels, and brands who stand with me in fighting for the rights of AAPI.”
On top of the raffle, Yip’s fundraiser also includes three separate eBay auctions: one for a snare drum signed by Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg, one for a Fender Stratocaster designed by the band Nothing, and one for Yip’s own custom drum kit.
In a longer statement posted to Twitter, Yip wrote about his parents’ experience emigrating from China in the Seventies. “My parents… made it to America with just the clothes on their back in hopes of a better life and better opportunities for their children,” he wrote. “This is the same dream all of our ancestors in this country had. They all just wanted a chance to do better, for their future generations to do better. Instead, we live in a world where the color of your skin still dictates so much.”
He also shared his own early experiences in the music business. “Personally, getting into the ‘rock music’ scene that’s dominated by white males as a Chinese kid wasn’t easy. No one wanted to make music with a Chinese kid because I didn’t look like what their rock idols looked like. But I was lucky. My parents always taught me to have thick skin. I always felt like I had to work five times harder to get what I wanted though. I want it easier for any Asian and POC in the future, it has to be.”
Enter the raffle here, and read more about how to stand against anti-Asian racism here.
#StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/tC2rp489if
— Will Yip (@willyipmusic) March 25, 2021
Sharleen Spiteri joined BBC Radio 2’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show ahead of Texas taking the stage to launch the main live music programme at Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.
Checking in from rehearsals, the Texas frontwoman spoke about getting ready for the band’s opening performance at City Park. Radio 2’s annual flagship festival takes place there from 11 to 13 September 2026. "I’m match fit because I’ve had a couple of days’ rehearsals," Spiteri said. "We’re kicking the whole weekend off, which we’re very much looking forward to, so everybody’s got to get ready to party."
Before the live acts take over, Friday’s DJ Pre-Party gets the weekend started with Radio 2 favourites Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Gary Davies, Michelle Visage, and Rylan behind the decks.
Jo Whiley helped set the mood with a special programme from Stirling’s Tolbooth venue. Working with BBC Introducing Scotland, the broadcast put the spotlight on Scotland’s emerging music scene through performances and conversations with Fright Years, Alice Faye, and James Emmanuel.
Fright Years, a four member band from Edinburgh, played "Never Been Wrong" and offered their take on Simple Minds’ "Waterfront." Glasgow singer and songwriter Alice Faye, the BBC Introducing in Scotland 2026 winner, paired "Some Brief Encounter" with a rendition of Lulu’s arrangement of "I Started a Joke." James Emmanuel, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in Edinburgh, sang "Brothers & Sisters" before taking on Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman."
"We’re all about celebrating BBC Introducing and all the music that’s come out of Scotland," Whiley told listeners. "It's about celebrating the local music scene and the incredibly important work that BBC Introducing does to support independent, up-and-coming artists."
Joining the conversation were Stephanie Cheape, presenter of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Tara McLoughlin, venue manager for Stirling Council, and student radio presenters representing the University of Stirling’s Air3 Radio.
Listeners can catch the complete interviews and live performances from the weekend’s programmes on BBC Sounds.
