People

Zac Hanson is giving back this Veterans Day.

The Hanson musician, 38, is offering a “fully produced,” custom song to the winning bidder of his listing in the third annual 12 Drummers Drumming charity auction presented by Raven Drum Foundation, benefiting veterans, first responders and other trauma survivors.

Of partnering with the foundation and the message behind the auction, Zac tells PEOPLE, “I don’t want people to just give money. It’s not just about an exchange. I love the idea that it would connect people as well, what gets sold or auctioned.”

“In the past, I’ve done things like art, and that’s a part of me that I give to somebody. It’s not just a signed object, but it’s a created object,” he continues. “There’s a humanity shared. We’re both people, and I’ve touched this and you can see the fingerprints. The idea of giving a song, I think, is really taking that even one step further.”

“There’s nothing more that I could give than my own creative inspiration to you as a person. That’s a way of connecting,” Zac adds.

Zac Hanson.

JONATHAN WEINER

Aside from a song from Zac, participants in the auction can bid on items like an autographed guitar from Taylor Swift, a bass signed by Nikki Sixx and a guitar illustrated and signed by Dave Matthews. Newly announced auction offerings include from the Police’s Stewart Copeland, the Bee Gees‘ Barry Gibb, the Rolling Stones‘ Steve Jordan, Rick Springfield, Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres and more.

Sixx, 64, said in a statement, “I’m happy to support Raven Drum’s mission by donating one of my signature bass guitars, along with a few other items, including a scarf worn on stage with Mötley Crüe, some signed books and my custom picks.”

Earlier this year, Zac was one of several musicians who attended a drum-circle gathering at Guns N’ Roses member Matt Sorum‘s GoodNoise Studio in Palm Springs, California, honoring veterans, first responders and trauma survivors.

He tells PEOPLE that he was honored to “actually get to be a part of one of the drum circles with everyone and talking to veterans and just saying, ‘Being here together, your presence here is really healing and helpful to me to be connected to someone.’ “

“In so many ways, this idea of trauma is you are othered through this experience of something that is inhuman, right? Whatever it is,” Zac adds. “I don’t even know how to connect with the world anymore. And then you stand in a room and you all play the same thing. You all move together in an order.”

Rolling Stone UK

Busted and Ed Sheeran perform live (Picture: YouTube)

Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at London’s O2 to join Busted for a performance of their 2004 hit “Who’s David.” The English pop-punk group, who is currently on their 20th anniversary tour with Hanson as support, invited Sheeran onstage midway through their set, where he joined in on vocals and guitar.

Busted also joined forces with Hanson for ‘MMMBop’ and ‘Sleeping With The Light On’ during the show. Earlier this year the two bands released a new version of ‘MMMBop,’ Hanson’s ’90s single, titled ‘MMMBop 2.0.’

Sheeran has been making the round as he supports his new LP, Autumn Variations, which was released last month. Along with the LP, the singer dropped a live bonus album, Autumn Variations (Fan Living Room Sessions), which features recordings of him doing surprise performances of his newest songs in his fans’ homes.

The album marked his second offering of the year, following – (a.k.a. ‘Subtract’), which was released back in May. Autumn Variations sees Sheeran and producer Aaron Dessner expanding on their collaborative power together, as the two worked solely together on Sheeran’s latest, save for one track they made with Dessner’s brother Bryce. This album is Sheeran’s first to be released on his own imprint, Gingerbread Man Records.

A portion of the proceeds from both Variations and the Fan Living Room Sessions version will go to Save the Music. The live living room videos will be the only ones offered for this album cycle, as Sheeran has said he wanted to forego the usual big rollouts he’s used to.

Busted, who are better known in the U.K. than in the U.S., recently kicked off an arena tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary as group.

“We may not have been together for a lot of the last 20 years, but when we do come back together, the thing that has really been a factor in allowing us to return is that our songs have been there and held their place, even when we haven’t been performing,” band member Matt Willis told Rolling Stone UK in March. “That’s the thing, our songs can do their thing when we’re not a band. The plane flies when we’re not flying. But now, we’re back and we can’t wait.”