Saturday, August 14, 2004

Vote for Change Tour

Steve Earle has two new songs that you may not hear anywhere but NPR these days. The songs, The Revolution Starts Here and Rich Man's War, are about the problems that the Bush misadministration has caused this country. While some have derided Earle as a convicted fellon and former drug user (yes virginia he is both), Earle is far alone. Mike Mills and Michael Stipe from R.E.M. (who have quietly supported liberal and progressive causes for years) have been on several television and radio shows promoting the Vote For Change tour. This tour which officially begins in October, when R.E.M. will hit several electoral battleground states with other concerned socially progressive musicians like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Dave Matthews, James Taylor, Pearl Jam, the Dixie Chicks, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and younger punk and post-punk bands, in an attempt to help convince the public to vote Bush out of the office that he stole thanks to his friends in the supreme court.

Diverse acts have become involved in this effort to oust Bush: John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival has released a new antiwar song, Déjà vu (All Over Again) that's getting some decent airplay for a song written by someone who has been mostly ignored since his solo record Centerfield. Funk-pop master Prince has used the web to quietly release, The United States of Division, a song critical of the current "leadership." Prince, Fogerty, and others join forces with groups like the Beastie Boys (who have been active in the Tibetan freedom movement), R.E.M., Mellencamp (who has been active in farm aid and working class issues), and Ani DiFranco (active in a variety of social and political causes). All of these musicians have contributed antiwar songs to the effort to oust Bush via political music.

This sort of musical social movement is not new. There have been plenty of politically motivated benefits over the years. Beginning with the conerts for Bangladesh and No Nukes concerts of the 1970s, Live Aid (in a couple of incarnations)in the 1980s, Farm Aid since the 1980s, among numerous political efforts such as the Freedom of Choice efforts organized by Karl Mueller of Soul Asylum and anti-corporate concerts from bands like Bikini Kill and the No Rock Stars record label. Several punk and post-punk bands out of the Washington, D.C. area were also involved in politics. And, of course, there have been a handfull of progressive musicians who have run for political office such as Pat Dinzio of The Smithereens.

Much like the Dixie Chicks, who had the courage to say that they were embarassed that Bush was from Texas, -- have they taken a good look around Texas -- these artists are willing to risk alienating a portion of their potential fan and concert base. Will former fans be able to make a dent in the sales and concert grosses for these acts? Only time will tell. However, a larger issue is at stake here. Is there damage to freedom of speech and artistic expression if a chill is sent through the musical communities that lead artists to censor themselves out of fear of political damage?

There have been two well received CDs targeting Bush specifically: Rock Against Bush Volumes 1 and 2. As has been noted by a few commentators, several bands such as Radiohead and NOFX have named their records in order to promote anti-Bush political views. Radiohead named their most recent record Hail to the Thief (about the Florida debacle). NOFX created an uncompromising song and video titled Idiot Son of An... (you can guess), clearly they are not happy either about the state of American politics.

This is not to say that there are not musicians who are supporting Bush. Several country acts and, of course, right wing activist Ted Nugent are out supporting the Bush-Cheney ticket. But when several musicians from such diverse backgrounds come together to fight a politician, surely it should at least attract some attention and make their fans think. Lets also hope it motivates them to do something else too: vote.

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