American Band Stands

By John Malkin, AlterNet. Posted July 30, 2004.

"If every Deadhead in the state of Florida had voted in the last election, it would be a very different world today," reflects Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.

Weir, of course, is referring to Bush's slim 537-vote margin of victory in Florida in the 2000 election. And his point is applicable not only to Deadheads but punk rockers, folkies, indie rockers, hip-hop heads, and metal heads.

Indeed, the ballot boxes should expect a collective punch this November from America's youngsters, who are currently being educated and inspired to vote by hundreds of bands across genres – from the Dead to the Dixie Chicks, NOFX to Death Cab For Cutie – with the help of dozens of supporting organizations. If all goes as planned, more 18- to 30-year-olds will turn out to vote in November than ever before.

Recording artist Moby, who has worked with Rock the Vote, MoveOn.org and many other progressive organizations involved in getting out the vote, takes the pragmatic view: “It's important for everyone to vote and be involved in the political process. Democracy only functions when people participate, obviously.”

If participation is what’s key, then for many organizations, getting the coveted youth demographic involved is job one. "Voting is the new not-voting," says Damian Kulash, singer and guitarist with OK GO, the band that toured with Ira Glass for live performances of the radio show "This American Life." "The disaffected non-involvement that so many of us have been a part of needs to stop. It has stopped."

A variety of groups have been created to help musicians and organizers reach out to young music fans and encourage them to participate in social change through voting.

Music For America is a coalition of musicians, tour coordinators and band managers hoping to get one million new youth voters to vote this November. MFA postcards distributed at concerts remind fans that in the 2000 election, of 27 million eligible voters under age 25, only 10 million voted and in six different swing states the election was decided by less than 10,000 votes.

MFA has joined a wide range of artists and youth political organizations to form the Involver Alliance. The Seattle-based band Death Cab For Cutie is part of the alliance and bassist Nick Harmer says voter registration is available at every concert. But the band won’t tell its fans who to vote for, says Harmer. "Don't listen to us, listen to the BBC!” he says. “We encourage people at our shows to ask questions, go after information and figure out things for themselves."

Jehmu Greene, President of Rock the Vote, cuts to the chase. "This is the most important election my generation has faced. We face the same issues all across the country: healthcare, insurance, the job situation and seeing our friends and family on the frontlines in Iraq." RTV has been pushing voter registration since 1990, with help from MTV and corporate sponsors like Sunkist, Motorola and Ben and Jerry's.

Rock the Vote has worked with the National Council of La Raza, Americans for Healthcare and Native American tribes and has launched a 2004 national bus tour that will travel with bands like the Dixie Chicks, Lenny Kravitz and Erykah Badu to register voters. In July and August the RTV bus will tag along with The Dave Matthews Band on its tour and visit college campuses.

"This generation has the opportunity to rule the nation," says Greene.

During a break from registering voters at the Warped Tour in San Francisco on July 3, 24-year-old Amy Dials, Washington State coordinator for Music for America, echoes Greene's optimism; "If we did vote, we could sway this election." Dials estimates that 150-300 youth register to vote each day at the booth staffed by MFA and PunkVoter volunteers, while bands like Bad Religion, NOFX and Anti-Flag play to crowds of up to 18,000.

"We want to make it punk to vote," declared Brian Baker, guitarist with Bad Religion, which just released a new album, The Empire Strikes First.

PunkVoter was created in early 2001 by Fat Mike, (Mike Burkett) bassist and vocalist with NOFX. "I was upset about the 2000 Presidential election. I thought that Florida was rigged," states Mike. "I figured I had to use my connections and celebrity to get other bands and kids involved in the upcoming election. "

Fat Mike has also created the Bush Administration Retirement Fund Political Action Committee, or BARF PAC. He believes that abortion and the Iraq war are the most important issues facing youth today. "Abortion will probably be made illegal if George Bush wins. And we don't have enough troops in the Middle East and they are going to have to reinstate the draft," he predicts somberly.

John Malkin is a journalist and musician who hosts a weekly program on Free Radio Santa Cruz.

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