And the Winners Are...
In a heavily contested election, HeadCount figured that contests were a fitting way to encourage even greater participation. We offered up trips on Jam Cruise, VIP tickets to Bonnaroo and a dream Disco Biscuits ticket package as part of various incentive programs.
Congratulations to Billie Reese, winner of a trip for two on Jam Cruise 7 as part of the "Push the Button" contest. Billie pushed the HeadCount "Register to Vote Button" onto Ebay pages and radio station websites, and registered more new voters than any other contestant in the process. She and her husband will enjoy an all-expense paid trip and a private cabin on Jam Cruise 7.
Alex Byrne came in second place, and will win two tickets to each and every Disco Biscuits New Year's run show and after-show, plus the chance to write a song in the studio with HeadCount co-chair Marc Brownstein (special thanks to Mixed Bag Productions for providing this prize).
Also, we would like to congratulate Stephanie Kariotakis, winner of the2009 VIP Bonnaroo tickets drawing.
We would like to commend and thank everyone who participated in these contests, particularly the very challenging Push the Button contest. The winners were extremely proactive in pushing the Register to Vote button onto radio station websites and other high-traffic media. They faced stiff competition and the prizes were awarded only after careful analysis as to which contestants actually created the most new voter registrations. Over 1,500 people entered the contest, and an elite half-dozen clearly competed very hard. We thank you and note your contribution to the cause.
And very special thanks to Jam Cruise, The Disco Biscuits and Mixed Bag Productions for providing these very special prizes.
A Little Help from our Friends
With voter registration deadlines fast approaching (the deadline is today in nearly half of U.S. states), HeadCount has been hitting the airwaves with radio Public Service Announcements from a long list of partner artists: Jack Johnson, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), Marc Roberge (O.A.R.) and The Indigo Girls recorded radio commercials aimed at reminding people to register and vote. They join longtime supporters Bob Weir and Warren Haynes, and HeadCount co-chair Marc Brownstein, who also contributed PSAs to HeadCount's efforts.
You can listen to these spots on our multi-media page.
I Vote, You Vote
Today HeadCount unveiled another to way get involved and help your friends vote in November. It's called I Vote You Vote. All you have to do is click HERE, enter in the email address of your friends and family who might not be registered, select a tone of voice and then let us handle the rest. We'll send emails and text messages - under your name - with reminders to register, learn about the important issues and turnout. Just asking someone to vote can make all the difference this year. Special thanks to our friends at American Democracy Institute for developing this fantastic platform and sharing it with HeadCount as well as other nonpartisan voter mobilization groups.
A Great Loss
HeadCount extends its deepest condolences to the family of Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore, who passed away on Tuesday. Moore, 46, was injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident in June and was to begin a rehabilitation program when complications forced him back into the hospital. Moore and all members of Dave Matthews Band have been generous supporters of HeadCount since our inception. We mourn this loss with, and express sympathies to, our many friends and volunteers who are members of the extended Dave Matthews Band family.
HeadCount Teams Up With CNN, Virgin
HeadCount has teamed up with CNN's League of First Time Voters initiative to film questions from attendees at the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore, MD on Aug. 9th and 10th. Questions have a chance to be answered on "Campbell Brown's CNN's Election Center" at 8PM ET weeknights by various newsmakers including CNN's on-air talent politicians and even a celebrity or two. Come ask your questions on camera at our tent at the Virgin Festval. Talk about government, politics, or just about anything related to the upcoming election. If you want to ask your question before the festival, go to iReport.com/League90-Day Voter Challenge
It's less than three months until the voter registration deadlines. With that in mind, HeadCount teamed up with eight corporate partners to kick off the "90-Day Voter Challenge" on July 4th. Virgin Mobile, Spin Magazine, eMusic, imeem, Musictoday, Jambase, CMJ and Sexypolitics.com have all gotten behind voter registration by placing register to vote links on their websites while also staging promotions around these efforts. Look for interviews with HeadCount artists and other voter-related content on Spin.com. Stop by our tent at the Virgin Mobile Festival (Aug. 9-10 in Baltimore) and ask a question that might appear on CNN primetime. Check out our new player on imeem.com. Get discounts from eMusic and MusicToday by pledging to vote. We applaud all these partners for putting their time, resources and assets behind HeadCount and our cause.
Bela and free DVDs at High Sierra; Autographed Print Raffle at Rothbury
Grammy winner Bela Fleck will be performing a special "HeadCount Acoustic Set" at High Sierra Music Festival on the PlayShop stage at 3:00PM on Thursday July 3rd. Join us for this occasion as Bela plays and chats in an intimate setting. Also, stop by the HeadCount table at High Sierra to pick up a free DVD featuring the documentary "A Call to Action" and special live bonus tracks by The Allman Brothers Band, moe., The Disco Biscuits, Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams and Gomez.
At Rothbury , we will be holding a FREE raffle to give away prints and posters signed by the top artists at the festival. Stop by the HeadCount table at the "Energy Fair" and sign a Pledge to Vote to enter. Also come by and pick up a free HeadCount beach ball - but there's a catch... you have to be able to name your congressional representative to get one.
Free DVDs at Bonnaroo
HeadCount has produced a limited number of DVDs and will be giving them away at select festivals this summer, starting with Bonnaroo. The DVD features the documentary “A Call to Action” and bonus live video tracks from The Allman Brothers Band, moe., The Disco Biscuits, Umphrey’s McGee, Keller Williams and Gomez. The moe. and Disco Biscuits tracks are never-before-released archival gems from the 2000 and 1999 Gathering of the Vibes festivals, respectively. Also appearing in the “A Call to Action” documentary are Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews, Warren Haynes, O.A.R., Bela Fleck, John Medeski, and many others. All you need to do is stop by the HeadCount table and sign a “Pledge to Vote,” and the DVD is yours for free. They will be available at Bonnaroo, High Sierra, All Good Music Festival, Camp Bisco, and select other events throughout the summer.
Festivals, Finally!
For the last three years, HeadCount has been steadily growing as an organization in preparation for registering voters at a number of events in the summer 2008 concert season. Now time to put our plans into action, as we officially kick off the season with no fewer than eight festivals over Memorial Day Weekend.
Look for our volunteers at Summer Camp (Illinois), Sasquatch (Washington), Jam on the River (Pennsylvania), DelFest (Maryland), Dessert Rocks (Utah), AmJam (North Carolina), Amberland (Georgia) and Hookahville (Ohio). Memorial Day weekend also will feature two “Cents for Sense” concerts in Oregon featuring Michael Franti & Spearhead, where 50 cents from the sale of each ticket will be donated to HeadCount.
If you would like to join HeadCount at other festivals or concerts, it’s not too late. Just sign up as a volunteer if you have not yet. Or, if you’re already registered as a volunteer, LOG IN and choose from hundreds of other events. We’ll be on tour this summer with Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, John Mayer, O.A.R., Bob Weir & RatDog, The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, and Sound Tribe Sector Nine/Umphrey’s McGree. And we’ll be at more than 25 festivals. Check our events schedule and be sure to sign up now. Note that volunteers who register voters at multiple local events receive priority for slots at festivals or with our major touring bands.
HeadCount Welcomes New Friends: Pearl Jam, John Mayer, My Morning Jacket and Others
In the spirit of reaching the greatest possible number of new voters, we've expanded our musical horizons by adding Pearl Jam, John Mayer, My Morning Jacket, Ani DiFranco, Megadeth and Colin Meloy of the Decemberists to our all-star list of HeadCount affiliated artists.
We will stage a voter registration campaign at every Pearl Jam concert on their U.S. tour in June, and be at every John Mayer performance in the month of July. We already can be found at Ani DiFranco, Colin Meloy and Megadeth shows.
HeadCount Documentary Released
We are proud to announce the release of "A Call to Action," a documentary about HeadCount and activist sprit that is thriving within the live music community. It is now available for viewing on iClips by clicking HERE
Bob Weir plays HeadCount Event
HeadCount hosted a private reception with featured Guest Bob Weir at a stately residence in Washington D.C. on the evening of Monday, April 7th. Bob spent the night signing autographs and discussing politics and youth voting with a long list of guests including three members of Congress, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, FCC commisioner Jonathan Adelstein and several other well known Beltway V.I.Ps. The event climaxed with a sing-along lead by Weir and percussionist Jay Lane on favorite Grateful Dead staples, "Ripple" and "Not Fade Away." Bob lead off the brief performance with a passionate speech about the importance of democracy, and encouraged the audience to support HeadCount in registering young people to vote. HeadCount extends its sincere gratitude to Soroush Shehabi and Nancy Bagley, Clyde's Restaurant Group, Magic Hat, the Ratdog crew, Jay Lane, and most of all Bob Weir.
Weir On!
HeadCount board member Bob Weir will be the guest-of -honor at a HeadCount fundraiser held in a private home in Washington D.C., on the evening of Monday, April 7th. Guests in attendance will all have the chance to meet Bobby, and then be treated to a short acoustic performance by Bobby and RatDog drummer Jay Lane. Capacity for this event is extremely limited, and we therefore can only extend invitations to a small circle of our most generous supporters. If you would like more information on how to attend this event, please e-mail us at events@headcount.org.
The Best Summer Gig on Earth
HeadCount is now taking applications for Summer Touring Team Representatives who will travel from concert to concert with major HeadCount-affiliated acts such as Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson.
HeadCount and the participating artists provide a vehicle, gas, hotel, entry to the concerts, and everything else needed to stage a successful voter registration drive. Representatives will also receive $200 per week to cover other expenses.
Teams of 2-4 HeadCount representatives will attend every concert on a given tour, setting up a voter registration table at each venue and encouraging concertgoers to register to vote. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunityto spend the summer in an incredible environment on the frontlines of the youth voter movement registering thousands of voters.
For more information and to learn how to apply, click HERE.
Cents for Sense
HeadCount would like to thank The Disco Biscuits and Sound Tribe Sector 9 for kicking off the “Cents for Sense” campaign, an integrated media and fundraising campaign in which $0.50 from the sale of each ticket at designated concerts and festivals will be donated to HeadCount. Various media partners will promote each event and the voter participation message, while HeadCount will work directly with artists to ensure that the live music community is well represented at the polls. The campaign began in Januray with four Disco Biscuits concerts in Colorado and Sound Tribe Sector 9's winter tour and will run through 2008. In addition, the Mountain Jam (headlined by Gov't Mule), Gathering of the Vibes, Fox Theatre, Camp Bisco, SummerCamp (headlined by moe. and Umphrey's McGee), and many other events will participate in Cents for Sense. Boston's Ryan Montbleau Band has agreed to make every single one of their concerts a Cents for Sense event through the election.
HeadCount is very grateful to the artists, promoters, and booking agents who have made this campaign possible, as well as our media sponsors: Relix Magazine, Jambase.com, Billboard, Phantasy Tour and Voice Media.
Proceeds from Cents for Sense will help us register voters at as many as 1,000 concerts and festivals this year. Please join us in extending our gratitude to all of our supporters in the music industry.
HeadCount Benefit
Bob Weir and Warren Haynes
sign a guitar donated by
Gibson.
Co-chair Andy
Bernstein
auctioned
the
guitar at
intermission for $13,500!
Bob Weir, RatDog and special guest Warren Haynes performed a private benefit concert for HeadCount on Thursday, June 14th. About 300 lucky benefactors and friends attended this special, invitation-only event at The Canal Room in New York City.
Haynes played a rare solo acoustic set, followed by a long set of RatDog with some sit-in time by Warren. The benefit officially kicked off HeadCount's 2007-08 fundraising efforts, netting over $50,000 for the organization. This included ticket sales, program advertisements, a silent auction and sales of t-shirts and a t-shirts and a special limited edition lithograph. A guitar signed by Warren and Bob was auctioned at set break, bringing in $13,000!
"Words can not describe how incredible it was for these guys to show their support like this," said HeadCount co-chair Andy Bernstein. "Bobby and Warren have always gone the extra mile for HeadCount, but this took it to another level." He noted that events like this have a long-lasting impact on the organization because of the credibility and relationships that are built through one night of music. It also was "insanely fun," he said.
HeadCount wishes to thank everyone who made this great night possible. Including: Bob Weir and RatDog and Warren Haynes, their respective managers: John Scher, Cameron Sears, Stefani Scamardo, Jay Bau; our sponsors Michael Nierenberg and Tom Marano; hosts Steve Bernstein, Clint Brown, Billy Procida, Farid Naib, Cliff Greenberg and Brian Bornstein; and most of all, our event management team led by Jacey Anderson and Dan Berkowitz.
Preview: HeadCount Documentary
HeadCount and Concerts4Charity are proud to present a preview of the upcoming documentary, "A Call to Action." Join Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Marc Brownstein, Al Schnier, Bela Fleck and many other HeadCount supporters as they reflect upon the history of the organization, its mission and the live music scene's increased mobilization around causes.
Look out for the feature length documentary this fall.