Surprise Phish Festival 8 Soundcheck
In addition to a couple of jams, “Undermind,” the forthcoming Party Time track “Liquid Time,” and a Trey Anastasio Band song (“Gone”), Phish performed songs by MGMT (“Kids”) and Yes (“Star Trooper”) during their surprise Thursday soundcheck prior to Festival 8, suggesting that neither the former Oracular Spectacular nor the latter’s The Yes Album during…
Georgia Theatre Rehabilitation Fund Seeks Donations
The Athens Theatre, host to countless shows by HeadCount-affiliated artists, burned down on June 19. Now the theater’s owners have partnered with the Georgia Trust to establish a fund dedicated to restoring the historic theater. Tax-deductible donations to the Georgia Theatre Rehabilitation Fund may be made to the Georgia Trust. Wilmot Green, the theater’s owner,…
O.A.R. Supports Troops With Open Arms And Minds
“War Song” by O.A.R. from IAVA on Vimeo. O.A.R. has long supported our men and women in the military. It’s a bit of a twist for a band wildly popular with the carefree college party crowd both literally and figuratively distant from the armed forces. The contrast in lifestyles and socioeconomic backgrounds, speaking generally, could…
Get Free Phish Food, Win Pollock Art At Festival 8
If you fancy yourself an “a-Phish-ionado,” or an expert on current events, you’ll have a chance to prove it at Festival 8. Just stop by the HeadCount tent and play “Reality Check,” our music and political trivia game show. The Grand Prize winner gets a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork by Phish poster artist Jim Pollock….
Brooklyn Bowl Takes The LEED In Sustainable Entertainment
Three thousand fifty-eight buildings of all shapes, sizes, designs, and purposes have have met the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for environmentally sustainable construction since 1994. But the country’s first live music venue – and bowling alley! – got the nod earlier this month when Brooklyn Bowl was LEED certified by the…
Farm Sanctuary Scores Two Victories For Farm Animals
HeadCount is all about kick-ass grassroots democracy, so we’re delighted to report two legislative victories pushed through by Farm Sanctuary, the nonprofit founded in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming. This month California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill banning dairy-cow tail docking, thereby terminating this painful and unnecessary practice (Learn why tail…
Interview: Bruce Hornsby Rises Again
Pianist-bandleader Bruce Hornsby is the only Grammy-winning pop musician to also serve as the Grateful Dead’s utility keyboardist. Hornsby’s last few albums testify to his relentless musical exploration and comfort-zone avoidance. In 2007 he released Camp Meeting with jazz drummer Jack Dejohnette and bassist Christian McBride. Last year he released Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby…
R.E.M., Pearl Jam Among Acts Filing FOIA Requests Regarding Gitmo Music Abuse
Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and the Roots are among a coalition of musical headliners pressing the government to find out if their music was used to coerce or punish prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, according to published news reports. “The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me,” said Rage…
RatDog, The President, And The Party
There’s an old bumper sticker that says, “Who are the Grateful Dead and why do they keep following me?” Someone should stick one on the presidential motorcade, because it seems that Barack Obama and Bob Weir are constantly under the same roof. Bob has visited the White House twice this year, played the inauguration, and…
The Stats Are In: You Voted
When you register someone to vote at a concert, you really have no idea if he or she will actually make it to the polls on Election Day. Let’s face it, over the years we’ve registered a fair number of people who never thought much about politics until a musician said something from stage. And…