Wilco, Green Day Single Out ‘Vinyl Day’
A natural follow-up to the popular “Record Store Day,” tomorrow is “Vinyl Saturday.” Artists such as Wilco and Green Day have released limited edition 7-inch singles on vinyl, feeding an emerging niche of fans and collectors. Some recent 7-inch releases have hit the $30-$50 mark on ebay, according to the Houston Chronicle Wilco’s single features…
Settling: Ohio Agrees to Change Election Practices
In 2004, Ohio became the new Florida. Secretary of State Ken Blackwell became the most reviled figure in the election reform movement long before election day, when he attempted to nullify tens of thousands of voter registration forms based on technicalities. When the results of the election came down to Ohio late at night, reports…
Andrew Bird and the ‘Beast’
Andrew Bird, currently on tour, resembles the hip science teacher you might have been lucky enough to have in high school. He’s the kind of guy who knows how the gears of economics and politics mesh with the the natural world, and he’s nice enough to clue you into these mysteries without making you feel…
The Chartreuse of Civil Disobedience in Iran
This post commemorates the millions of Iranians who have taken to the streets in the spirit of Mohandas Gandhi’s satyagraha and Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful rebellion. The protesters mostly wear the lime-green chartreuse color (it’s a real “clash” of opinions) associated with presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. On Monday, at a rally in Azadi (Freedom)…
Congratulations Josh Gelfand, Winner of First HeadCount Reality Check at Bonnaroo
Nine straight wins. That’s what it took to win Reality Check, HeadCount’s music and politics trivia game show. After four days of competition, a disputed answer (was “Ernest” – rather than Ernesto – acceptable as Trey Anastasio’s correct legal name?), and a final tournament that attracted a throng of contestants and observers, San Diego’s Josh…
Food Stamps and Green Carts
Why shouldn’t low-income families have access to fresh, local, and sustainably grown foods? Regardless of your opinions about the federal Food Stamp Program in general, the fact remains: The government gives low-income families and individuals assistance in the form of taxpayer-funded programs like Food Stamps. Why, then, shouldn’t the recipients of these programs have the…
Paul McCartney Family Advocates Meatless Mondays
Tired: Fish on Fridays. Wired: Meatless Mondays. Today noted vegetarian Sir Paul McCartney, along with his daughters Stella and Mary, launched a new Meat Free Monday campaign to extol the environmental, health, political, socioeconomic, and spiritual virtues of reducing our collective intake of bird, fish, and animal flesh. The livestock industry is reportedly responsible for…
‘Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love’
Documentaries about non-Western musicians can sometimes frustrate English-speaking viewers by leaving them wondering what singers are actually saying in their lyrics. But producer/director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi clarifies things nicely in her scrappy new doc about the politically passionate Senegalese superstar, Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love. All the singer-composer-bandleader’s French and Wolof lyrics are…
Bob Weir on the Fund-Raising Trail
HeadCount board member Bob Weir has been known to take a break from RatDog and his occasional reunion tours with his former Grateful Dead bandmates to play the occasional house concert. Most recently these have consisted of fund-raising events for his favorite politicians. On June 20, for example, you can enjoy a “summertime BBQ and…
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani Breaks Judicial Ground
On June 9, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Guantanamo detainee specifically mentioned by President Obama as suitable to be tried in the civilian court system, pleaded not guilty in a federal district court in Manhattan. Ghailani is being held at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center. In a well-publicized speech on May 20, President Obama criticized the…