SXSW Is/Isn’t Fucked Up
Lately I’ve been thinking about the State of the Scene. Once upon a time, a bounty of amazing improvised rock groups – or jambands, if you will – that once trekked up and down the two coasts of this great nation, but no longer. They continue to tour, of course, but now many rely on…
Murs, QD3, Kurupt Say: ‘Fill Out Your Census Form!’
For many young people, the once-a-decade occasion known as the U.S. Census is a wholly new experience. Maybe the newness of it is why young people are among the least likely to participate in the census. In a video shot at SXSW, hip-hop artists Murs, Quincy Jones III (QD3), and Kurupt worked with the League…
Bisco Power Mission Lights Up Brooklyn Bowl
It had already been quite a week for the Disco Biscuits by the time the band reached Brooklyn Bowl Sunday night for the first Bisco Power Mission benefit. On Tuesday the band released its fifth studio album, Planet Anthem, and played a show in Philadelphia. On Thursday, guitarist Jon Gutwillig injured his hand after a…
Interview: Bob Weir Part 1 – On HeadCount, Voting, And Grateful Dead Politics
Bob Weir – of the Grateful Dead, RatDog, and, most recently, Furthur – sits on HeadCount’s board of directors and has long been a vigorous advocate of voter registration and participatory democracy. Last fall, during RatDog’s four-night run at Manhattan’s historic Beacon Theater, Bob sat down with Rolling Stone‘s David Fricke to discuss HeadCount, politics…
Ten Immediate Benefits Of Health Care Reform
History was made yesterday. The House reform bill’s not perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than nothing. Here are the highlights. Via Crooks and Liars: 1. Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27th birthday 2. Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions 3. No…
Will Live Streaming Become A Flood?
Trey Anastasio. The Disco Biscuits. Umphrey’s McGee. Phil Lesh. Drive-By Truckers. STS9. The Allman Brothers Band. Heck, you could easily add yourself to this list. I’m talking about artists who’ve recently streamed shows live over the Internet, whether for a fee, free, or through a paid subscription. Is this a trend ready to take off…
Series Of Tubes For Peace
Remember in 2006, when Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) used the “series of tubes” analogy to describe the Internet and YOU were named Time magazine’s person of the year? How prescient they were. Four years later, the Internet’s “series of tubes” has now been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. An organization called Internet for Peace…
Live Blogging the SXSW HeadCount Panel
Scott Goodstein, a self-described “activist,” Daryl Friedman, and Michael Martin 12:20 PM, CST: Here I am, HeadCount’s fearless (false) former “Man on the Lot”/summer intern and current law student, waiting for HeadCount’s panel to begin here at the city Convention Center in surprisingly frigid Austin, Texas. SXSW, or “South By” as the locals call it,…
Saturday HeadCount Panel At SXSW
HeadCount Executive Director Andy Bernstein hosts a panel titled “
Lilith Returns With Official Social Cause i4c
After 11 years, the all-female Lilith Fair tour – now simply known as Lilith – has announced its first eight dates and lineups of the summer. Lilith co-founder Sarah McLachlan is the only performer who will appear at each of the tour’s 36 shows. The other 10 acts on each bill will draw from a…