Bono, Gavin Friday, Laurie Anderson To Play Carnegie Hall For (Red)
(Red), as you may be aware, is the largest private-sector contributor to The Global Fund, dedicated to eradicating AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in Africa. (Red)Nights is the organization’s star-studded series of fund-raising concerts, such as Brandi Carlile’s show tomorrow night at Chicago’s House of Blues. (Red)Nights’ October 4 lineup at Carnegie Hall, though, is…
Discrimination And Health Reform
A new HealthReform.gov report indicates that in 33 states a 22-year-old woman can be charged 50% more for a 22-year-old man’s equivalent premium. Which hits home for this particular 22-year-old woman residing in one of the states allowing such discrimination. This inequality is based on more than gender, of course. Age and health conditions also…
What Would Norman Borlaug (1914-2009) Do?
Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Prize-winning agronomist whose innovations in crop yield forever changed the field of agriculture, died in Dallas, Texas, on September 12. He was 95, humble till the end, and, above all else, a life-long exemplar of the moral rigor behind the so-called Green Revolution. Although his work saved up to a billion…
Interview: Vodou Priestess Sallie Glassman
New Orleans vodou priestess Sallie Glassman has been working tirelessly since Hurricane Katrina to ensure that the city’s unique cultural and religious legacies weren’t washed away. On October 30 her New Orleans Hope and Heritage Project presents the Anba Dlo festival, which will rock the burgeoning St. Claude Avenue Arts District. The fest’s main event…
A City Serene Needs Your Help Following Accident
Until a few days ago I’d never heard of the San Diego-based screamo band A City Serene. Sadly, it took a tragic car accident during the young (the oldest member is twenty) sextet’s first tour to get them more attention. Traveling in a converted church bus, the band was struck head-on when a pickup truck…
Wilson’s Son Defends Father’s Outburst
Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst during the President’s healthcare speech has put him in hot water. He was obviously disrespectful but some, such as President Jimmy Carter, point to racism as a motivator. Wilson’s son, Alan, disagrees: “It’s unfortunate people make that jump. People can disagree — and appropriately disagree — on issues of substance,…
Bonerama, Umphrey’s McGee Deliver Added Value
Quite possibly inspired by drummer Josh Freese’s now-legendary tiered album price packages, which ranged from a thank-you phone call ($50) to the opportunity to “take shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from TOOL’s Lamborgini” ($75,000), other bands are figuring out new and exciting ways to give fans ye olde added value. As part of the…
Juanes Peace Concert Draws Hundreds Of Thousands To Havana
More than 700,000 people showed up for Colombian singer Juanes’s somewhat controversial five-hour Concert for Peace in Havana’s Revolution Square yesterday. So far I’ve only had a chance to catch up with X Alfonso’s wonderful cover of Michael Jackson’s “Black Or White” (complete with rocking children’s chorus) and equally thrilling “Revolucíon.” Puerto Rico’s Olga Tañon…
Max And The Marginalized: ‘What Is It We’re Doing There Again?’
This blog’s former editor, Max Bernstein, has written, performed, and videoed a great rock protest number called “What Is It We’re Doing There Again?” And by “there” he means Afghanistan. We asked Max to tell us about how he came to be a political rocker: I started Max and the Marginalized in October of 2007…