Music can change the world.
I may be the luckiest woman in Manhattan. I ran the HeadCount table at historic Irving Plaza, located on picturesque Irving Place off Union Square, representing HeadCount many times over the last 2 years. I saw amazing acts like Bad Religion, Twiddle, Greensky Bluegrass and Disco Biscuits up close and personal in this casual, intimate, general admission 1,025 person venue.
Even better, I wasn’t alone. I was with the coolest people in town. HeadCount has the BEST volunteers and getting to know them personally and bring them closer to the organization is one of my favorite responsibilities as a HeadCount Team Leader. HeadCount volunteers are uniquely passionate and well informed about both great music and current events; plus they care deeply about our nation and our world. You want to meet these people.
The Irving Plaza team are gracious hosts and always welcome us with open arms and hook us up with a great table location where we can easily reach lots of people and see/hear/dance to amazing music. Meeting the crowd, who are always super amped-up for the show, is a blast. It’s so rewarding to chat with music fans from all over the world and introduce them to HeadCount and our mission.
A favorite recent memory - Tim Bramlette (from HeadCount's NYC office) and I met a tough, hard-core-loving New Yorker at Bad Religion/Against Me! in October who shared that he had never voted until this election. He said he was choosing to vote this year because he now has a young son and he hoped to set a positive example for his son of active participation in our nation’s democratic process. It made me feel like a million dollars to support him in that honorable mission. Through my work at HeadCount I have the opportunity to change peoples lives, inside and outside of HeadCount, for the better.
As I said in the beginning of this blog post, music can change the world. I know it’s true because I have seen it with my own eyes. Can you imagine the anti-Vietnam movement without protest songs? Music has been an integral part of civil disobedience and societal change since the creation of our democracy. Regardless of your personal views on our recent Presidential election, I think we can all agree that the United States is in crisis and that we all want to see change. Many friends and family members have expressed to me in these last two weeks their wish to help, to make a difference. But, it’s hard to know how to help or where to start. I invite you to start with us. Get to know HeadCount and spend a little time with us. HeadCount has been and will continue to be a force for positive change. Come join us and be a part of it.