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A while back, I attended the Bands Against Bush bash at the Premier on First Avenue. Punks and suburban kids were screaming loudly as former Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra attacked George Bush and his cronies. He called for young people to vote in the upcoming presidential election, telling them that if a military draft is reinstated, they will have the most to lose. The crowd seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect of registering their friends to vote in order to “unselect” George W. Bush as US President. Wannabe anarchists and teenagers supporting a voter registration drive? I had assumed that most of them would give the middle finger to anyone suggesting that our votes could make a difference in such a messed up country. But instead of cynical indifference, they cheered Biafra when he stated, “I’m all for insurrection in the streets. I was here in 1999 during the anti-WTO demonstrations. But if you really want to change things right now, you’re going to have to get out there and vote Bush’s ass out of office!”
He also made this very pertinent statement—“The USA is being flushed down the toilet by a Colin, a Bush and a Dick. No one has disrespected the victims of 9/11 more than George W. Bush and his administration.”
Punkvoter.com and Fat Wreck have released a CD compilation “Bands Against Bush—Volume I” with political songs by Anti-Flag, NOFX, Ministry, Jello Biafra with D.O.A., and many other bands. Music For America and Punkvoter.com are sponsoring tours across the country to register music fans and educate them about the importance of the 2004 election. Both organizations were founded by music fans and musicians who are very concerned about the present political state of affairs in the US. Fat Mike from NOFX testified before the Federal Elections Commission regarding new rules, which may suppress the ability of non-profits to educate the public about political issues that affect them. These groups are very serious about their mission. They want to register millions of voters and they have received a great deal of support from nationally recognized bands and donors who have helped to create these nationally based organizations and music tours.
Washington DC area punk music promoter Scott Goldstein was one of the original folks behind Punkvoter.com. He’s worked very closely with Fat Mike to educate potential voters and put on shows. Goldstein is also very troubled by attempts to change the FEC rulings in order to crack down on the government’s critics by imposing fines and even jail terms on non-profits that advocate on behalf of political issues. Fat Mike became interested in politics for the first time during the 2000 US presidential election when Bush was selected by his conservative friends on the Supreme Court. Goldstein claims that Mike had never bothered to vote before. Now the NOFX band member is leading a national voter education campaign and testifying before the FEC against proposed rulings that could affect organizations like Punkvoter.com.
“Punkvoter.com doesn’t accept any corporate funds and we are proud of that,” says Scott Goldstein. “We file our quarterly reports on contributors with the IRS. We plan to affect change while staying within the law.”
But he also points out that one of the proposals before the FEC was intended to make some of the new laws retroactive in nature, potentially harming groups who had no time to adjust to the new rulings. Scott admits that if the new rulings are adopted, people will have no choice but to lobby their elected representatives in order to have them overturned by the US Congress.
He cites the controversy over recent FCC rulings on corporate media consolidation as an example of how hundreds of thousands of emails and letters can sometimes get the attention of Congress and force them to act on behalf of the people.
Music For America has also been very successful in getting bands to participate in voter registration campaigns. Dan Droller helped to found MFA last October. He is an avid music fan who told me he loves bands and shows. He had no interest in politics until he got involved in the famous Meet Ups, which also spawned the Howard Dean presidential campaign. He describes how he and his friends would put on shows at Hell’s Kitchen and other clubs in New York. Droller and his friends formed a political action committee in New York and they campaigned for Vermont Governor Howard Dean. According to Droller, “We knew Howard Dean was the only candidate who would bring the troops home.”
After Dean’s disappointing withdrawal from the presidential race, Droller and his friends made the decision to create a 527 non-profit organization to continue the work for change. Soon bands like Arrested Development were supporting Music For America. “The Nation” magazine did an article on the groups and donors began to send them substantial contributions. A national movement was born as bands from New York to Seattle began to join the organization. Locally, Death Cab for Cutie, Pearl Jam, the Catheters, Maktub and others have done shows for the group.
“Culture is as strong as any political force,” says Droller. “The country is headed in the wrong direction and we have a stake in this like never before. Young people and music fans are not apathetic. They care about their friends, their families, their schools and their music. They care if their friends have to go to die in a war.“
He lists a few of the many issues which challenge his generation: cuts in student loans; incarceration of first time drug offenders; the infamous “Rave Act”; lack of access to healthcare; unemployment; domestic violence; homelessness; and the war in Iraq.
“We want to build up support for these events in the community. We invite folks to contact us through our website and volunteer to help out at our shows. You get to hear good music and you get in free.”
As Jello Biafra put it, “We’re all on John Ashcroft’s shit list anyway, so you might as well speak out. I call for the unconstitutional regime in the US to be overthrown through insurrection at the voting booths.”
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