My first post-barista job was as a telemarketer raising funds for Bill Clinton, the California Democratic Party, United Farm Workers and the like during the 1996 Presidential Campaign. Yeah, sounds like a good cause, but I later found out the people I was working for were not on the up and up. Ever since then I’ve been reluctant to give political organizations any of my damn money.

Still, presidencies are on not won on the strength of the figureheads, but by money and PR. I want Nader to fuck right off and the McCain/What’sHerName ballot to sink like cement shoes because Obama still hasn’t sold off ALL his ideals and might make a better president than the others. With that in mind, I’m far more likely to write a song and donate it to BarackRock.org.

From the Web site:

BarackRock.org started with one song and a desire for change.
It has grown into a movement of musicians and artists creating an ever-expanding catalogue of free, exclusive songs, each with its own individual art, meant to inspire participation and donations for the Obama Campaign. These are unreleased tracks and demos, only available here and now, so plug in your headphones and make a difference!

Listen to songs, donate money, etc. etc. Change, etc. etc.

Just got a message from my pal and venerable indie-folk touring champion Drew Danburry about the fate of Village Green Records, an independent music store in Muncie, Indiana. It seems someone broke in and stole their rent money. As if it wasn’t hard enough to operate an independent record store/tour stop when poeple are caring less and less about buying albums and seeing live music…

If you have $5 to spare (and a paypal account), you can help keep this musical institution alive.

In Muncie, Indiana there is a locally run independent record store run by some of my friends called Village Green Records. They have been providing excellent independent music for a few years now and have done countless shows for local and touring bands including myself.

Unfortunately, on Thursday, someone had the audacity to search through private rooms, and discovered the location of the rent money and stole it. Now the record store is $500 short for their June rent, which is already overdue, and is in danger of being shut down/evicted.

Village Green Records and a band (ITFOW) are asking for your help through small donations to the record store in order to keep it open. If 100 people donate $5 each, then VGR will be able to stay open and provide support to the independent music scene.

If you have paypal, and would be willing to donate to this cause, please send your donations to

endperfecto@hotmail.com

Thanks guys. It would be a good thing to do. Definitely.

Thirty-four shows in two months, and a thousand pounds of eyeliner and lip gloss; the seventh annual Sub City Take Action! tour recently came to its conclusion on 3/23. More than just an excuse to air out the vinyl vest and work on your best pout, the tour’s main goal is tour bring music fans together, teach them about the necessary and positive outcome of donating your time to good causes, and to help make a better world by introducing concepts of community activism. And, you know, TO EFFING RAWK.

Here are some pretty rad stats about the 2008 tour:

The Impact of the 2008 Take Action! Tour:
-Over $75,000 raised for Do Something which helps young people make a positive difference in the world - based on 10% of ticket revenue and additional tour related fund raising.
-Over 27,000 fans in 34 cities proved that the world can be made a better place one voice at a time
-Nearly 7,000 copies of the Take Action Volume 7 Compilation already sold
-Take Action Grants, empowered by the Hot Topic Foundation, MySpace Impact and Hopeless/Sub City Records, were awarded to 9 amazing young people who want to make change in their communities.

As we’ve discovered, the tour’s headliner Every Time I Die certainly bring the rock music, but I didnt’ know they actually care as well. Awwww…… Along with From First To Last, The Bled, August Burns Red, and The Human Abstract, the tour was by all accounts a rousing success. Cheers to Louis Posen and company, here’s to building positive change, a pair of ears at a time.

For more info:
www.subcity.net
www.takeactiontour.com
www.hopelessrecords.com/