reddagger
4th April 2006, 01:47
"Pick A Bigger Weapon" listening parties on the East Coast
Body: GET INVOLVED! The Coup and Music for America Hit the Road to Combat Apathy and Engage Young People to get Politically Active.
Also Previewing The New Coup Album, Pick A Bigger Weapon.
The Coups Boots Riley and activist organization, Music for America (MFA) are teaming up for a series of speaking engagements around the country to urge young people to get involved in the political process. Attendees will be able to register to vote and opt-out forms will be available for high-schoolers, allowing them to opt-out of an obscure provision of the No Child Left Behind Act that forces public schools to supply high school students' names and private contact information to military recruiters.
Public schools can't, out of one side of their mouth, tell students that they want them to have a bright future after high school and out of the other side of their mouth tell them that it's okay for them to go kill and die for a profit-making war machine, says Boots on military recruitment. That's why I support the "Opt Out" campaign promoted by Music for America. I think conscientious school administrators should choose not to release student's personal information to military recruiters."
Boots and MFA volunteers will also be educating the audience with minimum wage issue cards containing facts and actions to take. "Putting music into action is something that both The Coup and Music for America are all about, says Riley, so it's only fitting that we work together in this way. What we really need are militant unions at fast food places and chain retail stores, but until then, we need to substantially raise the minimum wage because people are struggling, not only in their every day existence, but to make enough to pay for gas and parking to get to work in the first place."
MFA is a nonprofit engaging young people in progressive politics through partnerships with musicians and music communities. MFA aims to provide the cultural capital and political savvy for Americas youth generation to reinvent progressive politics. The organization has 60,000 members, more than 325 partner bands, and has reached 3 million young people at more than 3,600 concerts since 2003.
"If you want to reach our youngest voters, you have to go where they hang out -- the local music and arts scene -- precisely the sort of places in which Music for America does its incredible work." said Markos Moulitsas, publisher of the popular Daily Kos weblog.
The idea behind this tour is to channel the excitement of music into something proactive and positive. MFAs central principle is that every young person is a member of a music community. And every community, with the right tools, has the power to effect huge change. Boots will be bringing advance copies of the highly anticipated new Coup record, "Pick A Bigger Weapon" to preview to the crowd and then discuss the album and the issues fans and local MFA folks from every community the tour hits.
The Coups Boots Riley / Music For America Speaking Engagements
4/4/06 - The Cutting Room - NYC - 9:00 PM
4/7/06 - NORTHSIX - Brooklyn, NY - 9:00 PM
4/8/06 - Jammin' Java - Vienna, VA - 9:00 PM
Body: GET INVOLVED! The Coup and Music for America Hit the Road to Combat Apathy and Engage Young People to get Politically Active.
Also Previewing The New Coup Album, Pick A Bigger Weapon.
The Coups Boots Riley and activist organization, Music for America (MFA) are teaming up for a series of speaking engagements around the country to urge young people to get involved in the political process. Attendees will be able to register to vote and opt-out forms will be available for high-schoolers, allowing them to opt-out of an obscure provision of the No Child Left Behind Act that forces public schools to supply high school students' names and private contact information to military recruiters.
Public schools can't, out of one side of their mouth, tell students that they want them to have a bright future after high school and out of the other side of their mouth tell them that it's okay for them to go kill and die for a profit-making war machine, says Boots on military recruitment. That's why I support the "Opt Out" campaign promoted by Music for America. I think conscientious school administrators should choose not to release student's personal information to military recruiters."
Boots and MFA volunteers will also be educating the audience with minimum wage issue cards containing facts and actions to take. "Putting music into action is something that both The Coup and Music for America are all about, says Riley, so it's only fitting that we work together in this way. What we really need are militant unions at fast food places and chain retail stores, but until then, we need to substantially raise the minimum wage because people are struggling, not only in their every day existence, but to make enough to pay for gas and parking to get to work in the first place."
MFA is a nonprofit engaging young people in progressive politics through partnerships with musicians and music communities. MFA aims to provide the cultural capital and political savvy for Americas youth generation to reinvent progressive politics. The organization has 60,000 members, more than 325 partner bands, and has reached 3 million young people at more than 3,600 concerts since 2003.
"If you want to reach our youngest voters, you have to go where they hang out -- the local music and arts scene -- precisely the sort of places in which Music for America does its incredible work." said Markos Moulitsas, publisher of the popular Daily Kos weblog.
The idea behind this tour is to channel the excitement of music into something proactive and positive. MFAs central principle is that every young person is a member of a music community. And every community, with the right tools, has the power to effect huge change. Boots will be bringing advance copies of the highly anticipated new Coup record, "Pick A Bigger Weapon" to preview to the crowd and then discuss the album and the issues fans and local MFA folks from every community the tour hits.
The Coups Boots Riley / Music For America Speaking Engagements
4/4/06 - The Cutting Room - NYC - 9:00 PM
4/7/06 - NORTHSIX - Brooklyn, NY - 9:00 PM
4/8/06 - Jammin' Java - Vienna, VA - 9:00 PM