Rock for Regime Change

T here is a political force that is pushing for regime change at home by registering thousands of voters, distributing literature, creating television and newspaper ads, and filling halls and auditoriums. It’s not the Democratic Party. It’s good old Rock and Roll. 

Bob Weir, guitarist and singer with The Dead, puts it: “Democracy is much like a muscle. If you use it, it gets stronger. If you don’t use it, you lose it.” 

From Hip Hop to Punk Rock, musicians and bands are encouraging fans to tune into the political process and channel their anger and frustration into direct action at the ballot boxes in November’s presidential election.  

“One good thing this Bush administration has done is coalesced young people, out of shear anger, into getting rid of the people running Washington—basically, the energy industry and their special interests,” offers Al Jourgensen, singer with the platinum-selling band Ministry . “I’m disillusioned not only with Bush stealing the last election, but because his policy never seems to include the demographic of young people even though they have the most to gain or lose because they have the longest to live.” 

Even bands and musicians who have traditionally avoided a political persona are stepping up to sing out for regime change at home in November. 

“From the stage, I am encouraging people to register to vote, which is something we’ve never done before,” reveals Bob Weir. “But this time the stakes are a lot higher than they’ve ever been. Big business is in the act of buying our government and once that is done, they won’t give it back. And the deal is very close to complete now.” 

Rickie Lee Jones surprised some fans and critics with her latest album, The Evening of My Best Day. It offers lyrical critiques of the Bush regime with songs about the Florida election scandal. 

“As a mother, as a human being living in America, there was no way I could not say something,” explains Jones. She has even developed a website called Furniture for the People, which features political essays and analysis devoted to voting out Bush in the next election. 

“George W. Bush does tend to do whatever he wants to do regardless of what the people indicate that they want. From drilling for oil to the cutting back of funds for Medicare,” reflects Jones. “And when his first order of business was to assign who would get the contracts to rebuild (Iraq), he didn’t even try to disguise that this was to create business for certain people.” 

Musicians nationwide are appealing to U.S. youth to take part in the voting process and step away from political apathy, the “I’m too cool to vote” attitude. 

“Voting is the new not voting,” says Damian Kulash, singer and guitarist with the Chicago-based band OK GO. “The disaffected non-involvement that so many of us have been a part of needs to stop. It has stopped.” Kulash has written a five page guide for other musicians called How Your Band Can Fire Bush. “A lot of bands don’t know how easy and important it is to be involved,” remarks Kulash. 

Music For America is an organization made up of musicians, tour coordinators, and band managers that is distributing fact cards at concerts that reminds fans that of 27 million eligible voters under age 25 in the 2000 election, only 10 million voted; and in 6 different swing states, the election was decided by less then 10,000 votes. In Florida, the margin of victory was 537 votes. 

Jay Bentley, bassist with seminal punk band Bad Religion, points out, “If you’re 18 to 24, you’ve probably been ignored by politicians who don’t think of you as a political force.” Guitarist Brian Baker adds, “We want to make it punk to vote. Given the seriousness of this election in November, I think that people are going to participate.” 

More then a few bands, from Dave Matthews to Bad Religion, are touring swing states to influence the coming election. A variety of new album releases are also aimed at removing the Bush administration from office. 

Music For America and Move- On have released a benefit CD entitled The Future Soundtrack of America that includes songs by David Byrne, REM, OK GO, Tom Waits, and Death Cab For Cutie. Nick Harmer, bassist with Death Cab for Cutie, encourages fans to  search for answers for themselves: “Don’t listen to me, listen to the BBC.”