Musicians, Martyrs & Mayhem -
When Pop Culture Meets Politics

From the beat of war drums to anti-war folk tunes, music has been effectively used to incite and bond the masses. Youths seem to be particularly receptive to the siren call of music and action, and their response may determine the outcome of the contentious upcoming U.S. presidential election.

Organizations representing both sides of the partisan fence are harnessing star power (and anti-star power) to get out the vote and shape unformed political minds by appealing to marketers' favorite demographic - 18 to 24 year olds.

Based on the results of the 1992 election when Rock the Vote enlisted musicians to register music fans to vote resulting in the election of the sax-wielding Bill Clinton, it's an approach that seems to work.

Since then, however, the number of 18 to 24-year-olds turning out to vote has been on the decline--a trend that numerous artists and several non-profit groups hope to reverse at their concerts and special benefit shows.

While making one's private views public may be personally satisfying, from a business standpoint, such involvement can be either risky or profitable depending upon whether you're a major label or independent act; mainstream or underground - not unlike the divide between indies and majors in matters such as file sharing.

By being blatantly political, major label acts risk offending fans, retailers such as WalMart and partisan radio programmers - the sort of backlash experienced by the Dixie Chicks last year when Natalie Maines publicly criticized President Bush.

Gamely, some mainstream big ticket stars seem willing to martyr themselves for their cause. Bonnie Raitt and R.E.M.'s bassist Mike Mills, for example, anticipate criticism for their mix of music and politics as they prepare to embark on the whirlwind Vote For Change Tour (October 1-8), which will visit 28 cities throughout nine of the 17 battleground states.

Spearheaded by major label headliners such as Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., Dave Matthews, Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam, Keb' Mo, Baby Face and Jurassic 5, Vote For Change hopes to remove the Bush administration from the White House using monies raised from the tour.

Organized by MoveOn.org's political action committee, the concert's proceeds - after covering the artists' expenses (they will perform for free) - will go to the anti-Bush voter registration/awareness group, Americans Coming Together (ACT).

Independent artists, however, in addition to gaining personal satisfaction, may find that participating in benefit performances has the potential to expand their marketing reach and help grow their fan base. 

Concerts For Kerry organized ad hoc benefit performances nationwide filling the bill with talented but lesser known acts such as Bishop Allen, Silent League, DJ Seven, Fred Funk, David Poe, Duncan Sheik, Richard Julian, Laura Cantrell, Kristen Hoffman, Tom Freund, Pink Martini, Jesse Harris and Jim Campilongo. Often the artists themselves solicited other performers, fans and club owners to participate.

To date, the organization has held 40 concerts in 12 cities raising awareness for their candidate and the artists who performed at the shows.

Venues hosting these fundraising events may run the risk of alienating some of their regulars. More likely though, clubs stand to gain new customers as packs of issue-oriented music fans fill their establishments. An informal poll conducted by Atlas Plugged during the Republican National Convention in NYC, found proprietors pleased with the turnouts, often filling rooms to capacity on otherwise slow nights.

Rather than turn the entire gig into a benefit, some performers choose to make a place for special interest groups at their shows. The newly formed Music For America has been a presence at many concerts throughout the summer and will continue into early fall. Focused on registering 1 million new voters at live shows and through their active online community, MFA volunteers man information booths and pass out registration cards that look like rave flyers to show attendees.

"Our artists are making sure that their fans have the opportunity to register to vote and get involved in a way that is fun, which fits into their lifestyle, and is above all, effective," explains MFA co-founder Mike Connery. "They also realize that they have a platform that most of us don't have."

Artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion, Sonic Youth and RJD2 are not shy about sharing their political beliefs onstage, other acts simply urge fans to check out the MFA booth. All MFA artists are featured on the organization's site with a profile page and weblog.

While there's nothing new about Punk acts adding a soundtrack to politics, this election has Punks of every stripe and hue trading in the tattered shroud of social alienation and focusing on the common good as they see it, with surprisingly mixed results.

Offshoot Punk acts, such as Anti-Flag, Green Day and NOFX, have blended their version of punk's core values (individuality & DIY spirit) with the record industry's core values (marketing & commercial success). 

A good example of this hybrid is the grassroots coalition of artists and record labels, Punk Voter, founded by NOFX guitarist "Fat Mike" Burnett. Their stated goal is to expose and defeat the Bush administration by educating, registering and mobilizing progressive voters.

Burkett's record label, Fat Wreck Chords released Rock Against Bush Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, each retailing at $8.98, to help offset the costs of the Rock Against Bush tour. Released in April, Volume 1 topped Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart selling more than 100,000 copies in the U.S. by August. The just-released second volume -  which includes No Doubt, Sleater-Kinney, Green Day, Bad Religion, Sugarcult, and Rancid - has already sold 26,000 copies debuting at No. 45 on the Billboard 200.

Sponsored by the owners of two leading California Punk labels, Tentacles' Jello Biafra and Epitaph Records' Brett Gurewitz, the Rock Against Bush tour features an impressive line up of Punk and Alternative acts like Anti-Flag, The AKA's, Tilt, Bad Religion, Blink, Circle Jerks, The Donnas, Epoxies, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Mudhoney, Pennywise, and Tool, traveling nationwide through Oct. 9.

While it may seem that most artists this election are supporting liberal candidates and causes, President Bush is not without admirers. It seems unlikely that proud Republican performers such as Jessica Simpson, Ted Nugent and Lynrd Skynrd risk alienating their mainstream fan bases. Punk acts, however, following in the footsteps of Bush supporter and punk legend, Johnny Ramone, do risk the loss of fans and gigs by declaring themselves "anti-anti-establishment" and supporting right wing causes and politicians.

Michael Graves, who is a columnist for Conservative Punk and former lead singer of the Misfits, now frontman for Gotham Road, believes that he and like-minded punks such as Drawback, Style Over Substance and Nation of Suspects have suffered for their views - which are at odds with the mainstream and others within the Punk community. Graves contends that his European tour was cancelled due to his controversial political views.

Whatever the outcome of this election, it's hard to imagine George W. or John Kerry comissioning an oi! version of "Hail to the Chief" or blasting The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop" on the White House stereo.

Get Out and Vote, Tuesday, November 2.