8 March 2007
Paul Arenson is an anti-war and social activist resident in Tokyo who has written many poems and songs on human rights issues and made them freely available via soundclick. His website Tokyo Progressive contains news article, current activities and also donates space to other progressive groups and individuals.
8 March 2007
The Freedom Toast website is the work of a group of musicians from the southern United States who air their comments and views on the current political climate. An example of their work is now available via youtube. They are premiering their live comedy/sketch show on April 24 2007 in Washington DC.
13 September 2007
This years Oxfam month of music to raise money for their charity will be launched by four gigs at an Oxfam shop in London. The Kooks and Jarvis Cocker play the first night and Fatboy Slim and Hot Chip also appear over the course of the four nights. Tickets can be won through the Oxjam website.
13 September 2007
Like the Hear Music business venture at Starbucks, the sports channel ESPN will now be branching out in to music. They have started a new scheme where artists can promote new material during the breaks of football broadcasts. Two new songs by Kanye West have already been broadcast and 50 Cent, Foo Fighters and Kid Rock are all scheduled for this month. NME News
13 September 2007
Mos Def has called for others to support the six black students who are being charged with assaulting a white student. The white student is alleged to have made racial slurs towards the men. This follows on from other serious racist incidents at the school which resulted in a number of white students being suspended. Mos Def has written an open letter calling for support of the six black students. NME News
13 September 2007
On October 9, which would have been John Lennon’s sixty seventh birthday, Yoko Ono is set to unveil the “Imagine Peace Tower” which Lennon wished for in 1967. She hopes the tower will “give light to strong wishes of world peace”. Rolling Stone
13 September 2007
In a recent interview with Pitchfork Thurston Moore announced that Sonic Youth are set to record a new song for a compilation of their work to be released by Starbucks. The compilation will feature a selection of Sonic Youth tracks chosen by other artists with one new and exclusive track to be recorded by Sonic Youth. In another interview Thurston explains further “as soon as the first person said, ‘Why are you doing something with a global corporation’, I was just like, ‘Well, the reason is because a global corporation called Universal Records can’t distribute our records to places where people actually go anymore… I’m doing it because I like the idea of Sonic Youth records being in a place where they’re not supposed to exist. .. Going up against political correctness will always be a punk rock gesture.”
29 August 2007
The effects of Hurricane Katrina are still being felt across New Orleans and the music scene, at the centre of New Orleans cultural life, has been badly hit. With the population still half the pre-Katrina level there is the obvious problem of a lack of musicians. There are many organisations now working to help musicians get back to work but of the 5000 full-time professional musicians pre-Katrina there are still some 3000 that are displaced. Another problem has been that the decrease in the number of tourists has meant that the audience for the number of live music venues has shrunk so musicians who are working are getting less work as clubs can’t afford to stay open 7 nights a week. The loss of equipment, recording space and archive recordings will also take a lot of money and support to replace. Government funding is taking a long time to filter through to the people who need it most and the people have to rely on help from charities and non-profit organisation. Until there is more help the musicians of New Orleans won’t have the money to house and feed themselves, let alone replace musical equipment. BBC News
29 August 2007
The British Government is encouraging local councils to participate in a scheme to provide free rehearsal space for young musicians. The pilot project last year was very successful and, like the pilot, the scheme will be overseen by Feargal Sharkey, formerly of the Undertones. Culture Secretary James Purnell said “This is about inspiring young people to take up music, giving them an outlet for their creativity and getting them off the streets.” BBC News
29 August 2007
A popular singer from the folk revival in the 1960’s, Leon Rosselson has being writing and performing ever since and his songs have been covered by various artists, including Billy Bragg. He is currently involved with CND and the Israel/Palestine conflict. His UK tour begins in October.
