Dear Reader,
This issue of Music Worker is different, reflecting the urgency of the moment. As artists, activists, and Americans, we are deeply concerned about the direction of our country. The current admistration and Congress have demonstrated that their values are profoundly at odds with ours – and we simply cannot stay silent.
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of the November 6
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elections. If we want the next two years to be different than the last, Congress has to change. Every single thing we do between now and election day matters. And as part of doing all we can to bring about that change, we’ve put together this special “Vote Like Hell” edition of our newsletter.
In the midst of so much political turmoil, it’s easy to feel powerless. It’s natural to be burnt out, exhausted, and overwhelmed.
Don’t give in. Don’t give up.
We have to remember what’s at stake and keep going. That’s why one of our board members, CAKE’s John McCrea, launched
Vote Like Hell
. John, and all of us, implore you to vote, volunteer, donate, and drag your friends to the polls. Give it everything you have to impact change this November.
We want to inspire you to act with this issue. In it, you’ll hear from multiple c3 board members: You’ll learn more about Vote Like Hell, read about and listen to election day inspired music from Rosanne Cash, Maggie Vail, and John McCrea’s band CAKE (with their first new music since 2011!), and take a deep dive into the future of tech in music with Matthew Montfort.
We hope you finish reading this edition feeling motivated, hopeful, and eager to get involved in your community ahead of the November 6
th
elections. We hope the first thing you will do with that renewed spirit is share this newsletter with everyone in your contacts.
Change in this country has never come easy and too often we take two steps forward but three steps back. But this election is a chance to leap – towards justice, fairness, equality, and all the values we hold dearest that have been desecrated in the past two years.
The most vulnerable among us are under attack. That’s why we’re voting like hell. We hope you’ll join us.
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After two years of growing horror, c3 Board Member and CAKE band member John McCrea decided this summer he needed to do more to steer our country back onto a more just and humane course. In the past year alone, children have been separated from their families, credible allegations of sexual assault were summarily dismissed by the Senate in confirming a Supreme Court nominee, and gun violence continued to ravage our communities including shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh
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Sinking Ship
Featuring c3 Board Member John McCrea and CAKE
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The new single "Sinking Ship" is the band's first release since their acclaimed 2011 record
Showroom of Compassion.
“We are happy to be releasing new music; this time in the form of a series of singles,” McCrea said in a statement. “‘Sinking Ship’ is quite pessimistic but somehow does not seem hyperbolic right now. All proceeds from the sale of this song will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. CAKE is proud to be able to help out in securing real leadership for the United States. It is a critical time for the world, and it is more important than ever to find leaders capable of putting country above self-interest. Real greatness comes from community, cooperation and ethical leadership.”
Learn more about this eye-opening song
here
.
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Put A Woman in Charge
Featuring c3 Board Member Rosanne Cash and Keb' Mo
c3 board member Rosanne Cash recently teamed up with fellow Grammy winner Keb’ Mo’ on a song that aptly captures this moment. “Put a Woman in Charge” advocates for just that — a sentiment that is piercingly poignant given the opportunity lost in 2016. But course correction is exactly the message: “here we are / standing on the brink of disaster / enough is enough is enough is enough / I know the answer”, the duo sings.
Learn more about this empowering song
here
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You Just Wait
Featuring c3 Board Member Maggie Vail, and Kathy Foster and Westin Glass of the Thermals
Feeling worn down by the barrage of inhumanity on the news? That’s what they want you to feel. They want you exhausted. They want you to give up.
Here’s a shot of energy
: “You Just Wait” by Hurry Up, a band featuring c3 Board member Maggie Vail, and Kathy Foster and Westin Glass of the Thermals from the upcoming album Dismal Nitch.
Learn more about this energizing song
here
.
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By Degrees
Featuring c3 Board Member Rosanne Cash, Lori McKenna, Mark Erelli, Sheryl Crow, Josh Ritter, and Anais Mitchell
“You can learn to live with anything when it happens by degrees,” they sing, highlighting our collective responsibility for tolerating continued inaction and its costs. Anais Mitchell sings two minutes into the track: “I’ve seen little hands on little shoulders, children in a line, I’ve seen them lead away from school as the shots rang out inside, and I thought something had to change but somehow it’s become routine.”
Learn more about this moving anti-gun violence song
here
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Artificial Intelligence Takes Away The Magic of Making Music
By c3 Board Member Matthew Montfort
This is one of many issues the new Congress will face after the elections. It’s too often over looked, considering it can, will, and has changed the way we make, buy, and hear music. We have to start having the conversation about how to handle the changes brought by new technology now, and work to get legislators to understand the issue before it’s too late and the magic in the music is lost.
Read Matthew's full piece
here
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