Common, Lil Herb & Other Chicago Rappers Fight to End Gun Violence

Common joins campaign to end gun violence

By James Pleasant

Chicago rappers Common, Lil’ Herb, King Louie and others have joined forces up to promote the Music vs. Gun Violence campaign in an interactive music video urging their city to “Put the Guns Down.”

The campaign, developed by nonprofit Chicago Idea, aims to unite strong voices and use music as an agent of change to end the gun violence that has crippled Chicago.

The video begins with text stating that someone is shot in Chicago every three hours. The song features several Windy City rappers spitting verses bemoaning gun violence and gang activity. Throughout the video, several people pay tribute to their fallen loved ones who were victims of gun violence. The song features a dark, gritty beat peppered with gunshots courtesy of producer Anthony “The Twilite Tone” Khan.

Chicago Ideas’ campaign encourages fans to rap their own anti-violence lyrics over an instrumental of the beat and upload it to the website. The nonprofit urges people to spread the message by using the hashtag #PutTheGunsDown on social media.

“Chicago struggles so much with violence because of the lack of outlet—whether it’s emotional, physical, creative,” Khan told Rolling Stone.

Chicago Ideas is dedicated to bringing together musicians, activists, and social/community leaders in order to create social change in Chicago.

The need for this campaign is evident as this year alone, Chicago has experienced 2,300 gun-related crimes.

Aaron Neville, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dumpstaphunk & More to Play LEAF Festival Celebrating New Orleans

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

By James Pleasant

Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter Aaron Neville will join the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dumpstaphunk and many more for the 41st annual LEAF Festival October 15-18 in Asheville, North Carolina.

This year’s LEAF Festival theme is Celebrating the Spirit of New Orleans, and focuses on honoring the cultural contributions the iconic Louisiana city has made through food, art and music. Artists were handpicked with a strong preference toward those who are native or connected to New Orleans – the birthplace of jazz music.

Jazz funk band Dumpstaphunk formed in New Orleans and is steeped in the city’s jazz hybrid traditions, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is an iconic eight-piece jazz group that takes its name from the Preservation Hall venue located in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Despite having several lineup changes since its birth in 1963, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band continues to perform its brand of traditional New Orleans-flavored jazz.

Festival proceeds will go to LEAF Community Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting cultures, building communities, and organizing festivals and arts education programs.

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ONE.org Volunteer Leader Shares Experiences at Global Citizen Festival with Coldplay, Beyonce, Bono & Malala

(L-R) Malala, Bono, ONE Youth Ambassador Kassandra-Kate Ramey & UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon encourage support of the Global Goals at the Global Citizen Festival

By Barb Barrar, ONE Volunteer Leader in New Jersey

It could not have been a more beautiful day for a free concert in New York City. On Saturday, September 26, more than 60,000 people gathered on the Great Lawn in Central Park to enjoy the Global Citizen Festival. The aim of the concert was to bring people together not only for a day of great music, but more importantly to introduce them to the newly announced Global Goals and let them know how to take action to achieve them. The Global Goals are 17 aspiring, yet achievable, goals set forth during the UN General Assembly to alleviate poverty, inequality and climate change.

Volunteers from ONE were among many festival-goers who enjoyed sets by Coldplay, Beyonce, Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran and more. ONE is a global advocacy organization, co-founded by Bono (from that ’lil Irish band U2) and other activists, which is comprised of more than 7 million members worldwide. ONE members reach out to their elected leaders to make sure they are creating and following through on policies that will work to eliminate extreme poverty and preventable, treatable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

ONE volunteers at the 2015 Global Citizen Festival

ONE volunteers were out in the crowd, clipboards in hand, to ask folks to write a brief note to their respective Senators urging them to support the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015 (S.1911), which will work to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths. Folks were eager to write to their Senators in support of this vital issue. By the time the first band, Coldplay, was done performing, we’d already gathered nearly 700 handwritten messages!

After hours of canvassing the crowd, ONE volunteers settled down to enjoy the show. Coldplay started with an energetic performance that included surprise guest Ariana Grande. Ed Sheeran put on a mind-blowing performance, which was followed by none other than Queen Bee herself, Beyonce. Pearl Jam rounded out the evening under the light of a beautiful moon.

In between the musical performances we heard from numerous artists, activists and world leaders including the show hosts Stephen Colbert and Hugh Jackman. Others included First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank President Ji Yong Kim and Big Bird (yes, you read that right…Big Bird with the World Bank President!), Bono and Malala Yousafzai.

For me, the most inspiring speaker was Malala Yousafzai. You may remember her. Malala, as a young girl, defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to receive an education. As a result of speaking out, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012. She not only survived, but she raised her voice even louder!

Malala has been an outspoken global advocate for girls’ education. Her impassioned words did not come from a teleprompter, they came from her heart. You could literally feel the energy in the sea of people as she spoke about how important it is for all children, boys and girls, to receive a quality education. Demanding that primary education be a requirement of law worldwide for all children and that quality secondary education be available to all as well. Her words and passion brought tears to my eyes and made me and so many others want to do something about it!

It was a day filled with fantastic music, inspirational words and straight-up action. These Global Goals are achievable. Stand up and do something! As Bono had the audience chant the words of the great Nelson Mandela, “It is impossible until it is done.” Let’s do this. For more information, visit ONE.org.

Photo15 Auction Unites Musicians, Photographers & Actors in Support of AIDS Monument in West Hollywood

Photographer Jonas Akerlund, “Iggy & Blondie”

By Laura Ferreiro

It’s not every day that you get to see Deborah Harry cozying up to Iggy Pop, Grace Jones hugging her favorite vinyl record, or stare into the eyes of an adoring fan through the gaze of Lenny Kravitz, but Photo15 allowed us to experience all of this and more.

Several celebrities including Kravitz, director John Waters, The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus and renowned music and fashion photographers Anton Corbijn and Herb Ritts were among the many notable names who donated striking images to Photo15, an auction of more than 80 photographs benefiting a national AIDS monument in West Hollywood.

Sharon Stone hosts the Photo15 Auction

Actress Sharon Stone hosted the event, which took place at Milk Studios in Los Angeles on October 1. The Basic Instinct star gave a moving speech before the auction began. “We’re a community, and when we judge and turn on our back on each other or turn away from anyone in need, it’s a global crisis,” she said. “Use the strength of the pain of your losses to help others in your community.”

Photographer Norman Seeff, “Robert Mapplethorpe & Patti Smith, New York 1969”

Photographer Lenny Kravitz, “Female Fan”

The benefit raised more than $300,000 for the monument, and the evening’s top seller – a haunting image of Elizabeth Taylor in Iran by Firooz Zahedi – fetched an impressive $27,000.

When it is completed, the AIDS monument will incorporate a sculptural installation with technology that will allow visitors to upload their own multimedia memorials for lost loved ones and share their own stories. It will also honor care givers and serve as a public resource for information on HIV/AIDS, informing people about prevention, research, resources and care.

Click here to support the AIDS monument project.

Florence + The Machine, Hozier, Noel Gallagher, Vance Joy & More Sing ‘Boob Spelled Backward is Boob’

Artists including Mumford & Sons and Leon Bridges show their support for the Boob Project

By Laura Ferreiro

There’s certainly no shortage of worthwhile breast cancer charities to support this October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but one of the most joyous and silly projects we’ve come across features a whole host of renowned musicians singing the song “Boob Spelled Backward is Boob.”

The Boob Project is a collaborative charity song performed by Florence + the Machine, Noel Gallagher, members of the Grateful Dead and Spandau Ballet, Hozier, Vance Joy, Michael Franti, Bleachers, Elle King, Graham Nash and more. The song’s lyrics were written by Archer Nelson, the 8-year-old son of Mike “No Name” Nelson, a famed morning DJ at San Francisco radio station KFOG. Archer wrote the song for his mother who is battling breast cancer.

Irish singer-songwriter Hozier lays down vocals on "Boob Spelled Backward is Boob"

Nelson and fellow DJ Irish Greg tapped several famous musical guests who stopped by the studio to bring the song to life and record parts of the track throughout the year. We’re sure you’ll agree that the results are adorable and inspiring.

Even artists who didn’t have the opportunity to record on the track have lent their support to The Boob Project, including Mumford and Sons, George Ezra, Leon Bridges and James Bay.

The song is meant to encourage donations to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Check out the video below and go here to support this worthwhile cause.

Pandora Teams Up with Little Kids Rock to Expand Modern Music Program in Public Schools

Couer de pirate performs for 4th graders at Cienega Elementary School in Los Angeles during Pandora & Little Kids Rock event

By Laura Ferreiro

Internet radio service Pandora and national music education non-profit Little Kids Rock have joined forces to bring free music lessons and instruments to kids at elementary and middle schools in Los Angeles, Oakland, Chicago and New York.

Pandora and Little Kids Rock kicked off the Modern Band music program in Los Angeles at Cienega Elementary School in south Los Angeles on September 25, and the streaming service plans to extend its support to other cities in the coming months.

An auditorium full of boisterous 4th graders rocked out with newly donated instruments including guitars, drum kits and amplifiers, and got their hands dirty doing arts-and-crafts projects including painting maracas and drawing on bandanas with Pandora volunteers.

For a dash of inspiration, French-Canadian singer-songwriter Couer de pirate performed a handful of songs for the kids, who screamed and cheered and asked her to sing in her native French. She obliged, and then performed her tune “The Way Back Home,” which she told the kids she had written for her 3-year-old daughter.

“We wanted to partner with Little Kids Rock to find a way to unleash the power of music in our community,” Marta Riggins, Pandora’s Director of Employee Experience and Marketing, told Music for Good. “Giving back is a part of our mission. It’s a great way for our employees to use their volunteer time, because they get 40 hours of time off each year to volunteer in their communities.”

Little Kids Rock music programs aim to offset diminishing budgets for music education in public schools by partnering with school districts in disadvantaged areas throughout the U.S. to train public school teachers in its innovative music curriculum while donating all of the instruments and resources necessary to run the music programs.

“It was a natural fit to team up with Pandora, because with their help we’ll be able to achieve a lot,” said Tony Sauza, Little Kids Rock regional program director for LA County. “It’s exciting to think of the potential.”

Meanwhile, Little Kids Rock is gearing up for a benefit show honoring Graham Nash, Steve Miller and Paul Shaffer at Manhattan Center on October 20. Click here for more information.

Kelly Clarkson, Martina McBride & Reba to Headline Musicians on Call Benefit Tour

Kelly Clarkson, Martina McBride & Reba team up for Musicians on Call Tour

By Anna DiBlosi

Kelly Clarkson, Martina McBride, Reba and other surprise guests are kicking off this year’s Rock the Room Tour for Musicians on Call, a national non-profit that brings music to the bedsides of hospital patients across the country. The Rock the Room Tour will premiere in Nashville on Oct. 21 and then hit cities including Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C.

The tour aims to raise awareness of the positive impact music has on healing and support the charity’s work bringing musicians to perform at hospitals around the country.

Last year’s Musicians on Call 15th Anniversary Celebration raised more than $700,000 and featured appearances by Clarkson, Nick Jonas and Jessie J.

Warner Music Nashville’s Creative Director Shane Tarleton will be honored at the kick-off concert for his involvement as an eight-year Musicians on Call volunteer and advisory member.

“We’ve seen veterans move their injured limbs to the music—and children smile for the first time since they’ve been in the hospital to receive treatment for cancer,” says a representative from the Musicians on Call Bedside Performance Program. “These one-on-one interactions between musician and patient have the powerful effect of restoring the happiness that often fades away in healthcare facilities.”

Since Musicians on Call began in 1999, the organization has reached nearly half a million individuals and has accumulated a notable list of past and present supporters including Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Florida Georgia Line, Pharrell and Bruce Springsteen to name a few.

To get tickets for the Rock the Room Tour, click here. For more information on Musicians on Call, click here.

Bono & Friends Team Up to Record Song for ONE’s Anti-Sexism Campaign

Bono joins African artists to record "Strong Girl"

By James Pleasant

U2 lead singer and ONE co-founder Bono is teaming up with nine of Africa’s most talented artists for the advocacy organization’s “Strong Girl” remix – an anthem encouraging women around the world to stand up against sexism.

The song is part of ONE’s “Poverty is Sexist” campaign aimed at eliminating sexism in developing nations, and is a call to action pressuring leaders to empower women to rid their communities of poverty.

The remixed version of “Strong Girl” also features some leading men in the African music scene backing up the women who originally sang and wrote the song, including Arielle T, Blessing, Gabriela, Judith Sephuma, Selmor Mtukudzi, Vanessa Mdee, Waje and Yemi Alade.

Check out the original “Strong Girl” video:

ONE’s anti-sexism campaign also encourages people to post pictures of themselves doing the iconic Rosie the Riveter bicep flex on social media with the hashtags “#Strengthie” and “#WithStrongGirls”.

In addition, the organization is asking people to sign a petition to world leaders encouraging them to commit to ending extreme poverty and realizing the leadership potential of girls and women. It reads: “This year we can commit to ending extreme poverty – but we will only achieve this if we unlock the full potential of millions of girls and women. I’m counting on you to take real action that leads to real change – prioritizing the countries and people that need it the most.”

So far, ONE’s petition has garnered 1,042,503 signatures – 83% of its 1,250,000 signature goal. To sign ONE’s “Poverty is Sexist” petition, click here.

ONE is working to help alleviate the many challenges women face in developing, poverty-stricken nations such as being denied education, being forced into marriage, and the prohibition of women farmers from owning the land on which they work.

Norah Jones, Sharon Van Etten, Ryan Adams & More to Honor Neil Young at Neil Fest Benefiting Sweet Relief

By James Pleasant

An impressive lineup of artists including Norah Jones, Michelle Branch, Ryan Adams and members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will team up for Best Fest’s Neil Fest on September 13-14 to support Sweet Relief—a non-profit dedicated to financially assisting musicians in need of emergency help.

The benefit concert, taking place in New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, will be a tribute to legendary rock musician Neil Young. Each artist will play their favorite Young tracks in a two-night extravaganza paying homage to one of rock’s most influential figures. This event follows in the footsteps of other Best Fest benefit concerts such as Petty Fest, which was a tribute to Tom Petty, and Stones Fest —a tribute to The Rolling Stones.

Ticket proceeds will go to Sweet Relief on behalf of the Jameson Neighborhood Fund, which raises money for a multitude of charities that provide education and resources to bartenders, musicians and others. Sweet Relief is also focused on assisting elderly musicians who have little or no resources or funds available in case of emergency, or when illness strikes.

According to Sweet Relief, more than 65% of professional musicians do not have health insurance, and the average income of career musicians is less than $25,000 annually.

Sweet Relief founder and singer-songwriter Victoria Williams toured with Young in 1993, but was forced to cut the tour short after being stricken with multiple sclerosis. After her diagnosis, a group of friends put together an all-star album of Victoria’s songs, Sweet Relief, which helped cover her medical debt. Williams, knowing that there are many musicians like her who are unable to afford medical treatment, donated proceeds from the album to found the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

To purchase tickets to Neil Fest, click here. To learn more about Sweet Relief, or donate to help musicians in need, click here.

Check out Young performing one of his classic hits, “Old Man.”

Jason Mraz, Organic Valley and Common Vision Team Up to Plant Orchards in 1000 Schools

Jason Mraz

By Anna DiBlosi

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Jason Mraz in junction with Organic Valley, a family-run farming cooperative, has teamed up with Common Vision, a nutritional justice group, to show support for Common Vision’s campaign to plant 1,000 orchards at low-income schools.

“Planting an orchard is such an amazing experience,” says Mraz, a longtime proponent of eating healthy, whole and locally grown food. “They grow for decades providing more than just nutrition, but the educational tools for science, technology, engineering, math – you name it.”

The campaign, “Grow Fruit. Grow Power!” just reached its crowd-funding goal of $60,000 but still welcomes additional support. Mraz recently released a YouTube video to publicize the campaign, and Organic Valley is matching every donation dollar-for-dollar.

Common Vision focuses on creating sustainability in local agriculture, including fruit trees and renewable energy in communities and schools throughout California.

The organization aims to inspire students and highlight the importance of being competent in global issues surrounding our Earth and the urgency for sustainable practices during the state’s worst drought in modern history.

According to Common Vision, more than 6.5 million American kids live in food deserts – areas that lack access to healthful whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables – and 3.6 million are enrolled in free and reduced public school lunch programs. For many kids, a school lunch of over-processed, high-calorie filler is their main meal of the day.

“Many Americans with the privilege of shopping at Whole Foods and farmers markets take for granted having easy access to healthy food,” said Michael Flynn, director of education for Common Vision. “But for millions of students living in one of California’s food deserts, healthy food is hard to come by. Imagine if the only food you ever had access to was what is available at a gas station. How would you feel?”

These orchards will give students the opportunity to develop a positive relationship with organic fruits and educate them on the important processes of maintaining them, including planting, tree care and irrigation, in addition to giving them access to healthy fresh fruit.

For more information, visit Common Vision’s website here.