2010 Fall Tour Net Neutrality Contribution
Greetings Bass Heads!
With your help in purchasing tickets for this tour, Bassnectar Labs is excited to announce that we will be contributing a dollar of every US Fall Tour ticket sale to a worthy cause.
THE ISSUE:
With grand hopes of starting a nonprofit of our own brewing, The Labs decided that this tour should focus on one of the most pressing issues of our time- Net Neutrality.
For a quick primer on what Net Neutrality is, take a listen to a rantapella that Lorin created with Ill Gates to raise awareness about the issue:
Now, more on the organizations:
Public Knowledge
The most pressing front of Net Neutrality is legislative. The government has the ability to protect the internet from the capricious whims of companies like Google, Verizon, and Comcast that would like to create 2 internets: one where everyone has to pay for service- from the content creators to the content viewers, and another that is free, with no investors because a free service is not as impactful on their bottom line.
Think about the difference between HBO and public access television.
Public Knowledge is an organization at the forefront of Media rights legislation, watching bills as they pass through the government and keeping both citizens and officials appraised of the potential impacts of legislation on media freedom. When there is legislation or a policy introduced concerning Net Neutrality, Public Knowledge is on the forefront, analyzing and taking a stand for the rights of US Citizens to a free media and an open internet.
www.publicknowledge.org
Free Press
If you’re familiar with the issue of Net Neutrality, you’ve heard of savetheinternet.com, the effort at the forefront of the fight to keep the internet an equal playing field:
Freepress.net is the organization behind Savetheinternet.com, and is the largest media reform advocacy group in the United States.
Through education, organizing, and advocacy, they promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism, and universal access to communications.
www.freepress.net
Future Of Music Coalition
In collaboration with Free Press, the Future of Music Coalition’s Rock The Net Campaign brings the necessity of a free internet home to the concertgoer and the musician.
In order for music culture to continue to flourish with the diversity it shows today, an internet where a new artist can reach out to the same audience as an artist on a big label is essential. The internet is the primary medium by which artists expand beyond the range of their sound systems, creating international cultures that connect people to uplift an artist, a sound, and a genre.
Think about all of the music you’ve found through the internet.
Net neutrality made it happen.
www.futureofmusic.org
Everyone is invited to learn more about Net Neutrality through the links above and when they drop their ticket at the merch booth. The next step is for us all to take action to ensure that artists like Lorin continue to have a place to express their bass.
Give to Haiti: Win a Meet & Greet!
Bassnectar and The Glitch Mob are excited to donate an exclusive Bass Center 2 Soundcheck Meet and Greet to Causecast’s Download to Donate Haiti Campaign!
The entire crew is animated by this fresh effort to lend support to Haiti, and inspired by this innovative campaign that empowers the musical community to support a country so desperately in need of our assistance.
What you can win for the 19th of February in Asheville, NC:
-A pre-show meet and greet with Bassnectar and The Glitch Mob for 2
-A listen-in on a portion of Bassnectar’s soundcheck
-2 GA Tickets to Bass Center 2
-Bassnectar Merchandise
-The Glitch Mob Merchandise
So…Ready, set: DONATE!
You have until Monday, Feb 16th to enter.
Read more »
Thank you Sustainable Living Roadshow!
Bassnectar Labs is proud to thank the Sustainable Living Roadshow for the use of their bus, Julia, for our past 3 tours. We have had all variety of mad adventures with her, especially with our LD…
Our bus was outfitted with solar panels on the roof, a biodiesel-ready engine, recycled barnwood cabinetry, hemp curtains, and bamboo flooring.
Not to mention the super comfy natural latex beds:
So, thank you SLR, for helping us be a little greener in an industry that needs all the help it can get! If you want to learn more about this awesome project, click through the flier above to check out SLR’s green busses and sustainability-centered events around the nation!
UPDATED:
Our driver from Green Tortoise, Andy, would also like to be included in this post. Ladies, he is single and you can check him out on his facebook by clicking here.
07/17/10: Bassnectar at Opera House in Toronto, ON
Bassnectar will be performing on July 17th, 2010 at the Opera House in Toronto, ON, Canada during his 2010 Summer Tour
The tour continues the celebration of the Cozza Frenzy album release, as well as the Remix Pack V.1, available not in the little shop at Bassnectar Labs.
The Opera House is located at 735 Queen Street East on the corner of Queen Street East and Broadview Ave in Toronto, ON Canada M4M 1H1.
This is an ALL AGES event. Doors open at 9:00pm.
Keeping it Warm at Eugene’s McDonald Theatre on 2/4/10
Bassnectar Labs is delighted to announce that we will be hosting a special clothing drive for Eugene’s Egan Warming Center.
Last year one of Eugene’s homeless neighbors, Major Egan, froze to death on the streets and a strong coalition of Eugene nonprofits decided he should be the last person to do so. February is actually the coldest month in Eugene, and people need ways to stay warm.
That’s where you and that coat that you haven’t worn all winter come in!
If you bring a good COAT or other substantial piece or pieces of warm clothing to the show, you will receive a FREE BASSNECTAR POSTER in exchange for your donation.
Please SPREAD THE WORD. This event can only be a success if you tell your friends!
Learn more about the Egan Warming Center at http://eganwarmingcenter.com/
Boxed in Carrboro
These girls have the greatest laughs. 
Meet Swathi and Megan, tonight, they have donned boxes to raise awareness about homelessness in Carrboro, and the awesome efforts they help coordinate to combat it. The organization that channels their efforts is called HOPE- Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication. My favorite event they coordinate is Box Out, an annual fundraising/awareness event featuring live music, where people sleep outside in boxes they build together, experiencing a small part of homelessness for one night. All proceeds go to HOPE’s Community Empowerment Fund, a student-run microfinance organization that allows homeless people to apply for small loans so they can get housing/employment. HOPE also has a community gardens project, a literary magazine written by people on the streets, and ample opportunity for anyone to get involved and active in the massive hardships faced by those who don’t have a home.
The shenanigans of this night took shape when these gals rolled in with their lovely display and we quickly determined it to be insufficient. A quick flirt with a bartender later, I came back with some cardboard and these girls went to town. Below, I have a selection of the lovely people who supported Homeless Awareness Poverty Eradication by donning boxes….
We had to bust out a sharpie and Bassnectar a belly, wear a gas mask, and and shove some big people into some little boxes, but our mission of engagement was utterly accomplished. Want to get involved with HOPE’s programs? Give a click here.
And the Bass Check has begun… Time to lunge after the albums as they shake off the table. It’s like a new dance or something. The Lia-Lunge, perhaps?
Quick Shout From Charleston
Just wanted to give a holla from the awesome Charleston, SC. Where people dance like there is NO tomorrow. Seriously, I’m stoked to be sitting at ass level so as to appreciate the boogie factor more greatly.
This city treated me so well yesterday, complete with a swim in the warm Atlantic and (still not over it, I’m telling everyone) dolphins. Yes, Dolphins. I wanted to swim out to meet them, but Trevor, our audio engineer, told me there were sharks and the undertow would eat me if they didn’t.
Charleston, I saw dolphins here. I love all of you, forever.
And it’s the lasting kind of love because you sealed the deal by overfilling the Conscious Alliance bins AGAIN. Perhaps outdoing Athens. We, the hungry, and the volunteers are all incredibly grateful to you.
This thought occurred to me the other day when someone on Facebook asked why we don’t have a food drive at every show: why don’t I let you all know that you can volunteer with Conscious Alliance, feed the hungry, get volunteer hours, and go to all sorts of shows for free by starting your own chapter in your city? And then we CAN have a food drive, beautiful posters, and an even grander adventure in every city.
In University? It’s even easier. You can get involved by joining or starting a student group. For more info peek at http://www.consciousalliance.org/projects.student.groups.htm or email students@consciousalliance.org
We’d love to have you at a future show doing this amazing work!
The latest in Charlotte
The number one topic on the minds of the staff tonight (aside from, evidently, burping contests) is whether or not that crowd outside is going to tear the door down. It’s only 8, music doesn’t start until 9, but gee golly and jawsh are they out there. It is, after all, Saturday Night. I hear our only competition for young, undulating bodies is a comedian on a banjo.
I have not heard the likes of the banshee cry that went up when they clicked the lock on that door since, well, last night at the height of the set. It’s only doors, people. But, how can i be anything but glad about your excitement? I’m stoked when you are, and after a few more minutes of cruising the lobby in my wheeled office chair (will someone race me please?) I will definitely resemble the banshees of Charlotte themselves. It’s all about that unstable look in your eye… and maybe a little bit of flyaway hair. Wild lookin’, long hair, loud noises? I know someone who would be an excellent coach in those matters.
Best moment today was going out to breakfast that was burritos with Trevor Bone, our audio engineer, and the fabulous DJ Vadim. Vadim accidentally called Trevor and they both took a good minute to figure out that they were talking to each other. In fact, Vadim had to look at his phone. I have no idea what happened after I turned in early at 3 am, but I’ve been hearing stories and hints that I’m not allowed to blog about… Suffice it to say that Athens is one crazy city.
Athens updates: Lorin’s leg is OK. He walks funny, but it’s just another thing to tease him about.
And a MASSIVE THANK YOU from Conscious Alliance. This was the best food drive they’d done in Athens in a long time. The bin was overflowing and it was all because of you. So much gratitude from the Bassnectar Camp for being involved, everyone!
And speaking of involvement, awesomeness, and burritos (or, perhaps this has nothing to do with burritos…) Tonight’s organization is:
The Hands On Networks are one of the most fantastic ways for people to get involved in any city, serving as a hub of different involvement opportunities across the spectrum of traditional volunteer activities. Hands On works against urban blight and gentrification, sorts food and clothing donations, connects people to community gardening opportunities. Or, rather, people who get involved with Hands On do all of those things. Hands on serves as the hub for organizations that need help and for the people who have the time, energy, and social consciousness to provide it. 
Bob with Hands On is a spot-on individual, having given me a lecture on the impacts of gentrification in the local community, and what it means for Charlotte. I wish we all could be as eloquent when speaking about what we believe in.
And, surprise-surprise. Another fan, Tanner, managed to coordinate with the venue under my nose and set up a card table with stones to trade people for a dollar donation to St. Jude’s Chilldren’s Hospital.
He says that he bought the stones with his money as an extra incentive for people to give, and that, last night, he made $170 just asking people in a Will Call line to give a dollar. Tanner doesn’t know anyone who has benefited from St. Jude’s personally, but he said he just felt driven to “do his part for the amazing research that is helping so many children.” Major kudos to Tanner from Bassnectar Camp. And, yes, of course we got our stone. It will sit on the merch table for the rest of the tour.
Allying Consciously, Athens-style
The night is young, Georgia.
And here we are, at the 40 Watt, show 4 of 5 nights in a row. Athens gave us all a sauna at load in and we are grateful for the calm before the storm, when the room is still cooler than outside (but not for long, we’re about to show the world what real humidity is…) Today, we finally rescued our amp rack from the clutches of the evil UPS empire, and have the stage geared to the teeth, sound check having dumped my water bottle all over the floor.
Again.
This night is the first of four for which we are collaborating with Conscious Alliance, next up Charleston, then Asheville, and an exclusive Halloween poster for Denver (stay tuned, I haven’t even seen it yet.) Jesse is busy on an art project of a portrait of his girlfriend (who, he assures us, is not actually purple) and the rest of the team are heading up the table, collecting food for the hungry in Athens. 
On their table is an impressive array of posters from previous events, String Cheese to Rothbury, where awesome volunteers, artists, musicians, and event organizers have collaborated to assist local food banks during times like these when, as the back of the poster says, over 37 million Americans suffer from hunger every day and 12 million of those people are children.
And this situation is a win for absolutely everyone. Volunteers get to go to amazing shows, the hungry get fed, you get to clean out your cupboards and take home a fantastic memento of a musical experience, and the artist gets their art seen everywhere. Like here. Huge thanks goes out to Krystal Smith for painting this beautiful imagery. If you’re headed out to Denver, Charleston, or Asheville, please support our efforts to feed your community!
Mountains Doubly Defended and Knoxville is Beautiful
Another one straight from the merch booth, under the dominion of Lia, in the classic style of DIRECT, just as Lorin drops his latest mashup of Boombox and the crowd of extra-gorgeous freaks and bassfiends parades by.
How could you not love these people, in between the guys in banana suits, the anime-esque gorgeous girls from the future, complete with massive fuzzy legwarmers and little backpacks? The number the booming bass is doing on my neck tension… I have to call this night quite fine. With the Wobble Factory, every chair is a massage chair.
The weirdest thing ever is the time change between Nashville and Knoxville, and while jetting in between with my top-notch travel buddy, we lost an hour. I don’t know how to program my phone to adjust to time zones… Everything’s an hour later than last night, here’s hoping that puts us with a curfew of four? Nashville ran until 3:30. InSANE.
Best thing about TN hands down, including the gorgeous scenery with the leaves just starting to turn, is those who defend it. That’s why we brought United Mountain Defense back for round 2, and tossed in Keep Knoxville Beautiful, because who doesn’t want to?
Being a hippie in high school, one of my biggest pet peeves was always how much kids would litter. I proposed to the school administration that a crew of students go collect all the litter that kids leave in a day and shut the gates to one of the hallways, dumping all the litter inside. Teaching kids that litter is nasty, every little bit contributes to a gross problem, and that it’s a massive inconvenience for us all. Don’t get me started on my ideas for making kids recycle… hot pokers, anyone?
Anyway, Keep Knoxville Beautiful shares the frustration but adds common sense to the equation with educational programs and collaborations across the board, starting with feel-good school programs and spanning out into the stratosphere of collaborations with architects, artists, and events seeking to encourage their attendees to get green and conscious, tracing the responsibility for our waste back to the real source- you and me. And when the problem is us, we are 100% empowered to fix it.
United Mountain Defense (again, but we love them!)
Today, I met Bonnie with United Mountain Defense. As I’ve already given y’all the lowdown on my last blog I figure it’d be best to talk specifics, because (1) it’s more fun to meet the people actually effecting change and (2) Bonnie is completely righteous.
Bonnie works with United Mountain Defense because of the gaggle of budding concerned citizens she teaches at a local middle school. After the TVA disaster this past year (which happened just 40 miles away from Knoxville) the kids had a lot of questions. Bonnie found the answers and got passionate about the issue in the process. Her kids did a study of the life cycle of coal, hosted events to show videos about the issue, and waged letter writing campaigns against coal powered plants. These projects are what brought Bonnie to the Bassnectar show tonight, seeking to empower others to protect their communities from coal.
UMD does outreach at other events like this as well, building a mock appalacian porch at Bonaroo, campaigning at Camp Reggae. They are seeking people who like shadow puppet theatre, actors, artists, web monkeys, and musicians to create an educational experience for all those who coal impacts (ie everyone.)
Want to get involved now?
Saturday October 10th is TN Wild Mountains Day. And if you’ve never had a good excuse to go to Dollywood, here’s your chance! They are hosting a press event where everyone is invited to come speak about why they love mountains and don’t want them blown up. Good deal. Never thought I’d say this one, but Viva Dolly Parton.
On that note, I think I will melt back into the night…
