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MUSIC
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RE/MAX
S ignature
P roperties !
Bush bash
Musicians come together
for a good old-fashioned concert protest
by
J a m ie B o l y a r d
"Bush hates
gay people;
is this not
argument
enough?”
—Sarah Dougher
“Being from o ut-of-state, T ina in tro d u ced me
to the neig h b o rh o o d s ol P o rtlan d and helped
find m y first hom e in an area th at I really love.
S he w as full o f know ledge a b o u t the hom e
bu y in g process and gave me g reat advice.
T h an k y o u , T ina! ’
—ALuuhj Craze»
Tina Schafer, PC. GRI. AMR
Associate Broker
Multi-Milium Dollar Pnxhuer
Eileen Foster (left), Rachel Down and Sarah Dougher (far right) rage
against the war machine O ct. 11
9 j| ^ wenty years ago it was Rock Against Rea­
gan. Today, we have Bands Against Bush
(sensing a pattern?), an international
movement using music as political protest.
T he idea originated in Olympia, Wash., the
brainchild of musician and activistTobi Vail.
Thanks to grassrtxits organizing, the Internet
and, of course, the president himself, Bands
Against Bush has grown from a twinkle in
Vail’s eye to a worldwide resistance movement.
Local BaB chapters have sprung up in cities
around the country, including Seattle, Lis Ange­
les, Bus ton, New Orleans and San Francisco, and
internationally in Paris, London and Dublin, Ire­
land. BaB has proclaimed Oct. 11 International
['lay of Action with more than 20 cities staging
music shows as an act of nonviolent protest.
Portland show Oct. 11 is 10 hours of musicians,
speakers and workshops. Artists and bands
scheduled to join the Bush bash at Liberty Hall
in N orth Portland include local favorites Spi­
der Moccasin and Sarah Dougher as well as
Pepto Dismal, Desert Rat, BrewZerkus and
Shed, Inc., among others. It’s a diverse lineup
of musical styles, encompassing folk, punk and
even a circus sideshow act.
Lesbian singer/songwriter Dougher is per­
forming at the event because she opposes the
Bush administration and wants to motivate
political action. “As a musician, 1 know that
the emotional impact of music can sometimes
be more comprehensible and powerful than the
logic of arguments.”
o why should we queers care about this
ust as you would expect, Portland is right
event ? “For every queer who feels they are
not addressed by mainstream politics, this
in the anti-Bush thick of it. Head organizer
of the local chapter is 22-ycar-old lesbian
place is for you,” says Dougher. And, more
musician and activist Eileen Foster. A New Jer­
directly, “Bush hates gay people; is this not
argument enough?”
sey native and Oregonian since August 2002,
she heard about BaB last spring and was
Foster’s views are similar. “Bush
is pushing Christian morals. W e’re
instantly intrigued. Com bining music and
activism? Go. She immediately set out recruit­
not close to getting gay marriage.”
ing friends to join the cause.
T he organizer was particularly
charged when she read one of Bush’s
O ne o f the first on board was fellow dyke
activist Rachel Down. Both women had done
speeches. “There’s this one statement where
he’s saying what they’re going to try to do in
com m unity organizing in the past— Foster
Afghanistan and he said, ‘W e’re
started a feminist W eb site th a t served as a
going to go in there and create a
resource for women in music, and 21-year-old
Down did an internship with the A m erican
world that’s of peace and toler­
Friends Service C om m ittee, helping with var­
ance like we have in
ious youth programs. They placed an ad in a
the U nited States.’
local paper to generate more interest, and
And 1 was like,
soon the Portland BaB chapter was bom.
what the fuck ?
Like, seriously, tol-
“If you want to do something politically or
musically, this is a good area,” Foster says. “Peo­ j erance? This is not
ple are more aware of what’s going on and aren’t | tolerance."
just listening to what they’re told on the news."
Portland’s Bands
Foster says the Bush administration “puts off Against Bush crew, a core
group of about eight people
this aura like what he is doing is so wonderful,
has been working tirelessly in prepara­
and the American people are all supportive of
tion for the event. Weekly meetings,
it. And it’s not true. So many people are
making fliers and plastering them all over
unsupportive. How many people protested?
town— it’s been an all-around grassroots,
Over a million worldwide? W hat is his goal?”
She certainly knows her own goal. The BaB
do-it-yourself project.
S
282-dOOO X 122
They have also held concerts to raise money
to pay for the show. An August benefit at Noc-
tum al helped offset the cast of their merchan­
dise (T-shirts, buttons and stickers), and they
brought in a few bucks from a September gig at
C onan’s. The success of these benefits has
allowed the not-for-profit to keep the big event
free to the public. It’s all-ages, too.
“This event isn’t just happening in our city;
it’s happening all over the world," exclaims
Foster. “Your voice is so loud, and if you come
together it just gets louder.” JH
You can add. your voice to the BANDS A g a i n s t
B u s h I n t e r n a t io n a l D ay o f A c t i o n from
2 f).m. to midnight Oct. 11 at Liberty Hall,
.311 N. Ivy St. It’s a free, all-ages show. For more
info visit www.bandsagamstbush.org or
www.babfxlx.org.
is executive director of the Lesbian
Community Project and a Portland free-lance writer.
J a m ie B o ly a r d
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