Last Friday, my sister and I drove to Boulder to see State Radio perform at the Boulder Theater. It was a terrific show.
The State Radio band members are all about connecting their music to a message, and their lyrics are purposeful and political. (See http://www.stateradio.com/about for more.) I absolutely love this about them, and I also love the music itself.
As we headed into the seating area before the show, a CU student stopped us to ask whether we'd be interested in signing up for the Calling All Crows email list. He explained that Calling All Crows is State Radio's nonprofit organization, and that, in 2009, the organization raised $100,000 to provide stoves to women in Sudan. The CU student was working as a Calling All Crows volunteer at the show, and he'd also participated in a State Radio public service event held on the university campus earlier that day.
State Radio's website explains, "The band is dedicated to delivering more than just music. And we have come to expect more from our fans. We want them to be activists. We want them to be organizers in their own community. We want them to see the inequities in the world, gather, use their voices, demand change... and be that which they want to see in the world."
Does it get better than that? I doubt it. We, of course, signed up. And bought t-shirts.
The band is great live. I would go see them again, and again, and again. I don't say that about many artists. They are talented musicians, and their music is an intriguing blend of several genres. If you want to check them out, you can listen to all of their music on their website, and they've made their lyrics easily accessible there too.
Some of my favorite songs include "Mansin Humanity," "Revolutionaries," "Calling All Crows," "Camilo," "Keepsake," "Right Me Up," and "Knights of Bostonia."
(Photo info: the band's backdrop at the show was a banner with "WAGE PEACE" written across the center.)
AN IMPORTANT ASIDE - Calling All Crows partnered with Oxfam America to provide stoves to women refugees in Sudan because it's extremely dangerous for the women to leave camp to gather fuel for their fires. The stoves provided by Oxfam are far more fuel-efficient and thus reduce the amount of time the women must spend outside camp, and the stoves are also better for the environment. Learn more and/or donate at http://www.callingallcrows.org/page/stoves-project.
On a related note, I recently read an article in The New Yorker about the work being done to invent better stoves for use in developing nations around the world. Current cooking methods are often dangerous and unhealthy, and improving cooking methods can have an immense impact on women and their families. Please see http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/12/21/091221fa_fact_bilger.
Also, for those interested in how to effectively fundraise for nonprofits, Outside Magazine recently published an article about what motivates most people to give. Research has shown that people are more motivated to donate if they know their gift will be used for a very specific purpose (e.g., a $10 gift will purchase five meals). In addition, people are more motivated to give if a problem seems manageable; for instance, though it seems counter-intuitive, people are more likely to give if one person needs assistance than if hundreds do. Read the entire article at http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200912/nicholas-kristof-philanthropy-advice-1.html.
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