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Rock Out Bush: Nonprofit Launches Music Video Contest to Ignite Anti-War Sentiment
Published: Monday April 24, 2006
An alternative rock band is joining with a music-oriented nonprofit in an attempt to rally anti-war sentiment through music videos, RAW STORY has learned.
Justice Through Music, a national group that uses music to catalyze youth interest in U.S. politics, has announced a contest in which entrants are asked to submit music videos to accompany an anti-war song written by the indy rock band Op-Critical. The group hopes to stir up anti-war sentiment using music.
On their website, the band debuts their own protest video, shot at Arlington National Cemetery. The video captures the funeral of Army Specialist Kendall Frederick, a Maryland native who was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb. Op-Critical shot the video at Arlington last October, and has since been banned from making films at the cemetery.
Op-Critical spokesman Craig Gillette says theyve been encouraged by the upcoming release of Neil Youngs impeach the president album. Young has brought new life to the anti-war crowd, Gillette says, and he hopes the groups contest will do the same. Op-Critical is offering $500 for winners in each of six categories: rock, alternative rock, urban, R&B, country and other.
Music has power, Gillette says. Musicians should use that power to help bring about social change to leave a better world behind.
We hope it will create a brushfire effect to get other people involved and help people speak out, he added.
The contest comes on the heels of a new Neil Young album in which the country rock icon calls for President Bushs impeachment. Young, who has supported Bush in the past, says the album is about empowering people by giving them a voice. (Raw Story did an advance review of Youngs album this weekend you can read it here.)
Gillette, who grew up as a military brat, says there is a personal element to the campaign. His father supports the war.
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