Viktor

JAN 17, 2014 - Neil Young is on a benefit tour for the campaign "Honor the Treaties", which aims to put pressure on Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Canadian government to honor the treaties they signed with the Native people of Canada, who are fighting the battle of their life right now in protecting the lands and water from tar sands development and pollution. HuffPo has a good post up with some of his Tweets and Facebook posts, and to find out more about the Honor the Treaties campaign check out their website here.

JAN 16, 2014 - If you haven't seen it yet, below is the video of Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon doing a parody of "Born to Run" and taking jabs at New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie who is caught up in his GW Bridge scandal right now. It is no secret Bruce Springsteen has been fighting for worker's rights, and Chris Christie has been attacking worker's rights, and that sticks in Bruce's craw. Even though Christie is his Governor and a huge Springsteen fan, Bruce snubbed him at one concert when he tried to visit him backstage and the Boss lets his feelings known he is disappointed in the Governor. JTMP is also disappointed in Christie attacking worker's rights and unions. This is a pattern of conservative Governors across the country and we as a people need to fight back and secure our economic rights as workers. Watch the hilarious clip of "Gov. Christie Traffic Jam" below.

JAN 13, 2014 - A campaign called "Sing Forward" to raise awareness about the Affordable Care Act has been launched out of Wisconsin by Musicians For Health, urging fellow musicians to enroll in a health insurance program at the HealthCare.gov website. One of the main musical-activists leading the way is Anna Vogelzang, and she is letting other musicians know one can get health insurance through the exchanges for as little as $25-$50 a month; a catastrophic plan can be as little as $10 a month. There is even a song they wrote for the campaign titled "Sing Forward!", and they have the lyric sheet and a video to sing along with. They have a REMIX contest where you can submit your remix of the song, and the prizes are cash, tickets and other cool stuff. I might submit one myself! Check out the video of "Sing Forward" below, and check out the Sing Forward! website here where you can even punch in your zip code and find an affordable health plan. If you ever drop your amp on your foot and break your toe you will need it.

Sing Forward Music Video from Kyle Pfister on Vimeo.

JAN 9, 2014 - Wu Fei, who specializes in traditional Chinese music, blends Chinese and American folk music with her two band mates of Wu Force, Abigail Washburn and Kai Welch. She plays the traditional Chinese instrument guzheng (similar to a zither), Abigail plays the banjo, and Kai plays keyboards and trumpet. Wu Fei resided in the US for years attending Mills College, and in a NashvilleScene interview she talks about her Chinese government back home and how they oppress musicians and will not let them play whatever they want. The Chinese government even criticized Wu Fei for taking part in a Chinese-European culture exchange. Read more about this fascinating musician and her band Wu Force on NashvilleScene.com here.  (photo credit: wufeimusic.com)

JAN 8, 2014 - Jon Leavitt, musician and longtime medical marijuana activist in Maine, has put his activism and his music together in a musical called "Somewhere Maine: The Marijuana Musical" that delves into the live of people living in a community of growers and patients in Maine. The play will have 8 acts, and will debut in Portland this spring. The play comes from real stories Leavitt had dealing with people in medical marijuana commerce. Leavitt says, "I think the story needs to be told and I think to put it into a format with song and dance and theater makes it accessible to people." The story centers around Johnny Crashed, a medical marijuana farmer who has his children taken away from him by the government as a result. Leavitt was executive director of the Maine Marijuana Policy Initiative, a group that helped shape and pass the 2009 law that stopped the government from infringing on the peoples' right to have access to medical marijuana. He is currently runs a small medical marijuana farm, and has formed  Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, a trade organization for small scale cultivators. Watch Jon Leavitt and friends perform "Home School Christian Girl" below, and read more on SunJournal.com here.