June 22nd, 2009 | by Bob Ferguson
Photo: Lisa East / Oxfam America
Is it a popular artist’s responsibility to speak out about important issues?
That’s the question that was posed to us last Sunday at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. As part of Oxfam America’s presence at the festival, I had the pleasure of being a panelist at a discussion about the intersection of activism and music. The panel took place on the Solar Stage, an earth-friendly performance area.
The panelist to my right happened to be Will Sheff from Okkervil River, a band I admire greatly. Before the panel, Sheff and I killed a little time in the “Green Room” tent adjacent to the stage by talking about his band’s efforts to “green” their own tours and to encourage fans to ride bikes to their gigs to slash gig-related carbon footprints. Sheff mentioned that they didn’t start those initiatives because of any particular movement or campaign, but rather because they personally just felt that the by-products of touring were wasteful. (Performer Ben Sollee may be one of the few musicians to complete a full tour on a bike, when he pedaled 330 miles to Bonnaroo with his cello.)
That’s why I wasn’t surprised to hear Sheff’s response to the panel’s question. He said, in essence: “I don’t think it’s an artist’s responsibility to do the right thing; I think it’s a human’s responsibility to do the right thing.” Who could argue with that?
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June 5th, 2009 | by Bob Ferguson
Ben and the tour's filmmaker, Marty Benson, stretching it out this morning in Frankfort, KY, before setting off to tonight's show in Danville, KY. Photo: Katie Benson
Remember Ben Sollee, the cellist and Oxfam supporter who gave me a very unstable lift on the back of his bike during the South by Southwest festival? Well, he’s just embarked on his official bike ride to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival next week, with his Oxfam America cello case and 60 pounds of equipment in tow. Regrettably, I won’t be joining him on this particular ride.
Ben’s 300-mile journey passes through his native Kentucky en route to the festival grounds in Tennessee, all with the purpose of spreading the word about Oxfam’s work.
“We’re going to be riding through the heart of these towns and people will have questions. Conversations will take seed,” Ben told the Huffington Post this week. “In the end, the music will bridge any gaps in vernacular and we’ll have a great show. It’s important for me to remember that I’m going to these places on an invitation from the community. Booking agents didn’t book this tour. Rather, the community found places to host us.”
If you live in the area, make sure to check out Ben’s live dates, or you can watch video dispatches from the ride at his blog Pedaling Against Poverty.
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