FIRED UP, READY TO GO

Blue Girl has a Friday Night Music Video over at her place. Just to tweak her I am going to post the best music video I have seen and heard in a long while. I am going to post it on the front page, because I am FIRED UP, READY TO GO. The liner notes and credits are below the fold. Consider this a special treat.





Produced and posted to youtube by BergevinBrothers Here is the story of this song.

"Why Obama?" Three brothers share their story. Joe Bergevin watched Senator Barack Obama tell a story about one person, Edith Childs, who energized others with a "fired up, ready to go," chant at one of his campaign stops. Inspired by Obama's "One voice can change the world" speech, Joe wrote some lyrics and rough chords then called his brother Jon to help him compose and arrange the song. They named it after Edith's chant. After many phone calls, emails, and sleepless nights, they had assembled the team. Ten days later an epic recording was born with the intention of spreading Obama's hopeful message. Contributors include lead singer Reverend Pat Wright and her renowned Total Experience Gospel Choir, drummer Matt Cameron from Pearl Jam, lead singer Jake Bergevin, other top studio musicians, sound engineers, video teams, photographers, caterers, local news teams and a renovated theater with recording studio. From the first word written to the last note performed, this entirely donated and collective effort demonstrates Senator Obama's unifying message and Americans' desire to act on it. We were in awe of how freely people said, "Yes!" to this project. His words "For that is our unyielding faith-that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country, can change it" demonstrate that great leaders motivate others. Barack is a great leader.

"I would have never imagined participating in an event like this, suddenly having a bunch of people come together on behalf of a political candidate; contributing immediately, so fully and unconditionally," said Stephan Schier, one of the project contributors.

Edith Childs said in the Greenwood Index Journal "I just had no idea that something done spontaneously would go this far -- in a good way," Childs said. "But as far as the song, I think it's cool. And I'm going to go online and see the (music) video when it comes out. But look, I did (the chant) in June, and I had no idea this is where we'd be on January 25."

Stay in touch with the project at: http://www.myspace.com/bergevinbrothe...

Watch related video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIpbFt...


Featuring the following artists:

Composition: Bergevin Brothers Music - Lyrics and Music (Joe), Music and Arragement (Jon)

The Band:
Jon Bergevin - Piano, Musical Direction
Osama Afifi - Electric Bass
Matt Cameron - Drums (Pearl Jam)
Arturo Rodriguez - Latin Percussion
Frank Seeberger - Electric Guitar
Jessica Howard - Tambourine


The Singers:
Pastor Pat Wright - Lead Vocals and Choir Direction
Jake Bergevin - Lead Vocals
Grady A. Austin - Spoken Vocal and assistant choir direction
The Total Experience Gospel Choir

Sound Engineering:
Chip Butters - Sound Engineering
Mark Yeend -- Sound Engineering

Video:
Neill Barham - Director and Editor
Paul Killebrew - Producer
Tony Tibbetts - Jib Arm Camera & Technical Advisor
Sean Orr -- Camera

Photography:
Stephan Schier (less

There's more: "FIRED UP, READY TO GO" >>

The Bush Administration Doesn't Think Blue Girl, Josh Marshall, and Kevin Drum Are Journalists

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing today examining the Free Flow of Information Act Of 2007. You can view the video webcast and copies of the witnesses prepared testimony here.

The bill is intended to create a Federal shield allowing journalists to protect their sources. The proposed legislation includes several exceptions applying equally to all journalists. To invoke any of the exceptions the government would be required to petition a Federal court.

While the Justice Department has never favored a shield law, the administration's most strongly held objections to this bill are aimed at its definition of "journalism." As proposed

The term "journalism" means the gathering, preparing, collecting, photographing, recording, writing, editing, reporting, or publishing of news or information that concerns local, national, or international events or other matters of public interest for dissemination to the public.

Obviously, the proposed definition is broad enough to include the work of bloggers. If the bill is enacted it will treat the reporting of Judith Miller and Blue Girl just alike. Josh Marshall and the New York Times will benefit equally. The posts or editorials Kevin Drum and William Safire will be entitled to exactly the same protections.

According to c\net the mere idea that bloggers might be entitled to protection as journalists has reduced the administration to a quivering state of apoplexy.

Rachel Brand, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy, testified that "The definition is just so broad that it really includes anyone who wants to post something to the Web."

The administration's argument didn't fall on deaf ears. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) said, "I'd say anyone who didn't want to face legal action would immediately try to put up a blog and try to get journalistic protection."

The best defense of both the bill and bloggers came from William Safire. The long time New York Times columnist likes the definition's focus on the activity of journalism rather than the journalist's employer or paycheck. He testified that

Whether you're a blogger or whether you're The New York Times or CBS or The Wall Street Journal, if what you are doing is aimed at informing the public, then you're a journalist, whether you get paid for it or not.

The bill's sponsors have indicated that they want to pass the bill this session. We will follow it's progress, and especially whether the administration is able to deny bloggers engaged in journalism the bill's protection. Anybody know Brad Sherman. If so send him an email and tell him to join the 21st Century.

There's more: "The Bush Administration Doesn't Think Blue Girl, Josh Marshall, and Kevin Drum Are Journalists" >>

Red State Update--Paris Hilton

This is for those of you on the coasts who think this the way we look and talk out here in the middle of fly over country.



I would remind you that Robert Heinlein, Walt Disney, Thomas Hart Benton, Vincent Price, Ernest Hemingway, Calvin Trillin, Walter Cronkite, Ginger Rogers, Dennis Hopper and Blue Girl are all from the same Red State. I know what you are thinking, except for Blue Girl, they all escaped. The only guy who ever came home was Harry Truman and he didn't have a college education. I can guarantee you that he didn't talk like either of the Red State good old boys. I can also guarantee you that none of the authors or artists I named was ever a porn star.

There's more: "Red State Update--Paris Hilton" >>