Mitchelle Tanner

Check out this great blog posting by a young voter and activist for change working hard in Iowa as the early voters make their way to the polls this week.

It's posted online right now (link below), but will change with the next blog posting, so I'm pasting the actual blog post below, too.

The act of making and performing/recording music was, in its youth, an act of rebellion and a call for change; a loud strong voice of youth full of emotions, demanding change, to be seen and heard. Like church and state these days, music and politics impact each other and always will. It's a sadly "modern" state of mind that some still spit out the words: "Leave the politics to the politicians, you're an entertainer, just sing!" Politicians - we are all politicians. This is a democracy, of the People. And we cannot sleep any longer, any of us, it is too dangerous to simply let the ball roll without participating in the game. Not only that, but when a voice is raised, it joins the chorus of humankind - we are all of us politicians and creators of change.

So here's my one entry urging all of us to VOTE.

VOTE VOTE VOTE, even if you don't believe your vote matters. Voting isn't something to be taken lightly, even when the most corrupt among us tamper with it. The act of voting is part of the American Dream. The act of voting is and will always be a personal as well as political statement. Fighting to keep it legitimate is another step.

I support Rock the Vote and hope you all get out there and vote this election (and every election after that). People create change, you and me. Politicians are public servants, remember that phrase? Act up. Vote.

Off my soapbox now. Thanks SO MUCH Nick, and all the youth who are out there rockin' the vote! Lead on! We support you!

~ Mitchelle
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The link:
http://www.blog.rockthevote.com/2008/09/early-voting-in-ohio.html

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The blog post:

Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Early Voting in Ohio

DSC_0011, originally uploaded by Rock the Vote 2008.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Young voters registered yesterday - 20,963
Total voters registered yesterday - 29,445
Miles driven today - 104 so far


4:13 pm - Today marks the first day of early voting in Ohio. From now until election day, anyone who turns up at the county board of elections during business hours can vote or register or both without further ado. This morning, we returned to Wilberforce University and bussed some 60 students to the county office to vote early.

Campaigns, it should be noted, run on the energy of youth. There is no one else who can take the brutal combination of elation, tedium, sleeplessness, anger, joy, and anticipation. I have friends working on campaigns both national and local this election cycle and a sample email I got from one reads as follows:

"Friends,

"I want you to know, that although I have been very AWOL for the past several months, I miss you so much. I don't want to sound like a stalker, but sometimes I check out your facebook pages just so that I can feel like I'm seeing you from time to time and "keeping up." It is clearly not the same.

"The next 38 days are probably going to be the most challenging and exhausting of my life. My job never really ends, and my feeling of accountability has become all-encompassing. It takes a toll. My stomach aches sometimes, and when I sit still in the mornings, I fall asleep unless I drink some serious coffee. And I'm drinking some serious coffee. I believe in what I'm doing. So much so that at this stage of the game, I feel an intense sense of guilt when I take time to call or email anyone who is not an Iowan, working in Iowa on the campaign, or just working on the campaign.

"I have not exercised in months. Yes, months. I've even stopped crunches every day and only do them sometimes. I think you guys understand that that's a big deal. Frankly, sometimes I do not shower as much as I should."

The ‘youth vote’ gets disparaged pretty regularly, and it’s true that we haven’t turned out as much as we maybe should have in the past. But you have to remember that the campaigns themselves wouldn’t exist without the fiendishly devoted young people who act as their shock troops. For every apathetic kid who claims that his vote just doesn’t matter, there is a half-crazed activist fighting against the injustices of the world.

Of course, in politics as in romance, it’s easy to fall into cynicism. You work for a guy for a while and it stops being about issues. You feel a connection. Your candidate understands you. He’s your friend, albeit one you’ve never met. And then he loses and the bottom falls out and everything you worked for seems pointless and foolish. It’s that same old sob story: guy meets candidate, guy falls for candidate, candidate loses, guy ends up broken and alone only to realize that that quirky best friend he’s known since the beginning of the film is the real candidate.

Or... well... the romantic-comedy/election-cycle comparison is not an exact metaphor. I am just saying it’s easy to lose faith in the system when things don’t turn out how you think they should... Think of the non-voters in this election as the cantankerous old hermits who have been used and beaten by the world and will never love again. And then there are the voters. Voting is an affirmation of life. It is a way to have a voice your country’s leadership and through that your country’s future.

And, alright, admittedly, it’s not nearly so stirring to bus someone to the county election center as it is to watch the band geek finally get the girl of his dreams, but if you look for it, there is something touching about a busload of first time voters and the young activists who are needling them on to the polls.

--Nick Brown

Tuesday night I had a great time recording at Expression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville. It's a special school that includes a Recording Engineer track and they need "talent" for the recording classes. Every once in awhile they need a solo musician or duo, so in I went to record my first new song in years.

It was a great laid-back re-entry into recording. I'd missed it so much! I love everything about the recording studio and being free to sing and create. Both students and teacher were very patient and supportive and even liked the song :) And I'm pretty pleased with the result, as raw and unfinished as it is. Good job, guys!

Check the photos page for a photo of the class. They're in their first month of studying, so was their first experience in the studio, learning the board. Great guys, terrific teacher (that's Ivan in the middle). Been years since I recorded there; last time was with my band.

You can take a listen to the new song (not yet professionally mixed or mastered, may add more vocals/instruments) here.

A shout out and thanks to Jafar for always doing a great job of coordinating recording sessions at the school. For information about the Expression College for Digital Arts, check out their website at www.expression.edu.

Unfortunately, I had to cancel my last Farmer's Market of the year due to pneumonia (!) On the mend, but it's sooo sllllooooow. Will keep you posted on any upcoming gigs or new recordings.

On another note, I'll be walking in the Out of the Darkness 2008 walk this year to raise money and awareness about depression and suicide here in the United States. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (http://www.afsp.org) now has an office in San Francisco, and nationwide they are sponsoring a growing number of medical and scientific studies to help those suffering from depression and, hopefully, to reverse the suicide epidemic. It's a cause dear to my heart and an organization that needs our support. With support hotlines and survivor support groups and so many other services, it's a one-of-a-kind organization. Please take a moment to visit my Personal Walk page.
Every donation helps - and I invite you to come walk with me if you can, as well! Always a gorgeous day and a comfortable walk.