This Month’s Contents:
1) Life Update: Looking For a Job (like everyone else!)
2) Now Booking Workshops, Trainings, & Concerts for 2012 - 2013
3) New Album Updates (or lack thereof)
4) Musicians for Pussy Riot!
5) Upcoming Shows
How To Find Me On the Internet:
Mail: evangreer@gmail.com
Website: www.evangreer.org
Collective: www.riotfolk.org
Myspace: www.myspace.com/evangreer
Buy CDs / Download MP3s from Bandcamp: evangreer.bandcamp.com
Buy CDs from CD Baby: www.cdbaby.com/evangreer
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/evangreer1
Hey friends!
Did you miss me? I know I haven’t sent out a newsletter in a few months and I apologize. I’ve also gotten some concerned messages from folks because I’ve dropped off the music radar a little bit lately. I’ve hesitated to share with you all what’s been going on in my life because honestly I’m still figuring it out. As y’all know, I’m a parent now, of an amazing two year old who rocks my world daily:
For years I’ve been supporting myself solely through the income i can scrape together as a touring radical queer musician. I am forever indebted to all of you who have supported this project, made donations, hosted shows, helped spread the word, bought a CD, etc. As Saoirse gets older and economic realities / crises hit hard, I’ve come to a point of realization that I’m just not in a position to support my family solely through music anymore, and I’ve been applying to a number of social justice-focused community and union organizing jobs here in the Boston area. I’m hoping to find a position that will allow me to work full-time for something I believe in while still having enough flexibility to write, record, and perform my music, which I know is important to many people around the world.
Check out my LinkedIn profile for a better picture of some of the paid and volunteer organizing work that I have done: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/evan-greer/39/26/7a4
If you know of any cool community organizations, unions, or non-profits that are looking for a versatile and charismatic person to hire, please let me know! I have over 10 years of experience coordinating projects and campaigns in grassroots social / environmental justice movements and over 6 years of experience as a Communications Coordinator / office administrator for a non-profit focused consulting firm. Positions I am qualified for include campaign organizing, communications, research, education, outreach, office administration, and leadership.
I was pretty bummed out by this decision at first. I had lofty dreams of raising Saoirse always on the road, touring constantly and “making it” as a musician. In a lot of ways, though, that lifestyle doesn’t tickle all my turnips. I’ve never been just a musician. Ever since high school I’ve spent pretty much all the time that I’m not on the road volunteering as a community organizer for a variety of groups from the Common Ground Collective in New Orleans to climate justice network Rising Tide to the Tarek Mehanna Support Committee to the Jericho Movement to Free All Political Prisoners. My involvement in this work is what inspires me to write music. When I’m just on the road all the time, I almost never write.
I had a great conversation the other day with legendary singer/songwriter and community organizer Si Kahn, and he touched on this eloquently. He said a friend had approached him and said, “Imagine how many songs you could have written if you had been a full-time musician rather than splitting your life between organizing and music.”
Si’s response, “Sure, but what would they have been about?”
I resonate strongly with this sentiment, and I am looking forward to this next stage in my career as an activist. I know one thing: I am in this for life. I will never stop organizing, agitating, and raising my voice. I will never stop playing music, touring, performing, or releasing albums. I just might be doing it a little more slowly and strategically, rather than frantically be scrambling to have enough shows to pay the bills.
2) Now Booking for 2012 - 2013On that note, I am still booking tons of shows even while seeking out full-time organizing work! Please get in touch if you have any interest in organizing an event in your community! I’d love to come perform or offer a workshop at your college, high school, church, living room, community center, pub, basement, concert series, LGBTQ center, union hall, protest, riot, or pre-school.
I am mostly booking events on the weekends but am flexible and can adapt. Contact me and we can brainstorm ways to build support in your community to bring me to your town!
All booking inquiries go directly to me, no booking agent. Just hit me up: evangreer@gmail.com
Check out my press-kit: http://www.riotfolk.org/?m=evangreer&p=press_kit
And my Workshop Menu: www.evangreer.org/workshops
And don’t forget to e-mail me if you have ANY inkling that you’d like to help set something up this year! My e-mail again: evangreer@gmail.com
3) New Album Updates (or lack thereof)
Sadly, I can’t report much progress in the production of my new full-length album. My amazing audio engineer, Jory Leanza-Carey of legendary hip-hop trio Broadcast Live, is moving back to Brooklyn with his partner and two kids, and things are a little behind both due to that and due to me being totally broke.
Thank you so much to everyone who has pre-ordered the album or made a donation. Rest assured that your money is still there and will still be used to fund this project as soon as we can raise the rest of it. I am anticipating that my album will be out by early 2013. I know it’s been a long time coming. I promise it will be worth it! I’m so excited about the new music that I’ve been writing and feel that it’s in a whole different realm than what you heard on never surrender. The musicians who I’m gathering for this project are amazing too! Expect some serious surprises and legends from the folk, hip-hop, punk, and rock world to be represented.
You can still pre-order the album on my bandcamp page: http://evangreer.bandcamp.com
The more donations I get to make the album happen, the sooner it will be out! Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. It’s coming!!!!
4) Musicians for Pussy Riot!
If you don’t know about Pussy Riot, the radical feminist punk band whose members have been jailed in Russia for “hooliganism” after performing an anti-government protest song, you must be living under a rock. Everyone from Madonna to Paul McCartney has come out in support of these brave women who not only oppose patriarchy, the Orthodox Church, and the Russian Government, but who have also been outspoken against Western Imperialism and capitalism.
My fellow Riot-Folk! Collective member, Ryan Harvey, and I are working on a project to support these musicians and to collectively raise the voices of musicians worldwide who support those who dare to raise their voice against systems of oppression.
This project is in its infancy but will feature an incredible lineup of DIY and internationally known performers.
There is a facebook group for the project here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/349699768444758/?ref=ts
And the music will soon be available here:
http://freepussyriot.bandcamp.com
The idea is that artists of all levels can contribute a track that will be available for donation online. People can choose how much to donate for each track, or make one large donation for the right to download all the tracks. ALL THE MONEY WILL GO DIRECTLY TO PUSSY RIOT’s DEFENSE FUNDS to assist them with costs surrounding their incarceration.
If you or someone you know is interested in donating a track, send me the following info:
-Name:
-Band name (exactly as you want it displayed):
-Two sentence description of your band:
-Band websites:
-Promo photo of you / your band
-Album cover if the song is from a previously released album (unreleased material preferred)
-A few sentences about why you support Pussy Riot
E-mail this info to evangreer@gmail.com and be patient because we’re getting a lot of responses already!
We are strongly encourage people to WRITE NEW MATERIAL for this project that is either specifically about Pussy Riot or that relates to the issues that they went to jail for.
For more info on their case visit www.freepussyriot.org
5) Upcoming Shows
I don’t have a whole lot of upcoming shows right now because I’ve been deeply involved in other projects at home. I need you to help me change that! E-mail me now: evangreer@gmail.com if you want to help bring me to your town! COLLEGE STUDENTS: i especially need your help to set up events on campuses around the country. Even if you have NO IDEA how to do this, I can walk you through the process and we can make it happen! Just e-mail me: evangreer@gmail.com
That said, here’s my upcoming shows:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6th: BOSTON, MA
National Coming Out Day Event
7pm @ Wheelock College Alumni Room
200 Riverway, Boston, MA, 02215
Slideshow presentation and Q & A about my life as a trans parent, activist, and performer.
Free and open to the public.
Contact: acneel@wheelock.edu for more info.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9th: BOSTON, MA
Boston Anarchist Bookfair Opening Show
7:30pm @ School of the Museum of Fine Arts
230 Fenway, Boston MA, 02115
Donations to support the Bookfair!
With: Jake & the Infernal Machine, Spider Cider, and more TBA!
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/161878030618899/
JANUARY 24 - 26: SPRINGFIELD, MA
People’s Music Network Winter Gathering
Register now at www.peoplesmusic.org
