January 2013 Friends Not Fans Newsletter

What’s up friends?

Happy belated New Year!

By now you know me well enough to know that you’ll never get one of these on the first of the month. Every landlord I ever had learned the same thing.

So how are you? I really mean that. For those new to this list, I want you to know that this is not a one-way conversation. Every month I send this newsletter out to people from all over the world. Please write back to me and let me know what you think, what sorts of activist projects you are working on, what’s important in your community.

If you have a specific campaign, project, or event that you want me to feature, send it along and I will do my best help spread the word. I really love playing music. But what I love more is mutual aid and collective liberation. Know what I mean?

This month:
1) Touring Europe this Summer! It’s happening.
2) A simple thing you can do to spread the message
3) NEW VIDEO: Back to the Roots opens for The Coup, PUTS, Japanther!
4) MLK’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech is copyrighted. Share it anyway.
5) Upcoming Shows and Tours

1) Touring Europe this Summer! It’s happening.

The rumors are true. It will have to be a whirlwind trip, and I hope we can get to all the places that people are and will be inviting us to, but WE ARE COMING BACK TO EUROPE THIS SUMMER!

My two year old, Saoirse, is obsessed with trains, so I can think of no better way to spend the summer than with a Eurail pass, my family, and a guitar.

I already have some shows in the works with rising star UK Riot-Grrrl punk artist Louise Distras, and am planning at least a week long stint in Ireland and a quick but epic journey across as much of the rest of Europe as I can get to.

It all depends on you! Do you know someone who can book a show, help promote, or put up a family of 3 in a smoke-free bedroom somewhere in Europe? Let me know! Email: evangreer@gmail.com with any ideas or suggestions you have. Last time I toured Europe you all were so incredibly supportive and the tour really booked itself. I’m hoping for a wonderful reprisal!

2) A simple thing you can do to spread the message

I do my best to use my social media presence not just to promote my music but to support important activist projects, campaigns, and spread the word about what’s happening in the world.

Can you help me reach more people with that message by sharing my Twitter and Facebook pages with your friends and asking them to follow me?

It’s one of the easiest things you can do to support my work, and it really does make a difference. Thanks so much for your support!

3) NEW VIDEO: Back to the Roots opens for The Coup, PUTS, Japanther!

One of my last shows of 2013 was seriously one of the most fun shows of my life. Sometimes things just come together and a last minute change led this night to be one of the most absurd lineups I’ve ever been a part of.

Here’s a little DIY video I pieced together of all the performances. It features about 2/3 of my Back to the Roots set with spiritchild and Kirsten Lamb on upright bass, plus clips of explosive hip hop funk band The Coup (fronted by Boots Riley), last minute headliners People Under the Stairs (old school west coast hip-hop legends), arty-punk rockers Japanther.



4) MLK’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech is copyrighted. Share it anyway.

You’ll find this hard to believe, but versions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech are regularly taken down off of YouTube. Because the speech itself is copyrighted. EMI purchased the rights from the King family in 2009. Here’s a link to a YouTube video of the speech that was taken down by EMI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PbUtL_0vAJk

We at Fight for the Future felt that this was absurd. Dr. King’s call for racial justice is too painfully relevant today to be censored by a broken copyright system. So we made this video that included the full 17 minute MLK speech plus a short introduction explaining the dangers of overzealous copyright law and saying that Dr. King’s message should never be silenced.

We uploaded the video to Vimeo on January 18th, also known as Internet Freedom Day, the anniversary of the massive internet blackout protests against SOPA / PIPA.

It was taken down by Vimeo within a few hours, just as it was receiving thousands of views.

We got coverage for this in Al Jazeera, the Washington Post, Mashable, CBS news, and many other places.

The video is now back online on YouTube. For MLK weekend, please share this video with as many people as you can, and make sure this message is never censored again.


Link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PbUtL_0vAJk

5) Upcoming Shows and Tours

Check my website for the latest show details!

January 27, 2013: JAMAICA PLAIN, MA
EVAN GREER, DAVID ROVICS, & FOUNDATION MOVEMENT
@ Spontaneous Celebrations
45 Danforth St., JP, MA 02130
7:00pm. $12. All ages.
Advance tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/318696
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/362255287206529

January 30th, 2013: HARTFORD, CT
Hart N Sol presents Evan Greer@ Kabbalah House
1023 Albany Ave, Hartford, CT, 06112
$5 - 10 sliding scale. All ages.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/324852567629098/?ref=ts&fref=ts

February 8th, 2013: BOSTON, MA
Headlining @ Jacque’s Underground
79 Broadway St., Boston, MA (near Back Bay)
9pm show. 21+ (as always if you are underage i will play outside for you, contact me.)
I go on last around 11pm. $10.
With: Bozo Nightmare, Death Waltz ‘76
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/568796253149493

March 1st, 2013: EAST BOSTON, MABenefit for Jericho Movement @ Zumix
260 Summer St., East Boston, MA
Time TBA. Very special guests TBA.

March 10th, 2013: JAMAICA PLAIN, MA
First Unitarian Universalist Church
6 Eliot St, Jamaica Plain, MA
Parental Advisory!
Cabaret of parent performers.
Not a kid-show, but a show you can bring your kids to. ;-)
3:00pm - 6:00pm. Free! Donations accepted.

April 3rd, 2013: ALLSTON, MA@Whirlybird Co-Op
With Blackbird Raum and more
Details TBA.

SUMMER 2013: IRELAND & EUROPE TOUR!
I plan to spend at least a week in Ireland and a few weeks touring the rest of Europe this Summer. This will be a whirlwind tour as usual and I won’t be able to play all the countries I’d like, but please do get in touch if you have any ideas of where we should go!

As always, email me with any booking ideas: evangreer@gmail.com, setting up a show is easier than you’d think.

November 2012 Friends Not Fans Newsletter

Hey friend,

Welcome to my Friends Not Fans Newsletter for November!

Sometimes I forget to send newsletters, so if you want to stay in touch, you should follow me on facebook and twitter!

Here’s what’s in this month’s issue:
1) Opening for THE COUP and JAPANTHER Dec 5th!
2) Life update and Baby Pictures (most of you will skip to this part i know.)
3) A video for “Thanksgiving”
4) What is the ITU?
5) Upcoming Shows & Booking

Thanks for reading! Here’s some links:
Main website: www.evangreer.org
Collective: www.riotfolk.org
Download / Donate for Music: evangreer.bandcamp.com
Videos on YouTube: youtube.com/evangreer1

1) Opening for THE COUP and JAPANTHER on Dec 5th!

Holy wow I am so excited about this show. This is kind of a crazy lineup so if you can get to Boston on December 5th you really definitely should. Boots Riley, front emcee of legendary hip-hop band THE COUP, is clearly one of the hardest hitting radical voices in hip-hop. We’ve stayed in touch on and off for years after Tom Morello introduced us and are finally doing a show together at everyone’s favorite venue in Boston.

To sweeten the deal, electro-punk freaks JAPANTHER are part of this tour, and we get The Coup’s permanent opener from Oakland KEV CHOICE plus local minimalist darklings RUBY RIDGE.

Please RSVP and share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/480127585360256

Tickets are only $15 in advance, which is a steal for this lineup!  Get em here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3134314&pl=mideastrestaurant

2) Life update and Baby Pictures (most of you will skip to this part i know.)

A lot has happened in the past month -- in the world and for our little family. I don’t have any shows coming up right now, but I’d love to book some so get in touch if you’d like to bring me to your town sometime in 2012 or 2013. Instead I’ve been focusing on organizing, writing and recording, and being a parent.

Now that it’s chillier out, we spend a lot of time snuggling and reading. One of Saoirse’s favorite books is Pete Seeger’s Abiyoyo Returns. He likes the sequel better than the original. ;-)
 

Saoirse was Larry Bird for Halloween. My partner, Erin, made this costume from scratch. She never ceases to surprise me with her many hidden talents. Have you seen her photo-blog? It rules: http://saoirseinpictures.wordpress.com  



After Halloween, the election happened. I always feel down on election day no matter who wins. While I and many others around the world breathed a little sigh of relief that we won’t have a President Mitt Romney, I feel dismayed that we live in a time of constant crisis and our so-called leaders won’t even speak the words: climate change, poverty, racism, colonialism, sexism, ableism. But the good news is the day after the election everyone goes back to doing the important work every single day of community organizing, conspiring, and creating to build a new world full of vibrant alternatives to capitalism and oppression.

3) A video for “Thanksgiving”

I wrote this song and made this video a year ago on the National Day of Mourning, aka “Thanksgiving.” It’s about a lot of stuff. Occupy. Genocide. Resistance. Palestine. Liberation.

Still sound relevant today?

Please feel free to share it for the holidays.

Watch and share on YouTube: http://youtu.be/XYjP8Fgn1Js

4) What is the ITU?

In other news, I got a job! I know, I know, i already HAVE a job as a touring folksinger, but I got another job that I find incredibly fulfilling as well and meshes well with continuing to perform and put out music. I am the new Campaign Manager for Fight for the Future, a non-profit working to further the  usefulness of the Internet for improving the world.

Here’s one of the projects I’m working on: a video about the ITU, an obscure UN organization poised to take control of the internet. The risks for internet users: censorship, surveillance, higher costs, and worse. Click the image to watch the video or check it out at whatistheITU.org



I’m really stoked to be working with Fight for the Future, and having an organizing job to supplement my music will allow me to finally release the albums that I’ve been sitting on for so long and tour and perform more sustainably. I work remotely and am able to travel so I am still available for performances and workshops anywhere in the world with enough advance notice.

5) Upcoming Shows & Booking

Speaking of which, I don’t have a whole lot of shows coming up right now! So get in touch so we can book one in your town or at your school. It’s easy to book me. You just email me: evangreer@gmail.com and we figure it out together.

Here’s what I have coming up:

DECEMBER 5: CAMBRIDGE, MA
with THE COUP & JAPANTHER
@ Middle East (Downstairs)
472 Mass Ave, Central Sq.
8pm. 18+. $15 adv or $18 at the door.
Also featuring KEV CHOICE and RUBY RIDGE
Buy tickets here.
Please RSVP and share on Facebook:  
https://www.facebook.com/events/480127585360256

DECEMBER 31: PITTSBURGH, PANew Years Eve House Concert with ANNE FEENEY
Details TBA! Tentative.

JANUARY 25 - 27: SPRINGFIELD, MA
Join me at the People’s Music Network Winter Gathering!
Register online: www.peoplesmusic.org

NOW BOOKING FOR 2013 - 2014!
I’m going to be touring in shorter bursts but I’ll still be getting around! I’m planning at least one trip to Europe in the coming year and several short tours to various parts of the U.S. and Canada. I’m open to going other places too if we can make it happen! Contact me if you want to bring me to your town! I have lots of resources to help you set up a show.

Evan Greer's Friends Not Fans Newsletter: October 2012

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

Twitter: www.twitter.com/evan_greer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/evan.greer2

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