Tegan and Sara, Amanda Palmer, Thurston Moore, Best Coast, Moby, Banks & Steelz, Sharon Jones, OK Go, Okkervil River, CHVRCHES, Death Cab for Cutie, Henry Rollins, Local Natives, and More Get Political with Under the Radar’s Protest Issue and Charity Auction

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Tegan and Sara, Amanda Palmer, Thurston Moore, Best Coast, Moby,
Banks & Steelz, Sharon Jones, OK Go, Okkervil River, CHVRCHES,
Death Cab for Cutie, Henry Rollins, Local Natives, and More Get Political with
Under the Radar‘s Protest Issue and Charity Auction

Special Issue Examines Music and Politics, Takes On Sexism
and Feminism in the Music Industry, and Tackles the Election

Musician-Made Protest Signs to Be Auctioned for
The American Cancer Society Starting October 18
Under the Radar Magazine has released its 2016 Protest Issue, which is out now both digitally and on newsstands nationwide until mid November. The Protest Issue uses the time-honored connection between politics and music to promote political dialogue and awareness in a way that few media outlets do in this day and age. Publishers Mark and Wendy Redfern have put together a Protest Issue every U.S. Presidential election year since 2004, and as before this issue features articles examining the intersection of music and politics and photo shoots with musicians holding protest signs of their own making.
On October 18, all the autographed signs in the issue will be auctioned, with all profits going to the American Cancer Society, which was in part chosen because in the last two years Mark’s father and sister both lost their battles with cancer.

Amanda Palmer graces the cover holding a protest sign that ties into one of the main articles in the issue, one that tackles sexism, feminism, and misogyny in the music industry. That article also features Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, CHVRCHESLauren Mayberry, Lower Dens’ Jana Hunter, Lush’s Miki Berenyi, music publicist Beth Martinez, Amanda Palmer, Natalie Prass, Perfect Pussy’s Meredith Graves, Tegan and Sara’s Sara Quin, and Chelsea Wolfe. Other political articles examine the divisive 2016 U.S. Presidential election, progressive musicians who are based in red states, and whether cancelling shows and boycotting performing in specific states and countries is an effective means of protest.
The following artists, among many others, created their own protest signs for the issue and were photographed with them: Tegan and Sara, Amanda Palmer, Best Coast, Sharon Jones, Thurston Moore, Perfect Pussy, OK Go, Car Seat Headrest, and many others. The full list is below.

Readers are also encouraged to submit their own protest sign photos via social media using the hashtag #ProtestIssue.
Here are more specific details of the political articles in the issue:

Feminist Firewall: How Women in the Music Industry Are Using Social Media to Confront Sexism and Misogyny
As much the music industry has grown to be a more progressive environment for gender equality, elements of sexism and misogyny still play an unhealthy role in the lives of female artists. This in-depth article examines sexism, feminism, and misogyny in the music industry; the specific challenges female musicians face; and how social media is helping keep a dialogue on these issues going.

The article incorporates interviews with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry, Lower Dens’ Jana Hunter, Lush’s Miki Berenyi, music publicist Beth Martinez, Amanda Palmer, Natalie Prass, Perfect Pussy’s Meredith Graves, Tegan and Sara’s Sara Quin, and Chelsea Wolfe.
Ray Lego photographed Amanda Palmer for the cover exclusively for Under the Radar in New York, and Mike Hilleary wrote the article.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to say something about somebody being a creep when we all work in this industry together.” – Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast

“If you can find it in yourself to radically empathize with another human being, huge gates will open up to you in terms of the richness of your life experience.” – Amanda Palmer

A Season for Cynics: Musicians Contemplate a Lesser-of-Two-Evils Election
The 2016 Presidential election has been like no other, and in this in-depth article writer Matt Fink examines how musicians have fit into this and what their feelings on the election and candidates are. The majority of indie musicians had been supporting Bernie Sanders, who is now out of the race. Fink talked to Sanders supporters about why they supported him, what they feel like his campaign has achieved even though he didn’t get the nomination, and how fully they are supporting Hillary Clinton now that she faces up against Donald Trump. But Fink also interviewed some musicians who have been Clinton supporters all along.

This article incorporates interviews with Billy Bragg, Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, Kristin Kontrol, Mew’s Jonas Bjerre, Moby, Thurston Moore, Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, Amanda Palmer, Henry Rollins, Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg, Superchunk’s Laura Ballance, and Andrew W.K.

“If there were other ways President Obama could get things accomplished in some instances, I think he would have. I am willing to bet all presidents go in with one idea of how it’s going to go and find out that it’s not going to be that way.” – Henry Rollins

“I think if I was still living in NYC I’d be in jail for spray painting ‘People Have the Power – The Power of Love’ on McTrump’s plane.” – Thurston Moore

Blue in a Red State: Learning to Live in an Us vs. Them Country
Since the country is becoming increasingly polarized into red and blue America, for this article writer Matt Fink interviewed politically active musicians who live in deeply conservative places. Does this influence their creative work to some extent, either by pushing them to work in isolated communities or by offering a constant reminder of the perspectives of those with whom they don’t agree? Is it much easier to be a politically active artist in Brooklyn than it is in the Deep South, for example?

The article incorporates interviews with Cursive’s Tim Kasher, The Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn, of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, and Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg.
“People in New York talk about Texas like it’s some hostile, foreign state where you’re going to get gunned down in the street, and that just wasn’t my experience living here for 13 years.” – Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg

“I don’t tend to raise my voice on political issues in Nebraska, as the conservative climate-outside of the arts community-can be a bit stifling.” – Cursive’s Tim Kasher
 
To Play or Not to Play: Indie Artists Debate Whether Canceling Shows is an Effective Means of Protest
Artists have cancelled shows in North Carolina to protest House Bill 2 (aka the transgender bathroom law) and refused to tour Israel due to their treatment of Palestinians. But is it more effective to actually play the show and make a statement at the show, rather than canceling and making the fans suffer? For this article Matt Fink speaks to musicians who have consciously decided not to cancel shows.
The article incorporates interviews with Death Cab for Cutie’s Nick Harmer, Rogue Wave’s Zach Rogue, Tacocat’s Emily Nokes, and The Thermals’ Hutch Harris.
“We knew that playing in North Carolina with HB2 being what it is was going to be a real conflict for us internally.” – Death Cab for Cutie’s Nick Harmer

“Every major country is guilty of human rights abuses. If you’re going to boycott countries, start with the United States. Have you seen how our police force treats Black Americans? It’s despicable.” – The Thermals’ Hutch Harris

“I think it would be unfortunate if we perpetuated a vacuum, like all these liberal bands play in liberal places for liberal people.” – Tacocat’s Emily Nokes
Sharon Jones: Keeping Soul and Hope Alive
The Protest Issue section also includes an interview with Sharon Jones by Joshua M. Miller in which she discusses her fight with cancer and the need for greater government funding into cancer research.
“Stop getting fat off the people who need the medication. To me that’s robbery.” – Sharon Jones
 
Protest Sign Photo Shoots
For their signature Protest Issue protest sign photo-shoots Under the Radar provided musicians poster-board and paint and asked them to make their own protest signs. Then they photographed them holding the signs. The artists were free to write whatever message they liked-it was an exercise in free speech.

Under the Radar will be auctioning off all the autographed signs on eBay starting October 18, with all profits being donated to the American Cancer Society. Here is a complete list of artists who did protest sign photo shoots:

Amber Arcades
Julien Baker
Banks and Steelz
Best Coast
Billy Bragg
Hayley Bonar
Car Seat Headrest
Deerhoof
Everything Everything
Fear of Men
Frankie Cosmos
Gwenno
HÆLOS
Hinds
The Julie Ruin
Kristin Kontrol
Local Natives
Lower Dens
LUH
Lush
Mass Gothic
Metronomy
Mew
Moby
Thurston Moore
Kevin Morby
The Mynabirds
OK Go
Okkervil River
Cullen Omori
Perfect Pussy
Petite Noir
Britta Phillips
Pillar Point
Natalie Prass
Protomartyr
Rogue Wave
School of Seven Bells
Shearwater
Slow Club
Still Corners
Sunflower Bean
Superchunk
Super Furry Animals
Tacocat
TEEN
Tegan and Sara
Wild Beasts
Andrew W.K.
Wye Oak
Xiu Xiu
Yeasayer
Younghusband
Yuck
About Under the Radar: Under the Radar is an internationally distributed indie music print magazine and website that’s independently published by husband-and-wife team Mark and Wendy Redfern. This December it will celebrate its 15th anniversary. The magazine was started in Los Angeles but is now based in Virginia. Under the Radar was the first nationally distributed print magazine to interview such artists as Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes and was the last media outlet to interview and photograph Elliott Smith before his untimely passing. The magazine is distributed nationwide on newsstands and via such chains as Barnes & Noble. It is also available digitally for smart-phones and tablets via Under the Radar’s own app and the magazine apps Zinio, Readly, and Readbug. The company has just launched a Patreon page to help keep it going strong and expand into new areas, including podcasts and more original video content.

About the American Cancer Society: For over 100 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has worked relentlessly to save lives and create a world with less cancer. Together with millions of our supporters worldwide, we help people stay well and get well, find cures, and fight back against cancer.

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