The Libertarian Party of Tennessee is proud to participate in the event below
Contact: Mary Mancini
Event Coordinator
mary@lucysrecordshop.com
615-480-4678
Lucy's Record Shop Reunites for Day of Music, Free Speech and Voter Registration
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it." -Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 4, September 11, 1777
From 1992 until its closing in 1998, Lucy's Record Shop helped bring independent music to Nashville, not just by selling CDs and records, but also by booking all-ages shows featuring local and national bands. As a result, it became a place where young people came to meet, talk and engage the world around them. Whether they were punks, feminists, anarchists or born-again Christians, Lucy's gave them an outlet where they could share and debate ideas openly and vigorously. Countless local teens and young adults passed through the doors of Lucy's during the 1990s; some went on to start their own bands, some went on to publish their own art or writing. Most important of all, many emerged with the conviction that they had a stake in their community, their city and their country.
On September 18, 2004, proprietor Mary Mancini, along with co-founders Don and April Kendall, will revive the spirit of Lucy's Record Shop to connect culture with politics at the Lucy's Record Shop ACT NOW! Reunion Concert and Voter Registration Drive. This nonpartisan event is aimed at young voters between the ages of 18 to 30.
"As I was getting more and more into election-year politics, I kept reading how the 18- to 30-year-old age group is one of the most disenfranchised in the country," Mancini explains. "Given the issues at stake right now, the 2004 presidential election could prove to be one of the most important in our lifetime. So we thought, what can we do to make sure that young people don't take their democracy for granted?"
Mancini and the Kendalls are organizing the ACT NOW! event to continue the tradition they started at Lucy's. The purpose is to create a fun, safe setting where teens and twentysomethings can realize the importance and power of participatory democracy. By bringing together local bands, speakers and exhibitors, the organizers hope to encourage the vital 18- to 30-year-old age group to shake off their cynicism and regain their voice in the political process.
"There is a lot of voter apathy," adds Mancini. "Kids feel overwhelmed by the amount of information out there; they're turned off by the harshness of today's politics, they feel that voting doesn't matter, and that they have no power. This event will be an opportunity for them to wade through the rhetoric, engage in debate with their peers, and understand the power they can have simply by casting a vote in the November election."
The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 18th at the Belcourt Theatre, between noon and midnight. Confirmed to perform are Lambchop, High Strung, Glossary, Murdered Minority, Trauma Team, Fall with Me, Lovebucket and Slaphappy Superfly, Forget Cassettes, Wally Pleasant, and Lojaque and the Flaming Nahdbits.
Key to the event are the exhibiting organizations and speakers who'll be on hand to provide information about issues of interest to local voters. Participants include The Firebrand Community Center, Tennessee Guerilla Women, The Nashville Peace and Justice Center, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, WRFN Radio Free Nashville, The Fifth Estate, Oasis Center, TeenEdge, Grimey's New and Pre-loved Vinyl and CDs, Davidson County Young Democrats, Women for Women and the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp, MTSU's Students for Environment Action, Libertarian Party of Tennessee, DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), Tennessee National Organization of Women, Planned Parenthood of Mid-TN, Glendale Baptist Church, Stuff, The Beat of Nashville, and the Lucy's Voter Registration Street Team.
The Lucy's Record Shop Coalition street team of volunteers will be registering voters throughout the day. Over the last few weeks, the team has already registered 168 new voters by visiting area nightclubs and coffeehouses.
The Lucy's Record Shop ACT NOW! Reunion Concert and Voter Registration drive is sponsored by the Nashville Scene (www.nashvillescene.com) and SiteMason (www.sitemason.com).
Sponsorships and exhibition space are still available. Contact Mary Mancini at mary@lucysrecordshop.com or 615-480-4678.
Donations are also being accepted at the website, www.lucysrecordshop.com.
After production costs, all proceeds from this event will benefit the Firebrand Community Center of Nashville, TN. The vision of the Firebrand is to create a community space - a library, media lab, performance space, meeting area, and kitchen - that can be used by different local organizations to inspire and educate. The Firebrand Community Center is an independent, nonprofit organization with 501(c) 3 status.
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