A six-year reflection on my time in Junkyard Empire, the band, and it's FIFTH record....

As the trombone player and oldest member, both in age and participation, I take special personal pride in saying that Junkyard Empire is about to record it's fifth record. Let me say it again: FIFTH record. That's really something. This one will be the second record with Steve Hogan on bass, the fourth with Graham O'Brien on drums and Bryan Berry on guitar, and the fifth with myself and Brian Lozenski a.k.a. Brihanu. In the time this band has been together in one form or another - roughly six years - I have seen a lot, experienced a lot, learned a lot. Here's my story. Just kind of felt like telling it. Maybe I'll be able to convince the other guys to give their reflections as we prepare to record.

In May of 2005, my wife Szilvia and I left the moderate weather conditions of Cotati, California, famously known as the "city of a thousand freaks," for the excruciatingly wet hot Summer in St. Paul, Minnesota. I had just graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in Political Science at the age of thirty-four, and an intense desire to do work for the common good. I was given a quasi opportunity to go do some work like that for Grassroots Campaigns, which didn't last long. It was just basically a fund raising operation, directly connected to the DNC, and it's top down numbers-generated approach was disgusting. Well, as spirit-sucking as that job was, it was the reason I ended up the Twin Cities. After all, I had to get out of California; we were paying $775 per month for an old converted garage that had holes in its uninsulated walls. Szilvia was taking the Golden Gate Transit down to San Francisco, over an hour RT every day, to a temp job at Charles Schwab. Yeah, I know, hard to believe.

Sick of all that noise, I took the job in St. Paul, arriving in June of 2005. It was that Fall when I put together a concept that would ultimately become Junkyard Empire, specifically upon the arrival of Brihanu. Looking back on it now, it is interesting how mild our expectations were at the beginning. Just having Brihanu rap heavy political theory over Freddie Hubbard tunes was cool enough, right? I mean, shit, playing jazz/funk mashups under a rapper is a kind of nirvana few of us musicians get to experience.

It was when Brihanu and our then guitar player Zacc Harris (another phenomenal musician) started bringing in their originals, along with more of mine too, that the band began to really take on a unique approach composing and a resulting sound. Don't get me wrong though, it was hard. Not only were there lots of ego clashes, bad decisions made, and artistic differences, but rarely did we have a line-up of musicians who were on the same page in regard to where they saw the project going. Ultimately, we went through three sax players, two guiar players, three bass players, and one drummer before finally settling on the current line-up, solidified right after the release of Rebellion Politik. We all learned a lot from the crazy experiences of deciding to go from being a "weekend warrior" kind of band with a message, to a band hell bent on delivering a revolutionary message to the world at large. It didn't become quite real to us how involved we were going to be in movement building until our participation in the 2008 RNC protests. Playing on a stage that was surrounded by riot police, getting gassed, seeing women and journalists pushed down and beaten, and then later finding out that the organizers of the event - our greatest supporters - are all subjects of systematic FBI repression, facing imprisonment, deeply affected the collective mind of Junkyard Empire. We frequently have reflective conversations about this point in our history as a band. We released Rise of the Wretched that same day. In fact, that protest was one of six or seven shows that week, what we called the ANTI-RNC TOUR. That was our first real direct activism as a band on the grand scale.

From there, we simply got more and more politicized, while also trying much harder to take our music to a more mainstream place, only in the sense that we wanted more access to potential audiences for what we are trying to say. The result of that re-assessment of our trajectory as a band was signing with MediaRoots Music to release Rebellion Politik. That experience changed me a lot as a musician. I had never worked with a producer before, which was a surprisingly refreshing and well, productive, experience. Rebellion Politik was also the first recording that I used my electronics pedals as a key ingredient in my own personal sound with the band, something that is now commonplace for me. I bring this up, because the musical evolution of this band is just as interesting as the increased movement participation. In our six years we have gone from being described as the "jazz version of Rage Against the Machine" in Political Affairs Magazine, to "like listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, fronted by Talib Qweli, with the rush of Rage Against the Machine when they still had something to say" in Okay Player.





Right around the time we released Rebellion Politik, I became possessed with figuring out how Junkyard Empire could go to Cuba to perform, show our solidarity with their struggle, and learn for ourselves what it is really like over there. I knew that Audioslave had done it, and that Mos Def had done it, and that others had done it, so why not Junkyard Empire? After all, we were basically unknown, so why would the powers that be even give a shit right? I'm sure they did, but whatever. The unmarked police cars outside of the house were not even undercover enough for the neighborhood 8-year olds to warn us about. We ended up, thanks to the good graces of a really radical lawyer, named Bill Martinez, getting invited on a 10-day tour and research expedition in Havana by the Cuban Ministry of Culture, and the Cuban Rap Agency. You heard me. It was a life-altering experience on a multitude of levels; just ask Graham, our drummer.

As radical as going to Cuba was, it got zero press. It was when we played at a peace festival on a huge Wisconsin farm called Pigstock 2009 that we really started to go to a new place as a band. Chris Hedges was the keynote speaker at that event, and it was through Chris that I was introduced to Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. After emailing with them, sharing our music with them, and asking how we could help with their organizing work, we ended up planning a protest concert in New York City at Union Square Park on tax day last year. Zeese and gang organized a big B of A protest/flashmob thing that took place right after our live set in the park. That was April of 2011. Acts of Humanity was released in June of 2011. The association with Margaret and Kevin led to my participation in the October 2011 Movement Steering Committee, where they really took me under their wing and I got to see organizing big national actions from the inside out. Our organizing led to a live performance in Washington, DC on October 6th in Freedom Plaza, marking the beginning of that occupation, which is still going strong today. We were planning that action for several months before Occupy Wall Street was even a thought. It was an amazing experience to be planning an action we were referring to as an occupation and then spontaneously witness the birth of the "Occupy Movement" in New York a month before our event was to take place. I suddenly found myself, the band, and the country at a wonderful moment in history.

These kinds of convergences of interests continue to grow for Junkyard Empire, and for all of us in the band. Our FIFTH record, tentatively titled JUNKYARD EMPIRE presents: Sounds of Resistance, is going to be a kind of edited volume, for lack of a better term, that will resemble that interconnectivity. We will be not only featuring new Junkyard Empire material that is going to be extremely fresh and revolution minded, but spoken pieces from our favorite political dissidents, and some choice tracks from a few select fellow activist bands and artists. It will be released free on the Internet and we expect you share it like it's love itself. But most importantly, it will be recorded in the bitter, harsh Minnesota Winter, the reason there is so much great music coming from there, and it will be released on REBEL POLITIK RECORDS, our new cooperative activist music label.

Thanks world for letting me share my fortunate story, and to mark a milestone for Junkyard Empire, the band that has been at the center of my life since 2006. Wonder what we'll be doing on our tenth anniversary as a band. Brian, we need to decide what the official start of the band was. Get with me on that will you?

Christopher Robin Cox

Junkyard Empire is Coming to OCCUPY YOUR CAMPUS!

Christopher here everyone. Here's the deal: College campuses are one of the last remaining places in America where primarily young, striving minds are in the majority. Those are the people who simply must become the leaders of this movement. I mean, Hell, I'm going to apply to graduate school for political science just so that I can organize on college campuses a little easier. Junkyard Empire wants to play that role too, and we have some good connections who will help us do it. But here's the thing, we need students on these campuses to be our eyes and ears, to let us know what campuses have Occupy events and other such events where Junkyard can not only play a show, but help organize and do outreach for the action. We are musician/organizers, you dig?

Are you a student organizer? Involved in on-campus protest movements? Give a shit about what you do in this world, beyond it's worth on the capitalistic market? Are you simply sick and fucking tired of all the bullshit this country's leadership and corporate hegemonic masters shove down your throat while you are trying to further your mind? Here's what you do: OCCUPY YOUR CAMPUS. Talk to us about helping you plan an event. We will be in NY in February, which will be the first in what we hope will be a monthly show at a campus somewhere in the country. This idea will be fleshed out further as I solidify the plan and run it by the guys, but for now, we are collecting names and contact information from folks who want to help us put together the information we need in order to plan something. Obviously, we'd love to play a regular old college show, but it would be much much better if it were an Occupation. Here are cities/regions we are looking to come to:
-Minnesota (January)
-New York/Massachusetts/Vermont/Connecticut (February)
-Washington, DC (week of March 30th)
-California, Oregon, Washington (April/May)

If you have any leads, please send us an email or contact us through one of our networks. junkyardempire@gmail.com

Theft of the Commons Tour + the Occupation of Freedom Plaza = 2 good months for Junkyard Empire

First off, please excuse our long delay in keeping up our blog. In general, it is Bryan Berry or myself (Christopher) who write on the blog, so if you are pissed, go tell Brihanu, Graham, or Steve. Anyhoo, I wanted to put up a little update as to the life and times of Junkyard Empire. After all, this project has been in place since late 2005, believe it or not.

We are very excited about the THEFT OF THE COMMONS TOUR, which our friends No Bird Sing (featuring our drummer Graham O'Brien) kindly invited us to join for the West Coast dates, along with the one and only Kristoff Krane. If you haven't heard No Bird Sing and Kristoff Krane, you should go do that right now. We will be playing in San Diego, doing a label showcase in Hollywood, and playing San Francisco and Portland! To learn more about the dates, the tour, etc, just go here: http://www.facebook.com/junkyardempire?sk=app_123966167614127

As if finally getting out to the West Coast - where I now live by the way (in Portland) - was not enough, we are going to be playing what simply has to become one of the biggest Washington, DC protest events in decades. STOP THE MACHINE! CREATE A NEW WORLD! is a rally and occupation of Freedom Plaza beginning on October 6th. To find out more about the rally, our demands, and the amazing list of musicians who will be performing, go to http://www.october2011.org This is the kind of protest we have been waiting for, trust me.

And finally, if you know anyone in San Diego, San Francisco, or Portland, let them know that Junkyard Empire is coming through town with two other amazing bands from Minnesota. You could call it the Cold Front.

In Solidarity,
Christopher

Thoughts of a radical trombonist

Chris here. Just thought I'd let the people who read the Junkyard Empire blog know that I have decided to resurrect my old habit of blogging. A few times over the last year or so I have blogged about Junkyard Empire and various other subjects here, but since I want to get back into writing more often - in an effort to regain and then ultimately improve upon my writings skills - I have revamped my old blog. It's title is "thoughts of a radical trombonist". There's a lot of room for interpretation in that title, or so I'd like to think. There are many meanings of the word "radical", depending upon the lens one views it through, and utilizing the word "thoughts" keeps it sufficiently vague. This is all on purpose, and all part of my plan to take over the world and shape it based upon a utopian future. You can see what I have to write about at THOUGHTS OF a radical trombonist

When there are posts relevant to what we do in Junkyard Empire, I'll post them here on the Junkyard Empire blog. Until then, see you over at the other virtual parking place for our thoughts.

A Little Update from the Junkyard Empire

Hello to all you lovely people in cyberspace,

We realize we have not been writing hardly at all here on ye ole' blog, but that's because of all very good (and exciting) reasons. Most of which I am going to keep quiet about until everything is agreed upon and signed! (hint, hint) PLUS: Junkyard Empire was named one of URB MAGAZINE'S Next 1000!! You can look for information about that next week.

In the meantime, here are some links to some great articles that have been recently published about the band, interviews, etc.:

THE BAND INTERVIEWED FOR "FIGHT BACK NEWS"

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH "ADVANCE-TITAN"

RISE OF THE WRETCHED REVIEWED IN "RIFT MAGAZINE" (Although they get the name of the album WRONG and use the cover from Reclaim Freedom)

On Publicity and Wages in the Twin Cities Music Industry

I have been thinking about some of this stuff for decades, but not since moving to the Twin Cities - where there is an overabundance of talent - have I been moved to really try and put my thoughts together regarding the intersection of promotion and wages in today's music industry. In an effort to avoid simply ranting, which I do a lot of, I will attempt to be not only concise, but to offer some possible solutions to what I see as major structural problems in how musicians, club owners and booking agents run the business of music.

I. Publicity

This is one of the most difficult, time consuming, and thankless parts of being a musician in today's world. I say "today's world", because things have changed drastically in the last few decades. It used to be that a band went to a venue with the goal of working out a deal with the owner of a venue or an agent. The general idea was this: I have a great band. We are well rehearsed, we kick ass live, and we will definitely keep the people here for the night. In return for that, we think we are worth..... In the early 1990's when I was just beginning to book gigs on my own as a band leader, usually in the form of a funky jazz quartet or quintet, I would never get paid less than $25 per guy. Granted this was not in the Twin Cities, this was in Northern California. Anyway, the deal was usually that the club would do the promotion, the advertising, print up fliers for us if we wanted to go post around town, and they would even make an effort to talk to the regular customers about us a bit. "Hey, we have this really great young trombone player who uses the best local cats in his band. You should come out this weekend and check him out." I'll be honest, I have NEVER scene that happen since I moved here to the Twin Cities. Instead, I see a kind of ambivalence, even a sort of resentment from venue staff.

Before I start into another rant, here is the point I am making. We used to just go in and make a deal with the club; the club pays us X amount of money to "keep the people here", and the club does whatever it can to bring the people in, which INCLUDED promotion for the band(s) that plays there, at least if the club was worth its salt.

Today, we have a truly bastardized version of this. The first question I get, as the guy who does most of the booking for JE, from a club or an agent is this: "How many people can you draw?" Not "does your band kick ass?" Or "Can you keep people here partying and having a good time?" Just, how many people can you get to come to my club? Zero interest in the music for the most part. Now, I can live with that being the case. But what I can't live with is that half the damn clubs and bars in this town think everything is supposed to just be handed to them on a golden platter, simply because they are offering a place for us to play. Great example: We played a gig a long time ago at club I won't mention the name of. We busted our asses, doing fliers, sending out emails, doing My Space everything, and blasting out press releases to every damn paper in the Twin Cities. We didn't do too bad, bringing in about 60 people. Now, I'm thinking if we can bring in that many folks, being pretty much an unknown band, than the club should be able to pick up the slack in some way, making that crowd turn into closer to 100 people. Not the case at all. In fact, the club brought in a whopping 5 people. Guess who got the shaft on that deal? Not the lighting guy; not the sound guy; certainly not the bar tender; definitely not the club itself. The band did. We made something like $35 that night. Not per person, but for the whole fucking band!

My point here is simple, publicity only works when everyone involved is doing their part to get people out to the venue. Offer a damn drink special. Put an updated calendar listing in the paper at least! Maybe the bartenders and wait staff could be briefed on who is playing, and what style of music it is, so they can answer people's questions when they ask at the door. Maybe sell the fucking event a little, right? Too much to ask? Apparently so, because not only do they usually not do that stuff, but they expect us to do it all in place of them, all while paying us essentially nothing.

II. Wages

Let's just cut to the chase on this one. I believe, as do most of the guys in Junkyard Empire (maybe all of them), that music is like healthcare, in that if it is subjected to the tyranny of the "bottom line" it will thus suffer endlessly, creating yet another underclass of economically worthless people, worthless because what they make cannot be immediately turned around for profit. Unless of course, they record it, but that's a different discussion. We are talking about performing live right now. Just like a surgeon who operates according to the same market principles as that of the proverbial widget, the quality of the work suffers, and the good work becomes less and less available to the average person.

So, let's just admit that I am slanted. I am pretty much an anarcho-communist. However, I am also a realist, in that I am willing to admit that we need to deal with things within the confines of the system in which we currently are subjected. And with that in mind, change will only come when the engines of capital decide change has to come. For this particular argument, the musicians are indeed the engines of the music industry. Without us, it all falls apart, and we are left with music that can only be made by machines, or music that has already been made.

The question is, how should musicians be paid? The argument that is jammed down the throats of musicians everywhere, and extensively so here in the Twin Cities, is "why should you get paid if you can't bring anyone in to listen to it?" That question provides instant clarity on two points: One, the person asking that question obviously does not value the music at all, save for the dollars it brings in. Two, that person sees live music as unworthy of any kind of payment, unless it brings in vastly more money than the bar invests in it. In other words, the venue puts itself in a position of zero risk (not unlike a loan shark), while asking the musicians to risk everything to play there. If nobody shows, they don't get paid, losing all the time, money, and energy put into preparing for that show. The venue loses nothing.

Here's how it breaks down more clearly: Junkyard Empire goes to a club, let's call it Joe's Place. They talk to Joe and say, "we are a really good, tight band. We bring a kind of political and social message with our music, promoting activism in the community, which can be a cool thing to have in a club; something different than the usual knuckle dragging. We will do our best to get people to come see us play. We are responsible, so we won't show up ten minutes before we are supposed to play and then expect the sound guy to work miracles. And we will definitely keep the folks here, hanging out, enjoying themselves. For this, we ask for a basic guarantee of ...." Seems pretty reasonable if you ask me, especially after you count the endless amount of time we have to put into publicizing the event, talking to everyone we know to try and get them down, writing and rehearsing the music, loading in and loading out, and the simple act of performing our asses off for the patrons of the bar! Here's how the answer usually goes: "Well, how many people do you usually draw?" We say, "depends on the night, the venue, what other shows are going on during any given night, etc. We usually can safely bring in 20-40 people, but again, it all depends, can be a lot more." Joe: "Well, if I'm gonna pay you a guarantee, you have to guarantee me you are going to bring in at least 100 people or so."

Well, the conversation goes on for a bit, and then usually we settle at some utterly ridiculous fascistic capitalist idea like, the first $150 from the door goes to the club and then the rest of the money is split evenly among the bands for the night. What that usually means is - on a damn good night - about $350 to be split evenly among AT LEAST 3 bands, and that's if 100 people come to the club at $5 per head. That also means the bar keeping 100% of what it makes on drinks - although sometimes the bar pays out to the sound guy which is cool. And the crazy part is that this is one of the better deals in town. Many places just offer some piss poor guarantee, no matter what, and because they force you to book 3 or 4 bands on the bill, everyone makes the same embarrassing money.

Bottom line, everyone in that venue other than the musicians providing the night's entertainment is guaranteed a respectable wage, not based on how many people they serve, but on how long they work.

Now, for the solutions:

1. If the band is responsible for all the publicity for the gig in which they have been contracted to perform, they are entitled to be reimbursed, at last partially for the time and expenses that went into it. Easily worth $50 for a big weekend gig promotion. Otherwise, the band is NOT responsible for anything beyond talking up the gig to it's mailing list and regular media contacts.

2. NO MORE 4 BAND BILLS! This is a no-brainer people. If musicians want to actually be paid a rate that does not equal "pay to play", than the days of the 4 band bill must be numbered! A good classic two band bill, with a classic opener and headliner, just like what you would see at First Avenue, means two things: one, more pay for the musicians, and two, the patrons get more music for the money. The first band plays a nice long hour set, and the headliner plays - now, get ready for this - 2 whole sets! Bunker's has been doing it like this for decades, and as a result only great bands play there, and there are always people there to check it out. To put things in perspective, when I was 18 years old, doing my first jazz gigs, usually making never less than $150 for a night, I was playing the whole damn night, usually three sets, sometimes four! We had to WORK for our money.

3. Young bands, and all other bands desperate to play out live, have to grow some balls and start refusing to play at clubs that will not at least guarantee them something. It is a matter of respect for your craft. Do you think a carpenter, fresh on the scene, is going to frame up your new bathroom in the basement for free, because he hasn't framed a million other bathrooms first? No, he'll give you a damn good deal, but he'd refuse to work before doing it for free. This is one of the lessons we artists absolutely have to learn.
3A. There are plenty of ways to organize free concerts or "donation at the door" kind of shows at really cool venues that will actually respect you as an emerging artist, such as all-ages venues. I would rather play some cool house party, or a loft somewhere for $50 in donations than play at a major bar for the same amount to be honest. Plus, by doing that, we send the message to bar owners and bookers that we will play our music elsewhere if you are not willing to share with us some of the profit you gain.

4. High quality bands and individual musicians need to communicate with their fans, friends, and family that they are routinely being mistreated. We need to name names and point fingers. Clubs that disrespect bands should not have the privilege of booking the good ones, like Junkyard Empire. We, for example, are more than willing to take our show on the road to places where they will at least guarantee us a respectable wage, considering the tough financial situation we are all in. We all have to work together to ensure that live music does not fall by the wayside simply because the already flawed economic system of free market capitalism is now failing.

5. A grassroots musicians union needs to be developed. This will take at least a decade to really pay off, but just the process of putting it together will yield massive benefits. One way to start it off would be to start some kind of organization like "Twin Cities Musician Coalition for Respectable Wages." Just an idea I am working on. The point of this organization would be to get a group of very talented bands, some in high demand, some not, to sign a contract amongst themselves, vowing not to play at any venue that does not provide the bare essentials. Those bare essentials would be different for different bands, depending on how much material they have, how established they are, and so on. But it would NOT be based simply on how many people they "draw".

6. We need to redefine some terminology. How many people you can "bring to a show" is not the same question as "what is your draw?" Junkyard Empire can bring anywhere from 20-60 people when we push our friends, family, coworkers, etc, right? But we honestly have not a clue how many people we "draw". Bands are not marketing firms or number crunchers. They are artists and performers. How many people come to the show as a result of who they are, name recognition, etc. is for record companies, marketing firms, managers, and club owners to figure out. The job of a band is rock the roof off the venue and create a nice atmosphere for the people at the venue. A band that is really proactive will go out of their way to get extra folks to show up, because they are responsible and want to play for as many people as possible, not because some no-paying louse of a venue owner says they have to, even if he or she does nothing. So the next time someone asks me how many people do you "draw", I am going to give them an honest, and to my mind business oriented answer. I will say something to this effect: "That depends on who else is playing around town, how well you promote your club in the local papers and on college campuses, and how well Junkyard Empire name recognition is going. We don't have time to crunch all those numbers. What I can say is that we will have some people out, enough that you will be making money on drinks and what not. If we don't bring out enough people, or you are not making enough profit from the people who do come out, then we can always renegotiate our terms for the next show."

Obviously, this has been way longer and less concise than I intended. However, this is a very intense subject that can be interpreted numerous ways. This discussion needs to be had, and it needs to be had by the entire music community in the Twin Cities. Something has to change, and it has to change quickly. We do not have the luxury of slow, incremental change. We need to stand up for ourselves now, not tomorrow, not the next day.

If you are serious about re-thinking how we as bands and artists negotiate on our behalf, feel free to contact us. We have a big house and we'd be willing to host a meeting of local musicians to discuss some of this stuff. You'd be surprised what a small, focused group can accomplish when minds are put to task.

-Christopher

The Wretched Rising: A concert celebrating the people's opposition to fascism

Greetings fellow revolutionaries of all types! We will be hosting two great bands, both from New York, on Sunday, November 16th @ the Black Dog Cafe and Wine Bar, that fine intimate venue Sara and Jean so warmly run.

Broadcast Live and their traveling brethren Taina Asili y La Rebelde will be stopping in as part of their US tour, and Junkyard Empire is proud to host them.

In fact, they will even be crashing at the new house of Dan (bass), Christopher (trombone) and Szilvia (Chris' wife), sometimes referred to as the Junkyard Empire house. [To be honest though, we are brainstorming some project name ideas for the property, such as the Urban Earth Project.] Much more on that later. For now, we just want to make sure you are hyped about this little intimate concert.

Now, we know it is a Sunday, but don't let that stop you. First of all, music will start at 8pm, so it will not be a ridiculously late night. Second, the door charge is going to be nothing more than a donation-based sliding scale, so whatever you can afford gets you in the door. And third, it is quite rare for three socially and politically progressive live bands to share the stage together, especially in Saint Paul, when it is not some kind of festival or fund raiser. So please take advantage of the change to see these two great bands, and us of course!

Junkyard Empire EP Release Party SATURDAY NIGHT!!! Don't miss it!! Nomad World Pub!!!

Dwiight Hobbes on Junkyard Empire's Anti-RNC Tour

The latest press from Dwight Hobbes

Junkyard Empire embark on "Anti-RNC Tour"

Photo courtesy Junkyard Empire

By Dwight Hobbes , TC Daily Planet

August 17, 2008

Hard as it may be to believe, not everyone is delighted to see the Republican National Convention come to the Twin Cities. While the City of St. Paul and the St. Paul Police Department pulled a pretty good fast one, revoking the Welfare Rights Committee’s permit to assemble during the RNC, at least one relentless voice is determined to be heard: that of the avant-garde jazz and hip-hop band Junkyard Empire. They don’t need a permit and plan to state their case profoundly as possible with what they’re calling the Anti-RNC Tour. There’s no word on whether t-shirts, souvenir programs, and such will be available, but it’s confirmed that this is when the band will release the eagerly awaited follow-up to their debut album Reclaim Freedom. The new disc is an EP entitled Rise of the Wretched, and will drop September 2nd as the Anti-RNC Tour kicks off at the Welcome to the Neighborhood Block Party—also on-hand, among others, will be Boots Riley and the Coup, Kill the Vultures, Los Nativos, and Boiled in Lead.

“The idea of this little tour around the Twin Cities”, says Junkyard Empire trombonist and founder Christopher Robin Cox, “is to play shows in celebration of and solidarity with our brothers and sisters who [are] engaged in speaking truth to power during the convention.” Be prepared for such verse, from JE frontman Brihanu, as “I slam poetics with the dialectic of a heretic. Eclectic styles I inherited from the dociet files, and walked the highways with James Meredith. Evoke the souls of Langston and James Baldwin, because there’s a fire in my eyes when I too sing America. But the schools ain’t preparin’ ya’ for the next era, so we sit by in a state of gentle stasis, waiting for the genocide. My genealogy lies in the ocean waves created by Africans who refused to be slaves, so why we slavin’ for the status quo?”

Cox and company, since Reclaim Freedom, have created a new lineup that now includes Bryan Berry on guitar, Dan Choma on bass and Graham O’Brien on drums. The rest of the dates on the Anti-RNC Tour: September 3 at the Blue Nile for the “Real America Concert,” hosted by the Sha Cage-e.g. bailey outfit Tru Ruts; September 4 at Trocadero’s for the Goodbye RNC Party, hosted by MJG Productions with Jistoray on the bill; and September 6 at Downtime Bar for the RNC Protesters Thank You Party. What’s left to say, except, “Junkyard Empire in effect, y’all”?

Dwight Hobbes is a writer based in the Twin Cities. He contributes regularly to the Daily Planet.

Junkyard Empire added to the list of organizations supporting the March on the RNC!

September 1, 2008: March on the RNC to Stop the War

endorse today!

March on the RNC to Stop the War
Demonstrate at the Republican National Convention – September 1, 2008 – St Paul, MN

· U.S. Out of Iraq Now!
· Money for human needs, not for war
· Say no to the Republican Agenda
· Demand peace, justice and equality

On September 1, 2008, we have a unique opportunity to step onto the stage of history. The whole world will be watching as the Republicans meet to nominate their next candidate for president. We must take to the streets of St. Paul to raise our voices against the war and the occupation of Iraq. The politicians who brought us this war for oil and control of the Middle East represent an elite that will stop at nothing to build up U.S. empire. Theft, torture and murder are part and parcel of the war in Iraq. These politicians do not represent us. They have cut programs that serve our needs at home, and blame the most exploited for our hardships.

The government’s response to hurricane Katrina spoke volumes about its vision and values, its policies and plans. Racism, discrimination, and inequality placed African American families on New Orleans freeway overpasses, surrounded by floodwaters. This is one of many terrible examples of what’s wrong with this country. They attack our democratic rights, our rights to organize and our economic well being – from immigrants and the labor movement, to abortion rights and gay marriage – the Republican agenda is an anti-people agenda.

Too many times, Democratic politicians in congress have served as accomplices to this reactionary agenda of racism, poverty and war. In 2008, it’s up to us - anyone committed to peace, justice, and equality - to stand up and say no. We are building for a broad nationwide mobilization that will challenge the 2008 Republican Convention and put forward our vision for this country. We are united by a progressive, pro-people agenda, and our insistence that the U.S. leave Iraq now.

During the four-day Republican National Convention, we expect to see every progressive movement raising demands in protests on the streets of St. Paul. Whether you are building the Labor movement in Peoria, Illinois, building solidarity with Palestine, or are speaking out against the many injustices that face people at home and abroad, you should come to St. Paul for the March on the RNC to Stop the War, on Monday, September 1, 2008. Together we can have an incredible impact.

The Republicans picked Minnesota for 2008, betting that activists from around the country would just stay home. Politicians who support the continuing war in Iraq hope that we will stay quiet. Let’s prove them wrong in the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota. Together, we can change the world.

We, the undersigned, endorse the call for the March on the RNC to Stop the War, in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 1, 2008 We demand that U.S. troops get out of Iraq. We want money for human needs, not for war. We say no to this agenda. We demand peace, justice and equality.

Anti-War Committee; AFSCME Local 3800; SDS - Univ. of Minnesota; Twin Cities Peace Campaign – Focus on Iraq (MN); Welfare Rights Committee (MN); Women Against Military Madness (MN); Action Center for Justice (NC); Action LA Coalition; Al Awda Right to Return Coalition - Chicago Chapter; Al Awda Right to Return Coalition - Omaha Chapter; Alliance for Global Justice; AlliantAction (MN); American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council; ANSWER Coalition; Arlington (MA) United for Justice with Peace and the Lexington (MA) Peace and Justice Committee; BAYAN USA Bolivarian Circle - Cincinnati; Call 'Em Out Coalition (Detroit); Campus Antiwar Network; Centro CSO (Los Angeles); Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism; Chicago Progressive Alliance; Coalition for Palestinian Rights (MN); Coalition to Protect Public Housing (Chicago); CODEPINK; Colombia Action Network; Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES); Communist Party-USA (MN); Communities United Against Police Brutality (MN); Dekalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice; Democratic Socialists of America, Twin Cities; Evanston Neighbors for Peace (IL); Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST); FIST (Raleigh, NC); FMLN of Minnesota; Freedom Road Socialist Organization; General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions of Iraq; George W. Bush Marrionette Puppet Show (GA); Green Party, 4th Congressional District/St. Paul; Green Party, 5th Congressional District; Gus Hall Action Club (MN); International Action Center; International Socialist Organization; International Solidarity Movement, Chicago Chapter; Iraq Peace Action Coalition (MN); IWW, Twin Cities General Membership Branch; Junkyard Empire (; Latin America Solidarity Coalition; Latinos Against War (Los Angeles); Lexington Peace and Justice Committee (MA); LIBERTY TREE Foundation for the Democratic Revolution; 49. Living Wage Avengers (MN); Low Income People Organized for Power (LIPOP) - Duluth, MN; Madison Infoshop; Madison Raging Grannies; March 10th Committee; March 25 Coalition - Los Angeles; May 1 Movement for Worker and Immigrant Rights; Mexico-US Solidarity Network; Military Families Speak Out - Minnesota; MN Cuba Cmte ; MN Immigrant Rights Action Coalition; MN Women's Earth Brigade; Montevideo Area Peace Seekers(MN); National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera; National Immigrant Solidarity Network; National Network On Cuba; Neighbors for Peace (Evanston, IL); Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (NISPOP); Neverwood Collective; New England United (MA); New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine; Nicaragua Solidarity Committee - Chicago; Northland Anti-War Coalition; Palestine Solidarity Group - Chicago; Pan-African Roots; Peace Action Wisconsin; Peace and War in the Heartland; Peoples Republic of the North Star (ML); Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign; Potluck Democracy; Progressive Students of Milwaukee; Radio Free Maine; Rainbow Affinity Tribe; 82. Reno World Can’t Wait; Revolting Queers; RNC Welcoming Committee; School of the Americas Watch; Seeds of Peace (MT); Socialist Alternative; Southsiders Together Organized for Power (Chicago); Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) - National; SDS - Macalester College; SDS – Ohio State; SDS - Tuscarora High School; SDS - Univ. of Alabama-Tuscaloosa; SDS - UCLA; SDS - UIC; SDS - UNC-Asheville; SDS - UNC-Chapel Hill; SDS - UNC-Charlotte; SDS - Univ. of North Dakota; Students for Peace - University of Minnesota, Duluth; Students for Social Justice - Oakton Community College, Des Plains, IL; Students for Workers' Rights at SUNY Albany; SWEEPMN; Teamster Local 743; Troops Out Now Coalition; Twin Cities TransMarch Collective (MN); Unconventional Action Chicago; United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ); Veterans for Peace Chapter 80; Veterans for Peace, Chapter 115 (MN); Veterans for Peace, Chapter 27 (MN); Voices for Creative Nonviolence; War Resisters League; We The People United Bangla Desh; Welfare Warriors; Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice; Youth Against War and Racism; 8th Day Center for Justice; 1000 Grandmothers… Individuals: John Dear, S.J.; Marlys Fox; Jonathan Hutto; Mark Lynch; Cindy Sheehan; Lynne Stewart; Dr. Cornel West

News from the Junkyard Empire: RNC Protest Concerts, Revolutionary Fronts, and EP's OH MY!!

Well folks, we have a lot to look forward to, and along with that comes a lot of planning and grassroots organizing. That's where you come in! If there is anyone out there who wants to help us with any of the MAJOR plans we have for the coming year, we are all ears. Everyone has something to offer, as far as we are concerned. As the saying goes - or something to this effect - never underestimate what can be accomplished by a small, focused group of people. In short: Join the JUNKYARD EMPIRE REVOLUTIONARY FRONT!!!!
Here's what we are beginning to get under way:

1. The release of our first ever EP, Rise of the Wretched:
   

• As you can see from the beautiful picture on the top of this site, our own Dan Choma (bass) has begun working on what will be the cover. Believe it or not, this is the first draft and I'm sure there will be more to come, unless we decide to just go with this one. It is after all kick-ass.
  
• We are really proud of the songs we have recorded, of which there are four. So, we want to push the hell out of this EP. Ultimately, we would like to use it to gain real interest from either a label or distribution company who can put some money behind our next full length effort, which I'm sure we'll begin working on in the very near future.
  
• There are many ways in which folks who dig our music can help us get it out to the world at large. And we can furnish you with copies if you have connections!
  
• Give the EP to people you know who have the ability to get radio play
  
• Drop the EP off to clubs in your home town
• Request songs from the EP on radio stations! That is one of the biggest things you can do to help with getting the music out there. The tracks Alternative Energy and Complex Crooks are the ones that will have the most chance of getting played, because they are short enough. Again, we can provide any information you need in order to do this, just hit us up.

2. Announcing the ANTI-RNC TOUR!

• Okay, so we are not going on a real "tour", not yet at least! But, what we are doing is playing just about every day or night of the convention during the four days the fascists are in town. So far, the only day we don't have a gig is September 2nd, and there is more than one offer in the making for that day. In fact, as far as we know, we may even end up playing during the day AND in the evening. We'll keep you posted on all that.
  
• To find out and keep track of all our gigs for the week of September 1-4, keep checking on our Myspace site and right here on the blog.

• How you can help us rock the hell out Saint Paul and Minneapolis during the RNC:
1. Help us pass out flyer to advance each of the gigs. For example, we will need folks to help us pass out 100's of fliers for our September 3rd gig (or 2nd if we end up getting booked for that day and/or night) at our September 1st gig @ the Welcome to the Neighborhood Block Party.
2. We will also need people to help us move our equipment around during the convention. From what we have heard, we will be forced to utilize big rolling carts to move our shit. And those of you who have seen us live know that we have a lot of equipment, especially Chris's big keyboard. This will mostly depend on if we get booked for a daytime thing on the 2nd. If so, we will most likely be having to move our shit all the way from Lowertown, Saint Paul to the grassy knoll at the State Capitol, which is about 1/2 mile or more - and it will likely have to be on foot!
   
3. This is perhaps the most important thing: We need people to help us create a party at every place we play. We want folks to follow us for the whole tour! NO SLEEP FOR THE WICKED, DIG? We will be playing with different bands for every show, except Ill Chemistry, whom we will be jamming with on both the 1st @ the Block Party and the 4th @ Trocadero's. We want to basically bring with us like 20-50 people who want to revel in the feeling of protest and speaking truth to power for four whole days and nights!
   
4. Here's something a little crazy, yet possibly necessary: In the event that one or more of us gets arrested for "inciting a riot" or what have you, we will need a group of people to send out a press release to all the local papers. This, of course, will be a promotional stunt more than anything else. Something like "free the Junkyard five" or whatever. It will be good clean fun!

3. Help us plan for future tours! This is when it gets exciting people! We are not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, but we want to make a stab of it sometime in the coming year. The UK, Germany, France, Cuba (yes, Cuba) and South America are all on our radar. Whatever advice people may have about getting ourselves to Europe is greatly appreciated. Furthermore, if you have any contacts that could be of use, please do not hesitate!

So, if after reading all of that, you want to join the JUNKYARD EMPIRE REVOLUTIONARY FRONT, simply send an email to junkyardempire@gmail.com