You may already be familiar with Jim Lough’s music. That’s because his band, Old Town Crier, used one of their songs, “You,” as a Blue America anthem for the Jason Call campaign. The original version is up top and the little campaign anthem we’ve been using is this, to let people know about the character running against Jason:
Anyway, Jim has just completed a 5 song EP, also called You, which is now available on the Old Town Crier Band Camp page. Just click that link and you can listen to all the songs (free) and you can buy the EP as well. Why should you? Well, first and foremost, all the songs are really good. And, Jim is contributing all the money directly to three Blue America candidates’ campaigns: Melanie D’Arrigo (NY-03), Christine Olivo (FL-26) and, of course, Jason Call (WA-02). By the way, if you want to contribute to the candidates, well… there’s a page for that too. You don’t get the EP there… it’s just a contribution. The music you get here. I can’t stop listening to that retro sound of “Radio On.” And you only pay... whatever you want to. Like, there’s no set price, beyond a $1 minimum for a track (and a $5 minimum for the whole EP, which also includes a great bonus track.) What a deal!
Yesterday, Jason told me he's "honored and humbled to have the support of an artist like Jim. As a musician myself (I’ve played the bass guitar for over 30 years) I know how much of oneself goes into songwriting and playing live, so to have a fellow musician dedicate their work to our collective cause is gratifying in many ways. Also to be included with Melanie and Christine, whom I have tremendous admiration and respect for, is icing on an already delicious cake. Let’s win this for the people. ✊”
It hasn't always easy for me to contact Jim. He and his wife run a family farm in Massachusetts so he keeps farmer hours… and then he’s working in the recording studio or out doing gigs! But yesterday I asked him why he decided to contribute all the money from the EP to these candidates. No one does that. (Actually Madonna once did something like that-- except it was the whole box-office from a Madison Square Garden concert to an aids charity before most people had even heard of aids.)
"I've always identified with the Progressive movement, but never made any significant contributions. Sure, I chipped a few bucks to Bernie, attended a couple of rallies, but I've never gone too far out of my way for the cause. Jan. 6th, 2021 was a wake up call. I needed to act. I decided that I couldn't continue as an artist unless I used my art, in some small way, to enact change.
"Then I met Howie Klein. He gave me the opportunity to do just that; to use my music to support the Progressive movement. Howie pushed me to refine my songwriting in ways that I had never dreamed of. Each song on this album describes an issue that I care deeply about, but have previously been unable to express in music; "You"— political corruption, "Thin Blue Line"— police brutality, "Dawnland"— rural decay, "Coal River Mountain"-- climate change, "Radio On"-- addiction/mental illness. It became clear to me, as I began to record the album, and as our society began to fall apart around me, that I could not make this a commercial venture— I wanted to donate all the proceeds to the Progressive movement.
"Howie then introduced me to three promising Progressive candidates who are running for Congress in the 2022 US midterms; Christine Olivo (FL-26) Jason Call (WA-02) and Melanie D'Arrigo (NY-03). All three are young, charismatic, and enthusiastic about progressive politics. I poured over their social media, I researched their platforms, and I decided that their message is THE message. They are the people who are trying to make the changes we need, and we need to support them. That's why I'm donating ALL the proceeds from my new album, You to their individual campaigns. Please consider joining the fight!"
Long Island progressive Melanie D'Arrigo was touched by what he's doing. "I’m grateful to Jim for using his passion and talent to push for progressive change," she told me today. "As our government strips us of our rights and ignores solutions to our biggest problems—we need all hands on deck. This moment requires collective action. We must all use our talent, our time and our passion to save democracy."
