The Stampede Tour Begins to “Stamp $ Out of Politics”

ASHEVILLE, NC -- American roots music troubadours, Donna the Buffalo and Peter Rowan, are teaming up with Ben Cohen, Co-Founder of Ben Jerry's, for a unique tour called “The Stampede.” It is a tour to raise awareness to the inappropriate use of corporate money in politics. With the upcoming election season, this is to help raise awareness of the power of each individual while enjoying a great night of entertainment.

The Stampede is led by Ben Cohen, Co-Founder of Ben and Jerry’s. It uses a simple and effective tactic of rubber stamping messages on paper currency as a demonstration of public demand and outrage. "Since 2000, special interest groups have poured over $11 billion into federal elections. The absurd level of money in politics from corporations and billionaires is raping and corrupting our democracy. The Stampede is a demonstration of public outrage and its working," stated Cohen.

Tara Nevins says in an interview with Live For Live Music, “Tens of thousands of people are doing it, using the dollars like a political billboard to get the message across, which is an effort to take money out of politics.” Nevins continues, “One of them says ‘Not to be used for bribing politicians’ and you just stamp that on your dollar bill.”

“As a band, we have made a long term commitment to join this burgeoning movement,” says Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo. “It is clear to us that we will never get significant government action on issues like healthcare, student debt, wall street banks, the environment, and corporate tax evasion until we outlaw legalized corporate bribery of our politicians.”

By special arrangement Stampede rubber stamps, which normally sell for $10, will be available at the shows for a suggested donation of $5. Every stamped bill gets seen by 875 people once it goes into circulation. If 3000 stampers stamps three bills a day for a year it will create 2.8 BILLION impressions as the bills go into circulation. To sweeten the deal, FREE Ben & Jerry's ice cream coupons will be given away in with the purchase of the first fifty stamps sold per show. The Stampede is a project of People Power Initiatives, a Vermont-based 501c3 non-profit organization. 

"It’s totally legal and it’s very satisfying to stamp a stack of bills knowing you're part of a growing grassroots movement putting this message out there," says Puryear.

Together, we can create a stampede that Congress can't ignore,” says Ben Cohen the co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. “Some people say that a constitutional amendment is impossible, but nearly every generation has amended the Constitution to protect and expand our democracy. This is our generation’s fight to win.”

The Stampede will continue into the election year with Donna, Ben, and various friends. They kick it off with Grammy-award winner and six-time Grammy nominee Peter Rowan in the fall of 2015. 

Peter Rowan’s career spans over five decades, from his early years playing under the tutelage of Bluegrass veteran Bill Monroe, to his time in Old & In the Way and breakout as a solo musician and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through a solid stream of records, collaborative projects, and constant touring. Rowan often performs as a solo singer-songwriter internationally and stateside he plays in three bands: the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, a quintet featuring Keith Little, Chris Henry, Blaine Sprouse and Paul Knight; Big Twang Theory and its Texas Cousin Twang n Groove, as well as rock band The Free Mexican Air Force.

Donna the Buffalo has played festivals throughout the States with Peter a plethora of times over the years, often collaborating on stage with sit ins and they toured together for a bit about 15 years ago. Peter Rowan says of The Stampede, “At last, it comes around again; making music with Donna the Buffalo, one of my favorites.” For these shows Peter will be playing solo for about 45 minutes then Donna will play a set with Peter joining in at the end. 

One of the most dynamic and determined bands continuously touring America for the past 26 years, Donna the Buffalo has created a community environment at their shows through their distinctive, groove-heavy, and danceable music. Donna the Buffalo is a band for the people that is accessible, positive, and memorable. With roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric American mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country, Donna’s music often contains social and moral responsibility as core beliefs, and they are just simply fun to get out and celebrate life with. onna the Buffalo is Jeb Puryear (vocals, electric guitar) and Tara Nevins (vocals, guitar, fiddle, accordion, scrubboard) joined by David McCracken (Hammond organ, Honer Clavinet & piano), Kyle Spark (bass) and Mark Raudabaugh (drums). 

The Stampede on Tour:
11/11 Wed - The Ardmore Music Hall - Ardmore, PA*
11/12 Thu - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY*
11/13 Fri - The German House - Rochester, NY*
11/14 Sat - The Ridgefield Playhouse - Ridgefield, CT*
11/15 Sun - Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center - Stowe, VT*
11/18 Wed - Ziggy's By The Sea - Wilmington, NC*
11/19 Thu - Ziggy's - Winston-Salem, NC*
11/20 Fri - Neighborhood Theatre - Charlotte, NC*
11/21 Sat - Rives Theatre - Martinsville, VA~
11/22  Sun - Bijou Theatre - Knoxville, TN~
12/2 Wed - Mainstage - Morgantown, WV*
12/3 Thu - The Kent Stage - Kent, OH*
12/4 Fri - Old Town School of Folk Music - Chicago, IL*
12/5 Sat - Dakota Jazz Club - Minneapolis, MN ~
12/6 Sun - Stoughton Opera House - Stoughton, WI ~

* Donna the Buffalo and Peter Rowan with Ben Cohen Co-founder of Ben & Jerry's  
~ Donna the Buffalo and Peter Rowan

Click here to purchase tickets!

Keep Reggae Music and Culture Alive!

In a small, nondescript apartment building deep in working-class Brooklyn, a formidable crew of artists, historians, activists and revolutionaries gather to begin the next internet radio broadcast. They are the Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music (CPRReggae), a non-profit dedicated to educating people about the culture, history and political power of reggae music. They beam their weekly shows into households around the world, with a chat room on the side filled with commentary. And for how serious their mission is, they seem to have a lot of fun.

The guests on their show range from the local to the international, from the musical to the revolutionary and political. It's not unusual in a broadcast to slide from hearing words like "dancehall" and "calypso" to "oppression" and "capitalism". When young Jamaicans rose up last year in protest of a state plan to privatize and demolish the historic birthplace of the Rastafari movement, CPR Reggae was broadcasting live updates from the Occupy Pinnacle movement. It's a dynamic place.

Occupy activists have also been frequent guests on the show, and we want to show love for CPR Reggae and encourage you to support their non-profit efforts. One way is to attend this Saturday's show:

Click here to get your tickets to the Reggae Culture Salute this Saturday at Nazareth High School in Brooklyn!

For those who aren't in NYC, you can watch the event by live-stream with a special OCCUPY discount by clicking here and entering code 74C4CBD087.

And if you can't do either, we suggest making a small donation to CPR Reggae to keep the music and the resistance alive!

And as always... Keep Fighting

Did We Hit a Nerve?

Because...capitalism. #CallTheAssemblies

Posted by Occupy Wall St. on Monday, September 14, 2015