Blog Action Day for Climate Change, Take Action Here, And Grab A Track From Thao.

Once a year, the initiative known as Blog Action Day calls on bloggers around the world to post something about a specific concern, all on the same day. This year's topic is climate change.

Since my day job involves campaigning and lobbying to convince lawmakers and world leaders to address the effects of climate change, and especially it's effect on the world's poorest people, this one's easy for me...

So I'll ask you to take this opportunity to tell President Obama to help poor communities at the Global Climate Summit in Copenhagen this December, by signing this petition from Oxfam America.

Poor people are hit first – and worst – by natural disasters and climate change. People are fighting back by deploying early warning systems, planting better crops, storing grain, building shelters, and replanting trees. But they need our help.

The world's poorest people need your help on this urgent issue at the upcoming global climate summit. Please take a moment to sign the petition.

And while I have your attention, I hope you'll take a moment to read the poignant Climate Change-related blog entry my friend Thao Nguyen (from Thao with the Get Down Stay Down) wrote today for the Oxfam America blog. In the post, Thao says, "If you keep turning a blind eye to climate change it will probably be injured in a surprise gale force wind." Ain't that the truth.

And to keep it lighter, please enjoy this download:
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - “Know Better Learn Faster” mp3
courtesy of The Fader

Discovery "LP" - Get It Early And Help Oxfam America

Last night we had a ball at a party to celebrate the release of the new Discovery album, "LP" at Le Poisson Rouge. After the album was played, the guys from Discovery, Wes from Ra Ra Riot & Rostam from Vampire Weekend took over the turntables to DJ a set heavy on poppy summertime jams. Too much fun.

By the way, the album is fantastic, fun, and perfect for playing in the backyard with friends over for beers. Even cooler is the fact that if you but the album at Amie Street this week (which is actually the only way to get it before it's "official" release date next week), Oxfam America will get $2 of the purchase price. Get it here: http://amiestreet.com/music/discovery/lp/

Enjoy a couple tracks here:

Sigur Rós Donate Song For Oxfam America Video

In an all-too-rare example of a well known artist using their music for good and not profiteering, Sigur Rós has given the rights to the track "Með suð í eyrum" to Oxfam America for their recent fundraising video. Well done, fellas!

The band's blog says the following:

The message from Oxfam is simple:

Nearly one billion suffer from chronic hunger. The cost of food from Ethiopia to Afghanistan has nearly doubled. The situation is urgent.

One modest donation can make a difference.

Support Oxfam’s work to end hunger and poverty. You can save a life. You can make a difference.


The Global Hunger Epidemic from Oxfam America on Vimeo.

Sigur Rós - "Gobbledigook (instrumental)" mp3

Blog Action Day - Poverty

Hey-

It's Blog Action Day for Poverty, so please take a second and check out this video by my girl Fergie, from In My Name, the anti-poverty initiative put together by Oxfam and other important organizations:



Donate to Oxfam America here.

Sign up to work at a Coldplay, O.A.R., or Ra Ra Riot show with Oxfam here.

How You Can Help In Myanmar

A couple of regular readers of extrawack! who know what my day job is, have sent me notes asking how they can help somehow with the cyclone tragedy in Myanmar. My best suggestion is to donate to Oxfam America's Myanmar Cyclone Relief and Rehabilitation Fund.

From Oxfam's website:

Oxfam International is now assessing the situation. We have committed $800,000 to an initial response and together with our affiliate organizations we have a team on standby. Like all international aid groups, we are facing tight government restrictions while working to meet the needs of thousands of very poor people affected by the cyclone.

An estimated 24 million people—nearly half the country’s total population—live in areas struck by the disaster. When Cyclone Nargis slammed into the Irrawaddy delta it whipped up a massive storm surge reportedly 12 feet high. Reuters is reporting that Nargis is the most devastating cyclone Asia has seen since the 1991 storm that killed 143,000 people in Bangladesh.

“The aid effort faces huge challenges,” said Sarah Ireland, an Oxfam East Asia regional director. “Communications are down in the cyclone-hit areas, roads have been washed away, and getting aid to people will be very difficult. The international community needs to be quick to respond to this crisis and to ensure the needs of those most affected are met.”

Donate here.

Mission Of Burma - "Weatherbox (Live)" mp3

Rock For Darfur with Gabby Glaser & Mink Saturday Night

Need something to do Saturday night that'll rock you, and let you feel good about drinkin' and carousin' in a club?



That's right...come down and catch Gabby Glaser's set of wah-wah-fuzzed funky rock songs, and let the cover charge help Oxfam America's brave work in Darfur. Mink will be there to open, and to set your evening off in a groovy glammy way.

If you must stay further uptown, the following Saturday night shows are also Rock For Darfur events:

John Butler Trio - Terminal 5
Los Amigos Invisibles - The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza
Streetlight Manifesto - Grand Ballroom @ Manhattan Center

But if you do make it to Gabby's show, I'll be the guy in the Oxfam shirt. Let's have a beer, ok?

Gabby Glaser - "Naturally High" mp3

Mink - "Talk To Me" wma



Into Darfur: A Young American's Journey

The Cake Sale Out On Tuesday...Best Charity Album Ever?

One of the albums that have spent maximum time in my home CD player this year is the import album by The Cake Sale, a band featuring a collective of Ireland-based musicians and writers who combined to create an original album of music to support Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. Luckily for music fans on this side of the pond, the album gets an American release this Thursday on Yep Roc.

Conceived by Bell X1 guitarist and keyboard player Brian Crosby, the band is rounded out with Bell X1's Paul Noonan along with Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour and drummer Graham Hopkins. The beauty of the album lies in its amazing cast of songwriters and singers, all of whom donated their sevices (and in the case of the writers, their publishing rights) to Oxfam's fair trade efforts. Vocals on the album come from the likes of Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, Glen Hansard (The Frames and the movie ONCE), Nina Persson ofThe Cardigans, Gemma Hayes, and Josh Ritter, among others. The album was a massive hit in Ireland, netting double-platinum status and earning Oxfam in excess of €200,000.

"From a creative point of view, I was interested in making a cohesive sounding record for charity by co-ordinating the efforts of a disparate group of people . All the artists involved wanted the Cake Sale to be an authentic album, with all the songs relating to each other in a relevant way" explains Crosby. "There was a really enthusiastic response from everyone who was approached to write songs or perform, which made it a relatively easy project to put together. Everyone got the vibe of what we were trying to achieve. In fact, the only tricky bit was co-ordinating everybody's conflicting schedules."

The album itself is an amazing compendium of the best of the current Irish music scene...you'll be hard pressed to find a finer collection of perfectly crafted songs anywhere. It's chock full of beautiful songs of love, loss, longing, and life, and there's not a second of filler on the disc...just wall to wall artistry. It's really a stunner.

The Irish Times probably said it best in their review:
"The Cake Sale is not just the best "charity" record we've heard in years, it's one of the best records of the year."

Stream the album here.

Buy a copy for yourself and a few extras for gifts at the Yep Roc store.

Here's the video for "Some Surprise" featuring Gary Lightbody and Lisa Hannigan:

Make The Farm Bill Fair.

What you can do.

The Farm - "Groovy Train" mp3 buy

Oxfam Sponsored Democratic Presidential Candidate Roundtable On CNN Tonight

Our good friends at Oxfam America are co-sponsoring a CNN live broadcast of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama tonight, Monday, June 4. CNN will broadcast the event as a special edition of "The Situation Room" from 7-8 p.m. E.D.T.

It'll be interesting to see their views on eradicating poverty without having to look over their shoulders to see if Bono's listening. I'm also interested to see if the subject of Farm Bill reformation will be raised. Here's hoping my man Wolf B. doesn't let it become a softball fest.

The Psychedelic Furs - "President Gas" mp3 buy