Caught in the Carousel

Andy Bernstein of Head Count

By Alex Green

With the Mid-Term elections right around the corner, Caught In The Carousel was lucky enough to have some time alone with Andy Bernstein, Co-Chair of Head Count. Defined on their site (www.headcount.org) as “ …a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization devoted to voter registration and participation in democracy. We were created in 2004 by a group of artists, music industry professionals and fans, all determined to make sure the live music community is well represented at the polls,” Head Count is making a passionate and concerted effort to bring out the vote. In addition to his role at Head Count, Bernstein is the author of “The Pharmer’s Almanac,” which is a comprehensive guide to the band Phish.

CAUGHT IN THE CAROUSEL: Do you think that young voters realize that they can make a difference?

Andy Bernstein: Absolutely. A huge one. How's this for a stat: Voter turnout among 18-24 year olds dropped 47 percent from 2000 to 2002, the last midterm election. Among 55+ it dropped only 10 percent. So older voters are disproportionately represented in midterm elections. And, while we are non-partisan, I can factually point out that the youngest cohort is the only cohort that voted for Kerry, and midterm elections have seen major victories for the Republican party in 2002 and also 1994.

CITC: It seemed that the electricity was FINALLY in the air in 2004 but the media reported that the numbers were disappointing and young people simply didn't show up at the election booth. Was this correct?

AB: It is not correct. Youth vote was all-time high and up 9 percent. I would check my numbers because I'm doing that from memory. A good resource is Newvotersproject.org.

CITC: The Bush win in 2004 was devastating--do you think it delivered a numbing blow to getting that young sect staying interested in politics? In other words, it seemed a change was going to come--and why it didn't is still one of the great mysteries--but rumors of election theft can certainly make one throw their hands up and say "why bother"....

AB: I think that people do remain dejected, but I also think the environmental and renewable energy movement is mobilizing young people and rapidly becoming the defining issue of our time.

CITC: What is your strategy to get out the vote besides showing up at Dave Matthews Band shows?

AB: The best and most incredible tool we have at our disposal are artists’ e-mail lists. We will ask all of our artists to help us stage an e-mail campaign that will reach over one million people. It's a very powerful medium because when people get e-mails from their favorite bands they open them and they listen. We'll also be at the Vegoose festival, Halloween weekend, in full force.

CITC: Do you find that the protest music that came out of the Vietnam War was richer in spirit than what this administration's war has inspired?

AB: Interesting question and I actually made a reference to that in an interview I did for RollingStone.com in ‘04. I said something about musicians getting more political but it will be different this time, and "it won't be like Country Joe and the Fish." Things are just not as overt now. But I would not call it less inspired. And there are musicians like Michael Franti who are not pulling any punches. But to your point, I think the style is changing and less political and more about positive change. Look at Dave Matthews. In ‘04 he was part of Voters For Change. But since then the things he's stepped up on have been Tsunami relief and carbon emissions. Different. But important and deep and meaningful.

CITC: I was horrified by the Bush “wins” of 2000 and 2004, but I thought that the state of American politics would at least activate the activist in our musicians--do you think this has happened? And do you think it's happened to the extent that it did in the '60s? And if not, why?

AB: I do think you're onto something. There is some dejection post ‘04 and I think most musicians are less comfortable being directly political than they were two years ago. And this is a time they are needed to lead. So some defeatism has set in and it's not cool to speak out against Dubya like it was in ‘04. And yes, that is scary. But I also think musicians, as representatives of the zeitgeist, will find their voice. Maybe not this year. Maybe not even around the next election.

But shit is going to hit the fan pretty soon and when it does, music will provide the soundtrack and the spiritual voice of a generation that can't help but question its leadership.

CITC: What are the general reactions you're getting at the shows?

AB: Fantastic. We registered 450 people at the DMB shows a few weeks ago. We're on par with our ‘04 numbers on a per-event basis, and that has been a pleasant surprise.

CITC: Do you find the youth culture to be more engaged in some states more than others?

AB: Hard to say. There are subtle differences but they're pretty subtle.

CITC: What's been the biggest surprise to you in the last year in terms of the work you're doing?

AB: That the numbers held up. We thought we'd be down 50% just because no one is thinking about elections, and it turned out not to be true.

CITC: How do you reach young people and let them know that they have their own voice, and not the voice of their parents?

AB: Well, that's our whole mission. And there are a lot of ingredients. The most powerful way to do it is via artists. They have a connection with their fans and if we can harness that election into political action and participation than we're doing something really good. I also think it's about speaking the language. Addressing people on their own turf with ideas that make sense. Example: We'll have a new print ad coming out that asks "Want to Experience True Freedom?" and it has a photo of a whole bunch of kids dancing at a concert. Underneath it just says "Vote." Or at Vegoose we'll have an ad that says: "Want to see something really scary?" And we'll have some ghoulish image. Then underneath it will say "Only 19% of adults age 18 to 24 voted in the last midterm election." So we try to get into people's heads in a way that makes sense to them. We try to connect. The people in our organization, we're young music fans. We love the Dead and Phish and DMB and all the bands we work with. It's our passion. And it's the passion of the people we reach. We connect with people in familiar terms on our common turf. That's a formula that really works. One thing you might find interesting to know about is our long term plans: In ‘08 we hope to be a lot bigger, attracting foundation support, hiring a fulltime exec director, and sending teams on the road with bands. Beyond that, I hope we become what I call "The community organizing arm of the live music scene." We'll use concerts as a stage to recruit progressive, socially conscious young people and create an organized, very focused organization to channel their energy into wholly positive things. We'll take on environmental issues, government accountability and social justice issues, remaining politically non-partisan but recognizing some fundamental value and fighting for them. It's a very pragmatic vision. There are thousands upon thousands of kids going to concerts who want to make a positive difference in the world and are politically minded, but have no idea where to start. HeadCount will be the place to start.

For More Information, please go to: www.headcount.org