Pledge 46 To Elect Biden Includes Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket and More

Pledge 46 is working to increase civic engagement between musicians and fans with a creative new campaign to elect Joe Biden the 46^th President of the United States on November 3^rd. The online sweepstakes – powered by Propeller – sees an array of top stars and extraordinary artists offering up one-of-a-kind prizes to fans pledging to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the upcoming election. Participating artists include Bon Iver, Jason Isbell, My Morning Jacket, Sylvan Esso, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Head And The Heart, Dessa, X Ambassadors, Social House, Lissie, Lawrence, Bright Eyes, Dashboard Confessional, Hippo Campus, Angel Olsen, Silversun Pickups, Trampled By Turtles, Wye Oak, and Zola Jesus, to name but a few.

 

 

PLEDGE to vote.

Founded by music industry veterans Kyle Frenette and Chris Moon, Pledge 46 began as 46 For 46, an ambitious and proudly partisan project designed to stage 46 concerts in 46 cities to help elect the 46^th president. The COVID pandemic forced a pivot to a more virtual approach represented by the new Pledge 46 online sweepstakes. The response from artists has been nothing less than remarkable, with each offering rare and exclusive prizes while also using their own unique platforms to support the campaign. Among the prizes available through the Pledge 46 online sweepstakes are a virtual guitar lesson with Jason Isbell, an all-expenses-paid trip to see Bon Iver live in Sydney, Australia, a signed test pressing of My Morning Jacket’s latest album, a special vinyl package from The Head And The Heart, and much more.

 

Fans enter each unique sweepstakes by simply pledging to vote. Once that pledge is made, they are prompted to register or check their registration in their state, look up their polling place location, or preview a sample ballot for their voting district. From there, fans are encouraged to perform additional political actions to increase the Biden-Harris ticket’s chances of winning, from donating to canvassing to volunteering.

Since launching its first campaign in July, Pledge 46 has seen more than 14,000 music fans pledge to vote. In addition, Pledge 46 has raised $28,000 through its PAC with 750 fans signing up to volunteer with Swing Left. 

 

For more info visit: https://swingleft.org/

 

Jake Luppen Releases Two New Songs From New Album Lupin

 Jake Luppen (Hippo Campus) has released two new songs (and videos) from his upcoming  album Lupin. The album was produced by BJ Burton (Bon Iver, Low, Charli XCX) and features synth programming from Jim-E Stack and Buddy Ross. Both"Vampire" and "Murderer" were directed by frequent Bon Iver collaborator Aaron Anderson.

Pre-save/Pre-order Lupin LP, out 10/9 on Grand Jury Music here.

 

"With this record I wanted to get to the point, and say how things were, as opposed to dancing around them.”
- Jake Luppen

“Vampire” speaks to Jake's experience when he was told about a lump in his brain. Luppen explained, "I was fully under the impression that I was dying when I wrote this – I had gotten a CT scan a couple weeks before that revealed a mass in my brain, which led me to believe that I had brain cancer or some form of Parkinson's. When you’re reminded of your morality there’s a recklessness that creeps up. I found myself willfully doing things I knew I would end up regretting.”  

 

 

And “Murder” deals with a death of a different sort. Luppin elaborates, “I had been living alone in a house that I used to share with my ex, so the lyrics were inspired by all of the things she left behind. One day I literally packed everything that reminded me of our relationship into boxes and shoved them in my closet. It felt like a funeral." 

 

 

He felt the album gave him permission to stretch out a bit personally and to try things he hadn't tried within the context of a band. He explains,“I spent a lot of time thinking I had to hide behind other people or other things, but I realized, ‘No, I’m fully capable of doing this myself, I’m fully capable of having this vision.” Luppen explains. “I didn’t think that I was but no, there was this whole other part of myself I’d been stowing away out of fear this entire time.”