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Change has come to America…

No more alienation.

No more apathy.

No more helplessness.

No more shame.

No more fear.

No more frustration.

No more anger.

No more sadness at what could have been…

Catharsis, healing, empowerment, and progress is what I have to look forward to. It’s a good time to be alive.

“Sound Wave” by Jean Shin at the Second Lives exhibit Musuem of Art and Design in NYC. Courtesy of NY Times.

Sound Wave

Giveback’s latest effort involves a project to raise $6,145 for a recording studio at a Hunter’s Point kids club in the Bay Area. This community center deserves recognition for their noble mission of keeping high-risk kids off the streets. You can read more about the Hunter’s Point Family on their profile page. For a list of the audio gear and a breakdown of how the money will be used, you can go to the campaign’s action page, here.

Michael Franti and FreQ Nasty donated music to help with fund-raising and to raise awareness for the campaign. The tracks are sweet with some nice future sounds and palpitations in their remix collaboration. Music touches everyone regardless of geography, background, or socio-economics, and teaching children to play and record music could provide a better alternative to the harsh realities of their neighborhood. The campaign is called Beats for a Better Future and more info directly from the artists is on the campaign page, here.

The organization’s focus on mentorship motivates a more sustained, longer-term positive impact on the community. Check out more photos and videos to get a sense of the the center. This project was inspired in memory of Otto Schutt, a close friend of the artists involved. Otto worked with the kids at Hunter’s Point Family for 10 years before passing away recently of cancer.  He was an inspiration to us all;  especially all the kids and members of Hunter’s Point Family.

You can listen to tracks in the widget below and click-through to donate via Paypal or you can click-through from the campaign page.

Thanks to my friend Joe Fulwiler for forwarding this video of Milton Friedman. I remember seeing him speak at Stanford’s Kresge Hall 10 years ago and was impressed by his deep convictions on vast global issues. As an economics major, it was a real treat to see him live and well worth the several hours in line. In the video Milton Friedman comes across as a genuine, engaging, and utterly rational man. Wish I could say the same for Phil Donahue. Not to hate on Phil, but watching him ask Milton questions is like me trying to lay up on Manute Bol.

The video touches upon a somewhat opposing duality that I’ve been reflecting about lately — how does one serve their self-interest while contributing to the greater good in a real tangible way? Semantics aside, what’s the best way to serve yourself and others at the same time? Not “self-interest” in an evil, greased up maniac Gordon Gecko type of greed, but rather an objectivist approach to the concept like Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Our behavior is largely dictated by economic incentive so it makes sense to think of what is surely a common denominator in all of us, namely, the process of efficiently allocating scarce resources. The hope is to serve ourselves well and in surplus in order to have a greater chance of serving others.

It’s been a wonderful three years celebrating life at the Sweetspot. The time has come to move out and give the space back to the new owners who took over recently. We’ve had a beautiful era at the space and are grateful for everyone’s presence and contribution to the Sweetspot experience.

After Simone and I built it out, the Sweetspot hatched Topspin and served as a creative space for the greater community headz including intentional gatherings, cultural movements, design explosions, dance trouping, holiday dinners, and just plain music fun. Topspin is moving literally around the corner on 20th and Colorado with more space and better parking. Stop by and visit anytime. There’ll be some familiar flavor in the new Topspin digs since we can’t help ourselves.

If you’ve ever appreciated what you’ve seen in the Sweetspot space from power tools, 20 foot bamboo, large screens, paintings, dressers, stools, bookcases, audio gear, appliances, or furniture, feel free to make an offer. It will most likely be sold out or donated in the next week. You can check out pics of stuff around the space here

In the meantime Sweetspot will live again in another day with a new beginning…

I’m advising a committed group of activists hell bent on changing the world. Our project is called Giveback, and it’s a community news driven site where you can become informed on issues and causes that you might not otherwise find on mainstream media.

More importantly, with Giveback you can take immediate action on the causes that motivate you at the very moment you feel most inspired. Most of us read news, blogs, and articles that move and touch us every day. Unfortunately, the feelings that rise up within us dissipate, and we go on about our busy lives. Giveback is a forum designed to show people how they can take immediate action, right when they most feel it, by linking news directly to related organizations. Check it out at www.giveback.net. This is just the beginning.

The story of Giveback originated in February 2007 at the Sweetspot Studios warehouse where Darin McFadyen (aka Freq Nasty) insisted we gather an eclectic group of musicians, producers, technologist, activists, and concerned citizens together to discuss how we can all work together to make the world a better place. To start things off, a group of about 50 people watched “the US vs. John Lennon“. The movie showed Lennon in action using his media attention to push a social and political agenda. He was relentless in his pursuit of world peace. It dawned on all of us that this is the kind of attitude and energy we need to be putting out there in the world: if it’s broken, pick up a tool and try to fix it. Don’t just stand there bitching about it or turn your back on the problem. That may have sufficed for the first four years of this presidential travesty, but for most of us, especially me, it won’t suffice any more. So we decided to do something — anything — to make a positive change. Out of that first meeting came the idea for Giveback.

Giveback’s next release will involve action campaigns in which musicians and producers donate their copyrights to raise awareness and monetary donations for the causes that matter most to them. Imagine artists using their music to shine light on important issues by offering their art to fans in return for mind-share and donations for their chosen causes. This is the concept of Giveback. Our long-term goal is to enable people to immediately take action at the point of awareness by creating an action marketplace that can surface relevant ways in which citizens can tangibly make an impact in the world. Hit me up if you have any questions or are interested in participating or investing.

Peace.

World Peace.

Update: check out the first application of musicians donating their art to raise awareness for their favorite causes here http://giveback.net/FreQNectar