College Democrats hope to 'Rock the Vote'

by Nicole Jomantas
For THE POST

If you want to support live music and politics simultaneously, then your chance is coming soon.

Tonight three local bands and a comedy troupe will join the College Democrats and area politicians to encourage Ohio University students to register to vote before tomorrow's deadline.

"I think people should really come out to this event to fight voter apathy," said Lauren Dikis, president of College Democrats. "It's only been 29 years since people 18 to 21 got the right to vote. We have fought like mad to get this right and now (through apathy) we're throwing it away."

"Rock the Vote" will kick off at 7 p.m. in The Front Room with a performance by the comedy troupe 4 Funny Guys and Matt.

Following the Funny Guys will be sets by Rubberband Racecar Go, Direct Attention and Planet 12.

Rubberband Racecar Go is the name of Tony Xenos' new act. Xenos, founder of the now-defunct Cactus Pears, is a singer-guitarist who mixes folk-rock songs with a hip-hop punch and has a voice that has been compared to Beck.

Direct Attention is a four-person blues-rock band fronted by lead singer Liz Pahl. Although the band formed only a year ago, the group has been well received and won Spring Quarter's Battle of the Bands contest at The Front Room.

Planet 12, a finalist of a contest held last year by garageband.com, is a modern rock band with a diverse musical repertoire. The group, fronted by lead vocalist Jodi Toledo, features songs that range from rock to blues to alternative works.

The combination of these acts in one show will allow people to be exposed to some of Athens' best entertainment.

"I'm a firm believer that this town has one of the best music scenes of any college I've been to," said Matt Toledo, Planet 12's guitarist.

"It's a crying shame because there are nationally recognized bands here and no one has heard of them," he said.

Dikis is looking forward to the event. "Any time you have three awesome bands and a hilarious comedy troupe in one room it's gonna be a good time," she said.

In addition to the bands and comedy act, two local political candidates will be speaking to the crowd. Vern Castle, the Democrat candidate for County Sheriff, and Lisa Eliason, the Democrat candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives, will both be on hand to discuss the importance of registering to vote and actually getting out on Election Day to cast a ballot.

"So many people have the idea that we as college students don't take our citizenship seriously and that's not true," Dikis said. "We are going to get out and rock the vote."

Shannon Scott, guitarist for Direct Attention, agreed that registering to vote is critical. "It's important to raise your consciousness and get people to take voting seriously," he said.