Portland City Council’s approval September 12 of a measure to add fluoride to the city’s drinking water has provoked a torrent of criticism, both from those opposed to fluoridation, period, and from folks who think the question should at least go to a public vote. The odds are good that you’ve already encountered one of the many volunteers presently gathering signatures to get an anti-fluoridation measure on the ballot in 2014.
Now, Portland’s musicians are entering the fray. A concert this Saturday benefitting the no-fluoride ballot campaign features an impressive lineup of local big-names, including the Dandy Warhols, Y La Bamba, members of the Portland Cello Project, Marty Marquis (of Blitzen Trapper), the Builders and the Butchers, and DJ Anjali. Even apparently apolitical bands, like campy surf-rock act Guantanamo Baywatch, are lending their support.
According to its Facebook page, the “Public Water, Public Vote” fundraiser was organized by the Dandy Warhols’ Zia McCabe.
“This event will…send a message to our government that the artists and citizens of Portland are willing to stand up to them when they are not serving our city and her people they way they should be,” McCabe writes on the page.
The show bill for the event indicates it’s sponsored by the newly created anti-fluoridation organization Clean Water Portland, the anti-corporate Alliance for Democracy, and, somewhat puzzlingly, Voodoo Doughnut.
The “Public Water, Public Vote” benefit concert takes place at Southeast Portland clubs Rotture and Branx this Saturday from 1pm to 2am. Bands and DJs will play inside and out (the weather report calls for a sunny 77 degrees in our continuing Indian summer!). The event’s organizers are requesting donations on a sliding scale from $10 to $20. For more information, visit the Clean Water Portland website.
For more about Portland arts, visit PoMo’s Arts & Entertainment Calendar, stream content with an RSS feed, sign up for our weekly On The Town Newsletter, or follow us on Twitter @PoMoArt. Blog content reflects the views of the individual author and not necessarily SagaCity Media, Inc.
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