Concert Preview: Stout of heart -- and opinion By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Friday, March 19, 2004

Mike Stout doesn't beat around the Bush. He's mad as hell about the war in Iraq, and he's not gonna take it anymore.

On his eighth politically charged, self-released album, the 54-year-old Pittsburgher wages a shock and awe campaign that he calls "War and Resistance." The opening salvos will be launched tomorrow in a CD release party with activist singer-songwriter Anne Feeney at Bloomfield Bridge Tavern.

There's nothing subtle about Stout's approach to songwriting, no middle ground in his leftist ideology. In the Woody Guthrie tradition, his songs reflect contemporary issues without resorting to journalism. They're more like partisan op-ed columns that grab political opponents by the throat and don't let go.

Police union upset by plans to name park for Haymarket figure
The Chicago Federation of Police is trying to dissuade the Chicago Park District from naming a small Northwest Side park in honor of a woman described by one 19th century police official as 'more dangerous than a thousand rioters.'

In a letter to Park District board members, FOP president Mark P. Donohue said he was 'disappointed and disheartened' by plans to name the park after Lucy Ella Gonzales Parsons, the widow of a man hanged in 1887 for his purported role in the Haymarket Square bombing of the previous year.

A parks spokesman said Parsons' name was suggested by Chicago Parks historian Julia Bachrach in honor of Parsons' long work as a labor organizer and champion of women and minority group members.

The nomination was part of a larger effort to recognize more women in a system where only 27 of 555 parks are named after women.

On April 12, PBS is airing a 90 minute documentary American Experience: Emma Goldman Infoshop News
'On May 14, 1940, Emma Goldman died in Toronto. Denied entry into the United States for so many years, she was finally permitted, in death, to cross the border. She was buried in Chicago's Waldheim Cemetery, near the graves of the Haymarket martyrs, a group of anarchists and labor activists whose mid-1880s trial and execution had sparked Goldman's activism in America.'

Group aims to 'redefeat' Bush by registering Democrats By EMILY FREDRIX, AP
The name says it all: Committee to Redefeat the President.

ReDefeat Bush

Anne Feeney and Chris Chandler
Anne Feeney, from Pittsburgh, and Georgia native Chris Chandler are throwback political folkies who would probably make Woody Guthrie proud. They've dubbed their current jaunt 'The Anyone-But-Bush-Tour.' Feeney sings and plays guitar, and Chandler rants, er, speaks a la Henry Rollins or Jello Biafra. Peter, Paul and Mary are among the artists who have recorded Feeney's song 'Have You Been to Jail for Justice?' Chandler has collaborated with venerable list of contemporary singer/songwriters including Ani Difranco, Dar Williams, Martin Sexton and Dan Bern.

8 p.m. Sunday, Fogartyville Cafe, 800 17th Ave. W., Bradenton. Tickets: $12. Information: 741-9755 or www.fogartyvillecafe.com

Wal-Mart Day of Action - America Can't Live on a Wal-Mart Paycheck In the Spring of 2004 join the People's Campaign for Justice @ Wal-Mart in a National Day of Action to demand that Wal-Mart stop degrading the quality of life for America's workers. Show Wal-Mart that good jobs build strong communities.

Listen to Anne Feeney's "War on the Workers" while you read about Wal-mart Day of Action.

LaborWire - The Joe Hill Dispatch
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am writing to announce the LaborWire, a project of the Joe Hill Dispatch. LaborWire is America's daily source for labor and trade union news.

Please feel free to post tour announcements to our community newswire:
http://joehilldispatch.org/ipw-web/portal/cms/index.php

I hope that you will considered providing a link to LiveWire on your site this valuable new resource for union news and activism.

In Solidarity,
Marc Brazeau

Labor Paeans By Jody Kolodzey, In These Times
Today, Local 1000’s membership roster reads like a who’s who of the political folk world, from stalwarts such as Joe Glazer, U. Utah Phillips and Pete Seeger to relative newcomers such as Ani DiFranco, Pat Humphries, Joe Jencks and Laura Love.

In some ways, McCutcheon says, Local 1000 is “the most telling thing that’s happening in labor music today. I mean, everybody that’s involved in labor music, number one, is a member, and at least as important is the difference it has made in people who never knew or thought about labor unions at all, and all of a sudden are passionate about the AFM.

Labor Arts Collections
Description: LABOR ARTS is a virtual museum; we gather, identify and display images of the cultural artifacts of working people and their organizations. Our mission is to present powerful images that help us understand the past and present lives of working people.

Radio LabourStart, the new online radio station brought to you by LabourStart.

Feb. 7th Tacoma Peltier March posted by Arthur J. Miller
I am pleased that Anne Feeney will be joining us. She has a concert on the evening of our march at the Longshore Workers Hall in Tacoma, I am on her list. When I saw that she was going to be in town I sent her an e-mail about our march and she stated that she has been a supporter of Leonard Peltier and would like to join us.

T h e M u s e a n d W h i r l e d R e t o r t
February 2003 Volume 5 Issue 6
By: Chris Chandler


2004 Tour Dates and Venues