Sound Strike Gets Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket's Support

Not too long ago, we learned that Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha wrote a letter urging artists to join him in an effort called Sound Strike, and the entertainment world noticeably responded.

Essentially, Sound Strike is a boycott of Arizona — musicians and other artists join, pledging not to play in the state presumably until the SB 1070 immigration law is lifted or a preferable agreement is reached. Sound Strike supporter Conor Oberst released a video recently in which he discusses the project. It was shot on set in El Paso, Texas while filming the music video for “Coyote Song.”

Oberst is just one of the several artists who have offered their support of the Sound Strike, and “Coyote Song” is just one of the songs created for the effort. In the video, Oberst explains that “Coyote Song” is the first of many MP3s that artists will donate to Sound Strike to “help raise money for nonprofits that are on the frontline of this struggle.”

Oberst’s recent video message asking for artists to join the effort may have helped, as additional acts like Nine Inch Nails, My Morning Jacket, Maroon 5 and Ben Harper have also recently pledged their support of the project. With these latest additions, the list of artists in support of the Sound Strike has risen to over a hundred.

In the video, Oberst, who likens SB 1070 to “state-sanctioned racism,” mentions that the artists of Sound Strike also hope to do a series of concerts for the project. Visit the Sound Strike website to learn more or to sign the petition and watch Oberst’s video from the border below.

Conor Oberst for The Sound Strike from Producciones Cimarrón on Vimeo.

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