The line-up for this year's Farm Aid festival has been announced. The annual event, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, will be held on September 19 at FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago. The line-up is headed by the organisation's four board members - Willie Nelso...
The line-up for this year’s Farm Aid festival has been announced.
The annual event, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, will be held on September 19 at FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago.
The line-up is headed by the organisation’s four board members –
Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews – alongside guests Jack Johnson, Imagine Dragons, Kacey Musgraves, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mavis Staples, Holly Williams, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Insects vs. Robots and Blackwood Quartet.
“We organized the first Farm Aid concert in Illinois in 1985 to respond to the people suffering during the Farm Crisis,” said Willie Nelson in a statement via Rolling Stone. “Thirty years later, in Chicago, we’ll bring together so many of the people — farmers, eaters, advocates and activists — who have made the progress of the Good Food Movement possible. At Farm Aid 30, we’ll celebrate the impact we’ve had and rally our supporters for the work ahead.”
Meanwhile, Neil Young recently released a 10-minute short film, Seeding Fear. The film accompanies his current album, The Monsanto Years. Click here to read Uncut’s review.
The film is credited to “Bernard Shakey“, Young’s long-standing directorial pseudonym.
Writing on his Facebook page, Young said: “As I write this, the dark act is up for a vote in the House of Representatives; representatives of the people. The dark act takes away the rights of those people to vote for or against things like GMO labeling in their states. It does seem ironic. If the act is passed, it will truly be a dark day for America.
“Monsanto is a corporation with great wealth, now controlling over 90% of soybean and corn growth in America. Family farms have been replaced by giant agri corp farms across this great vast country we call home. Farm aid and other organizations have been fighting the losing battle against this for 30 years now.
“Dairy and meat farming is done in those white sheds you see from the freeway, no longer on the green pastures of home with the old farmhouses and barns. Those beautiful buildings now stand in ruin across the country. This has happened on our watch while the country slept, distracted by advertising and false information from the corporations. Monsanto and others simply pay the politicians for voting their way. This is because of ‘Citizens United’, a legislation that has made it possible for corporations to have the same rights as people, while remaining immune to people’s laws.
“Both Democratic and Republican front runners are in bed with Monsanto, from Clinton to Bush, as many government branches are and have been for years. This presidential election could further cement the dominance of corporation’s rights over people’s rights in America. If you have a voice you have a choice. Use it.
“On the human side, the film I would like you to see tells the story of a farming family in America, but the same thing is happening around the world. It is a story that takes 10 minutes of your time to see. It is a simple human one, telling the heartbreaking story of one man who fought the corporate behemoth Monsanto, and it illustrates why I was moved to write The Monsanto Years.
“The film presents a rare opportunity to hear from the source as Mr. White is one of only four farmers who is still legally allowed to speak about his case as all the others have been effectively silenced.
“Thanks for reading this and I hope you look at this simple and powerful film, ‘Seeding Fear’.”
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