Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Promotion on Campus for WE ARE DISCONTENT

Today we were promoting our benefit concert, We Are Discontent. Plastic Apples came out to draw attention to us, and we had a lot of fun! Here are a few pictures from our day.





House Foreign Affair Committee Hearing

Yesterday, the House Foreign Affair Committee met for the first time to discuss the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act and it's implementation. Here is Resolve's coverage of the meeting.

Resolve Covers Yesterday's House Foreign Affair Committee Hearing

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Sleeping At Last: Resolve

One of the many great partners with Invisible Children is Resolve. Resolve focuses on what the United States can do through politics to stop the LRA. It's a great site, I recommend you check it out here.

Resolve is partnered with a filmmaking team called Discover the Journey (DTJ). Resolve helped fund and coordinate a trip for DTJ to LRA affected areas last year. DTJ made a series of powerful videos, one of which was titled Be Resolved. Ryan O'Neal of the band Sleeping at Last composed the music for that video. He then went on to add lyrics, title the song "Resolve," and put it on the band's latest EP, September.

Again, another way that music is helping to end this conflict and stop the LRA. Also, Sleeping at Last is pretty great.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

We Are Discontent Highlighting: Plastic Apples

PLASTIC APPLES


Armando, Chris, Garrett & Isaac


So tell me the story of how you guys started. On Facebook it says you all met in marching band?

Armando (A): Yeah, well us three (Chris, Garrett, Armando), we played the trumpets.


Chris (C): Yeah we knew each other from trumpets.


Garrett (G): From trumpets?


(laughter)


A: It was actually me and my friend Vinny, a trombonist, that wanted to start a band, so we asked these two (Chris, Garrett) to join us. We got together at my apartment, played a few songs and there was magic.


C:We played a few songs.


A:We recorded our first song on the first day...


C:On an iPod actually. Thanks Steve (Jobs).


Isaac (I): Yeah and at the beginning of this summer I saw them playing at the shell and I just thought maybe I could add something to them. I really wanted to drum for them.


A: Yeah, and he just showed up and we started playing. We were tired of borrowing drummers.


I: It just fit and everyone was like “yeah, this is good.”


How long have you been the Plastic Apples?


A: Like a year and half. Not long.


Why the Plastic Apples?


G: It was either that or like the Tendertones.


The Tendertones?


(laughter)


A: Yeah. It was either that or Mando and the Tendertones. But Plastic Apples came from, um one day we were looking for percussion instruments at Hubbards Music and our old trombonist gave me a plastic apple and I jokingly suggested the Plastic Apples.


C:It’s because the plastic apple was our only percussion instrument when we started.


(laughter)


A:And no one really liked the Tendertones. Chris always jokes around that our rival band is the Rubber Pears, or like the Porcelain Bananas.


(laughter)



Describe your sound:


C: People always ask us and we never know how to answer.

G: We always just say “go to our shows.” Our music is very versatile so we incorporate a lot. It makes it really hard to define our style.

I: That’s what I like about it. It’s a melting pot of music.


C: It’s the stuff we like, all together.


A: We each have different backgrounds. Isaac likes Deftones, I listen to a lot of Mexican music so it’s a unique mesh.


How did you hear about IC and what motivated you to help in this concert?


G: Mando told us all about it.


A: Last year I went to a screening and I was like “what can I do? I don’t have any money.” I gave like two bucks, you know? I signed up for the email listing and recently you guys started back up again. I just figured I don’t have money but I have a band and we have talent, we can do something and offer our time.



Okay, one more question. What is on each of your playlists right now?


C: The Flobots. Lonely Island.


G: Someone was ready for this question.


A: Razika, a Norwegian girl band, pretty cool.


I: Deftones, Modest Mouse, Temper Trap.


G: You were all ready. Um, Peanut-Butter Wolf.


(laughter)


G: That is a legitimate name. Also Metal Face Doom, The Congos.


A: Camila, it’s a Mexican pop trio.


I: The Roots.


G: There you go. Hey, will you stop watching soccer?


I: Sorry.


(laughter)


____________


You can catch the Plastic Apples Friday November 4, 2011 8 p.m. at Mikey's Place (3100 Harrelson St. Las Cruces, NM 88005) performing for Invisible Children New Mexico State University's benefit concert We Are Discontent: A Night of Music Combating Injustice.


Check out this video and see how awesome these guys are!