WE ARE DISCONTENT

Thanks again to everyone who came out and supported our benefit concert last weekend. We could not have done this without our four beautiful bands, all the volunteers, the art donors, KRUX, and all those who have supported us by attending screenings, buying bracelets, and coming out to the show.

In case you missed the event, here are a few pictures of what WE ARE DISCONTENT looked like.

Plastic Apples supports Obama at the PhotObama Booth

And the show begins! Attendees watching an IC video

Jonathan Berry of Pioneers of Primetime TV and Michelle Blades at sound check

JB on the stage he so beautifully prepared

Amanda and I having some fun setting up the photo booth

If you missed this, don't think there's nothing left to do. We are still working hard to reach our $7500 fundraising goal by December 14.

Join us Thursday at 6:30 on the second floor of Corbett.

We are discontent. We are IC Team Las Cruces.

The Pioneers of Prime Time TV

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

Take Action!

President Obama Targets LRA from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Obama is Sending Troops

Check it out! This is happening.

Obama sends 100 troops to Uganda to help fight rebels

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.

Via Michelle Mirelez

Wonderful work! See you all there!

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!

Greek Life Screenings

Wonderful Greek-lifers Jonathan, Neechelle, Naomi, and Elliott

ICNMSU Co-Presidents: Valerie, Alex, and Andrea

Come out tonight for another screening of TONY!

Six o'clock in Hardman 106

The Musician Coalition

So this is really, really awesome. As a music education major, I am always excited to see music being used for things like this. It's so easy with music to get caught up in your own life and what you want. I love seeing musicians focusing on using their art to educate and raise awareness. That's what I love about the idea of music education, the thought that through music, people can be pulled into something so much bigger than themselves. Music can save lives. Such a cool thing, check it out.

The Musician Coalition from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

It's Here!

Good news everyone!!! The LRA Crisis Tracker is up and running! This is an amazing thing. Check it out!

http://lracrisistracker.com/

If you leave out justice you will find yourself breaking agreements and faking evidence in trials 'for the sake of humanity', and become in the end a cruel and treacherous man.

C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity

The Vice Guide to Congo

This is a five part video series talking about the Congo and some of the issues with conflict minerals. It isn't only the LRA that is causing fear in the lives of people in Congo. Even though Invisible Children is focused on stopping the LRA, I think it's important to realize that there are other issues that shouldn't be forgotten.

http://www.vice.com/vice-news/the-vice-guide-to-congo-1

Beautiful People 2.0

so, every time i think of a blog and have the chance to actually post, my team mates beat me to it and i love it! right now i am so excited im headed to work and posting from my handy dandy blackberry device. (that is why my punctuation and capitalization is not present.) to the point nothing is more true than the past few posts, but the beautiful people were also in this town! you people, the ones that came to our tabling and attended our screenings. it has been a mere pleasure to meet you guys. i got to speak to a few of you, even go as far as hold and comfort you as tears of empathy fell from your perfect little hearts. know that we are excited and thankful for your participation. this term is special and every world changer i've been fortunate to meet this week is indeed beautiful. i am very blessed to be in this energy.thank you.

Frontline Tour

The IC NMSU club hosted the Deep South team last night for a screening of "Tony," a story about a young man from Northern Uganda. Aromorach Agnes also shared her personal story with us.

We cannot thank the roadies enough for all their hard work and sacrifice. We also want to extend a whole-hearted "thank you" to everyone who attended the screening and everyone who helped out.

Your smallest efforts can make an enormous difference.

Find out how you can join the movement this Thursday at 6:30 on the second floor of Corbett Center.

Beautiful People

This week, Invisible Children's Frontline Tour launched! We were lucky enough to host 11 of the 16 roadie teams as they passed through Las Cruces on the way to their various locations. That's 44 people. And every one of them was incredible. There was very little sleep and an overwhelming amount of love and friendship. It was an incredible experience for me. I've never wanted to instantaneously be best friends with so many people at once, especially while knowing that they would be leaving in a matter of hours. The passion I saw in everyone was astounding. They were exhausted, but they were excited. We were strangers, but we were already friends through our common desire to see the LRA stopped and peace in Central Africa. It was only a few hours that we got to spend with these people, but by the time they were leaving, I felt I had just substantially increased the size of my family.

These people are sacrificing so much to go out and work for what they believe in. They are amazing human beings. And what's really cool is we can support them from home! We can also fight for peace and see the LRA disarmed. Getting to meet the roadies was inspiring and encouraging. We're working for change, and we're seeing it happen.

So get involved! Be part of this. You won't regret it. Team Las Cruces is just getting started, and we want you to join us.

Screenings!

Invisible Children Team Las Cruces will be hosting two screenings of the film Tony tomorrow, Thursday the 8th. We will also get the oppurtunity to hear directly from an Ugandan advocate about how they have personally been affected by the conflict. Come and hear the story of Tony, the current situation in the Congo, and how you can help.

Location - Fountain Theater, 2469 Calle de Guadalupe
Time - 2:00pm

Location - NMSU, Corbett Center Ballroom (3rd Floor)
Time - 7:00pm

We really hope you can make it out to one!

Silver Series by Invisible Children