Jeff Mackler, the Co-Director of the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal,
giving a speech on Mumia's behalf and against the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
The Mobilization was one of 50 non- profit organizations represented at the
free festival.
As the 2008 Power To The Peaceful festival got into full swing, excellent performances by the likes of Rebelution, one of the biggest new bands on the stateside reggae scene in 2008, and the articulately lamenting rap duo of Oakland pianist-vocalist Kev Choice and Richmond MC Silk-E, were juxtaposed on the main stage by an impassioned speech by Jeff Mackler, the Co-Director of the Oakland-based Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, to not just free Mumia, but also get the troops out of Iraq; the latter sentiment was echoed by underground San Francisco rapper Sellassie in an excellent bit of freestyle after Rebelution's set. Read more »
As the bus I took to the 10th annual Power To The Peaceful Festival rolled toward the western end of San Francisco's Haight Street (where it famously crosses Ashbury Street), the plain white stucco front of the apartment buildings on either sides of the street were transformed into three-dimensional facades coated in zebra stripes and rainbows. I stepped off the bus to grab a large latté, and some free wi-fi, in a coffee shop named Coffee To The People. As I sipped my cup and reviewed the acts for Michael Franti's impending celebration of pacificism to the extreme, I looked around the inside of the café and saw a collage of bumper stickers covering the walls, featuring quotes by everyone from Abbie Hoffman to Aung San Suu Kyi. Read more »
This summer has been packed to the brim with music festivals, many of which have exceeded the lineup quality and ticket sales of their predecessors. There was Bonnaroo in Tennessee, Lollapalooza in Chicago, plus a group of brand new festivals that were launched, including SF's Outside Lands and Michigan's Rothbury. It's been a festival season of epic proportions and needless to say, next summer will have a hard act to follow. Festival-goers have been spoiled by the wealth of bands that have appeared at these events, making it likely that they'll turn their noses up at anything less than 
Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Rage Against the Machine all on the same bill, as they should. Fans pay good money and deserve to have their cake and eat it too. Especially since the summer season is pushing all the way through September, these big-name festivals had better start accumulating their lineups ASAP. It's sort of like London's fear of falling short in the 2012 Olympics after China's spectacular opening ceremony. Eventually, a wall will be hit and it simply can't get any better. But until then, music festivals continue to induce the dropping of thousands of jaws, and will continue to for at least another month. Read more »
