Unconventional Tour 2011

The Away Team Launching

2011-07-25T23:57:00.001-07:00

Picture from the balcony from CD Unleashed Party July 23

Away Team Campaign to help Feal Good Foundation

2010-03-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

We will give away CDs to the first 100 people who promise to write a review of our new album and donate at least $10 to the Feal Good Foundation. We are asking our dedicated fans to consider contributing to our costs of replication and our first promotional campaign, so we can start this fundraiser on April 22, 2010. The album will be ready for release shortly since we're in our final mix stage.

Even though the recent proposed settlement in New York is a victory for those heros who helped on 9/11 and now are sick because of the toxic dust, the Feal Good Foundation continues to work towards getting HR 847 James Zadroga 9/11 Health Compensation Act back on the table. For more info, contact us

For more info on the Feal Good Foundation you can check out the Feal Good Foundation.

Here's how you can help with our first replication which will cover our costs:

Life Changes © The Away Team

2010-02-25T18:39:00.001-08:00

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Rough mix and rough video edit from song for new album "Topsy Turvy World"

Wild Wild Land © 2010 The Away Team

2010-02-20T12:24:00.001-08:00

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This is the latest permutation of our "Wild Land" video with Penny Little, Nik Green and Ben Hurley.

Wild Wild Land © 2009 Penny Little

2009-11-03T21:33:00.001-08:00

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Notes:This is an in-process video project, uploaded here so those participating can see and share. Many thanks to Gerald Chong and Charles Hood for filming in Hawaii, to Dawn Perrine in California, and Neda of Return to Freedom. The experience meeting and filming Taj, the Arabian mare at Return to Freedom was wonderful. Having not been around horses for many years, I felt some sort of connection to a part of myself through Taj. I wrote Wild Wild Land in London, when I was longing to return home to my country. Ben Hurley, guitarist from White Feather (we were signed together on Warner Brothers UK) is recording guitars remotely with the Away Team - Nik Green and myself. On this tune Ben did some really great slide playing as well as rhythm guitars. We will mix this and new songs for upcoming album of the same name "WILD WILD LAND", which we hope to release in October.

A World Without Art

2009-09-07T13:45:00.001-07:00

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What would a world without art look like? Interviews with working artists from Art Studio Miami, author / scriptwriter Catherine Ann Jones, and working artists in Santa Barbara, California, and montage of children's art from Art Studio Miami in Little Haiti, Music by Cosmic Love Child

Unconventional 2010?

2009-04-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably, we are talking about doing another tour. Maybe not this fall 2009 unless it "falls" into place, but 2010. We're going to begin outreach to musicians in June of this year. We did have such a great time on Unconventional 2008, though it was hard work. By 2010 we'll be ready again and have a couple new albums, one from Nik Green, and one from The Away Team. I'm posting this now to plant the seed. We're looking for interested musicians and bands, are considering a Left Coast tour from San Diego to Seattle, and possibly a retrace of UT2008 into that Chicago, St.Louis, Little Rock, Tulsa, Austin arc. OK, Universe, here we go again, for another interesting ride! I'm also hoping by then to have at least one of my nine Little Savage™ books complete. You can check her out at http://www.littlesavage.com One of the features of the 2008 tour was a short Little Savage slide show.. In 2010, we'll be the new, improved multi-media extravaganza, politically charged to try to make people ask questions about issues which still have not gone away with the new Hope-O-Rama Administration. I love Hope and Change, and like Peace, it begins with me and you. I'll never forget meeting with my Congress Woman: she told me, "It's up to you, to the people" and how discouraged I felt when I heard the powerlessness she seemed to be expressing. So, it's time to wake up, smell the truth, and start demanding of our so-called representatives some of the things we elected them to do! So, bookmark this space -- at some point this archival site will re-emerge. 2010 here we come!

Big Shift Coming

2009-03-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

There is a big shift coming. Those who adapt and change will survive and thrive. We are facing the biggest challenge and change in economics since the Industrial Revolution. It is worldwide. It is going to change people's consciousness, for better or for worse.

It seems not many have time to read anymore....to investigate what is going on, many don't know or understand what is really happening. Maybe they don't want to either, and to be honest, after working all day who wants to come home to spend the rest of their day researching what seems like more bad news? Catching a few sound bytes from FOX or CNN or even MSNBC, without cross referencing, background and education, has replaced CHURCH as the ultimate authority in controlling the minds of the general populace. And of course, the Churches are revving up the fear button with Armageddon. From what I've heard, The End Times of Revelation really happened at the end of the Roman Empire, but sometime mid-1800's a new crop of fundamentalists began perpetrating their interpretations, probably as a way to scare more people into Churches. When people have nowhere to go, they flock to extremist ideas -- look at Nazi Germany.....

Those who can see the bigger picture will be unafraid; those who create community will survive; the rise of the creative class and those who create the future rather than succumb to the fears in the present, will thrive. Of course those who can see the bigger picture, such as the elites, will also be unafraid.

It is the TEOTWAWKI - "The End of The World As We Know It", but this can be a good thing. The World as we know it SUCKS! Jesus asked us to become like Him. Buddha gave some tools or methods for doing so. Jesus told us we would do greater things than He. And whether you believe or not, it's up to us to make this a better world.

Alternately, we're headed for a technocratic worldwide fascist police state. So much for "Hope" and "Change".

And we're rushing collectively headlong into this without asking questions, without stopping, without demanding accountability from the crooks that got us here. So, we're perched on the ledge, teetering on the brink....... it's up to us, not the "powers that be" We collectively have more power than the several hundred very wealthy who have been redistributing wealth to themselves at our expense.

I am Palestine I am Israel ©2008 P. Little

2009-01-12T23:36:00.000-08:00

This is a work in progress, video and music. I came up with the line "I am Palestine I am Israel" in the studio and each line seemed to write itself. The Sufi dancer recurs throughout "on the dance floor" as a symbol of the possibility of peace. "Be the first on the dance floor to declare a state of no war."

Unconventional Tour-Tulsa - The Away Team

2008-11-26T22:41:00.001-08:00

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The Away Team, electronic duo Penny Little and Nik Green, perform "Komputer Made Me Cry" in Tulsa at the Nightingale Theater. This song was going to be the theme song for Penny's film which later became titled "Electile Dysfunction" with the theme song being "Electile Dysfunction" by Indira Stefaniani. Part of the Unconventional Tour, the Away Team's performances included media clips, clips from films, images in what they called a "Mashup" of film and music.

The Stars Seem Closer Than Chicago ©2008 P. Little

2008-11-24T00:43:00.001-08:00

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This is the song I wrote before we left on our Unconventional journey. I didn't get a chance to record it or perform it....I had wanted to sing it in Chicago at the Heartland Cafe, even though it isn't really "political", in the same sense as "No En Nuestro Nombre" for example. I was born in Chicago, my mother was born in Chicago. I have a bit of a nostalgic longing for the skyscraper canyons of big cities..... So today, I just turned the camera on, and ran a few takes, and did a quick edit. When I get back to Chicago, and get some more Chicago footage, I'll be able to finish the video.....

Unconventional Tour Albuquerque- The Away Team

2008-11-19T00:45:00.001-08:00

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At the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Social Justice, the Away Team performed before Penny Little's film "Electile Dysfunction". Here they perform Penny's song, "Hang Together"

Unconventional Tour Chicago - Swizzle Tree

2008-11-19T00:31:00.001-08:00

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Swizzle Tree Acoustic, Steve and Saarang joined the Unconventional Tour at the Heartland Cafe for an evening of political music, video clips, and fun!

Unconventional Tour - St. Louis "Free Speech" Contest

2008-11-19T00:22:00.001-08:00

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Part of each Unconventional event included the opportunity for the audience to participate in a "Free Speech" contest. 2 minutes, stopped by the gong, judged by clap-o-meter (audience applause) and arbitrary decision of the Unconventional Crew, each contestant can talk or rant about the political or social issue he or she feels is most important. There were no clear winners in St. Louis. Each participant got a free t-shirt in their size.

Review from Unconventional Tour Chicago by Ragen Gillam

2008-11-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

Review of Chicago Show submitted by Ragen Gillam.

Those of us lucky souls who attended Penny Little’s Unconventional Tour at the Heartland Café in Chicago on Friday October 24 were treated to a variety of entertainment, including great music, political satire, including some 911 truth, and audience participation.

Jim Post, one of the “Midwest’s great treasures”, and an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, sang a few folk tunes, including one called “Brain Damaged”, about the lingering effects of the 60’s drug culture. Jim also is a Mark Twain look-alike, and does a traveling show called Mark Twain and the Laughing River. Check out Jim Post’s site here.

Jungle of Cities, featuring Tim Wais and Kimi Carpenter, are a stunning Chicago band playing socially and politically aware music. If you're in the Chicago area, check out their schedule to see where they'll be playing.

The Away Team, featuring the incredibly talented duo, Penny Little and keyboardist Nik Green, performed a few of their original songs, interspersed with some great videos clips, including this video referring to the NIST report about building 7.

Also on the bill that evening was Swizzle Tree, a really hot Chicago band, treating the audience to some hard-hitting songs.

One of the highlights of the evening was the free speech contest where audience members were allowed to vent and rant on stage for 2 whole minutes, or until the gong was hit.

The audience – representing all age groups - realized they had witnessed a truly unique event filled with mind-expanding truth and exceptional talent, seamlessly put together in one great show! Hats off to Penny Little, Nik Green and Dawn Perrine for a delightful and mind-expanding evening of great entertainment!

Unconventional 2008: Pictures along the Way

2008-11-06T22:12:00.001-08:00

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These are some of the still photos taken (mostly by Nik Green) along the way from California to New Mexico to Little Rock to Bloomington to Chicago to St. Louis, Tulsa, Austin and New Mexico, California again - a giant 7,000 plus mile journey with the horse trailer and our troupe...Music by Cosmic Love Child "I'll Be Your Drum" Mix by Nik Green

We're in Flagstaff - Dixville Notch results are in

2008-11-03T21:52:00.001-08:00

The truck decided we're going to stay the night in Flagstaff. it went into "limp home" mode which means it would only go 20-30 miles per hour. We got off at Exit 201, where there just happened to be a Koa campground, called the Chevy dealer who said we could bring the truck in the morning, But when we filled up with diesel across the road, the truck suddenly decided to work perfectly again. (It wasn't out of gas...) We went to the Lowell Observatory and watched stars, the M-15 globular cluster, Jupiter with four of its moons perfectly aligned, Andromeda and the moon. The Universe is BIG, and we are tiny little cells; minute pieces of starstuff. Thinking about the ripple effect of our making waves tour..

Edit: As we tried to leave Flagstaff, the truck went back into "limp-home" mode, so we had to stop at the dealer. It was almost as if Flagstaff wanted to keep us there. $350 plus later, we're headed home.

Dixville Notch-- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama emerged victorious in the first election returns of the 2008 presidential race, winning 15 of 21 votes cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. Dixville Notch residents wait for the stoke of midnight to be the first voters for the nation's presidential election. People in the isolated village in New Hampshire's northeast corner voted just after midnight Tuesday. It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election. I maintain that if McCain wins, it is by fraud. From what we've seen, from all the polls, Obama will be our next President.

Leaving Albuquerque

2008-11-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

The Unconventional Tour: Making Waves 2008 leg from Santa Barbara, Little Rock, Bloomington, Chicago, St. Louis, Tulsa, Austin, Albuquerque, is done.

What we have learned is that the club gigs with the media “mashup” worked the best. In fact, we started talking about doing a West Coast tour, as we packed up and drove away from the Albuquerque gig. It might be possible to promote a film showing at a music gig, or find people who would sponsor and/or host a film showing on our way back through a town...

Our tour has been largely separate from the election; in fact, as Jack Blood said, “If this had been an Obama rally”, there would have been thousands flocking to us. But we didn’t bill ourself as partisan, got no support from any political party. We wanted to bridge the common ground, not stand on any one side, and forge the way for more third party candidates in future elections. If there were a genuine coalition of opposition to the corporatized elections, where Ron Paul Republicans, Kucinich Democrats, Progressives, Naderites, McKinney fans could get together....work on viable election reform.

When we started we thought we would mobilize voters -- especially young voters. It appears our outreach mission has been more about creating a model for the future, inspiring organizers, and being an example of blind faith, as mentioned in prior post. We’re calling it the Meeting Friends Tour or Tour of Faith. We did not break even. The gig in Albuquerque didn’t pay for our way home, but we’re ok.

Over the next couple weeks we'll be uploading video from all of the cities.

Review from St. Louis Show

2008-11-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

Posted Nov 2, 2008 3:45 PM
DS
I would tell you that Penny Little and her troupe are brave and good people, but I can't. Not because it's not true, but because if I did you would be suspicious about what else I say about them. You'd think I was just laying it on. I'm not. I was amazed at the professional quality of her singing voice and the proficiency of the couple's keybording. I suppose fogies like me will be amazed at what can come out of a set of electronics, but really, it was like an orchestra. Miss this show?-Don't.

Donald E. Stahl

Unconventional Tour - Austin - Jack Blood

2008-11-02T12:37:00.001-08:00

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In Austin, at Ruta Maya, excerpts from Jack Blood, talking after film showing of "911 Dust and Deceit", by filmmaker Penny Little. This film documents the plight of first responders, volunteers at Ground Zero on 9/11, exposes the government lies.

Unconventional Tour - St. Louis

2008-11-02T09:05:00.001-08:00

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Hiphop duo "Family Affair" performed for the Unconventional Tour in St. Louis on October 26 at the Community Arts and Media Project.

Unconventional Tour: Austin

2008-10-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Austin just in time to set up, after our night in Tulsa last night. As soon as we finished our show in Tulsa, we drove 100 miles, got up in the a.m. to close the distance...... There's little time to upload video or write... After unloading equipment from the truck, setting it up, playing, talking, listening, breaking down the equipment, loading the truck, it feels like we've moved house 4 times in one day. I'm not sure people understand the effort that goes into presenting a show like this. We all wear so many hats, and we must switch gear from roadie, techie, organizer to performer, speaker, presenter, merchandiser, and hope that no one gets hurt, nothing gets lost, be vigilant, and yet hopefully, have some fun ourselves....

We have now dubbed this "Unconventional 2008: Making Friends Tour". Perhaps the Making Waves Tour is just the little drop of the pebble in the water, and there will be a ripple effect outwards. Perhaps we might inspire someone else to do the same, do it better. I have dubbed it the "Tour of Faith". We started with little money, and at each stop we hope to make money to get to our next destination. We don't have corporate sponsors; we had a couple of small donations before we began. There was no reserve, nothing to fall back on. We proceeded because we had gotten an enthusiastic response from various organizers and organizations.

.After the show in Austin, we're in a Motel 6 (courtesy of one of the organizers) after a really great evening at Ruta Maya. Jack Blood spoke to the audience which was the core of the finest of Austin organizers and activists. The big question on this tour has become, "Do people care?" Most of our audiences have been the hard core organizers, people who care.

Since we'll be on the road for 2 days, on our way to Albuquerque, the footage from tonight, which includes a fantastic program from Three Shoes Posse, The Away Team, and the Free Speech segment....Check back later to see video clips from tonight and from Tulsa..... More hours in the truck tomorrow...

Unconventional Tour -Bloomington, Indiana

2008-10-29T10:58:00.001-07:00

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The winner of the Free Speech Contest in Bloomington Indiana at Players Pub October 23

Unconventional Tour - St. Louis

2008-10-28T22:25:00.001-07:00

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Hiphop duo "Family Affair" performed for the Unconventional Tour in St. Louis on October 26 at the Community Arts and Media Project.

Unconventional Tour - October 24 - Chicago

2008-10-27T23:00:00.001-07:00

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Jim Post joined the Unconventional Tour in Chicago. Here is one song from his set, more to follow.

Unconventional Chicago

2008-10-27T15:34:00.001-07:00

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We had a great night at the Heartland Cafe on Friday, October 24. We're now calling this our "Meet our Friends" Tour...Opening with Jungle Cities followed by a couple songs by The Away Team, Jim Post kept us laughing as the lightning and thunder claps answered. Swizzle Tree played songs from their newly released EP... We'll get some of each of the acts up shortly. When each of us has so many tasks, and we get up and drive, uploading gets to be challenging. Tonight is St. Louis. This clip is where Jungle of cities, Swizzle Tree joined The Away Team on stage to sing "No En Nuestro", learning the chorus as we set up....

Unconventional Tour Oct. 17 Little Rock

2008-10-23T10:24:00.001-07:00

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The Unconventional Tour in Little Rock, at the Market Street Cinema, Oct 17-18 with music by Jack Sundell, Chris Long, The Away Team, and film showing of "Electile Dysfunction" with Q & A. This is a clip of Jack Sundell performing "Who Would Jesus Bomb". He also spoke about the no-coal rally on Oct. 18 at the Little Rock State Capitol building, and did a song related to that.

Unconventional Tour in Little Rock!

2008-10-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Little Rock is like the friendliest place on earth! Come to the show. 1521 Merrill Drive, West Little Rock http://www.marketstreetcinema.net Come and meet us. We want to make friends! Food, live music, film, freespeech contest, more! We got across the desert, Oklahoma, with our horse trailer/camper. 1555 miles...... This is the "Dog and Pony" show without the dog and pony. We're here! WHOO HOO! Stay tuned for tomorrow and Saturday's video of the show.

Unconventional Tour on the Road!

2008-10-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

It's Columbus Day, national genocide day for Native Americans. Isn't it strange what we celebrate in this country? We eulogize the best and the worst in us. We're launching into the great unknown. It somehow seems appropriate.

The donated RV proved too small, and the hitch was a glitch, so we hastily had to make other arrangements. The "other" arrangement is a horse trailer courtesy Dawn who owns an Arabian stallion. This is a four-horse trailer with sleeping and living facilities, although we're sure the amenities are slightly less than the RV. First night we're in Williams Arizona. We arrived at 11 pm and the manager just let us in for free to the RV Park. The temperature is 23 degrees and the wind is gusting around 30 mph giving it a chill factor of winter. We stopped on the banks of the Colorado in Needles, California, where it was a balmy 71 degrees, and cooked some Italian veggie sausage, mushrooms and tabouli looking over the river, the moonlight.

We're all asking ourselves. "Are we really doing this?" Traveling 6200 plus miles across the Nation.......3 weeks to go before the general election. Two weeks for an October Surprise...... What might they pull? Nancy Pelosi has already declared Martial Law in Congress in order to ramrod through the Bailout Bill -- socialism for the crooks running banking corporations.

Through the miles we're listening to books on tape -- The War in the White House by Bob Woodward, providing our in-house entertainment for this leg of the trip. What a bunch of idiots are running our country. One could go into any town and randomly select any group of individuals to run the country and they would do a better job than these shitheads. From what it appears, it looks like they deliberately screwed up the Iraq situation to make it an ongoing cash cow for the military industrial complex.

And is the financial crisis still not on the table for the Palin/McCain ticket? We know who really wears the pantsuits in this campaign)
.

Unconventional Tour Oct. 9 Free Speech "contest"

2008-10-12T09:45:00.001-07:00

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At the kickoff party for the Unconventional Tour, each entry is given 2 minutes (or less ) to state the most important political issues of the day.....the prize in this case was a t-shirt.....

Unconventional Tour Headline on 911Truth.org

2008-09-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hi!

In case you're wondering what we all have been busy getting this Unconventional tour together, and it's now looking imminent....The donation of the fifth wheel to the cause and the dedication of the People to People Team, donating hours of work, and of course getting the show together, would not have gotten this far without knowing that there's a real audience out there, people like you, who are interested in finding truth and not just the spin. We're running on a shoestring, but with your help, by showing up, by coming to the shows, by helping where you can, as volunteers, (and with donations, which we still need), we're launching with a party on October 9th in Santa Barbara.

This morning we're a headline on 9/11 Truth.org! Check it out: http://www.911truth.org

The world is ready for something unconventional, not tied to party lines, and we're hoping as we venture into the heartland, to meet a lot of kindred souls, and in some small way be part of networking and bringing us together. There are a lot of good films out there that are not getting enough distribution and attention and we know that there are lots of good people who just don't have good information, who have been denied the facts by a complicit corporate media And we all know what that means -- because it enabled criminal behavior by an out of control corrupt "cronyocrisy".

What we are doing is unconventional - combining music, film, messaging and fun. We're trying to put some of the "party back into politics". These are serious issues, there are serious flaws in our system and there's a lot of serious effort going into making this happen, setting the stage for the more serious information presented. We're featuring two of my films: "Electile Dysfunction" (updated) and "9/11 Dust and Deceit". In Austin the showing will be a benefit for the first responders - all proceeds after expenses to go to the Feal Good Foundation.

Please check out the Unconventional website for more unconventional info: http://www.unconventionaltour.com

So here's where we'll be: please join us in the city nearest you:
Oct. 9 Santa Barbara, (John Lennon's Birthday - call 805-320-7981 for more info
Oct. 17-18 - Little Rock
Oct. 21-23 Bloomington, Indiana
Oct. 24 Chicago
Oct. 26-27 St. Louis
Oct. 29 Tulsa
Oct. 30 Austin
Nov. 2 Albuquerque
Election Day Nevada or Arizona? (we'll be filming where ever we are)

If you would like to help, with a donation, a tank of gas, or more, there is a link from our sponsors' page
http://www.unconventionaltour.com/sponsors.html
If you would like to table, just contact us, and/or go to the page:
http://www.unconventionaltour.com/tablerform.html

Thanks so much for helping us to make some waves!

Let's build!

Penny Little
Coordinator, musician, filmmaker, activist
http://www.unconventionaltour.com

Why Unconvention?

2008-07-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

For some of us the mainstream Presidential Conventions are inaccessible, irrelevant, or not where we want to be. That’s why we’re having our own “Unconventions” to engage in the political process in our own way -- with music, film, candidates and inspiring speakers who are accessible, and our own town halls.
Most of us know the political process is tainted; however the power of your vote is real. The greater the number of voters, the harder it is to cheat, steal or rig an election. This year, its important to keep the momentum, get activated, have fun in our activism, and catalyze and create the change we want to see in the world. We are connecting the dots. We are connecting with each other.

We must make it more difficult to steal by mobilizing large numbers of voters. Even if you're feeling disenfranchised from the Presidential Selection process, it is important to prevent them from stacking the House and the Senate. We need to slow down the fast track to fascism in whatever way we can using the political process as well as grassroots actions.

Activist organizations working together cancreate a greater awareness of the important political issues in the US right now - the illegal occupation of Iraq, the torture, the Patriot Act, the treatment of our soldiers and veterans, the loss of our civil liberties, election fraud, the wasteful spending abroad while social programs, quality of life and infrastructure deteriorate at home, the shameful treatment of the heroes of 9/11 and the lies of 9/11....

Open for Vlogging

2008-07-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

Unconventional Tour is on the road past the Conventions. Wake Up America and smell the Truth. A Political Mashup of music, film, politics, fun, a mini fest with the intention of bringing greater awareness to the plight of the first responders, workers at Ground Zero, election process, issues which are critical in our Nation. This being an election year, this tour will highlight the importance of citizen involvement in political process - aka voting. The power of your vote is real, why else would they be trying so hard to steal it?

This tour is a way to bring together the peace and justice movement, the anti-war movement, the 9/11 Truth movement, environmental groups, labor unions, churches, free speech and civil rights groups, the movement for fiscal responsibility, social justice groups, and various student activist groups. We believe in our diversity and in our common purpose of making our government accountable to We the People.

This will hopefully become the space for the video blog aka vlog for the progress of the tour, and other information as it comes together. You can check back here or check http://www.unconventionaltour.com or http://www.music-unconvention.com