Featured Rock the Vote Artist

Song Name	Artist	Album	Genre	Time
1. I Need A Dollar	Aloe Blacc	Good Things	R&B/Soul	4:04
2. Politician	Aloe Blacc	Good Things	R&B/Soul	5:20

Aloe Blacc

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS!

( I Need A Dollar )  |  ( Politician )
(right click and save link as/download as)

And check out his album, Good Things on iTunes.

Rock the Vote Featured Artist Interview:

Tell us about your first concert experience?
My first concert was a Summer festival back in 1994 with a big lineup of artists.  I had a great time because I got to see all of the hit songs of the year performed by my favorite artists.

If you couldn’t be a musician, what would you be doing instead?
If I wasn't a musician I would probably be an entrepreneur peddling a new household invention or a career scholar doing research at a university.

If you could collaborate with one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would love to write and record with Nat King Cole.  He is one my heroes as a singer and musician.

If you became President, what is the first action you would take?
I would find a way to properly fund the public school system so that every student has the opportunity to receive a good education and so that every teacher can be fairly compensated for the tremendous service they provide.

What social cause is closest to your heart?
I am really concerned with the lack of compassion in capitalism. It appears that big businesses are not concerned with the impact the lifecycle of their products have on the ecology, cultures, and society at large.

What does the right to vote mean to you?
The right to vote means that I am part of a community and that my thoughts and ideas matter. It means that I have a voice that deserves to be heard and an opinion that will be considered along with my peers and others in my community.

What bands or artists did you listen to when you were in high school?  And which bands or artists influenced your style the most?
I listened to artists like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, and Ice Cube during high school because I was a big fan of hip hop.  But I think my style was shaped more by artists I listened to shortly after high school like Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and James Taylor.

What activity or group were you involved with in high school that might surprise people today?
I was involved in the local Rotary group's leadership program as a camp counselor. I also participated in the Model United Nations program where different schools converge in a simulated UN conference with students as delegates.

What's the biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in high school?  (could be personal or academic)
I was a pretty central figure in my group of friends but I had to take a back seat to the more social aspects of school to focus on academics.  It paid off in a big way for me with a full-tuition scholarship to USC but now I am relying on internet social networks to rebuild lost relationships.

Do you do any volunteer or community work when you're not on tour?
I'm always doing something different when I volunteer my time.  Whether it's speaking to youth offenders at juvenile hall, participating in beach cleanups on the coast or recording songs for charity compilations I try to be a contributing member of my community.

What change would you like to see in our society in the next year?
In the next year, I would like to see a universal healthcare system that rivals the Canadian, Australian, and European programs.