Featured Rock the Vote Artist

Song Name	Artist	Album	Genre	Time
1. '49	The Silent Comedy	Common Faults	Rock	2:44
2. Exploitation	The Silent Comedy	Common Faults	Rock	3:17
3. Gasoline	The Silent Comedy	Common Faults	Rock	3:49

The Silent Comedy

Tell us about your first concert experience:
My dad promoted concerts in the 1980s, so my first concert experiences were running around in huge venues as a kid (from 2 to 4 years old), or going out to eat with 80s hair bands.

If you couldn’t be a musician, what would you be doing instead?
I was on track to become a filmmaker when the band started to gain momentum. I am still really passionate about film, and continue to edit videos for the band whenever I can. Eventually I hope to pursue filmmaking in addition to being a musician.

If you could collaborate with one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would have loved to work with Charlie Chaplin. He was an incredible performer, but also an amazing businessman and director.

If you became President, what is the first action you would take?
Honestly, my first action would probably be to resign. I have immense respect for the President because the job is almost set up for failure. The responsibilities are so immense, and the day-to-day issues are so complicated, that it seems nearly impossible for one human to succeed in that role. I definitely don’t believe I would be the right person for that job.

What social cause is closest to your heart?
I am very concerned with the problem of human trafficking. I have been learning more about it after being recently introduced to an organization call International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org). It seems that most Americans think of trafficking as a distant problem that occurs in a far-off land, but it is an incredibly far-reaching issue that effects millions of people worldwide.

What does the right to vote mean to you?
To me, the right to vote means the ability to have a voice on a national and international level. It means that I can take an issue that I am passionate about, and make my point of view known in a larger way (whether the election turns out the way I would prefer or not). The saying “decisions are made by those who show up” sums up my feelings on the right to vote.

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 a wide variety of music when I was in high school, just as I do now. The White Stripes were one of my favorite bands at the time, and still are. I also started digging into the music of my parents generation at that time. The Doors, Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Fleetwood Mac, and so many other classic artists were mainstays of my record collection at that time.

What activity or group were you involved with in high school that might surprise people today?
I wrote for an internet paper on paranormal phenomena when I was around freshman age. It went out to 26 different countries in several languages. That is something that not too many people know about me.

What's the biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in high school?  (could be personal or academic)
I traveled the world when I was high school aged. I had to take a break from school for two years, then study via a correspondence school, and work a lot harder to graduate at the same age as my peers. That was a challenge, but I am really grateful for that experience now. I learned a lot of things that I wouldn’t have if I had a normal high school experience.

Do you do any volunteer or community work when you're not on tour?
I have done volunteer work in the past. Unfortunately, our schedule has reached a point that it has become more difficult recently. I want to make more time to volunteer in the near future.

What change would you like to see in our society in the next year?
I would like to see the majority of Americans taking a much closer look at conservation, and living within our means as a society. Consumerism has reached a point of excess that is staggering. If each individual took a more thoughtful look at their consumption, I think our society would benefit greatly. I don’t, however, have much hope that such a massive change of values can happen in the course of one year.