Music for a cause

In these days, when buying a Nalgene bottle makes you a tried-and-true environmentalist and sending a sappy letter to a tyrannical third-world dictator makes you an advocate for human rights, it's hard for some to not become cynical of so-called politically active citizens.

Well, when you learn about Jeremy Gregory and his nonprofit Bands for Lands, you might gain a little more faith in humanity.

Gregory founded Bands for Lands in 1996. At first, he envisioned Bands for Lands as a music festival devoted to raising funds for progressive causes. It's now a 501(c)3 nonprofit that raises funds via music events. This means that the organization cannot attempt to influence specific legislation or participate in a political campaign.

Working with organizations like the Woodbine Ecology Center and National Lawyers Guild, Bands for Lands has been dedicated to numerous causes—the nonprofit has organized events that support environmental conservation, sustainability, and social justice.

But getting this nonprofit status, according to Gregory, wasn't exactly simple or easy.

"We wanted to do things on a true grassroots level," said Gregory. "We were learning through trial and error. We were familiar with the nonprofit concept. We wanted to do it the do-it-yourself way, growing up with the ethos of Dischord Records and Fugazi."

Gregory said Ian MacKaye, a hardcore musician who founded Dischord Records, and Henry Rollins, former frontman for iconic hardcore punk band Black Flag, were seminal influences in his involvement with nonprofits.

In particular, Dischord Records remained strict about the DIY ethic, refusing to utilize the aid of corporate labels for distribution, and opting for sell the records themselves instead. In a similarly nonprofit fashion, the label used proceeds to fund other bands. MacKaye's later bands, including the post-hardcore act Fugazi, almost exclusively played benefit shows.

"These guys, they walk the fucking walk," said Gregory, referring to how he sees MacKaye and Rollins staying true to their principles no matter how successful and famous they became. This pertains to Bands for Lands because Gregory said he wanted the organization to be a nonprofit, but did not want it to become another overly procedural association, or, as he says, "another cog in the bureaucratic machine."

Without such a status, the nonprofit was able to become involved in numerous events, many of which involved well-known artists like Radiohead, Tori Amos, and Rage Against The Machine. Gregory doesn't claim full credit for these associations, and he says that much of this early success is due to other organizations that Bands for Lands worked with. "Without this help, Bands for Lands wouldn't be what it is now," said Gregory.

But when the nonprofit tried to gain its own autonomy, the organization lacked the paper trail to convince skeptical artists that it was legitimate.

"Early on, we by had a discussion with Pearl Jam, and they asked, ‘What have you done?'" said Gregory. "Well [we responded], ‘We haven't done anything.' When you're working with big bands like that, they want to see credentials."

However, there was an artist who was willing to take a leap of faith: MacKaye, who worked with Bands for Lands to do a Fugazi show at the Ogden in 2001.

"He trusted us. He knew that we were new, and didn't have anything to prove ourselves," said Gregory. "This helped us build a platform, and worked off of that. We had the same ideologies."

Gregory explained his left-leaning ideology mostly comes from his family's influence. Growing up in Longmont, Gregory says he came from a progressive family. His father was one of the first to volunteer for the Peace Corps under the Kennedy administration.

"I've always had that worldview instilled from an early age," said Gregory. "My first opportunity that I moved to Denver, I tried to apply the things that my dad taught my sister and me."

As a musician (his current band is the experimental rock duo The Construct), he saw early on that he wanted fuse his passions by merging his progressive politics with music.

Bands for Lands is currently hosting monthly Rock Paper Scissors tournaments at 3 Kings Tavern. The last one happened on April 20, and the next will be announced soon. The organization is also preparing for the Underground Music Festival in July. The festival showcases local artists and raises funds and awareness for various causes, and it's not to be confused with the Denver Post's Underground Music Showcase.

Funds from the tournaments are used for various causes, as well as help develop the organization's 24-foot truck that functions as a mobile stage.

The truck was originally developed by the Motoman Project and is currently undergoing modifications to make it more environmentally sound. "It can run on biodiesel, and we're in the process of getting it to run on SVO [straight vegetable oil]," said Gregory.

Furthering the organization's support for sustainability, many of the events that Bands for Lands hosts are run on solar energy, according to Gregory.

When asked for what advice he would give to less experienced or aspiring activists, Gregory gave a seemingly apolitical answer:

"Don't compromise integrity," he said. "Always stay behind your principles."

For more information on upcoming events, visit www.bandsforlands.org.