It’s no surprise that the band Railroad Earth took their name from Jack Kerouac’s flowing prose-poem, October in the Railroad Earth. Interspersed with memories of the past and the present, the story weaves a complex tapestry of impressions and reflections, all underlining the American history of the workingman. Much like Kerouac, Railroad Earth’s music captures the grit and soul of rural and urban America and translates it into something deeper than just music.

The six-piece ensemble crafts each song artfully, like a storyline in a novel about travel, wonderment, tragedy, and heartbreak. With the unusually soulful and deep writing and vocal delivery of principal songwriter, Todd Sheaffer, combined with instrumentation so colorful you might find them on the Appalachian Trail, Railroad Earth is bringing their slice of American culture on a hefty fall/winter tour spanning both coasts and every major market in between.

Mixing an unlikely blend of instruments to make up their well-traveled sound, the project features Todd Sheaffer (Lead vocals, acoustic guitars), Tim Carbone (Violin, vocals), John Skehan (Mandolin, vocals), Andy Goessling (Acoustic guitars, banjo, dobro, mandolin, flute, pennywhistle, saxophones and vocals), Carey Harmon (Drums, hand percussion, vocals) and Johnny Grubb (Upright bass).

In their relatively short tenure, the band has released five critically acclaimed albums and amassed an impressive national following with sold-out shows from coast-to-coast. They’ve also graced the main stages of some of the country’s most prestigious festivals, including; Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Rothbury and the 10,000 Lakes Festival. And this past September, Railroad Earth performed for the first time at the legendary amphitheater, Red Rocks, in Morrison, CO. Yet, Railroad Earth remains surprisingly grounded and continues to stick close to their musical roots and influences – always striving to keep the next show is as inspired as the last.

Beginning in late September, Railroad Earth will be doing a series of short tours with pivotal performances in various parts of the country. But unlike the speed trains in Kerouac’s novels, this Railroad Earth is in no hurry “to get there fast”.

Oil companies and their allies in Congress claim that drilling in America's oceans and coastal areas would help solve the energy crisis and have proposed ending the 27-year moratorium on new offshore drilling. But offshore drilling would neither solve our energy needs nor significantly lower gas prices. Instead, drilling would harm America's economy, health, oceans and
coasts.

Proponents of offshore drilling claim it would reduce gas prices, even though the Department of Energy has determined that it would not significantly do so. Oil companies currently have 5,500 offshore leases they are not drilling, and with 80 percent of the untapped oil in offshore areas already open to development, they do not need access to more areas to increase supply. And while the U.S. oil industry says it wants even more access to sensitive ocean areas to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, American-based companies are shipping record amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel to other countries. This proposal is simply a way to give oil companies unfettered drilling access to our oceans and coastal areas.

In addition, opening up additional offshore areas to drilling poses real threats to our ocean and coastal ecosystems and economies. Offshore drilling creates toxic waste products that contaminate fish and marine life. Offshore wells emit air pollutants that are known carcinogens, cause respiratory problems and worsen global warming. And current cleanup methods can only remove a small fraction of oil spilled in marine waters, where it is toxic for most species.

America needs real, long-term solutions for the energy crisis, but oil companies and their allies are not delivering them. We need to use less oil by improving energy efficiency and utilizing renewable energy. In doing so, we can achieve energy independence, fight global warming, and jump-start our nation's economy.

Attempts to lift the offshore drilling moratorium could be attached to several different bills and come up for a vote at any time.

== What to do ==
Send a message *right away* urging your senators and representative to say NO to offshore drilling.

If you prefer to call your senators and representative, the Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.