"Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's latest documentary, gives a detailed account of the events leading up to 9/11 and the President's response. As the movie opens it recounts how Bush literally stole the Presidency, with the help of his brother Jeb Bush, the Governor of Florida, and his friend, Republican Secretary of State Katherine Harris. The movie potrays how African-American voters in Florida were disenfranchised and how no member of the U.S. Senate was willing to sign their petition to investigate the election.

After describing the process by which Bush was se-lected, Moore documents how Bush spent the months following inauguration taking extended vacations for his two favorite sports, golfing and hunting. The nation effectively had no one in the driver's seat during this period. The FBI gave John Ashcroft repeated warnings of an imminent terrorist attack by al Queda, but rather than taking action to protect the nation Ashcroft said that he was tired of hearing about the warnings and didn't want to hear anything more about it.

Perhaps the most troubling part of the movie concerns the presence of the Osama bin Laden family in the U.S. on the day of 9/11. Members of the bin Laden family were living in Washingon, D.C., Los Angeles, and Orlando. Just days after the attack on 9/11, the bin Laden family was rushed out of the county by plane on 9/13 when all commercial flights were grounded. Ironically, Osama bin Laden's eldest brother Salem, was one of Bush's first business partners. Interesting behavior for a President who describes himself as the leader on the war against terror. Perhaps if Bush could break his business ties with the terrorists, that might help us win the war? Just a thought.

Bush's ineptness is best shown in his handling of the 9/11 attack. On the morning of the attack, Bush is making an appearance in a predominantly black grade school in Texas to read "My Pet Goat" with the students. After being informed that the second plane was flown into the World Trade Center, Bush was at a loss as to how to proceed. Instead of taking action to protect the Nation's security, he simply sat there and did nothing. He continued reading "My Pet Goat."

In the weeks and months following 9/11, Bush wakes up. Now it's time to attack Afghanistan. Lives of American soldiers are given in vain as we fail to capture the man behind it all, Osama bin Laden. Of course, why would we want to capture a friend of the Bush family?

Then the real charade begins. As Moore describes, we refocus our efforts on Iraq and wage war on a county that never attacked, threatened, or presented a known threat to the United States. "Fahrenheit 9/11" puts the camera on the bodies of the burned Iraqi children, innocent, yet brutally murdered by the U.S. military. All for weapons of mass destruction that were never found.

OIL- Operation Iraqi Liberation. As one conservative recently told me, "Ah, but the oil we will get will be well worth it." So we finally get to the truth. All of these Iraqi children were killed so that Dick Cheney, former CEO of Halliburton could help out his old company. But I thought this was free market society with open competition? No, Halliburton was pre-selected to receive all of the major oil contracts. That's American tax dollars going into the pocket of Dick Cheney's buddies. Meanwhile, 60% of American corporations, like Halliburton, pay zero tax dollars. Seem fair to you?

Another company the Bush administration has picked to rebuild Iraq also had ties to bin Laden's family, Betchtel Corporation. Osama bin Laden family members invested $10M in an equity fund run by the former Bechtel unit. Yes, we want to make sure the bin Laden family benefits from the war efforts, since, after all, Osama bin Laden was responsible for the terrorist attacks that convinced us that we needed to go to war in the first place.

Oh, but we're liberating Iraq. Even if weapons of mass destruction were never found, Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator and we needed to liberate the country. Please explain this to me: How do you liberate a county by killing its innocent citizens? Sounds a little fishy to me.

Overall, Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" depicts the fatal errors of an incompetent administration that was not duly elected in the first place. We can only hope that the good Americans will do a better job to ensure that a competent leader is chosen this November. And that would be ANYBODY BUT BUSH!

"Since when did telling the truth mean you're a liberal?"

In an effort to overturn the current administration and restore democracy to the White House, members of the entertainment industry are going on tour. Stars like Bruce Springteen will be joining the Dixie Chicks, the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Pearl Jam and other pop stars for MoveOn PAC's Vote for Change Tour.

It's no secret, the purpose of this tour is to make John Kerry the next president.

Groups like R.E.M. have always been political. In addition to their support for organizations like Greenpeace, R.E.M. has used their music to make a statement. Albums like "Automatic for the People" and "Life's Rich Pageant" include songs about envronmental issues, homelessness, and government corruption. Pearl Jam has written songs and spoken out against hunger and poverty.

Until we get a new adminstration, none of America's problems either at home or abroad will be addressed. Wages for the average American worker have been steadily declining since Reagan-Bush won the election in 1980. The Republicans have done nothing to stop this, and I think we all realize that giving tax breaks to greedy corporations and the wealthiest Americans will not solve the problem. But maybe Rocking the Vote will.

Musicians have a special interest in politics. As their music conveys a message, protections of civil liberties, such as those guaranteed by the First Amendment, is particularly important. Since we live in an age where Linda Rhondstat can be booed off the stage in a casino in Las Vegas for dedicating a song to Michael Moore, we know that the right to free speech is in jeopardy.

Bruce Springsteen understands the danger of allowing the current administration to stay in power. He was recently quoted: "It's an emergency intervention. We need to get an administration that is more attentive to the needs of all its citizens, that has a saner foreign policy, that is more attentive to environmental concerns."

It's no secret that the current administration is out to serve the interests of big business and the wealthy. George Bush's recent slight against African-Americans did not go unnoticed. He refused to speak to the NAACP. After President Kerry accepted an invitation to address the group, Bush decided to make a speech to the Urban League, an organization comprised primarily of wealthy African-American business owners.

We must put an end to the current administration. They have already stolen one election and threaten to do the same in November. This is not the kind of government that our forefather's envisioned. The government is supposed to be "for the people, of the people, and by the people." Our forefather's wanted a government in which every person's vote counted; not the kind of debacle we saw in the last election in which votes for the Democratic candidate were thrown into dumpsters behind polling stations. Government by the people means that Bush doesn't just get to steal an election because he's got friends in high places. It doesn't mean that Cheney gets to go to war to help Halliburton's bottom line; and it doesn't mean that Republicans get to make decisions that only favor the wealthy.

To make a change you need to get out and vote. And, it does matter who you vote for. You must vote for the Democratic candidate to restore Jeffersonian democracy to America. We can't afford to have votes wasted again on Ralph Nader. Support John Kerry and Rock the Vote!!!

For more information about the MoveOn PAC's Vote for Change Tour, click on the links below:

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1267&storyid=1730906

http://netmusiccountdown.com/news/article.php?id=6099

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-05concertsaug05,0,6978264.story?coll=sfla-news-front

http://www.johnkerry.com/front/splash.html

Kathryn Dove of the Grateful Web recently had the opportunity to see Boulder's own Rose Hill Drive open up for Big Head Todd and the Monsters at Red Rocks. A couple of days later we caught up with the band on tour and interviewed Jake Sproul, lead singer and bass guitarist. Here's what he had to say about the band, the music, and life on the road:

Grateful Web: Hi, this is Kathryn Dove with the Grateful Web. I have Jake Sproul here with me and we're going to interview Rose Hill Drive and find out what the bands been up to. First, Jake, how did you guys like opening up for Big Head Todd and the Monsters at Red Rocks?

Sproul: It was great. We are pretty big fans of Big Head Todd. We've seen 20+ shows of theirs growing up in Boulder, my brother and I. It was kind of like a pretty big deal for us. Being at Red Rocks also was pretty amazing. It's kind of like a full circle thing for us, locally. 

Grateful Web: That's great. I noticed you guys are going on tour later this year with Chris Robinson. How did you guys meet up with him?

Sproul: His new group is more in the jam scene. We are booked by Madison House, they primarily book String Cheese Incident and Keller Williams. Being involved with those people brought us together with Chris. We are in the same circle, with the same kind of music. I wouldn't necessarily say that we're a jam band, but because we are booked by Madison House, that's how it all got started.

Grateful Web: What is the best thing about going on tour?

Sproul: I'd say just being able to see different places and to see the world. There's nothing like it. I've spent my share of time sitting in my hometown and doing practically nothing. I have to arrange a series of activities to keep myself occupied. But being out here, I'm in Cincinnati right now, I've been here once now, and this is my second time. I get to see what's going on in Cincinnati right now and then another place tomorrow. It's great.

Grateful Web: It kind of blows your mind.

Sproul: It is mind-blowing. Especially with the state that the country's in right now. The state of the youth. There's a lot of big change to come. Being all around for that is pretty awesome. You get a pretty good consensus of what's going on. We headed up to Canada for three days for the Warped Tour, and we just got back down into the States. The youth in Canada is completely different. There are a lot of factors that contribute to that attitude change. Seeing the difference between the youth in America, and the youth in Canada, and the youth in Detroit, compared to the youth in Colorado. I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to witness that first hand.

Grateful Web: That's great. So you were talking about all of the changes that are going on. What do you think about Rocking the Vote and getting more people out to vote? I've heard that statistically more people vote for stars on American Idol, than vote for the Presidential election. What do you think about getting more young people out to vote?

Sproul: It's obviously a good thing. I've never heard that fact about American Idol. That's fucked up. At the same time there's a group here yelling every day around lunchtime. I hear them on the stage yelling at all the kids: "It doesn't matter what color your hair is; it doesn't matter what sex you are, but we gotta take Bush out of office." "Bush is an asshole," and all this shit. It's just a really one-sided deal. I really prefer the attitude of just getting out to vote and not taking a side. Trying to demean one candidate in the Presidential election defaces democracy. If we want it work, we need to support the system, itself.

Grateful Web: Jake, you talked about noticing the difference between Canadian youth and youth in America. Can you tell us a little bit more about what you noticed?

Sproul: Generally, they are more down-to-earth. There is more of a humble vibe. Very open. Musically, just watching from the stage, we are definitely different music than the Warped Tour has. It's an interesting tour to be one, because we're so different than most of the punk groups that play. I witnessed in Canada kids walking by the stage and stopping and listening. They hang around for the whole set. Whereas, we get back to Detroit yesterday and play. Just by interactions and noticing things when we're playing, we see less of an attention span. They are just completely shut out. They want what they want. What they feel like they came to see, and they don't want to let anything else in. It's definitely a generalization. It's more so I noticed in the United States, than compared to Canada.

Grateful Web: That's interesting. Jake you told us the best thing about going on tour is seeing new cities and meeting new people. What is the worst thing about going on tour?

Sproul: The worst thing, I guess, would be the opposite of tour, which is not being able to be home. We've got a lot of great friends, and I love Boulder. I've got a great sense of place in Boulder.

Grateful Web: Jake your brother Daniel is also in the band. How do you guys get along?

Sproul: We've been getting along quite well. We've always been really close siblings. My parents split up recently, which kind of rocked our boat a little bit. It's been a big learning process. With me and Daniel, it just takes communication. Understanding where we are and what our intentions are. Just keeping it open.

Grateful Web: What are your goals as a musician? What do you want to accomplish?

Sproul: I started playing when our bass player quit in our group. It's been a really big challenge for me to pick it up and learn how to play. Just being able to just flow with it while I'm singing too. It's like patting your head and rubbing your stomach.

Grateful Web: You do such a great job with it. 

Sproul: I just want it to flow and not have to pretend. Lots of people on this tour have all of their antics. There's a group on this tour called "Story of the Year," they are a new punk group and they do flying kicks and flips off their amps, and all this really weird stuff. I just want to stray away from that as a musician. When I'm playing bass line to back up Daniel's solo, I'm really listening and making it a movement. Instead of going through the motions. I like to be flowing with the songs and never make it sound the same twice. That kind of deal. Just making it flow and making it musical every time.

I read a really cool quote in the Colorado Daily the other day. It was by Joe DiMaggio, "I want to make every game I play as good as it can be, because you never know when there's a kid in the stands who's seeing me for the first time or seeing me for the last."

I really thought about that, because I started noticing that a lot of people really tune into what we're saying and our songs and having a good time at the show. Whatever's going on in my head, I want to be able to get out of that and just be there with the music. And doing whatever it is that I do as well as I can. So that it's there for the people who enjoy it – if they're seeing us for the first time or the last time.

Grateful Web: That's great. When I saw you guys up at Red Rocks opening up for Big Head Todd and the Monsters, you guys did a Led Zeppelin cover, and the crowd just went wild. Would you say that Led Zeppelin is one of your greatest influences?

Sproul: Yeah, they're a huge influence. All of the old groups basically. Led Zeppelin had so much mystery. Even when they were giving interviews, they were so mysterious. They were just crazy. I read "Hammer of the Gods," which is their biography, to try to figure out more because I was so intrigued. You can't really describe it. The history of Led Zeppelin isn't even what Led Zeppelin is and there separate lives. I bought that new DVD that just came out, Led Zeppelin, its unreal, the way they work together on stage. There are just small, subtle little things that that happened between them that are completely synchronized. They're just in it. I love them. I can speak for Daniel too. It's one of our top favorite groups.

Grateful Web: Are there any other musical influences that you have?

Sproul: Yeah. Old blues and stuff. I remember when we were little Otis Taylor, who is a local blues guy, used to come over and really shoved the blues in our face. He really worked with Daniel a lot on his unique Delta style. It's played in an open-G and it's really rhythm driven and pretty heavy. We actually went to a blues camp in Washington and got a heavy dose of it there. I've always been really into blues and then soul. Especially, a lot of that Motown stuff with those back beats. Just that living feeling that is in the music every time you hear it.

Grateful Web: Now you guys have come full circle and you're out there influencing other young musicians.

Sproul: Yeah, like my little brother Ben has a few friends who play the guitar and play the drums. They come to our shows and they really dig it. That's really cool, because they're from around our town. If they get a group together and start playing, that would be awesome. That's what it's all about.

Grateful Web: Thank you so much for the interview. I'm sure your fans will appreciate getting to know a little bit more about you and Rose Hill Drive. If your fans want to catch up with you, you're on tour right now, right?

Sproul: We're in Cincinnati and then we hit Boston, and two other places, and then we go back home. We have a show at the Fox Theatre in Boulder on September 4th and then another show at the Blue Bird.

--

Rose Hill Drive is: Jake Sproul on bass and vocals, Daniel Sproul on guitar and harmony vocals, and Nate Barnes on drums.

This week we are highlighting the accomplishments of young musicians from around the world. Tyler Simmons is a 17-year-old student from Toronto, Canada who attends a school for the performing arts. He is a very gifted singer, guitarist, and songwriter who uses his talents to help others.

At the age of 14, he wrote his first song called “When You Are Gone.” Tyler performed the song at Jake’s Jam, a charity fundraiser to benefit children with neurodegenerative diseases. Tyler has continued to write songs and was recently a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. You can hear his song I’m Already Falling by here:

Tyler recently traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to make his debut at the Bluebird Café which is a venue for rising stars and young talent. Tyler spent the week attending music festivals and working on his songwriting. In 2016, he was awarded a scholarship to attend a 6-week music program at Berklee College of Music.  Tyler is also an actor and you can see him in season 1 of Disney Backstage.

If you would like to learn more about Tyler Simmons and his music, please check out his YouTube Channel and be sure to follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

This Valentine’s Day will be extra special for Griffin Tucker, a 16-year-old musician from Dallas, Texas. His music video for his new tune “Some Kind of Love Song” will be released. Griffin is a child prodigy who began playing drums at the age of 5 and guitar at the age of 8. He also plays piano, bass guitar, and the ukulele.

Griffin got his start by playing in a Beatle’s tribute band at the age of 8.

Griffin is now a performing artist who enjoys covering hard rocks classics like La Grange by ZZ Top.

The title track off of his debut CD “Believe It” was released on Rocktober 1, 2017.

For Valentine’s Day, Griffin has been working on a special music video for his new tune Some Kind of Love Song. To see the video, please subscribe to his YouTube channel.

Joel Hoekstra is a founding member of the supergroup, ICONIC, along with Michael Sweet, Nathan James, Tommy Aldridge, and Marco Mendoza. Together the group has over 100 years of rock’n’roll experience. ICONIC released its debut album, Second Skin, on June 17.

Standing at 6’3” tall, Joel Hoekstra looks like the epitome of the rock guitar god. With curly locks of blonde hair blazing down his back, Joel is known for having the best hair in hard rock. But ICONIC is a lot more than a hair metal band.

Joel is a classically trained NYC musician who grew up in the windy city of Chicago. He is currently in the middle of a European tour with the legendary hard rock band Whitesnake. Kathryn Dove caught up with Joel on his day off between shows in Munich and Zurich. Joel was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule for an interview.

Grateful Web: Hi Joel, how are you doing today?

Joel: I’m doing great. Thanks so much for taking the time out.

Grateful Web: I know that you have been playing guitar for many years. You have toured with Night Ranger, Cher, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and you have your own projects. How did you end up becoming the guitarist for Whitesnake?

Joel: When I first learned there was an availability in the band, I passed on some video links of myself to Reb Beach and asked him to forward them to David Coverdale and try to get me an audition. When I didn’t hear anything back at first, I thought: Who do I know that can at least get me an audition? I reached out to Foreigner’s manager, Phil Carson, and he did indeed know David. So, he reached out and said, “David I know this guy. He would be a great fit for the band.” And that got me my audition with David. The audition went very well.

Grateful Web: I’m sure it did, because your playing speaks for itself. Can you tell me a little about your solo work?

Joel: When I was younger I released 3 instrumental albums: Undefined in 2001, the Moon is Falling in 2002, and 13 Acoustic Songs in 2007.

Joel Hoekstra - Almond Brook (click here to listen)

Since then because I became more well-known for my work with hard rock bands, I formed a hard rock side project: Joel Hoekstra’s 13. Under that name I released 2 albums: Dying to Live in 2015 and Running Games in 2021.

Joel Hoekstra - Electric Fields (click here to listen)

Grateful Web: That’s wonderful! I have heard your solo albums, and they are really good! What is the inspiration that drives your solo projects?

Joel: They are mainly artistic outlets for me. They are not money making endeavors. It gives me the opportunity to write and record the music that I’m looking to get out there to the world. And to momentarily be the boss and the one who’s in charge. Although I am totally happy in all my playing situations, but it’s nice every once in a while to be the person who’s in charge.

Grateful Web: Joel, I have to be honest. I was blown away when I learned that you had founded a supergroup. I really thought that supergroups were a thing of the past. But when I saw the lineup of members for ICONIC, I saw a glimmer of hope for hard rock to make another comeback. What is it like working with a legend like Tommy Aldridge?

Joel: Tommy’s great, he plays with an energy that I challenge anyone who’s 25 years old to play with. Tommy’s 71 now. He brings so much great energy, fire, and passion to whatever you play with him. And he’s a great friend, because now I have been working with him in Whitesnake for 8 years.

Grateful Web: I really like the singles that you have released from the debut album Second Skin. I am really impressed with your guitar riffs and the solo for Nowhere to Run. And the lyrics written by Nathan James are definitely relevant for the times. All of the lyrics are included with the CD liner, so that’s an added bonus. What do you think is the message that you want your fans to take away from the songs included on ICONIC’s debut album?

Nowhere to Run by ICONIC:
We’ve got nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide
The world is getting crazy
We’re blinded by lies

Joel: I wasn’t really involved in the lyrics. That would be more of a question for Alessandro Del Vecchio and Nathan James who wrote the lyrics on the record. I was more tasked with writing guitar riffs for the album. That was my job in this collaborative effort, and this leaves more room for everybody to put their stamp on things. I was fine with that. It’s always fun to hear what kind of results you get. With Joel Hoekstra’s 13, I am the one who writes the lyrics, and the vocal melodies, and the guitar riffs, and everything It's fun to see how things come out differently when you have different levels of input, and also include talented people like this group has.  

Grateful Web: Yes! ICONIC has an amazing lineup of musicians. Can you tell me a little about what’s in store for ICONIC? Is a second album in the works? Are you planning a US tour?

Joel: A second album is not currently in the works, but people can plan on more recordings from us collectively. It would be great to try to get together and play some shows, although this year I am already spoken for. My dance card is full.  I am playing with Whitesnake all the way up until the time I leave to play with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I am on the road through the year. And next year Whitesnake should have some more to do yet on the farewell tour, and I have Trans-Siberian Orchestra again. Hopefully, 2023 provides some windows where we could have some ICONIC live shows!

Grateful Web: What do you think is the future of rock 'n roll? Are there still enough guitar heroes to inspire another generation of kids to pick up the guitar and play rock music?

Joel: I don’t worry about the grand state of rock music. My goal is to stay productive every day. It’s what I have chosen to do with my life. I just try to make sure that I’m moving forward. Where it all heads, you never know. I find that the harder you work, the luckier you get. I think that music on any level is important to understand. It doesn’t always have to be a profession. Music is a very healthy hobby as well. I encourage people to give it a go. It’s a great thing to do to relax. It’s good for your brain. It’s great for stress to unwind and play guitar.

Grateful Web: What is the funniest question that you have ever been asked in an interview?

Joel: I had an interview one time that started with: “Hey so your name’s Brad right?” I just thought: Possibly he hadn’t done his homework as a journalist? (lol!)

Grateful Web: No. He’s not quite as skilled as I am! (lol!) Thank you for taking the time to do this interview Joel. I am really looking forward to hearing more great music from you and your band ICONIC!

To purchase Joel Hoekstra’s music and gear click here:
https://joelhoekstramerch-com.3dcartstores.com

To stream Joel’s music on Amazon:
Joel Hoekstra's 13 Running Games

To purchase a copy of ICONIC’s “Second Skin” click here:
https://orcd.co/secondskin