Beastie Boys Announce Swing State Tour

The Beastie Boys have announced their "Get Out and Vote" tour. In an e-mail blast this morning, the activist rappers said, "This election is too important to stay at home. We hope that you can come out, have a nice night, dance, sing, get your freak on, and then wake up the next morning and get everyone that you possibly can to get out and vote." Mike D told Rolling Stone, "Looking at musicians when they take on serious social issues with some degree of cynicism is probably healthy, because you don't really ever know what people's intentions are. But everybody is like, 'What could I possibly do to weigh in here?' You know we can try and make phone calls, and that's good, but we could also probably reach a lot more people by doing this."

Diamond added, ""This is the first election in my lifetime that seems so crucial ... Barack Obama is somebody who has really got me excited about the Presidential race," though the tour itself is technically non-partisan and is partnering with Rock the Vote. So far, only the first three dates of the tour have been announced, and the band promises to bring special guests like Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Tenacious D and Santogold with them to various shows. Stay tuned to their official site for more tour dates and ticket information.

Beastie Boys Get Out and Vote Tour October 28 - Richmond, VA @ Richmond Coliseum (With Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson and Santogold)
November 1 - St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium (With Ben Harper and Tenacious D)
November 2 - Milwaukee, WI @ U.S. Cellular Arena (With Ben Harper, Crosby & Nash and Tenacious D)

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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