Spillapalooza

Oil spill images from www.biologicaldiversity.org

I don't know about you, but I've kept the Gulf oil disaster at arm's length. I had concluded that dissolving into a weeping mess every time I saw the horrifying images wasn't emotionally healthy. So I buried my head in the sand.

Not Kevin Henderson. The guitarist and singer for rock band The Swigs faced it, organized a fundraiser, identified the beneficiary and in doing so, empowered Tucson to help enact change.

A few weeks after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and went on to gush out hundreds of millions of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, Henderson said he "realized nobody seemed to be doing anything. It was so big, so ugly, so freaky, and everyone had and has that awful feeling of being powerless. What could I do? I'm not an engineer, but I do know musicians and people in the music scene.

"I talked to my friend Tom Baumgartner, who came up with the name, and called Al Perry for advice. Within a few days, Al was calling me every day, encouraging me to do it. I got on the phone and started emailing people...it's amazing what you can do in a few days on the phone and internet."

Henderson's passion stemmed from time he spent in those waters, "swimming and canoeing, cavorting with dolphins, sea turtles, and manatees, and enjoying some of the most beautiful beaches in the world."

"I really believe that our oil culture, corporate greed, and human laziness have combined to make an event that will destroy this beautiful ocean for the rest of my lifetime."

"The idea that such a place will be ruined forever, for any reason, is obscene and disgusting, and hits you in the heart... if you are listening to your heart, that is. Most people I see are just carrying on regardless. This event is a paradigm shift to me, it's 'Game Over' for business as usual."

Even as Henderson describes the indifference of humanity toward changing their oil-dependent lifestyles, he is inspired by the power of music to alter ideologies as it did in the 1960s. "People tried to change things then, why not now?"

"I see Spillapalooza as a meme, a DIY idea that could spread and inspire other people to do similar things. The response I've had from just about everyone has shown me that people really do care, people in the United States are not, for the most part, as jaded and apathetic as we might appear to be."

As the idea began to form, KXCI's Music Director Duncan Hudson gave Henderson this advice: "Get your non-profit first, and then get the bands."

Henderson said his wife Anne recommended the Center for Biological Diversity. "I emailed them and got an enthusiastic response within 24 hours, and within 48 hours, Mike Stark from the Center was in my house discussing benefit concerts next to my mixing desk. The CBD were thrilled to be asked - no one had ever asked them about a benefit show!"

"They're an example of a few people getting together and growing into a force for positive change. They're honest, passionate, and very transparent about where the money goes. Also, they have a Gulf Disaster Fund, and various lawsuits, that really need everyone's support."

CBD's Communications Director Mike Stark said the organization has been a leader in efforts to hold British Petroleum and the United States government responsible since the early days of the oil rig explosion, and to "help ensure another one never happens again."

"That's where the Center's Gulf Disaster Fund comes in. The Center has filed a series of lawsuits related to the spill, including a suit alleging that BP violated the Clean Water Act. If the spill is found to be the result of gross negligence, BP's liability could exceed $19 billion. That money would go to the U.S. Treasury and we'd advocate that it be used to restore the Gulf."

"The Center has also filed several legal petitions related to the Gulf, including one challenging the use of chemical dispersants and others seeking additional protections for sea turtles, whales and other wildlife at risk in the spill. Meanwhile, we've been pushing the government to reform its permitting process for offshore drilling, including a ban on waivers that allow projects to move ahead without much-needed environmental reviews."

(See the complete list of CBD Gulf actions here)

According to Stark, the federal government and BP changed oil burn off techniques due to the organization and its allies' pressure.

"After news reports that some endangered sea turtles were being burned alive during 'controlled burns' of surface oil in the Gulf, the Center and its allies collected more than 150,000 signatures calling for an end to the practice. We also filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order. Two days later, BP and the U.S. Coast Guard agreed to begin allowing observers at those controlled burns to make sure turtles weren't being burned."

So, what can we do? We can hit The Hut, 305 N. 4th Ave., on Sunday, August 1 at 5pm and give a donation of $5-$10 and rock out to over 12 bands on two stages. Rest assured that your cash will be responsibly spent as the CBD is recognized as a four-star charity by Charity Navigator.

The uber coolness factor is that The Hut is donating its space and the bands are donating their talents. Acts currently on the bill include: Al Perry, The Swigs, Fish Karma and the Love Generation, Loren Dircks and Gila Bend, The Modeens, The El Camino Royales, The Wayback Machine, The Dusty Buskers, The Fisters, The Possibles, Vanessa Lundon and Aaron Gilmartin.

Visit www.spillapalooza.com for more information.