Columnist Spencer Patterson: ‘Plea For Peace Tour’ nudges young people to vote

Spencer Patterson

Friday, May 28, 2004 | 8:24 a.m.

Given the dangerous climate in Iraq, it's easy to assume the "Plea For Peace Tour" is dedicated to removing President Bush from office in November.

That's actually not the case, explained Matt Maginn, bassist for indie rock band Cursive, one of four acts on the "Plea for Peace" bill.

"It's kind of a bummer that a lot of people think that the name is directed only at this war," Maginn said in a phone interview from his Omaha, Neb., home.

"The tour is nonpartisan, so that's a misconception. 'Plea For Peace' has been around since '99 and was actually created as an anti-racism organization promoting peace in all ways, like an end to domestic abuse."

The tour stops at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Wednesday night. Sharing the bill with Cursive: spoken-word artist Saul Williams, the hard-rocking Planes Mistaken for Stars and "Plea for Peace" founder Mike Park, who will perform an acoustic set.

Tickets to the all-ages show are $13. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Along with the promising music on the itinerary, Wednesday's event will also promote voter registration, the theme of this year's "Plea for Peace Tour."

"There's a registration table at every show, which the people from Music for America manage, and they're doing a good job," Maginn said. "They're telling me they're signing up around 50 people a night, and you hope that a lot of the people showing up are already registered."

As you might expect, some of the tour's acts do take a decidedly anti-Bush stance, encouraging young voters to side with the president's Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry.

Cursive frontman Tim Kasher offers no such opinions, says Maginn.

"We're a nonpolitical band," Maginn said. "Tim does a good job of putting it at our level. He says, 'I'm an apathetic (expletive), so I know how it is, and I really think people need to try and change that and start caring about voting and start voicing their opinion.'

"It's usually pretty quick, but he gets the point across."

Maginn said the war in Iraq has made it easier to convince audiences to register, though he hopes first-time voters remain active long after November's presidential election.

"The horrible things that are happening are only awakening people more to voice their opinions and vote," he said. "I think people are getting motivated to vote in this election, which is great.

"But we also want to encourage people to continue to voice their opinion, not just to get all excited about this one election and then forget about it until four years later, but to try and be active in their local government and communities as well."

"Plea For Peace" will also donate proceeds from ticket sales to a charity aligned with voter registration, though Maginn said Park and his co-organizers are still determining which one.

"It's hard, because it's going to be a lot of money as far as our world is concerned, but the amount of money that some nonprofits get in charity is just amazing," Maginn said. "And you don't want to give it to somebody that doesn't need it if there's someone else that does."

Described by Blender Magazine as "emo for grownups," Cursive's music has gradually evolved since the Nebraska outfit released its 1997 debut.

The band's third album, 2000's "Domestica," was hailed as a major step forward, while last year's "The Ugly Organ" -- the first full-length Cursive effort to feature cellist Grett Cohn -- is a masterpiece.

Since Cursive has toured behind "The Ugly Organ" for more than a year, the band is using its "Plea For Peace" engagements as a chance to expand its set list.

"If it wasn't for Mike Park and 'Plea For Peace,' we wouldn't be on tour," Maginn said. "But we've got this opportunity to play, so we're digging up one or two songs from each of the older records and choosing ones that we haven't done for a while."

Maginn said Cursive has written about a quarter of the songs for its next album, which he said would be released in the fall of 2005 at the earliest.

Music Notes

Here comes your band: The recently reunited Pixies have announced a Sept. 28 Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts date on their upcoming North American tour. Ticket information had not been announced at press time.

Nada mas: Latin superstar Marc Anthony has postponed his "Nada Personal Tour" -- including a July 24 stop at the Mandalay Bay Events Center -- due to production delays affecting two upcoming albums. Refunds are available at points of purchase.

Rat pack: Local hard rock band Skinner Rat will be joined by a special guest for their show at the Fiesta Rancho at 8 p.m. Friday. Guitarist Dick Wagner, who has played with such luminaries as Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and Kiss, is scheduled to perform.

Quick hits

A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:

Smooth jazz saxophonists Kim Waters, Steve Cole and Jeff Kashiwa team as the "Sax Pack" to headline the first installment of this year's "Jazz Under the Stars" series Sunday at Spring Mountain State Park.

Also on the bill: German-born reed player Praful, who lives and records in the Netherlands. His 2003 album, "One Day Deep," reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with music scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45.

British vocalist Dido plays The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel at 8 p.m. Sunday. Best known for hit singles "Thank You" and "White Flag," she is touring behind September release "Life for Rent," her second album. Tickets are $50.

Tool spinoff outfit A Perfect Circle stops at The Joint at 9 p.m. Thursday and next Friday. Tickets are $37.

The band was originally scheduled to play the venue March 29, but canceled when frontman Maynard James Keenan came down with an illness. Mars Volta, the opening act on the original bill, is not scheduled to perform this time.

On sale

UNLV's Cox Pavilion hosts the "B.B. King's Blues Festival," featuring B.B. King, Dr. John, Shemekia Copeland, Elvin Bishop and Magic Dick & Jay Geils, on Aug. 7. Tickets are $78 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack box office, at UNLVtickets outlets, by phone at 739-3267 and at www.unlvtickets.com.

The String Cheese Incident plays two shows at The Joint on July 24-25. Tickets are $40 and go on sale at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hard Rock box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.