State Radio PHOTOS



2009 Is The Year of Change, Right?



Towards the end of 2008. I was granted access to the State Radio/Anti-Flag show at the NY club-like venue, Terminal 5. Myself and my trusty photographer grabbed our gear, and strapped on our “change agent” minds and set out for the show.

Anti-Flag was at sound check while we did our interview with State Radio’s [and former Dispatch] front man, Chat Urmston. Needless to say, we rocked out while we chatted change.



Change coming, what do you hope a band like state radio can do for the “mobilized generation?”

Keep stroking the fire. Take some responsibility in making sure people continue to be interested in the issues and their brother and sister Keeping it going.



What will this add to the uninformed kids [how do you reach them?]

the cool thing with music is that it’s a gateway. That these kids will go to a show and like a song. If people come to see us, it starts off as just a music thing, and then it sort of goes down this path. The transformation sort of happens.



What do you expect the vibe to be at the “Goodbye Bush Show” on December 26th, 2008?

It’s always interesting playing a stones throw from the capitol. The energy’s always awesome in DC, It should be a celebration, so I see it as good things to come. It will be the holidays too. It should be a show where everyone is patting each other on the back.



Do you ever do a benefit for knowledge instead of just the cause?

I’ve always seen them go hand in hand. You’re raising money for the cause but you’re also raising awareness. We try to have, when people come to a benefit people come to see the music but you also have literature at your merchandise table where you can get more information. I think that the knowledge is always a part of the process.



What do you hope to be thankful for next year?

I hope to be thankful for our President, the safe return of our troops in Iraq, some sort of reconciliation in Sudan, and the change of power in Zimbabwe, and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, and you know, peace in the Middle East and everywhere else.



After leaving the backstage area, we were high on the idea of the milennials banning together and really doing something positive for our generation and the generations to come. It seemed like a nice idea. And then we went to the performance. There we were, a couple of MTV corporate kids, in a field of under-agers. A field of under-agers that seemed to have no issue with having X’s on their hands, or being sober, or partaking in the politial postive atmosphere.



The excessive amount of crowd surfing complemented the feelings of communitiy and union in the venue. The kids sang to every word, at the top of their lungs. They had a rotating mosh-pit, where the motto was “if someone falls down, we pick them up.”



It was an inspiring atmosphere, straight off of an inspiring interview. We left the concert revived and rejuvenated. If artists like Chad , Chuck Fay and Mike Najarian with their positivity and oli-can guitars can bring together angsty teenagers in a harmonious union, there is hope for the rest of us. Check out State Radio and their message on SoundTrack.mtv.com and all of their community pages. Donate to a cause or two, and carry on the word. In case you never listened to The Beatles, the word is Love.