Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act — which allows businesses to refuse service to anyone based on religious beliefs — has sparked a massive outcry from the LGBT community and beyond, and now 50 musical acts are all uniting against the bill.
The artists have joined together for the compilation 50 Bands & a Cat for Indiana Equality. It's coming out through Indiana's own Joyful Noise Recordings label, and the cat referred to in the title is viral internet sensation Lil BUB.
The comp contains a mixture of unreleased or rare cuts, along with more widely disseminated material. Artists who have contributed unreleased or rare tracks include Of Montreal, Thurston Moore, Thee Oh Sees, Deerhoof, Andrew Dost (of fun.), Sonny & the Sunsets, Surfer Blood, Lou Barlow, WHY?, Ought, Protomartyr, Benoit Pioulard and more. Artists contributing previously released material include Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Half Japanese, David Yow (of the Jesus Lizard), Son Lux, Serengeti, Tim Kinsella, Yonatan Gat, Houndmouth and, uh, Lil BUB.
A statement from Joyful Noise reads:
Lately all eyes have been on our home state of Indiana, and for all the wrong reasons. Our state legislature passed a bill known as Religious Freedom Restoration Act which was then signed into law by Governor Mike Pence. We believe this bill did not reflect the feelings of a vast majority of Hoosiers and we quickly rose up, demanding that the Governor and Legislature repeal the law. While an amended bill has subsequently lessened the harm, the fact remains that our LGBT family still do not have full protection under Indiana law.
It costs $25 for a download of all 51 tracks plus a made-to-order lathe-cut 7-inch with whichever song from the comp you choose. It's available to order here, where additional donations can also be made. All profits will go to local groups fighting for LGBT rights.
Previously, Wilco cancelled a Indiana show after the law was introduced, although the band reversed this decision once the bill was tweaked due to the outcry.
The artists have joined together for the compilation 50 Bands & a Cat for Indiana Equality. It's coming out through Indiana's own Joyful Noise Recordings label, and the cat referred to in the title is viral internet sensation Lil BUB.
The comp contains a mixture of unreleased or rare cuts, along with more widely disseminated material. Artists who have contributed unreleased or rare tracks include Of Montreal, Thurston Moore, Thee Oh Sees, Deerhoof, Andrew Dost (of fun.), Sonny & the Sunsets, Surfer Blood, Lou Barlow, WHY?, Ought, Protomartyr, Benoit Pioulard and more. Artists contributing previously released material include Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Half Japanese, David Yow (of the Jesus Lizard), Son Lux, Serengeti, Tim Kinsella, Yonatan Gat, Houndmouth and, uh, Lil BUB.
A statement from Joyful Noise reads:
Lately all eyes have been on our home state of Indiana, and for all the wrong reasons. Our state legislature passed a bill known as Religious Freedom Restoration Act which was then signed into law by Governor Mike Pence. We believe this bill did not reflect the feelings of a vast majority of Hoosiers and we quickly rose up, demanding that the Governor and Legislature repeal the law. While an amended bill has subsequently lessened the harm, the fact remains that our LGBT family still do not have full protection under Indiana law.
It costs $25 for a download of all 51 tracks plus a made-to-order lathe-cut 7-inch with whichever song from the comp you choose. It's available to order here, where additional donations can also be made. All profits will go to local groups fighting for LGBT rights.
Previously, Wilco cancelled a Indiana show after the law was introduced, although the band reversed this decision once the bill was tweaked due to the outcry.
