I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve started recently, on one political rant or another, that have never made it past the third paragraph. Even the second. Sometimes I can’t even get beyond the headline. For a person who used to crank out up to four articles a day, this is very odd. A conundrum. It’s wreaked havoc on my freelance writing business and certainly my readership in that market. But I can’t seem to change it at the moment

The problem? The noise, the sheer level of noise out there. The thousands (millions?) of voices venting on social media, writing articles for news media, sharing stories on various blogs and platforms, creating a deafening roar of feedback, coverage, and outrage, so loud it’s hard to be heard over the cacophony. And, let’s face it: given the glut of scandals, horrors, and endless corruptions streaming from the swamp of this particular administration, there is endless fodder for those thousands (millions?) of voices, to the point that at some point I say to myself: “What do I have to add to this conversation that’s not already being said?!”

That’s what usually stops me at paragraph two.

But since I remain outspoken, deeply invested, fairly loud, and enthusiastically opinionated, and truly believe one needs to get beyond words to evolve into ACTION anyway, an outlet needed to be clarified. I mean, besides Twitter. Which compelled me to turn my attention to one of my other Muses: MUSIC. Political activism in the form of performance. Yes! Set in a scenario in which I could put that skill set to work and invite others who share my rage and frustration to join me and my cohorts to make the political statement of raising funds for 2020 Democrats. THAT is doable. That is fun. That doesn’t require a third paragraph.

So that’s what I’m doing… what we’re doing:

“Words. Music. Potluck. Politics: A Fundraiser for 2020 Democrats”
Saturday, August 17th, 7:00pm-10:00pm 
The Hiner House, 4757 N. Figueroa Avenue, Los Angeles
Donations: $20.oo (min.) per person.
All details in the flier below...

My band, Sixth & Third, comprised of me and five grand fellows—Tom Amandes, Jeff Brown, Erik Krogh, Ben Amandes, and Jeffrey Brown—are all of the liberal/Democratic persuasion, all outraged by our current political culture, and all enthused by the idea of putting our music to meaningful purpose. Joining us, and, in fact, hosting this  event at his historic home in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles, is my dear friend, and actor/storyteller extraordinaire, Troy Evans, who you might know from ER, Veep, and most recently, as “Barrel” of the hilarious cop team, “Crate & Barrel,” on Amazon’s hit series, Bosch. Troy has often performed his iconic one-man show, Montana Tales in and around Los Angeles, and for our event, he’s going to present a few of his most salient, theme-appropriate stories, which you won’t want to miss. We are joining him on a double-bill, adding a few new songs to the roster to soundtrack the evening’s theme.

We want you to join us. We want as many of you as possible to show up to not only enjoy the show, but to help us raise as much money as possible to send to ActBlue. All the information is in the flier below; download it if you like and send it out to your like-minded family and friends. They’re all invited. And if you would, pop over to our Facebook Event page to RSVP so we make sure we’ve got the venue properly set up for the headcount; that would be much appreciated.

In a particular moment in time when so little feels within our control, this is something we can do: we can gather, share music and storytelling, and pool our resources in support of the candidates we’re entrusting to change the political trajectory. Let’s do that in glorious numbers. See you on the 17th!!

Visit www.lorrainedevonwilke.com for details and links to LDW’s books, music, photography, and articles.