Cloud Cult at the Black Cat

DC Surfrider’s Music Outreach Program was able to attend Cloud Cult’s show at the Black Cat last Monday November 1^st. Special thanks to Connie Minowa of Cloud Cult for getting us on the guest list! It was a learning experience for me as it was MOP’s first time at the Black Cat—their staff was very helpful and we got a great spot in the back by the merchandise table. I had some interesting conversations with a handful of attendees and about 15 people signed our ledger in support of passing a 5-cent bag fee bill in Virginia and Maryland. A few people mentioned Cloud Cult’s commitment to environmental causes—way to go Cloud Cult, hope to see you again next time you are in DC.

Broken Coast in Annapolis

Thanks to Broken Coast for hosting DC Surfrider in Annapolis last Sunday. It was a gorgeous evening for some live reggae at the Federal House. Thanks to Eric Weimer of Proud Lion Music and Artistry for inviting us out and to Lexi Noruk for coming out and volunteering!

DMB in 100+ DC Heat!

The Dave Matthews Band ripped Nationals Stadium Friday night, playing from 8:30 until 11:30! Surfrider volunteers Matt Gove and Steve Reidy were on hand to hand out some reusable shopping bags and sign people up to support DC Surfrider’s goal of passing a bag-fee bill in Maryland and Virginia. Much thanks to Reverb for hosting us at their Eco Village—specifically, thanks to Amy Makowiecki and Greg Hansen! It was ultra hot, but the huge crowds and Surfrider love from concert goers made for a great evening.

DMB at National's Stadium

The Dave Matthews Band is playing Nationals Stadium. This is only the second time this huge venue has hosted a musical act. Reverb has been very kind to invite DC Surfrider to be a part of their set up once again at a show, and we are excited to spread the Surfrider gospel to the masses! If you can wade through the crowds, come and say hi to our volunteers!

Gipsy Kings

The Gipsy Kings are bringing their internationally flavored dance party to Wolf Trap next Friday July 2^nd. Surfrider will be outside the gates talking about plastic bags and possibly handing out reusable bags. Come on out and join us!

The Drifter

The DC Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation partnered with DC Adventure Films for a showing of The Drifter at the Arlington Cinema and Draft House. Volunteer Matt Gove talked with a lot of stoked Surfrider fans about all of the DC Chapter’s ongoing political efforts and activities. The Drifter had some beautiful footage and focused on surfer Rob Machado’s efforts to get away from it all and back to surfing’s roots. Definitely worth checking out!

Mason Jennings

Mason Jennings played just outside of the District at The State Theater in Falls Church,Virginia, last week. Surfrider was there, talking to people about our push to add a bag fee in Virginia. Thanks to Mason for letting us tag along!

State Radio at Wolf Trap

State Radio was back in DC for a riotous show at Wolf Trap last week. Before the show the DC Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation partnered with Calling all Crows and the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club for a service project at Groundwork Anacostia River DC. Thanks to the 30 or so volunteers who showed up for a muggy but rain-free day of serious yard work!

State Radio - The Independent, San Francisco. Sat 5/22 & Sun 5/23/2010

by Nicole, San Francisco Chapter volunteer

I love that State Radio and their fans are participating in local nonprofits' community service projects on the band's current tour! When the band was in town the weekend of May 22 - 23, they joined the Surfrider San Francisco Chapter for our May 23 beach cleanup!

The night before the cleanup San Francisco Chapter members Garrett, Jay and myself set up a Surfrider outreach table at the band's show at the Independent.


photo: myself, Garrett, and Jay

State Radio's Chad Urmston gave Surfrider a shout out from the stage, and talked about our May 23 beach cleanup. Chad pointed our outreach table out to the crowd, and encouraged the band's fans to come talk with us about the cleanup and the other stuff that we're working on. It was a very thoughtful and thorough shout out!


photo: State Radio on stage @ the show

We ran into Chapter member Carolynn at the show, and signed up a new Surfrider Foundation member!


photo: Carolynn & myself, in a San Diego Chapter Rise Above Plastics t-shirt!


photo: newly registered new Surfrider Foundation member!

We also got to see the San Francisco Giants' Barry Zito play drums with the opener, Kelley James:)


photo: Barry Zito & Kelley James on guitar (right)

The cleanup the next day, on May 23, was awesome. 37 State Radio fans had pre-registered for the cleanup through State Radio's service organization Calling All Crows, and some fans came out to the cleanup decked out in State Radio gear.


photo: fans with Chad and Matt from State Radio


photo: orientation. photo by Aldrin Bulayo.


photo: signing in. photo by Aldrin Bulayo.

They were really excited to get to see Chad, his wife Sybil, their dog Lefty, drummer Mike “Mad Dog” Najarian, and tour members Matt Wilhelm and Jody Stegens Wilhem, as well as Emma Jones Samler from another State Radio nonprofit partner, Facing History and Ourselves.


photo: Chad from State Radio. photo by Aldrin Bulayo.


photo: "Mad Dog" and Jody from State Radio, Emma from Facing History and Ourselves.

We collected about 20 bags of trash, and got some great photos. Thanks to Chapter member Neel who brought his girlfriend and some friends, including professional photographer Aldrin Bulayo who took about 50 AWESOME shots for us!


photo: the cleanup crew! photo by Aldrin Bulayo.


photo: cleanup in progress. by Aldrin Bulayo.

On Monday evening I joined State Radio and their fans for a public event hosted by the Global Fund for Women, Facing History and Ourselves, Calling All Crows, Asylum Access, and a number of other organizations, held at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.


photo: myself and my friend Brittany, in front of the "meet & greet" area. Thanks to Emma for adding me to the VIP reception guest list!

The event was a community conversation between Global Fund for Women's Kavita Ramdas and Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide." There were a lot of people there, and it was a very well done event.


photo: the event

As always, I continue to be impressed with State Radio and Calling All Crows - they are amazing! Thanks, too, to the Independent for hosting us! I got to meet the Independent's General Manager, Glen, who stopped by to check in on us. Thanks to Matt and Eric from Calling All Crows for setting everything up for us, and for being so awesome!

Colbie Caillat

Surfrider’s Music Outreach Program will be representing at the Colbie Caillat show Thursday June 17 at Wolf Trap. Caillat already has one double platinum album and is working on another with her 2009 release Breakthrough. This California native (and self proclaimed Jack Johnson fan) will be channeling the good vibes in a beautiful outdoor setting—come check her out and say hello to our Surfrider volunteers.

State Radio Back in Town

State Radio is coming back to the DC area! They will be playing in the great outdoors at Wolf Trap on Wednesday June 16. Surfrider’s Music Outreach Program will be on hand.

Join Surfrider (and possibly members of the band!) at a service project earlier that day for a stream clean up at Pope Branch Creek, a tributary of the Anacostia River. State Radio’s service arm, Calling All Crows, as well as the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club are helping organize the clean up—for more information visit DC Surfrider’s website.

It's a State Radio Weekend :: San Francisco, CA. Sat May 22 & Sun May 23.

The San Francisco Chapter is going to have a State Radio-filled weekend ...

Please stop by to say hello to us on Saturday night, May 22, at State Radio's show at the Independent. Opening the show is Kelley James. Doors are 8:30, tickets are $20. The event is 21+.

I really like the venue's write up of the band:
For generations of American bands, the music and the message have been inextricably linked. Word and deed are one in the same, and the only thing more moving than the rousing call to action is the song that transports the words like a shell casing. Following the hard travelin’ path of Woody Guthrie, these bands sing about ordinary people in extraordinary ways and can turn the world inside out with three chords and the truth. These are the tenets by which State Radio’s Chicoree Stokes, Chuck Fay, and Mike “Mad Dog” Najarian are driven, and they once again flex that strength and sense of purpose on their third album, Let It Go. But this is no soapbox symposium.



On Saturday, join our Chapter out at Ocean Beach, Stairwell #17, from 10am-12noon for our regularly scheduled Beach Cleanup. We'll be joined by State Radio, their service organization Calling All Crows, and the band's Bay Area fans. No need to RSVP, and all ages are welcomed to help us pick up trash off the beach! We'll provide bags, gloves, and a little lesson about marine debris.

This is not affiliated with Surfrider, but you can also join State Radio on Monday night for an event co-sponsored by Facing History and Ourselves, as well as Asylum Access that will feature one of the authors of the book Half The Sky.

Looking forward to this weekend - I hope State Radio plays this song. Awesome video just came out yesterday ...



More info about the video and the lyrics are here.

Mason Jennings at The State Theater

Mason Jennings will be at The State Theater in Falls Church, Virginia on Friday June 11. Surfrider will be there with him, representing for the oceans.

This Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter is known for his catchy folk tunes and distinct sound. Part of Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records label, Mason released his latest album, Blood of Man in 2008. It’s going to be a great show!

Surf Movie: THE DRIFTER

The DC Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, along with DC Adventure Films, presents THE DRIFTER. Celebrate World Oceans Day, Capitol Hill Oceans Week, and International Surfing Day at the Arlington Cinema and DraftHouse Thursday, June 10th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $8.

“This highly acclaimed film showcasing Rob Machado in a soul-searching odyssey across Indonesia shows the complexities of self-discovery that lie far beyond the every-day creature comforts of life in California. The spectacular cinematography caught by the Red One camera takes the audience on a breathtaking backseat ride as the film moves from overcrowded streets and line-ups to the desolate island of Sumba where the true culture of Indonesian people is revealed.”

Raffle prizes including Rob Machado autographed product, DVDs, and sponsor giveaways (Hurley, Warner Brothers, Sire Records, etc).

My Peoples - Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco - 4/30/2010

by Nicole Parisi-Smith, San Francisco Chapter

Last Friday, April 30th, Keely and I represented Surfrider's San Francisco Chapter at the My Peoples show at Cafe Du Nord.


photo: Keely and I at the booth

San Diego-based band Stranger opened, as did Dogman Joe. Thanks to My People, we had a great spot right inside of the front doorway, near the bar, where we shared space with the merch booth.



We had a few people sign up to receive our Chapter's e-newsletters, and also talked with a few fans about our beach cleanups.


photo: me sporting the Rise Above Plastics t-shirt from the 2008 Jack Johnson Tour

Great show, as always!


photo: My Peoples on stage

Thanks again to My Peoples, and Cafe Du Nord, who were really nice to us when we showed up at the venue.

Coming Up - Beach Cleanup with State Radio - San Francisco, Sun May 23

by Nicole Parisi-Smith, San Francisco Chapter


photo: Surfrider San Francisco Chapter members coordinating a 2009 beach cleanup.

Join the San Francisco Chapter on Sunday, May 23 for a Beach Cleanup with members of the band State Radio, their service nonprofit Calling All Crows, and the band's fans. (We'll also be joined by members of the Lehigh University San Francisco Alumni Club and members of the public.)

To participate in the cleanup, meet at 10am at Ocean Beach, Stairway #17, directly across from the Beach Chalet.

Surfrider will provide trash pickers, gloves, trash bags. Please bring your own water in a refillable water bottle.

This is an all-ages event, and is open to the public - the more the merrier!

We'll wrap up the cleanup at 12noon.

No need to RSVP, but if you'd like to informally RSVP via Facebook and help us spread the word about the event, then go here. You can also check out State Radio/Calling All Crows' event posting for the Cleanup, here.


State Radio and Calling All Crows are encouraging their fans to attend a human-rights related event on Monday night, May 24. More details here. This event is not affiliated with Surfrider, though we support it:)


These events coincide with State Radio's Bay Area visit for their concert at the Independent on Sat, May 22.

Katchafire - The Mezzanine, San Francisco - 4/25/2010

by Nicole Parisi-Smith, San Francisco Chapter

Thanks to Jimmy Vargas who invited the San Francisco Chapter to set up an outreach table at the Katchafire and Rebel Souljahz show at the Mezzanine in San Francisco on Sunday, April 25th! Big thanks, too, to Al from the venue who helped me get set up, and gave us an awesome spot right inside of the Mezzanine front entrance, and right across from the merch booth!



Thanks to our awesome spot, I was able to talk with a lot of very warm and friendly Katchafire and Rebel Souljahz fans who passed by our outreach table on their way to the venue's main floor.


photo: me hanging out at our outreach table

The highlight was meeting a fan who was wearing a 2010 Kokua Festival t-shirt. She said that she'd just returned from Hawaii that day, and had attended the Kokua Festival the previous day where she got to see Ziggy Marley, Jack Johnson, Adam Topol and Jake Shimabukuru perform together. She, like many fans I spoke with, took our 2010 Beach Cleanup Postcard, and expressed interest in our beach cleanups.


photo: Ziggy, Jack, Adam and Jake on stage at Kokua on Saturday. Photo from www.Twitter.com/Brushfire

The Rebel Souljahz and Katchafire show was fantastic, and the crowd very enthusiastic and engaged in the show. I was really impressed with Hawaiian band Rebel Souljahz's set.


photo: Rebel Souljahz on stage at the Mezzanine

I loved Katchafire's shout out to the Hawaiians in the house who, he said, have been supporting the band since the very beginning. That got a loud response from the audience:)


photo: Katchafire on stage at the Mezzanine

Thanks again to everyone who made the outreach possible, and to the awesome fans.

Luke Brindley at The Barns

Luke Brindley invited Surfrider to represent at his show last week at The Barns at Wolftrap. The Alternate Routes opened the evening with a fun set and Luke put on a great performance with a full backing band. If you haven’t been to the Barns it’s a beautiful venue—an actual barn remade into a classy performance space. Matt Gove was on hand to talk to fans about Surfrider’s goal of passing a bag bill in Virginia. It was an intimate and relaxed evening of great music and ocean conversation—thanks Luke!

State Radio and Save My Oceans Tour

State Radio and the Save My Oceans Tour hooked up at The George Washington University’s Mt. Vernon campus last Saturday and Surfrider was there to help spread the ocean love. The weather was crummy but that didn’t stop hundreds of students from taking the pledge to reduce their environmental footprint. You can take the pledge online at their website.

About 40 students also took the time to write a note to DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, letting him know they are not happy about him attempting to use the DC Bag Fee funds for non-conservation activities.

State Radio was integral to spreading the oceans word, and invited “Bagman” onto the stage to do a twirl. They even helped out at Surfrider's cleanup that morning at Kingman Island, thank you State Radio for leading by example!

Check out this interview with Chad from State Radio on the PBS website, which features photos from the cleanup!

Surfrider and Reverb at Ben Harper

Surfrider's Music Outreach Program was at Ben Harper's show at Pier 6 on April 20. Surfrider volunteers Brian Dalton and Matt Gove took in the beautiful evening in Baltimore, talking to lots of fans about ocean pollution and plastic bags. Much thanks to Reverb staff Amy and Kristen who let us participate in the event! They also let us be a part of their Eco Village and their raffle--awesome.

Many Marylanders signed our petition to pass a bag bill in MD, and a few folks even wrote postcards to DC Mayor Adrian Fenty—see picture. Ben Harper and Alberta Cross sounded great under the big tent, if you haven’t been to Pier 6 I recommend a visit.