Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 01:59:51 -0400
To: Matthew Gaylor <freematt@coil.com>
From: Matthew Gaylor <freematt@coil.com>
Subject: BOSTON EVENT: Woody Harrelson to Address 12th Annual Freedom
 Rally 9-15-01
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition\NORMLA State Affiliate of the 
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
P.O. Box 0266, Georgetown, MA 01833-0366
781-944-2266 - http://www.masscann.org/ - information@masscann.org
"We shall by and by want a world of hemp more for our own consumption."
John Adams as Humphrey Ploughjogger, 1763

For Immediate Release
For more information contact: Michael Crawford (781) 944-2266

12th Annual Freedom Rally Calls for Moderation of Prohibition; Woody 
Harrelson to Address 100,000
The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (http://www.masscann.org/) will
hold It's 12th Annual Freedom Rally to protest marijuana prohibition on
Saturday, September 15th, from noon to 6:00 pm, on Boston Common.

Since its inception in 1989, The MASS CANN/NORML Freedom Rally has become
the biggest annual political event in the state and one of the largest
events of its kind in the world, attracting crowds of 50,000 to 100,000,
and garnering national and international media attention. The Rally
demonstrates the massive public support for medical marijuana, reduction of
penalties for marijuana crimes and the repeal of mandatory minimum
  sentences.

MASS CANN/NORML is a state affiliate of the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML, http://www.norml.org/), headquartered in
Washington, D.C.

As always, the afternoon will feature an exciting line-up of speakers,
including actor-activist Woody Harrelson, and some of the region's top
musicians.

2001 FREEDOM RALLY SCHEDULE
11:55 - 12:00 National Anthem and Introduction

12:00 - 12:25 Bleu

12:25 - 12:35 Ann McCormick, mother of jailed medical marijuana activist
Todd McCormick (http://www.toddmccormick.org --
http://www.compassionatemoms.org/ ), and C.J. Bunn, MASSCANN/NORML
director, husband and father, taxpayer and longtime activist.

12:35 - 1:05 Shirley Lewis with Li'l Wolf and the Mojo

1:05 - 1:15 Rose Gonzalez, Green Party (www.MassGreens.org) activist & Sean
Donahue, Co-Director of NH Peace Action (http://www.nhpeaceaction.org/) and
Earth First! member who traveled to Colombia in January in a delegation
investigating the human and environmental impacts of U.S. anti-drug programs.

1:15 - 1:45 Akrobatik

1:45 - 2:05 Fashion Show

2:05 - 2:15 Cliff Thornton, NORML board member, Vietnam Vet and President
of Efficacy, a non-profit organization advocating peaceful responses to
social problems (http://www.efficacy.org/) and Al Giordano
(http://www.narconews.com/ ), former Boston Phoenix reporter, being sued by
the National Bank of Mexico in for his exposes on official government 
complicity in cocaine trafficking.


2:15 - 2:45 Bentmen

2:45 - 2:55 Mikki Norris, who runs http://www.hr95.org/, co-authored the
book "Shattered Lives" about the astronomical human cost of prohibition,
and Keith Stroup, a Washington, DC public-interest attorney who founded
NORML in 1970 and serves as its executive director.

2:55 - 3:40 C60 and SBC


3:40 - 3:50 Duncan Wilder Johnson 
(http://www.duncanwilderjohnson.com/) is a spoken word artist with 
infectious energy who has been critiquing,
entertaining, and dissecting rock culture since 1995, and Rich Mackin 
http://www.richmackin.org/) performs spoken word based on his letter
writing, eventually dubbed "Consumer Defense Corporate Poetry"

3:50 - 4:20 Tree

4:20 - 4:30 Film and TV actor and hemp activist Woody Harrelson and Carla
Howell (http://www.carlahowell.org/), the Libertarian Party candidate for
Governor of Massachusetts.

4:30 - 5:00 Scissorfight

5:00 - 5:10 Chris Conrad (http://www.chrisconrad.com/), internationally
recognized expert on cannabis, an author, consultant, artist, activist and
popular media personality, and Michael Cloud, Libertarian candidate 
(http://www.la-ma.org/) for US Senate, a professional speaker, 
speechwriter,
and widely quoted phrasemaker.

5:10 - 5:40 Cannabis Cup Band

Freedom Rally Bands

Bleu (http://www.bleutopia.com/), Twenty-four-year-old newcomer Bleu
  exploded onto the Boston scene in December 1999 with his charming 
debut holiday album, "A Bing Bang Holidang;" a charity record to 
benefit the Boston Institute for Arts Therapy.C2  After an October 
2000 release, the critically acclaimed "Headroom" has landed Bleu in 
many local and national
publications as well as garnering 2 Boston Music Award Nominations, 2
Phoenix/WFNX Music Poll Nominations, New England commercial radio airplay,
and the attention of many major labels.

Shirley Lewis with Li'l Wolf and the Mojo - Guitarist Arina leads this
five-piece Boston Blues band with Henley Douglas on tenor sax, keyboardist
Don "Riverboat" Reed, bassist Kate Seavey and drummer Brian Butler. Shirley
Lewis, Queen of the Boston Blues Scene won the Boston Battle of the Blues
Bands in 1989, and was nominated best Blues vocals in 1990 and 1991 for the
Boston Music Awards. She has toured extensively in the US and Canada, and=
  has
recorded for Stan Hope House Records. This marks their third appearance at
the Freedom Rally.

Akrobatik - Popular Boston hip-hop musicians

Bentmen (http://www.bentmen.com/) combine tribal rituals with future
instruments and bloodthirsty guitars to create an interactive concert
experience that is both mesmerizingly immersive and profoundly disturbing.
Notorious for creating utter pandemonium everywhere they play, Bentmen are
trying to push everything sideways.  About the most optimistic statement
that could be made about Bentmen is that they draw the line at actual human
sacrifice. Certain members also wish it be known that they no longer date
outside their species. The rest, well...

C60 (http://www.c60music.com/), as Cobalt were winners of the
  infamous WBCN Rumble and were on the acclaimed Rock For Wood CD 
(along with Powerman
5000, Tree and Stompbox) After bravely swimming against the overwhelming=
  tide of Seattle flannel, Cobalt 60 disbanded after two years, 
spreading to the=
  far reaches of the country in search of life, laughter and loud 
music.  With the
addition of guitarists JR Roach (ex-Sam Black Church) and Frank Turner,
Cobalt 60 morphed into C60 and are amped up and ready to rock your world and
everybody else's.

Tree (http://www.treemusic.com) is famous for their previous performances at
the Freedom Rally. The band contributed, "God Grows Grass" to Common Sensi,=
  a compilation CD to benefit Mass Cann/NORML. Tree released their fourth studio
CD "Our Day Will Come" on Wonderdrug Records 
(http://www.wonderdrugrecords.com/) in 1999. After almost two years 
of being
out of print, the first two Tree albums were re -released this year on ONE
CD! What a deal! All the Original songs from "A Lot To Fear" and "Plant A
Tree or Die" combined on one disc plus a rare version of "Question Abuse".

Sam Black Church's heavy rock act SBC stand head and shoulders above their
noisy brethren due to intricate and original arrangements 
complemented byone of the highest energy live shows to be found 
anywhere.
appearing  at the Freedom Rally has become a tradition.
Contributed, "Not Fit For=
  The Force" to Common Sensi, a compilation CD to benefit Mass Cann/NORML.

Scissorfight (http://www.scissorfight.net/) hail from the hills of Mt.
Washington, NH., where they have been churning the bowels of heavy rock fans
for about three years. When they're not hunting boar with hand grenades on
their wild game preserve near Mt. Washington, Ironlung and the boys can
frequently be seen pounding away at a local shithole near you. This year
they have released "Piscataqua", an EP features two Scissorfight 
originals, plus
covers of tunes by the Dead Kennedys, GG Allin, the Dwarves, Areosmith, and
the Nervous Eaters done in true Scissorfight fashion. Released on Tortuga
Records.

The Cannabis Cup Band - Hot reggae jam band

The event will end with volunteers in a massive clean up of the site, just
like every year since 1989.


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