The Citizens Band Want You to Vote!

by: Emily Kirkpatrick

The Citizens Band’s debut album Grab A Root And Growl is the perfect soundtrack for any one going out to vote on Election Day this November. And if it was up to them, that would be every person in America because, according to them, friends don’t let friends stay home on Election Day!

The Citizens Band was formed in 2005 as a response to the controversial results of the elections the year before. The group began with the goal of entertaining while inspiring others to take part in the process of democracy. The Citizens Band has become known for their part vaudeville, part cabaret acts full of showgirls, circus performers, dancers, and singers, having performed all over America and in art galleries across Manhattan.

Now facing another hotly contested election season, The Citizens Band wants to inspire their fellow Americans to get out there and use the vote to empower themselves and make their voice heard in government. The title, Grab A Root And Growl, comes from a 1930s dustbowl saying, referring to power in numbers, staying and fighting for what you believe in, and never giving up. The album features seventeen tracks with vocals from Citizens Karen Elson, Ronin, Leah Siegel, Zoe Kravitz, Mr Blue, Ian Buchanan, Michael Cavadias, Turner Cody, Jorjee Douglass, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Rachelle Garniez, , Mark McAdam, Angela McCluskey, Amy Miles, Jeff Palmiotti, Nina Persson, and Rain Phoenix.

These tunes are guaranteed to shake off your apathy, while examining the current state of American democracy in a variety of ways, from the humorously literal interpretations in “Vote” and “Gasoline,” to the more abstract, catchy “I Ain’t Afraid” and the haunting “This is Worth Fighting For.” Grab A Root And Growl is light-hearted and fun, but also seriously inspires the listener to not just participate in this election, but to understand our part in shaping the course of America and seizing the future of our democracy.