A Mother I’d Like to ... Vote For

“More people vote for American Idol than for the president, and that’s scary,” says Nancy Ferreira. That’s why she recently called up the Washington office of Rock the Vote and got permission to use the name for her own undertaking, South Florida Rock the Vote 2006, which is making its presence known during a loud, outdoor, seaside bash at the Hollywood Beach Bandshell (Johnson Street and A1A, Hollywood). “It’s our mission to attract youth through arts and music and to get 100 percent [of attendees at our events registered to vote],” Ferreira says. She stresses that her organization is nonpartisan; Democrats, Republicans, Greens -- bring ´em on.

Before this, Ferreira explains, she was never much of an activist, just a chick who moved down here from Brooklyn and liked hanging out at concerts. But she’s also a young single mom, nervous about the world her kids stand to inherit. “I’m just a concerned citizen,” she says, “but I want to be proactive.” All of that concertgoing paid off: When she hatched the Rock the Vote idea, she simply scrolled through her very loaded cell phone and persuaded some talented friends to perform -- for free. From 7:00 to 11:00 tonight, check out comedians Steve Strowbridge and Will Watkins; spoken-word artists Renda Writer and Michelle Riu; hip-hop artists Shawn Elliot, Mitch Gunz, and Survival Trillest Records; rockers the Tommy Dalton Band; and singer/songwriter Brendan O'Hara and the Humble Ones. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/southfloridarockthevote06.
Fri., Aug. 18, 7-11 p.m.