When Mitt Romney pledged to "stop the subsidy to PBS" and save the country $445 million dollars annually (or 0.012 percent of the federal budget), the GOP presidential candidate also inadvertently vowed to jeopardize broad, primetime access to previously recorded live indie music.
Forget Sesame Street, why would anyone want to cut federal funding from shows like Austin City Limits, a music series filmed by PBS affiliate KLRU and broadcast by member stations throughout the U.S.? Clearly, Romney didn't catch that episode with Band of Horses.
"I don't know if they have indie music playing wherever that guy shows up," says the band's frontman Ben Bridwell. "I don't think he knows who Band of Horses is."
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Bridwell took time away from his tour to speak with Crossfade about his group's latest record, Mirage Rock, and upcoming performance at the Fillmore Miami Beach. We also talked about Romney's plan-for-America-disguised-as-a-soundbite.
"It's very telling of the kind of shit we can expect from a person like [Romney], someone who doesn't really relate much to the arts in general," Bridwell says.
"For someone to take that kind of stance, especially on a national stage at a debate, just shows not only what a buffoon he is, speaking out loud, but it shows how a lot of things would go in reverse from where we've finally gotten."
Check back for another installment of Crossfade's interview with Bridwell tomorrow.
Band of Horses. Tuesday, October 16. Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave, Miami Beach. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $27.50 to $30.50 plus fees via livenation.com. All ages. Call 305-673-7300 or visit fillmoremb.com.
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