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This was a FREE concert, so if you can please send a few bucks to the organizers to help pay costs that would be great. Send your check to United for Peace and Justice, attn:Operation Ceasefire, 1858 Mintwood Place, NW #4 Washington, DC 20009 or go to Operation Ceasefire's website for donation info, photos, and more information!


08/17/05: Jello Biafra and Others Rock for West Memphis Three
August 04, 2005: San Francisco, Calif. On July 23, 2005 Jello Biafra and other artists came together at The Swedish American Music Hall in San Francisco for the local version of West Memphis Three World Awareness Day, organized by Anje/Vele Entertainment and musician Chuck Prophet. The event raised more than $6,000 for the defense fund of Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin. The three Arkansas men, dubbed the West Memphis Three, were convicted of the 1993 murders of three elementary school children. Since their trials were chronicled by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky in the HBO documentary "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills", a groundswell of support has formed around the Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin support that includes a wide array of artists such as Metallica, Henry Rollins, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Tom Waits, Winona Ryder, South Park creator Trey Parker, and Art Alexakis of Everclear.

Jello Biafra, former lead singer of the Dead Kennedys, made a statement at the event condemning the evidence that convicted the West Memphis Three, as well as the system that allowed it to happen.

"Some people say to me, what are you doing defending these guys in Arkansas? They're a bunch of stoners who chopped up little kids for Satan and stuff! And I say, well, okay I wasn't there, I'm not 100 percent sure the West Memphis Three are innocent, but even so, isn't there something in the constitution about people have to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?" said Biafra. "If they're guilty, prove it this time. Prove it for real. No matter how law and order you are, wouldn't it be better to catch the right person before it happens to another kid?" A staunch opponent of the death penalty, Biafra added, "I have been militantly, vehemently against the death penalty for one simple reason: What if they've got the wrong person? This could happen to me; what if they've got the wrong person?"

Among the stellar line-up for the WM3 World Awareness Day at the Swedish American Hall to raise money for the West Memphis Three's defense fund were performances by:  Dr. Frank, Paula Frazer, Knife and Fork, Kelley Stoltz, Stephanie Finch, Jonathan Richman, Mark Kozelek, and Jello Biafra. More info about the show here.


08/11/05: Jello and Operation Cease-Fire 9/24 in DC!
The irrepressible Jello Biafra will be emceeing an event for "Operation Ceasefire", a massive anti-war concert/rally will be held at the Washington Monument on September 24th and will be a showpiece of what is expected to be 4 days of enormous protests in nation's capital in support of a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the quagmire in Iraq. The press conference will feature musical artists, military families who have loved ones in Iraq, returning soldiers opposed to the war and organizers from United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ), the largest U.S. based anti-war coalition which is co-sponsoring the event.

Jello has this to say about the quagmire in Iraq:
"Hijacking 9-11 to invade Irag is the worst mistake our government has made in my lifetime. The whole War on Terror has been turned into a scam. Our lives are at stake. Our soldiers lives are at stake. The best way to support the troops is to bring them home now. The most patriotic thing any of us can do is rise up and fight our government when they break the law. No more illegal wars. No more torture on foreign shores. If we let the White House get away with any of this, Abu Ghraib and Gitmo at home are right around the corner."

The concert will bring together several notable musical acts such as: International Recording Stars Thievery Corporation, Punk-rock bands LeTigre, Bouncing Souls, Country music recording artist Steve Earle, Socially conscious Hip-Hop groups like The Coup and Head-Roc, Indy rock stars Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Wayne Kramer of the MC5 with AT's own the Bellrays!

For those in the DC area, this will be an event of epic proportions not to be missed!


08/09/05: Jello Biafra and the Melvins Europe dates off!
Bad news for a great reason!

Jello Biafra and the Melvins have been forced to cancel their August 18 Pukkelpop Festival appearance in Belgium and other dates that were in the works. Drummer Dale Crover's wife is expecting their first child, due September 4th. Late in the game it became obvious Dale needs to stay with her until the baby comes, especially if it's early. We wish them all the best!

Some US dates are in the works for later this fall and overseas in spring and / or summer. Meanwhile brace yourselves for more Biafra / Melvins recordings on the follow-up album, "Sieg Howdy" out late September!


06/15/05: Jello and Napalm Death duet for tsunami victims!
Jello Biafra has guest vocals on the Napalm Death song, "The Great And The Good" on their brand new record, "The Code is Red... Long Live the Code"!

The tune was also released as a limited-edition 3 band benefit single for Indian Ocean Tsunami relief . The other two tracks are from The Haunted ("Smut King") and Heaven Shall Burn ("Strassenkampf" [a Die Skeptikercover]). The bands and Jello Biafra wrote liner-notes for the single, which is limited to 1000 copies.


03/28/05: Jello on "This American Life" on "Frankenchrist"
Jello appears on the National Public Radio show "This American Life" this week on an episode about knowing one's enemies. Jello speaks with Michael Guarino, the prosecutor in the DKs "Frankenchrist" trial. You can catch it this week on your local NPR station or on-line here (it's the episode named "Know Your Enemy" aka Episode 285).

You can also check out more info about the Frankenchrist trial on the second Jello spoken word record, "High Priest of Harmful Matter". There's an excerpt from this release in the TAL episode too!


12/16/04: Huge new Jello Interview in Arthur!
Check out the new Arthur (#14) for a huge interview with Jello. You can order a copy of the magazine here!

From their site:
"God Bless Jello Biafra: The former Dead Kennedy and veteran firebrand has returned to musicmaking with a car bomb of a new album, recorded with the Melvins. Sorina Diaconescu talks with Mr. Biafra in the direct aftermath of the Nov. 2 election about freedom, surveillance, pranks and selling out. Photography by W. T. Nelson. "


12/15/04: Jello NOT in Australia
Just in case you've been seeing e-mails about Jello, Noam Chomsky, Winston Smith, and others being held captive in Australia, here's the truth. None of those people are being held in Australia, as far as we know. Jello is not even near the continent of Australia. He hasn't complained about any broken arms or skin cancer from being held captive under the hot Aussie sun, so he ought to be in great form tomorrow night @ his San Francisco spoken word show!

Here's one of the e-mails we received @ AT, exactly as it came into our inbox. Enjoy!

"Subject: CHOMSKY SHERMAN BIAFRA SMITH AND OTHE DISAPEARED ACTVISTS FOUND BUT STILL HELD CAPTIVE BY ASIS

Dear revolutionaries, I have recently discovered that our comrades, Sherman Austin, Noam Chomsky, Jello Biafra, Winston Smith as well as CNT organisers and other revbolutionaries from Canada have been captured by ASIS, Australian Security Intelligence Service and are being held in the upper yarra vally located just south of Melbourne. This is not a cruel joke and this is not a myth. After discovering that these people had gone missing after arrivinfg in australia led me to discover that it is an aryan conspiracy that involves every authority figure in Australia. From the PM to the x police chief of Victoria. They are being held out bush in the sun and have received skin cancers. Biafra has had his limbs brocken and we fear Noam may be dead. This is an internation call to action, and we are encouraging everybody who has revolutionary aims in life to cxome to Australia IN NUMBERS. These people are still alive and are being made slave to ASIS and its disapearance network. We fear for ALL of our comrades and we need international support to help free these people from there ASIS slaveholders. I will be in touch with as much information as i can gather before i too am disapeared and drowned in a river n the upper yarra.

Please this needs as much independent medfia attenmtion as possible they are stil alive and we need international support for these people PLEASE HURRY!

Please forward this onto as many lists as you can and create as much media attention as possible DON'T delay anymore"


09/27/04: Jello supports US soldier's blog from Iraq
Remember the blog run by a US soldier serving in Iraq that the military was trying to shut down? Well, now the soldier cannot add new content to the site but he's reposting old posts and Jello wrote an e-mail of support for the soldier and the troops which is collecting a fascinating series of comments here.

Here's your chance to read unfiltered true life stories of the troops on the ground in Iraq- this is just one of many blogs maintained by military members overseas. Dig in!


09/01/04: Jello pro-Johnny Cash, anti-RNC!
From Democracy Now's report from the RNC about the protest against the Republican's attempt to connect music legend Johnny Cash with their party:

JELLO BIAFRA: "This is Jello Biafra reporting from outside the infamous auction house, Sotheby's, where the Man in Black Bloc has converged upon the Tennessee republican delegation who has gone for a private viewing of items from the Estate of the late Johnny Cash. As Steve Earle would put it, "Johnny would be rolling in his grave."

...What would Johnny Cash think of Bush's illegal war in Iraq, let alone what he does to people of lesser means in the South and the rest of the United States? What would Johnny Cash think of mountaintop removal, for example, where the coal companies blow the whole top off of mountains in Appalachia, and if all the debris lands in the valley and buries people's homes and buries streams? They don't care. Why do they do it? Because they can.

So people are here to take back the spirit of Johnny Cash, or at least subject these republican fat cat scam artists to a little bit of the old spirit that goes back through Johnny Cash or as one of my friends in the Melvins put it, when Johnny Cash died he looked off wistfully and said he was our Abe Lincoln in a way. And so the people inside and the people at Sotheby's, they are going to sell Johnny's effects to rich people who want to buy a piece of Johnny Cash. And I guess the message from the protesters here is you cannot buy a piece of everybody, let alone have everybody lie down while you wreck the country with the PATRIOT Act and go off to illegal blood baths in the Middle East which accomplish nothing except creating more terrorists. "


09/01/04: Jello to speak at RNC protest event tonight!!!

Jello is scheduled to appear at a Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting media march on Wednesday, September 1. Jello will speak at 8pm in front of the CNN/NBC building at 6th Avenue and 56th Street. The march will begin at 6th Ave and 52nd St before the CNN stop, and will continue after the stop to Fox with more speakers to start between 8:45-9pm. For more information, visit http://www.marchonthemedia.org/

Jello is also scheduled to be on Air America tonight, time to be determined.


08/06/04: Jello scheduled to appear on Air America on 8/9
Jello is scheduled to appear on the "Morning Sedition" radio show on Air America between 7-7:30am EDT. For more info and to stream the show, go to http://www.airamericaradio.com.


07/16/04: Jello's Statement about the DKs Lawsuit
I and Alternative Tentacles have thrown up our hands at getting any justice from the three ex-Dead Kennedys' greed-motivated lawsuits, and the shocking denial of our appeal. The court refused to hear any evidence of the many shady things they have done since the trial.

But that does not mean that the verdict and court rulings are the real truth any more than George Dubya was democratically elected president. They just got away with a lot of lies. O.J. Simpson would be proud.

What they have done to Dead Kennedys since their hostile takeover speaks for itself. Their money uber alles mentality has more in common with Dick Cheney than the vision and principles our band stood for.

I'm as proud of Dead Kennedys as I ever was. It seems obvious I love and respect what we accomplished far more than they ever will.

If they force me to blow the whistle again, I will. We'll continue to oppose the dumbing down and pimping of the DK catalogue, phony "reunion" shows (often with my likeness in the ads), selling my image into video games, their refusal to show me all the books, blah, blah, etc., etc.

Ending our defense against their main legal attack does not mean I endorse or recommend any Dead Kennedys releases on Decay Music, Manifesto, Plastic Head, Cleopatra, MVD, etc.

I can't. I'm too ashamed.

Sunday, 6/27/04

WESLEY WILLIS - JELLO BIAFRA (ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES)

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