So, of course HOC caught up with lead Color Bars band group member, Gerald Slevin, to chat about the recent video they released with Bernie Sanders. See what he had to say below about the project and why The Color Bars decided to do it and what they hope people gain from it.

💜Love & Light🌞,
Cris

INTERVIEW:

What is the inspiration behind this video?

The inspiration behind the video was just the whole Bernie Sanders phenomenon and how he’s run such a positive, hopeful campaign.  I’ve always loved when music is used to convey a positive message.  We had this song all ready to go for the next Color Bars album, and given the lyrics, it seemed like a no-brainer to turn it into a Bernie video.

What is the problem that this video presents?

It’s mainly about getting people excited to go out and vote, and putting that excitement to a fun, driving beat.  But I guess if there was one central problem featured in the video it would be the income inequality that exists in America, the dire state of the middle class, and the utterly undemocratic mechanism of Big Money buying elections, which results in politicians essentially taking dictation from corporate entities, whose interests are often at odds with the rest of the electorate’s.

What is the solution?

Obviously this is a pop song – it’s art, not reality – so the chorus saying, “it’s the End of the Corporate Age” is a wishful-thinking hook to sing to yourself until it happens.  But I think the real solution is something Bernie Sanders talks a lot about, which is for ordinary people to get engaged in the political process, so that our elected officials have to start prioritizing us rather than billionaires and massive corporations.

Is there a way to address the economic divide without dividing the haves and the have nots in America?

It seems to me that the haves and have-nots are already divided, because the former has a disproportionately huge voice and the latter hardly has one at all.  I think giving everybody an equal say in the conversation would help lessen that divide, not increase it.

Do you believe that integrity-filled people who sacrifice and work hard and achieve wealth, should feel bad for their achievements?

I don’t think the Sanders campaign is saying that people should feel bad about honest achievements.  The idea of the self-made millionaire is pretty different from the multi-billionaire who stashes their wealth all over the world to avoid paying taxes.  The kind of wealth inequality that exists in America today is really drastic compared to say the post-WWII era our grandparents grew up in.  I think it’s a matter of proportionality.  People have lost perspective of just how out of hand it’s gotten.  The other question is whether or not we truly believe that a CEO who makes 500 times what his or her average employee makes is actually working 500 times harder each day than their average employee works.  I think that for the most part, people work as hard as they can, so it’s difficult to see how this could be possible.

How do we empower the economically disenfranchized people to seek financial self-suficiency as opposed to economic dependency?

A living wage seems like a good start.

What do you want people to walk away and understand after watching this video?

That social change is not only possible but necessary if we are to continue to grow and progress as a species.  And that the power of music can inspire and motivate people to affect change the same way it moves them to dance or sing together.

Do you feel that voting makes a difference? Why or Why not?

Yes, I do believe it makes a difference.  Because if more people vote for candidate X than vote for candidate Y, Candidate X wins.  Of course that only works if people actually vote.  I think a lot of young people tend to think they’re sticking it to the man by not voting, but I think staying home and not voting is exactly what the man wants us to do.

Will you be voting this year?

Yes. For Bernie Sanders.