SHADOWS FALL Frontman On Upcoming Election

Alternative Press magazine recently asked vocalist Brian Fair of the Massachusetts metal band SHADOWS FALL: What issue is most important to you this election and why? His response follows below.

"It has been really difficult for me to feel comfortable with this election. It might be some lingering animosity from the last two debacles that led to the Bush regime, but mostly it's the way that presidential elections are approached and covered in this country. We are attempting to elect the leader of our nation, someone who will be in charge for four years, and it's treated in the media as if we are picking contestants on 'American Idol'.

"Maybe all I need to do is just change the channel and avoid the cable news networks whenever the pundits are on flapping their jaws and spewing forth misinformation about the upcoming election. They have turned CNN into TMZ. They will spend more time analyzing the size of the American flag lapel pin on Barack Obama's suit then the candidates' stance on health care or border security. It is a sad state of affairs when most young voters get more practical information about the election from a news parody show on Comedy Central than from the major news networks! They make no attempts to inform their viewers. All they do is drive home their points through repetitive badgering and discredit anyone who disagrees.

"This year's campaigns have really opened my eyes to the destructive nature of bipartisan politics. The party lines have become so deeply drawn in that sand that the chance of cooperation in the best interest of the nation has all but disappeared. How can you hope to have a government that is supposed to reflect the various attitudes and beliefs of our diverse nation when the people in charge are on extreme opposite sides of every issue? Individual politicians that attempt to bridge these gaps are often pressured by party members to fall back in line or road-blocked at every turn. Even the Roger Clemens trial broke down based on party lines — that was only about baseball and steroids and they couldn't even get it together. What about things that truly matter like trillion-dollar wars and the current recession?

"Every election, it is up to you to really find out what is going on. Don't just vote based on the lesser of two evils. Seek out a candidate that reflects your ideals and that you think best represents this country."

For more musician views on the upcoming election, visit the Alternative Press web site.