E&P: Orleans' John Hall running, as a Dem, for upstate NY House seat

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor and Publisher: Rock Star Runs for Office: From Soundchecks to Sound Bites
John Hall, chief songwriter and guitarist for the well-known rock group Orleans, is a serious candidate for a House seat in New York state this year. How is he making the transition from facing the music press to dealing with daily newspaper reporters on the campaign trail?

By Greg Mitchell

(September 07, 2006) -- John Hall is having a hard time speaking in sound bites on the campaign trail as he presses his bid for a congressional seat in upstate New York. He compares it to his musical priorities, saying he'd rather play guitar "in a jam session than in a three–minute song." As a listener, he also prefers long album cuts to singles. "One of the things wrong about political discourse in this country," he says, "is that it's conducted via the media in sound bites. But the public may not want to hear anything longer — in politics, or in music."

Hall has impressive credentials in both fields. He was leader and chief songwriter for the veteran rock group Orleans, known for such hits as "Still the One" and "Dance With Me." He's written numerous songs covered by other artists, such as Janis Joplin ("Half Moon") and Bonnie Raitt, produced albums by Raitt and others, and has recorded several solo albums.

But for decades he's also been active politically. He was one of the chief organizers of the fabled "No Nukes" concert in 1979 (you can rent the film on DVD) and provided its theme song, "Power." He later led local environmental and zoning fights, and won election to the Ulster County legislature and the Saugerties, N.Y., school board.

So it's not that odd that this year he decided to take on a six-term Republican incumbent, Sue Kelly, in New York's sprawling 19th congressional district. Once a long shot, Hall is now the favorite to win the Democratic primary on Sept. 12. And with Republican fortunes supposedly falling around the U.S., he has a decent shot at an upset in November, running against the Iraq war and as a strong environmentalist, among other issues....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003118159

[saltpoint]

1. Good for John Hall. I love his long-held concrn for the environment.

His song, "Power," is a personal favorite.

And he definitely is running for the right political party!