Beastie Boys rock the mics for Obama

Hello, Obama!
Hello, Obama!

Barack Obama can count the Beastie Boys among his growing list of rocker friends. On Oct. 28, the hip-hop/rock trio will hit the road for a series of select dates as part of their Swing State Voter Awareness Tour.

They'll be joined by an impressive array of talent: Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Crosby and Nash, Santogold and Tenacious D have all signed on to support the Beasties when they rock the sure-shot for Barack Obama at shows in battleground states like Virginia, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

"We are going to do a few shows in hopes that we can remind people to vote," the Beasties announced. "This election is too important, too much is at stake to stay at home. We hope that you can come out, have a nice night, dance, sing, get your freak on and then wake up the next morning and get everyone that you possibly can to get out and vote. If they have early voting in your state then ask people to vote early; Let's get everyone we can out there on election day."

The trio added: "We are very excited about Obama. Hope you all feel the same."

Gettin' our freak on and voting? Hey, count us in on that action!

For more information on the announced shows and additional dates, visit the Beastie Boys website.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.