Greetings fellow artists and art lovers, family and friends alike. This message is coming to you from Lekwungen Territory [media] , courtesy of Alex (BLANK SPACE) & s.cott (strong.cottonwoods). You may know us from either side of this continent, or our various journeys in between. BLANK SPACE and strong.cottonwoods are: The Outspoken Wordsmiths, a bi-coastal pair of beatboxing pirates who've taken to shore to spread their a-cappella antics & circle(A)political poetics By Any Means Necessary. Since embarking on an epic zero-budget coast-to-coast tour in January '06 to promote their DIY debut album, From Our Cold Dead Hands, The Outspoken Wordsmiths have shared their vernacular activism with receptive audiences in a diverse variety of venues between Victoria and Halifax. From basement punk shows to literary events, political benefits to underground raves, high school performances to bar shows or concerts, an eclectic crowd has shown appreciation for the Outspoken Wordsmiths' unpredictable stage chemistry, overt politics & energetic beatbox hijinx. In April 2009 we will begin touring across Turtle Island [media] , from coast to coast over borders and in between. Our tour dates will be scheduled to coincide with Anarchist Book Fairs taking place between April and September. Our intention is to stop in as many cities as possible (we've got 30+ cities on our list at the moment; see itinerary below), playing and promoting live shows and readings, house parties, and in-the-streets performances. We will do all of this while supporting ourselves as independent artists, selling our DIY merchandise – self-recorded/produced CDs, self-published books, 'zines and patches. You may be wondering where you come into this whole equation. We're looking to network with friends, and friends-of-friends who are interested in assisting us with booking, promotion, billeting, transportation, and the various other details we'll need to manage to make this all happen. This could include: booking gigs, hosting a house party, postering or flyering, transportation (helping us find a ride to the next city, or helping us get gear to a gig), putting us in touch with like-minded local artists, letting us crash in your living room, informing us of opportunities to sell our wares (consignment / vending / events), acting as a city guide, informing us of local open mics and similar events, hooking us up with access to free internet or photocopies… We're also looking to team up with local artists to share stages/audiences/jam space with! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you are willing & able to help us in any way possible please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We look forward to working and playing together with you. Your partners in art thru expression, The Outspoken Wordsmiths (Jon) Alex & s.cott theoutspokenwordsmiths@gmail.com Ph: (778) 430-3865 --- (Jon) Alex Murray / BLANK SPACE 3.14blank.space@gmail.com http://reverbnation.com/314blankspace s.cott / strong.cottonwoods strong.cottonwoods@gmail.com -- PS--- We've got a few tracks of our newer individual and collaborative work (spoken word pieces, multi-layered beat-boxing tracks, freestyling & beyond) available in mp3 format. We wrote, recorded and produced all this, and would love to share it with you. Just send us an E-mail theoutspokenwordmiths@gmail.com Tentative "Forbidden Texts" Tour Stops: NEW YORK PENNSYLVANIA MARYLAND RHODE ISLAND MASSACHUSETTS NEW HAMPSHIRE MAINE NOVA SCOTIA QUEBEC ONTARIO MANITOBA SASKATCHEWAN ALBERTA BRITISH COLUMBIA