Devon Gilfillian filmed an acoustic performance of “What’s Going On” in celebration of his “There’s An Election Going On” livestream event on Thursday, October 1, benefitting The Equity Alliance. Joined by an impressive list of his friends, including Jason Isbell, Grace Potter, Aaron Lee Tasjan, The War and Treaty, and The Lone Bellow, the artists will be performing songs of protest, freedom, and community.
Videos by American Songwriter
The livestream will air on nugs.net, luck.stream, Facebook, and YouTube at 8 p.m. Eastern. The stream is free, and donations are encouraged. Tune-in information can be found on DevonGilfillian.com.
“My band and I will be playing Marvin Gaye’s iconic album, What’s Going On, front-to-back, and we’ll be joined by some special guests from around the country playing songs that inspire us to love each other and fight for freedom,” Devon explains. “We’re partnering with HeadCount to help register voters during our broadcast. Tennessee ranks 44th in voter turnout and 45th in voter registration. We need to change that.”
“I may not have much political power, but I have the power of music,” he adds. “I was listening to What’s Going On, and was struck by how almost 50 years later that every word still rings true. I sat down and decided right then to teach myself the song. I’m concerned about voter suppression and sharing Marvin’s message to raise money and awareness just clicked, so started reaching out to friends to put this night together and partnered with Equity Alliance and HeadCount.org.”
The Equity Alliance is a grassroots non-profit organization based in Nashville, which promotes voter registration, voter education, and civic engagement for a more inclusive, stronger democracy. An auction, which includes a Martin Guitar, will also take place in conjunction with the event. All net proceeds from the events will be donated to the charity.
Other performers participating include: Breland, Drew Holcomb, Emoji Wilkins, Jason Eskridge, Joy Oladokun, Katie Pruitt, Kyshona Armstrong, Lera Lynn, Local Natives, and Nickie Conley.
