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**Sorry advance ticket sales have ended see you at Sally's!**
Books are not the only form of expression subjected to censorship. As part of Banned Book Week - Celebrating Freedom of Expression - the ACLU of Connecticut and the Connecticut Library Association are hosting the 2nd Annual First Amendment Rock-Off on October 1st.
The event will feature live performances by the McDonald Teague Band. They will be playing music that has been censored throughout the United States at some time within the last 50 years, including music by Jefferson Airplane, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and others.
Authorities have acknowledged the influence and power music can have over American society and have repeatedly turned to censorship to silence alternative views. Some examples include:
• In 1955, Elvis Presley was threatened by the police in California and Florida with arrest and obscenity charges if he moved at all during his performances.
• By 1963, the FBI had files on singers like Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, and Jim Morrison who were under surveillance for their anti-war and "subversive" attitudes.
• In 1984, a doctor orders the Institute of Living in Hartford, CT, to remove MTV from the mental hospital's television system because it is believed to induce a "temporary state of insanity."
• In 1985, President Ronald Reagan questions if "reactionary" and "obscene" rock music deserves Constitutional protection.
The Second Annual First Amendment Rock-Off is dedicated to appreciating the music and the artists who refused to let authorities dictate their art and freedom of expression. Tim McDonald and Burt Teague are part of a four-person band that has performed across Connecticut for many years. Burt Teague has won the Hartford Advocate's Best Guitarist Award three times and Guitar Player Magazine's award for best blues guitarist.
Their performance will take place on Thursday, October 1, at 8:00pm at Black Eyed Sally's at 350 Asylum Street in downtown Hartford. There will be a $10 cover charge at the door. The proceeds will help support the ACLU's longstanding fight against censorship.
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