Lowercase people
Encyclopedia
- See also the independent record label imprint of the same name, Lowercase people recordsLowercase people recordslowercase people records is the record label founded and run by the members of the band Switchfoot. It was founded after the band split with their major label, Columbia/SonyBMG. The label's name was drawn from the lyrics of a song written early in the band's career, "Company Car" from 1999's New...
.
lowercase people is an organization that is divided into three major divisions: The lp Online Magazine, lp apparel, and the lowercase people Justice Fund. The organization was founded by the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
. In late October 2007, the band announced on their YouTube account page that they had created "lp records" to help further the vision of lowercase people.
The lp Online Magazine serves to bring attention to notable works created by artists, writers, and musicians, and to introduce social issues worldwide. The magazine is released quarterly; currently there are three issues. Lowercase people apparel gathers the works of our generations' artists. They are sold as shirts, prints, stickers, and buttons. All profits go towards the Lowercase people Justice Fund. In partnership with Geneva Global, the Lowercase people Justice Fund, a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, uses the money gained from the shirts and prints sold to aid Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
communities.
An example is their involvement with the Kuyasa Kids. The Kuyasa Kids
Kuyasa Kids
The Kuyasa Kids are a choir in Africa that are made up of orphans infected with AIDS. The band Switchfoot has helped them to create a CD which is sold through their own independent label, lowercase people Records....
are a choir in Africa that are made up of orphans infected with AIDS. Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
has helped them to create a CD which is also sold through Lowercase people. The proceeds will go towards the children's education. Jon Foreman
Jon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
also wrote "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" in reaction to their work with the Kuyasa Kids. Lowercase people have also collected donations with The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
for Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
victims. Tim Foreman
Tim Foreman
Timothy David Foreman is the bassist for the band Switchfoot. He was born in Lake Arrowhead, California but grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and Virginia Beach, Virginia...
explains:
"As a rock band, we're not overly idealistic about single-handedly changing the world, but we do know that people are listening to what we have to say ... so we want to use what platform we have been given to make a difference."
"We are humanity: beautiful and broken. We want to collide. We're curious. We're thinking out loud. We are the lowercase people. Join us as we dream."
-Chad Butler
Chad Butler
Chad Matthew Butler is the drummer for the band Switchfoot which he co-founded along with Jon and Tim Foreman in 1996...
Issue 1
Music:- Feature: SwitchfootSwitchfootSwitchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
vs. Reeve OliverReeve OliverReeve Oliver is an American pop rock band formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. They have released two albums and several EPs and have toured with larger acts such as The Vandals, Yellowcard, and Switchfoot... - Reviews: The FrayThe Fray-Literature:*Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People*Fray , a comic book series by Joss Whedon**Melaka Fray, titular character of the comic book series-Music:*"Fray", a song from the album 14 Shades of Grey by Staind...
's How to Save a LifeHow to Save a LifeHow to Save a Life is the debut album by The Fray. Released on September 13, 2005 through Epic Records, the record charted in the top 15 on the Billboard 200 and was a top ten hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK...
, AlohaAloha (band)Aloha is an american indie rock band currently signed to Polyvinyl Records. The four members of Aloha are scattered across the eastern half of the country, but spend most of their time making music together. Some Echoes is the second Aloha album since T.J...
's Here Comes Everyone, CommonCommon (rapper)Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
's Be, and The FutureheadsThe FutureheadsThe Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland. consisting of Ross Millard , Barry Hyde and David "Jaff" Craig...
' self-titled albumThe Futureheads (album)The Futureheads was The Futureheads self titled debut album. It was released on July 12, 2004 and spawned the singles "First Day", "Decent Days and Nights", "Meantime", and "Hounds of Love"... - Bands: Reeve OliverReeve OliverReeve Oliver is an American pop rock band formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. They have released two albums and several EPs and have toured with larger acts such as The Vandals, Yellowcard, and Switchfoot...
Art:
- Feature: Art As Play
- Fine Artists: Jeremey Wright
- Graphic Artists: Nessim Higson
Words:
- Feature: A Love Supreme: The Spiritual Life of John Coltrane
- Interview: David DarkDavid DarkDavid Dark is an American writer, the author of The Sacredness of Questioning Everything, Everyday Apocalypse: The Sacred Revealed in Radiohead, The Simpsons, and Other Pop Culture Icons and The Gospel According To America: A Meditation on a God-blessed, Christ-haunted Idea, which was included in...
and Chris Ahrens - Regulars: Dark Matter: Are You Reality-Based?, and Reasonable Doubts: The Heart of Man
- Profiles: David DarkDavid DarkDavid Dark is an American writer, the author of The Sacredness of Questioning Everything, Everyday Apocalypse: The Sacred Revealed in Radiohead, The Simpsons, and Other Pop Culture Icons and The Gospel According To America: A Meditation on a God-blessed, Christ-haunted Idea, which was included in...
, Chris Ahrens, and Charlie PeacockCharlie PeacockCharlie Peacock is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, session musician and author. While growing up in California Peacock was inspired by John Coltrane and began playing the piano. After completing his education, Peacock formed a band and began a career as a professional...
Justice:
- Feature: Out Of South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
: Random Thoughts in flight - Community: KayamandiKayamandiKayamandi is a suburb of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape region of South Africa.Kayamandi is located on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. Kayamandi, ironically a Xhosa term for “pleasurable home”, was founded in the early 1950s as part of the increased segregation during the Apartheid regime...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... - The Lowercase people Justice Fund
- Get Involved: Kuyasa Kids' Live in KayamandiKayamandiKayamandi is a suburb of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape region of South Africa.Kayamandi is located on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. Kayamandi, ironically a Xhosa term for “pleasurable home”, was founded in the early 1950s as part of the increased segregation during the Apartheid regime...
CD
Issue 2
Music:- Feature: Ryan O'NealRyan O'NealCharles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...
and Ron SexsmithRon SexsmithRonald Eldon "Ron" Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario, currently based in Toronto. He started his own band when he was fourteen years old, and released the first recordings of his own material seven years later, in 1985... - Reviews: Circa SurviveCirca SurviveCirca Survive is an American alternative rock band from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburb of Doylestown, formed in 2004. The band consists of vocalist Anthony Green, former singer of Saosin and members of the now-defunct This Day Forward....
's JuturnaJuturna (album)Juturna is the debut album by American rock band, Circa Survive. It was released on April 19, 2005 through Equal Vision Records and reached #183 on the Billboard 200 on May 7, 2005. As of July 19, 2006, it has sold 74,896 copies....
, Richard SwiftRichard Swift (musician)Richard Swift is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and short-film maker...
's The Novelist Secretly Canadian, Sufjan StevensSufjan StevensSufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
' Illinois Asthmatic KittyIllinois (album)Illinois is a 2005 concept album by American indie folk songwriter Sufjan Stevens. His fifth studio album, Illinois features songs referencing places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Illinois...
, and The RakesThe RakesThe Rakes were an English indie rock band from London. They split up in October 2009.-History:The Rakes formed in 2004. Since coming to fame in 2005, they were associated with the British post-punk/art rock scene, a genre shared by bands such as Bloc Party, Maxïmo Park, and The Futureheads...
' Capture/ReleaseCapture/ReleaseCapture / Release is the debut album by The Rakes, released on August 15, 2005. The album peaked at #32 in the UK. NME named it the 13th best album of 2005 and received general critical acclaim. It was released in the U.S... - Bands: Ron SexsmithRon SexsmithRonald Eldon "Ron" Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario, currently based in Toronto. He started his own band when he was fourteen years old, and released the first recordings of his own material seven years later, in 1985...
and Sleeping at LastSleeping at LastSleeping at Last is an indie rock band that was originally formed in 1999 in Wheaton, Illinois. Lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan O'Neal is the sole member of the band. The group built a significant local following and opened for bands such as Kill Hannah and Plain White T's, attracting...
Art:
- Feature: Lain York and J Todd Greene
- Fine Artists: Lain York and J Todd Greene
- Graphic Artists: Jeff Kleinsmith
Words:
- Feature: Between Memory and Mobility
- Interview: George PlimptonGeorge PlimptonGeorge Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
and Ernest HemingwayErnest HemingwayErnest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the... - Regulars: Dark Matter: Getting In on the Act or How to Never Feel Uncool Again, and Reasonable Doubts: The Sea Hags
- Profiles: Booker Browning, and Cameron Bird
Justice:
- Feature: Anonymous in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
: A travelogue - Community: IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- The Lowercase people Justice Fund
- Get Involved: Donations
Issue 3
Music:- Feature: A Conversation between Mutemath and MaeMaeMae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
- Reviews: Sharon Jones's NaturallyNaturally (Sharon Jones album)Naturally is the second album by American funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released on January 25, 2005 on Daptone Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Bosco Mann, except as noted.#"How Do I Let a Good Man Down?" – 3:02...
, Willie NileWillie NileWillie Nile is an American singer-songwriter. In 1980 Nile released his self-titled debut album which according to one critic remains “one of the most thrilling post-Byrds folk-rock albums of all time”...
's Streets of New YorkStreets of New York (album)Streets of New York is the fifth studio album by New York City based singer/songwriter Willie Nile. This is Nile’s tribute to the city that gave him international exposure to the music world through the critical eyes and ears of the New York Times...
, Jamie LidellJamie LidellJamie Lidell is an English musician and soul singer living in Nashville, United States...
's Multiply, Cat PowerCat PowerCharlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
's The Greatest, and Angels & AirwavesAngels & AirwavesAngels & Airwaves is an American alternative rock supergroup led by Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, also including guitarist David Kennedy from Over My Dead Body, Hazen Street and Box Car Racer, bass guitarist Matt Wachter from 30 Seconds to Mars and former Lostprophets and Nine Inch...
' We Don't Need to WhisperWe Don't Need to WhisperWe Don't Need to Whisper is the debut album by American rock band Angels & Airwaves. It was released on May 20, 2006 in Australia, on May 22 in the UK, and on May 23 in North America.... - Bands: MaeMaeMae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
and Mutemath
Art:
- Feature: A Conversation between Bobby Bailey and Jeremy Dean
- Fine Artists: Jeremy Dean and Bobby Bailey
- Graphic Artists: Bill Caywood
Words:
- Feature: Where Truth Meets Traction
- Interview: John Brown’s War on Terror
- Regulars: Dark Matter: Everybody to the Limit, and Reasonable Doubts: Dodo Does Hollywood
- Profiles: Won Kim
Justice:
- Feature: Four Days in New RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
- Community: RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... - The Lowercase people Justice Fund
- Get Involved: Buy A T-Shirt, Donations, Reach Out (Invisible ChildrenInvisible ChildrenInvisible Children: Rough Cut is a 2003 American documentary film. Its subject is the abduction and forced enlistment of children by the sectarian Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.-Synopsis:...
, Blood:Water MissionBlood:Water MissionBlood:Water Mission is a grassroots organization that empowers communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa. History...
, International Justice MissionInternational Justice MissionInternational Justice Mission is a U.S.-based non-profit human rights organization that operates in countries all over the world to rescue victims of individual human rights abuse. IJM works to combat human trafficking including the commercial sexual exploitation of children, forced labor...
, Dalit Freedom NetworkDalit Freedom NetworkDalit Freedom Network is an evangelical Christian organization whose official mission is to "empower the Dalits in their quest for social freedom and human dignity by networking human, financial, and informational resources." Founded by Dr. Joseph D'souza, who heads the "All India Christian...
)
Trivia
- The name of the organization is taken from Switchfoot's song, Company Car, in the lines "Now I'm down, under the pavement/ Of Capital Hills and Lowercase people".