Dean Gray Tuesday – December 13, 2005

This just in:

I am half of the outfit responsible for ‘mashing up’ Greenday’s album ‘American Idiot’. We called ourselves Dean Gray and the album ‘American Edit’ and have received an incredible amount of feedback regarding the project on various forums, blogs and via email. All feedback was very positive and supportive.

Yesterday I received a Cease and Desist order from Grayzone who I believe act as a representative for Warners. I have attached the C&D to this email. I immediately complied with the request and took down all audio files relating to the project. I must point out that this was a not for profit project and the site suggested that if people wanted to that they should donate funds to a selected charity. The site was online for 10 days only.

In the wake of ‘all this’, one of the supporters of the project has set up an alternative site in the hope of replicating the now famous ‘Grey Tuesday’.

The rally site is here: Dean Gray Tuesday

This is the same short-sighted corporate censorship that the Grey Album and numerous other pieces of music have been subjected to. Musicians should have the right to create something new and exciting out of music in the world around them. That’s where art has always come from. If someone wants to sell sample-based music, then let’s give them a way to do it– a flat fee sampling license, perhaps. But the bottom line is that musicians should only be worried about one thing: making music. They shouldn’t be looking over their shoulder for lawyers who want to censor their art. But these days our corporatized copyright industry is choking creativity, rather than supporting it, and that needs to change.

Downhill Battle will, of course, be participating in Dean Gray Tuesday– we’ll be hosting the album here on December 13. If you can, you should do the same and help spread the word and the music.

More info from your boy Cory: Warners censors mashup album, fight back!

And while it lasts you can download the album from this site:

thisisfauna.com/01_Dean_Gray_-_American_Jesus.mp3

thisisfauna.com/02_Dean_Gray_-_Dr_Who_on_Holiday.mp3

thisisfauna.com/03_Dean_Gray_-_Boulevard_of_Broken_Songs.mp3

thisisfauna.com/04_Dean_Gray_-_The_Bad_Homecoming_Waiting.mp3

thisisfauna.com/05_Dean_Gray_-_St_Jimmy_the_Prankster.mp3

thisisfauna.com/06_Dean_Gray_-_Novocaine_Rhapsody.mp3

thisisfauna.com/07_Dean_Gray_-_Impossible_Rebel.mp3

thisisfauna.com/08_Dean_Gray_-_Ashantis_Letterbomb.mp3

thisisfauna.com/09_Dean_Gray_-_Greenday_Massacre.mp3

thisisfauna.com/10_Dean_Gray_-_Whatsername_Susanna_Hoffs.mp3

thisisfauna.com/11_Dean_Gray_-_Boulevard_of_Broken_Songs_Dance_Mix_05.mp3