The New Digital Sound: Politics and Bio

Politics - Our support of Amnesty International.

I caught a documentary about a town called Libby, Montana the other day. The town, which has been ravaged by asbestos related health issues, has been essentially stuck in the middle with respect to fixing the issue. The WR Grace company, which promptly filed for bankruptcy protection after they were found to be responsible for the disaster in a court of law, has walked away and left the town to figure it out themselves. The utterly infuriating part of the entire ordeal is the fact they are still a multibillion dollar company that has simply moved assets to other puppet companies within the corporation itself. The EPA has stepped in to help but, with budget cuts from the Bush Administration toward the EPA, Libby was left to figure it out for themselves. The neighboring town of Troy has shown an increased level of contamination as well. The problem is growing and something needs to be done, and soon.

The New Digital Sound is as much about politics as it is about muzik. We have always supported issues such as human rights, animal rights, environmental responsibility and so forth. We are pleased to announce that we are working with Amnesty International to raise money and awareness to aid in the struggle for human rights, by donating a portion of the profits raised from our new album "Species Protector." Areas like Darfur, Iraq, China and right here in the United States are guilty in some way of violating basic human rights. This practice HAS to end. In a perfect world, governments and corporations would treat human beings with equality and respect, but, on some level this is just not happening.

What we have decided to do is to be proactive and try to help. Why? Because, we believe in human rights. (t) nds has always been the little indie that could, and, in our own way, we have connected with people from all over the world through our muzik. So we are proud to be part of a growing consciousness on this planet to change a facet of someone else's life. We are not naive. We are not on an ego trip. We are NOT trying to move units and gain further interest in this band. What we are doing is trying to help people to help themselves. We are trying to impact some part of the world that has been forgotten or trampled upon by governments and corporations. We are taking a stand to change something by spreading awareness and contributing funds to those that help. That is why we are so excited to be working with Amnesty International to help fight global injustice.

Here's how it works:

You buy "Species Protector" stuff -- CD's, MP3's, Merchandise -- and we donate a portion of the profits to Amnesty International. But, we don't just take your money and claim all of the credit -- this is what corporations and governments do. Rather -- if you choose to be included -- we submit your name (along with all the others that have purchased our products) to Amnesty International, along with our contributions. Why? Because we believe in the power of numbers. We believe that 5,000 voices speak louder than ours.

Thanks for reading.

--copelinn

Copelinn - Vocals, Guitars and Production.

The idea behind The New Digital Sound started around 1995 in dirty basements strewn throughout various Massachusetts suburbs by Copelinn. His D. I. Y. approach was a result of frustration with the then dead local band scene. Early NDS songs were recorded using no more than a multitude of guitar stomp boxes, outdated drum machines, and simple analog four track tape recorders. While the early recordings were crude and imperfect, they showed a glimmer as to what direction Copelinn and The New Digital Sound would go.

It was around this time that Copelinn discovered artists such as Moby, DJ Shadow, Roni Size, Atari Teenage Riot, William Orbit, Underworld, The Pixies, The Clash, Tricky, Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, Joy Division, KMFDM, My Life With Thrill Kill Cult, Marilyn Manson and others. He found himself completely enamored with the idea of self-production and computer technology to achieve it. In 1999, amidst pre millennium hysteria, he befriended The Jack Bohlen Book Club brainchild Kevin Murphy while working a local record store. It was a result of this friendship that Copelinn then began his ever changing production style and D. I. Y. approach to musical creation: create the most dissonant music possible using technology. Armed with an HP Pavilion computer, he began writing his first album, which became a self-titled debut released in 2001. The album, all things considered, was a success -- garnering airplay, reviews, downloads and CD sales worldwide.

In early 2004, Copelinn returned to his studio to produce a follow-up entitled, "The Depressed American Dream," which was released in April of 2005. Again, after receiving similar success, The New Digital Sound had determined its' fate and direction in the indie music scene. After recieving more than 50,000 downloads on Bearshare.com for the track "Exclude 17", The New Digital Sound was starting to attract an ever-increasing fanbase online. To date, the band's website (thenewdigitalsound.org) has seen over over 4 million visitors.

This year The New Digital Sound will be releasing a follow-up entitled "Species Protector." This album promises to be a complete departure from earlier efforts, yet, still remains true to The New Digital Sound's original purpose. Aided by a host of indie musicians, Copelinn plans to take his electronic freak show to a venue near you very soon.

Status = okay.