23: Kat & Matt (Our Music My Body) & Sexual Assault Prevention at Gigs

It's nice to be back after a taking a week off for the holidays and my birthday!

This week, I am chatting with two great punx, human beings, activists, and prevention specialists. Kat Stuehrk and Matt Walsh run the nonprofit, Our Music My Body. Our Music My Body is a Chicago-based collaborative campaign led by Between Friends & Rape Victim Advocates to raise awareness about sexual harassment in the music scene. They do this work because they believe everyone deserves to feel comfortable and safe when they go to a concert or festival. OurMusicMyBody works with festival and venue staff, musicians, and music fans alike to create fun and consensual music experiences for all. 

We had a great chat the other night about the work they do, the challenges of confronting misogyny and harassment, and what it looks like to conscientiously attend gigs and festivals. It's work that I am personally dedicated to, and am thankful there are many others doing similar work in their communities! I hope you enjoy this chat - it's a topic that is very important to me and Katy - and if you would like to get involved, check out their contact info below!

EPISODE NOTES:

- Kat is a prevention educator for Rape Victim Advocates in Chicago.

- Matt is a prevention specialist for Between Friends.

- Make sure to visit their store and get yourself a sweet, "Consent Rocks!" shirt!

- Problematic as she might be, Margaret Atwood's book, "Blind Assassin," is one of Kat's favorite books.

- Matt suggests checking out the book, "P.S. You Sound Like Someone I Can Trust," which is a compilation of penpal letters written between a set of middle school and high school students in Chicago.

- Matt is digging the new SZA album, which just got lots of Grammy attention!

- Kat and I both enjoy that new Land of Talk album, "Life After Youth."

- If you would like to get involved in the campaign, email Matt at [email protected] or Kat at [email protected].

MUSIC NOTES:

- The new album from Demons, "Embrace Wolf," is out THIS FRIDAY! You can check out more of their tunes at demonsband.bandcamp.com, and through their social media accounts!

- You can also snag a physical copy of the album through our friends at Spartan Records! Visit their store for more info!

- And make sure you check out their lyric video for the new single, "Nobody Loves You the Way You Are," through the magic of Youtube.

ADVERTISING NOTES:

- This week I hyped the new podcast from my buddies, Ryan and Jared. It's called Let's Make a Scence! - where the two dissect and discuss scenes from movies and break down the elements that compose the scene.

- Give them a follow or subscribe in the iTunes store and/or through their social media!

FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE!

- Any love on the iTunes app helps! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ITUNES STORE!

- Follow along on Instagram and Twitter @eduPUNXpod!

Thanks so much for tuning in and I'll see you next week!