Evan Greer

Evan Greer
Greer performing in 2017
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Musician, writer, activist

Evan Greer (born May 18, 1985) is an American activist, writer, and musician from Boston, Massachusetts.[1] They are the deputy director of the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future.[2][3][4][5] Greer identifies as nonbinary.[6]

Writing and activism

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Greer is the deputy director of Fight for the Future,[7] having previously served as the organization's campaign director.[8][9] They have written on a range of topics including Internet freedom, LGBT issues, surveillance, big tech, and human rights for outlets including The Washington Post, Wired, NBC News, Time, and The Guardian.[10][11]

While in high school, Greer helped organize a protest against the Iraq War in 2003.[12][13] They attended Swarthmore College, but dropped out to pursue music full time.[14] In 2014 Greer helped organize the Internet Slowdown Day, an online protest in favor of net neutrality.[15][16] In 2017, Fast Company called Greer "the woman leading the fight for net neutrality."[17]

Through their work with Fight for the Future, Greer befriended Chelsea Manning and helped organize campaigns demanding Manning's release from prison.[18][19] Upon Manning's release in 2017, Greer organized a benefit album to raise funds for her living expenses, with artists including Against Me!, Thurston Moore, Graham Nash, and Amanda Palmer.[20][21]

In 2019, Greer penned an op-ed in BuzzFeed News with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello about a campaign that prompted major music festivals like SXSW, Coachella, and Bonnaroo to say they will not use facial recognition surveillance at their events.[22][23] Greer regards surveillance capitalism as "fundamentally incompatible with basic human rights and democracy."[24][25][26]

Music career

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In 2009, Greer released the album Never Surrender.[27][28] In 2016 they recorded a cover of the Anne Feeney song "You Will Answer" with the band Anti-Flag for a benefit album after Feeney was diagnosed with cancer.[29] Greer and Feeney were longtime friends and touring partners.[30][31] In 2019, Greer released the album She/Her/They/Them, which Billboard described as an "at-times folky, sometimes punk rock album".[32] Vice characterized the album as "an eclectic mix of folk punk".[33]

In 2021, they released the album Spotify is Surveillance. According to Greer, the album was "very much a product of the coronavirus quarantines",[34] and called it "an open letter to transphobes."[35] Greer noted in an interview with Fast Company that the album was also intended to raise awareness of the control of corporations such as Spotify over popular culture.[36] The album features audio samples from Chelsea Manning and Ursula K. Le Guin.[37] A review of the singles "Back Row" and "The Tyranny of Either/Or", noted that the songs "further show off her capacity for anthemic energy".[38] Rolling Stone magazine described the latter as "a pop-punk anthem that could fit in with Green Day's nineties hits."[39] A Pitchfork review of the album gave it a score of 6.7 out of 10.[40]

References

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  1. ^ Hughes-Zimmerman, Chris (May 13, 2019). "Bands You Should Know — Evan Greer". WGBH-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Musicians protest outside Spotify offices worldwide for 'Justice At Spotify' campaign". NME. March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Tracy, Ryan (March 24, 2021). "Facebook's Zuckerberg Proposes Raising Bar for Section 230". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Harwell, Drew; Timberg, Craig. "How America's surveillance networks helped the FBI catch the Capitol mob". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Evan Greer spurs on folk-punk activism with 'She/her/they/them'". Vanyaland. April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  6. ^ Oliver, David. "Many are more comfortable in their bodies during the pandemic. For some LGBTQ people, it's the opposite". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "Amazon has known since last year US drivers were urinating in bottles". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  8. ^ Boran, Marie. "Evan Greer: defending net neutrality as a 'basic principle'". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  9. ^ Conger, Kate (September 27, 2017). "Net Neutrality Activists Targeted in Phishing Campaign". Gizmodo. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Examples:
  11. ^ Ovide, Shira (February 26, 2021). "Can Tech Break Us Out of Our Bubbles?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Boston.com / News / Rebuilding Iraq". archive.boston.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Art as a Weapon". www.swarthmore.edu. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  14. ^ "Singer & Activist Evan Greer Talks Trans Visibility, Blending Genres & New Album 'She/Her/They/Them'". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  15. ^ Hu, Elise (September 10, 2014). "Your Favorite Sites Will 'Slow Down' Today, For A Cause". NPR.org. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Battle For the Net: Mass Day of Action Aims to Stop Trump's FCC from Destroying Free & Open Internet". Democracy Now!. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Captain, Sean (July 11, 2017). "Meet The Woman Leading The Fight To Save Net Neutrality". Fast Company. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "Chelsea Manning's release is the inspiring proof: nothing is impossible | Evan Greer". The Guardian. May 18, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  19. ^ "Chelsea Manning fundraiser garners more than $83,000 in one week". NBC News. February 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  20. ^ Blistein, Jon (May 16, 2017). "Tom Morello, Thurston Moore Contribute to Chelsea Manning Benefit Comp". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  21. ^ "Chelsea Manning posts 1st photo revealing new look as a woman". ABC News. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  22. ^ "Opinion: We Stopped Facial Recognition From Invading Music Festivals. Now Let's Stop It Everywhere Else". BuzzFeed News. October 23, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  23. ^ "Musicians and Fans Unite to Keep Facial Recognition Tech Out of Concerts". Fortune. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  24. ^ Hussey, Allison (February 23, 2021). "Evan Greer Announces New Album Spotify Is Surveillance, Shares New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  25. ^ Wille, Matt (April 8, 2021). "This musician and activist wants to stop Spotify spying on its users". Input. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  26. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (April 9, 2021). "This musician is calling on Spotify to ditch any plans to track listeners' emotions". Fast Company. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  27. ^ Hussey, Allison (February 23, 2021). "Evan Greer Announces New Album Spotify Is Surveillance, Shares New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Riedel, Samantha (April 15, 2019). "This Musician's Queer Liberation Ballads Are Medicine for LGBTQ+ Activists". them. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  29. ^ "In 2016, musicians assembled tribute album to Anne Feeney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  30. ^ Risen, Clay (February 8, 2021). "Anne Feeney, Fierce and Tireless Protest Singer, Dies at 69". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  31. ^ Estrada, Louie. "Anne Feeney, songwriter and political activist, dies at 69". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  32. ^ "Singer & Activist Evan Greer Talks Trans Visibility, Blending Genres & New Album 'She/Her/They/Them'". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  33. ^ Koebler, Jason (April 5, 2019). "One of America's Most Prominent Net Neutrality Activists Just Released a Folk Punk Album". Vice. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  34. ^ "Digital rights groups want Spotify to rule out voice recognition system". SC Media. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  35. ^ "Listen: Evan Greer's Pop-Punk Anthem Is 'An Open Letter To Transphobes'". www.wbur.org. March 23, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  36. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (April 9, 2021). "This musician is calling on Spotify to ditch any plans to track listeners' emotions". Fast Company. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  37. ^ Dunn, Thom (April 8, 2021). "Evan Greer's "Surveillance Capitalism" is the internet's new official protest song". Boing Boing. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  38. ^ Mortensa, Mala (March 29, 2021). "10 women in pop-punk who have left an unforgettable impact on the genre". Alternative Press. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  39. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (March 31, 2021). "Evan Greer Celebrates Trans History With 'The Tyranny of Either/Or'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  40. ^ "Evan Greer: Spotify Is Surveillance". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
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