Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator, rock star

Todd Lockwood can't remember exactly what prompted the idea; it probably came from a combination of downtime at his recording studio and a caffeine-fueled conversation one morning at Leunig's Bistro. But he thought it would be really cool if he brought Burlington Mayor Bernie Sanders into his studio in the fall of 1987 to lay down a few tracks for a cassette tape.

"Even back then he was a polished public speaker and wrote terrific material," Lockwood said of Sanders, now a U.S. senator from Vermont. "I just had a sense that that was going to translate really well in the studio. I had no idea how musical he was, and he turned out not to be musical at all."

That didn't stop Lockwood, whose White Crow Studio helped Burlington-born jam-rockers Phish record their early material, from going ahead with a musical project involving Sanders. The resulting tape made an impression in and around Burlington 27 years ago. It's likely to make a bigger splash now that Lockwood is re-releasing the album on CD and digital download — especially with Sanders, a favorite of the political left, considering a run for president in 2016.

"This can't do anything but help" Sanders' potential presidential campaign, according to Lockwood. "It's just going to add another little angle, and it's a great way to sort of promote his ideas."

more

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/entertainment/2014/11/19/bernie-sanders-plays-rock-star/19285961/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=