JUST ANNOUNCED! Bonnie and the band will return to Bluesfest Byron Bay in 2023! The festival will be held over the Easter Long Weekend, 2pm Thu 6 April – Midnight, Mon 10 April at the Byron Events Farm, NSW. All 5-day season passes (including VIP + add-ons) are on sale now! In the coming weeks, Bluesfest will release more of the line-up, along with the artist play dates so that both day-trippers and 3-day ticket holders can make an informed choice. Visit the Bluesfest website for more details: https://www.bluesfest.com.au/ 

Bonnie and the team at BRHQ want to alert our fellow Californians to a very important vote in the State Legislature coming up tomorrow, August 31st. If you are so moved, we urge you to contact your representatives by tomorrow afternoon to express your strong disagreement with this last-minute, dangerous reversal of plans to shut down our state’s only still-operating nuclear power plant.

Governor Gavin Newsom at the 11th hour has proposed a plan to extend the operation of Diablo Canyon, California’s last remaining nuclear power plant that was scheduled to fully retire in 2025. The CA legislature will vote on this bill on Wednesday, August 31st during their afternoon session. The timing is critical that we get as many people in California to call and tell their legislators to Vote NO on SB 846.
Find your legislators here: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

Please CALL both of your state representatives today and tomorrow and urge them to Vote NO on SB 846. 
Sample script: “My name is ___________. I am calling to ask the Senator (or Assemblymember) to oppose SB 846, the bill that would keep Diablo Canyon operating past its scheduled closure date in 2025. Vote NO on SB 846.”

To read a “Floor Alert” issued by Union of Concerned Scientists, NRDC, Environmental Working Group, Mothers for Peace and other organizations on Diablo Canyon and analysis on where SB 846 stands right now, please visit:
https://bit.ly/3KAtsZy

Below is a statement by Juliet Christian-Smith, Union of Concerned Scientists:

“This last-minute legislation would give new life to an aging nuclear power plant that is badly in need of seismic upgrades and other repairs to ensure safe operation. By waiving important environmental reviews and not designating funds to address seismic safety, the bill ignores the plant’s environmental impacts and vulnerability to earthquakes. Safety cannot take a back seat in our quest to keep the lights on and reduce global warming emissions.

“The risks of extending the operation of Diablo Canyon are significant, and an earthquake-induced accident could, by our estimate, cause more than 10,000 cancer deaths and over $100 billion in damages.

“The bill calls for a $1.4 billion loan to Pacific Gas & Electric on top of authorizing increased energy prices. These costs will be expensive for California taxpayers and ratepayers, particularly if Diablo Canyon is found ineligible for federal subsidies aimed at helping utilities keep nuclear power plants open.

“Introducing a final version of this bill 76 hours before the end of the legislative session without the benefit of adequate public review or a robust analysis of alternatives is misguided. The Union of Concerned Scientists remains committed to replacing the power generated by Diablo with renewable energy, energy storage, and other cost-effective alternatives that are a safer choice for all Californians.”

For background on Diablo Canyon and how this newly proposed legislation came forth, please read:
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article265060299.html

Photo credit: Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, San Luis Obispo County. (Joe Johnston / The Tribune of San Luis Obispo / Associated Press)

Bonnie is bringing the Just Like That…Tour to Australia in April 2023! Special Guest Mavis Staples will join her at the Melbourne (5th April) and Sydney (7th April) concerts!

The Fan Community pre-sale will start Monday Aug 15, 2022 12pm (AEST) at bonnieraitt.com and tickets will go on sale to the public Thursday, August 18, 2022, 12PM AEST.

Find all tour dates and details at tour.bonnieraitt.com!

Bonnie writes about her experiences with tour activism and fundraising for a special feature in Billboard.

“One of the most important pieces of advice I was given is to try and not get discouraged. Never give up—even when it feels like the tide is turned against everything you hold dear. That’s when your passion and commitment matter even more. As my friend and inspiration Mavis Staples sings, ‘Don’t let nobody turn you around…we’re gonna keep on marchin…’ We’re all in this together—and together’s how we’ll make it through.” – Bonnie Raitt

To get more involved, check out Reverb (an organization coordinating on tour activism) and HeadCount (a group facilitating on tour voter registration.) – BRHQ

READ THE FEATURE

Illustration by Joan Wong

Like many of you, I am reeling in the wake of the devastating ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and how the lives and reproductive health of women have already been impacted across the country. The stress of additional Supreme Court decisions looming this week and Justice Thomas’ intimation that other constitutionally-protected rights (to contraception and same-sex marriage) are also on the table is all weighing very heavily. The Dobbs ruling only exacerbates the inequity in health care for women of color and those communities already struggling. I think this editorial piece is particularly strong advocacy:
LA Times Editorial: Congress must protect rights to contraception and same-sex relationships

To learn more about the disproportionate suffering that the dismantling of reproductive rights will have on women of color, I recommend reading the pieces linked below.

There is much to feel and process right now, while we gather ourselves and move forward together to support women and families who are faced with immediate hardship. Let’s stay vigilant and tuned in to what activists and attorneys on the front lines are doing to protect access to safe abortions (particularly in those states that are contemplating outright bans on the procedure,) as well as to protect contraception and family planning advice. Let’s keep up our support in all the ways we can. We’re all in this together! — Bonnie

Women of color will be most impacted by the end of Roe, experts say

Op-Ed: No, Justice Alito, Reproductive Justice Is in the Constitution

By Thom Duffy

“I love coming back to the Beacon,” declared Raitt, opening a two-night stand at the Manhattan theater, touring behind her new chart topping album `Just Like That…’
READ MORE

By Geoff Bennett
By Andrew Corkery

Music legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt is out with her twenty-first album called “Just Like That.” It’s her first new release in more than six years, and has landed at No. 1 on six different Billboard charts since its release. Geoff Bennett sat down with Raitt to discuss her dynamic 50-year career and what she’s learned about herself along the way. WATCH THE INTERVIEW

By Stuart Munro
The Boston Globe

Bonnie Raitt is nothing if not generous, and during her 90 minutes on stage at Leader Bank Pavilion Friday night, that characteristic showed up again and again. She made sure the audience knew who was playing with her by introducing her band (including Boston’s own guitar master Duke Levine — “hometown team!,” Raitt exclaimed) after the second song instead of toward the show’s end. READ MORE

Photo by Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe

by Dan DeLuca
Philadelphia Inquirer

The Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams double bill at the Mann Center Wednesday spotlighted two women making music steeped in the blues who continue to create at a high level decades into careers of remarkable duration. READ MORE

Photo by Elizabeth Robertson/Staff Photographer

RollingStone.com
By Emily Zemler

Bonnie Raitt slowed things down with a soulful rendition of her song “Blame It on Me” on The Late Show. The musician and her band gave the track a bluesy, intimate vibe, which was aided by the dim, moody lighting on the late-night show stage. READ MORE AND WATCH THE PERFORMANCE: https://bit.ly/3HugfQs