I wrote about the Aussie indie group, Rudely Interrupted, before (pictured right); they are playing at the UN in December. The Canadian Web site, Exclaim, has a blurb and video about the group.And Heavy Load, a British punk band with members with disabilities, was profiled in The Guardian in the UK Sept. 13. The band has been the focus of a documentary, "Heavy Load: A Film About Happiness," which I also wrote about June 23.
The Guardian article explains that Heavy Load wants to be judged by their music, not their disabilities: "Heavy Load prefer not to advertise that three of their members - drummer Michael White, singer Simon Barker and guitarist Jimmy Nichols - have learning disabilities, partly because they want to be seen first as a band, not as disability advocates, and partly out of a certain up-yours punk rock spirit. 'We want to let people work it out for themselves,' Richards says. 'I hate it at concerts when artists say, 'I'm sorry, I've got a cold' or something. You shouldn't make excuses for your performance. You should just get up there and do it.'"
