Purple State – Finding Common Ground

In our increasingly politically polarized society, Nick Forster, host of eTown, hopes to find some middle ground to discuss the important issues of the day. “We’ve been using music as a way to connect people and often across political divides or socioeconomic divisions, so much as a music festival brings all kinds of people together and you have that kind of shared focus across the stage, without knowing people – what their background is or what their political leanings are, there’s a shared experience.”

Forster is the host of the new podcast Purple State, a production of eTown.  As a member of the award-winning bluegrass band, Hot Rize, Forster has traveled extensively in the US and played before audiences of all political stripes.

“I’ve traveled a lot, so I’ve gotten to see and have conversations with people all over the country and many other countries, but especially playing bluegrass I play a lot in the south and I play in different places, so I know there are people in these parts of the country that we think of being them as opposed to us or us as opposed to them, and I know first hand that we can have common ground and common conversations.”

The first taping of the Purple State podcast happens at eTown hall on Wednesday August 29th. The event is free and open to the public but advance registration is recommended. Register here.

Panelists include:

Judge Jean Dubofsky, the first woman justice elected to the Colorado Supreme Court.
Nick Troiano, civic entrepreneur and director of the independent political committee, UniteAmerica.
Carla Fredericks, director of CU’s American Indian Law Program and Indian Law Clinic.
Anand Edward Sokhey, CU Assoc. Prof of Political Science.

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