Nashville singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian has announced a streaming event from 3rd & Lindsley on Thursday, October 1st at 8:00 p.m. Billed as There’s An Election Going On, the webcast event will feature a slew of high-profile guests and a complete performance of the iconic 1971 Marvin Gaye album, What’s Going On.

Musical friends set to join Gilfillian include Aaron Lee Tasjan, Jason Isbell, Grace Potter, Drew Holcomb, Emoni Wilkins, Jason Eskridge, Joy Oladokun, Katie Pruitt, Kyshona Armstrong, Lera Lynn, Local Natives, The Lone Bellow, Nickie Conley, and The War and Treaty. Proceeds from the pay-per-view stream, available via Nugs.TV, will benefit The Equity Alliance, and organization that fights against voter suppression.

Stream the show below on Thursday, October 1st:

There’s An Election Going On: Devon Gilfillian & Friends Perform Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On

[Video: nugsnet]

Of note, What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye just earned the top spot on Rolling Stone‘s newly re-vamped list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” A somber, reflective album inspired by police violence, the war in Vietnam, and a period of depression and contemplation for Gaye, the album helped break barriers for Gaye and his Motown label-mates. “I’d been stumbling around for an idea,” Gaye told biographer David Ritz. “I knew there was more inside me. And that was something no record executive or producer could see. But I saw it. I knew I had to get out there.”

Gaye recorded “What’s Going On” as a jazzy, polyrhythmic groove, a stark departure from the tried-and-true Motown sound. The protest lyrics also contributed to initial hesitance by label head Berry Gordy to release the track. When the song was a runaway hit, he gave Gaye one month to record an album to go along with it.

“I work best under pressure and when I’m depressed,” he told the Detroit Free Press at the time. “The world’s never been as depressing as it is right now. We’re killing the planet, killing our young men in the streets, and going to war around the world. Human rights … that’s the theme.” The resulting collection remains one of the most powerful and poignant albums in the history of American music.

 

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Happy National Voter Registration day!! Ladies and gentleman of the United States, I hope you are holding on out there. I’ve got some bright news for you in these dark times 🌞. On October 1st, I’m hosting “There’s An Election Going On,” a benefit concert live from @3rdandlindsley. My band and I will be playing Marvin Gaye’s iconic album, “What’s Going On,” front-to-back, and we’ll be joined by some special guests from around the country playing songs that inspire us to love each other and fight for freedom.⁣ ⁣ Our mission is to raise money for @theequityalliance, a non-profit based here in TN that fights voter suppression and educates low-income communities of color on the democratic process. ⁣ ⁣ We’ll be partnering with @headcountorg to help register voters during our broadcast. Tennessee ranks 44th in voter turnout and 45th in voter registration. We need to change that.⁣ ⁣ Mark it on your calendars, and tune in on 10.01 at 8pm EST.⁣ ⁣ Photo: @jacquelineday #nationalvoterregistrationday #vote

A post shared by Devon Gilfillian (@devongilfillian) on

[H/T Rolling Stone]