Dopapod Performs “The Man Who Sold The World” At Democracy Comes Alive [Watch]

On Saturday, October 3rd, 50+ artists and 10+ speakers came together for Democracy Comes Alive, a one-day virtual music festival aimed at channelling the power of music to make a critical impact on civic participation in this November’s elections and beyond. The 10-hour streaming event, powered by Nugs.TV and Plus 1, generated $40,000 and counting in funds for voter registration nonprofit HeadCount, as well as the participating artists, who remain out of work as the pandemic continues. In addition to the funds generated, Democracy Comes Alive led thousands of people to HeadCount’s tools to check your voter registration status and register to vote.

Among the many talented acts to offer up virtual performances for the event was Dopapod, who presented a stirring cover of David Bowie‘s “The Man Who Sold The World”. Though popularized by Nirvana during the group’s MTV Unplugged performance, the song first appeared as the title track of the Bowie’s 1970 album of the same name.

In their submission to the voting awareness fundraiser, Dopapod played up the Eastern influences found on the track, including keyboardist Eli Winderman‘s use of the tabla, and guitarist Rob Compa‘s sitar-like effects. The recording itself is sparse, as Compa drops out of the mix from time to time, with the focus shifting to the reverb-drenched instrumentation and Winderman’s watery vocals.

Related: Dopapod Covers Cake’s “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” At Quarantine Comes Alive [Watch]

“When we were trying to figure out what song to record for DCA, we knew we wanted to find something that had a bit more meaning than just another Dopapod song or a random cover,” Winderman told Live For Live Music. “’Man Who Sold the World’ felt like an appropriate choice, mainly for the title of the song.  As we embark on the most important election of our lives we hope all of our fans get out to vote and make their voices heard.”

Watch Dopapod perform “The Man Who Sold The World” at Democracy Comes Alive below. If you enjoyed the performance and have the means, consider making a donation to HeadCount and the Democracy Comes Alive artists via www.DemocracyComesAlive.com.

Dopapod – “The Man Who Sold The World” (David Bowie) – Democracy Comes Alive

[Video: Live For Live Music]

Presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with HeadCount, Democracy Comes Alive was conceived as a way to channel the momentum of previous virtual festivals Quarantine Comes Alive and Justice Comes Alive toward encouraging voter participation in the upcoming elections. All funds raised from Democracy Comes Alive will be split evenly between the artists on the bill and HeadCount, the nonprofit, nonpartisan voter registration organization. For more information on Democracy Comes Alive, head here.