GRAMMY-winning rock band and Alaskan natives, PORTUGAL. THE MAN is speaking up and taking a stand; this time against recent censorship by the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough School Board, who voted to remove five literary classics from the school’s curriculum, due to their “controversial” nature, as reported by CNN. Firmly opposing the decision to ban the books, the band has pledged to personally donate copies directly to those students who would like to read them.
“These titles are often considered staples for junior and senior English classes across the country. We believe this decision is narrow-minded and un-Patriotic, and we are not OK with it. That is why we are putting out a standing offer that if any student/parent in the Mat-Su Borough School District wants a copy of one or more of these books, we will mail them to you.” – PORTUGAL. THE MAN
Regarded as literary staples, the list of censored books include F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby; Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man; Joseph Heller’s Catch-22; Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried; and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Students who wish to receive a free copy of one or more of the banned books can contact sticksandstones@portugaltheman.com.
ABOUT PORTUGAL. THE MAN:
Portugal. The Man took 2017 by the horns after a considerably long gap between records. They spent years working on an album called Gloomin + Doomin before later developing what would become known as their RIAA gold-certified studio album WOODSTOCK – working with John Hill, Danger Mouse and longtime collaborator Casey Bates. It was impossible to escape the album’s first single “Feel It Still,” which dominated the charts and radio airwaves in 2017. The 5x RIAA Platinum Certified hit reigned at #1 at nearly all radio formats, including Top 40, as well as Alternative, where the song held the chart’s top spot for a mind-blowing 20 weeks, breaking the record for most weeks at #1. Yes, you read that right. 5 guys from Wasilla, Alaska who have played nearly 1,500 shows in their career broke Alternative radio records and had a #1 song at Pop radio. Billboard Magazine even went as far as to call the song, “the unexpected rock crossover hit of 2017,” while Rolling Stone listed it as “one of the best songs of 2017.” AND THEN…the band kicked off 2018 by winning a GRAMMY Award for “Feel It Still.” The band also earned an iHeartRadio Award for “Alternative Rock Song of the Year” as well as nominations in for three Billboard Music Awards and two Teen Choice Awards.
Portugal. The Man are not only deeply committed to their artistry, but also to social justice. For their North American tour, the band asked Native Tribal leaders to open each show with a blessing as a reminder that most of us are immigrants and that the land we call home was once native land. The band also released a coinciding “land acknowledgement” video to honor indigenous people. Other partners the band has worked with include the mental health organization Keep Oregon Well, the gun reform movement March for Our Lives, and the climate action initiative Protect Our Winters.
