Those jam bands - when they aren't jamming across the bounding main with a couple-thousand of their best buds, or creating a new business model for the music industry, or taking over an entire town for a farewell show, they are getting all civic-minded and responsible.

Since we first mentioned the HeadCount voter registration organization, they have had quite notable success in reaching their goals. I find it highly admirable that their only agenda seems to be to encourage people to register and vote, NOT telling them who to vote for, or offering any subtle or otherwise indication of which way their wind blows, unlike, say, this organization bribing eligible voters with free music, then pushing a specific agenda. HeadCount is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization, founded in February by Marc Brownstein, bass player for electronic rock band The Disco Biscuits, and sportswriter Andy Bernstein.

Partners with HeadCount, these guys:

The Allman Brothers
Assembly of Dust
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
Crosby Stills & Nash
Dave Matthews Band
Dark Star Orchestra
The Dead
Derek Trucks Band
The Disco Biscuits
Ekoostik Hookah
Galactic
Gov't Mule
Guster
Leftover Salmon
Michael Franti and Spearhead
moe.
North Mississippi AllStars
Particle
Phish
Primus
Ratdog
Santana
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Steve Kimock Band
String Cheese Incident
311
Umphrey's McGee
Yonder Mountain String Band

- are out there working with the organization beating the bushes, registering people to vote where the rubber meets the road and several other cliches as well. HeadCount has registered over 40,000 voters thus far.

Check out what Dave Matthews Band has accomplished: HeadCount (with help from Rock the Vote) volunteers registered a total of 14,656 voters at 48 Dave Matthews Band concerts this summer, setting an all-time record for a single concert tour. With the help of a $15,000 contribution from Dave Matthews Band's charitable foundation Bama Works, HeadCount sent volunteers on the road this summer to register voters at every single Dave Matthews Band concert. About half of the voters HeadCount registered were age 18 to 24, the serious political slackers.

Matthews, Bob Weir and Trey Anastasio are appearing in public service announcements produced by HeadCount, currently airing on TNT, TBS among other television networks. The PSAs can be viewed here.

HeadCount also provides a very helpful list of state voter registration deadlines, absentee voting information, and state contact information here.

I say well done.