SING OUT THE VOTE: Che Apalache bandleader, songwriter and activist Joe Troop, from Winston-Salem, has launched an initiative to get out the vote in North Carolina. Working with VoteNC.org and RuralOrganizing.org, Troop is making a series of videos to spotlight key progressive voices from across N.C. by sharing songs and having conversations. The video series, “Pickin’ for Progress,” is releasing one mini-documentary film per week running up to the elections in November. The videos include Troop’s original songs and highlight activist and minority voices. The first video features a testimony from folk musician Nokosee Fields, a Lumbee Indian. You can access the videos by going to YouTube and searching for “Pickin’ for Progress.”