The Backbone Campaign will hold a benefit on Saturday called “Dead Elvis — Coal is Dead & Sun is King” featuring the music of The Grateful Dead and Elvis Presley, performed by more than 30 Vashon performers.

Steffon Moody will emcee the evening.

“Dead Elvis” is the latest in a series of Backbone Campaign themed concert fundraisers that combine progressive politics with local musicianship. Past themes have included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan.

Local music impresario Pete Welch, who is helping organize the show, predicts big crowds will come out for the night of music.

“For all of the previous Backbone Campaign benefit events at The Red Bicycle, it was standing room only in the back and about as packed as they’ve ever seen that place,” Welch said. “We even ended up having to turn some people away because there just wasn’t any room left.”

The Backbone Campaign is engaged in a variety of projects, from helping to start a community credit union, to training young activists around the country and helping animate a national movement to abolish “corporate personhood.”

The Dead Elvis concert will officially launch the campaign’s newst project —  a push to make Vashon coal-free by 2015.

The campaign’s Coal-Free Zone project is a collaboration with Sustainable Vashon and several Island energy activists.

“We are building on the nuclear-free zone idea of the past with a very real push for clean energy and green jobs,” said Backbone director Bill Moyer.

For more information visit www.coalfreezone.org.

“Dead Elvis” will start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13, at Red Bicycle Bistro. Tickets cost $15 and are available in advance by calling 463-5959. All ages can attend until 11 p.m., after which the event is for ages 21 and older only.

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