by Cecilia Lenzen, Fort Worth Report
March 23, 2026
Ahead of Tarrant County’s upcoming elections, one local musician has a plan to increase turnout at the polls — by “disguising” voter education as a rock show.
Ken Shimamoto, 69, is hosting the inaugural Resistance Rock, a free, eight-hour event featuring live performances by local bands and volunteers registering people to vote and sharing information on how to get engaged in local government.
“People are figuring out that if they don’t make an input, they don’t really have a right to complain,” Shimamoto said. “There’s a lot to complain about, but the way out of this ditch is by making political ignorance and un-engagement the social equivalent of having a bad haircut.”
If you go
What: Resistance Rock
When: 2-10 p.m. March 29
Where: The Cicada, 1002 S. Main St., Fort Worth
More information is available here.
Voter education groups, including the League of Women Voters of Tarrant County, will offer resources and show attendees how to access information about their elected officials and local government meetings.
Inspiration for the show came to Shimamoto during a conversation with a friend lamenting the Fort Worth musician community’s lack of political activity.
A nearly lifelong guitarist, Shimamoto has performed in several bands and is currently lead vocalist of the rock cover band, STC. He’s also a community activist and has advocated at Fort Worth City Council meetings for increased opportunities for residents to speak to their elected officials at public meetings.
This spring, Tarrant County polling places open for several elections, including runoffs for county, state and federal primary races; city council and school board seats; and city bonds and charter amendments.
About 26% of Tarrant’s 1.3 million registered voters cast ballots in the recent primaries. Last year’s municipal elections that included city council and school board seats across the county drew less than 8% turnout.
Over the past year, county officials reduced the number of polling locations — a change Shimamoto worries could negatively impact turnout.
“We’ve got to do more than we ever have before to get out the vote,” Shimamoto said.
Art and music are political, Shimamoto said, so it made sense to him to call on local musicians to help. They were quick to volunteer, he said.
The lineup includes more than a dozen local musicians and groups, including the rock and reggae band Pablo and the Hemphill 7, indie-rock band Bogus Green and punk metal band Ox Combine. Scheduled speakers will address various issues, such as housing and infrastructure, Shimamoto said.
Shimamoto doesn’t plan to tell people who or what to vote for — just to vote. Turnout is important because the “system works when people participate,” he said.
The Air Force veteran declined to label his political affiliation as either Republican or Democratic, instead describing himself as an “American who supports the Constitution, the rules of law and the right to due process.” All are welcome at Resistance Rock, he added.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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