A tiny stage in a college bar is hardly a powerful pulpit for political musicians advocating a "vote for change."

But for Lance Burgess (senior-English), that's all right.

"I think Alice Cooper said, 'To vote for someone just because a rock star told you to is worse than not voting at all,' " he said.

Burgess has taken several local stages as lead singer and guitarist for country-influenced indie band a brown leaf, but on Election Day, he will take to the voting booths and most likely vote for Sen. John Kerry -- a decision he made himself, without the assistance of his musical influences.

Only recently registered to vote, Burgess might fall into the exact demographic that many political musicians try to reach. But he said he made his own decision to become involved.

"You might feel pretty small and insignificant," he said, explaining why he had never registered before. "But you come to realize, that's just too easy."

Burgess eventually registered as an independent voter, but he said he is voting for Kerry mostly out of disagreement with President George W. Bush's platforms.

"The problem with this is, this election is vitally important, but it seems like it's come down to the lesser of two evils," Burgess said. "Whereas it is unfortunate, I'm probably only voting for Kerry for that reason."

Burgess also has more specific reasons for his decision. Many of his friends have gone to Iraq to fight in the war, and he does not agree with how Bush has handled the situation, especially after finding no weapons of mass destruction.

"Too many of my friends are in Iraq right now, and that is aggravating," he said. "It doesn't seem justified for those guys to take a year of their lives and do that."

As a musician, Burgess's biggest disagreement is with the blind endorsement of a candidate. He said he thinks anyone involved in an event such as the upcoming Vote for Change tour should focus more on informing young voters rather than swaying them either way.

"What bugs me about that is they're just saying 'go vote,' as opposed to 'go get informed,' " he said. "It's just like Michael Jordan advertising for Hanes underwear. If they're going to go up there and say to vote for whomever and then say why, that's better than just saying 'vote for this person.' "

Burgess said he thinks the general sentiment among musicians and music fans he encounters is one-sided. His band has played several shows at hardcore/punk-oriented venues and Burgess said he can sense anti-Bush feelings in those audiences.

"Is it punk rock to vote for Kerry? I don't know, but if it is, I bet a lot of people are going to vote for him," he said.

The band has had some fun with political issues, though. The group's Web site, www.abrownleaf.com, features a disclaimer, written by Burgess, which reads, "YOU SHOULD NOT BE WASTING YOUR TIME ON THE INTERNET ANYWAY. GO VOTE OR SOMETHING."

Burgess said the statement sarcastically reflects his feelings toward rock stars abusing their political voice. He posted that line after signing up for a mailing list hosted by MoveOn PAC, the organization supporting the Vote For Change Tour. What was intended to be an attempt to receive information on Pearl Jam concert tickets turned into an inbox full of four to five anti-Bush e-mail messages every day.

"I meant it and then didn't," Burgess said, regarding the statement on his Web site. "It's obviously an important time to vote, but maybe people are getting sick of hearing so much about it. There's definitely fun to be poked."