Black Belt Eagle Scout is the moniker for Portland based singer-songwriter Katherine Paul. On the Bandcamp page for her upcoming debut album, Mother of My Children, Paul describes herself as a “radical indigenous queer feminist.” Concerning the album which is due out on September 14, 2018, Paul says the tunes are “about grief and love for people, but also about being […]
Learn more →Prophets of Rage just released a new music video for “Who Owns Who” a track off of the supergroup’s 2017 self-titled debut album. The hard-hitting tune serves as a reminder that if the people rise against systemic oppression then they reclaim ownership of their rights. The song also serves as a reminder to corrupt governmental officials that their constituents “fuckin’ […]
Learn more →Alternative hip hop artist Dessa recently released a music video for “Fire Drills”, a poignant track off of her latest album Chime. The song deals with the challenges of being a woman in a society where more blame is put on victims than perpetrators. That is highlighted with the following verse: “so you shouldn’t try to stay too late or […]
Learn more →“I Might Need Security” is one of four new tunes just released by acclaimed Chicago indie rapper Chance The Rapper. Chance is no stranger to exploring socially conscious themes, but this tune may be his most political. In the song, Chance starts off by declaring “I ain’t no activist, I’m the protagonist.” Whatever title you want to give him he […]
Learn more →The following above tweet from Bandcamp managing editor Jes Skolnik references lyrics from “Paranoid Chant” off of the Minutemen’s 1980 debut EP Paranoid Time. Living up to their name, the seminal punk trio blasts through 7 tracks in just under 7 minutes. The entire EP addresses Cold War era paranoia. The tune which was originally recorded while Cold War tensions […]
Learn more →On July 15, 2018, four members of the Russian activist group Pussy Riot ran on the field wearing police outfits during the second half of the FIFA World Cup finals, which was taking place in Russia. Their motivation was to draw attention to the human right abuses in Russia. Olga Pahtusova, Olga Kuracheva, Nika Nikulshina, Peter Verzilov were all jailed for […]
Learn more →Bhi Bhiman is an American singer-songwriter born from Sir Lankan immigrants. His latest single and video, “Beyond The Border” explores the plight of immigrants coming into the USA. Bhiman describes the tune as being about “an undocumented Latino immigrant who has twice been displaced.” The displacement initially takes place from Central America which is followed by the heartbreak of being separated […]
Learn more →“Fear is not so far from hate So if you get the folks to fear It only takes one small twist To kick it up a gear” The following lyrics are from “The Things We Do To Each Other”, a track off of Cowboy Junkies new album, All That Reckoning. That line is the perfect synopsis of the prevailing xenophobia […]
Learn more →On February 22, 2017, two Sikh immigrants Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani were murdered inside a Kansas restaurant by a racist who mistaken them for Muslims. This incident inspires guitarist Marc Ribot to compose the tune “Srinivas”. The song features vocals from Steve Earle and Tift Merritt. Much of the lyrics were ripped from news articles. Ribot made a statement concerning […]
Learn more →Very few musicians have had a more varied career than Alejandro Escovedo. He got his start in the 70s with the punk band the Nuns. From there his musical output ranged from alt-country, alt-rock, cowpunk and Chicano rock. His upcoming album The Crossing is due out September 14, 2018. It is a concept album about the experiences of two immigrants, one […]
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