The music being made continues to reflect the current socio-political climate. Here is a recap of notable socially conscious music released during August. Songs/Videos: Black AF – Crystal Axis This is the latest tune by the Anti-colonial Afropunk band from Nairobi. The band posted the following statement on the song’s YouTube page: “Black AF draws from our various experiences as […]
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Danceland is a Toronto-based jam band, which includes husband and wife co-vocalists and songwriters Joe and Jale Ferland. They recently released their debut album, Pink Lem. Even though the album may be the band’s debut, Joe Ferland is a veteran musician who came up through the 1990s New York City music scene, playing in an array of rock and pop-punk […]
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When news hit that Derrick Chauvin was found guilty on all three accounts for the murder of George Floyd, there was a collective sigh of relief. But the fact that the verdict was in doubt is evidence that there is still a long way to go. The reality is that since the trial started on March 29, police have on […]
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On Monday, February 8th, Mary Wilson, a founding member of The Supremes, sadly passed away at the age of 76. Along with being apart of one of the most successful vocal groups of all-time, she was also considered a style icon and activist. Billboard published her final interview, where she discusses the challenges of touring during the days of segregation. […]
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As we get closer to the US Presidential election there has been a spike in protest music. Much of the music released is either directly aimed at Trump or discusses the importance of voting. As with the previous months, there is also music that addresses issues of systemic racism, police brutality, and a variety of other social concerns. Also, in […]
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This episode features activist, journalist, and rapper Awkword. We discuss his new tune “Ten Demands (featuring Jesse Jett)’ and his work with the Ten Demands for Justice initiative which provides a roadmap towards abolition. We also discuss how he views music has an extension of his activism and how rap and punk music saved his life. During the episode, we play portions […]
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Zeal & Ardor is the mastermind of Swiss-American musician Manuel Gagneux. The experimental project is known for successfully blending black metal with African American spirituals, two genres that on the surface shouldn’t work. The band released two full-length studio albums, 2016’s Devil Is Fine and 2018’s Stranger Fruit. Both albums deal with the premise of what would happen if American […]
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We continue to live in crazy times. The issues of police brutality and ongoing Black Lives Matter protests were magnified with Jacob Blake being shot seven times by police on August 23. Since then there has been increased violence and deaths with right-wing counter-protest groups traveling to Portland and Kenosha to stir up further divisiveness. On top of that, Corona […]
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“Lockdown” was released on Juneteenth, which commemorates the liberation of slaves on June 19, 1865. Anderson composed the tune based on his own experience of attending Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others at the hand of police officers. The tune serves as a sad reminder that despite any […]
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Jyoti is the one-woman jazz ensemble moniker of experimental soul artist, Georgia Anne Muldrow and it is the nickname given to her by a family friend, the legendary Alice Coltrane. Her forthcoming studio album, Mama, You Can Bet! is out August 28. She has released two socially conscious singles from the album “This Walk” (which includes the B-side “The Cowrie […]
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