Billy Bragg, one of the artists who recorded a response song to Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Man North of Richmond”. Via artist’s Bandcamp The history of protest music has a long-standing tradition of songs written in response to other songs. For example, Woody Guthrie’s protest standard “This Land Is Your Land” was composed to critique Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. This […]
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This was previously exclusive to my now defunct Patreon and was private. I’ve decided to make this public. This is the video footage of my Episode 22 podcast interview with Portland-based singer-songwriter and activist David Rovics, who released four albums in 2020. We discuss what inspires him to be so prolific. We also discuss his then most recent album, Say Their Names, the […]
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Due to health issues, I haven’t been posting on the site as much as I like. But I still have had the opportunity to discover many notable protest albums during the past year. Here is a list of 40 socially conscious albums worth listening to. Adeem the Artist – Cast Iron Pansexual Adeem the Artist is a non-binary country singer […]
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Here is this month’s sampling of notable socially conscious music. Songs/Videos: Lula Wiles – Television This is the first single off the Americana trio’s upcoming album Shame and Sedition, which will drop on May 21. The song was previously featured as a Daily Dose of Protest. Allison Russell – Nightflyer The Canadian singer-songwriter of Our Native Daughters and Birds of […]
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Along with this site, I regularly contribute to Shadowproof. Twice a month a post on this site is also featured on theirs. I have also contributed to their best albums lists, including their list of Top Ten Protest Albums of 2020. I selected five albums and the remaining five were picked by Kevin Gosztola. Eight of the ten albums were […]
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Just about every 2020 best album list features some variance of 2020 was a shitty year, but at least we had plenty of good music to help get us through. Let’s skip all of that, and get straight to the list of the 40 best protest albums of 2020. When putting the list together several notable releases deserved consideration but […]
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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 Portland-based singer-songwriter and activist David Rovics, who has already released four albums in 2020. We discuss what inspires him to be so prolific. We also discuss his most recent album, Say Their Names, the current situation in Portland, the important role music plays in protest movements, the challenges of being a DIY artist, among other topics. The podcast […]
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After the noticeable spike in political music in June, July eased off a bit. But there was still plenty of music to provide the soundtrack to what continues to be tumultuous times. We are still in the middle of a pandemic, people continue to protest, and Breonna Taylor’s murderers are still free. Here is a recap of some of the […]
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2020 has been a shitty year and we are only halfway through. In comparison, since starting this site in December 2017, I’ve never had a tougher time narrowing down a best-of list. It has been a peak year for socially conscious music. Many of the albums that have been released are the perfect snapshot of the current political climate. There […]
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