Many of my fondest memories in life are connected to attending concerts. A couple of the shows that have had the most significant impact are those I just accidentally stumbled upon. One such defining moment was when I saw Johnny Cash perform live on August 30th, 1994 at the CNE Bandstand. I was at the Canadian National Exhibition with a couple of […]
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Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting where 26 were killed. Instead of being an isolated event, sadly there have been several school shootings since then. In connection with this singer-songwriter, educator, and community organizer Gabrielle Zwi recently released the poignant tune “Guns to a Playground Fight,” about the reality of growing up in the “school […]
Learn more →One advantage of having a music blog is that people message you suggesting certain songs and artists. Several of these recommendations I was considering featuring as part of the poorly misnamed Daily Dose of Protest, but due to my sporadic posting never had the opportunity. In order to rectify that, I will now feature a few socially conscious tunes that […]
Learn more →After a couple of solo albums, Canadian singer-songwriter Anime Oscen released a four song EP with Hive, entitled North Country. It was executive produced by Chuck D. On the surface the legendary rapper helping to produce a country act may seem to be an odd pairing, but there is similarities in the socially conscious message of the music. The EP […]
Learn more →Molly Nilsson is a Swedish synth-pop artist, who recently released her eighth studio album, Twenty Twenty. Even though the tunes on the album are more influenced by the personal than the political, the mood of the music is heavily influenced by the current political climate. This is evident on the opening track “Every Night Is New,” which refers to “a […]
Learn more →Every time a mass shooting happens, a similar narrative takes place: “thoughts and prayers,” “it is too soon too talk about gun control,” which is followed by no meaningful action taking place. Recently, enough fed up citizens are starting to raise their voices and are making it clear that the time for discussion and action is now. “Thoughts and Prayers” […]
Learn more →Mark Erelli is a veteran singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who released eleven albums as a solo folk artist and as served as a side musician for Josh Ritter and Lori McKenna. He enlisted the help of Ritter and McKenna, along with Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow and Anais Mitchell on his latest composition, “By Degrees.” Rosanne Cash, a longtime advocate for gun […]
Learn more →80 Years of Protest Songs Part 1: 1939-1958 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 2: 1959-1978 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 3: 1979-1998 The aftermath of 9/11 ushered in a new chapter for protest music. The Iraq war and George W. Bush became the Vietnam & the Nixon for the 2000s. The 2010s brought in a renewed emphasis in […]
Learn more →Birds of Ontario is a Canadian alt-folk duo made up of Eric Lepp and Matthew Klassen. “Guns” is the first single from their upcoming album which is due to be released sometime in the summer of 2018. It is the follow-up to their 2017 debut Music For Animals. The video begins with the disclaimer that the song isn’t meant to […]
Learn more →Bill See is the lead singer of veteran indie rock band Divine Weeks. The band started in the late ’80s and were starting to garner some attention for their energetic live shows. They also received rotation on MTV’s 120 Minutes for their video for “In The Country (For Jim Carroll)”. Even though it appeared that the band were poised for […]
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