Starting recording in the late 50s long-time singer-songwriter and activist Barbara Dane died on October 20, 2024, at 97. She had earned praise from Louis Armstong who described her as “a gasser!” and Bob Dylan who wrote an open letter to Broadside magazine in 1964 saying of Dane “we need more kind a people like that people that can’t go against […]
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Dream Nails, from artist’s Bandcamp Music is a reflection of society and is often influenced by the political climate. This small sampling of socially conscious albums features a diverse array of artists, genres, and political issues. The albums are presented in alphabetical order. Many of the writeups were reused from what I previously wrote. Integrated Tech Solutions by Aesop Rock […]
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Cover of the 1964 reissue by Folkways Records Released in 1940, Woody Guthrie’s first commercial recording Dust Bowl Ballads is widely cited as the first concept album. Based on both his personal experiences and John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath it details the 1930s Dust Bowl era during The Great Depression when farmers were dispossessed of their land due to […]
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Fatoumata Diawara, from artist Bandcamp Another month has passed and here is your monthly recap of notable socially conscious music. Songs/Videos: America Has a Problem (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – Beyoncé This remix of the track off Beyoncé 2022 album Renaissance features poignant contributions from Kendrick Lamar. Save the World – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit This is the latest […]
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Armed with his weapon of choice, a guitar that bore the sticker, “This Machine Kills Fascists”, Woody Guthrie was a pivotal contributor to the canon of protest tunes. During his lifetime, he composed nearly 3,000 lyrics, many of which remained unpublished. This has allowed a new generation of musicians to set these unused lyrics to music and create anthems that […]
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By now it has become obvious that I’m bad with introductions, so let’s get right into it. Here is a small sampling of socially conscious music released during the past month. Songs/Videos: Safe To Run (featuring Hurray for the Riff Raff) – Esther Rose The latest single by the country-folk singer fantasizes about escaping a world that is on the […]
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For some the Fourth of July is a patriotic day to celebrate the independence of the United States. For others, it is a mournful reminder of a nation built on colonialism and systemic racism. Folk duo Dan + Claudia Zanes addresses the more somber side of American history with “Reparations is a Must (4th of July Love Song),” the first […]
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This is the third video posted to the recently launched Ongoing History of Protest Songs YouTube channel. I’ll be posting at least one video a week. The first two videos focused on the best protest tunes of the 2010s, and 2000s. Subsequent videos will focus on the 80s, 70s, and 60s. These videos are based on articles I wrote for Spinditty, […]
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“This Machine Kills Fascists.” The following was emblazoned on Woody Guthrie’s guitar. Guthrie used his weapon of choice to compose timely songs of protest which still remain relevant. One of those tunes is “All You Fascists Bound To Lose” which Guthrie wrote back in 1942. The song was recently reworked by the Resistance Revival Chorus and Rhiannon Giddens. The tune […]
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This episode discusses the Protest Music Hall of Fame, an online archival project which chronicles the artists, albums, and songs which have contributed to the historical development of protest music. We also review the current inductees and discuss the recently posted nomination poll for 2020. On the podcast, we play Bartees Strange’s cover of Woody Guthrie’s “Tear These Fascists Down”, and […]
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