NYS Music 20​17

Tag: this week in protest music

  • This Week in Protest Music: Snoop Dogg, Juliana Hatfield, Sex Pistols and Stefan Lessard

    Snoop Dogg released “Lavender” (Nightfall Remix) featuring a clown named Ronald Klump, who wants to deport all doggs, and later Snoop fires a fake pistol at Klump, who later in the video is in chains. Watch the roller coaster video and judge for yourself:

    Boston-based soul/rock band Dan & the Wildfire released their new single, “Nothing But Love” on February 22nd and will donate all proceeds to the ACLU.

    Juliana Hatfield will release a Pussycat, a politically themed album, on April 28. Hatfield said of the release, “I wasn’t planning on making a record … All of these songs just started pouring out of me. And I felt an urgency to record them, to get them down, and get them out there.”

    Tom Maxwell profiles The Hutchinson Family Singers, who were abolitionists with an anti-slavery anthem.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyoC-JccYcc

    Katy Perry released “Chained to the Rhythm”, a ‘purposeful pop’ protest song, which was then skewered by the NY Post.

    Protest music towards Trump has taken off globally, and through dance music, as detailed by The National, based in United Arab Emirates.

    Connecticut based saxophonist Noah Preminger released Meditations on Freedom, on Inauguration Day and Mike Hamad at The Hartford Courant breaks down the albums political themes.

    Canadians are getting in on protest music too! Hollerado from Ontario wrote “Grief Money” prior to Trump’s election but it was “It was an unhappy coincidence” the song had a secondary meaning. Blood, Sweat and Tears former singer David Clayton-Thomas wrote “Ode to the Donald” and Wintersleep wrote “Amerika,” tunes that show the interconnectedness of American policy and our Canadian neighbors.

    Jon Lydon of the Sex Pistols, who rebelled against the system with punk in the 70s and 80s sees the bright side in Trump, in a new interview with Vulture.

    Stefan Lessard of Dave Matthews Band spoke out on the inclusion of political themes in the group’s music as a rebuttal to some fans disagreeing with combining politics with music.

    The Colorado Springs Independent takes a look at The Politics of Protest Music.

    Matthew O’Neill released “Louisiana” with all proceeds benefiting Earth Guardians.

    Portland, Oregon’s Jeffery Martin released “What We’re Marching Toward,” and the Worcester Telegram breaks down the song’s message.

  • This Week in Protest Music: Tribe at the Grammys, Depeche Mode and Standing Rock

    In a busy week for protest music, the Grammy’s served as ground zero for speaking out against the actions of the Administration in Washington, D.C. Katy Perry wore a ‘Persist’ armband, a nod to Senator Elizabeth Warren.

    A Tribe Called Quest stole the show at the Grammy’s with a three song medley of “Award Tour,” “Movin Backwards,” and “We the People,” which featured Busta Rhymes thanking the President:”

    “I wanna thank President Agent Orange for perpetuating all the evil that you’ve been perpetuating throughout the United States. I wanna thank President Agent Orange for your unsuccessful attempt at the Muslim ban. Now we come together!”

    Depeche Mode released the video for “Where’s the Revolution,” off their upcoming album Spirit, due out March 17th. The lyrics are straightforward – wondering where the revolution is – and the video dark with nods to authoritarian leaders.

    “You’ve been kept down / You’ve been pushed ’round / You’ve been lied to/ You’ve been fed truths / Who’s making your decisions / You or your religion / Your government, your countries / You patriotic junkiesWhere’s the revolution / Come on people / You’re letting me down / Where’s the revolution / Come on people / You’re letting me down”

    Joan Baez talked to Rolling Stone to discuss protest movements in the 1960s and today and her feelings on our current president.

    Billboard checked in with record shops around the country to see what protest music people are buying. Stores in L.A, NYC, Detroit and Madison, WI were sampled and among others, Bob Dylan’s music stands the test of time.

    Wayne Coyne isn’t a fan of protest music, telling Newsweek “If you want to protest, you can’t do it abstractly. Music only works as an abstraction.”

    Musicradar.com takes a negative (or tongue in cheek – we really couldn’t tell) look at why protest songs are making things worse.

    Glassine, a musician from Baltimore, created a track comprised solely of samples from the Women’s March to benefit Planned Parenthood.

    Charlene Haparimwi from Depaul University writes for Huffington Post with a look at women of color in folk music, a direct tie-in to protest music of today and yesteryear.

    Trapdoor Social, an activist-centered music group, produced “Never Stop Listening,” focuses on the group’s experiences at Standing Rock in North Dakota, and the fight that has yet to come.

    This cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” includes overviews of the protests in the past four weeks.

    People Magazine has as list of 16 protest songs from the past century, including some lesser known tunes.

    Brendan Maclean’s explicit “House of Air” video was pulled off YouTube and Huffington Post discussed the idea behind the song and video with him.

    Washington D.C. group Coup Sauvage and The Snips released Heirs of Nothing, the title track speaking like a sermon on gentrification before it gets funky.

    The Cornel West Theory released “#weaintblack,” using samples from Cornel West speeches ahead of deep lyrics on race and the struggle of African-Americans through U.S. history

    The Observer, serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s colleges, reflects on how we arrived at 2017 with a look at modern protest music, summing up the current state of affairs:

    Internet fundraising in 2017 may not have Country’s Joe’s iconic flare or Springsteen’s popular appeal, but it makes up for these shortcomings with its clear logistical vision. Awareness won’t cut it anymore. A successful movement turns its obstacles into assets and embraces a political game movement in which persuasion is king and money the most convincing premise

  • This Week in Protest Music: Father John Misty, Eminem and India.Arie

    MoogFest announced a Protest Stage at the May 2017 festival, in Response to HB2/Travel Ban. A statement from the festival invites fans to “Attend the Protest Stage, a dedicated space for resistance. As one of our key themes this year, Protest will also be brought to life through workshops, installations, conversations, and masterclasses. We will stand in full accord with artists from various communities to collectively celebrate inclusivity and elevate the fight against discrimination here in North Carolina and across the world.

    Read a history of protest music from Iowa State Daily, then read the The Leftsetz Letter as to why we dont have as much protest music now.

    From our neighbors to the north, Ottawa Citizen breaks down how to write a good protest song.

    Read WBUR’s interview with singer/activist India.Arie and her songs for Black Lives Matter and Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday.

    Father John Misty’s “Two Wildly Different Perspectives” is a poignant take on US immigration policy, saying of the incredibly touching video, “More kids are going to die now thanks to the unbelievably selfish immigration policy of places like Saudi Arabia and the USA.”

    Of Tomorrow, a funk/hop-hop group out of Washington D.C. released a video for “Order of the Red Banner,” with the lyrics “Remember the November of treason and plot – when we stayed home, woke up and groaned, and this is what we got.

    And Eminem appeared on the Big Sean song “No Favors,” calling the president a bitch and vowing to “make his whole brand go under.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRzlq6tWNWU

  • This Week in Protest Music – Gorillaz, Frank Turner and Carole King

    Artists of all genres and popularity take part in this American tradition, one that we at NYS Music hold dear. Our series “This Week in Protest Music” arrives at a time when there should not be silence from the media and amplify the voices of the people who strive to be heard, in particular those who are amplified by musicians. Dissent is patriotic.

    This week we have the first new song from Gorillaz in six years, Frank Turner’s “The Sand in the Gears”, an ode to protesting, with lyrics beginning “Can’t I spend the next four years at a punk show?” and ending “Let’s be the sand in the gears for the next four years,” Carole King’s re-released “One Small Voice,” reaffirming the role of the individual voice, and Radney Foster’s “All That I Require,” singing about the rise of fascism in politics today.

    Most recently, Bruce Springsteen performed in Australia on Friday, performing “American Land”, and saying “America is a land of immigrants, this is fundamentally un-American. This is a song about immigrants.”

  • This Week in Protest Music – Audioslave Reunites, new tracks by Arcade Fire and Dumpstaphunk

    A vast history of protest music has been written in response to events in our American history. Songs well known (“This Land is Your Land,” “Masters of War,” “Fortunate Son”) and lesser known (“Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” “Ashes of War,” “Hardsome Johnny“) have been written and popularized thanks to the American right to peacefully assemble and speak freely, without fear of persecution. Artists of all genres and popularity take part in this American tradition, one that we at NYS Music hold dear. We begin this week with our new series, This Week in Protest Music. This is not a time for silence by the media, nor is it a time to ignore the voices of the people whose voices strive to be heard, in particular those who are amplified by musicians. Dissent is patriotic.

    We will share the most current and relevant protest music that is written in light of the events surrounding the new administration’s ascent to power. Neil Young took four weeks to write “Ohio” in the wake of the Kent State shooting in 1970. Thanks to technology and the immediacy of news, songs in response to unpopular actions will be more frequent and plentiful in number.

    Music is universal. Music speaks for us all. Music takes a stand.

    We share that music with you.

    This week in protest music:

    Audioslave reunited at a Prophets of Rage show at Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles. The event also featured Vic Mensa, Jackson Browne, Jack Black and the Los Angeles Freedom Choir. 

    Arcade Fire were joined by Mavis Staples for “I Give You Power.”

    Dumpstaphunk debuted the video for “Justice,” featuring Trombone Shorty. Regarding the song’s message, Ivan Neville told Relix, “The human part is that major common thread that some other humans have the ability to ignore.” He added, “This song is to remind people that we are all in this together no matter what your beliefs, race, or any other perceived differences. When you look at how far we’ve come and think about all the progress we’ve made and then think about how far we still have to go. That’s when you need justice in all its form.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp_tdt61EVA

    The National headlined a Planned Parenthood benefit and debuted “Turtleneck.”

    In honor of the Women’s March this weekend, Fiona Apple debuted “Tiny Hands.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geQPkEYJtf4

Built in Breakdance