Feminist hardcore punk band, War On Women, recently released an acoustic version of “Predator In Chief,” a song which originally appeared on their exceptional 2018 album, Capture The Flag (which was one of the best protest albums of 2018 so far). The stripped down tune is featured on their upcoming EP, Live From Magpie Cage, which is due out November 9, […]
Learn more →I’m not going to lie, when I first decided to create a website featuring protest music I never imagined that I would be featuring Barbra Streisand. It’s a combination of her musically not being my cup of tea and the fact that her music isn’t generally considered political. In today’s divisive political climate even musicians who were once considered apolitical […]
Learn more →“Severed” is off of the Portland indie band 2018 studio album, I’ll Be Your Girl. It is their 8th studio album and it represents a departure in sound. The tunes are more synth heavy than previous efforts. Also like many artists the music was heavily influenced by the 2016 US Presidential election. In a statement made to the Current, lead singer Colin Meloy […]
Learn more →Jack White isn’t necessary known for recording political music, but there has been a few flirtations with writing socially conscious lyrics. For example, “The Big Three Killed My Baby” off of The White Stripes 1999 self titled debut is a protest against the automobile industry. Also during later performances of that tune White modified the lyrics to protest the Iraq […]
Learn more →“People’s Champ” is the newest single from Canadian indie rock band the Arkells. The catchy tune and fun video could cause some to lose sight of the socially conscious lyrics which resonates in today’s political climate. The song is a plead for leaders who truly care about their citizens. The lyrics also take a number of shots at Donald Trump. […]
Learn more →On May 4, 2018, English folk punker Frank Turner released his 7th studio album Be More Kind. Turner experiments with different elements and deviates from some of the rawness of previous albums. Lyrically it is probably his most socially conscious album to date. We will now look at five of the tracks from the album. Each of these contains timely messages […]
Learn more →“Can’t Deny Me” is Pearl Jam’s first original tune since their 2013 album Lighting Bolt. They released the protest song as a fan club single. The scathing lyrics takes clear aim at the Trump administration with lines such as: “Where’s your vocabulary? Your ignorance is sinful You plant your lying seeds Watch as the roots take hold The country you […]
Learn more →For close to two decades, Josh Ritter has established himself as a well-respected singer-songwriter. Recently he had the distinction of writing two tunes (“Be of Good Heart” and “Silver Blade) specifically for Joan Baez latest album Whistle Down The Wind. Ritter isn’t necessarily known as a protest singer, but he has written and recorded a handful of topical songs. For […]
Learn more →“R.I.P. Patriarchy” The following inscription appeared on a tombstone which was featured on the cover of Petra Glynt’s 2017 album This Trip. There is a renaissance of socially conscious female artists who are playing a role in not only trying to restructure a male dominated music industry, but society. Right now we are going to focus on ten women artists […]
Learn more →Back in November 2016 I started writing a book on the historical developments of protest music tentatively titled 500 Songs of Protests. Writing about music’s link to a variety of protest movements while the US election was winding down and then witnessing the aftermath of the results, made for an interesting climate to write about this subject. Within this backdrop there […]
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