Tag: activism

DEC 6, 2013 - Great music has always been a part of Austin and one band in particular, Quiet Company, has been turning heads and really gaining attention not only because of their good tunes, but the band leader Taylor Muse had a loss of Christian faith and wrote about it with the 2011 album We Are All Where We Belong. It was tough transition for him, for growing up in Austin he said Christian music was a big part of all bands. However he came home one day and told his wife, "I'm having a little bit of a crisis of faith. I just realized today that I can't make a case for Christianity that would convince myself." He set out to write songs to counter the Christian message of worrying about the afterlife and saying this life is "...not your home, This is not where you belong." Muse takes the opposite side, and sings about the humanist message about living your life today here and now saying, "This is your one chance to make your life into what you want it to be."

Listen to a great interview on NPR.org here, and check out the band's website here. Listen to a great song to sing your daughter to sleep to, reassuring her she can let go all the nonsense that Christianity fills your head with and "Set Your Monster Free" below:

DEC 2, 2013 - I watched the new Magnolia Pictures film "Marley" about the life of reggae music artist Bob Marley on VH1 Palladia on my DVR over the weekend, and it was awesome. The director, Kevin MacDonald, takes you on a journey to really let you know who the man was behind the music you know so well. I have always had respect and admiration for Bob Marley and what he accomplished in his short life, but after seeing this film I realized he was in my opinion the greatest activist musician ever. From handing out wads of cash to any poor person who would wander into his villa, to getting the two political candidates running for office in the violent and deadly 1970s Jamaican politics to hold hands and call for peace between the two sides on stage at one of his concerts, he was truly an outstanding individual.

Bob had a unique perspective on life, being born as a so-called "mix-raced" child. His father, Norval Marley, was European, who had a brief affair with Cedella Booker. His father never played a role in his life, and the rejection hurt Bob and he wrote the song "Cornerstone" with the lyrics, "The stone that the builder refuse, will always be the head cornerstone..." that many believe he was referencing to. He eventually discovered music, and formed "The Wailers" and became hugely popular and successful in Jamaica. Bob wanted to spread the word of Reggae, love and spirituality through his music, and make it accessible for the entire world. So, he set up a new band called "Bob Marley and the Wailers", and like a preacher on a revival tour he took the world by storm. Whirling on stage like a wizard or a priest, he captivated millions of people all over the world with his great music and message of hope and love. He still affects millions of people's lives to this day. 

When the 1970s politics got violent and deadly, Bob cooperated with the Jamaican government and held a "Peace Concert" and stopped the bloodshed. He held another peace concert in Zimbabwe when they got their independence, being attacked with tear gas while on stage. He spoke about activism many times in his songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up", but he seemed to me not a person that wanted to take sides, he just wanted everyone to work out things peacefully and just get along. His main message was get active and get involved in non-violent action and "Stand up for your rights"; like registering to vote and voting. Watch this great film "Marley" from Magnolia pictures (the trailer is below) and I think you will agree he is an amazing person, and deserves the title of "Greatest Activist Musician of All Time". It is making the rounds on VH1 Palladia and Netflix, or you can order the Blu-Ray or DVD at the official film's site here.  (photo credit: Ueli Frey/CC)

NOV 27, 2013 - Phil Ochs, one of the most legendary activist musicians from the 1960s, is being honored and remembered by his sister Sonny and a New England band tour of several great musicians such as Greg Greenway, David Roth, Pat Wictor, Zoe Lewis and Sharon Katz. They play Phil's classic folk songs and anti-war ballads such as "I Ain't Marching Anymore" and "Is There Anybody Here?" in several locations throughout New England. Activism played a huge role in Phil's life, and he was very strong in his convictions and used the folk music scene of the 1960s to express his views through his music. Read about his amazing life and unfortunate fall with depression on his Wikipedia page, and watch him sing his anti-war folk song classic "I Ain't Marching Anymore" below. Read a great article on the tour and Phil's life, as well as an interview with Phil's sister Sonny on CapeCodOnline.com. (photo credit: Chip Berlet/CC)

NOV 26, 2013 - I found this small clip of a skit by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood at the CMA Awards poking fun of the rollout of the Affordable Health Care Act, or the "AHCA" as I like to call it. Many folks call it "Obamacare", but the two poked fun of the horrendous rollout of the website part of the health care exchanges to the tune of an old George Strait song. Maybe if the Teabagger Republican governors would have cooperated more with the federal government on the exchanges, and worked for their constituents instead of a political party (a small one I might add), then maybe the rollout would have been smoother. Watch for the reaction of Taylor Swift, who is a big President Obama supporter. Lets hope they get it all fixed in the next few weeks, and get the federal exchanges humming as well as the state exchanges, where enrollment is surging.  Those are the states where the governor cooperated and didn't suffer from OHDS: Obama Hatred Derangement Syndrome. The website is actually handling a fair clip of people, and will get better. If you do not have health insurance either thorough Medicaid or your employment, many will find they will be covered by Medicaid, qualify for subsidies to help pay for it, or find a cheap health insurance plan through the exchanges for as little as $20 a month. You may need it one day. Visit HealthCare.gov today to see your options.

NOV 21, 2013 - A new "supergroup" calling themselves Kings of Chaos has formed featuring many musicians we all love from various bands, such as Joe Elliot from Def Leppard, and Slash from Guns N Roses, and many others. Leading the band's fight against senseless and brutal slaughter of dolphins, featured in the movie we blogged about earlier called "The Cove", is activist-musician Matt Sorum. Using his band's first concert kicking off their tour in LA, he allowed animal rights activist Ric O'Barry, who has been out in front on this issue, to speak before the show to the audience and make people more aware and active on this issue. Listen below to Ric speak about his organization the Dolphin Project that is doing great work in this field, and check out their Facebook Page here. If you wish to leave a comment or start a conversation, check out the Justice Through Music Facebook site here. Check out the Kings of Chaos website here.