David Rovics: Strangers and Friends David Rovics, the topical songwriter from Portland, Oregon, has just released Strangers and Friends, a new album that may well be his best ever. Rovics has been mentioned a lot in this column over the years. Many of this paper’s readers have seen him live, and even hosted his concerts. […]
Chilean anthem calls out femicide A flashmob performance piece written by a feminist collective in the Chilean city of Valparaíso has been taken up by women worldwide as a battle cry for justice. “Un violador en tu camino” (“A rapist in your path”) is an important part of the ongoing mass struggle to end Chile’s […]
Allende era’s music inspires Chileans The struggle that culminated in the election of Salvador Allende’s socialist Popular Unity government in Chile in 1970 was nurtured by a profound musical revolution. While Latin America’s Nueva Canción (“New Song”) movement of the sixties and seventies was a continent-wide phenomenon, many of its most illustrious figures were Chileans. […]
Waters to Assange: Wish You Were Here More than a thousand Julian Assange supporters cheered as Australian journalist and filmmaker, John Pilger, introduced Roger Waters at a September 2 demonstration outside the British Home Office. The rally called for an end to the unlawful detention and persecution of the Wikileaks publisher. Waters, co-founder of Pink […]
On Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” Folksinger Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) is widely acclaimed as the great bard of the American working class. More than fifty years after his death, his songs are still performed around the world. Guthrie grew up in Okemah, Oklahoma, in the heart of Cherokee country. So when a young […]
Johnny Clegg: 1953-2019 Johnny Clegg, the South African musician who defied apartheid by forming two highly-successful biracial bands died at his home in Johannnesburgh on July 16th after a long fight with cancer. Clegg’s first band, Juluka, began in 1969 as a duo with co-founder, Sipho Mchunu, a Zulu migrant worker and musician. Juluka, the […]
“Blood”: anthem of the Sudanese struggle There are times when, in the midst of a democratic struggle, an artist appears who expresses the aspirations and the anger of the people. The Sudanese rapper Ayman Mao is one such artist. His song “Dum” (“Blood”) is widely recognized as an anthem of Sudan’s democratic revolution. The popularity […]
Songs of Our Native Daughters “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times”. So said the celebrated African-American singer, pianist, and freedom fighter Nina Simone. Today, Our Native Daughters, a quartet of distinguished and versatile women musicians (who must certainly be considered Simone’s progeny) are doing just that, reflecting our times, even as they delve […]
Rhiannon Giddens: artist and teacher John Jeremiah Sullivan’s essay “Rhiannon Giddens and What Folk Means” (www.newyorker.com) is a must-read for people interested in the history of American folk music and its contemporary relevance. Giddens is a singer, banjoist, fiddler, and researcher from Greensboro, NC, who rose to prominence with the Grammy-winning string band, The Carolina […]
A May Day Salute to Musicians in Struggle Music Notes is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Every month, this column has reported on the response of musicians to serious political, social justice, and environmental issues, and on music industry developments that directly affect both artists and the general public. There are thousands of musicians around the […]
MUSIC NOTES 