PREVIEW: “518 WOODSTOCK” PERFORMERS DISCUSS THEIR FAVORITE PROTEST SONGS
03/22 @ Lost & Found, Albany
“It is crucial to have songs that point out what needs changing, that make you consider and question your own beliefs and morals. It is just as important to have songs that simply say, ‘We can and will get through this.’”
On March 22, a whopping 15 local performers will gather at Lost & Found in Albany for One Day of Peace and Music in support of the Capital Region Sanctuary Coalition, an organization providing support for our local immigrant communities. The show is a nod to the original Woodstock of 1969, which took place just a few hours from here, providing now-legendary performances in celebration of peace, love and counterculture. As we find ourselves in yet another politically and socially tumultuous time, these incredible musicians will be providing their take on classic protest anthems, as well as their own poignant originals. We asked each of them to discuss their favorite protest song in support of the event — what it means to them and why it still feels so relevant today. Their responses are below.
Lucas Garrett
Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Fortunate Son”
It’s one of the first songs that made me pick up my guitar. As a kid, I had CCR’s Greatest Hits and The Beatles’ White Album on repeat. What’s not to love about “Fortunate Son”? The blue-collar anthem of the late 1960s rebuked the wealth disparity (“I ain’t no millionaire’s son”) and served as a staunch protest song against the Vietnam War. Change the global players, replace millionaire with billionaire, and look at the lyrics through a modern-political-lens and the song is just as relevant today as it was back then.
Chris Gockley
Gil Scott-Heron - “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
A danceable meditation eviscerating modern society’s distraction from the struggle for liberation by commercial television. Hypnotic drum and bass, and pulsing lyricism, push the listener through key changes while challenging us to mobilize, to dance, to live in the physical world. Our distractions have grown, the control mechanisms have evolved, and corporate media continues obscuring reality, but the revolution is still LIVE.
JB!! aka Dirty Moses
Marvin Gaye - “What’s Going On”
When you speak of soul music and beauty in the form of a voice, there is no better display of this than Marvin Gaye. The ENTIRE ALBUM What’s Going On is a revolution in song form. The title song elicits strong emotions of despair and desperation with lines like, “Mother, mother, there’s too many of you crying. Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying” and “Father, father, we don’t need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer. For only love can conquer hate…” What was said in the ‘70s rings true today. I wonder what he would write about if he was still alive.
Simon Elijah
Tracy Chapman - “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution”
Good protest songs are simple — they get straight to the point and condense a complex societal problem into something that’s bite-sized, easy to sing along to and approachable for all kinds of people. At less than three minutes in length, this Tracy Chapman song is a hallmark example of an anthem that rallies people together for a cause. Chapman wrote “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution" when she was only sixteen years old and it stands as proof that one does not need to be a master songwriter with decades of experience to write a good protest song; all it takes is to sing the truth.
Andy Scullin
NOFX - “Idiots Are Taking Over”
While this song is technically about the GW Bush era of idiocy, it rings even louder today. Followers continue to follow fables, as our society does a death-swirl down the drain. Idiots have taken over, but it doesn't mean we can't fight back.
Horsegrenades
Crosby, Stills & Nash - “Wooden Ships”
This song was written at the height of the Vietnam War and performed at Woodstock 1969 and though the main interpretation of the song is about the fallout of nuclear holocaust and subsequent dystopian future, we also interpreted it as colonists invading the shores of the Americas and displacement of the indigenous peoples. And that’s the hallmark of great music — its meaning can be appropriated for many different interpretations.
Amélie (from Question of the Century)
Charles Albert Tindley, Lucille Simmons, Pete Seeger, & others - “We Shall Overcome”
Sometimes the most important thing about a song is not even directly what it says, so much as the circumstances in which it exists and is shared. The lyrics are easy to pick up and near-impossible to listen to without singing along, and it is likewise near-impossible to sing along to without feeling at least a little more hopeful than you did beforehand. Hope is one of the most motivating things there is. It is crucial to have songs that point out what needs changing, that make you consider and question your own beliefs and morals. It is just as important to have songs that simply say, “We can and will get through this.” It is no wonder that countless people all over the world have been singing “We Shall Overcome” together for generations.
Francis Davies (from Question of the Century)
Phil Ochs - “Power and Glory”
Whenever the topic of “underrated artists” comes up, I talk about Phil Ochs. Phil wrote protest music in an elegant, yet direct way that remains, unfortunately, relevant today. “Power and Glory” is Phil’s most hopeful song, with verses describing the natural beauty of America and contrasting it with all her social issues; the choruses remind us that it is our responsibility to better this country and to protect each other’s rights.
DJ Fearless
2Pac - “Changes”
This song was so powerful when it was released and it still holds true to this day. It strongly critiques systemic racism, poverty and violence. He passionately asks for change through self reflection and compassion.
TJ Foster
Rage Against the Machine - “Killing in the Name Of”
If I was to do word association with the phrase “protest music,” the first words out of my mouth would likely be “Rage Against the Machine.” This was probably my first introduction to the notion of larger scale protest music. And “Killing in the Name Of” — released in 1992 as a condemnation of police brutality and institutional racism in response to the beating of Rodney King and the L.A. riots — is arguably their pièce de résistance. And it’s a shame it’s still so relevant today. What is most fascinating to me about this song is that it says so much in so few words; there are only six unique lines in the whole song! But with “Fuck you, I won’t do what ya tell me” chanted over and over to wrap things up, they didn’t really need many more to produce one of the greatest fist-in-the-air protest songs of my generation.
James Mullen
Bruce Springsteen - “The Ghost of Tom Joad”
I just love the ambience of this song, the mood it sets as well as how it touches on several different issues without feeling like it’s trying to cram everything in. And, of course, it contains these lyrics that I think are just the ultimate call to action: "Mom, wherever there's a cop beating a guy / Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries / Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air / Look for me, Mom, I'll be there / Wherever somebody's fighting for a place to stand / Or a decent job or a helping hand / Wherever somebody's struggling to be free / Look in their eyes, Ma, and you'll see me."
Girl Love
Carsie Blanton - “The Little Flame”
Written just last year in response to the genocide in Palestine, “The Little Flame” is not just a song of hope. It’s a promise to those in power that the people’s will always has and always will endure. It’s both a vow and an encouragement as we continue on. “They buried us, but we were seeds / Singing from the grave, we rise / To keep the little flame alive”
Caity Gallagher
Brandi Carlile - “The Joke”
This song is a subtle yet in-your-face protest. The verses highlight two types of discrimination and cruelty we see occur far too often. The bullying and singling out of the “other.” They’re orchestrated and sang with a quiet persistence, gorgeously balanced by a forceful, pleading chorus. Encouraging the listener, anyone who identifies with this song, to carry on in spite of the struggle. I can’t sing along without getting a lump in my throat at this line: “They come to kick dirt in your face / To call you weak and then displace you / After carrying your baby on your back across the desert / I saw your eyes behind your hair / And you're looking tired, but you don't look scared.”
Sydney Worthley
The Cranberries - “Zombie”
This song haunts you from the first note and forces you to reconcile with the tragedy of war. It really captivates the anger you feel as a civilian watching the world fall apart. Comparing leaders and followers to “zombies” is still heartbreakingly relevant today when we see politicians mindlessly tearing families apart without any sign of feeling. Not only pointing to the loss of children in the crossfire of a pointless war, but reminding you that it’s a cyclical narrative: “Another mother’s breaking heart is taking over / When the violence causes silence we must be mistaken / It’s the same old theme since 1916 in your head in your head, they’re still fighting.” When will we end the cycle?
Nocturnne
Mon Rovîa - “Heavy Foot”
This is a new song by a new folk artist. If you don’t listen to the lyrics, it comes across as an upbeat, sweet song with beautiful gentle vocals and simple instrumentation that you could imagine being played in a barn in Appalachia amongst friends. But when you tune in to the lyrics, they smack you right across the face in the best way possible. The message is clear without being hateful - “do you see the man on the screen? Just a puppet though you never see the string. Calling it a war, not a genocide, tell us it isn’t what it seems. Man, that’s a different kind of greed.” What more needs to be said? But the chorus brings us back together “love me now, hold me down - and the government staying on heavy foot and they tried to keep us all down; no they’re never gonna keep us all down.”
Matt Malone (The Sugar Hold)
Rage Against the Machine - “Know Your Enemy”
As if it was a warning. We all had an idea growing up of what could be promised as "the American Dream," but how did that pan out? How much do we need to compromise? Do we want to conform to something so brutal? Must I assimilate and submit to the fact our system herds us for its wealth via brutality? We need more artists to break our concepts of what is the norm and “Know Your Enemy” couldn't ring more true to this day. Sometimes you need to spell it out and break down defiance. It must be reminded that when our communities come together we have the collective power to not only demand change, but to bring it to light. "Now the action must be taken. We don't need a key, WE'LL BREAK IN."
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The show will begin at 12:00 PM on Sunday, March 22 with a suggested donation of $10, featuring a number of raffles also in support of the cause. For more information, visit @NOYKPresents, @518CRSC and @WEXTRadio on social media.
