Tag Archives: protest song

Music, Pop Culture

Video Clip of The Week: Wyld Olde Souls, “For What It’s Worth”

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Yeah I know, I haven’t posted a Video Clip of The Week since before the start of Covid, and that was another lifetime ago. I admit I have not been listening to any new music, because I’m just not feeling it. But with the election coming up, and the stakes being as high as they are, I have started to revisit music that has influenced me deeply; particularly where the lyrics resonate with the current state of our society and our world. One of the classic songs that I just can’t shake free from my brain is “For What It’s Worth” written by Stephen Stills in 1966, and recorded by his band at the time, Buffalo Springfield. If you aren’t familiar with the song, take a look at the lyrics:

There’s something happening here
But what it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
A-telling me, I got to beware

I think it’s time we stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down . . .

Yeah, heavy. It’s probably no coincidence then that musicians of a certain age are also feeling this song, and why The Wyld Olde Souls are back after a long hiatus with a faithful cover of “For What It’s Worth” that’s as relevant as ever in tumultuous 2020.

Please enjoy their modern take and vote in November as if your life depends upon it. Our future and core beliefs of who we are as Americans and citizens of the Universe are at stake.

Get more information on how to Register to Vote in Your State at This Link!

Music, Pop Culture

Video Clip of The Week: Boss Hog, “Ground Control”

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I believe that if you happen to be a famous person — and good-looking famous person at that — it is worthwhile to reinvent your look every so often, if only to keep people from getting bored of looking at you. Take The Beatles as an excellent example; a band whose members’ personal styles and sense of fashion evolved wildly from album to album, just as their sound morphed from the Backstreet Boys to Radiohead. No wonder they continue to serve as such significant cultural touchstone. But what started me thinking along this path on a Sunday morning is this week’s Video Clip, “Ground Control” from the legendary NYC band, Boss Hog. For those not in-the-know, Boss Hog’s core members are husband and wife team Jon Spencer (of the eponymous Blues Explosion) and Cristina Martinez (ex-Pussy Galore). As you will see by this video, since we last saw them, Martinez has adopted a sort of Pris from Bladerunner persona, while Spencer is rocking a classic Andrew Eldrich look which, I  think you will agree, works for him. Bravo, you two.

Keeping things close to home, the video for “Ground Control” appears to have been shot on early-morning location at Coney Island, as you will see the band members pass by the How & Nosm mural at the Coney Art Walls as well as recognizing the unmistakable sky line of the Luna Park thrill rides. The complete desolation of the landscape works well for this modern, dystopian protest song, on which Martinez and Spencer share vocal duties in their own unique  styles. “Ground Control” does not disappoint as a minimalist, punk-blues aural assault, punctuated by with James Bond-soundtrack flourishes. Pretty awesome.

“Ground Control” can be found on Brood X, the band’s first album of new music in 17 years – wow! – which was released in March. Read a true New York Story about the last time I spotted Martinez and Spencer wandering anonymously on the Streets of NYC at This Link Right Here! Enjoy!

Boss Hog By Jeri Lampert
Boss Hog’s Cristina Martinez and Jon Spencer By Jeri Lampert

Music, Pop Culture

The Occasionalists Present: Post-Inauguration Live Karaoke to Benefit Planned Parenthood

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Drumpf Karaoke

Hey, do you hate Donald Trump? I sure do. I hate him sooo much, just being serious. If you feel like I do, and you also enjoy performing Karaoke, let me tell you about a fun event happening this Friday. On January 27th, The Occasionalists, a wildly talented, Brooklyn-based cover band will be hosting Post-Inauguration Live Karaoke at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Tickets are only $10, with all  proceeds benefitting Planned Parenthood, and other Rights organizations.

The Occasionalists will play all of the songs live and then you can just sing along – super fun! Come let your voice be heard — on stage, in the crowd or at the bar! Have some fun and relax in safe place filled with other sane people who didn’t help to get us into this mess!

Proposed Set List for the Evening Will Feature All of Your Favorites, Including:

It’s the End of the World As We Know It – R.E.M.
Revolution — The Beatles
Get Up, Stand Up — Bob Marley
Refugee — Tom Petty
Life During Wartime — Talking Heads
You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
Crazy Train — Ozzy
Freedom 90 — George Michael
London Calling — The Clash
I Will Survive — Cake
Eve of Destruction — Barry McGuire
Should I Stay or Should I Go — The Clash
Creep — Radiohead
Seven Nation Army — White Stripes
Anarchy in the U.K. — Sex Pistols
Come Together — The Beatles
Won’t Get Fooled Again — The Who
Highway to Hell — AC/DC
Fight the Power — Public Enemy
Road to Nowhere — Talking Heads
These Boots Were Made for Walking — Nancy Sinatra
Say It Ain’t So — Weezer
Hallellujah — Leonard Cohen
Psycho Killer — Talking Heads
Redemption Song — Bob Marley
What I Got — Sublime
Sympathy for the Devil – Stones

The Dirty Waltz Band will warm up the house starting at 7:30 PM, with The Occasionalists hitting the stage at 8:45 PM. Union Hall is located at 702 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11215 (N R Q 4 And 5 Trains). If you happen to get hungry, Union Hall also serves delicious food! Further show details can be found Here, and on the FaceBook event page Here. Purchase Tickets in advance Right Here.

Music, Pop Culture

Entrance Releases “Not Gonna Say Your Name” Protest Song to Benefit Planned Parenthood

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not-gonna-say-your-name

Los Angeles-based musician Guy Blakeslee (aka Entrance), has released a new track, “Not Gonna Say Your Name,” to coincide with the President-elect’s recent inauguration. Blakeslee says of the song, “I really wanted to write a song expressing my own feelings about the election and the state of things in our country. Like many, I was in a state of mourning. I wondered, how can I sing about this without saying his name?”

In addition to penning his own protest song, Blakeslee has created a playlist of his personal favorite songs of that theme and has given it exclusively to The Talkhouse, – click Here to listen to his picks, as well as “Not Gonna Say Your Name”!

“Not Gonna Say Your Name” is now available via Thrill Jockey and on participating DSPs, with all proceeds from song purchases and streams going directly to Planned Parenthood, an organization that Blakeslee holds near and dear to his heart. “I decided to use the song to benefit PP because one of the things that is so shocking about the election result is that it sends such a negative message to women and girls,” he says. “It’s the least I could do – for all of the women in the world, in my life, and especially for my mother – to fight back and make a clear statement that we will not accept this backwards agenda.”

Entrance will be performing at Planned Parenthood Benefit in Los Angeles on February 14th, 2017. Download “Not Gonna Say Your Name” for $1.00 at This Link!