Today, I Discovered Lowkey

And I think you should too.

Thoughts on the New “We Are the World” Song?

Love it? Hate it? I already know my opinion. It would’ve been okay had they not included the rapping. That just ruins the song, imho. Nevertheless, it’s for a good cause.

Protests Are for Lovers

 

More on David Rovics here.

A Lesson Against Cognitive Dissonance from the Cranberries

 

It may not be you or your family, or even anyone you know, fighting in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they are still there and the are still dying. If you’re against the war, what are you doing to end it?

But, you see, it’s not me
it’s not my family
in your head, in your head, they are fighting
with their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their bombs
they are crying . . .

Rest In Peace, Mary

It was with great sadness that I read of Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame, had lost her battle to leukemia today. Peter, Paul, and Mary were a major part of my teenage years. Songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Great Mandella,” “If I Had a Hammer,” and “Light One Candle” blasted from my radio 24/7, while my chronological peers were, perhaps, listening to Britney Spears or Eminem. When “Have You Been to Jail for Justice (Then You’re a Friend of Mine)” became my rallying cry, it was Mary’s aged voice leading the song. In the middle of rural, conservative Arkansas, Peter, Paul, and Mary taught me the values of peace, civil disobedience, and social consciousness through song. Tonight, my birds sing along to their songs of peace, love, and understanding. Though she is gone, her message continues.

Be a Revolution

 

‘Cause you don’t got to fight
Or make yourself belong
To be a revolution

You got to begin
With who you know you are
To be a revolution

Can I Be Made Clean by the Suffering of My Soul?

This is something I’ve been pondering lately. Call it living the life of a martyr (or a sado-masochist).

If I give my life, if I lay it down

Can you turn this life around, around

Can I be made clean by the suffering of my soul

Can I be made whole again?

Hey, ho, onward go!

If someone makes “Onward, Christian Soldiers” sound really danceable, is it still a creepy, militaristic song? Let’s find out, shall we?

Can Music Bring About World Peace?

 

Playing for Change thinks so.

On the Road Again

Dear Readers,
I’m hitting the road again tonight for an Amazing Tour d’New England; that is, visiting every New England state within 24 hours. This also means expanding Operation Toy Soldier to a total of six states, about which I’m quite happy. So, I’ll be back Monday night or Tuesday, and I hope you will too.

In the mean time, enjoy “War” by Edwin Starr, one of the many Songs of Social Conscience I burned onto a new mix cd for our trip with my politically apathetic sister. (What? Why are you looking at me like that?)