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Freeplay: David Rovics
By William Crook
wcrook@mscd.edu

Download David Rovics' entire library of music at http://www.davidrovics.com/.

Anarchy in practice does have its benefits. Take, for instance, the fact that anarchist artists seem to have the crazy notion that their music should be freely available to be enjoyed by anyone who cares to listen. Such is the case for David Rovics; every song he’s ever released, and some he hasn’t, is available for free download through his website. At just under 200 songs, including his not-yet-released album Halliburton Boardroom Massacre, this is a veritable gold mine of protest anthems, wartime laments and love ballads.

His idea on intellectual property (i.e. his music) is elucidated in the unreleased song “The Commons.” With lyrics such as, “With each song that we download to your coffers we must pay ... you may own the airwaves but you’ll never own my voice,” David Rovics has put his money, or lack thereof, where his mouth is: up on stage or on the Internet, singing his songs for free.

Most of Rovics’ songs are political. He sings about everything from corporate greed to the social and economic justifications for piracy. The title track of Halliburton is an inventive critique of the indoctrination of the army told from the perspective of a disillusioned soldier who’s out for revenge. “Black Flag Flying,” from the album Beyond the Mall, is an enchanting sea shanty about the honorable and endearing life of pirates.

Rovics really hits his stride when his songs tell stories offering perspectives seldom heard in the West. Hang a Flag in the Window’s “Jenin” tells the story of the trauma and torture endured by a 16-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl living in the devastated West Bank city of Jenin. “Saint Patrick’s Battalion” is a sobering history lesson about Irish immigrants who deserted the U.S. Army to fight on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico War.

These songs all have a charming lo-fi flavor to them. Most of them are unaccompanied and self-produced. The result is a raw, inspiring sound that will either jerk a tear or change a mind.