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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
Everyone knows that music and politics have been mixing for as long as both have existed. From Woodie Guthrie to Public Enemy, musicians take it upon themselves to tell the world how it should be run.
While they may not get as much airtime, local bands have just as much to say about politics as any national act, if not more.
With the Democratic National Convention in town, here’s a rundown of the top six local acts keeping the lines of political conversation in their music.
Boldtype, “Unjust Us”
The hardest thing about being a realist is not running head first into pessimism. Some punk rock acts will tell you that the end is on its way and we’ll all be better off. Boldtype, on the other hand, has a bit of optimism to share with its discerning listeners. The band starts out “Unjust Us” with a bleak look of a world ruled by “corporate leaders and politicians on the fuckin’ rise.” The good news is, if you don’t like what’s going on around you, Boldtype’s got the answer for that too.
“Every day you have to think of what life means to you/ Don’t just submit to fate and find out that you have no clue/ Your lazy ways won’t make things better/ Get off your ass and give in never!”
Pitch Invasion, “Shame On You”
This song is simple. Just over two minitues, it’s full of plenty of “whoas” and over before it really gets started. Luckily, somewhere around the 1:45 mark Pitch Invasion throws a handful at their listeners with the hope that something will stick. Once again, putting the blame of the world’s problems in the hands of the apathetic, Pitch Invasion screams out. It’s short, to the point and shrouded in buzzing guitars. But isn’t that what makes punk rock so great?
“Simple acts, simple lives/ Will you respond to poverty’s cries?/ It takes a village voice to enact social policy.”
Underminer, “Manifest Destiny”
Karl Alvarez – of All and The Descendents’ fame – has done a lot for punk rock. These days, Alvarez is playing in a band called Underminer, and even though the group hails from Ft. Collins, they can still show Denver a good time.
The thing that puts Underminer ahead of the crowd is their almost too specific lyrical content. The chorus and refrain of “Manifest Destiny” has enough political poignancy for a dozen punk tracks.
“On the 4th of July we sing the anthem with pride/ From sea to shining sea/ Never hear a whisper of the word ‘genocide’/ That’s official policy/ Everybody loves a song about justice and liberty/ But there ain’t no song for the ones/ Pushed aside by Manifest Destiny.”
ManeLine, “Americaneyez”
In case you were wondering, punk rock isn’t the only genre with a political stick up its ass. That said, our attention now turns to ManeLine. This group is part of the much-welcomed political resurgence of rap and hip-hop.
Instead of concerning themselves with bitches and bling, ManeRock, InkLine and Yonnas bring emergency and relevancy to a genre mostly focused on, well, stuff.
“Americanize every spot on the globe/ Get it with fries at McDonalds/ We’re making them cheaply and cranking the mark up/ Turning villages to sweat shops raping the market/ And we do it ‘cause we can bitch, clean getaway/ We’d like to play fair but to cheat’s better pay.”
Prescription, “Political Gang Bang”
Coming from a punk band, and with a title like this, one would think the lyrics of this song wouldn’t be fit for print. Luckily the guys in Prescription are a little more mature than that. Instead of conjuring images of donkeys and elephants mixed up in some explicitly sordid mess, this song compares the hustlers of the street to the hustlers of D.C.
“Gangsters use graffiti/ They got ad campaigns/ Gangsters tip their forties/ Congress wastes champagne/ Got so much in common/ But there’s one thing they don’t share/ When congress breaks the law/ Nobody seems to care.”
12 Cents For Marvin, “Common Bond”
Ska has always been an outlet for punk rockers with rhythm and access to a horn section. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense for Ft. Collins’ 12 Cents For Marvin to be just as politically-minded as any local punk band. “Common Bond” is a song about very little. But in a musical scope like the one we find ourselves in these days, even very little can say quite a lot.
“When the bombs rain down and the West has won/ I’ll ask you again if the right thing has been done/ All the current problems of our world are now solved/ We could have done it with a song, not a gun.”
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