Political

New Arrivals

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    Paul Metsa
     
    Mississippi Farewell
    Dylanesque wordplay in folk, jazz, blues, and rock and roll styles.
    Folk: Political
     
     
    Radon, This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Vaginasore Jr. & King Friday
     
    Fast Crowd 4way #2
    This is Four punk/pop/folk bands with ties to Florida's early nineties scene that exploded to create bands like Hot Water Music, Less Than Jake and Against Me.
    Folk: Political
     
     
    Fred Gardner
     
    Proposition 215 (The Doctors Who Believed Their Patients)
    Topical songs by a writer who has been covering the medical marijuana movement.
    Folk: Political
     
     
    Public Interest
     
    Neverland
    Dedicated to rocking out for a reason, playing music with meaning
    Folk: Political
     
     
    Anne Feeney & Chris Chandler
     
    Live from the Wholly Stolen Empire
    Folken Word rendered by Chris Chandler ("this man is dangerous" ... Washington Post)and Anne Feeney ("the best labor singer in North America" ... Utah Phillips).
    Folk: Political
     
     
    Veronique Riviere
     
    Eponyme
    An important french singer
    Folk: Political
     
     
    James Keelaghan
     
    Timelines (digital)
    Singer/Songwriter
    Folk: Political
     
     
    Still On the Hill
     
    Mouthpeace
    A collection of songs of peace and justice that this acclaimed Arkansas folkgrass duo has been performing for years, but until now, not included on their CDs.
    Folk: Political
     
     
    The Robben Island Singers
     
    Stories from South Africa's Freedom Struggle
    To free their country from Apartheid, three ordinary teenagers took up arms and joined the MK. They met as political prisoners on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was also serving a life sentence. Listen to their stories of struggle and life in prison.
    Folk: Political
     
     
    Daniel Mackler
     
    Songs From The Locked Ward
    Blunt, often humorous protest music against the horrors of psychiatry and psych meds.
    Folk: Political
     
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    Top Albums

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    Holly Near, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Gilbert & Pete Seeger
    HARP - A Time to Sing!
    Four icons of modern folk and topical musical unite on 2-CD live set newly remastered and expanded from 13 to 26 songs.
    Four of the giants of folk music and sociopolitical activism - Holly Near, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Gilbert, and Pete Seeger - assembled in 1984 for a handful of concerts that were recorded and released as a 13-song album called "HARP" (an acronym of the first letters of each musician's first name) on Near's Redwood Records in 1985. Near's recent discovery of a trove of unreleased songs from these performances has led to this expanded and remastered 26-song, 2-CD reissue, now subtitled "A Time to Sing!" Former Weavers Seeger and Gilbert, the irrepressible Guthrie, and Near had previously played together in various configurations, but never as a quartet, so there is much unique musical and personal interaction captured here. Each musician brought original, traditional, or contemporary songs to perform, which led to an entrancing program of folk favorites. The repertoire includes old favorites such as "Wimoweh," "Guantanamera," "Twelve Gates to the City" and "The Water is Wide," cover tunes ranging from Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" (with riotous deadpan commentary by Arlo) to Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" to Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," and trademark originals by Near ("Singing for Our Lives, " "Emma," "Singing with You") and Guthrie ("You and Me," "All Over the World," and the hilarious "Oh Mom"). Political and social commentary are the underlying texts in many of these songs, recorded amidst the havoc of the Reagan administration. "These were very intense times," remembers Holly. "There were wars raging all over the world. The women's movement was reeling from the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment. AIDS was new and frightening. The gay rights movement was in full force. Here are four singers, different styles, different generations, same tradition. This [CD] is live and raw and real. And when I think about how spontaneous this recording is, I am impressed by the skill of this quartet. These are people who know how to sing and what to sing about." With primary instrumental support by Pete, Arlo, and pianist/composer/arranger Jeff Langley, the four voices can be heard in varying combinations, sometimes uniting in a multi-generational rainbow of brilliant harmony. It was a time to sing and to sing out, captured for the ages on this invigorating and historic release. Bios: Holly Near has been a trailblazer in progressive music for the last three decades. Entering the field of topical and personal songwriting in the early '70s after an initial career as an actress, Holly's songs about war, feminism, world affairs, and people's complex everyday lives are accompanied by music that touches on folk, rock and musical theater. Following her work opposing the Vietnam War, Holly launched her own record label, Redwood, with the release of her first of more than 20 albums, "Hang In There." After Redwood Records closed its doors in the early '90s, Holly soon started another label, Calico Tracks. She has been honored by many awards from political and feminist organizations. Arlo Guthrie is, of course, the son of the legendary topical folksinger and songwriter Woody Guthrie. Embraced by the Baby Boomer for his marathon anti-war talking blues, "Alice's Restaurant (Massacree)," Arlo became a hip household name for his starring role in the movie based on that song and for his 1969 appearance at the Woodstock Festival (and subsequent film). His version of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" has become a radio standard. Maintaining an international following through tours, his eclectic songbag, and the dry wit of his storytelling, Arlo's other activities have included television acting roles, authoring an award-winning children's book, founding the Rising Son record label, and overseeing the Guthrie Center and Guthrie Foundation Ronnie Gilbert joined with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Fred Hellerman in the early '50s to form the politically conscious Weavers, soon to be blacklisted during the hysteria of the McCarthy era. In the '60s, Ronnie became a solo singer and an active member of an experimental anti-war theater company. After recording several albums and appearing in plays on and off Broadway, she worked as a psychotherapist for several years before returning to theatrical work. A friendship and musical partnership with Holly Near resulted in two collaborative records and a solo album on Redwood during the '80s. Ronnie has since started her own label, Abbe Alice Music. As a playwright and lyricist, she wrote a one-woman play based on the life of legendary American labor activist Mary "Mother" Jones, and another inspired by Studs Terkel's book, "Coming of Age." Ronnie is presently at work on her memoirs. Pete Seeger is a worldwide spokesperson for the power of folk music as a social and political force. As a member of the Weavers, a solo artist, and inveterate musical collaborator, Pete has written, adapted and sung songs that have brought the spirit of humanity, activism, humor and hope to all corners of the globe for the past half-century as the unassuming conscience of the anti-war, anti-death penalty, pro-civil rights and pro-environmental movements. Despite a lengthy blacklist that followed him for many years after his Weavers career, Pete has received the Presidential Medal of the Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His achievements in music and activism have been recognized by many of the greats of the folk, singer-songwriter, folk and blues world through their performances on three Seeger tribute CDs released by the Appleseed label since 1998.
    Folk: Political
     
    Sara Thomsen
    By Breath
    Folk: Political
     
    Copper Wimmin
    The Right To Be Here
    Folk: Political
     
    Cris Williamson
    The Changer and the Changed 30th Anniversary Edition
    Folk: Political
     
    Tom Chapin
    The Turning Of The Tide
    Folk: Political
     

    Editor's Picks

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      Artists You May Know

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      Bruce Cockburn
      Anything, Anytime, Anywhere
      Folk: Political
       
      Hot Buttered Rum String Band
      Live at the Freight and Salvage
      Folk: Political
       

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      Top Songs

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      1.
      Mammary Glands
      Kristin Lems
      Folk: Political
       
       
      2.
      I Want You
      Mike Beck
      Folk: Political
       
       
      3.
      Wood, Stone, Feather and Bone
      Joules Graves
      Folk: Political
       
       
      4.
      The Hand of the Almighty
      John R. Butler
      Folk: Political
       
       
      5.
      Televangelist
      John R. Butler
      Folk: Political
       
       
      6.
      Re: Recycle
      Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers
      Folk: Political
       
       
      7.
      Stuck on Trash
      Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers
      Folk: Political
       
       
      8.
      Things You Can Do
      Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers
      Folk: Political
       
       
      9.
      Talkin' Litter
      Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers
      Folk: Political
       
       
      10.
      Every Day is Earth Day
      Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers
      Folk: Political