CPS

Current News

Please note that the News section is now being updated by Kathryn Mackenzie on a volunteer and weekly basis.
8th March 2007

The news section provides current examples of political song. Providing links to relevant newspaper articles and external websites, the news section seeks to demonstrate the existence in abundance of contemporary political song.

Jarvis Cocker, the Kooks and Fatboy Slim help to launch Oxjam
13 September 2007
This years Oxfam month of music to raise money for their charity will be launched by four gigs at an Oxfam shop in London.  The Kooks and Jarvis Cocker play the first night and Fatboy Slim and Hot Chip also appear over the course of the four nights.  Tickets can be won through the Oxjam website.

Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters and Kid Rock announce sports channel promotion
13 September 2007
Like the Hear Music business venture at Starbucks, the sports channel ESPN will now be branching out in to music. They have started a new scheme where artists can promote new material during the breaks of football broadcasts. Two new songs by Kanye West have already been broadcast and 50 Cent, Foo Fighters and Kid Rock are all scheduled for this month.  NME News

Mos Def voices support for ‘Jena Six’ students
13 September 2007
Mos Def has called for others to support the six black students who are being charged with assaulting a white student.  The white student is alleged to have made racial slurs towards the men.  This follows on from other serious racist incidents at the school which resulted in a number of white students being suspended.  Mos Def has written an open letter calling for support of the six black students.  NME News

Yoko Ono to unveil Peace Tower
13 September 2007
On October 9, which would have been John Lennon’s sixty seventh birthday, Yoko Ono is set to unveil the “Imagine Peace Tower” which Lennon wished for in 1967. She hopes the tower will “give light to strong wishes of world peace”.  Rolling Stone

Sonic Youth announce record with Starbucks
13 September 2007
In a recent interview with Pitchfork Thurston Moore announced that Sonic Youth are set to record a new song for a compilation of their work to be released by Starbucks.  The compilation will feature a selection of Sonic Youth tracks chosen by other artists with one new and exclusive track to be recorded by Sonic Youth.  In another interview Thurston explains further “as soon as the first person said, 'Why are you doing something with a global corporation’, I was just like, 'Well, the reason is because a global corporation called Universal Records can't distribute our records to places where people actually go anymore… I'm doing it because I like the idea of Sonic Youth records being in a place where they're not supposed to exist. .. Going up against political correctness will always be a punk rock gesture."

New Orleans music life still devastated by Katrina
29 August 2007
The effects of Hurricane Katrina are still being felt across New Orleans and the music scene, at the centre of New Orleans cultural life, has been badly hit.  With the population still half the pre-Katrina level there is the obvious problem of a lack of musicians. There are many organisations now working to help musicians get back to work but of the 5000 full-time professional musicians pre-Katrina there are still some 3000 that are displaced.  Another problem has been that the decrease in the number of tourists has meant that the audience for the number of live music venues has shrunk so musicians who are working are getting less work as clubs can’t afford to stay open 7 nights a week.  The loss of equipment, recording space and archive recordings will also take a lot of money and support to replace. Government funding is taking a long time to filter through to the people who need it most and the people have to rely on help from charities and non-profit organisation. Until there is more help the musicians of New Orleans won’t have the money to house and feed themselves, let alone replace musical equipment. BBC News

Free rehearsal space to encourage youth creativity
29 August 2007
The British Government is encouraging local councils to participate in a scheme to provide free rehearsal space for young musicians.  The pilot project last year was very successful and, like the pilot, the scheme will be overseen by Feargal Sharkey, formerly of the Undertones.  Culture Secretary James Purnell said "This is about inspiring young people to take up music, giving them an outlet for their creativity and getting them off the streets." BBC News

Leon Rosselson announces UK tour
29 August 2007
A popular singer from the folk revival in the 1960’s, Leon Rosselson has being writing and performing ever since and his songs have been covered by various artists, including Billy Bragg.  He is currently involved with CND and the Israel/Palestine conflict.  His UK tour begins in October.

A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall
21 August 2007
A new book and exhibition has now been released which uses the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall’ to illustrate climate change.  The lyrics are used to narrate a collection of photographs charting our relationship with the natural world and the damage we are doing to the environment.  The idea came to photographer Mark Edwards when he got lost on the edge of the Sahara and was rescued by a Tuareg nomad.  He found himself sitting on the edge of the desert listening to these lyrics on a bootleg Bob Dylan tape and thinking about how prophetic they were.  The book, and accompanying exhibition, are part of the Hard Rain Project.

Pink accompanies a performance of her song 'Dear Mr President' with images of war
21 August 2007
During her V Festival performance this month Pink introduced 'Dear Mr President' with her hope that it might help make the world a better place. She accompanied the song with images of soldiers, explosions, crying children and George Bush. NME News

Peace One Day concert in London
21 August 2007
Peace One Day was founded in 1990 as an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence.  It has been formally adopted by the UN member states as the UN International Day of Peaceon 21 September every year.  As part of this year’s Peace One Day events there will be a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London featuring Annie Lennox, Corinne Bailey Rae, Beth Orton and Marc Almond.

Farm Aid line up announced
14 August 2007
Farm Aid 2007: A Homegrown Festival will be held this year at Randall’s Island, the first time in 22 years that it has been held in New York City. It has now been announced that Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, and the Allman Brothers Band are all to play full shows at the festival on 9 September.  Since it was set up in 1985 Farm Aid has raised over $30 million to support farmers, expand the Good Food Movement, change agricultural practice and promote farm food.  

Music collection found in Moscow may have been Hitler’s
14 August 2007
A former Soviet intelligence officer left a note with the records saying he had stolen them from Hitler’s Chancellery in Berlin at the end of the war.  The discovery only came to light recently when the intelligence officer’s daughter showed them to Der Spiegel.  Among them are many Russian recordings such as Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Bronislaw Huberman, a Polish Jewish violinist.  The records are all well used which could indicate a secret hypocrisy on his part if it can be proved they came out of his office. International Herald Tribune

Pearl Jam’s Bush criticism censored
14 August
Eddie Vedder’s criticism of Bush at Lollapalooza, as reported yesterday, was censored during a webcast by AT&T.  AT&T was the company responsible for the webcast of the performance.  In his own version of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall, Eddie Vedder sang the line “George Bush, leave the world alone” and this was among the lines that AT&T cut from the broadcast.  They have since apologised and described it as a “major mistake”.  Pearl Jam made a statement on their website describing the situation as “a wake-up call… A&T’s actions strike at the heart of the public’s concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communication media”. BBCNews 

DVD release of Give Peace a Song
14 August
On August 27 there will be a UK release of Give Peace a Song, a DVD document of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Give Peace a Chance “bed-in” in Montreal in 1969.  This was a seven day protest against violence and the DVD documents the performance, the events leading up to it and footage shot by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.  Pitchfork media

Cambridge Folk Festival continues folks' radical tradition
13 August 2007
Despite the heavy rain this year, the Cambridge Folk Festival was still a great success with an eclectic mix of musicians from all over the world. Steve Earle played on the Saturday night, and also appeared with his wife Alison Moorer and with the Waterboys on the Sunday. During his set he followed his call for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq with his songs Rich Man's War and John Walker's Blues, the latter song being about the white American John Walker Lindh who was caught in Afghanistan fighting for the Taliban. Other folk musicans who upheld folk's traditional radical stand were Joan Baez, Martin Simpson and the Waterboys, who finished their set with the Woody Guthrie classic This Land Is Your Land.

Pearl Jam make Lollapalooza finale political
13 August 2007
Pearl Jam were the headlining act on the final night of Lollapalooza on 5 August and as well as playing a selection of their greatest hists they also played a song campaigning to save Lake Michigan from BP waste. Eddie Vedder introduced a paralysed Iraq war veteran who spoke out against the War in Iraq. The final song was a large group rendition of Keep On Rockin' In The Free World. NMENews

Zack De La Rocha calls for Bush to be tried as a War Criminal
13 August 2007
During a recent Saturday night performance in New York with his band Rage Against the Machine in New York Zack De La Rocha took the opportunity to respond to Fox News criticism. The controversy started in April when Zack accused the Bush administration of war crimes and Fox News picked up on it. Various Fox News commentators responded strongly and accused Rage Against the Machine of being violent, not in a position to comment, and one even seemed to suggest the Secret Service should be alerted. Zack responded last week by saying that they had called for Bush to be tried as a war criminal and treated accordingly. New York Times, July 30 2007.

Brazilian and British music and culture exchange hits the UK this weekend
27 July 2007
This weekend in Glasgow, Liverpool and London there is a cultural exchange taking place in the form of TrocaBrahma, a musical interaction of artist from the UK and Brazil. Sponsored by the Brazilian beer Brahma this event takes the form of concerts in Brazil and the UK with musicans from both countries interacting, performing and learning from each other. The interaction and the concerts promote the exchange of musical and cultural ideas and work to support independent music in both countries.

July release date for Healing the Divide: A concert for Peace and Reconciliation
27 July 2007
Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation is the recording of an event held at the Lincoln Centre in New York in September 2003.  The Healing the Divide Foundation was founded by Richard Gere to aid the people of Tibet and the Himalayan region.  The concert featured Tibet’s Gyuto Choir, India’s Anoushka Shankar, composer Philip Glass, Tom Waits and an opening address by the Dalai Lama. The CD is available now on Epitaph/Anti records.

UK copyright laws to remain unchanged
27 July 2007
Despite the requests of high profile artists such as Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams and Cliff Richard there will be no extension on the 50 year copyright law for musical performances.  This could lead to artists not receiving royalties for use of their older material, particularly relevant given the large volume of material that people download.  Roger Daltrey, singer with the Who, points out that there are thousands of artists who have "no pensions and rely on royalties".  The House of Commons committee looking in to this recommended an extension but this was not upheld by the Government.  Geoff Taylor, the chief executive at the British Phonographic Industry said "Ministers... have ignored the views of artists and their union, managers, record labels and now even a parliamentary select committee." In contrast to this in North America performers own copyright for 95 years after the release date and in Australia this figure is 70 years. Another recommendation of the committee that has also been ignored was one to legalise the copying of music for personal use e.g. from CD’s to MP3 players or Computers.  BBCNews

Joni Mitchell signs to Starbucks label
27 July 2007
Joni Mitchell has signed a two album deal with Hear Music, Starbucks new and very successful record label. Her new album Shine will be released through Starbucks and in stores in September.  Starbucks continues to be criticised for the way it is spreading throughout the world, leading some to cite it the ‘McDonalds of coffee shops’.  Joni Mitchell was quoted by NME as saying “I am thrilled to be working with Hear Music on my new CD… Starbucks and Concord Music Group are joining me in releasing a project which has enabled me to appreciate what I loved about making music in the first place. I am very grateful to them”.

Patti Smith at work on a new album
27 July 2007
Although her last album, Twelve, a covers album, was only released in April of this year a new one is already in the pipeline.  Talking to Billboard recently she said that she has been working on new songs and would like to record again soon.  Billboard reminded her that she has released albums, some very political, in the last three US presidential elections and she said that she would keep this in mind for the completion date.

Sudanese Music and Dance Festival calls for unity
26 July 2007
The Sudanese Music and Dance Festival at Central Park in New York was a huge success, symbolically uniting the country through its music.  On Sunday 22 July performers from all over Sudan came together to perform traditional and modern songs.   The types of music played was as varied as the subjects covered and the concert finale was a performance by Omar Ihsas from Darfur who ended with a call for living together in peace “We are all here for out homeland, for Sudan…Let’s live together”.  Staytunedtv recorded the concert and will be putting it on their website in the near future. As reported in NYTimes.

New charity single to feature Madonna
20 July 2007
Annie Lennox is set to release a new single entitled 'Sing' in September that will feature an array of famous musicians including Madonna, Gladys Knight and KT Tunstall.  The single will raise funds for Treatment Action Campaign an organisation that campaigns for HIV treatment and education about HIV and AIDS in South Africa.  A trip to South Africa to work with Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Aids charity inspired Annie Lennox to write 'Sing'. BBC News

Iggy Pop apologises for racist comments
20 July 2007
During a recent interview with NME.com Iggy Pop took the opportunity to apologise for a racist comment he made during his Glastonbury appearance earlier this month.  He said that he had learnt the phrase from English friends whilst living there but that it was no excuse for using it. He went on to apologise saying 'shame on me’.

Rise: London United Against Racism festival in London
18 July 2007
Last Sunday, 15 July, saw the seventh of the free annual anti-racist festivals Rise in London. The festival is organised by the Mayor of London and has been a huge success.  This year saw some big names performing such as Kelis and Jamelia and some up-and-coming stars such as K’naan.  A Somalian born artist, K’naan grew up in exile in Canada and America and makes thoughtful, acoustic hip hop which has drawn comparisons with Bob Dylan and Gil Scott-Heron. The festival was a great success and is the largest anti-racist festival in Europe.

More than 7000 ‘Friends of Live Earth’ events registered
3 July 2007
In 129 countries around the world there are now more than 7000 ‘Friends of Live Earth’ events registered.  Anyone can register to host or attend an event in their community and on doing so they will receive a tool kit to help them in organising and promoting the event.  Live Earth will bring together more than 2 billion people on July 7, 2007 for 24 hours of music across 7 continents in a bid to to combat the climate crisis.

Mail on Sunday announces Prince CD giveaway
3 July 2007
The latest Prince album, Planet Earth, will be given away free with the Mail on Sunday on 15 July in what it describes as “the most sensational CD giveaway of all time”. It is said that the decision to do this comes from Prince himself as he wants to return the music to the people.  His decision to do this in addition to giving the CD away to everyone who buys a ticket for his upcoming shows at the O2 Millennium Dome in August, has outraged the major corporations in the music industry.   

Celebration of 30 years of Rock Against Racism
3 July 2007
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the formation of Rock Against Racism (RAR) there will be concerts at Hackney Empire on the 10 and 19 July. RAR worked with the Anti Nazi League to help stop the rise of the National Front. As well as performances by a variety of musicians there will be a round table discussion chaired by comedian and columnist Mark Steel.
Tickets cost £15 and go towards RAR’s successor Love Music Hate Racism. 

Woody Guthrie classic revived by Tom Morello
27 June 2007
Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, has made Woody Guthrie’s classic ‘This Land is Your Land’ part of his live set. He played it at Coachella with Perry Farrel and Boots Riley, at SXSW with Perry Farrel, Slash and Les Claypool and with Anti-Flag as well as during his own, mainly acoustic, shows.   He has said on stage that he thinks this should be the American anthem. It has quickly become a popular part of his live shows. 

Internet radio stations launch day of silent protest over new copyright law
27 June 2007
A coalition of internet radio stations are having a Day of Silence today to protest the increase in royalty rates in the US set for July 15.  The savenetradio coalition includes Yahoo! Radio and Pandora and ranges from very large to small stations. These stations generally provide a much larger variety of music and views than is available from on-air stations.

Kenny Werner's new jazz album comments on America's current foreign policies
14 June 2007
His first album for Blue Note, Lawn Chair Society, is his thoughts on “a US culture that is living in its own unreal world” coupled with more personal thoughts on the loss of his daughter. The title track 'Lawn Chairs (and other foreign policy)' is a 10 minute comment on America’s interference in countries throughout the world. See review in Morning Star online.

3 major Dancehall artists renounce homophobia and sign the Reggae Compassionate Act
14 June 2007
Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton have all been boycotted in recent years because of their homophobic lyrics.  The boycott by groups such as Stop Murder Music and Outrage has led to them all suffering significant losses in profits.  Their signing of the Reggae Compassionate Act is seen as a huge step forward.  The pledge states that they will “uphold the rights of all individuals to live without fear of hatred and violence due to their religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or gender”. Guardian Online.

New White Stripes single addresses the immigration issue in the US
14 June 2007
'Icky Thump', the new single from the White Stripes contains the lyrics “Well Americans/What, nothin’ better to do?/Why don’t you kick yourself out?/You’re an immigrant too,”.  The video cuts shots of them playing with shots of Jack in Mexico meeting a red-haired temptress played by Meg. The story ends with the lines “Who’s usin’ who?/What should we do?/Well you can’t be a pimp/And a prostitute too.”

Love Music, Hate Racism to host the Left Field Glastonbury stage
14 June 2007
Love Music, Hate Racism are hosting the Left Field at Glastonbruy and have a varied line-up with bands including Get Cape Wear Fly, Noisettes, Killa Kela and the Mentalists.  They also have a very special headlining act still to be announced.  Sat 23 June 6pm-12.30am.

The Stooges, Idlewild and the Horrors to play children's charity show
1 June 2007
Iggy Pop and his newly reformed Stooges are headlining ‘Rock the House Live’, a concert in the grounds of Harewood House in Leeds in aid of The Children’s Society.  They are playing the concert for free and tickets go on Sale today priced £26.  See Uncut for more details

New covers CD of John Lennon songs to raise funds for Darfur
1 June 2007
Instant Karma is the name of a new CD featuring a variety of artists including U2, REM, The Flaming Lips, Aerosmith and Jackson Browne.  Yoko Ono gave Amnesty International the permission to use John Lennon’s solo catalogue to raise money for its campaign to highlight and act upon the human rights violations in Darfur.  Yoko Ono said that “John’s music set out to inspire change, and in standing up for human rights, we really can make the world a better place”.  See Amnesty International for more information about the campaign "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur" and the CD.

Joe Strummer biopic now on cinema release
1 June 2007
A new documentary film on Joe Strummer has just been released to critical acclaim. Directed by Julien Temple the film includes previously unseen interviews with Joe Strummer, archival footage of Strummer in concert and interviews with friends.  BBC News

Stop the War Coalition concert in London
23 May 2007
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, is to headline a London benefit show for the Stop the War Coalition. The show at the Scala on 4 June is called Bring the Troops Home and also features Ed Harcourt, Frank Turner, Mark Thomas & MC Mark Steel.  Tom Morello is currently touring with his new solo album One Man Revolution.

New Manics album contains anti-war songs
23 May 2007
Send Away The Tigers, the latest album by Welsh band Manic Street Preachers features a number of songs with anti-war sentiments, the most obvious being Rendition and Imperial Bodybags.  The Manics are currently on a UK tour.

Australian radio programme discusses the relationship between music and war
23 May 2007
‘Minstrels of War’ an Australian radio programme broadcast on ANZAC Day examined the variety of music produced on war themes.  This ranged from folk songs to classical music to songs written by soldiers serving in Iraq.  The programme included an interview with Eric Bogle, the Scottish born Australian folk singer who wrote ‘and the band played Waltzing Matilda’, a well known song about the futility of war.

Joan Baez banned from army shows
23 May 2007
John Mellencamp recently performed for wounded servicemen at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre.  Mellencamp was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq War but he saw this concert as apolitical, supporting the young people who are in the army rather than the policies of those that run it.  He asked his friend and fellow pacifist Joan Baez to join him. Although she agreed to this permission was denied by the US army on the grounds that the request was too late. However Mellencamp believes that the real reason behind this was her outspoken criticism of the Vietnam War and her activism against it. AmericanHeritage.com

US DJ under fire over racist song
23 May 2007
American radio DJ Rush Limbaugh has once again come under criticism for racist remarks, this time over a song he has been playing to the tune of Puff the Magic Dragon.  The song, entitled Barack the Magic Negro was first broadcast in March and Limbaugh has been accused of using it to enflame his audience. He states that it is meant to be a parody and is not to be taken seriously however Limbaugh has been in trouble before, most notable in 2003 when he resigned from cable TV sports network ESPN after making racist remarks during a live show. BBC News

Israeli musician sings Masters of War at Independence Day celebration.
2 May 2007
This years Independence Day celebrations in Israel on April 24 included a concert at which Shai Gabso was performing.  Although he had been instructed not to sing anything political he chose to sing his Hebrew version of Bob Dylan’s classis ‘Masters of War’.  With the Winograd report on the second Lebanon war to be published soon after, this was seen as a very controversial choice. For more information see ynetnews.

David Rovics turned away from Canada by border control
2 May 2007
The musician and political activist David Rovics has been banned from Canada for a year as a result of the sharing intelligence agreement reached by Canada and the USA to share information for border control purposes.  The reason given at border control, that he didn’t have a valid work permit was inconsistent with the reason given on his exclusion order.  Stricter border controls are causing increasing problems for left wing activists and artists.  For more details see his myspace. David is now on tour in Europe until 11 June.

Taqwacore goes from fiction to real life
2 May 2007
The Taqwacores began as a fictitious Muslim punk scene in a novel of the same name by Michael Muhammad Knight.  Although as he points out the movement already existed albeit without a name to unify different bands and artists.  This movement of young people want to be able to shape their own identity, question their religion when they want to and generally not conform to societies ideas of what young Muslim people should be doing. Bands such as The Kominas and Secret Trial Five are already gaining a devoted following. Guardian Unlimited

New Mavis Staple album released   
2 May 2007     
‘We’ll never turn back’, her latest album is a new recording of some of the songs that were sung by her and other marchers during the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches of the Civil Rights Movement.   Staples wants these songs to be heard again and hopes that “this generation today would hear the songs and move with them. We need to educate this generation. They need to know what it was like and what we went through for them to be able to vote today."  The album is released in April on Anti-. She discusses the march and her new album on Lower Hudson Online.

Pete Seeger: The Power of Song film released
2 May 2007
Pete Seeger is hitting the headlines once again.  After the success of Bruce Springsteen’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, Seeger is back in the spotlight again with the release of Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, a documentary written and directed by filmmaker Jim Brown.  The film uses the life of Seeger as a way of examining decades of American social history.  Archival footage, interviews and extracts from Seeger’s home movies are all used to illustrate his commitment to his ideals and belief in the power of music.

New album from Gilberto Gil
2 May 2007
In his four decades in music Gilberto Gil has gone from being considered a subversive by the military leaders who ruled Brazil from 1964-1985 to being the countries current Minister for Culture. His new album 'Gil Luminoso' was released in March and he then toured in North America.  He will bring his tour to Europe in the summer. Tour dates still to be announced.

Bjork's new album - A reaction to the world today
27 April 2007
In an interview with Pitchfork prior to the release of Volta on May 7, Bjork states “I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was some sort of reaction to the world today”.  With her usual eclectic range of guest musicians this new album has a sense of urgency about it which she wanted the title, Volta, to reinforce.  The state of the world, particularly religious wars and the impact of humans on the environment, are strong themes throughout.

BBC Proms addresses Climate Change
27 April 2007
This year the programme of the BBC Proms is to include a musical drama about climate change composed by film composer Rachel Portman.  Other highlights include a night of orchestral music organised by Nitin Sawney which is inspired by the 60th anniversary of Indian partition.  There will also be the first Brass Day with the Grimethorpe Colliery band and traditional Uzbek drummers.BBC News

World renowned Russian musician dies.
27 April 2007
Mstislav Rostropovich was as well known for his support of human rights as for his celebrated career as a musician and conductor.  He spent most of his career in exile from the Soviet Union over his support for the writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn and didn’t return until the collapse of communism.  He was recently visited my President Putin and awarded Russia’s “Order of the Fatherland, First Class”.BBC News

Def Jam founder calls for ban on the use of offensive words in lyrics
27 April 2007
Russell Simmons, who founded the Def Jam record label that has been home to Public Enemy, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys, wants certain racist and sexist words to be banned.  He suggests the setting up of an industry watchdog to ensure these words are bleeped out or deleted from songs before they are broadcast or released. He argues that this is not about censorship but “about the corporate social responsibility of the industry to voluntarily show respect to African-Americans and other people of colour, African-American women and to all women in lyrics and images." BBC News

Sheryl Crow gets brush off at White House dinner
24 April 2007
Sheryl Crow recently attended the White House correspondents dinner and was planning to use it as an opportunity to talk to the government administration about global warming.  On being introduced to Karl Rove, special adviser to George Bush, Crow asked him to “consider taking a fresh look at the science of global warming”.  After a heated discussion about global warming Rove got up to leave and Crow touched his arm, asking him to stay, to which he replied “don’t touch me”.  More can be read on this encounter at Rolling Stone News

Art installation at the Serpentine Gallery on the music of war
24 April 2007
'Clamor' is an art installation, at the Serpentine Gallery in London, created by conceptual artists Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla which explores the relationship between sound, music and war. The music, a mixture of recorded and live music, is broadcast from inside a large chamber described by the artisits as “a bunker, a ruin, a cave and a sound booth”.  There are over 100 pieces of music used, all very varied but all used as a form of propaganda or torture in war. Serpentine Gallery

‘Icons of Music’ auction raises 2.4 million for Hurricane Katrina charity
24 April 2007
An auction held at New York’s Hard Rock Café to raise money for a charity set up to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has raised over 2.4 million through the sale of rock memorabilia such as a guitar owned by Jimi Hendrix, one owned by The Edge from U2 and a saxophone signed by Bill Clinton. BBC News

Tom Morello announces new album
24 April 2007
The former Rage Against The Machine member will sing and play acoustic guitar under the name Nightwatchman. His new album will be called ‘One Man Revolution’ and he describes it as “songs of bitterness and revenge are a dark response to a world in turmoil”.  Tour dates are to be announced shortly. NME News

Madonna to headline UK Live Earth concert
13 April 2007
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Duran Duran and Genesis will join her on the UK bill and in America Bon Jovi, The Police and The Smashing Pumpkins are among the confirmed acts.  Seven concerts are taking place around the world to highlight the importance of addressing climate change. BBC News

Israeli musician spreads message of reconciliation
13 April 2007
Aviv Geffen is a hugely popular artist in his native Israel and he is currently aiming to bring his music to a worldwide audience.  Through his music Geffen wants to spread his message of reconciliation and hope for a peaceful future.  His new album Blackfield is out now on Snapper Music.

Snoop Dogg refused entry to Britain
13 April 2007
The rapper Snoop Dogg was due to play a sold out run of concerts in the UK with P Diddy but it has recently been announced that the Home Office have refused him entry to the UK due to his criminal history.  Both P Diddy and Snoop Doog have expressed their disappointment at the decision and have argued that their tour was to promote non-violence and to send out a positive message.  [The Independent, 28/03/2007]

Romany Gypsy music highlights persecution of Roma people
19 March 2007
Serb Gypsy band Kal, although having been in existence for over five years, are benefiting from the recent upsurge of interest in gypsy and Roma music bands such as Gogol Bordelho.  At their recent concert in Bradford-on-Avon Kal played the official Romany anthem as part of their intention to raise awareness of the plight of the Roma people.  See Morning Star Online 10 March 2007.

Femi Kuti speaks out
19 March 2007
Femi Kuti, the son of the world famous Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, is often seen as being less political than his father but although his music contains less confrontational lyrics his politics are still at the forefront of how he lives his life and makes his music.  On the release of his recent retrospective he has spoken out about the current state of Africa saying “we are not independent if Africa is still begging”. See Socialist Worker Online 10 March 2007.

Cuban rap revolution
19 March 2007
Rap is often used as a way for young people to have a critical dialogue with and about the society they live in. Since the 1990's the Government in Cuba has supported the development of hip hop and rap by providing spaces for concerts, sound equipment and funds towards an annual festival.  Some of the most successful artists are Obsesion and Los Paisanos. They do not see themselves as being against the Socialist State but as providing a “space for critical thinking and critical support from the youth towards society and the state”. Moviemientos and Cuba Solidarity Campaign are organising Hip Hop Cubano, a live performance concert with DJ's at University of London on 16 March.  See Morning Star Online 14 March 2007.

Boer war song causes controversy in South Africa
8 March 2007
The Afrikaans song, De La Rey, about a Boer war general, has been revived and is now sung at rugby matches and in pubs.  The sentiment attached to this song is causing controversy in South Africa where it is seen by many as a “call to arms” and as advocating a return to Apartheid.  The popularity of the song also highlights the view of many Afrikaans that their language is being marginalised.  One rugby ground tried to ban the song being sung as it is often followed by the singing of ‘Die Stem’, the national anthem from Apartheid times.  See Guardian Unlimited 26 February 2007.

Afrikaans rock band Fokofpolisiekar
8 March 2007
Fokofpolisiekar are a South African punk/rock band that sings in their native Afrikaans language.  They have caused a lot of controversy due to the subject matter they cover in their lyrics; they question the need for religion and cover racism, homophobia amongst other issues.  Their anti religious stance has made headlines and mobilised the right wing Christian groups throughout South Africa.  Fokofpolisikar continue to be very popular and play world wide.  See them at their myspace site.

The Freedom Toast project goes live
8 March 2007
The Freedom Toast website is the work of a group of musicians from the southern United States who air their comments and views on the current political climate.  An example of their work is now available via youtube. They are premiering their live comedy/sketch show on April 24 2007 in Washington DC.

Michael Franti launches new tour with a ‘Letter to the President’ competition
8 March 2007
Michael Franti and Spearhead are taking their 2006 album ‘Yell Fire’, inspired by a documentary he made in 2005 about his journey in Iraq.  As the tour starts on Presidents’ Day weekend the letter writing competition was decided upon as a way to encourage people to consider what they would like to change if they were in charge of America.  Details available from their record label.

Dixie Chicks Grammy comeback
8 March 2007
The Dixie Chicks picked up five prizes at this years Grammy awards four years after their remarks that they were “ashamed” of President Bush caused such an outcry. Band member Emily Robinson stated "We wouldn't have done this album without everything we went through, so we have no regrets." BBC News 12 February 2007.

Chief Executive of Detroit based Murdercap Records files lawsuit against Canadian Government
8 March 2007
Jerome Alman, CEO of Murdercap Records claims that the Canadian Government is involved in racist profiling of rap artists and African Americans and he points to the high number if instances in which he and various other rap artists have been detained and questioned by border guards.  He believes the Canadian Government, in collusion with the American State Department use racist profiling due to a belief that rap music is responsible for an increase in gang violence in Canada. Rolling Stone 16 January 2007.

CD launch to aid West Papuan refugees. 
8 March 2007
The Dancing Turtle record label will release a compilation CD in December, featuring an eclectic mix of acts from over 18 countries, united in their support of the West Papuan independence movement. Featuring music from 18 countries all over the world including the West Papuan Highland region all profits from the CD will be going directly to West Papuan refugees whose homeland is being illegally occupied by Indonesia.  The launch party in Brixton, London on 20 December coincides with International Human Rights Day.

Sharon Stone hosts Seeds of Peace event in Los Angeles
8 March 2007
On November 17th Sharon Stone hosted an event featuring Israeli-born singer Liel, Lebanese-born pianist Giovanni and others for an evening of music to publicise and support the work of Seeds of Peace in bringing together young people from various conflict regions and provides training in conflict resolution and coexistence.

Social music project in Caracas, Venezuela trains world class classical musicians
8 March 2007
The System is the name of a revolutionary social venture in Caracas that has been running for more than 30 years to enable children living in poverty and danger to have the chance to intensively study music and change the direction of their lives. Creator and director of the project, Jose Antonio Abreu describes it as “primarily a social inclusion project…it’s not just about personal happiness, but about learning skills to hold a profession”. One recent success story is Edicson Ruiz, a 17 year old who is now the youngest ever bass player in the Berlin Philharmonic. See Guardian Unlimited 24 November 2006.

Paul Arenson, artist and human rights activist, music and poetry available online
8 March 2007
Paul Arenson is an anti-war and social activist resident in Tokyo who has written many poems and songs on human rights issues and made them freely available via soundclick.  His website Tokyo Progressive contains news article, current activities and also donates space to other progressive groups and individuals.

Artist protest at Faslane
8 March 2007
The Songs For Change organisation is helping to organize a Performers Block as part of Faslane 365, a year long blockade of the Trident nuclear submarine base outside Glasgow. Songs For Change are encouraging musicians, poets, and all performers’ to come to the base to protest in song etc between 10am and 4pm on December 7th  2006. Contact faslane365@songsforchange.com for more details.

Billy Bragg announces new UK tour
8 March 2007
Billy Bragg has announced a special series of concerts in support of five of the UK’s leading anti-fascist organisations, the Hope not Hate Tour Part II.  Following on from the huge success of his first Hope notHate Tour in April and May of this year, Billy Bragg is back to raise awareness of the threat of racism and the rise of the BNP in the UK.  The tour runs from the 1st – 17th December 2006.

Celtic Connections – Songs of Conscience nights
8 March 2007
Now in its 14th year Celtic Connections 2007 continues its eclectic programme with two nights entitled Songs of Conscience. These feature an international cast of top vocal talent, united by their commitment to songs that engage with political, moral, social and spiritual issues. The shows are also intended to honour Glasgow's illustrious place in the joint history of folk music and political activism, presenting the types of songs and singers once heard in the bars of the Broomielaw on the city's most prestigious stage. On 23rd January Tom Paxton and Roy bailey lead the night and on the 28th  Odetta and Thea Gilmore lead the cast of what will be two wonderful nights of political song in all its variety.
 
Celtic Connections - Tribute to Hamish Henderson
8 March 2007
A Celtic Connections highlight will be A' The Bairns O Adam: A Tribute to Hamish Henderson in song.  One of the great figures of the 20th-century whose songs, like 'Freedom Come All Ye' and 'Rivonia', were sung by freedom fighters and recognised by Nelson Mandela, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and many others.  This night features a host of artists paying tribute to his work.

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