Artists: Marc Ribot (feat. Steve Earle, Tift Merritt)
Album: Goodbye Beautiful/Songs of Resistance 1942-2018
Song: Srinivas
Genre: Country, Folk
Label: Noise Inc
As we are on the eve of Independence Day, at a time that is one of the darkest in America’s history, I’m finding myself drawn to protest songs. While rock, punk and rap are generally the most vocally outspoken genres, there are a handful of country artists that don’t shy away from vocal resistance to our government’s policies.
Marc Ribot, with help from Steve Earle and Tift Merritt, has released a new, soft spoken but somberly powerful song which rails against the actions that have been transforming America into a place better known for hate towards immigrants, the shooting of unarmed minorities, and mass shootings than the land of freedom and equality it claims to be. Blame is put on the President (“Donald Trump loaded the gun”), but as the song ends with shoutouts to all those who have been murdered by cops and racists while chants of “My country tis a thee” plays, it becomes all too clear it’s a problem that goes beyond the White House, and which we as a nation need to continue to spend time addressing.
You can read more about the track and Ribot’s upcoming album here. Listen to the song below:
