“You will not kill the hope in us. Freedom for Palestine”
Baladicenter, a continuation of Baladi Dance Group, was established in 1991 in Beit Jala, Palestine. Founded by a group of promising young people, with a mission to preserve and pass down their rich Palestinian heritage through generations, consolidating and strengthening the Palestinian identity. The group emerged in response to the occupation authorities' attempts to deny and erase the ancient roots and heritage of the Palestinian people.
Please consider buying a Keffiyeh* to support expanding local productions and keep the traditions of Palestine alive. They're currently restocking and hope to get orders out soon.
*Either spelling appears acceptable.
The dance is interspersed with footage of the Great March of Return where young men danced a Dabke circle under gunfire and tear gas from the Occupation Forces, and the civilian defiance of First Intifada, whose 36th anniversary was commemorated on December 8th.
Glory to the Martyrs! 🇵🇸
Glory to the Resistance! 🇵🇸
From River To The Sea Palestine Will Be Free! 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
Like the music in the new Hunger Games movie but not really know anything about folk/bluegrass/country? Here are some quick recs to get you started!
(This is not comprehensive and the genres here are a little whack, these are just songs I listen to as someone raised on good Appalachian vibes. Not necessarily from just Appalachian artists, particularly in the second section. Just think it’s nice that people are getting more exposure to folk + bluegrass!)
Protest Songs / Coal Criticism
(Hazel Dickens I would give you smooches.. also these are just the ones living in my playlists rn)
“You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” Patty Loveless
“The L and N Don’t Stop Here Anymore,” Jean Ritchie
“Coal Tattoo,” and I’m exercising my free will and linking the Hazel Dickens version
“The Yablonski Murder,” Hazel Dickens
“Coal,” Tyler Childers
“Trip to Hyden,” Tom T. Hall
“Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Loretta Lynn
“Devil Put the Coal in the Ground,” Steve Earle
Assorted Personal Favorites
(where my love for Sierra Ferrell is really on display)
“West Virginia Waltz,” Sierra Ferrell
“Across the Great Divide,” Nanci Griffith
“Blue Ridge Mountain,” Hurray for the Riff Raff
“Iowa (Traveling, Pt. 3),” Dar Williams
“Rhododendron,” Bella White
“Boulder to Birmingham,” Emmylou Harris
“Silver Dollar,” Sierra Ferrell
“Hands of Time,” Margo Price
“Lilacs,” Waxahatchee
“Way of the Triune God,” Tyler Childers
“The Dreaded Spoon,” Ricky Skaggs + Bruce Hornsby
“Preacher in the Ring, Pt. 1,” Bruce Hornsby
“The Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia,” Hazel Dickens
A carcará is a hawk like bird found in NE Brazil, and while it is a predator, it acts more like a vulture. Written by João Do Vale and José Cândido as a thinly disguised metaphor for the Brazilian military dictatorship. Maria Bethânia had her first hit with this remarkable tune, but I kind of like Nara Leão’s version better - while Maria Bethânia’s rendition is a bit more strident in tone, Nara’s version swings a bit more.
Help Me Give My Dad A Great Father’s Day By Listening To His Environmental Protest Song
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So I’ve never tried blaze before, but it’s Father’s Day tomorrow and I know my Dad would be thrilled if more people got to hear his song. He wrote it a couple of years ago, and I figure people would like it if they gave it a chance. So let’s see if this works.
Here's another banger if you want more punk rock music specifically about the plight of the minimum wage worker. This one's lyrics fucking FLOORED me when I heard this last year (extra points for making it historical)
Yeah, this one's for the workers who toil night and day
By hand and by brain to earn your pay
Who for centuries long past for no more than your bread
Have bled for your countries and counted your dead
In the factories and mills, in the shipyards and mines
We've often been told to keep up with the times
For our skills are not needed, they've streamlined the job
And with sliderule and stopwatch our pride they have robbed
We're the first ones to starve the first ones to die
The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky
And we're always the last when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat's about
And when the sky darkens and the prospect is war
Who's given a gun and then pushed to the fore
And expected to die for the land of our birth
Though we've never owned one lousy handful of earth?
We're the first ones to starve the first ones to die
The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky
And we're always the last when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat's about
All of these things the worker has done
From tilling the fields to carrying the gun
We've been yoked to the plough since time first began
And always expected to carry the can
Comedian and musician Tommy Smothers, half of The Smothers Brothers, has died at 86.
New York Times story about his passing.
Most of you here have never heard of he and his brother, or their act. But they were hugely famous in the 60s. And, despite appearances, they were subversive.
They had a variety show on CBS, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (variety shows were big then). Tommy played the scattered, supposedly stupid brother, and Dick was the serious, stiff one. They sang folk songs (also very big then), often with Tommy messing up the lyrics or adding his own. Their shtick was Dick trying to rein in Tommy.
Doesn't sound like much, but this was during the Vietnam War. CBS warned the comedians not to comment or criticize the war. But they did. They were told not to have folk singer Pete Seeger on to sing his anti-war song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy." But they did. So CBS canceled their show.
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During the 60th Emmy Awards Tommy talked about being censored, which is very topical right now.
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A bit about how subversive they were.
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They were part of my childhood and growing up. Their comedy made me think.
I think we need more protest songs. Not like rock anthems, but like sing alongs that the entire protest sings together. That it would be easy to change a few words to make an entire verse that's now about your community, your power, your struggle.
Music can change the world: We’ve compiled a list with 15 Songs With A Message: protest songs against political oppression, war, social injustice, environmental issues, civil rights violations, police brutality, etcetera, etcetera.
Anyone Can Move A Mountain - Marlena Shaw (The Spice of Life, 1969)
Babies Makin’ Babies - Sly and The Family Stone (Fresh, 1973)
Can We Afford? - Bill Bailey and The Dallas International Choir (Can We Afford? / Peace Making Time, 1975)
The Devil Has Made This Land His Playground - Charlie Clemons And The Mighty Power Band (The Devil Has Made This Land His Playground / Can I use Your Body, 1976)
Future Shock - Curtis Mayfield (Back To The World, 1973)
Land Where I Live - The Free Movement ( I've Found Someone Of My Own, 1972)
Oh Lord Why Lord / Prayer - Parliament (Osmium, 1970)
Political Rag - King Solomon (Energy Crisis, 1978)
The Pusher - Nina Simone (It Is Finished, 1974)
Save the Children - Gil Scott-Heron (Pieces Of A Man, 1971)
Shakers and Movers (Part 1 en 2) - Carl Westmoreland (Shakers and Movers (Part 1) / Shakers and Movers (Part 2), 197?)
Tired, Tired, Tired - Kenny and Larry With The Hidden Persuaders (Tired, Tired, Tired / You And I Are Through, 196?)
This Child Needs Its Father - Gladys Knight and the Pips (Neither One of Us, 1973)
What Time It Is (Part I) - General Crook (What Time It Is (Part I) What Time It Is (Part II), 1971)