Leftist Country

[leftace53]

I was flipping through channels on my TV the other day, and came across the country music channel. While I pretty much hate country, I was wondering if there are country musicians that can be considered leftist? Is this even possible with this genre?

[Nuvem]

I would say that yes, it technically could. Country music is essentially rural in nature, and I would argue also widely American. Though it is unlikely that country music would spread to a country which would accept Leftist ideologies, it is theoretically possible for Leftists to compose music of this style. Rather than "Them durn Democrats ain't never gonna get ma guns" it would be more along the lines of "That there bourgeoisie ain't never gonna monopolize the weapons of revolution". While I would find it wholly tasteless, any lyrics could potentially be organized into the country rhythm and style and be accompanied by the same twangy, lilting music, and this includes Leftist lyrics.

[fa2991]

Is folk close enough? Woody Guthrie was a god.

[leftace53]

Is folk close enough? Woody Guthrie was a god.

Lefty Folk :blink: I just have to find out what that sounds like :lol: I'll definitely look this guy up.

Is there a market for leftist country musicians? (I'll have to capitalise on my lovely guitar playing skills if there is!)

[Who?]

Lefty Folk :blink: I just have to find out what that sounds like :lol: I'll definitely look this guy up.

Is there a market for leftist country musicians? (I'll have to capitalise on my lovely guitar playing skills if there is!)

Leftist politics have long been associated with folk music in the U.S.

Try listening to Pete Seeger or (60's) Bob Dylan, the Weather Underground actually took their name from a Bob Dylan song.

If you want something a little more recent try listening to Conor Oberst, he penned a few protest songs back in the mid 2000's.

[#FF0000]

Alabama is p. pro-labor in it's lyrics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38b3RVg7Jpo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHdXQAQHjd8&feature=av2e

Then there's Uncle Tupelo, which is the band that Jeff Tweedy from Wilco was originally in, years and years ago, that played p. traditional country and had left-ish themes, sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICrur9dMoiA

[hobo8675309]

i think its fair to call bob dylan leftist and country. several country artists were seriously concerned with working conditions in the south and were politically active "bluenecks" as far as raising minimum wage, ect, but were not radicals in any way.

[gorillafuck]

Lefty Folk :blink: I just have to find out what that sounds like :lol: I'll definitely look this guy up.
Folk is very associated with left wing politics. My personal favorite old folk guy is Phil Ochs.

Check it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N93OCCBXGXc

Edit: And TBMIRH is right, folk isn't country. Especially considering that folk can be very good whereas country inherently sucks.

[#FF0000]

Folk isn't country btw.

[fa2991]

i think its fair to call bob dylan leftist and country.


Just the other day I was sitting in a radio studio waiting for a satellite arrangement abroad to be set up. The engineers were putting together interviews with Bob Dylan from about 1966-7 or so (judging by the references), and I was listening (I'd never heard him talk before -- if you can call that talking). He sounded as though he was so drugged he was barely coherent, but the message got through clearly enough through the haze. He said over and over that he'd been through all of this protest thing, realized it was nonsense, and that the only thing that was important was to live his own life happily and freely, not to "mess around with other people's lives" by working for civil and human rights, ending war and poverty, etc. He was asked what he thought about the Berkeley "free speech movement" and said that he didn't understand it. He said something like: "I have free speech, I can do what I want, so it has nothing to do with me. Period." If the capitalist PR machine wanted to invent someone for their purposes, they couldn't have made a better choice.


Lefty Folk :blink: I just have to find out what that sounds like :lol: I'll definitely look this guy up.He's great - and as far left as it gets. He was a huge communist and anti-fascist and even did an entire album of songs about Sacco & Vanzetti. He wrote a column for the Communist Party newspaper called "Woody Sez" and lived in a commune for a while. You may recognize him as the guy who wrote "This Land is Your Land," which usually has its left-leaning verses about violating property laws and seeing homeless people snipped when it's performed today.

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Also check out the Almanac Singers album "Talking Union." It's more country than folk.

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[redsky]

It is sad that on a leftist forum there are those who haven't heard of Woody Guthrie.

I would venture that some of the mixed feelings about music and its sociopolitical impact occur because of the disconnect between the emotional immediacy of music and the perceived legitimacy of words set to it. I have heard rightists applaud the DDR's Nationalhymne, not realizing what they were hearing, because it stirred them. These same types will be deeply suspicious of a Steve Earle because he's a "goddam communist" ( whether true or no I couldn't say; his work has a deep anti-corporate streak), even as they boogie down. Music, as opposed to lyrics by themselves, is something you either like or you don't. There's no need to build and buttress fact and argument. I like, without apology, some traditional gospel songs because they are good music. I don't have to react to words. Modern "Christian music", though, goes real bad real quick on the double count of being lyricwise cryptofascist corporate pablum and, musicwise, sterile soulless shit.

Enough of this babbling screed. Listen to what thou wilt, just not too loud next door.

[Invincible Summer]

Modern "Christian music", though, goes real bad real quick on the double count of being lyricwise cryptofascist corporate pablum and, musicwise, sterile soulless shit.

Modern Christian music:

Jesus/God is (insert positive adjective here), we should praise/serve/proclaim His name. I love Jesus/God. He is (insert aformentioned positive adjective).


Seriously, listen to almost any song, it's ridiculous how they're all the same.

[Absolut]

While calling them leftists might be stretching it too far, Id say Old Crow Medicine Show are at least progressive. Its not exactly country, but its close enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAzhz29eVec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug7IgB8MfWE&ob=av2e

[Os Cangaceiros]

i'd rather just listen to rockabilly/psychobilly.

[¿Que?]

Steve Earl
I think about as country you can get on the left, or as left you can get in country. Although I'd classify him more as Americana.

City of Immigrant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIETUB212b8)

John Walker Blues (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISFNTRaXRiI) (The only song I really like by him)

The Revolution Starts Now (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkb8IQ1oRII)

Wikipedia

The song "The Revolution Starts Now (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Revolution_Starts_Now_%28song% 29&action=edit&redlink=1)" was used in the promotion of Michael Moore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Moore)'s anti-war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-war) documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_9/11) and appears on the album Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_and_Artists_That_Inspired_Fahrenheit_9/11), the songs for which were selected by Moore.

[redsky]

Good point about Earle as Americana. All of these pigeonholing musical categories are pretty much meaningless. I have wondered how such an artist as Ramon Ayala is perceived, sociopolitically and beyond a purely musical standard, in Mexico- would he do narcocorridos. Last spring Los Tigres ran bad afoul of the political structure by releasing a video animation which apparently cut way too close to the truth about government/cartel collusion. I'd love to catch any of the Norteno groups next time I'm down south.

[¿Que?]

Good point about Earle as Americana. All of these pigeonholing musical categories are pretty much meaningless. I have wondered how such an artist as Ramon Ayala is perceived, sociopolitically and beyond a purely musical standard, in Mexico- would he do narcocorridos. Last spring Los Tigres ran bad afoul of the political structure by releasing a video animation which apparently cut way too close to the truth about government/cartel collusion. I'd love to catch any of the Norteño groups next time I'm down south.
I don't really know who those people you're talking about are. I'll check them out, since I'm always looking for new inspiration and music inspires me tremendously.

I'm also not sure what a corrido is, some type of Mexican folk song/poem, correct? Have you heard of Americo Paredes?

Quick tip: To do an "ñ," hold down alt->press n->press n again. I don't know about accents, though. (fixed your post).

[L.A.P.]

Lefty Folk :blink: I just have to find out what that sounds like :lol: I'll definitely look this guy up.

Is there a market for leftist country musicians? (I'll have to capitalise on my lovely guitar playing skills if there is!)

The original protest songs in the Western world were Folk music.

[Elfcat]

I know I've heard protest songs from out of Appalachia against the coal industry. I wonder if anyone has names of bands which sang these?

[wunderbar]

i think its fair to call bob dylan leftist

FWIW, Dylan's favorite politician was Republican/libertarian icon Barry Goldwater.

[Bad Grrrl Agro]

Hazel Dickens

[Apoi_Viitor]

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[Manic Impressive]

Alabama 3 are definitely leftist they started as a bit of a joke when one member said to the other "wouldn't it be cool if we could make a band that combined country music and Acid house" so their songs really are a mix with some being more like country and some being dance music or somewhere in between.
an example of their country roots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3d9-sXrx3o (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3d9-sXrx3o)

And some Maoist pron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgVw0UGK8gU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgVw0UGK8gU)

[Casbah]

You guys might dig Joe Ely.. He was a friend of Joe Strummers..