Will This Be The Year of the Protest Song? Listen to Kevin Morby’s “I Have Been To The Mountain”
Though the music-scene has begun surprisingly slowly this year, a couple of great protest songs have already seen the light of day. Clearly, the senseless deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and too many others, followed by the predictable systemic injustice, have struck a chord with many musicians (not to mention authors, poets, artists). While some great protest songs were quickly released last year, the creative process has taken longer for others and is just now bearing song-fruit. One such song is Drive-By Truckers’ great new song What It Means? Now we’ve got another great in the form of I Have Been To The Mountain from solo artist Kevin Morby (Woods, The Babies). Alluding to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s similarly-titled speech, Morby has made no bones in the song, saying: “I Have Been To The Mountain is dedicated to and inspired by the death of Eric Garner.” Hiding nothing, Morby laments Garner as a man that “lived in this town/ ’til that pig took him down.” Like many who watched the Garner video, Morby is ghosted by Garner’s dying pleas. The song’s music brings to mind The Clash’s Guns of Brixton (“when they kick at your front door, how you gonna come?”), as appropriately augmented by driving horns and gospel singers, though closing with a quieter, mournful coda. Listen to it below.
It’s a great song that Morby will release on his next album, Singing Saw, on Dead Oceans on April 15th.
You can pre-order Singing Saw now:
Morby is also set to tour as follows:
Thu. Feb. 25 – Rennes, FR @ La Route du Rock Winter Festival
Wed. Mar 16 – Fri. Mar. 18 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Thu. May 5 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney
Fri. May 6 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Sat. May 7 – Brussels, BE @ Atelier 210
Sun. May 8 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
Mon. May 9 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Tue. May 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Copenhagen Jazzhouse
Wed. May 11 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
Thu. May 12 – Lund, SE @ @ Mejeriet
Fri. May 13 – Aarhus, DK @ Radar
Sat. May 14 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
Thu. June 2 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Fri. June 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater *
Sat. June 4 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place *
Mon. June 6 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
Tue. June 7 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club *
Wed. June 8 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern *
Fri. June 10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kliby Court *
Sat. June 11 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Sun. June 12 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room *
Tue. June 14 0 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry *
Wed. June 15 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
Thu. June 16 – Grand Rapids , MI @ Pyramid Scheme *
Fri. June 17 – Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall *
Sun. June 19 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott *
Mon. June 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle *
Wed. June 22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade NYC *
Thu. June 23 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel *
Fri. June 24 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook *
Sat. June 25 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
Sun. June 26 – Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
Tue. June 28 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Wed. June 29 – Austin, TX @ The Sidewinder
Sat. July 2 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
Thu. Aug 4 – Sun. Aug. 8 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
* w/ Jaye Bartell