ALL OPINIONS SHARED ARE MY OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT ANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
You can purchase merchandise HERE (Redbubble page)
About my next EP, “FUmaga”
My introduction to political/protest music was Rage Against the Machine. The album “Evil Empire” is the 1st time I recall listening to music and truly understanding that the artist was speaking against oppression and fascism. I did not know the details they were speaking about a lot of the time, but I knew they were standing for communities that were under attack against something bigger and I knew that I had a deep response to it. I feel like this response is a part of what led me to be a social worker.
I may not have always understood the context of their songs, but I understood what it meant to not be understood. I didn’t understand my own privilege, but having a physical limitation, I understood what it felt like to be viewed as “less than” in comparison to others. I didn’t understand how opposite Rage Against the Machine’s ideas were to the community I grew up in, but I understood that racism (along with sexism and other fearful, bigoted beliefs) were a very real and powerful thing in the U.S.
As I’ve aged, I have begun to understand the deeper mental and emotional toll these take on a person.
These ideas drove me to releasing “FUmaga”
What is “FUmaga”?
“FUmaga” is a protest album, plain and simple. An homage to artists like Rage Against the Machine, Bob Dylan, Neill Young, System of a Down, and the like. A cathartic exercise in speaking out. A painfully aware whisper into a void.
From a technical standpoint, it’s quite raw, as I have felt an urgency to do (and say) something now and in the moment. With that in mind, I tried to focus on “feel” more than “refinement” during the recordings. So, there’s bumps and scratches here and there and I’m good with that. Perhaps I’ll re-record some of the album later with a more refined process, but right now, I wanted to get it recorded and released.
Why this, why “FUmaga”, why now?
It felt important to be direct and clear in what I’m saying in this album. I am naturally an empathic person, which means, even when I strongly disagree with someone, I can often understand their thinking and how they got to where they are. At the same time, this little trait of mine can make it difficult for me to clearly state my own beliefs and my thoughts if they are oppositional to others around me.
Over the last 10+ years, I’ve felt a growing urge to speak against things happening in the U.S. Not because I believe I carry such influence that I will change anyone’s mind. It’s more about my personal values and principles.
A particularly challenging thing in the last 15 years or so for me has been the balance of:
- Acknowledging that there are different perspectives, and they are relevant
- Making a definitive statement about my perspective
- The realization that sometimes things go beyond simply having different perspectives and 2 things being “right” at the same time. Sometimes, there is no explaining away reality with “seeing things differently”. Sometimes, there is something wrong happening and that’s just what it is.
When I think about the moral high-ground the U.S. has built its historical narrative around, I think about immigrants being kidnapped by the government, LGBTQIA+ rights being taken, women’s rights being taken, the inhumane treatment of so many of our citizens, and our electing and protecting of a (found guilty in our courts) rapist. I think about these things, and the absurdity of it all, and I fear the future.
I think one of the scariest parts of this is that we have always been this way, it’s just more overt now than it’s been at other times in my life (or maybe I’m more aware). I grew up in a community with very racist and bigoted beliefs. I know from my own experience that these beliefs have not gone away. I also know from reading and studying and living away from “home”, that my experience does not represent any sort of social anomaly. If it did, we would not have people like marsha blackburn and bill lee and cameron sexton running the state of Tennessee, and we would not have people like donald trump holding the office of president of the United States.
I won’t go into all the data supporting my beliefs. It feels like that moment may have passed, and many people appear to be beyond accepting information and changing their stance. I fear we are at a point where people need to “feel” the repercussions of what is happening before they will welcome any change. Maybe I’m wrong, I hope I am. But it’s hard to believe that when donald trump is able to convince people he was cheated out of an election with no actual data/evidence to show it; when despite proof, people believe all immigrants (except the white ones) are rapists and violent criminals; and that even though the LGBTQIA+ community has been around since the dawn of humankind, people still refuse to accept them as human beings.
In short…I believe trump and his ilk are U.S. history incarnate. They are the victors ever playing the victim, only to justify being the oppressor all over again. With that being said, I do believe the U.S. could be a beacon of hope and leadership in the world. One that connects us and pushes all around us to be better (including ourselves), but right now, we are not that. Right now, we are more like the self-righteous bully on the playground that thinks intimidation and power-over is leadership.
I do not know how all of this ends. I am hopeful that things will turn out for the better in the end, I’m just not optimistic about the collateral damage it will take (and has already taken) to get there. Either way, I want to be able to say that when I felt something wrong was happening, I said something, even if I was late to the party (as I’m wont to do).
What are you doing about it, other than yelling into a microphone?
A portion of the proceeds made from the album will go to non-profit organizations, with special focus on supporting immigrants, refugees, the LGBTQIA+ community, and violent crime victims.