Doug MacDonald
As we approach the one-year anniversary of Donald J. Trump’s inauguration, our friends at alternative weeklies around the country put their heads together to compile a playlist of protest tracks. The project was curated by Washington-based columnist Baynard Woods.
DBL DRGN, “Trim the Bushes” (Charleston, South Carolina)
There were several election-reflection songs that came out of Charleston following Nov. 8, 2016. One of those that stood out for us is by a local hip-hop duo — Damn Skippy and Bad Mojo — dubbed DBL DRGN. Before releasing the audio, the guys filmed the video for the song "Trim the Bushes" on Election Day. With Bad Mojo dressed as a dragon, high-fiving passersby, the silly aspect of the visuals was meant to complement the circus-like atmosphere of the 2016 election — it also brought a smile to the faces of voters on an otherwise stressful day. The video was released on Inauguration Day, another attempt to lift the spirits of those who felt the doom and gloom all too well that January morning. In the single, the duo rather brilliantly mash up George Bush ("Fool me once ... can't get fooled again") with Bob Marley ("You can fool some people sometimes but you can't fool all the people all of the time"), while the video shows footage of Donald Trump's remarks on everything from immigration and Mexicans to birtherism, Putin, John McCain and women. The acknowledgment of all the things we as progressives find disturbing about the current administration coupled with the sense that folks should keep their heads up and stick together for the duration of the hand we've been dealt was the perfect combo. Check out the video for yourself below. —Kelly Rae Smith
Keith Morris, "What Happened to Your Party?" (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Known to at least one of his fellow musicians as “our rockin’ protest grouch in chief,” Keith Morris has a slew of protest songs, such as “Psychopaths & Sycophants,” “Prejudiced & Blind” and “Brownsville Market,” from his Dirty Gospel album, plus “Blind Man,” “Peaceful When You Sleep” and “Border Town” from Love Wounds & Mars. His latest release: “What Happened to Your Party?" — Erin O'Hare
Thunderfist, "Suck It" (demo, Salt Lake City, Utah)
Sure, there are more articulate ways to denounce Trump. And revolution by example — countering blustery, bigoted bullshit with artfully composed, well-reasoned takedowns — is how we'll effect change. That doesn't mean we can't occasionally vent our rage by strapping on Les Pauls, cranking up Marshalls, raising middle fingers and offering a blues-based, punk-rock invitation to fellatio. And maybe also, as the final, snarling chord slides into silence, calling him a "fat baby fuckface." — Randy Harward
Dooley, Lor Roger, and TLow, "CIT4DT" (Baltimore, Maryland)
This Boosie-tinged Thee Donald diss from Baltimore, which dropped long before inauguration, still thrills: "Boy ain't even white, you yellow / You said you'd date your own daughter, you a sicko." Stakes are high here too — the mastermind behind it, Dooley, is Muslim, for example — and right-wing semi-fascist snowflakes took the song totally seriously, denounced it as a "death threat" ("CIT4DT" stands for "chopper in the trunk for Donald Trump"), and bemoaned its Baltimore origins, where protest morphed into property damage and, as far as a lot of us were concerned, verged gloriously on revolution. Meanwhile, the trio responsible for it thought the shit was hilarious. — Brandon Soderberg
Trombone Shorty and Dumpstaphunk, “Justice” (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Trombone Shorty and Dumpstaphunk teamed up on a song called “Justice,” which they released on inauguration day. A melange of funk, jazz and New Orleans brass band sounds, the video for “Justice” slyly marries video footage of Trump against pointed lyrics. "Inauguration day seemed to be an appropriate time to voice the need for equal say and opportunity for all people,” says Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville. "We entered a New Year with a lot of unanswered questions on the subject of justice that we all felt a little uneasy about. But there's only so much we can do and this track is our way of expressing our worries.” The song is available on most streaming services.
Lonely Horse, “Devil in the White House” (San Antonio, Texas)
Shots fired! Lonely Horse come out guns-a-blazing with the track “Devil in the White House." Opening with a sludgy cadence that crescendos into a tumultuous rock 'n' roll explosion, the "desert rock" duo of Nick Long and Travis Hild make very clear their feelings about the 45th POTUS. — Chris Conde
Mal Jones, J. Blacco, Lost Firstborne and DJ Shotgun, CODE RED “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot" (Jacksonville, Florida)
Jones says, “We came up with this song after all of the recent acquittals in the cases related to the steadily rising murders of unarmed black men in the hands of law enforcement in America. We wanted to protest about this issue in the most effective way we know how — through song. Hands up, don't shoot!”
Lingua Franca, “A Man’s World“ (Athens, Georgia)
Shortly after inauguration day, two Athens studios invited 19 local bands to commemorate the dawn of the Trump Age, tracking 20 songs in a marathon 48-hour session. While much of the resulting album, Athens Vs. Trump Comp 2017, is suitably bleak, ascendant emcee Lingua Franca’s “A Man’s World” stands out for its sheer defiance. Frenzied and indiscreet, it’s a fiery feminist anthem for the resistance. — Gabe Vodicka
OG Swaggerdick, "Fuck Donald Trump" (Boston, Massachusetts)
Among diehard hip-hop heads as well as artists, Boston's underground rap scene is renowned as one of the most lyrically elaborate and intellectual. To that end, over the past year, such acts as STL GLD (Moe Pope + The Arcitype) and more recently The Perceptionists (Mr. Lif + Akrobatik) have released their most compelling works to date, largely inspired by the mess that Donald Trump has made (though not always naming-checking Dolt 45 directly). But when it comes to straight up protesting and verbally impaling the potty-mouthed POTUS, there's something undeniably satisfying, even admirable, about the Hub's own OG Swaggerdick's simple and straightforward election anthem, "Fuck Donald Trump." From the fittingly filthy rhymes — "never give props to a punk ass trick / motherfuck Donald Trump he can suck my dick" — to the strangers on the street who gladly join along in rapping in the video, they're protest lyrics that you'll still be able to remember and perhaps even rap for relief on occasions when the president leaves you otherwise speechless. — Chris Faraone
Clint Breeze and The Groove, "Blood Splatter" (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Featuring more than a dozen guest contributors, including poets, rappers and jazz musicians, Nappy Head weaves a phantasmagoric assemblage of words and sounds into a razor-sharp critique of racial oppression in modern America. "I wanted to symbolize the state of oppression that black people experience every day. From not getting fair treatment in the justice system, to getting shot and killed by law enforcement, to being unfairly treated in the workforce — you name it,” says Breeze. "Blood Splatter" is the record's most cutting track; featuring spoken word artist Too Black, with cascading cymbal cracks and careening sax. — Kyle Long and Katherine Coplen
The After Lashes, “We the Sheeple” (Coachella Valley, California)
The After Lashes is a new all-female punk band from the Coachella Valley that features Ali Saenz, the wife of former Dwarves and Excel drummer Greg Saenz. Frontwoman Esther Sanchez explained the inspiration behind "We the Sheeple:" “It was an easy song to write because it came from a place of frustration and growing resentment toward the current powers that be, and, of course, more specifically, Donald Trump. We have a president who calls anything he doesn't like 'fake news' while simultaneously spending an insane amount of time tweeting nonsense and lying like a crazy person.” — Brian Blueskye
Priests, "Right Wing" (Washington, D.C.)
There's been no shortage of scathing political protest songs coming out of D.C. since, well, the birth of punk. But in recent years, post-punk quartet Priests have succeeded in reminding the rest of the country that D.C. is, and always has been, pissed the fuck off. "Right Wing," off the band's breakthrough EP Bodies and Control and Money and Power, perfectly captures the ass-backwardness of living in a country controlled by capitalists, fascists, racists and warmongers. "Everything everything / So right wing / Everything everything / So right wing / Purse searches, pep rallies / Purse searches, SUVs," sings Katie Alice Greer. It reads like a short, poetic treatise on how the toxicity of right wing ideals infects everyday life. — Matt Cohen
Withdraw, "Disgust" (Columbia, South Carolina)
On its 2017 debut EP Home, Columbia’s Withdraw oscillates violently between bristling, pedal-to-the floor emo (think At the Drive-In) and brutal, clawing crust punk. And on “Disgust,” the band proves the virtue of their versatility, shifting from an unflinchingly blackened hardcore blitz that bashes sexual abusers to a more expansive, anthemic coda that seeks to lift up the victims — “You are not tarnished!” It’s a potent statement, a searing declaration of allyship in a musical realm more often derided for problematic gender politics. — Jordan Lawrence
NODON, "Alt-Wrong" (Burlington, Vermont)
NODON is an anti-fascist, anti-hate power-punk duo born out of the 2016 presidential election. Seething with caustic epithets, the songs condemn xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, white supremacy and, above all, President Donald Trump. "Alt-Wrong," from the EP Covfefe, delivers a swift and vicious kick to the alt-right's figurative crotch. Over razor-sharp guitar riffs and seething drums, they scream their battle cry: "Annihilate this hate! Not right! Alt-wrong!" — Jordan Adams
Rmllw2llz “So Amerikkkan” (Louisville, Kentucky)
When you think of the Louisville music scene, your mind probably bounces to My Morning Jacket, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy or maybe White Reaper — who are great — but our city’s hip-hop scene is packed with poignant hip-hop artists. If you’re looking for a pure protest song, look no further than Rmllw2llz’s “So Amerikkkan,” where he says “Fuck Trump, he’s a bum, and Hillary's trash, too.” You can hear a lot of the country’s past, present and future angst packed into a few powerful minutes. — Scott Recker
Michael Bone, “My Peace Will Outlive You” (Chico, California)
Michael Bone is a Chico musician, husband and father who has a day job teaching music to developmentally disabled kids, a night job playing drums for jazz combo Bogg, and dozens of side projects — including running the 1day Song Club. The latter is a songwriting group that receives a one-word prompt every other week, after which participants are tasked with writing, recording and submitting a song to be posted online within 24 hours. “My Peace Will Outlive You,” an angst-ridden yet hopeful slice of psychedelic pop, is Bone's contribution to the prompt of “Trump.” — Jason Cassidy
Dais, “Atrocity” (Rochester, New York)
Dais tells you exactly where it stands on “Atrocity,” the first track off its self-titled debut EP. The post-hardcore band makes a racing, pounding apology to the Earth before (sort of) slowing down to confront the powers that be. “Show us a tyrant / And we’ll show you our grievance / Fuck that, we will fight this” vocalist Travis Rankin yells and strains in defiance. “The person who the States had elected was talking about withdrawing us from The Paris Climate Accord,” Rankin says. “We felt betrayed and began writing this song. It’s an apology to the Earth for us not being as good to it as it has been to us.” — Jake Clapp
Iris DeMent, “We Won’t Keep Quiet” (Iowa City, Iowa)
In February 2017, Iowa City held a Solidarity Rally Against the Ban, proclaiming support for immigrant populations and refugees in the wake of Trump's first attempt at enacting a travel ban. In between the community leaders, local politicians, and youth speakers, a variety of area musicians performed, including the brilliant Iris DeMent. She debuted a song, "We Won't Keep Quiet," that captured the feeling in the crowd that day in a really powerful way.
Joshua Asante, "No Time For Despair" (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Asante, best known for fronting the bands Amasa Hines and Velvet Kente, is also a photographer; someone who delights in the tangible process of making art. It's in his latest work as a solo artist that this becomes most evident, Asante hunching down over a briefcase stuffed with loop stations and processors. Of "No Time For Despair," Asante says: "In times of distress and turmoil, it's easy to get kinda caught up in the collective despair, so the lyrics are very much about, like, "Yeah, times are tumultuous, but there's also a lot of really wonderful magical things that are going on in your life. ... That is probably the supreme act of defiance -- to be joyful, to be loving." — Stephanie Smittle
Whiskey Farm, "Flag Pin" (Madison, Wisconsin)
The Whiskey Farm is an Americana/folk rock band from Madison. Formed in 2010, the band has produced four albums — but their most recent work, Songs of Resistance, is their first record comprised entirely of social and political music. It covers topics including immigration policy, faux patriotism, money in politics, gun control, equal rights and gerrymandering. “Flag Pin” is a tongue-in-cheek, blues-inspired indictment of opportunistic patriots, including Trump. The band released Songs of Resistance as a benefit for the ACLU of Wisconsin. — Catherine Capellaro
VO5, feat. Dr. Levy "If You Build a Wall" (Madison, Wisconsin)
VO5 is a nine-piece disco-funk band that plays frequently at festivals and clubs in the Midwest. Rapper/singer Dr. Levy (David Levy) is a Madison-based freestyle rapper and educator whose music career blossomed while he lived in Portland, Oregon. The video for “Build a Wall” was shot by Ben Reiser, also using time-lapse protest footage shot by Isthmus staff writer Dylan Brogan at the Women's March on Jan. 21, 2017. — Catherine Capellaro (Isthmus arts & culture editor and VO5 singer/trumpet)
MC E-Turn, “Ill Legal Alien” (Orlando, Florida)
Everything about Orlando MC E-Turn is a particularly eloquent middle-finger in the face of Donald Trump. The Persian American, outspoken femme MC is a firebrand on the mic, and her lyrics deftly meld the personal with the political in ways that hardcore dudes could only dream of. The fury and technique with which she drop bars — and other, usually male, MCs — on stage is the proud definition of a nasty woman. Her anthemic "iLL Legal Alien" may predate Trump's election, but the Swamburger-produced track is still furiously of-the-moment. — Matthew Moyer and Bao Le-Huu
