The soundtrack of the recent Netflix documentary series “Turning Point: The Vietnam War” features a number of antiwar songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Some songs of the era dealt directly with the conflict (“Fortunate Son,” “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixing to-Die-Rag,” “Ohio”), while others were more oblique in their association (“Gimme Shelter,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “Ball of Confusion”).
Based on recent events, it appears that the United States is now embroiled in another period notable for the philosophical schism between musicians and politicians. Bruce Springsteen’s speech denouncing the Trump administration during a concert in Manchester, England, on May 14 set off a firestorm of rhetorical back-and-forth, beginning with Trump referring to Springsteen as a “dried out prune” in an online post.
Since then, several rockers have joined the public discourse, supporting Springsteen and slamming Trump. Neil Young said to the president, “Stop thinking about what rockers are saying. Think about saving America from the mess you made.” Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder added, “The name-calling is so beneath us. Bruce has always been pro-American with his values and liberty, and his justice has always remained intact. And I’m saying this now to be sure this freedom to speak will still exist in a year or two when we come back to this microphone.” Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello was more succinct, declaring, “Fuck that guy!” during a recent performance in Boston.
Following in the footsteps of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, who wrote, recorded and released “Ohio” in a week’s time, Springsteen has rush-released a recording of his Manchester concert, complete with his anti-Trump remarks. Will more artists follow?
Ticket Alert
Macy Gray will be on the road this summer celebrating the 25th anniversary of her album On How Life Is. The record was a critical and commercial success, garnering positive reviews and selling over seven million copies, so that make the occasion an excellent one to celebrate. Join the party on Saturday, August 9, at the House of Blues.
Some would lump the Marshall Tucker Band in with southern rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and the Outlaws, but it never had the hard-ass rednecky vibe that characterized so many acts in the genre. Like the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band took rock and mixed in influences from blues, jazz and country, resulting in a lyrical but still cooking sound. Tickets are on sale now for the band’s show on Friday, August 15, at the Stafford Centre, presented by Main Street Crossing.
Fans of big hair and ‘80s metal will want to check out a double bill at the House of Blues on Friday, September 19, featuring Slaughter (“Fly to the Angels”) and Great White (“Once Bitten, Twice Shy”). Presales are in progress now, with the general sale set for Friday.
Regular visitors to this space may be aware of the fact that I am not a fan of sentimental Christmas music. If it’s heartwarming, it’s probably not for me. Which is why I am psyched about Bill Kirchen’s “Honky Tonk Holiday Show” at the Mucky Duck on Tuesday, December 23. Get your tickets now for an evening that Kirchen says will include “a truckload of dieselbilly classics, rockers and country weepers to take the edge off the holiday fuss.” Sounds good to me.
Concerts This Week
There have been many great talk box songs. Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do,” Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” and Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion.” But also among the best is “Hair of the Dog” by Nazareth (the repeating lyrical motif being “Now you’re messing with a…a son of a bitch”). The Scottish rockers will be in town tonight, playing at the House of Blues.
Bluegrass fans rejoiced when Alison Krauss announced that she would once again join forces with her band Union Station after a 14-year hiatus. Arcadia was released in March, and the tour supporting that album will make a stop at the Smart Financial Centre on Thursday. Get ready for some serious pickin’ and grinnin’.
It’s a hell of a feeling when you reach the point in life when things that don’t seem like they happened all that long ago are now filed under “nostalgia.” Such is the case with the music of Simple Minds, whose song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” provided the triumphant coda to the 1985 John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. With the band’s profile buoyed by a recent BBC documentary, Simple Minds is on tour this summer with fellow ‘80s hitmakers Soft Cell and Modern English, performing at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday.
And speaking of the ‘80s, electronic music innovators Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark will play the Bayou Music Center on Monday. Like Simple Minds, OMD’s career received a boost when the song “If You Leave” was featured in another Hughes film, Pretty in Pink, in 1986, also placed at the end of the movie.
One of the biggest rap tours of the year will roll into Toyota Center on Tuesday. Earlier this year, Lil Baby’s album WHAM (Who Hard as Me) debuted at number one, selling 140,000 copies in its first week and knocking Bad Bunny out of the top spot, so anticipation is high for this summer’s jaunt, which begins right here in Houston. In addition to Lil Baby, BigXthaPlug and Loe Shimmy are on the bill. Scattered tickets still remain, along with meet and greet options for Lil Baby and BigX (sorry, Loe Shimmy fans).
Neotraditionalist country singer (he doesn’t care for the term “Americana”) Tyler Childers has made a career out of telling stories about his fellow Kentuckians, particularly those who toil in the state’s coal mines. Though he claims no official political affiliation, Childers has some progressive leanings, e.g. his song “Long Violent History,” which deals with racism and police brutality, and his video for “In Your Love,” which features a gay couple. Childers and his band, the Food Stamps, will perform on Tuesday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, with homeboy Hayes Carll opening.
