| Author |
Topic: political songs (WAS: strange songs done in the studio) |
John Troutman
From:
Washington, DC
|
Posted 17 Apr 2007 9:09 pm |
|
hey-
you guys ever put your steel to political uses? i don't want this thread to actually -get- political, but wondering what you have done for political candidates/causes.
i was recently hired to sing and play steel for a bill bradley project (youtube link below). yes, it was a very strange gig! fortunately, in terms of my ethics, i very much like the man, but it got me wondering what y'all have done in the name of politics...
john
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmmibgDIpI |
|
|
 |
Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
|
Posted 17 Apr 2007 9:21 pm
|
|
Great question- and it's led to some soul-searching on my part.
When I first moved south in the late 70's, I took a job sight unseen as a do-everything guy at a South Carolina recording studio. The very first day I arrived, having moved everything I owned down, the first session we did was the re-election campaign jingle for Strom Thurmond. About as far from my political leanings as could be. I had a lot to think about, as it was play or go home...
Some time later while playing with John Berry, we won the Marlboro Talent contest, and toured with heavy support from Marlboro for a while. I actually think cigarettes and parts of that industry are evil.
Things like this make you evaluate just where you make a stand for your beliefs, balanced against making a living in music. I think I might have made some different choices if I wasn't a full time musician. It's been very eye-opening for me to examine just how far I'll go to back up my principles, and what they are- in my case, I've learned my music and immersion in the recording scene take precedence over some other issues. I suspect a lot of studio cats face the same challenges. |
|
|
|
Mike Archer
From:
church hill tn
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 5:16 am sessions
|
|
thats way cool!!
not done that type but i did do a food city
gingle and that was a real hoot!
i think they played it in the store here local  |
|
|
|
Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 6:44 am
|
|
I played a telecommunication bribe-a-thon party for Dick Army back when he was the big cheese. He was a real nice guy to hang out with. He even sang with the band.
I've played a pile of events and benefits for all sorts of things. There is alot of that in NYC. In general events and benefits pay pretty well. I even think I have a gig on sunday that is somehow linked to earthday.
_________________
Bob |
|
|
|
Dennis Coelho
From:
Wyoming, USA
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 8:09 am Topic: political songs (WAS: strange songs done in the stud
|
|
Even for groups that play on a part-time basis, this can be a real problem. We've been together for almost thirty years and are fairly well-known throughout the state. At one time we had a summer time performance contract for several years with well-known western beer company, a contract that worked very well for us. But they decided to move their advertising money to NASCAR (or so I was told) and we were left without a regular summer sponsor. Almost immediately, we were contacted by a tobacco company that offered to sponsor us at several multiples of our previous stipend. We voted to not accept the offer, which pretty much took us out of a lot of summer time performances. We also agreed long ago not to do any political rally type gigs. In a smaller state like ours, it is just too easy to become permanently associated in the public mind with a particular political party or point of view. Alas.
Dennis |
|
|
|
Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 9:21 am
|
|
Well, playing a rally for any kind of candidate is endorsing that candidate and his political leanings, which is fine as long as all of the band lean the same way. Gets tricky when band members have divided political philosophies.
Touring for Marlboro was a tough one for me- but it was a band consensus that it was "good for us", and, well, it turned out top be. That's just a tough call.
Even weirder is playing a festival date supposedly promoted by a musical organisation, only to find cigarette company banners everywhere and scantily clad barely legal gals handing out free packs of cigs to obvious minors... ouch.
I really admire anyone who turns down work based on principle, and have when I could. It gets very slippery when 7 people and their livelihoods are involved. I wonder what Imus would call me...  |
|
|
|
Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 12:09 pm
|
|
I'm a liberal Democrat, but around '80 or '81 I was hired by a Republican politician who moonlighted as a country singer (more because he enjoyed it than anything else) and I took the gig, and kept my opinions to myself, even when we played at Republican fund raisers. I figured that if I was an actor and got hired to play a murderer in a film, I wouldn't go out and actually kill somebody. Same thing, I was playing a role. My job was to make the singer sound good, and I did that to the best of my ability, without regard to his politics.
HOWEVER, I drew the line at specific songs that went against my principles. In particular, I always refused to play Merle Haggard's "The Fighting Side Of Me." I believe the song advocated violence against people who were exercising their constitutional right to protest against the war in Vietnam, (which I had done myself) and I could not in good conscience play it.
Rather than make a stink about it, I always said I didn't know the song whenever it was requested. But in all the years I was gigging, I never once played that song.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin
Last edited by Mike Perlowin on 18 Apr 2007 2:59 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 12:20 pm
|
|
| I played at a libertarian rally once. I'm not a libertarian. I spent all my breaks arguing with people. I don't think I'll play anymore political functions unless I believe in the cause. |
|
|
|
George McLellan
From:
Duluth, MN USA
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 1:02 pm
|
|
"If you have political convictions, keep em' to yourself" Johnny Cash
I keep my pickin out of politics, period!
Geo |
|
|
|
Drew Howard
From:
48854
|
|
|
|
Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 3:50 pm
|
|
The Trio I play for has done it ! These folks were so radical ,
It made me feel like I was way to the right of Gangues Con .
paid 300 bucks for 30 minutes !!!!
There money was as good as anybody's .
Hick |
|
|
|
Eric Jaeger
From:
Oakland, California, USA
|
Posted 18 Apr 2007 4:20 pm
|
|
I've played benefits for the ACLU, Bay Ridge Trail Coalition, Nature Conservancy and several school fundraisers, but it's all been acoustic - bass, dobro, guitar.
It's hard to live around here without getting the opportunity
-eric |
|
|
|
john widgren
From:
Wilton CT
|
Posted 19 Apr 2007 8:48 am
|
|
I feel that for me it is a moral imperative to not play any form of bigoted, degrading or hate music. I simply want no part it and will pack up and walk off stage if it is expressed as an on stage surprise. I have done so, taken heat for it, and never regretted it.
I make a personal choice to not lend my talents (humble though they be) to any politic that I strongly disagree with, at any price. I do not judge those who do. I play for a living.
We make our choices, do the best we can, and deal with the consequences. I try not to complain about it too much. And so it goes... |
|
|
|
