This Week with David Rovics

Attacking Medea Benjamin -- A Short Primer on the ”Anarchists” of Empire and Identity Politics

Global Exchange and Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin is only one of many well-known leaders of the US left being attacked by self-described anarchists. If you're confused by this, you're not alone. The written version of this piece appeared in Counterpunch at the beginning of June.

Live in Roskilde full concert MP3

Daniel Nayberg made a beautiful soundboard recording during our show at the Ild i Gilden acoustic music festival in Denmark last month. This is what you hear in the audio for the 17-song video playlist culled from the 3-camera shoot that was going on at the gig, that can be found in full for free at davidrovics.com/roskilde. The MP3 we have here in this podcast is the audio for the full concert, talking and tuning included.

All Your Days interview part 2

Here's the second half of James O'Brien's interview with me for his podcast, All Your Days. Each episode (including both of the ones featuring me) is an insightful and fairly deep dive into the lives and times of the artists he interviews.

New song: ”It’s Not A Trade War”

Whatever one's views of the causes or justifications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and regardless of what you believe might be the solution that might end the slaughter, of one obvious, inescapable reality we can all hopefully agree: the US just happens to be a major producer of most of Russia and Ukraine's biggest exports, such as gas, oil, corn, wheat, sunflower oil, and of course, arms and ammunition.

All Your Days interview part 1

James O'Brien is one of the best interviewers I've ever had the pleasure of talking to. His podcast is a series of explorations of the lives of lots of different artists, and for this week and next week's episodes he's talking with me. This is part one. You can find lots of other interviews James has done with other artists (including a number of my friends) by looking for All Your Days on any of the usual podcasting platforms, such as Apple Podcasts. Part 2 coming next week!

Europe Tour Prequel

A few songs from my living room on the last day I have time alone in the apartment before I leave for Europe.

Anatomy of a Concert Tour

When I start circulating propaganda about an upcoming tour, people often ask me how I organized it. Here's an attempt at a real answer to that question, about the tour that's coming right up.

Priced Out Fight Back

Here in Portland, Oregon there's a referendum on the ballot to fund legal representation for all tenants facing eviction.  How much more than this might it take to truly address the housing crisis we face?

New song: ”Ballad of the Columbia Eagle”

One of the things I got to do while I was on the east coast last week was spend some time with Al Glatkowski.  In March of 1970 he and fellow merchant marine Clyde McKay led a mutiny aboard the SS Columbia Eagle, in an effort to prevent a massive delivery of napalm bombs from reaching the port of Saigon, where the US Air Force would be loading it onto planes in order to drop on Vietnamese villages.  I wrote this song over the course of a couple days after I got home from the trip.

Communication or Excommunication: a Question for Our Times

An open letter to my Fellow Workers.