This Week with David Rovics

A Very Brief History of Capitalism, Empire, and the Yellow Peril

The vilification of China and the Chinese people in the US -- and Russia and Russian people, among others -- goes way, way back.

Australia Tour PSA

I made a musical little 55-second public service announcement to promote my imminently-approaching tour of the east coast of Australia. Tour info at davidrovics.com/tour!

An Open Letter to the Portland Public Schools School Board on the proposed reform to Local Schools Foundations

There is widespread recognition that Portland's public schools are under-funded and under-staffed (like most of the public schools throughout the United States).  There is an ill-conceived initiative to reform the Local Schools Foundation.  The LSF is the primary reason the better-functioning schools are able to function better, and this reform would kill it, in the name of equity.  But if the answer is taking money from an already under-funded, under-staffed elementary school, then we're asking the wrong question.  More info and to get involved:  Save PPS Foundations

Tortuguita’s Playlist

Tortuguita was killed by Georgia state police on January 18th, 2023. A few days ago a friend of theirs sent me a playlist on Spotify.

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, David Rovics (Extended) February 25th, 2023

The extended version of the interview from Saturday. 

New song: ”Tortugiata’s Playlist”

Tortuguita was 26 years old and inside a tent at the Stop Cop City encampment of forest defenders in Atlanta, Georgia when they were killed in a hail of gunfire by highly militarized state police doing one of their many heavily-armed raids of the encampment, on the morning of January 18th, 2023.  I'll have much more to say.  But for now, a song.

”Unprovoked”: War Talk

After a year of the brinksmen using Ukraine as their venue for global hegemony, some reflections.

Chris Cook interviews David Rovics

I had another scintillating conversation with Chris Cook for his radio show/podcast, Gorilla Radio. The first half of his one-hour show is a review of the recent antiwar protests in Washington, DC, and the second half is the first part of a conversation with me. The next part of that conversation coming soon...

”At the End of World War 3” remix

For the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the bloodbath in Ukraine that is bringing us closer to Armageddon with each new morning, here's a song I wrote last March.  

This is getting closer to the final mix for this song that will be on the album that will be out very soon, on all the streaming platforms, and as a folder of songs to download for all my patrons/CSA members.  

The album will be called Killing the Messenger.  All of the songs other than this one feature me as the main vocalist and bouzouki player, but on this song, Chet Gardiner sings the main vocals, with Lorna McKinnon and Kamala Emanuel forming the chorus, as they do on all the songs on what will be a wonderfully harmony-laden album.

Album cover art by the great Eric Drooker.

Communications for Indy Musicians, Then and Now

After a quarter century of the internet being a household phenomenon, and 17 years of domination of it by corporate social media platforms, some reflections on what's changed in the lives of musicians.