This Week with David Rovics

Fifth Estate Live with Dave Marsh, author and music journalist

We spend the hour with Dave Marsh, longtime writer for Creem, Rolling Stone, Newsday, Fifth Estate contributor, author, and subject of a series of online events from April 30 thru May 15 that you can join at: landofhopeanddreams.co

Concert From My Living Room

Here's the archive of yesterday's concert from my living room, which went out as a livestream at 1 pm on the last Saturday of the month, as has been the tradition for a while now.

"They're Dirty" -- Standing Up At Kelly Butte

If the housing crisis were a life-and-death struggle for survival, like a war -- which, in fact, it is -- then a new front has opened up in Portland, and it is one as high in altitude as it is rich in very dark history.

Discussion with Frank Turner

We spend the hour with touring musician, recording artist, singer/songwriter, author, and all-around lovely bloke, Frank Turner.

Discussion with Laura-Marie River Victor Peace

We spend the hour talking trikes, Las Vegas, mental health activism, and poetry, among other things.

Fifth Estate Live with Karen Pickett on the story of Earth First!

We spend the hour talking with longtime organizer, currently working on a book, Karen Pickett.

Discussion with Jane Reynolds, folk punk icon

I talked with the brilliant folk punk phenomenon from Olympia, Washington, Jane Reynolds, also known as Virtual Bird.  We talked about making music, living on the streets, and a variety of other things.

"Ballad of Kett's Rebellion"

I discovered a fantastic song about Kett's Rebellion, which was one of the more significant efforts to fight back against the theft of the commons by the landed gentry in England. I had to learn the song and record a version of it.

New song: "Kelly Butte"

When the automobile came around, the city of Portland, Oregon opened up Kelly Butte as a rock quarry to make gravel to use for paving the streets of the city.  They did not employ anyone to split the rocks, though -- they arrested people off of the streets of the city on all sorts of nonsense charges, and made them split rocks at gunpoint, as prisoners.  This prison rock quarry, run on some of the original land stolen from the original inhabitants, operated like this for almost half a century.  Who are the descendants of the pioneers that were given this land?  We know them well.  Who are the descendants of the rock-splitting indigent prisoners?  Do they live in tents on the sidewalks of the city today?

This is the latest collaboration between me and Virtual Bird.

New song: "When Jesus Came to Laurelhurst Park"

I saw Jesus at Laurelhurst Park one night.