by Nathan Springer (@drownloading)
On the morning of November 8th I was on tour in Providence, RI. I spent the day talking with friends, walking around the city, feeling exceptionally good. Our show in Boston fell through that night, so we decided to head to Albany, NY to stay with my internet friend Doug who had set up a show for us the next day. On the drive there my friends and I turned on the radio to listen to the beginning of the election coverage. Now it seems foolish that we didn’t at least somewhat expect the results, but I still remember the deep sinking feeling as we got into Albany and how bizarre it was to be meeting a new group of people during such a pivotal moment. The next day was one of the most somber days I can recall.
The new year is still relatively fresh and musicians and artists are trying to figure out where they fit in this newly urgent political climate. It is more important than ever for communities centered around music to push back against the current administration, especially considering the actions it has taken so far. A couple of weeks ago, in reponse to Trump’s executive order barring refugees and immigrants from entering the US, Bandcamp donated all of its portion of sales made that day to the ACLU. In the wake of this, over 150 bands and labels decided to donate their proceeds as well. Of course, this alone isn’t enough to solve the problems we are currently facing, but it is nonetheless encouraging that so many bands are taking steps in the right direction and figuring out how to channel their creative energy into this larger political moment. In this spirit, Doug Dulgarian put together a 40-track compilation titled Sweet Talk whose proceeds will be donated to the ACLU. It features tracks from Wild Pink, Nine of Swords, Bilge Rat, Stippling, and many others. Many of the artists on the comp have emo leanings, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of ground covered here stylistically. The comp can be purchased digitally here.
Small gestures like these are an integral part of creating broader political action and awareness, and I urge anyone reading this to focus their time and energy, in both small and large ways, to fight against oppression and tyranny.