(2:15)

I was talking to some family members the other day. Seems like at some point these days the conversation turns to some aspect of how truly gawd-awful, hateful, unlawful and anti-democratic the current administration is. Since we are older, the talk sometimes goes down that familiar canard of “when I was a kid ….”  

When we go there I usually bring up the music that we grew up with. It seemed like the more turmoil there was, the better the music got. Very singable songs that were loaded with powerful messages seemed to pop up every week. I often wonder why these turbulent times  – by comparison the turbulence is at or near the all time high – haven’t produced a similar outpouring of protest songs. 

For one thing, while it may seem longer, this round of anti-democracy and suffering is barely a year old. It takes some time for our souls to be awakened. The other factor is that I and many others are listening to much different outlets than we did 6 decades ago. Also,  outlets these days are much more fragmented and diverse, so it is hard for a song to catch on. 

With that preamble, I would like to present a young man who I stumbled onto on a discussion forum. Jesse Welles is that young man and he seems to capture the spirit of protest against these turbulent times in a way that feels timeless. 

With that being said here are a few Jesse Welles songs. The first is called “Join ICE.” It runs about 3:30. Listen closely to the words: 

For a second selection here is United Health (1:30) 

Finally here is a short one (2:08) that was recorded before Trump overthrew the sitting government: 

Go to youtube.com for more of Jesse Welles. I think you will find him very enjoyable. And he may just have a tune you can carry in your head.