Sing Out for Bernie: "Feel the Bern"

Time for another entry in the catalogue of Bernie Sanders themed music out there.  Today's post is about Patrick Crawford's rocking punk theme titled "Feel the Bern" after the catchy slogan of the Sanders campaign.

The lyrics are simple and cute, but the real strength of this piece is in the music and the beat.  Crawford knows how to rock.  I can see this song being used to fire-up the crowd at a rally, right before Bernie does a victory lap between two jets of pyrotechnics.  Yeah.  It's kinda like that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfx07LNQK-0&index=23&list=PLx13XUpSaxm6dpDAxIfwz3dDCo_Ahyf1A

Sing Out For Bernie:
"Talk Bernie to Me"
"Hey Bernie Sanders"

Sing Out For Bernie: "Hey Bernie Sanders"

Here comes another one.  While not especially new, it was new to me when I discovered it the other day.  Brian Estes of youtube channel homemadechickn brings us a modern folk song about our favorite socialist.  Furthermore, he's announced that the song is "common property of anyone who wishes to sing it, share it, whatever," which makes is perfect for a Sing Out, for a rally, a protest, a phone-bank party, or any occasion that moves you to sing along to this tune.

He praises the Vermont Senator with straightforward lyrics and and simple chords, played on the banjo, while you can gaze out his rear window at the forest in the background.  The "grassroots" essence of Bernie's political movement is apparent in this video, in more ways than one.

It's a charming little ditty that is bound to stick in your head, & echoes older populist movements, awakening the spirit of Woody Guthrie and (more recently) the 60s protest songs of Bob Dylan and his ilk.  This is appropriate considering the political and socioeconomic climate of the US today.  We are coming out of a recession that may well have been the worst economic collapse in the US since the Great Depression, and the nation today shows many parallels to he 1960s.  The Black Lives Matter movement echoes, and could learn a great deal from, the Black Panther Party.  The wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, with no end in sight, alongside the threat of more war in Syria has drawn protest and upheaval at home not seen since Vietnam.  And once more, women's sexuality is in question, and women are trying to assert their right to own their bodies and to do with them as they see fit.  All of these parallels make Estes' music seem very timely and appropriate.

Sing Out for Bernie:
"Feel the Bern"
"Talk Bernie to Me"

Sing Out For Bernie: "Talk Bernie To Me"

Bernie Sanders continues to trail behind Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Nomination, but has not lost pace.  He continues to march on with a steady beat, with a following of supporters who are more energetic, and bring a creative energy to the Sanders candidacy that is lacking in any of his supporters.  I encourage anyone who disagrees with this statement to respond and challenge me on it, by the way.

Among the most vocal and artistic of Bernie's supporters are the many revolutionaries gathering on youtube to post songs celebrating his vision and uncompromising integrity.  boobsforbernie2016 brings us "Talk Bernie to Me,"which they refer to as a political "semi-parody" of "Talk Dirty to Me" about the Democratic Socialist.  They want to bring back "Girl Power" and protest the expectation of women to vote for Hillary Clinton.  Rejecting the "special place in Hell" arguments of Steinem, these ladies choose instead to emulate the feminist icons of music that serve as their inspirations: namely Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, and The Spice Girls.  The girls of boobsforberie2016 have the radical belief that feminism allows women to choose for themselves.

Sing Out for Bernie:
"Feel the Bern"
"Hey Bernie Sanders"

Sing Out for Bernie

Andrew Romano thinks music may be the key to Bernie's Political Revolution.

In his Yahoo News article "How indie rock could help Bernie Sanders win the Nevada Caucuses" Romano discusses his frequent use of music and allied musicians in getting his message across.  The rapper Killer Mike has been supporting Bernie Sanders for some time, and held a joint concert along with Vampire Weekend before the Iowa Caucus.  A concert this past Friday night, before the Nevada caucuses, included many California based Indie bands, whose songs were largely in line with Sanders' populist message.  And while Bernie did not win Nevada, he remains a strong force this primary season.  Music has been, and should continue to be, a powerful force in the Revolution.

In my previous entry The Art of a Revolution, I linked to Makana's "The Fire is Ours," his moving Bernie anthem.  Now, The Color Bars have released a new music video entitled "The End of the Corporate Age."  It is a smooth, catchy tune, warning the corporate establishment that the people will not tolerate the status quo.

That's not all: The Bernie Blog has kept up with the contributions of Revolutionaries, who often include poetry, and in one case, a set of new lyrics to the tune of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserables.

This kind of creative energy is exactly what the Political Revolution needs.  It is precisely why I am proposing "Sing Outs for Bernie."  Just what are sing outs?

Simply that: Singing.  These are events where people gather together and sing.  The songs need not be original creations; they need not be about Bernie Sanders; they don't even automatically have to include folk songs like "This Land" (a favorite of the senator's).  Everyone should be encouraged to sing, and to sing along.  This is about building a spirit of positive energy.  Uniting us through a mutual love of music.  Let's sing out for Bernie.  Let's sing out for the America we deserve.

The Art of a Revolution

There's no denying that Senator Bernie Sanders has his proponents fired up.  Many are now "feeling the Bern," including the award-winning musician Makana, who recently released to YouTube and Boing Boing his new Bernie loving anthem, The Fire is Ours.  It speaks to the frustration with a corrupt and dishonest political system, and praise for the only one who seems to stand out, complete with a blazing upright piano that taking "feeling the Bern" a bit literally.

It's clearly the work of a talented musician and songwriter, in that he makes unsubtle political language actually sound good from a musical standpoint.  It's a catchy tune that, with luck, will start getting stuck in people's heads.  No revolution is complete without music.  Or dancing.

Plus, I don't see any other candidate with their own theme song.  Well, at least not one they didn't write themselves...

But this isn't the only thing going out there in the world of Bernie-themed art.  HVW8 Gallery recently hosted a whole exhibition of Bernie art.  The Art of a Political Revolution - Artists for Bernie Sanders just wrapped up in Los Angeles, CA, and has moved to Austin, Texas, where it will open TONIGHT at 7pm!

It features the works of some sixteen artists.  They may not be Diego Rivera, but they show a variety of engaging styles, powerful imagery, and creative energy.  I think this one is my personal favorite:

I like the non-traditional color scheme.  Red, white, and blue is by now overused in political materials to the point where it has become meaningless.  Going with an unusual scheme of orange and green is fresh, earthy, and warm.  In line with him are at least three people of color, along with a man of indeterminate heritage.  These figures are in silhouette, so we can only identify them by their profile, and need to read into the details.  The woman next to Bernie stands out because she is orange, whereas the rest of those standing "Together" with Bernie are in shades of green, and because her Afro hairstyle marks her as Black.  The silhouettes, by lacking much of the traditional facial features we look for in a face, demand that we project ourselves onto them, and read into them, building up some of their identity for ourselves.  This is a reflection of what we always do with life in general (we see the world not as IT is, but as WE are) and with minorities especially, but by putting a bit of ourselves into them, it is also a call to empathy, linking back to the title concept that we are all in this "together."  The Revolution is for all of us.

New Hampshire is on fire!

New Hampshire is Feeling the Bern!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.

I know, it's a bit of a cliche at this point, but I stand by it.  Most, if not all, serious change has been brought about by a plucky group of devoted individuals.  The colonial Americans had a comparatively tiny army, compared to imperial Britain, but they won.  A small group of determined and indefatigable protesters drove the civil rights movement.  We can do this.  In Iowa and New Hampshire it has already started.

With 60.4% of the vote, Bernie Sanders has won the state by one of the widest margins in history.  The early race is looking like America is ready for a revolution.  Revolutions are never easy or unanimous, and we will certainly have a hard road ahead of us, but we must carry this momentum forward, and work to forge the America we all deserve.  

They tell us that things can't change.  They tell us this to stop us, and count on us to believe it, and spread the lie.  But the world has already changed.  It's changed in all of us.  America is fed up with politicians who govern for the rich and for corporate interests instead of their constituents.  We just need to make manifest the change that's already happening inside, and bring it out to our daily lives.

Keep track of Bernie News and the awesome Bernie supporters over at The Bernie Blog!