Watching The Coup’s funktastic Wednesday night set at The State Room led to much pondering of what other musicians have managed to deliver potent lefty political commentary wrapped in such winning ear candy.
Bob Dylan used a traditional folk format to do such a thing back in the ’60s. Punk bands like The Minutemen delved into Central American politics via short blasts of lo-fi rock in the ’80s. More recently ,Rage Against the Machine attracted a mainstream hard-rock audience to songs about Native American activists and Wall Street chicanery.
The Oakland-based Coup, led by writer/activist Boots Riley, drops anti-capitalist screeds and Occupy-minded lyrical salvos dressed up in some excellent funk and hip-hop, making their live shows part full-blown dance party, and part inspired political rally. In the capable hands of a consummate frontman like Riley–with a fine band of musicians backing him up and female vocalist Silk-E belting out some serious hooks–the combination made for a memorable Thanksgiving Eve in Salt Lake City.
The show featured several tunes from the band’s latest album, the volcanic Sorry to Bother You. “Strange Arithmetic,” one of the album’s best, came up early in the show, and offered a skewering of the U.S. military via a fist-pumping anthem that had the crowd fully engaged. Later in the show, new songs like “The Magic Clap” erupted into singalong choruses through insistent hooks and a pro-revolution message that Riley delivered with the kind of assured swagger that makes him a perfect band leader and charismatic voice for political change. Later, “The Guillotine” offered a succinct blast of energy, and an urgent chorus aimed at the 1 % repeated throughout: “We got the guillotine, you better run!”
Older songs hit hard as well. “We Are the Ones” from Pick a Bigger Weapon was a killer follow-up to “Strange Arithmetic.” “ShoYoAss” and “Ass-Breath Killers” both injected a hearty dose of humor into the proceedings. “Ride the Fence” during the encore was another highlight.
While Riley’s between-song banter held plenty of messages, from supporting striking Walmart workers to supporting the Occupy movement, he also spoke about music’s power with incredible passion.
“Music makes you be emotionally with the moment happening right then,” Riley said before calling on the dancing fans in front of the stage to help change the world. In The Coup’s hands, you realize how much music can inspire people to do just that.
A common sight during Thanksgiving 2012.
THE COUP, THE STATE ROOM, Wednesday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m., $20
The first inclination is to label The Coup as a hip-hop crew, and while the passionate lyrics and booming beats remain from the group’s roots, this Oakland-based crew led by singer/activist Boots Riley has evolved into a musical force that uses every sound and style imaginable to get their ideas across to the audience. Oftentimes, those ideas involve social justice and attacks on racism and capitalism’s dark side, and as heavy as the topics Riley addresses might be, the music is never anything less than a joyful blast of booty-moving funk (and then some). The band’s latest album, Sorry to Bother You, features guest musicians surrounding Riley, including Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, Das Racist, Jolie Holland and Joe Henry–a diverse array of players indicative of The Coup’s muse these days. The Coup came through Salt Lake City for a show at Bar Deluxe in support of their last album, Pick a Bigger Weapon, and it was a complete blast. Don’t be surprised if their visit this year is one of the best shows of the year. David Williams with the Joshua Payne Orchestra and Kev Choice open the show.
It didn’t take long for Jon Huntsman Jr. to kick off his 2016 presidential run. His dad, Jon Sr., floated the idea with Fox News arguing that Jon has everything Mitt Romney woefully lacked:
”Jon Junior is a remarkable man. He’s been an ambassador three times, he’s been a governor twice, he speaks to these crowds, he speaks to the students, he speaks to the Hispanics.” (Heck, Jon Jr. adopted the Asian and Indian constituency.)
The old man’s right, of course, not to mention that Jon Jr. loves street food and rock n’ roll and has a sense of humor–things totally beyond Mitt’s comprehension. Jon, however, has one thing in common with MItt–he’s got family millions behind him.
Huntsman Jr. has all the pieces moving into place: Mitt proved that Americans don’t really have it in for Mormons (or any other religion), the Democrats won’t have an incumbent and by 2016 any luster Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has will have dissipated.
Unfortunately, Mitt might actually hurt Huntsman’s chances of nomination with his most recent out-of-touch comments that further alienated him from the 47 percent and a new GOP. One could see Republicans looking Jon over and saying: “He’s got it all, but remember the last time we ran a Mormon?”
But Jon Sr.’s even considered about that (no wonder he’s so rich). He told Fox: “Mitt needs to go hide for about two or three months. He already wiped out the 47 percent. Now he’s made this other statement. He needs to get off the stage and let the Republican Party rebuild itself; it has the potential. We’ve done it before.”
(Photo courtesy EnglishBeat.net)
Part of the appeal of The English Beat in 2012 is nostalgia, no question. But nostalgia has its limits for music fans, and if a band can’t deliver on stage, no amount of fond memories will keep people buying tickets.
The English Beat’s shows are full of songs we all remember from the ’80s–that’s the nostalgia part. But singer/guitarist Dave Wakeling and his gang of hired guns/replacement Beaters have a vibrant touring life 30 years later because they are consummate pros who throw down an energetic, joyful noise EVERY time they hit a stage.
Six months ago I saw the band play under streetlights on a cramped flatbed truck in a downtown Las Vegas bar’s parking lot at 3 a.m., and Friday in Salt Lake City they played the slick confines of The Depot, complete with a light show, pretty pristine sound and a spacious stage. And Wakeling et al were equally at home in both situations, delivering song after song of timeless hooks, all led by Wakeling’s distinct ska-tinged guitar-jangle and his voice that has stayed as strong as it was when he was a kid.
I actually listen to the English Beat more now than I ever did when the band hit out of England in the early ’80s, and that’s because of their regular visits to SLC for the past decade or so. Gigs at the Zephyr, the old Velvet Room (now Elevate), the short-lived Palladium and other area joints, to crowds big and small, all have been stellar. Friday night at The Depot was no different.
The Beat started with the easy grooves of “Rough Rider,” and immediately moved into their hyperactive cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown.” “Hands Off She’s Mine” and “Twist and Crawl” led to another cover, the Staple Singers’ “I’ll Take You There.”
The dance floor was packed from the get-go, another typical occurrence at a Beat show, and the gig picked up steam through “I Confess,” “Save It for Later” and the potent one-two of “Whine and Grind” and “Stand Down Margaret.”
Throughout, the band was super-tight, clear evidence of how many shows these guys play together. Antonee First Class is a fine hype man, taking on the toaster role in this version of The English Beat made famous in the original lineup by Ranking Roger. And Matt Morrish’s saxophone blasts proved once again that most bands would be better off with at least one horn player.
The remainder of the show was comfortable trip through a slew of favorites, including a couple of songs from Wakeling’s post-Beat band General Public (“Never You Done That” and “Tenderness”), as well as “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” “Best Friend” and “Mirror in the Bathroom.”
In the end, it was more than 90 minutes of great songs and good vibes courtesy of Wakeling’s sly and silly one-liners and puns thrown out in between. That kind of night never gets old.
THE DEVIL MAKES THREE, THE DEPOT, Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 p.m., $20
It’s always fun to see a band strike a nerve and grow in popularity at a rapid-fire pace, and that certainly seems to be what’s happening with The Devil Makes Three, a roots-music crew with punk attitude and energy to burn on stage. After a couple of packed shows at the 300-capacity State Room, the Santa Cruz crew are stepping up to the 1,200-capacity Depot this time around. Word from their rep is that the same type of thing is happening across the country. Clearly, the drummerless group that delves into folk, country, bluegrass and blues in its songwriting is building quite the reputation as a live band to see. I’ve seen ’em, and that reputation is well-deserved. Johnny Fritz Corndawg opens the show.
Daniel Nailen 