Will Hoge - Modern American Protest Music CD cover. Left-wing talking points set to song, just like in the good 'ole 'sixties.


Will Hoge
Modern American Protest Music
7/28:58
Will Hoge Music

Every so often Will Hoge gets upset. When he does, great songwriting (America EP) takes place. Modern American Protest Music falls squarely into the description. To invoke the movie Network catch phrase, Hoge is mad as Hell and he's not going to take it any more.

"Founding Fathers" shows a refusal of its protagonist to commit to one political viewpoint:

"Democrats, Republicans,
Who's to blame, its hard to tell
Sometimes I think we'd be better off
If they all just went to Hell."

In The Wild One, Marlon Brando is asked "What are you protesting against?" His reply: "What'ya got?" Narrow-minded Christians get taken to task in "Jesus Came to Tennessee." "A Folded Flag" focused on the senselessness of war, and is bookended with "When Do I Get To Come Home?", a soldier's viewpoint of fighting for oil prices while having a child at home that he has never seen.

"The Ballad of Trayvon Martin" skewers Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Hoge's message is very simple, and spelled out in the answer to Bob Dylan: "Times Are Not Changin'."

Whether you agree with his opinions, this EP can sit proudly alongside similar projects by Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, or Steve Earle. Pretty good company to keep, wouldn't you say?

Brian A. Smith

8 December 2012

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