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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Propaganda or Propagandhi?


One thing that I love to do when I have free time is go through and listen to all of my old cds. It's pretty interesting to see what holds up over time, and then what just doesn't impress me anymore. Then, there are always the cds that I never really gave a chance and I wonder what took me so long because the album ends up rocking my world.

When I was going through my old albums, I came across the album How To Clean Everything by Propagandhi. I bought this album when it came out in 1993 from a mail order catalog (remember those days), and it easily became one of my top five favorite albums. I think I listened to it all through high school alongside Ani DiFranco on repeat. And, if you know me, you know how much I love Ani DiFranco, so that says a lot. I usually throw in Less Talk, More Rock, which came out in 1996, but it had been so long since I listened to their first album, so I dusted off this old thing and popped it in the cd player. It was so great to hear it again and how much it still rocks. It's probably one of my favorite punk albums of all time, but it's also nostalgic to me.

I think what drew me in is that they were one of the first bands that I listened to that were major political activists - saying things like, "I never have and never will pledge allegiance," and singing about veganism, animal rights, atheism/religion, capitalism, and just human rights in general. I was an angry teen at the time, so this was very fitting. Even though I get all fired up the more I think about the messed up things going on in the world, I am not angry anymore (that's an Ani DiFranco song… I didn't even mean to do that). I am passionate about these things though, and it's important to be an activist and speak your mind. You just have to do the best you can with what you have, and continue to do your part to try to make the world a better place.

Since How To Clean Everything, they have released more albums, their sound has matured and they continue to preach their message. I really haven't kept up on them since Less Talk, More Rock. I went ahead and did some searching on the internet and found this podcast on Vegan Freak Radio where Chris Hannah talks about animal rights, being vegan, and their newest album! The interview doesn't happen until the last half hour of the show, so you might want to forward to it.

Check it out the podcast here!

This is also a link to the resources section of their website where they list all of the activist groups they support.

Here is a link to an interview with Chris Hannah on the Peta2 site!

I still listen to Propagandhi because they continue to be animal rights activists, promote veganism, and speak their message on other political subjects. I like what they stand for, and as long as they are taking action I will support them.

I am listening to this cd now, and I forgot how awesome it is....It's blowing my mind! I hope you enjoyed learning about Propagandhi! Now go listen to them!

Do you have any favorite bands that promote veganism or have a political message? What were some bands that you loved that you rediscovered that still held up well over time? I love talking about and discovering new music. Make a comment or Email Me, I'd love to hear from you!

Namaste,
Monica

2 comments:

Andrea said...

OMG, that album and Less Talk More Rock was like the anthem of my teen years. Your post just gave me chills.

Monica said...

Andrea, that's awesome! I am glad you can relate!