by Lisa Michielutti
(Longer Web Version)

  I found this inspirational quote buried in a website created for David Rovics.  Fortunately for Flagstaff residents, David Rovics, a multi-talented artist who sings “songs of social significance,” will be performing at NAU in the Wettaw Auditorium on Wednesday, February 6.  Praised by Pete Seeger, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, and the School of Americas Watch, this is a show not to be missed for people of all ages, races and issues .

   I’ll admit it, a couple of months ago I had never heard of  Rovics, who is a musical artist as much he is a political activist.  I have always enjoyed songs about the “movements” from the late sixties and seventies.  My mother would tell me about her activism days when she would hear old Bob Dylan, C.S.N.Y., and Beatles tunes.  Just when I thought there was no hope for a ‘social movement’ or socially important songs in the 21st century, I was smacked with a feeling of overwhelming sadness, anger, revolution, and optimism, upon hearing the works of David Rovics.  His music is the perfect medium to effectively communicate with progressive, peace-minded people who want to promote social change.  Every protestor, activist, or concerned citizen will be inspired by his music which unifies and symbolizes the movements we are all working so hard on.  And now more than ever we need leaders like this to join us together through action, community, and song.

  David Rovics is a modern political activist, who has a driving compassion to help change those U.S. political, social, and economic laws and norms that perpetuate social injustice, violence against civilians, environmental degradation, and unfair labor practices, to name a few.  David uses his music to address the ‘political’ issues he fights for.  He is an educator for those of us who know that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way our society functions, but can’t quite put our finger on it.  He tells the stories that major media networks wouldn’t dare investigate or report.  His music questions and deconstructs the modern-day values of conformity, social control, and civil obedience, and calls for a people’s non-violent revolution.  He wants us to get out in the streets and stand up for what we believe in.  And that is exactly what he is doing on his most recent U.S. tour.

  The rally rousing, bluegrass/ folk style of his catchy tunes blends smoothly with straightforward, hard-hitting, lyrical activism.  The words in his music call for the downfall of resource leaching, exploitative, multinational corporations and the cease of U.S. sanctions against Iraq.  He openly questions the mysterious death of Judy Bari, a co-founder of Earth First!.  Rovics sings of David Chain, a direct action political activist who was killed by the fallen tree of a logger, while sitting in a Redwood tree, trying to save the last of the grossly depleted ancient forest.  He tells us the truth about Henry Ford. He illuminates the destruction and sorrow that war creates.

  Mr. Rovics has performed for the Green Party, the Union of Radical Political Economists, and countless other organizations.  He has protested against the School of the Americas and the IMF.  He has also shared the stage with Ralph Nader, Howard Zinn, (author of BEGIN ITALIC A People’s History END ITALIC), and has toured with independent singer and songwriter, Ani DiFranco.  Obviously, Rovics has surrounded himself with progressive-thinkers as he tries to spread words of the discontent among individuals who can identify with the damaging social issues that are so deep rooted in our society.

  It is time now to join in with David Rovics in taking a stand “striking chords against the empire.”  There lies spirit in strength, and music is one of the main ways we can all join together to fight for the rights of all things which dwell on the earth.  Every human, tree, mountain lion, rock, blade of grass, and clean drop of water have earned their place on this planet.  I urge everyone to gather together in peace on February 6, so you may find inspiration, as I did, from the emotionally moving music of David Rovics.

“They want a world full of strip malls

Plants grown by biotech

As long as they get richer

They just don’t give a heck

But we don’t want their ecocide

We want a world we can live in

That’s why we’re here to stay

And we’re not gonna give in”

 -David Rovics, from “Shut Them Down”

 David Rovics will appear in Flagstaff on his winter tour Wednesday, February 6.  The show will be on the NAU campus at the Wettaw auditorium, building #88, located at  north campus, on the corner of Humphries and Dupont.  There is free parking in the large lot across the street.  The show starts at 7:00pm, with introductory speakers from the NAU Employees Union Movement and the Peace and Justice Coalition.  The concert is free and open to all; donations will gladly be accepted at the door to help support the Campus Greens at NAU.  For more information, please contact Jessa Fisher at 773-4423.