David Rovics
Encyclopedia
David Rovics is an American indie
singer/songwriter. His music concerns topical subjects such as the 2003 Iraq war
, anti-globalization
and social justice
issues. Rovics has been an outspoken critic of former President George W. Bush
, the Republican Party
, John Kerry
, and the Democratic Party
.
Rovics is critical of the United States government's policies and claims that the "U.S. government's foreign policy represents U.S. corporate interests" and that "the U.S. government does not like democracy either at home or abroad."
Although most of Rovics' work is commercially distributed, Rovics has made all of his recorded music freely available as downloadable mp3
files. He encourages the free distribution of his work by all non-profit means to promote his work and spread political messages, and speaks out against websites or programs like iTunes
that charge money for downloading his songs. Rovics has also advocated the performing of his songs at protests and demonstrations and has made his sheet music and lyrics available for download.
. His family moved to Wilton
, Connecticut when he was young. Rovics was politically inspired during his adolescence by his experiences with the conservative
-oriented, Christian milieu of his home town. His parents, both classical musicians and educators, were liberal in their outlook. Perhaps for this reason, While in his teens Rovics acquired interests in nuclear disarmament
, vegetarianism
and other counterculture
issues. Rovics is ethnically Jewish and an atheist.
In 1985, Rovics enrolled at Earlham College
in Richmond
, Indiana but dropped out and moved to Berkeley
, California. He worked in varied occupations, including as a cook, barista
, secretary and typist, while pursuing his musical interests as a street and subway performer and in small clubs and bars. He immersed himself in leftist counterculture and made contact with other songwriters and performers on the underground
circuit.
By the early 1990s he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways.
On May 1, 1993, Rovics was involved in a traumatic incident in which a close friend was shot dead after intervening in a gang shoot-out. This was a turning point in his life, forcing him to concentrate on his songwriting career, initially as a means of dealing with the grief over his friend's death. He had already amassed a fair collection of lyrics and songs by that time, but his own admission, his compositions prior to this time were inferior and "preachy," and none were used in his later albums.
From around the mid 1990s, Rovics has spent most of his time on concert tours around the world. In 1996 he self-released his first album, Make It So, which consisted mostly of covers of other artists’ songs. He released his second cover album in 1998. He produced a series of five original song albums between 1998 and 2003 as self-released titles. The album Who Would Jesus Bomb? was entirely distributed in mp3 format over the Internet and had no commercial release, although it was included in a later "best of" album.
Rovics is a Wobbly- a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
. “In that Wobbly tradition of sharp social commentary, David is a master.” — The Industrial Worker
.
In 2003 Rovics signed up to Ever Reviled Records
and produced a studio album, Return. Later that year, he released Behind The Barricades: The Best Of David Rovics in association with AK Press
, including titles from his earlier self-releases which met with minimal commercial success. He has since released the Songs for Mahmud album as a self-release in association with Ever Reviled Records. Despite being the sole performer in most of his work, he usually describes himself only as a songwriter.
Although Rovics' work has never met with great commercial success, it has been acclaimed in sections of the press and continues to be popular with a small yet widespread base of fans with similar political interests, as well as supporters of internet file sharing
.
Rovics tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies. He has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, BBC, Al-Jazzeera, Acik Radyo and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch and Truthout and the 200+ songs he makes available on the web have been downloaded more than a million times.
He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his family and has a daughter, Leila, who was born in 2006.
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
singer/songwriter. His music concerns topical subjects such as the 2003 Iraq war
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, anti-globalization
Anti-globalization
Criticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
and social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
issues. Rovics has been an outspoken critic of former President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, and the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Rovics is critical of the United States government's policies and claims that the "U.S. government's foreign policy represents U.S. corporate interests" and that "the U.S. government does not like democracy either at home or abroad."
Although most of Rovics' work is commercially distributed, Rovics has made all of his recorded music freely available as downloadable mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
files. He encourages the free distribution of his work by all non-profit means to promote his work and spread political messages, and speaks out against websites or programs like iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
that charge money for downloading his songs. Rovics has also advocated the performing of his songs at protests and demonstrations and has made his sheet music and lyrics available for download.
Biography
David Rovics was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His family moved to Wilton
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
, Connecticut when he was young. Rovics was politically inspired during his adolescence by his experiences with the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
-oriented, Christian milieu of his home town. His parents, both classical musicians and educators, were liberal in their outlook. Perhaps for this reason, While in his teens Rovics acquired interests in nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
, vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
and other counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
issues. Rovics is ethnically Jewish and an atheist.
In 1985, Rovics enrolled at Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
in Richmond
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
, Indiana but dropped out and moved to Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California. He worked in varied occupations, including as a cook, barista
Barista
A barista is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.- Application of the title :...
, secretary and typist, while pursuing his musical interests as a street and subway performer and in small clubs and bars. He immersed himself in leftist counterculture and made contact with other songwriters and performers on the underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
circuit.
By the early 1990s he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways.
On May 1, 1993, Rovics was involved in a traumatic incident in which a close friend was shot dead after intervening in a gang shoot-out. This was a turning point in his life, forcing him to concentrate on his songwriting career, initially as a means of dealing with the grief over his friend's death. He had already amassed a fair collection of lyrics and songs by that time, but his own admission, his compositions prior to this time were inferior and "preachy," and none were used in his later albums.
From around the mid 1990s, Rovics has spent most of his time on concert tours around the world. In 1996 he self-released his first album, Make It So, which consisted mostly of covers of other artists’ songs. He released his second cover album in 1998. He produced a series of five original song albums between 1998 and 2003 as self-released titles. The album Who Would Jesus Bomb? was entirely distributed in mp3 format over the Internet and had no commercial release, although it was included in a later "best of" album.
Rovics is a Wobbly- a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
. “In that Wobbly tradition of sharp social commentary, David is a master.” — The Industrial Worker
Industrial Worker
The Industrial Worker, "the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism," is the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World . It is currently released ten times a year, printed and edited by union labor, and is frequently distributed at radical bookstores, demonstrations, strikes and labor...
.
In 2003 Rovics signed up to Ever Reviled Records
Ever Reviled Records
Ever Reviled Records is a record label founded by Darren Deicide that releases counterculture music.Ever Reviled Records was founded in 1998 and has released albums by David Rovics, Darren Deicide, The Old Man and his Po Buckra, Nathan Carpenter, Cuomo!, Hopeless Dregs of Humanity, Give Us...
and produced a studio album, Return. Later that year, he released Behind The Barricades: The Best Of David Rovics in association with AK Press
AK Press
AK Press is a worker-managed independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. It is collectively owned and operated.-History:...
, including titles from his earlier self-releases which met with minimal commercial success. He has since released the Songs for Mahmud album as a self-release in association with Ever Reviled Records. Despite being the sole performer in most of his work, he usually describes himself only as a songwriter.
Although Rovics' work has never met with great commercial success, it has been acclaimed in sections of the press and continues to be popular with a small yet widespread base of fans with similar political interests, as well as supporters of internet file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
.
Rovics tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies. He has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, BBC, Al-Jazzeera, Acik Radyo and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch and Truthout and the 200+ songs he makes available on the web have been downloaded more than a million times.
He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his family and has a daughter, Leila, who was born in 2006.
Political activism
In an interview article with the Baltimore Independent Media Center entitled “Inspiring the Troops” Through Music, Rovics said:"...when I first started writing any songs that were any good I had already become very much involved with activismActivismActivism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and wanting to talk about what was happening in the world. But when I first started writing songs, I wasn’t writing political songs..."
"I say, that I’m not really hardly at all involved with the folk music scene and I don’t play for the folk music audiences so much and shows don’t get booked by the folk music presenters. Everything I’m doing pretty much in the activist scene. I find that when folk music aficionados come to my shows that they usually like it. I think I could be doing fine in the folk scene if there was enough interest there for more people to be booking shows. The interest in the kind of music I’m doing is almost entirely in the activist scene, which is fine..."
"If you look at it – take a real cursory glance of the world around you we see that pretty much every institution out there uses music in one way or another. Every corporationCorporationA corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
uses music to sell their products. The military uses music to inspire their troops. I use music for my troops. It’s the same basic function that music is playing. You know, even from a capitalist perspective you could say it’s used to sell products and to foster – in the military for example, that people are working together – that they’re part of the same thing, that they’re sticking up for each other. That’s what we’re using music at marches and ralliesDemonstration (people)A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
. It’s to inspire the troops. And in other settings it’s to educate people about things that are happening and to talk about it in a way that hopefully might be more memorable than a speech..."
"Yes, to communicate to people on an emotional level. And perhaps even a spiritual level and reach them in a way that people don’t often get reached by other means. And it’s just one of many means of communication, but I think it’s an important one and when we have events, whether they’re protests or educational events or whatever, the events that have music and food at them are so much different from the ones that don’t. Everyone, whether or not they’re conscious of why they come out of those events inspired and feeling like they’ve learned something and they’re going to do something with that knowledge – that’s the difference between even a really good speaker, they’re still – are not really pessimistic but good educational optimistic speaker – there’s still something missing compared to when you hear that speaker and you sing a few songs before or after – preferably after I think because then you leave on a feeling on more togetherness and optimism even when the songs are not particularly optimistic. There’s something about music that makes people feel optimistic..."
Opinions on file sharing
David Rovics supports file sharing of his own work. "Feel free to download these songs. Use them for whatever purpose. Send them to friends, burn them, copy them, play them on the radio, on the internet, wherever. Music is the Commons. Ignore the corporate music industry shills who tell you otherwise. Downloading music is not theft, you're not hurting anyone, I promise. (And in any case, yes, this is legal, and I'm making all of these songs available myself.)"Discography
- Make It So (Self-release, 1996)
- Pay Day at Coal Creek (Self-release, 1998)
- We Just Want the World (Self-release, 1998)
- Live At Club Passim (Self-release, 2000)
- Living In These Times (Self-release, 2001)
- Hang A Flag In The Window (Self-release, 2002)
- Who Would Jesus Bomb? (Self-release, 2003)
- Return (Ever Reviled RecordsEver Reviled RecordsEver Reviled Records is a record label founded by Darren Deicide that releases counterculture music.Ever Reviled Records was founded in 1998 and has released albums by David Rovics, Darren Deicide, The Old Man and his Po Buckra, Nathan Carpenter, Cuomo!, Hopeless Dregs of Humanity, Give Us...
, 2003) - Behind the Barricades, the Best of David Rovics (AK PressAK PressAK Press is a worker-managed independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. It is collectively owned and operated.-History:...
/Daemon RecordsDaemon RecordsDaemon Records is an Atlanta, Georgia based, not-for-profit independent record label started by musician Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The label is run mostly by the musicians who record on it....
2003) - Songs for Mahmud (Ever Reviled RecordsEver Reviled RecordsEver Reviled Records is a record label founded by Darren Deicide that releases counterculture music.Ever Reviled Records was founded in 1998 and has released albums by David Rovics, Darren Deicide, The Old Man and his Po Buckra, Nathan Carpenter, Cuomo!, Hopeless Dregs of Humanity, Give Us...
, 2004) - Beyond The Mall (Self-release, 2004)
- For the Moment (Yoyo Records, 2005)
- Waiting For The Fall (Self-release, 2005)
- Halliburton Boardroom Massacre (MI5 Records/Caroline Distribution, 2006)
- The Commons (Irregular Records, 2007) Recorded live at Club PassimClub PassimClub Passim is a folk music club in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was opened by Joyce Kalina and Paula Kelley in 1958, when it was known as Club 47 , and changed its name to simply Passim in 1969...
- Ten Thousand Miles Away (Self-release, 2009)
- Waiting for the Fall - A Retrospective (Self-release, 2009)
- Troubador: People's History in Song (self-release, 2010)
- Ten New Songs (self-release, 2010)
- Big Red Sessions (Liberation Records, 2011)
- Ten New Songs (Liberation Records, 2011)
Children's Albums
- Har Har Har! Pirate Songs for Kids (CD Baby.Com/Indys, 2008)
- Ballad of a Dung Beetle (2011)
Interviews
- The Progressive - Interview with Matthew Rothschild, editor of Progressive Magazine and host of Progressive Radio, October 2006
- The Jason Crane Show (mp3 file) - September 2006
- ZNet - The Soundtrack to Protest: An interview with David Rovics by Matt Dineen, September 2006
- Alternate Music Press - June, 2006
- Port Townsend, Washington - Me and Attila the Stockbroker from early March, 2006
- Climate Change Rally in London, England - December 2005
- Toward Freedom - Radical Folk Music: An Interview with David Rovics by Matt Dineen, August 2005
- Infoshop News - April 2005
- Lone Star Iconoclast - Beyond the Mall, March 2005
- Free Speech Radio News - by Stefan ChristoffStefan ChristoffStefan Christoff is a journalist, community organizer and musician based in Montreal, Quebec.- Arts :As a social activist and artist Christoff has been involved in numerous efforts to build links between grassroots activism and the creative arts. Between 2000-2002 Christoff coordinated the Howl!...
that was broadcast on CKUT in Montreal, September 2003 - CHRY Toronto - by Tom, September 2003
- Baltimore IMC - "Inspiring the Troops" Through Music, November 2002
- Boston Indymedia - Willimantic, Connecticut, August 2002
- KUNM - New Mexico public radio, very well done, January 2002
- Free Radio Burlington - Me and Jim Page, December 2001
- DC Indymedia - During the IMF/anti-war protests at that time (unedited, sound quality varies), September 2001
- Robots and Electronic Brains - March 1999
Further reading
- The Spectator: Musician David Rovics uses music as a way of protesting social problems
- Democracy Now: David Rovics Pays Tribute to Fellow Musician and Friend Brad Will
- Vive le Canada: Political folk musician David Rovics brings “songs of social significance” to Halifax
External links
- Official website. Additional information, huge collection of free mp3s, sheet music and links.
- David Rovics' Pirate Song Chest for Kids
- Ever Reviled Records: David Rovics. Label news & tour dates.
- David Rovics collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - David Rovics' Blog
- Internet Radio Interview with David Rovics
- David Rovics SoundClick Page