Today's Protest Tuesday features long time Kossack hairylarry, who is not only changing the world through his own music, but by passing his love, passion and chops on to the next generation of musical world changers.
I am a retired computer consultant back in school at Arkansas State University. I'm a composition major working mostly on Jazz charts. I'm also a songwriter and I write in all genres. Last year I sang in Astate Delta Vox, the ASU Jazz and Pop choir.
hairylarry writes really cool music posts here on Daily Kos, like this awesome look at the origins of the Grateful Dead's Uncle John's Band, and he's the driving force behind Protest Tuesdays, featuring talented musical Kossacks. He's also been writing about the connection between OWS and music in The Human Microphone Is Protest Music and Class War Hootenanny! - Occupy Music.
He not only writes a mean protest song...
You Did The Crime (Now Do The Time)
This is a protest song about corruption in DC inspired by Scooter Libby, Alberto Gonzales, and George Bush. I hate leaving Cheney out but I only had time for two verses. Please feel free to rewrite it including your favorite corrupt politician.
but he's been involved in music education all his life, teaching guitar, piano, drums, bass, and harmonica. A lot of his creative energy and passion is channeled into giving the next generation of revolutionaries the tools to carry the torch, hosting jam sessions so beginning musicians can have a chance to learn how to play with a band.
The "Barn Yard Blues" was recorded at a Music and Technology workshop. The topic of this workshop was promoting your music on the internet. This recording was made as an example of how to make a music video for YouTube. I gave four workshops. The production for these videos was about 20 minutes. I wrote the songs just before the workshops. The students had never seen the charts or heard the songs. I gave a short talk and then we made a video. All the students in the video volunteered to play their horn, sing, or clap the backbeat. We also had volunteer directors, advisors, audience, and crowd control. As you can see it was a lot of fun.
and just because I couldn't resist...
"What do you think you're doing making music and having fun with this DFH? Here, take some of this and put it in your education fund!"
If you thought this would be enough musical inspiration for hairylarry, think again.
Hairy Larry
Host of Something Blue
Photo by Megan Heyl
First, there's his radio show,
Something Blue, broadcast on
KASU, the NPR affiliate at ASU, airing every Saturday night at ten. Aside from dishing up a fine meal of Blues and Jazz tracks he also records most of the KASU Blues and Jazz live music events for Something Blue.
For example, here's a killer live set by The Emporium Orkestra, a jug band hairylarry plays with every year at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas. Or check out this smoking version of Cumberland Blues by the Rhythm Devils, recorded live on September 11, 2010 at the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington, Vermont, played by Larry on his July 30 show this year.
Then there are the Music Festivals at Craighead Forest Park and at ASU that hairylarry puts on and records for his radio show. The festivals are called Sunday In The Park, Blues Fest, and Bebopalooza! Many recordings from these shows are on his Live Music Archive.
Larry also runs his own indie label, aptly named HairyLarryLand, and he promotes up and coming musical acts on his Delta Boogie Network.
But you just can't take the performer out of hairylarry, live music is in his blood and is there to stay. He performs solo, with his Hairy Larry and George duo, and with his band, The Swing Band Project, a unique yet traditional acoustic Blues, Jazz Swing, Western Swing, and Bebop group.
And sometimes he can be found singing for peace with the Flying Hungarians...
Listen to Hairy Larry and Rhode Island Red playing as a duo at Bunky's, including Hairy Larry's protest song "Flashback" about PTSD, Iraq, and Viet Nam, or check out Larry's set at this year's Fall Ball at Laws Hill, Mississippi, opening with "For What It's Worth."
Hairy Larry's most popular YouTube video though is "Won't Be Down Always," a song featured in the documentary "Stay Brady Stay" about economic flight from rural Louisiana that manages to reach people when they are troubled and give them optimism and hope for the future.
But don't take my word for it, get it straight from the source...
For more video clips, check out Hairy Larry's YouTube Channel.