A-Infos (en) US, Revolutionary Music Review: Evan Greer

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posted by Erin Osgood on infoshop.org
Emma Goldman once said, "If I can't dance to it, it's not my revolution." From
the Wobblies' union songs to the Pagans' chants to political punk, music has
always played an important role in revolutionary movements around the world.
But with Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs no longer with us, and Bob Dylan moved on to...
different things, who is going to lead the protest movement in rousing songs?
The movement is not dead, and neither is the music. A new
generation of political songwriters are picking up where the
old folkies and The Clash left off. They come in all styles and
states of dress: flanel to leather and chains.

One of the most promising new voices in the realm of political
songwriting isn't even old enough to remember the musicians
who's legacy he follows. Evan Greer, a songwriter originally
from Boston, burst onto the protest music scene last year
when he performed for 15,000 people at a Peace Rally in
Boston. "That was back when I was a liberal," jokes Greer.
"I'm still recovering."

Recovering liberal or not, Greer's unique guitar style and
powerful lyrics have earned him a name in his hometown and
among the activist community at large.

"He and David Rovics are definitely the best out there right
now," says Tania Orion, a self-identified Anarchist from
Seattle. "I got to see Evan play at the Lucy Parsons Center in
Boston. His first song made me laugh and his last one made
me cry. I know it's cliche, but I'm serious, every one of his
songs is like, 'that's exactly how I feel,' but he finds a way to
say it that so eloquent, I can't really explain."

Youngish anarchists aren't the only ones who hear Greer's
message. Alissa Friedman, a veteran organizer with United
for Justice with Peace, saw Evan play at the Middle East in
Cambridge, where he shared the stage with Howard Zinn and
Thalia-Zedek. "Howard spoke for a good ten minutes, Evan
summed up what he said in three," says Friedman. "It's great
to hear such a young voice saying the things that we've been
saying since the sixties, but even taking it a step further."

Greer released his first CD, "Against the Blinking Green,"
last year. The album is roughly recorded, and Greer is
planning on recording again in the Spring. "We had no idea
what we were doing when we recorded the first one, and I've
gotten a lot better at guitar since then," he said. Still, no one
can really complain about the quality of the album, since it's
free on Greer's website. "I want my music to be available to
whoever wants to hear it, not just those who can afford the
album," Evan said. "It would be kind of hypocritical to sell an
album with songs that complain about capitalism."

Greer is currently a Freshman at Swarthmore College outside
of Philadelphia. Since leaving his warm network of Boston, he
has somewhat disapeared from the music radar. "No one in
Philly knows who I am," he said. "I just haven't had the time
to go around promoting myself, maybe after the new album
comes out."

Greer recently missed an opportunity to perform with his old
friend, David Rovics at the FTAA protest in Miami, because
he was arrested before the concert while walking down the
sidewalk towards the protest. "We were in jail for three days,
but we kept our spirits up, singing songs and... going on
hungerstrike," Greer said. Since his return, he has written a
song about Miami entitled "More Than We Can Dream,"
which tells the story of the jail solidarity protest for the 25
protesters arrested on Felony charges, of which Greer was
one.

Back in cell-block C5, they begin to hear a sound, through a
tiny grated window they see people on the ground, Just
beyond the wall where silence falls, 500 voices drown,
singing: "You can lock us up, but you can never keep us
down!"

So if he's a recovering liberal, what will he be when he gets
better? Greer identifies as an anarchist, but cautions people
that semantics can be confusing. "If you watch too much tv,
the word anarchist to you probably means someone who
wears black and smashes windows. There's a lot more to it
than that," he says. "I envision a world where order is
maintained through cooperation and the recognition of each
person's unique beauty and worth. To me, an anarchist is
anyone who doesn't need a cop with a gun to tell them what is
right and wrong."

Greer is currently back here in Boston for the holidays, but
will be returning to school after the break and is hoping to find
some venues in Philadelphia to spread his message. "After
the massacre of Miami, I think it's really important that we
focus on rebuilding the movement at the community level.
Everyone should be a songwriter, or at least a singer. Music
is just one way to change things though, and you're as likely
to see me in the streets as on the stage. I don't write about
the movement from outside, I write with the movement, and I
invite everyone to write with me."

You can find all the information about Evan Greer, including
his free music, poetry, essays and upcoming shows at
http://www.evangreer.com


Link: www.evangreer.com


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