This is on today. We are doing it. Or in this case, not doing it. The action of no action. Kind of Zen. The moment I read about it, I thought it was a brilliant & elegant idea. Perfect for America. We are such world-class consumers. Let’s be a bit disciplined, and show the world our power by not shopping. Soft power, yes. but, who knows, if enough people participate, maybe the world will notice? That is how movements start? Right?

Why are we doing this? The madness emanating out of the New Fascist Terror Dome Regime and their attack on Americans; the bullshit, and toxic lies, the cruel crusade against DEI and good government. They are trying to hollow out our government and empower the new asshole brigade. And some of our most successful corporations seem to be cheering them on. WE ARE AGAINST IT!

Some folks have belittled this boycott as “performative,”  I find that hilarious. Is it just for show? Sure. But think about it. Every act of opposition, every protest, every boycott, hell, every vote or speech is performative. 

Is it useless? Pointless? Who knows? It will feel good for the folks who do it. It is actually doing something in the face of the new fascism. How many will join? Will anyone notice? Good questions. I guess we will find out. 

Still, every protest started small. Every boycott. To cite some famous examples. One person sat at a drugstore counter and refused to leave. One person refused to sit in the back of the bus. One person posted #BlackLIvesMatter, and a world-wide movement happened. One person suggested boycotting the South African Apartheid Goverment, and over time, the boycott brought the government down.

Isn’t that the glory of Democracy?  People Power in action. People standing up, or sitting down, having their voices heard, and astonishingly, somehow, someway, they change the world. A change of consciousness can happen in a flash of insight. Damn the torpedoes. – Jammer

Yes. It is true. The new Fascist Terror Dome Regime is ascendant at the moment. They are up front & center, goose-stepping around at home & abroad. Paraphrasing the funniest “Marxist” we know, Groucho: “We are against it!” Hell. We control the vertical & the horizontal. It is time to turn the channel on this anti-human, soul-killing, gob-smackingly-retrograde, nihilistic bullshit… – Jammer

 The antidotes to the new fascist poison emanating out of D.C. = Poetry, Music, Spirits, Love…

We packed up our instruments, motored over a few miles to a small wine shop Picnic Wine & Provisions, and played our songs in their fabulous back room. There was a small, wonderful, loving crowd. Three of us up front. Two guitars & drums/percussion. Two voices. Big chandelier dangling over us, an impressive fireplace raging behind us. It was cold and snowy outside, warm & cozy inside. A poet Cin Salach started the night with gorgeous lines of poetry. Then we did our thing. A small, but super-essential thing to do. We billed it as a night of Poetry, Spirits, Music & Love. It was all of that and more. I even took the mic and floated a few choice words in opposition to our new fascist terror dome regime. We are against it. Whole-heartedly. Anyway, a good way to celebrate and conjure up an alternative vision; manifesting a better day, a better way. Our beautful dream vs. their dreadful nightmare. And, yes, for sure, damn the torpedoes… – Jammer

William Blake etching from the Book of Urizen

I think it was Nick Cave, front-man of the Bad Seeds, who said something about Hope being a “warrior spirit.” It resonates with me. Hoping against Hope. Sometimes I find myself hanging onto Hope as a life-raft. Even I am surprised how I can conjure up a lightening-flash of Hope in the lowest & darkest of times. Maybe it’s just an impulse, finding Hope for no good reason? Lately Hope comes with a little smile of incomprehension. It is sort of a bold “fuck you” to the tenor of the times. The idea of giving up Hope is just Hopeless, distasteful, anti-Life. Hope is just a tiny glimmer of an intention; a speck of light, a strange, little, zingy feeling shooting through my veins. Can’t explain it. I think it’s just embedded in me, it’s there with me, I suspect it will be with me as long as I can draw a breath, blink an eye. So yeah, the shit is coming down hard, things look quite dark & bleak. The evil-doers and assholes are ascendent, but I just can’t stop that funny little warrior spirit bubbling up, animating my being. You know it’s a gnarly, nasty, recalcitrant, rebellious, fuck-you, Bartelby the Scrivener: “I would prefer not to,” thing. Maybe it’s tough-minded, hard-wired discipline? An always rooting for the Underdog position. Losing is part of it. The losses come fast, hard and relentlessly, like a ravenous shark. Disagreeing with my fellow Humans? That’s cool. Being out-numbered, pushed around by the bully? Made to eat dirt?  Oh, well. The not giving in, the resistance to that shite, makes one stronger. “Fuck, everything didn’t go my way.” Ha. That’s life, buddy. That’s when you turn to the rebels like Joe Strummer, “The Future is Unwritten.” That’s when Hope really comes into play. Hope; spiky, gnarly, weezing, cursing, crusty, beat-up, you know, I think it’s true, Hope dies last, the dark is always contending with the light, it’s a battle moment to moment. Damn the torpedoes.- Jammer

I knew it was going to be a good gig when Carla asked me to unstick a microphone stand, I carelessly slammed it on the floor, and metal on metal sliced thru my hand. A nice chunk of my picking hand offered up the gods.

What’s that fleshy part between your thumb and finger called? Thenar eminence. Well, I missed that part, the slice was just a flesh wound, the connecting tissue from thumb to finger. Lots of blood, and a sharp stinging. Carla wrapped the wound with band-aids and golden gaffer’s tape. That was tip-off. Start a gig with a blood sacrifice, it is gonna be a good one.

And yes, it was an extraordinarily great gig. Cary’s Lounge, on Devon in Chicago, a little music mecca. We jammed our big band into a small space and the energy was concentrated and expansive. It had been awhile since we all gathered together to play. A super-cool, gracious and enthusiastic crowd. A fabulous turn-out of a community of souls. We were all there to commune with the ancestors, their carved masks adorning the walls.

So, yeah, we blasted through our set, old songs, newer songs, just-hatched songs. It was exhilarating. I for one, totally lost myself in the moment. No pain, no fear, just love and music. You know, my hand will be fine, might have a little scar, that’s Life, a rememberance of an afternoon of mayhem, and wonder. A great way to start 2025… – Jammer

Yes. It is funny, but true. The single from our New Album Love Without Fear is “blowing up” on Spotify! – Jammer

Be sure to check it out and take it for a spin. Let the pennies flow:https://open.spotify.com/album/6NUM5tIB5wjkK4XnlaaU78

From the latest review of our single from Ava Radio Live: http://www.avaliveradio.com/new-single-child-of-the-revolution-is-a-thought-provoking-blend-of-historic-sensibilities/

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Carla & I traversed the streets last night in a Lyft ride. Heading over to a radio studio to play, and to talk about our music and our band. Carla had decided we must do something we love to do on the last evening of the last day of 2024. It was quite a nice experience. Strangely, the streets were empty all the way there, a cross-town drive, and all the way back too. It was a little bit of an eerie backdrop to a cool thing. We wondered, “Is everyone laying low?” You know, hunkered down in their living rooms watching the clock tick down? We knew there must be some epic parties and celebrations going down somewhere, but you couldn’t tell out on the streets. We never clicked on a TV, so we didn’t see other people having fun & frolic. We were sure the “ball was dropping,” somewhere, this is the era of “out of bounds,” wealth & excess, the young rich & beautiful must be getting to it, big time, but none of that was in evidence around us. Everyone we talked to was still in a bit of shock about the latest developments in the USA, and where things were heading. Talk of the new year, and of the future, were guarded and low-key. Yes. Hope and optimism seems kind of out of tune, out of touch, and distinctly passe at the moment. I had to reach for my two go-to phrases: Joe Strummer’s line – “The Future is Unwritten,” and Tom Petty’s – “Damn the Torpedoes.” Oh yeah, might as well dig down and resurrect the old coach, Vince Lombardi’s line – “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Ha. Welcome to 2025, wonder WTF is gonna happen now!? – Jammer