Make Music Not War
Put Down That Weapon
Y&T
What hath 2020 done to me?
When I popped this compilation into my player, my first reaction was, Oh how quaint, an anti-war album. With the daily shit show we’ve been living these last 8 months, the idea of just having one crisis to combat seems like a rose tinted daydream. Of course, the 1960’s were a shit show in their own right. Memory highlights the bright colors of hippy vans and music festivals while letting the Freedom Riders, Watts Riots, Wounded Knee and Cambodia fade away to footnotes.
Put Down That Weapon is a compilation of protest songs from the Viet Nam era intended to call attention to another issue that is fading from the spotlight in 2020. This compilation benefits Guitars Over Guns, a group that formed to combat gun violence with youth music programs. I would love to see a world where people settled beefs with rap battles and guitar cutting contests instead of bullets. Go ahead. Call me what you want.
All of the tracks are well done by mainly Miami area musicians. Several tracks stand out to me. Andrew Hyra’s rendition of “Eve of Destruction” adds updated lyrics to bring the song into the cell phone age. Sweet Lizzy Project gives “Universal Soldier” a spirited rock revival. “For What It’s Worth” sounds a lot more anxious at a faster pace and swathed in slide guitars.
Is living in a more peaceful, safer, less shot out world a quaint idea? I dunno. It’s a good idea.
