Libertarian Rock – May 2019

May 21, 2019

It is here – my Libertarian Rock May 2019 playlist.

“Why do we let morons rule the world?” That is the question starting off the playlist this month. A very good question, asked by my newly discovered favorite band, Freak Kitchen. A quirky, yet accessible band from Sweden that have been around since the 90s. Super-heavy guitars and poppy choruses. Vertigo-inducing guitar solos.

See below for the track list!

::Song::
::Artist::Album::
::Comments::

Morons
Freak Kitchen • Confusion to the Enemy

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Send in the Tanks
Matt Bankert • Send in the Tanks
An underrated, good-looking singer

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Mind Ain’t Free
The Last Internationale • Soul on Fire

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Succexy
Metric • Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Invasion’s so succexy

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The Dark Side
Muse • Simulation Theory
Set me free

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The Man
The Killers • Wonderful Wonderful
The theme song of many heads of state I know

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The Weapon
Rush • Signals

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The Doomed
Perfect Circle • Eat The Elephant
Blessed are the gluttonous, may they feast us to famine and war

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Take Me Higher
Prophets Of Rage • Prophets Of Rage
Drones! The sickest funk groove I’ve heard in a while.

–

Be Chrool To Your Scuel
Twisted Sister • Come Out And Play
A cameo from Alice Cooper. A tribute to public schools.

–

Ivory Tower
Matthew Sweet • Modern Art
Come down from your ivory tower… a great one for technocrats and central planners

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The Persecution of Schaeffer Cox
Jordan Page • The Persecution of Schaeffer Cox
A true, sad story

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Zombie Bastards
Weezer • Weezer (Black Album)
We know what you want…sort of the undead zombie state, preying on the living. A bit of a stretch? Maybe. But it’s my playlist.

–

Been Caught Stealing
Jane’s Addiction • Ritual De Lo Habitual
Taxation is theft, baby.

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The Blackout
U2 • Songs Of Experience
Probably a reactionary song to Trump, Brexit, etc. Without getting into whatever libertarian merits there may actually be to those, the song can be taken generally as giving hope when freedom’s light seems to go out.

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Let’s Impeach the President – Live
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young • CSNY/Déjà Vu Live
Amen. And don’t stop with the president.

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It’s Money That I Love
Randy Newman • Born Again
Theme song of the Federal Reserve.

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A Gallon of Gas
The Kinks • Low Budget

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I Wanna Be Free
The Monkees • The Monkees

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Highway 61 Revisited – Live with The Band, Isle Of Wight, 1969
Bob Dylan • Another Self Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10
Cryptic poetry, with a theme of a place (Highway 61) where things are disposed of or sacrificed, and illicit actions take place – including the next world war.

–

Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
The Beatles • The Beatles (White Album)
As Ron Paul says, the people should have all the privacy and the government should have all the transparency.

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You and All of Your Friends
Alice Cooper • Paranormal

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Monkey Wrench
Foo Fighters • The Colour And The Shape
I’ll never be your monkey wrench

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Slim Pickens Does The Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell
The Offspring • Days Go By

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Title Pending
Warehouse One • Light It Up
Please check out Warehouse One – an outstanding punk band with great libertarian themes.

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Prisoner of Society
The Living End • The Living End

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Not Personal
The Interrupters • Fight the Good Fight

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Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad
The Clash • Give ‘Em Enough Rope

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What’s Mine Is Yours
MxPx • Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo
You don’t own me, they’ve abolished slavery

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Do The Paranoid Style
Bad Religion • Do The Paranoid Style

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Back in the USSR
Dead Kennedys • Live At The Deaf Club

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1 Trillion Dollar$
Anti-Flag • For Blood And Empire

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Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good!
Megadeth • Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good – The Final Kill

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Circling the Drain
Havok • Conformicide

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Individualism
BackWordz • Veracity

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War Princess
Devin Townsend Project • Z²
Please listen to the Z² album. I think it is Devin’s masterpiece – one of ’em, anyway.

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TOTAL STATE MACHINE
KMFDM • HELL YEAH

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Ghost Upon a Throne
Leah • The Quest

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Prison Song
System Of A Down • Toxicity

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Listen to it! The Libertarian Rock May 2019 playlist.

Weezer: They’re Still Around. And Good.

April 7, 2019

Weezer – the Black Album

Spoiler alert: It has been over 22 years since the Blue album and Pinkerton were released. The Black album is different than those albums. Very different – it is pure, unvarnished pop. There is very little grungy, power-chord rock to be found, if at all. Those who expect all of Weezer’s 12 albums to sound like their first two albums from the mid-90s will be disappointed or angry or maybe even feel betrayed. There are apparently many such people. In fact, I admittedly struggle with similar feelings from time to time. Are such feelings valid?

I think this is an important question, and I think the important answer is “not necessarily.” It is probably a little unrealistic and entitled to require Weezer to continue writing “Say It Ain’t So” over and over again. If they want to make different-sounding music, and risk alienating certain fans, who is to say they can’t?

The real question should not be, “does the album meet the genre requirements I have” but “is the album any good?” I think the answer to that is “Yes, it’s actually pretty good.” As a pop fan would want, there are plenty of catchy choruses and lyrical themes to help escape the mundane for a while. There are scenes of everyday life, romance, loneliness, and drugs. Some highlights are the disco vibe of “Livin’ In LA”, the 90’s pop snark of “I’m Just Being Honest”, and the Katy Perry beat of “The Prince Who WantedEverything.” On top of those, the video for “High As a Kite” is hilarious. You’ve never seen Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood quite like this.

Having caught a night of Weezer’s 2019 tour, I’m quite pleased that deep down, they still know how to rock, and they know what the people want. They performed only one song from their new album compared to four songs from the Blue album. They sounded great, and connected with the audience well. Having opened with a barbershop quartet version of their classic hit, "Buddy Holly," it’s obvious that they still have that playfulness that made them so appealing at the start. The Weezer band members are pushing 50. Sure, many of us long for the Weezer from when we were adolescents. But given Weezer’s carefree, good-humored, and "I’ll-make-the-music-I-want" attitude, it looks like they are still in touch with their adolescent side, too.

============

Watch this as I try my hand at a classic Weezer song.

The Top Libertarian Bands of 2018

December 31, 2018

The Last Internationale

Vocalist Delila and guitarist Edgey have been teasing their fans with a stream of singles in 2018, looking forward to their album “Soul on Fire.” Delila’s vocal soul and power will pummel your face on “Hard Times” and “Mind Ain’t Free.” I get the impression they are more Marxist than Misesian, but hey, I won’t be surprised if some of their anti-state songs play on stereos at the Mises Institute.

Thrice

Thrice released their 89th studio album in 2018 called “Palms.” It is another great song collection from the quartet and celebrates the common things all humans share. Songs like “The Dark”, “Blood on Blood”, and “Only Us” talk about institutional lies and the need to end cultural strife and battles. Though it’s not as overtly subversive as some of their other material, songwriter Dustin Kensrue seems to be a liberty-phile.

Smashing Pumpkins

Did you know alt-rock legend Billy Corgan (or William, or whatever he’s called) is a libertarian? His songs are not necessarily about ending the Fed, so you might not know it. However, that’s sort of a good thing anyway. Political artists can sometimes make politics an end when it should be a means – a means to let people be free to, for instance, make awesome music and art. The Pumpkins overjoyed 90s fans (like myself) when they went on a “reunion” tour with 3 out of 4 original members this year. To top it off, they released volume 1 of what will presumably be a multi-volume album called “Shiny and Oh So Bright.” It is sure to anger fans that don’t want the Pumpkins to change how they sounded 20-30 years ago. However, it’s pretty good. Corgan’s lyrics are usually opaque and cryptic, but there may be a hint of libertarian dissent in “Marchin’ On” and “Solara”.

LEAH

Leah’s recent album “the Quest” sounds like Iron Maiden performing the Lord of the Rings soundtrack on 8 string guitars with Arwen on lead vocals. Crushing solos and angelic vocals. Leah personally has libertarian leanings, and you can get hints of them in some of her songs.

Brass Against

The world didn’t know it needed a horn ensemble covering Rage Against the Machine songs – until Brass Against existed. And now it’s hard to imagine the world without them. A group comprising a ton of horn players and a female vocalist, they do justice to more than classic RATM songs like “Guerilla Radio” and “Killing In The Name.” They also do wonderful covers of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs, and Living Colour’s Cult of Personality – all songs libertarians can appreciate.

Muse

Space/Art/Synth/Prog rockers Muse were back in 2018 with the album “Simulation Theory,” where they turned the “80s synth” dial to 11. Complete with a nostalgic Tron-style cover, you can resist the system while listening to tracks like “Propaganda”, “Algorithm”, and “Dig Down”.

The Interrupters

Peppy, upbeat ska-punkers put out a great set of songs called “Fight the Good Fight”. The songs are so catchy that it’s tough to not just let the disc keep playing when it’s finished – if you still use discs. They are Ron Paul fans, and you can tell by songs like “Not Personal” and “Age of Outrage”. Besides that, it’s just a great album celebrating comradery, perseverance, and the lessons we learn in relationships.

Zama Rripa

A delightful libertarian artist I just came across is Zama Rripa who recently released his album “American Soul.” He has a vintage sound with flavors of the 60’s and 70’s. One of the highlights is “Blowback.”

Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway

Daron Malakian, former System of a Down guitarist and vocalist, put out the album “Dictator” with his band Scars on Broadway. Libertarian ears are sure to perk up just at the album title, and those ears will not be disappointed with the actual songs on the album. There are themes of the Armenian genocide (Lives), some Dictator, well, dictating what you should and should not do (Dictator), and sickening wars (Sickening Wars). Malakian is not one to mince words. And all these gems are supported by the pounding and grinding guitar riffs we’ve come to love from System of a Down.

Want to hear my own libertarian-friendly music? You can start with The Christmas Truce!

NEW SONG – the Christmas Truce – 104 years ago

December 24, 2018

Season’s Greetings, Internet!

One hundred four years ago today, something remarkable happened during World War I:

A German soldier dodged gun fire so that he could carry a Christmas tree to his enemies, enacting a “Christmas Truce”.
Many areas on the western front spontaneously broke out in Christmas celebrations between the warring armies, including German, British, and French troops.
In “No Man’s Land,” the barren wasteland between the opposing sides’ trenches, the enemy armies played soccer.
They sang Christmas carols together.
They drank wine and brandy, and gave gifts to each other.

There is a book about this amazing incident called Silent Night by Stanley Weintraub.

My new song, The Christmas Truce, is based on this true story.

Please download it for free as my gift to you. Thanks for reading this, and Merry Christmas! Or “Happy Holidays” if you prefer.

Do Russian bots eat salad? – LEAH

December 14, 2018

I want to take a moment and say thanks to all the new subscribers I have from SpicySallads.com, HeavyMetalTruckWorks.com, and FancyCarnavalMasks.com! These web domains may in fact rank pretty high on www.StopForumSpam.com, but hey, that’s ok. I am the most non-discriminatory guy you will meet. I’m totally fine if my fans are bots, malware, A.I., Spyware, whatever. Each person or virtual person matters to me.

And if you are indeed a Russian bot, please take advantage of my music deal: $5 for 11 songs!!

In the Earbuds: The Quest by LEAH

Leah is a remarkably unique artist in several ways, and not just in her Celtic folk metal sound. She exists entirely independent of the record industry, has enough business prowess to make a comfortable living off music from her home without touring, and still finding the time to be a married, home-schooling mother of five.

On her latest album, The Quest, the “Heavy Metal Enya” went in to the recording studio and cranked the “MAJESTY” knob on everything. It is vast, epic, experimental, and breath-taking. It’s a bit like if Iron Maiden got 8-string guitars and recorded the Lord of the Rings soundtrack with Arwen on lead vocals. This album has more of a symphonic feel then some of her prior work, if that’s possible. It seems that the heavy guitars are lower in the mix to give deference to the non-heavy metal instruments: pipes, flute, keyboards, saz, and oud. Leah’s characteristically gentle voice blends well with the array of instruments, and the melodies are among her best. But don’t worry metalheads: there are still some great scalp-igniting moments, such as the guitar solo on “The Edge of Your Sword”.

This is a beefy sound mix. The first song is called the Quest. It contains 131 instrument tracks, if that gives you an idea at how lush the aural assault is. More background on the recording can be found in the “making of” video.

I commend this album to you. If you like epic metal/rock and it doesn’t grab you right away, give it another listen. There is so much packed in here that it takes a while to absorb it all. You’ll be glad you did.

Things To Come

A Matt Bankert Christmas song??
A music video cover of the Interrupters
Two brand new studio songs that will be done sometime before the world ends! Unless that is next week

Sons With Guns

November 5, 2018

My acoustic demo of “I Don’t Care” is now on YouTube:

I’d love to hear what you think!

In the Earbuds: “The Similitude of a Dream” by Neal Morse Band

As I listened to the first album I’ve heard with Neal Morse (formerly of prog rock band Spock’s Beard) on it, I thought, What makes a good rock opera?

Gratuitous background vocals
Multiple lead vocalists
Borderless songs
An overture
Dream Theater cofounder Mike Portnoy on drums
Volcanic guitar solos
Two discs
Repeated musical themes and melodies
A concept from a centuries-old Christian novel

The Similitude of a Dream delivers all of those things and much more. Based on the story from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, it follows the protagonist Christian in his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Along the way he meets several characters that encourage, mock, confront, betray, or battle him (a dragon!).

The lyrics are fine in most places, and weak in a few others (“Satan’s talking such smack”). The musical quality is off the charts. Organ-heavy prog rock with a lot of 70’s influence, which occasional chunky metal diversions. Each band member is a virtuoso in his own right, and often on more than one instrument. Highlights include “City of Destruction” (a killer Black Sabbath riff and soaring melody), “The Man in the Iron Cage” (sort of a Black Dog Jr. with a great hook), and “Draw the Line” (a smashing hard rock progression). The effort, imagination, and skill that went into this album bazookas your face. And it looks like more is around the corner in 2019 with their next double album, “The Great Adventure.”

I was going to add a few more things, but I just went on and on about Neal Morse. Next time!

Matt’s Museletter: First Name Basis with Google

October 26, 2018

I came to find out the Google has taken notice of me, specifically a post I made back in July:

Number 1 out of 1,280,000 results! Wow! I have discovered my niche, I suppose: Libertarian Rock scholarship. If you missed my thesis, see what everyone on Google is searching for:

the Top 10 Libertarian Rock Bands

And don’t forget my AMAZING MUSIC SALE!

Electronically social on:

===Follow Matt’s Spotify playlist, “Libertarian Rock,” updated regularly!===

Matt’s Museletter: Thrice is Nice

October 16, 2018

Recently, THRICE rocked the Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD. Man, these guys are pushing 40 and still brought the metal/rock/hardcore/indie/punk. It was a great set list, voted on by fans. It spanned their almost 20 year and 20 genre career.

Their new album “Palms” is a great follow-up to their prior “reunion” album, “To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere.” A similar style with a baritone-tinged hard rock flavor (the Grey) while incorporating lighter, airy moments that would fit on an indie rock playlist (Just Breathe). Definitely worth a listen.

Have 5 Big Ones Burning a Hole in Your Pocket?

Don’t let your pants catch fire – my music is on sale!

Eleven songs at a low price!

Deep Thoughts

Mislabelled?

Bagels are to donuts what raisins are to chocolate chips.

https://Twitter.com/sonicbankert

Matt’s Museletter: I Don’t Care If Your Skin Is Fair

September 28, 2018

Feast your ears on this baby – not literally a baby – its a new acoustic demo for my song, I Don’t Care:

I’d love to hear what you think!

Great Minds Think Alike

You might have noticed that my video is on a website called Minds. Minds is a social media platform Im toying with because I am intrigued by the fact that it is:

Running on Ethereum, a decentralized blockchain platform
Totally open source ie, the software is totally out in the open for anyone to see and copy for their own
And not prone to censorship as some of the other platforms may be

I havent made up my mind about it yet, but it seems cool so far! And you can apparently make money on it for posting things!

Electronically social on:

===Follow Matts Spotify playlist, Libertarian Rock, updated regularly!===

Matt’s Museletter: A Tree You’d Better Not Hug

September 21, 2018

In the Earbuds: “In Absentia” by Porcupine Tree

I am somewhat astounded by how wonderful this album is. I’m just sad I didn’t discover it back in 2002 when it was released. Only recently was the existence of the now defunct alternative/prog-rock band Porcupine Tree made known to me. Man, did I miss out.

“In Absentia” tells a creepy story involving serial killers and people on the fringes in the voice of chunky drop-D riffs coupled with airy clean guitars and acoustic strumming. The vocals are clean and understated, yet provide a powerful melodic core to the songs. Sort of a Pink Floyd turned to 11.

The guy with the messed up face on the album’s cover probably looks like that because he heard the opening track, “Blackest Eyes”, a pounding hard rock song with ethereal vocal harmonies in the chorus.

“Trains” tones it down a bit with acoustic guitar, but still keeps a driving rhythm and a pop melody. “The Sound of Muzak” sounds like a great lost Soundgarden song, while “Prodigal” starts out with a light, meandering bassline then hits with an anthemic rock riff in the chorus. The album closes with a light, beautiful piano ballad.

It sounds similar to the alternative rock of that era – but on a much higher plane of existence. Highly recommended!