Song: “Sound of Da Police”

CD: Return of the Boom Bap

Amazing rap anthem about police abuse and repression.

Website: www.krsone.org

Song: “Guns of Brixton”

CD: London Calling

Classic punk anthem about standing up to police thuggishness.

Website: www.theclashonline.com

Song: “When the President Talks to God”

CD: When the President Talks to God (single)

One of the best protest folk songs to come out of the Bush era.

Website: www.thisisbrighteyes.com

Axis of Justice has worked on many activist projects with The Coup’s Boots Riley — benefit concerts, protests, radio shows — and now he and Axis founder Tom Morello have formed a new band and will release a new album under the name Street Sweeper Social Club.

Tom and Boots describe the album.

Tom: “It’s revolutionary party jams … huge steamroller riffs combined with depth, charge, funk, while Boots unloads clip after clip of incendiary rhymes rich with satire and venom.”

Boots: “This is a time when the working class is being fleeced left and right. More families will be homeless and more people will be jobless. They’ll need something to listen to on their ipods while storming Wall Street.”

Their first album comes out June 16, and they will be touring the nation on this summer’s NINJA (Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction) tour. For info about and song samples from Street Sweeper Social Club:

• StreetSweeperSocialClub.com
• MySpace
• Facebook

Tour Dates:

Street Sweeper Social Club with Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction

May 8 - West Palm Beach, FL  Cruzan Amphitheatre
May 9 - Tampa, FL   Ford Amphitheatre
May 10 - Atlanta, GA  Lakewood Amphitheatre
May 12 ­ Austin, TX  Frank Erwin Center
May 14 - Albuquerque, NM  Journal Pavilion
May 15 - Phoenix, AZ  Cricket Wireless Pavilion
May 16 - Chula Vista, CA  Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
May 18 - Las Vegas, NV  The Pearl
May 20 - Irvine, CA  Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 21 ­ Santa Barbara, CA  Santa Barbara Bowl
May 22 -Mountain View, CA  Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
May 24 ­ The Gorge, WA  Sasquatch Festival
May 26 - Englewood, CO  Fiddler¹s Green Amphitheatre
May 27 - Kansas City, MO  Starlight Theatre
May 29 - Chicago, IL  Charter One Pavilion at Northern Island (NIN/SSSC ONLY)
May 30 - Noblesville, IN  Verizon Wireless Music Center  Indianapolis
May 31 - Clarkston, MI  DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 02 - Toronto, ON  Molson Amphitheatre
June 03 - Darien Lake, NY  Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
June 05 - Camden, NJ  Susquehanna Bank Center
June 06 - Holmdel, NJ   PNC Bank Arts Center
June 07 - Wantagh, NY  Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
June 09 - Columbia, MD  Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 10 - Burgettstown, PA  Post-Gazette Pavilion
June 12 - Charlotte, NC  Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte

Song: “Do the Evolution”

CD: Yield

Rock jam about how much/little progress we humans have made as a species.  Powerful video.

Website: www.pearljam.com

Song: “Revolution Action”

Anti-establishment digital hardcore by these sneering German rockers.  One of my favorite music videos ever.

CD: 60 Second Wipeout

Website: wikipedia.org

Song: “Peace Sells”

CD: Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?

80s metal was surprisingly political, although often not real deep. Megadeth’s take on American close-mindedness and apathy.

Website: www.megadeth.com

Song: “Biko”

CD: Peter Gabriel

Slow, mournful ballad about South African human rights defender and political prisoner Steve Biko.

Website: www.petergabriel.com

Every year, the world commemorates the genocidal killings of over one million Armenians on April 24. This year, learn about the history of this horror, and how you can take action to heal these wounds and fight genocides that rage on at this very moment.

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Photo: Herbert Bagdasaryan