There is no bigger story than the Ukraine/Russia War. We are horrified by Putin, but invigorated by the spirit of the Ukrainians. They are resolute, angry, and resistant. Their stories consume the nightly news and the cable news channels.
While we don’t want to watch the horrors of this war, we must see what’s happening right before our very eyes. For young people who have not seen a televised war before, this one is especially is brutal.
But all that said, the Ukrainians are inspiring – the soldiers, the parents, and the kids. Their lives are being disrupted and destroyed, but they continue to fight the good fight.
In that spirit, today’s edition of our “Junk Drawer” feature is all Ukraine, all the time – four music related stories that frame this war. At the end of the blog, I’ll give you a link to donate to the war effort if you are so moved. In the meantime, let’s hear it for the blue and gold.
Item #1: Thou protest not enough – We’ve talked a lot about a lack of protest music in American rock n’ roll over the past couple decades. There have been sporadic efforts to make political or moral statements, but they are few and far between.
There’s nothing like a war to motivate the rock ‘n roll community – especially in Ukraine. And the most popular rock band in the country is Okean Elzy, fronted by the outspoken Slava Vakarchuk.
As Laura O’Callaghan explains in The National UK, the 46 year-old singer visited the oft-bombed city of Kharviv last week, stood in the city’s central square and vowed, “Russia will pay for this.”
Vakarchuk isn’t just a rock singer, he’s a former MP, and his band’s patriotic anthems are firing up the populace as their country is being brutally attacked.
Below is the video for Okean Elzy’s”Not Your War” accompanied by the English subtitles.
I have to tell you, I let YouTube roll into the next few songs by Okean Elzy as I wrote this post. Their music is emotional, strong, and truly inspiring.
As we in the radio business know so well, music is a powerful tool. Let’s hope Slava’s efforts bring comfort, joy, and resolve to his people.
Item #2 – Take my song, please: In America’s political arena, candidates often “borrow” songs as their campaign themes, often much to the chagrin of the artists that recorded them. That’s been the case in recent years.
Donald Trump was apparently the biggest offender. Everyone from Adele to Queen to Rihanna requested the MAGA campaign stop using their music in their playlists. Even Nickelback had WMG pull a “funny” video meme of the band.
The practice goes back decades. Bruce Springsteen’s team has been especially vigilant over the years, requesting Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, and Pat Buchanan ceased and desisted using “Born in the U.S.A.” as campaign themes.
But last week, there was an odd twist on this practice when Dee Snider gave the Ukrainians a robust thumbs-up to use Twisted Sister’s anthem, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as the country’s protest soundtrack.
Why the green light? Here’s how Snider tweeted out his support for Ukraine. (It is NSFW).
Dee Snider Greenlights Ukrainians Using “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as Protest Anthem
Well, that makes it clear.
Item #3: College radio takes a stand – We’ve been supportive of the College Radio Foundation over the years. In recent years, their “Vinylthon” fundraiser has supported college radio stations in distress.
And last week, the Foundation amassed more than 50 college stations in less that 24 hours to support Ukraine’s fight by using their voices and their airwaves. Its founder, Rob Quicke, pulled the effort together, uniting stations here in the U.S. with college stations around the world.
The full audio of their support have been aggregated in the audio clip below. It is inspirational and moving to hear these young voices from around the world:
Quicke sent the audio to two Ukrainian college radio stations in Ostroh and Lviv, both of whom appreciated the support.
In response, a student in Ukraine found a way to send a message back to the world. As Quicke explained, “I am very moved by the bravery of the students in Ukraine to keep going and to make the effort to send a message to the world in such difficult circumstances. College radio stands with Ukraine. We must not forget them,”
Here’s the message from those Ukrainian students:
Item #4: “Tears For Ukraine” – And just this in from Detroit. Locally-based musician, Billy Craig, has recorded a great song that captures the moment with lyrics by none other than Radio Ink’s Eric Rhoads and Matt Jacobs (no relation).
That’s Elsie Binx on backup vocals, and produced by Kevin Williams. Sometimes, tragedy and heartbreak bring out the best in music – and in us. More information on the song, and Rock Island Records is here.
I hope today’s blog post was a way for you to “tune in” to what’s happening right now in Ukraine. NPR ran a story on charity support. You can access it here.
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Another radio-related angle that I’ve been following a bit is about how various international outlets have tried ramping up shortwave and other broadcasts to the region, after decades of technical and financial cutbacks. Probably the best source for information here is the SWLing Post’s blog.
Separately, to expand upon the mention of charities and similar groups that are currently working there, my usual go-to’s for such lists are Charity Navigator, CharityWatch, and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Plus, as usual, Global Impact has a dedicated fund that represents several of its member groups.
Appreciate the comment, Eric. i had a read a story about short-wavers, but just didn’t get to it. Thanks for mentioning it.