This year's immigration legislation in Arizona has resulted in a whole lot of political controversy. It has also resulted in a flurry of protest and songwriting.
By Felix Contreras/NPR Music
Here at Alt.Latino, we keep our noses not just in the music press/blogosphere, but also in the news.
As we all know, this year's immigration legislation in Arizona has resulted in a whole lot of political controversy. It has also resulted in a flurry of protest and songwriting that reminds me of the passion in the early 1970s against the Vietnam war. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember that firsthand.)
Most notable is Sound Strike, an artists boycott of the state led by Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zach de la Rocha.
In addition to old-school political activism, many musicians have responded to the controversy by writing music. Recently, the Sound Strike website featured a song by Black Eyed Peas vocalist Taboo.
Musician and songwriter Ry Cooder has a long association with Latin musicians, mostly from Mexico (in the late '70s, he introduced his audience to Mexican- American accordion legend Flaco Jimenez). He recently put pen to paper to express his feelings about the law in words and music. "Quicksand" reflects his own frustration and angst over what he considers a wrong direction in immigration policy.
L.A.-based musicians Marisa Rondstadt and Jeremy Keller turned to YouTube to post their collaboration on the song "Freedom."