A song about one of the characters in Anand Gopal's great story 'No Good Men Among The Living' about Afghanistan, framed by the situation there in 2021. Lyrics:

Power in your hands
hands that can't hold no pens 
you claim those desks holdin' your guns
and a dark time comes

40 years of war
not one without a scar
not in sight a life worth livin'
it s a fight for surviving 					

On his run for bread
was where they shot his brother dead                          
and out of hunger pain and pride		
Gul joins the other side

Are there no good men among the living
Are there no helpful men among the dead
what kind of men have you become 
no more allowed to hear a woman sing


Been in the poor man's trap
he can't find America on a map
the least of problems here to have					                 
for who kills for a day alive		

Gul whipped who he saw
whipped to enforce what they called law
with a cable, that's what he had                                                                   
they call it holy djihad

Then America
would turn the fights into a war
they drew a good and bad divide					
and thought all pick a side

Are there no good men among the living
Are there no helpful men among the dead
what kind of men have you become 
universal soldier in Afghanistan


At first they turned the tides
and Gul lost hope, betrayed allies
don't count on mercy, die or flee                                           
now you're a refugee

And still a Taliban
that's what he knows, commanding men				
fight for something with a gun   				
peace has no space for him

[flute]

The door falls in the lock
those who got out can help no more
have no strength to look back
how guards and inmates swap

No more nation building
now mothers sell their children
one more power gave up shell fires
in this graveyard of empires

Are there no good men among the living
Are there no helpful men among the dead
what kind of land will this become
where 20 million women fear lockdown 
and not one word made up in such a song

No Good Men Among The Living

Tubby Love & The One Tribe Movement - IN THIS TOGETHER

Vocals (Male) - Aloka
Vocals (Female) - Sarah Solstice
Production -  Patrick Kiebzak (Momentology) 
Guitar - Patrick Kiebzak (Momentology) 

from the album NORTH STAR, released July 19, 2016

North Star

Aloka - I Feel Good In Nature (feat. Sarah Solstice & Momentology)

Lyrics Naima & Be Steady, arrangement Be Steady
original tracks produced by Be Steadwell additional recording Produced by Toshi Reagon

Can't Help But Fly

The Portland-based indie folk group Shook Twins has released their track “Safe” via Earmilk. The track appears on their forthcoming EP, 2, out November 03, 2017. 

“I've been feeling a lot of unsafe love in my life lately. It's just hard to fully trust anything right now,” says Laurie Shook. “So I really resonated with the first line "all I want is a love that feels safe" when Katelyn started singing it from the living room in a cabin by a river. I was making breakfast and I stopped and sat down and continued the song because I knew it was going somewhere. It goes on to reach the ones out there that are having a hard time letting go of a love that they had dreamed up in their head. Sometimes, you just have to let go of the dream, and be open to a new one.”

The EP finds the group strip down from a full band to inherent power of the group’s namesake duo—identical twin sisters Katelyn Shook [vocals, guitar] and Laurie Shook [banjo, vocals]. In early 2017, they holed up alone in a room with just two voices and two instruments and cut the seven-song collection live to tape, serving up bare bones renditions of fan favorites, covers, and one new tune. 

“Musically, it differs from our other studio albums, because it’s just two twins in a room performing on two instruments,” explains Katelyn. “It’s much more raw emotionally and almost vulnerable. It’s nice to hear our growth as a duo and notice our individual grooves. It showcases these songs in a different way than they had been or will be recorded. It’s just a taste of the simplest core of our band: The Shook Twins.”

The group emerged in 2008 with their independent debut You Can Have The Rest followed by Window and 2014’s What We Do—which garnered acclaim from USA Today and more. Organically stirring up a buzz, they engendered fandom in fellow creators such as Langhorne Slim, The Lumineers, Mason Jennings, and iconic best-selling author Neil Gaiman who claimed, “They make music that twines through your soul the way vines cover an abandoned shack in the woods.” Along the way, the full band, including Niko Slice [electric guitar, mandolin, vocals], Barra Brown [drums, vocals, drum pad], and Josh Simon [bass, vocals, electric guitar, synth], has shared bills with everyone from Ryan Adams to The Indigo Girls.

Shook Twins are currently on tour to support their forthcoming EP and ready their next body of work.

Shook Twins Tour Dates
10/05 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
10/06 - The Purple Fiddle – Thomas, WV
10/07 - The Festy Experience (10/07-10/08) - Arrington, VA
10/9 - The High Watt - Nashville, TN
10/11 - Off Broadway - St Louis, MO
10/12 - Knucklehead Saloon - Kansas City, MO
10/13-14 - Basin Springs Park Bandshell – Eureka Springs, AR
10/15 - The Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
10/25 – Humbews - Arcata, CA
10/26 - Hopmonk Tavern - Sebastopol, CA
10/27 - Hangtown Music Festival (10/27-10/28) - Placerville, CA
10/29 - Applegate Lodge - Jacksonville, OR
10/31 - Volcanic Theater Pub - Bend, OR
11/03 - Hi-Fi Music Hall - Eugene, OR
11/10 - Liberty Theatre - Astoria, OR
11/16 – Neumos - Seattle, WA
11/17 - Rhythm and Rye - Olympia, WA
11/18 - Wild Buffalo - Bellingham, WA
11/24 – The Pearl Theater – Bonner’s Ferry, ID
11/25 – The Panida Theater – Sandpoint, ID
12/09 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR

For more information on Shook Twins, please contact:
Taylor Haughton, taylor@girlie.com, 212.989.2222 x119
Pam Nashel Leto, pam@girlie.com, 212.989.2222 x111

Safe

Leylines

08 Sassafras

07 Make Magic

02 Harmonize

From the album <i>Break In The Clouds</i>

Elephant Revival - Go On

Resilient - CASTANEA and Rising Appalachia

This track is from the album Filthy Dirty South and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/risingappalachia2

Occupy

Sisters Leah and Chloe Smith founded Rising Appalachia on their back porch in Georgia, playing simple fiddle and banjo melodies and leaning into their families rich musical traditions. It has since become a globally recognized Americana and world folk ensemble, celebrating a unique blend of Southern-rooted music, storytelling, and community. The band features David Brown (bass, guitar), Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello), and Biko Casini (percussion), and infuses music with a unique tapestry of Appalachian, Irish and traditional influence but stays connected to simple songwriting. Rising Appalachia has captivated audiences for nearly 2 decades, from busking in New Orleans to touring Europe, and has been featured at prestigious venues like Red Rocks, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Woodford Folk Fest. Their performances at NPR's Tiny Desk and Preservation Jazz Hall have solidified their status in the folk music scene. Breaking industry norms, the band's approach to music is as much an artistic statement as it is a movement, culminating in their newest album, 'Folk and Anchor' a carefully curated collection of cover songs. This project includes remakes from Bob Dylan to James Blake, Erykah Badu to Beyonce and showcases their eclectic style, inviting listeners into a rich musical journey.

08 Sassafras

Rising Appalachia

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