I came across this interview on Sky news over a year ago. It's a young Israeli explaining why he would be refusing to join the IDF when he was shortly going to turn 18.  I found his words to be particularly powerful and wanted to see if I could do something to extend their reach, and life. 
I managed to reach him and he was very happy for me to use his words to create this piece. My intention was to do a proper release to help raise awareness of those refusing to join up, and also hopefully raise some funds for appropriate organisations. Unfortunately, and much to my regret, health and other life issues have prevented me from doing this yet, so I have decided to at least make the piece public here for now. If anyone would like to help with an ultimate release then please get in touch. With your help maybe we can make this happen. 
No one is free till Palestine is free.

Two Wrongs

The sun burns our skin, no shelter in sight,
We march through the dunes, day into night.
Our lips cracked and dry, no water to find,
The heat grips our souls, it’s breaking our minds.

Far from the Heimat, where the rivers still flow,
But here in the desert, we wither, we slow.
Sands of El-Alamein, no glory, no fame,
Just ghosts in the wind, whispering our name.
We dream of our loved ones, the life left behind,
But the dunes will take us, it’s the end we’ll find.

We once fought with pride, for flags in the sun,
Now the battle is lost, there’s nowhere to run.
The thirst pulls us down, the silence it screams,
Our hopes fade away like forgotten dreams.

Far from the Heimat, where the rivers still flow,
But here in the desert, we wither, we slow.
Sands of El-Alamein, no glory, no fame,
Just ghosts in the wind, whispering our name.
We dream of our loved ones, the life left behind,
But the dunes will take us, it’s the end we’ll find.

No letters, no goodbyes, just shadows in sand,
The desert, our coffin, no one understands.
We fought for a cause, but we’ll die in the waste,
Our memories fading, our names erased.

Sands of El-Alamein, no glory, no fame,
Just ghosts in the wind, whispering our name.
We dream of our loved ones, the life left behind,
But the dunes will take us, it’s the end we’ll find.

Sands of El-Alamein, the story is done,
No heroes will rise, no battles won.
We lie in the dunes, with no tears to cry,
Just the wind and the sky as we say goodbye.

--
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand, Elevenlabs
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Auphonic, Sound Studio (Felt Tip Inc.), Unison Sound Doctor, VirtualDJ, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of ChatGPT and Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, DALL-E, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

Sands Of El-Alamein

here we are again, again, again
have we not learned anything?
tears we shed, we share, we share
do they fall wasted on a wasteland of dead ends?

those that hoard money wish to make more
an addiction afflicted most on vulnerable poor
this broken system enables extraction
dominator mindset that keeps rich in power

congo has cobalt
while sudan has gold
natural gas off palestine
haiti's land to be sold
afghani copper
and west papua's crude oil
will be mined for billions
leaving non-arable soil

this is all connected because it is all connected because we are all connected because this is all connected because we are all connected because this is all connected because we are all connected

here are again, again, again
have we not learned anything?
tears we shed, we share, we share
do they fall wasted on a wasteland of dead ends?

Wasteland (Demo)

K's Apolitical Anima Autumn Anthem

Gudrun Ensslin  * August 15/1940  -  † October 18/1977

Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern 
Helmut Lachenmann

No Heart WIthout Fire - Eine Kerze Für Gudrun (RIP)

My #friend Pasha died in his cell last week, Not hunger strike, but the state killed him bleak.
His "crime" was truth in words and music, #Antiwar views where he felt he belonged.
On #YouTube with five subs, he shared his truth,
In moscow 2004, we explored our youth.
His poems, paintings, and recordings I keep, Letters and a novel, his memories run deep.
"Dust" was the title of a book he penned, These cherished treasures I'll hold till the end.


Goodbye, Pasha, your light won’t fade,
Courage and love in the art you made.
#PavelKushnir, forever you'll stay,
In our hearts, never far away.


Kept his poems, paintings, recordings from our past,
Reading letters and the novel, memories that last.
#Rachmaninov and #Cobain played on and on,
I'm grateful for those moments, though now they're gone.
Wish I could see him, relive what we shared,
It’s hard to accept that life wasn’t spared.
Goodbye, Pasha, your light will forever stay,
In our hearts, you'll never fade away. #Pavelkushnir

Goodbye, Pasha, your light won’t fade,
Courage and love in the art you made.
#PavelKushnir, forever you'll stay,
In our hearts, never far away.

#Pavelkushnir

#PavelKuschnir

LYRICS : 

A land is scarred, by dust and fire,
Homes reduced to ashes, dreams turned dire,
A mother’s wail, a child’s lost face,
Buried beneath a world disgraced.

Oh, can you hear them? 
The voices so strong,
Bound by borders but yearning to belong,
Their cries are rivers, their pain a flood,
Seeking justice in a land of blood, fear, famine

Children grow with hardened eyes,
Learning to fear the open skies,
For every dawn, a new despair,
As peace seems but a whispered prayer.

Oh, can you hear them? 
The voices so strong,
Bound by borders but yearning to belong,
Their cries are rivers, their pain a flood,
Seeking justice in a land of blood, fear, famine

But even in shadows, hope survives,
In songs and stories of stolen lives,
A land of scars, but hearts so brave,
One day, may they rise beyond the grave.

Can you hear them

Can You Hear Them

A coalition of democratic forces has risen up against the genocide. Turkish freedom flotilla activists took over a German ship carrying munitions for the genocide in Gaza. Germany is the second largest supplier of arms to Israel after the United States. Queensland companies NOIA and Rheinmatall manufacture and export artillery shells to Israel under licence from the Australian government. Ferra Engineering at Tingalpa in Brisbane is the SOLE manufacturer of the AME weapons bay adapters for the F-35 jets currently dropping b0mbs on displaced civilians in Gaza. The AMEs are what hold and drop the bombs, and they are being made here in our backyard!

Similar trials are coming up this week after activists occupied Boeing offices in Brisbane. At a picket outside Ferra engineering on Monday 4th November, Andy Paine discusses this protest movement targeting weapons companies, highlighting the legal challenges faced by activists who display images of atrocities in public spaces. Their movement aims to disrupt the arms industry and prevent genocide, they are facing charges designed to restrict public assembly and protest. The trial is set down for four days, with daily gatherings at Boeing in Brisbane to show solidarity. Andy encourages social media support to keep protestors from feeling isolated and to inspire more people to take action against genocide. He urges the public to follow the movement on platforms like Wage Peace and Disrupt War.

Song - Don't Kill People by Andy Paine

Image - Police attack unionists on May Day protesting the genocide in Gaza

Boeing Kills

A lament for the most innocent of war's victims.

Dies Irae For The Children Of Ukraine

Free Palestine.
written by a maniac.
Performed by A.I.

Gluteus Max Pain (explicit)

"Crumbling, destruction, uprising, resistance... A scream into the wall against the events unfolding around us: 'Stop sowing rage!'"
by Egor K.

Crumbling

Conquer And Divide

Lyrics by Solvio
Everything else by Schkolar

Three Days

Digital Empathy is a politically charged synth-pop punk anthem critiquing the increasing use of technology in warfare and the dehumanization it brings. Blending angry, provocative lyrics with playful, rhythmic hooks, think Le Tigre meets Pussy Riot. 

Did you see the way he ran
Left to right on a grainy screen
Did you feel it on the camera
When all the waiters at the wedding screamed

Did you know that they were there
Fifty meters from a hideaway
Did you shudder when you pushed the button
Or did you wince and look away

Pain
Not a video game
Unmanned war plane
What's your capital gain
I hope it drives you insane

We must guard against the
Acquisition of unwarranted influence
Whether sought or unsought
By the military-industrial complex

Did you see the new toy
I hear it works by remote control
Did you hear it has a brain
With all the facts that you learned in school

Did you watch it do the math
Deciding whether it was worth the loss
Did you watch it pull the trigger
Without a care for the human cost

Pain
Not a video game
Metallic rain
What did you gain
I hope it drives you insane

Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy

Only an alert and knowledgeable
Citizenry can compel the proper meshing
Of the huge industrial and military
Machinery of defense with our
Peaceful methods and goals

Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy
Press one for
Press one for

Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy
Press one for digital empathy
credits

Music, beats and lyrics: Elizabeth Rushing
Vocals and instrumentation: Elizabeth Rushing
Sick snare: Rich Reeves
Mixing and mastering: Tortion. Studio
Cover art: Sarah Roxas
Undying support: Mike Riley

Digital Empathy

Find more of Mood on YT:
https://www.youtube.com/@mood-music-org

Lower your Guns (feat. Mood)

Perdition was inspired by a visit to the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw, Poland.  Since I’m of Polish ancestry, I found the Museum to be incredibly interesting.  On the walls of the museum are quotations from speeches given during the Nazi occupation of Poland and the Cold War.  The text for Perdition is taken from two of those quotations.
The first is from the Director of Labour and Social Care (a de facto  minister) of the Government Delegate's Office at Home, Jan Stanislaw Jankowski.  Dr. Jankowski was the Polish leader who approved the Warsaw uprising.  He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943.  After the War, he was arrested by the NKVD (the forerunner of the KGB) and taken to the Soviet Union, where he was murdered on March 13, 1953.  

The second text is taken form George Kennan.  Mr. Kennan was the US chargé d’affaires in Moscow after World War II.  He was an important figure in the Truman administration and was influential in the development of the Marshall Plan and the start of the Cold War.

Both quotations moved me so deeply; I decided to set them to music.  Their pertinence to today’s world astounded me.


Perdition

A song about the unnecessary deaths in Ukraine

Why?

A future without all this conflict, a world without all this hatred. 

Purchase album 

Move On (Epilogue)

Another selection from my Anti-War collection

Chess

merigold is a multi-instrumentalist and indie artist whose music draws from a rich tapestry of global influences. Born near the Delta Blues heartland of Merigold, Mississippi, and now based in the multicultural hub of Geneva, Switzerland, her sound blends raw storytelling with the sonic courage of artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Le Tigre.

Since launching her solo project in 2024, a natural evolution from her work with the acclaimed indie band Faux Naïf, merigold has been recognized as Radio Indie International's "Artist in the Spotlight," and her first two singles resonated with listeners in over 60 countries. With themes that explore vulnerability, love and political activism, merigold’s music invites listeners into a deeply personal yet universally relatable world.

Naked Society, formed in 2021 by Ilya Krisa, Peter Potnin, and Tim Funk, blends alternative rock, post-punk, trip-hop, post-rock, and shoegaze. With gripping guitar and bass lines paired with a commanding drum presence, their songs tackle themes of depression, racial inequality, climate change, and isolation, exploring the darker aspects of the human condition.

#newera #stepjakefans #stepjakecommunity #stepjakevibe

It all started in 1984-1985 in the former Soviet Union when I — a toddler back then — learned how to put on Alphaville and Depeche Mode tapes into an imported AIWA boombox.

Around 1994, I discovered punk rock. In 1999 my classmate and I started a punk band where I sang and played some power chords on the guitar.

4PR - Voice of the People is a podcast about class, culture and country.
We believe that change can come only through revolution and participation by working class people.  Conditions in time and place must be understood and acted upon.  Workers of all countries unite! 
[Podcasting since 2011}

BOB CRAIN - Folk Rock singer songwriter guitarist from the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Ken Walicki is an American composer who is widely recognized and acknowledged for his dramatic, and engaging music, which reflects the times in which we live. Because of his unusual and interesting background, his sound world has evolved into a unique combination of Art, Pop, Jazz, and World music. Walicki‘s influences include Gyorgy Ligeti, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Public Enemy, and much more. He was one of the first composers to use turntables in his music and the first composer to have turntables and a D.J. as regular members in a standing ensemble. His music has been performed throughout the world by, among others, the Kronos Quartet, ETHEL, the New Century Saxophone Quartet, the Soldier String Quartet, the Divan Consort, and members of the New York Philharmonic, The Los Angeles Symphony, The Los Angeles Chamber Symphony, The Detroit Symphony, The Pacific Symphony, the Istanbul Borusan Orchestra, and the SWR Kaiserslautern Orchestra. He is the composer-in-residence for the new music ensemble The Divan Consort. Walicki has received grants and commissions from a variety of organizations and performing ensembles including the American Composers Forum, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, the Kronos Quartet, the Mary Flagler Cary Trust, and Meet the Composer.
Growing up playing guitar in local Detroit garage bands, Walicki decided, at early age, he wanted to dedicate his life to music. His education included a two-year period in Germany as a Fulbright scholar where he studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Helmut Lachenmann, and Rolf Hempel. He was also an active participant in master classes with Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and William Schumann. After returning from Germany, he studied with Jere Hutcheson at Michigan State University where he received his Ph.D. Walicki enjoys traveling and finds it to be a fantastic source of inspiration. After
spending a large amount of time in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, he has found these cultures to be particularly close to his heart. Together these experiences have made him a composer of diverse, accessible, physically, and spiritually moving, yet intellectually rigorous music. In addition to his music being presented in traditional concert music venues such as Lincoln Center in New York and the Liszt Academy in Budapest, his music has also been performed in new music clubs such as CBGB’s, the Knitting Factory, and countless cafes and storefronts throughout the world. Without compromising his values, he has made a point of writing music that relates to people and their situations. Walicki has collaborated with a variety of artists in the classical, pop, theater, film, and dance worlds, including Lydia Lunch, Dora Ohrenstein, the Doug Elkins Dance Company, Emmy winning producer/director Mark Obenhaus, American Opera Projects, Bermuda Triangle, Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Kronos Quartet, Divan Consort, and Ensemble Green. He was the founder and composer of the Ken Valitsky Ensemble, which included Regina Carter and Thomas Chapin as members. Previously, besides being on the faculty at New York University, Walicki has taught composition in Istanbul, Turkey at the Center for Advanced Music Techniques(MIAM), a department of Istanbul Technical University. Currently, he lives in Southern California with his son, and the family dogs. His music is available on Knitting Factory Works, C.R.I., CRS Artists, Channel Records, Albany Records and Ravello Records.

"Redder" is a palindrome. Like "racecar" or "level". These pieces of music ain't.



My mum started taking me to the cinema when I was four years old. The first time was Snow White. I remember getting unbelievably excited when all of her forest friends were rushing to save her near the end, my heart pounding along to the rousing music, and then crying my heart out at the glass topped coffin scene. (I've only ever seen this film once so I hope I'm remembering correctly.)    The second time was The Sound of Music. My mum often told the story of me being riveted to the screen, gripping my coca cola and popcorn. but not touching either till the intermission, a hour and a half later.
So, right from the start, music was a really important part of my love of cinema, with some of my early life big hitters being  - Dr Zhivago, Bond, Mary Poppins, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, A Song to Remember, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Ipcress File, and of course, Oliver.
New Moon is my main solo project, mostly instrumental, but also some songs, not tied to any specific genre, but almost always with an imaginary film or TV series in mind. 
I would so love one of my tunes to one day make it on to the silver screen, or indeed the box, and even better if it was with something, so good, that transfixes audiences as I was all these years ago.

A.I. Prompt bastard.

lyrics written by a maniac.
performed by a.i.

"Composer - Conductor - Performer" pretty much sums up my musical life. I've been writing music for over 50 years in genres including ragtime, church hymns, musical theater, and opera.

It is my aim to create music that is passionate, well-crafted and accessible. I want to integrate the different strands of American musical culture into a language that is fresh, but familiar. Above all, I try to make my work authentic.

Visit my website to find out more about me and my work. There are photos, videos and recordings, and links to where you can download tunes or buy CDs, sheet music, and DVDs. You can even commission me to write something specifically for you!

"By night, we surrender our trail of memories... We forsake division and weave a blue shaded horizon into our fading contours of darkness." 
Some solo tunes I recorded, most of them are live recordings. 

New tracks tagged #anti-war