"Hail to the Thief II:Songs to Send Bush Packing!”
promises to be a funny, and serious,
take on the upcoming election, the right-wing Republican agenda, and of
course George “Dubya” Bush. The album’s 20 tracks lay out the case
against Bush in songs and stories.
This
20-track collection features some of the country’s best-known
folksingers, including Tom Paxton, Utah Phillips, Kim and
Reggie Harris, the duo Magpie, and Faith Petric.
Also
featured are hardworking, traveling folk musicians such as Steve
Brooks, Joe Jencks, Mark Levy, Amy Martin, Lisa Rogers, and the new duo
“emma’s revolution”, which features Pat Humphries and Sandy O. San
Francisco's Labor Heritage-Rockin' Solidarity Chorus and bowed-saw
player Chris Bricker round out the album.
The
project was conceived and produced by George Mann and 88-year-old
executive producer Julius Margolin. George and Julius
contribute five songs to the album and produced the first “Hail to the
Thief!” CD in August 2001. They are members of the New York City Labor
Chorus and performers with seven CDs and years of singing between them.
Mann compiled the CD from more than 50 songs submitted by songwriters
around the country.
“Julius
and I have always believed the 2000 election was stolen in Florida,”
Mann said. “Virtually everything Bush has done in the past four years
has been a failure and embarrassment to this country, let alone caused
suffering here and abroad.” George and Julius decided to produce the
album to help raise awareness through the power of these songs, and to
motivate folks to vote Bush out in November. “We want a fair election,
a safer world, and a government that is a world partner, not prone to
unilateral action without consequence,” he added.
"Our
aim is for a government of the people, by the people and for the people
to be finally established in the USA,” says Faith Petric, who has been
singing for more than 30 years and is based in San Francisco. “This CD
helps push us in that direction! Sing along."
This
is not your typical record production team. Julius turned 88 in August
and is has been active since the 1930s in the union and peace
movements. George teamed up with Julius in 1999 and they sing and
record left-of-center folk and labor songs. “We stand with all these
great artists against George Bush and what he has done to this nation,”
said Julius. “This election is one of the most important I’ve seen in
my life, and we want to help defeat Bush with this album.”
Copies
of the CD are available for $15 (includes postage and shipping).
International orders please add $3 for postage. Checks or money orders
may be sent to:
George Mann, P.O.
Box 697, New York, NY 10033.
For more
information about the album, to hear audio clips from the album,