2020 taught us all huge lessons, and 2021 is when we put what we learned into practice. It dawned on many unawakened people last year that the story our so-called authorities have branded into our brains – the story of being free, of being better, of being the best – was a big fat fucking lie. Took long enough. It’s a lie we’ve been asked to repeat generation to generation so that we can be easily plugged into the systems of exploitative capitalism, white supremacy, violent imperialism, and heteronormative patriarchy. 2020 gave it all a big resounding FUCK THIS, and in 2021 we need to focus on taking collective actions in order to build the compassionate, healthy, egalitarian society we actually want to live in.
It’s inspiring to see that happening – case in point, Denver Noise band Plague Survivor has transformed into a non-profit music collective and label with the aim to fund social programs in Denver and beyond. Their first release as a collective is the Sick City: Denver Locals comp, with the proceeds going to stock community refrigerators around Denver for the city’s houseless and hungry. It features some amazing local artists, including Many Blessings, Midwife, American Culture, Natural Violence, Bloodloss, Hoverkraft, Ben Don, Living Gate, Law of the Night, Cop Circles, No-emoji, Kahlil Cezanne, Pure Weed, and Dry Ice. The tape is limited to 100 copies, and it’s also available digitally through Bandcamp today – order it by donation here – and it’s Bandcamp Friday so they’ll get all the loot if you order it now. You can read the Plague Survivor statement about the record below.
We always say it, and we mean it. Support the underground. If we don’t look out for each other, no one else will. Big up Plague Survivor! Get in touch with them here to set up a comp in your city.
Statement from Plague Survivor Records:
Proceeds for this (our first) compilation will be used to stock the free community refrigerators in Denver with food and supplies. Denver has many houseless and hungry residents who are generally disregarded by the city and treated as a nuisance.
The past year has been tough for everyone and in some ways uniquely difficult for musicians. Many of us have struggled financially with the loss of some or all of our income from performing and working in the event industry. Many of us have our day jobs in the service industry which was also hit pretty hard.There were also emotional and psychological difficulties caused by the indefinite suspension of our established outlets for emotional/social/creative expression. These harsh circumstances led us to look out at the even greater suffering felt by so many of our neighbors. As local artists, we realize we ought to have a compassionate relationship with the community that we rely on for an audience and support. Unsurprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be much help for those in need coming from the state and even less from the federal government.
We realize we cannot rely on any government or institution to take care of us or of the community as a whole. We artists are not a particularly wealthy community, but there is no contribution too small to help, and we do, as a group, possess skills in promotion, communication, and presentation. We can use our skills and our artistic output to extend some generosity to those in need because it is our belief that a society is only as rich as its poorest citizen, only as healthy as its sickest, and only as free as its most oppressed.
Please keep an eye out for our future projects. We plan to expand past a local level and look forward to working with compelling artists who share our interest in helping to benefit the many people in this world who could use a hand.
For any questions/comments/more details email Michael at natviolence@gmail.com
