All posts by Halldór H Kristínarson

Halldór is the managing editor of Shouts - Music from the Rooftops!, an investigative journalist, audio engineer, and animal rights activist. Currently based in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Louise Wisechild Sings For The Homeless On Promised Land

After having traveled extensively, and having lived in a tent for a year, Lousie Wisechild found herself compelled to pen down the lyrics to her new single ‘Promised Land’.

Louise has been writing music for 40 years and is no stranger to making protest music. Wars and the Reagan era inspired her in her early days of writing music but today, she unfortunately sees that some of the songs she wrote back in the day are sadly still relevant.

Tackling homelessness and the failed promise of trickle down economics, Louise felt that her latest single, which was co-written by producer Paul Hoad, was necessary to be put out into the world after what she witnessed when she returned to her home city of Seattle. She tells me she was shocked by how obvious and stark the contrast is between those who have a lot and those who live under bridges.

“Promised Land was inspired by returning to my hometown of Seattle after five years of being in Guatemala and being shocked both at the the glistening glass office buildings and the tents filling the main plaza of city hall.”

Louise describes how people are living in every park, beneath every bridge and seemingly everywhere you go one can witness this injustice.

“On a personal level, I myself can not afford to live in my hometown. Also I lived in a tent in Hawaii for a year and it was challenging there even with good weather and plenty of space, so imagining the challenges of living on the streets, with no access to a safe, warm, dry place, not even a bathroom… it really pulls at my heart. And how little it takes to find oneself in that situation.”

Louise Wisechild (photo retrieved from the artist’s webpage)

I spoke with Louise about the connection between art and activism and she told me how she believes protest music can be a reminder for us humans. A reminder of the challenges that lay before us, something many people need to be reminded of with all the noise in today’s media world.

Louise makes a reference to Alice Walker who said, “Whatever we love can be saved.” She points out that protest songs can be a tool of empowerment. When we love something we want to protect it, and these songs remind of us what we want to change or fight for.

Check out more about Louise’s music and her other work via her webpage.

India Based Azadi Records Celebrate 5 Years Of Releasing Politically Conscious, South Asian Music

What started out as a conclusion in a thesis about protest music in India has now turned into a vibrant hub of fresh hiphop music and a platform for socially conscious South Asian artists to create art that “critically engages with (and comments on) the pressing issues of our time.”

Founded in 2017 by music journalist Uday Kapur and UK musician Mo Joshi Azadi Records recently celebrated its anniversary with a four-city tour in Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi with a lineup that includes artists such as Prabh Deep, Seedhe Maut, Ali Saffudin, Ahmer, Tienas and more.

Check out the playlist below with the label’s roster and get acquainted with some fresh, political Indian music!

New Book Documents Pioneering Women Recording Artists In Early 20th Century India

As it so often happens, the stories of underrepresented people get lost or forcefully erased through time by those who wish to control the historical narrative.

In early twentieth century India, women were pioneering the music recording field but their results and efforts have been somewhat hidden under the radar, until now.

Because of the efforts of author and historian Vikram Sampath these women’s stories have been brought to light in the book Women of the Records. The book is accompanied by a CD on which one can hear original recordings of the artists, fully restored and reconstructed.

“Across India women, mostly from the courtesan community, were the stellar pioneers of recording technology in the early twentieth-century.

Yet, their stories have been completely lost in the sands of time.

This book revisits their lives & features the indefatigable saga of 25 inspiring Indian women musicians from across the country, from 1902 to 1947.”

In 2011 Sampath launched Archive of Indian Music, an online preservation database of Indian music, all of which can be streamed on Soundcloud, for free.

https://soundcloud.com/archive-of-indian-music/popular-tracks