I have heard many folks project their opinion that, as artists, we must stand up and sing out in protest for those things that we do not believe in or those things that cut right to the heart of our being. Ask ourselves “what would Pete Seeger do?”. While, on a personal note I believe this for myself as an artist and human living in a very tumultuous time I don’t think all artists should have to write protest songs or infuse politics into their music. If that isn’t in your heart to do, then keep making your art the best you can and put your whole heart into it. Patrick Coman, lucky for us, is in the former camp, however.
Yesterday Coman released a new video for a song called ‘When the Bill Comes Due’. The artist, overlaid in dark shades and an almost motionless and solemn fashion blues speaks over ringing electric guitar chords that fade off into the ether of throbbing drums and bass notes. Coman plainspoken tells stories of the characters that may have cast their ballot for “the orange one”, people striving for something more in a dilapidated society in a place that economy seemingly forgot, a rich city guy in an apartment in the sky, the discordant divergence in the population. With a backdrop of violent protest at various rallies, finally revealing his face right there in the screen and an angry sounding soundbite.
you’re gonna have to pay when the bill comes due / you’re gonna have to pay when the bill comes due
well you can holler if you want to, you can carry on til you’re blue
but you’re gonna have to pay when the bill comes due
No matter which side of the aisle you come from, Patrick makes a great point with his new video. We, as a free people, should be able to criticize and question the motives of folks and if we can do that while making a really swampy, badass tune in the meanwhile with a killer guitar solo…well then, why the hell not? Check out the video below, share it and keep discussing and questioning. It’s what makes us humans.