Today Cass McCombs has released “Don’t (Just) Vote”, a reimagined version of his 2011 song “Don’t Vote”. “Don’t Just Vote,” noted writer and activist Noam Chomsky encouragingly states in the song. “We have to excise a malignant cancer from the body politic. But that’s just the beginning. Real politics is what you do before and after you push the lever. You have to keep your shoulder to the wheel: engagement, activism, organizing – that’s what will make the difference.”
Produced by Sam Cohen and Joe Russo, the updated track also features guest vocalists Angel Olsen and Bob Weir; listen to it below…
“I was compelled to write something for the election and I thought of no better way than to troll myself, laying waste to a much-misunderstood song of mine from over a decade ago, ‘Don’t Vote’,” McCombs explains. “Most people never made it much further than the title, anyway. For this new song, ‘Don’t (Just) Vote,’ the message is clear: Vote, yes, but when you do, imagine the world you would like to see, beyond what appears on your ballot. Harness your imagination and justice becomes inevitable.”
McCombs has been known for social activism and politically-focused songs throughout his career. He performed at the benefit concert Occupy Sandy, Occupy Wall Street and People’s Climate March in 2014 with the Chapin Sisters and, in 2020, at the 51st People’s Park Anniversary in Berkeley, CA with Bongo Sidibe. NPR said that “the recalcitrant singer-songwriter has never cared for The Man.” The focus of “Bum Bum Bum,” released in 2016, is systemic racism. He states, “Blood in the streets, our eternal river, I know the killer. He counts my silver…How long until this river of blood congeals?”
Photo Credit: Giovanni Duca
