David Rovics
Punk Band from United States
David Stefan Rovics ( ROH-viks; born April 10, 1967) is an American indie singer/songwriter. His music concerns topical subjects such as the 2003 Iraq war, anti-globalization, anarchism, and social justice issues. Rovics has been an outspoken critic of former President George W. Bush, the Republican Party, John Kerry, and the Democratic Party.
Rovics is critical of the United States government's policies and claims that the "U.S. government's foreign policy represents U.S. corporate interests" and that "the U.S. government does not like democracy either at home or abroad."Although some of Rovics' work is not self-published, and much of it is commercially distributed, Rovics has made all of his recorded music freely available as downloadable mp3 files. He encourages the free distribution of his work by all non-profit means to promote his work and spread political messages, and speaks out against websites or programs like iTunes that charge money for downloading his songs. Rovics has also advocated the performing of his songs at protests and demonstrations and has made his sheet music and lyrics available for download.
David Rovics was born in New York City. His family moved to Wilton, Connecticut when he was young. Rovics was politically inspired during his adolescence by his experiences with the conservative-oriented, Christian milieu of his home town. His parents, both classical musicians and educators, were liberal in their outlook. Perhaps for this reason, while in his teens Rovics acquired interests in nuclear disarmament, vegetarianism and other counterculture issues. He has described himself as an "anti-Zionist Jew from New York".In 1985, Rovics enrolled at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, but dropped out and moved to Berkeley, California. He worked in occupations such as a cook, barista, secretary and typist, while pursuing his musical interests as a street and subway performer and in small clubs and bars. He immersed himself in leftist counterculture and made contact with other songwriters and performers on the underground circuit. By the early 1990s he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways.From the mid-1990s, Rovics has spent most of his time on concert tours around the world. Rovics tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies. He has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, the BBC, Al-Jazeera, Acik Radyo and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch and Truthout and the 200+ songs he makes available on the web have been downloaded more than a million times. Although Rovics' work has not gained major commercial success, it has been acclaimed in sections of the press.He currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family and has a daughter, Leila, who was born in 2006.
Political activism
Rovics has also written a song on Francis Hughes, a Provisional IRA combatant who died in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike, in his song "Up The Provos".Rovics has been accused by It's Going Down and Shane Burley of promotion of individuals associated with white nationalism, Holocaust denial and antisemitism, namely Matthew Heimbach, Gilad Atzmon, and Kevin Barrett. He temporarily removed the interview with Heimbach from his site, but responded that Atzmon is not an antisemite and Heimbach not a fascist, and that it is important to understand why people are drawn to the far right.
Rovics is critical of the United States government's policies and claims that the "U.S. government's foreign policy represents U.S. corporate interests" and that "the U.S. government does not like democracy either at home or abroad."Although some of Rovics' work is not self-published, and much of it is commercially distributed, Rovics has made all of his recorded music freely available as downloadable mp3 files. He encourages the free distribution of his work by all non-profit means to promote his work and spread political messages, and speaks out against websites or programs like iTunes that charge money for downloading his songs. Rovics has also advocated the performing of his songs at protests and demonstrations and has made his sheet music and lyrics available for download.
David Rovics was born in New York City. His family moved to Wilton, Connecticut when he was young. Rovics was politically inspired during his adolescence by his experiences with the conservative-oriented, Christian milieu of his home town. His parents, both classical musicians and educators, were liberal in their outlook. Perhaps for this reason, while in his teens Rovics acquired interests in nuclear disarmament, vegetarianism and other counterculture issues. He has described himself as an "anti-Zionist Jew from New York".In 1985, Rovics enrolled at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, but dropped out and moved to Berkeley, California. He worked in occupations such as a cook, barista, secretary and typist, while pursuing his musical interests as a street and subway performer and in small clubs and bars. He immersed himself in leftist counterculture and made contact with other songwriters and performers on the underground circuit. By the early 1990s he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways.From the mid-1990s, Rovics has spent most of his time on concert tours around the world. Rovics tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies. He has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, the BBC, Al-Jazeera, Acik Radyo and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch and Truthout and the 200+ songs he makes available on the web have been downloaded more than a million times. Although Rovics' work has not gained major commercial success, it has been acclaimed in sections of the press.He currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family and has a daughter, Leila, who was born in 2006.
Political activism
Rovics has also written a song on Francis Hughes, a Provisional IRA combatant who died in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike, in his song "Up The Provos".Rovics has been accused by It's Going Down and Shane Burley of promotion of individuals associated with white nationalism, Holocaust denial and antisemitism, namely Matthew Heimbach, Gilad Atzmon, and Kevin Barrett. He temporarily removed the interview with Heimbach from his site, but responded that Atzmon is not an antisemite and Heimbach not a fascist, and that it is important to understand why people are drawn to the far right.
View full biography
Links :
Spotify Last.fm iTunes Twitter Facebook SoundCloud Wikipedia YouTube Allmusic.com BandCamp Bandsintown.com Songwritersnotebook.blogspot.com Bookbrainz.org Store.cdbaby.com Soundclick.com Deezer Davidrovics.com Genius.com MySpace Theconnextion.com Songkick.com Twitch.tv Discogs MusicBrainz Last.fm
- Biography -
23 albums
Halliburton Boardroom Massacre
2006 - United StatesFolk
CD, DVD Album ⎯ 20 Tracks
Caroline Distribution
Behind The Barricades: The Best Of David Rovics
2003 - United StatesCD Album ⎯ 21 Tracks
Ak Press, Daemon Records
Hang A Flag In The Window
2002 - United StatesFolk
CD Album ⎯ 21 Tracks
Not On Label (david Rovics Self-released)
Living In These Times
2001 - United StatesCD Album ⎯ 17 Tracks
Not On Label (david Rovics Self-released)
Live At Club Passim
2000 - United StatesCD Album ⎯ 22 Tracks
Not On Label (david Rovics Self-released)
We Just Want The World
1998 - United StatesFolk Rock, Indie Rock
CD Album ⎯ 14 Tracks
Not On Label (david Rovics Self-released)
Pay Day At Coal Creek (A Selection Of Songs From America's Social History)
1998 - United StatesFolk Rock, Indie Rock
CD Album ⎯ 15 Tracks
Not On Label (david Rovics Self-released)
Make It So
1996 - United StatesFolk Rock, Indie Rock, Acoustic
CD Album ⎯ 20 Tracks
Red Love Records
Waiting For The Fall - A Retrospective
- United StatesCD Album ⎯ 23 Tracks
Liberation Records
- Videos David Rovics -
2 Videos
|
David Rovics
Forum Posts
Last Update : 01 Mars 2024
6,974 views