The ongoing 30 Days, 30 Songs campaign, where bands and artists have released a song per day in a unified effort against the presidential ambitions of Donald Trump, has already given us music from Death Cab For Cutie, Aimee Mann, R.E.M., Franz Ferdinand, and others. Late last month, it was expanded to 40 songs, and the latest is a live cut from Boston’s Mission of Burma.
The song is “Panic Is No Option”, and it was recorded at Cambridge’s Oberon during a November 2015 taping of Live from Bullseye With Jesse Thorn. It was recorded by Colin Anderson, and, appropriately, features “additional production and mastering” by Bob Weston.
Here’s what Burma’s Roger Miller has to say about the song, via 30 Days, 30 Songs’ homepage, and the upcoming election in general.
“The song is not overtly political (almost no Burma songs ever were, despite the rap). Interpersonal politics are the topic here, as usual. But some of these lyrics could, um, be applied to the present political situation without much trouble. And panic is not an option.
Oddly, I am temperately optimistic about the current political scene. I believe The Reagan Era is finally over: Mr. Trump is its logical conclusion. During that horrible time in American History, Democrats were transmuted into moderately conservative centrists and ceaselessly harassed as (oh, please don’t say that word): LIBERALS!
I was/am an enthusiastic Bernie supporter. I believe he knows more about the political world than I will ever know (and I bet he would respect my knowledge of the guitar more than his own if we ever got into a discussion on that topic). For this reason, I will be voting for Hillary, and I encourage others to do the same.
What Mr. Sanders almost inadvertently accomplished has not happened in many, many years. Actual ideas that are good for people! How novel…
He is poised, if Ms. Clinton is elected, to not only keep her neo-liberal attitude in check, but to inject real new ideas into the party with the support of many (including Ms. Warren). Here is where real change could happen—and I don’t see it happening anywhere else. The way out of The Reagan Era.
So, please vote and watch the game unfold. If everything collapses, at least I’ll be living in Vermont and can probably run into Bernie in Burlington and share a pint (good beer in Vermont).”