If you watch only one installment among the 112 we’ve published so far in this series about artists responding to fascism, make sure it’s this one featuring Low Cut Connie. The rock musician’s impressive intelligence, history of engaging in protests and fearless bravery in speaking truth to power raise him to oracle status. Most Americans are confused, afraid and paralyzed by the federal government’s unconscionable, vicious and deadly assaults by a paramilitary force that answers only to Donald Trump. Low Cut Connie is calm, focused and clear-eyed about fighting fascism with unflinching strength and unwavering compassion simultaneously.
Continue readingArchive for the On Tyranny Category
On Tyranny: Low Cut Connie’s Crystal-Clear Analysis of Authoritarian America And How to Fight Back
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny with tags Low Cut Connie on 02/14/2026 by Kurt OrzeckOn Tyranny: Top 20 Protest/Activist Musicians, From Marvin Gaye to Billie Eilish
Posted in Features, Lists, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags Billie Eilish, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bono, Dolly Parton, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Tom Morello, Woody Guthrie on 02/10/2026 by Kurt OrzeckOn Tyranny: ‘It Feels Like the Deck Is Stacked Against Us … I Wish We Could All Just Get Along,’ Band VTB Says
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags VTB on 02/10/2026 by Kurt OrzeckIt’s true and well-known that most Americans don’t know the nitty-gritty of government and politics. But we can distinguish between what is moral and not, and for that reason, we must fight for what we believe is right. VTB make a case for that claim — which every American should know –– during part of an interview The Bad Penny conducted on Wednesday with the grungy alt-rock-with-a-smattering-of-noise-and-post-punk.
Continue readingOn Tyranny: Fuck Money Drummer Tells ICE and Billionaires to Fuck Off
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags Fuck Money on 02/05/2026 by Kurt OrzeckThere are three types of artists in this world. A small minority refuse to talk about current events, politics and social matters altogether. Another set acknowledges crises and problems happening in their immediate vicinity and/or in other countries. And then there are those who speak out vociferously and take action against clear injustices, especially when they’re occurring locally.
Take a wild guess as to which bracket Austin, Texas’ extreme, iconoclastic, loud-as-hell, 10-on-the-Richter scale band Fuck Money falls into. The four-piece band formed in October 2021, less than a year after Trump’s thugs committed insurrection against our country, and immediately declared their opposition to oppression, fascism and capitalism. For that reason alone, Three One G artists Fuck Money should be lauded at time when American musicians are more cowardly than ever to speak out against the atrocities that the federal government is committing against even its own citizens. After all, taking a position could alienate some of their fans and hurt sales of their concert tickets, records and merch, right?
Fuck Money don’t give a fuck about that shit and are ardent fighters in the resistance. For proof, watch the above interview that The Bad Penny conducted with Fuck Money drummer Alton Jenkins on Monday.
Continue readingOn Tyranny: South American Post-Punks Pilgrims Worried About Touring US Amid ICE Atrocities
Posted in Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags Pilgrims on 02/03/2026 by Kurt OrzeckImagine emigrating with your partner from Chile to Boston, only to witness fascist horrors unfolding in the U.S. similar to those implemented by Augusto Pinochet, the dictator who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. In the latest installment of The Bad Penny’s ongoing series On Tyranny, we talk with the impossibly kind and commendably upbeat Juls Garat and Claudio Marcio of post-punk band Pilgrims (formerly Pilgrims of Yearning) about why they’re unsure touring the States would be safe for them, their new album Gemini (due Feb. 13) and getting a thumbs-up from Robert Smith of The Cure.











