Archive for trump

On Tyranny: Dropkick Murphys Headlining Free ‘Abolish ICE’ Concert in Minneapolis Tonight

Posted in Concert Previews, Essays, Features, News, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , , , , on 03/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

One of the most curious, foreboding and even alarming trends that arose and continues to metastasize amid the Trump regime’s incalculable atrocities can be summed up in one sentence: Where are all the punk bands?

The bread and butter of punk music is – or at least was – an anti-establishment sentiment shared by young people who galvanized to fight en masse against injustices like racism, sexism and class warfare. In fact, the punk movement was so furious, potent and desperate for social and political change that they almost indisputably played a critical role in the last quarter of the 20th century.

From the Sex Pistols publicly taking the piss out of Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher due to the latter’s ruthless rule to railing against bobbies to figuratively spitting on conservative politicians, punk bands played an integral role in transforming their stomping grounds into a more accepting, and therefore freer, version of itself.

American punks also impacted their own culture around the same time as the Brits were fighting the good fight – look no further than Black Flag, Misfits and Circle Jerks for proof. Instead, look at what’s happening today, during one of the most horrific and terrifying periods in the last decade of American history.

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On Tyranny: The Who Asserted ‘We Won’t Get Fooled Again.’ By Re-electing Trump, We Sure as Hell Did

Posted in Essays with tags , , , , , , on 03/03/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

The Bad Penny revolves almost entirely around music – the intended goal of this website upon its launch many, many years ago. But with politics having now infiltrated every aspect of our lives, that lofty goal seems utterly unrealistic. To that end, we debuted a series called On Tyranny, in which musicians share their feelings, concerns and fears about how fascist rule could eventually lead to targets on their backs.

Today, we bring you an essay by yourself truly that may seem intangible to Trump’s fascist takeover but actually applies to all artists and fans thereof. Thanks to the top-most coordinators of Idaho 50501 – each of whom are waaaay smarter than this writer – the bold and ambitious community-organizing effort is growing exponentially and passionately.

To that end, go to Idaho 50501’s website to read an essay I wrote fairly recently to support the cause: “Trump: The Most Destructive Baby Ever.”

(Full disclosure: This writer is a proud member of Idaho 50501, and the group initially published this essay on Jan. 18.)

On Tyranny: Minneapolis Still ‘Under Violent Occupation’ Despite ICE Drawdown, Taxpayers Singer Says

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , on 02/16/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

In The Bad Penny‘s first interview with a Minneapolis band since ICE, CBP and other feds invaded their city, we touch base with Rob Taxpayer, a multi-instrumentalist for Minneapolis punk-rock band the Taxpayers. He insists the Trump regime, the media and bad actors on social media are deceiving the general public into thinking the city is back to normal. But in reality, the city looks so much like a war zone that Rob has to frequently remind himself that he is indeed still living in America, he says.

“This federal government is more willing to do stuff without worrying about the consequences of it,” he says. “That’s the difference between the first Trump administration and this one: [Now] They say, ‘Fuck you, we’re going to do this anyway. Fuck the courts. Fuck public opinion. Fuck America. We’re gonna do what we fucking want.'”

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On Tyranny: Crippled Black Phoenix Say U.K, U.S. Colonialism ‘Has Come Back to Bite Us in the Ass’

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , , , on 02/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

With all the horrifying, nauseating, apocalypse-seeming terrors the Trump administration and U.S. federal government is unleashing on not only the rest of the world but its own citizens, we often forget that actions and developments that occur in America reverberate an radiate far beyond our shores.

To that end, we touched base with our friends Justin Greaves and Belinda Kordic from self-described “macabre rock” band Crippled Black Phoenix to discuss the political, cultural and moral rot that is corroding the U.S., the U.K. and even Sweden. thanks in part, although not exclusively, a certain president of a certain country trying to shape.

“It’s Handmaid’s fucking Tale, isn’t it?” an understandably upset Kordic remarks as we begin discussing the loaded subject (which, by the way, is no longer about political disagreements between left and right but rather a moral battle between right and wrong).

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On Tyranny: Bad Bunny Defeats Racist Hate From ICE, Trump, MAGA with Super Bowl Show for the Ages

Posted in Essays, News, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 02/09/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Occasionally in our On Tyranny series, we deviate from our normal routing of interviewing musicians on the topics of Trump’s tyrannical regime and the ghastly horrors spewing from it like the 1989’s Exxon Valdez oil spill. We do so in order to demonstrate that the tireless efforts of protestors – the textbook definition of unsung heroes – are succeeding tremendously in their efforts to force the corporate media to increase coverage of the resistance’s war against fascism.

Another way the mainstream (let’s be generous and call them unaware) is finding it very difficult to block out or deny Trump’s reign of terror is when famous people join the resistance by proudly speaking out in public, threats of retaliation from Donald “I am your retribution” by damned.

With that in mind, we found it imperative to publish our third post about Bad Bunny, even if he isn’t returning our phone calls. How rude, especially considering that Bad Bunny copped his moniker from our The Bad Penny! And yet how seismically important it was for the Puerto Rican rapper to cancel plans to tour the U.S. due to safety concerns.

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On Tyranny: Jesus Christ Taxi Driver Say Humor Is the Greatest Threat to Trump and MAGA’s Authoritarian Coup

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , on 02/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Denver’s Jesus Christ Taxi Driver isn’t just a band with one of the best monikers in the music universe – they’re also dead serious about resisting the Trump administration and MAGA’s destruction of American values, the federal government and even the country itself. But as The Bad Penny learned in an interview conducted just two days ago, the punk-rock band believes humor might the best response to America’s transformation into a fascist country.

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On Tyranny: Musician Joe Turmes, No Kings Organizer, Says What You Can Do to Help Resist Fascism

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , on 01/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Joe Turmes is an instrumental figure in mobilizing the No Kings protests in Idaho and one of the key resistance movement leaders in Idaho. He recently participated in The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series for a conversation about Idaho 50501’s efforts to push back against ICE, galvanize local organizations under common causes (rejecting fascism among them) — and why the music community in Boise and beyond is instrumental (pun intended) in fighting back against Trump’s authoritarian takeover.

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On Tyranny: Nightrage Guitarist Scolds Complicit Public for ‘Looking the Other Way’ as Democracy Dies

Posted in Interviews, Lists, News, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , on 12/18/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Little did The Bad Penny expect that a feature called “The 20 Best Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal Bands of All Time” that we published five days ago would become the most popular post in the history of this 15-year-old website in its entire existence. But that’s exactly what the headbangers ordered, and it’s spurring us to run some spinoff articles about bands made the cut on the list but that we’ve never had the pleasure of interviewing.

Reaching out to the bands on the list that aren’t as popular as your In Flames, Amon Amarth and Dark Tranquillity, we were reminded that Gothenburg is the historic city that birthed more than just three MDM bands. Nightrage guitarist Marios Iliopoulos said he was both flattered to be recognized and that their artistic output is just as strong as many of the other bands included on the rundown.

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On Tyranny: Finland’s Rotten Sound Don’t Fear Crackdown on Dissent Because ‘We Live in a Democratic Country’

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , on 12/16/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

When The Bad Penny embarked on its On Tyranny project more than a year ago, we initially interviewed artists residing in countries controlled by authoritarian regimes in order to learn how they are still able to pursue their vocation despite fears of retaliation including censorship, imprisonment and even death. We conversed with musicians in Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Hungary.

About six months later, the Trump regime began deploying military forces into U.S. cities, deported U.S. citizens without due process to countries they had never resided nor visited, and ordered masked “authorities” with no visible identification to kidnap and disappear people with no criminal records off the street. Thus, we turned our focus to how U.S.-based musicians are coping with previously unimaginable atrocities and how Authoritarian America is damaging the careers and personal lives of artists and dissenters.

Today we bring you a different perspective on the growing power of autocracy as the governing force across the world via a short-and-sweet interview with grindcore band Rotten Sound from Finland. While the vast majority of artists we’ve interviewed for On Tyranny have expressed fear, disgust and despair over the direction that the U.S. – and, by extension, the world – is headed, The Bad Penny was surprised to learn that some artists are not worried about being persecuted for their stances, whether they be creative or “political” (whatever that term actually means anymore).

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On Tyranny: Italian Psych Band Malota Reflect on Mussolini’s Legacy as US Faces Fascism

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , on 12/11/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

“Every day could be one’s last, whether because of repression sparked by even a single misplaced word of dissent, or because of the indiscriminate bombings.”
-Malota’s Max D’Ospina

With its canals and bistros and overall sense of tranquillity, Venice, Italy, is arguably one of the most picturesque, luxurious places on Earth – which makes it no wonder that it’s also one of the most popular tourist destinations anywhere. Dig a little deeper under the surface, and you’ll find that it also has to offer – perhaps conflictingly to some, but not necessarily musically erudite readers of The Bad Penny – a heavy psych-rock band very much worth its (Italian sea) salt.

Said group is Malota, a quartet whose new album, Scapegoat, dropped in mid-October via Go Down Records. While their mesmerizing record is worth not just perusing but purchasing, when we had the opportunity to interview the immensely talented troupe, we forewent conducting a typical banal back and forth about Scapegoat. Instead, we picked the brain of Max D’Ospina (bass, piano, didjeridoo, vocals) about fascism, a toxic political ideology that Italy defeated less than a century ago and that is currently corroding what little remains of democracy in America.

It used to be said that “history repeats itself.” Wisely, and fortunately, historians have amended that aphorism to say “history does not repeat itself exactly, but it rhymes.” Perhaps we can learn something from what D’Ospina had to share about the horrors that happened in his homeland, which he bravely shared with us.

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