Sunday, July 12, 2015

Dallas mag profiles libertarian bluesman James

The Dallas Libertarian Blues: Stevie James’ Protest Music | FrontRow - Jeremy Hallock:

July 10, 2015 - "Stevie James started studying the blues after hearing Nirvana cover Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” on MTV Unplugged. The leap from grunge to blues exemplifies James’ restless thought process, and from there he went to study the history of American music. During regular sets at The Freeman Cafe, Twilite Lounge, The Underpass, and various other Dallas clubs, he covers legendary blues artists and American songs that are hundreds of years old.

"James’ passion for music is matched by his Libertarian political convictions. Whenever there is a cause that gets his attention, he turns his profession into a platform for activism, using music as a hook to draw people to fundraising events and political rallies. It all started when he came across No One Here Gets Out Alive, the Jim Morrison biography. Morrison appreciated the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, which led James to Beyond Good and Evil and on to Aristotle and Plato....

"In 2007, James’ political awakening occurred when the words of Ron Paul started to resonate with him. 'There was an alternative voice coming from the most unlikely of parties,' he says. 'You’d never think to hear this anti-war, no drug law, open immigration, gay marriage platform from a Republican.' James visited Ron Paul’s website, browsed a huge list of recommended books, and ended up reading them all. He cites Economics in One Lesson as particularly important. When James finds himself in arguments with 'people who just don’t get it,' he’ll often ask for their address and send them a copy of the book.

"In 2011, The Free Man opened up in Deep Ellum.... After James met Free Man owner John Jay Myers, the two quickly realized they shared many beliefs. Myers, who had also taken an interest in politics because of Ron Paul, was then running for the Senate seat taken by Ted Cruz. James ended up joining Myers on the campaign trail along with Gary Johnson, a presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party."

Read more: http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2015/07/the-dallas-libertarian-blues-stevie-james-protest-music/
'via Blog this'

No comments:

Post a Comment