We’ve always needed bands like Fishbone, bands that can speak sonic truth to power, who are willing to tell it like it is, and who use their platform as artists to start a dialogue with their listeners. You could argue that the time for making music just as a form of entertainment is behind us, and any band looking to see a change in the world needs to embrace the power of music and have something to say, too.
The new song from these iconic punk-ska-funksters, “Last Call In America,” speaks of the country’s fractured nature. Day by day, even more seeds of division are sown, views are entrenched beyond dialogue, and empathy and understanding are in short supply.
But just because you have a poignant message to deliver doesn’t mean you can’t do so wrapped in great music. Featuring none other than the godfather of funk himself, George Clinton “Last Call In America” is a furiously groovesome song, full of funk flavors and soulful licks, skanking guitars and melodic baselines, breezy brass and precision lyrics. It has the lot.
It is a powerful wake-up call and an infectious musical encounter. Poised, poignant, perfect for the times.
Yes, bands like Fishbone have always been needed, and now perhaps they are needed more than ever.
