Conor Wenk’s new EP Anti-Fascist Murder Ballads & Songs of Redemption gives us hope in hopeless times. The songs are topical yet timeless. The theme of oppressed vs. oppressor is all too familiar, but it feels especially evident in today’s political climate. The record feels like a revival of country–back when country was good, back when it was against the man and not licking his boot like a goddamn chump, such as the clowns who performed at Kid Rock’s halftime show (“I just wanna kiss my fish”). The lyrics are driven by punk rock sentiments immersed in a traditional folk soundscape in the vein of O Brother, Where Art Thou? If ever there was a soundtrack to showcase the utterly undebatable argument that “the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi,” it’s this EP.
I usually tend to stray away from violence, whether in life or in my song titles and lyrics, but let’s face it, we’re living in hell, and if that violence is directed toward the evil pricks pulling the strings and making our lives miserable, fuck it, let’s throw hands. Come to think of it, I’m somewhat of a hypocrite because I did write a thrash song called “Eat Shit and Die” in 2020, back when we were dealing with such similar bullshit. Wenk’s songs, such as “Fascist Pigs,” evoke violent daydreams of vanquishing Klan members, Nazis, white supremacists, billionaire tech bros–you know, the absolute worst people on Earth. Sound-of-mind, morally centered listeners will find the music cathartic. Right-wing dweebs would hate it, but who cares what they think? Their opinions literally don’t matter nor hold any weight because they’ve proven themselves to be spineless simps who’d tell you 2+2=5 if their dear leader said so.
Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent, but that’s the effect this record will have on you. It’ll fire you up and piss you off in all the right ways. I’m glad I had the chance to talk with Wenk more in-depth about the EP. Enjoy the interview.
JK: I think this EP will really resonate with a lot of people in today’s political climate. What do you think the role of protest music is in general? And specifically, how do you hope this EP will impact listeners?
CW: In short, to get people to listen, and then get them mad–or at the very least uncomfortable. So much of what made the American music of the 20th century powerful and lasting was that there was a message behind it, an honest perspective. I’m not saying that’s gone, but I do think we’re encouraged to mediate our expression in a way that often dilutes the message.
These days we’re so locked into our phones and overwhelmed by our personalized algorithm that it begs us to tune out of the real world, much less speak out against the rising tide of authoritarianism throughout the world. A counterintuitive idea is that fascism thrives when there is no monoculture. Without monoculture there is no counterculture, and our phones were designed to destroy monoculture in favor of tailored feeds–feeds that make you “feel” like you’re participating in something real. So it’s more important than ever that people from all different backgrounds, genres, and industries use their voices, and use them now.
The most I can hope for is that this EP encourages other people to use their voice to be reckless and relentless vessels of the truth, to not be cowed into moderating your experience, watering down your stories, or glossing over what you see with your own eyes. I tried to walk the line of not targeting any one person because fascism is older and bigger than that. NWA was lampooned for “violent lyrics.” I’d hope not to incite violence, but rather inspire righteous anger, the kind that starts hard conversations.
JK: The album cover depicts a direct reference to Woody Guthrie’s iconic “This Machine Kills Fascists” guitar. The third track “Fascist Pigs” is a palimpsest of Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues.” Who are some of your other influences? How have these artists shaped your sounds and sentiments?
CW: I was THIS close to putting “This Machine Kills Fascists” on that guitar (shoutout to Nancy Howell), but found myself wanting something original and timely. We can’t take for granted that fascism is shameless–it’s not something we can defeat by staying in our lanes. We have to use every tool at our disposal to counter this creeping tendency in the weak minds of fearful humans. Protest songs and murder ballads are part of that arsenal. As dramatic as it sounds, people have been put on the no-fly list for less. We’ll see if I get enough attention for that.
I took inspiration from “Cocaine Blues” because I wanted to reframe this very iconic murder ballad, as it suffers from one of the age-old tropes of our culture, and murder ballads in general: Violence towards women. So many of these murder ballads are some version of “my baby done me wrong,” from Johnny Cash all the way back to English folk ballads. I thought maybe the KKK, Nazi cops, and the guy who wrote the algorithm that made little girls hate themselves would be more righteous targets for a modern murder ballad.
The bottom line: Art that depicts violence is not violence. Great artist have used songs and stories to depict rhetorical violence, poetically fictionalizing their lived experiences so that people like you and I could understand better. I’m talking about Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, KRS-One, NWA, Rage Against the Machine. There is a continuum in this medium that fascists fear, which is why those with a monopoly on violence will target those who use it rhetorically to convey the truth.
JK: I know it’s hard to choose between your babies, but I’m gonna Sophie’s Choice you: Of the six songs on this EP, which is your favorite, and why?
CW: I’ll limit this to songs I wrote, in which case I have to say “Kidnapped & Sold” has become my favorite of the bunch.
It’s the story of a slaver, who finds himself suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of his crimes. He focuses that guilt on one particular man that he had chased down and bound. A man who was frail and covered in bandages like a leper, obscuring his face.
Once they set sail the boat is beset by storms. Running past rows of shackled people, the slaver is wounded trying to escape the ship. As he lies bleeding out on the ground, he sees that same man walking free through the ship. The man comes over and begins to tend to the slaver’s wounds as the ship is collapsing around them. And as the bandages fall from the man’s face, the slaver finds himself staring into the eyes of death, whose skeletal visage confirms what he already knew. Death had stalked him through the crowd of people he had enslaved, caused him to feel the weight of his sins as he drew nearer, and now is preparing to take him to hell.
It’s very visual, and I thought it would be both interesting and challenging to write a song about torture of the soul from the perspective of a slaver. But musically, I also love how Sasha, Jay, and Molly all drop in halfway through. The build, the release. I love its flow. It’s a good song, but a tough story.
JK: What comes first for you, the music or the lyrics? Talk a little bit about your songwriting process.
CW: The funny thing is that 9 times out of 10 I’m writing my melody first, but for this album I flipped it and let the lyrics come first, or at least simultaneously. The first 4 tracks are all originals that I wrote very quickly–it was important to me that I not get bogged down in perfectionism and rather let this album be more raw and “fire from the hip” than it might otherwise have been.
Normally though, I would sing my melody to myself until I loved it. Once I felt I had it and it felt memorable, I would then bring it to an instrument to sing and play at the same time, transferring it from my head to my hands. Then I would just play it, trying always to make the instrument as “lyrical” or voice-like as I could. Next, I’ll build chords around it. Shout out to Courtney Hartman, who taught me that process and changed everything for me! It’s a wonderful way to make music that is much less derivative and much more true to yourself.
JK: At your upcoming shows, will you be playing solo or with a band? Apart from scheduling complications with bandmates, what are some factors that determine the arrangement?
CW: For this type of music I’m usually playing solo. Scheduling and reliability is everything. I used to have a bluegrass band, and track 6 “The Wayfaring Stranger” was the last recording of that band almost 8 years ago at Building Records with Lee Falco and Brandon Morrison. But unfortunately that band didn’t survive COVID, and it was during that time that I started looping and putting together my one-man band routine.
I basically will live loop 6 instruments (guitar, mandolin, bass, slide, banjo, and fiddle) into traditional ensembles of bluegrass, gospel, blues etc. So yes, flying solo has allowed me to say yes more often than not when opportunities present themselves! I recently opened for Shadowgrass at Bearsville Theater as a solo act and it was one of the best nights of my life.
That being said, I’m also happy to say I’ve been making music with Sasha Grin (also featured on the album), who is a wonderful singer, and I’m looking forward to playing with her more as we shape up our sets! I also have a Funk Rock RnB band called DRIP! and we’re a hell of a good time. Absolutely zero crossover between my solo work and DRIP!–about as different as it gets.
JK: What’s your relationship to the Hudson Valley? How would you describe the music scene/community in the area? How has it changed over the years? What are some ways it can improve, in your view?
CW: I lived in Woodstock until I was 6, and subsequently moved to Brooklyn, where I spent the rest of my pre-college life. Top of the mountain to center of the universe! It was a pretty drastic change at the time, but I must say that now I feel tremendously lucky to have grown up in the city when I did. I got exposed to all types of different people, cultures, food, and I can’t take that for granted. It’s a big part of who I am.
But I always felt I was supposed to come back. My friend Fenner once told me, “If you spend 3 years in the shadow of the mountain, you can never leave.” Well, in 2014 I found my way back. Woodstock then was not what it is today. Colony, Station, even Bearsville Theater weren’t open or operating on the level they are now. But thanks to determination on their parts, and the bedrock of artistic talent that makes up this town, there’s been a resurgence and flourishing of the music scene despite innumerable setbacks.
I feel the Hudson Valley has really cemented itself as a musical mecca. I’m just humbled that I get to be a part of it, and lucky that I got to come back when I did to witness it start to take off. It helps me not take it for granted–not just that I live in a place where music, and specifically live music, has such momentum and support as it does, but that I have music at all–in my life, and in myself, because I have long embraced how inseparable music is from me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I get to make it for a living.
JK: What’s on the horizon for you? Where can people see you live this year? What are your future aspirations?
CW: Well, I have a lot to be grateful for and look forward to now! I’ve just finished a Kickstarter campaign to fund the EP, and to purchase some new studio equipment so that I can make more professional home recordings. Once that gear lands and I have a little time to tinker with it, I plan on getting in the zone and making A LOT more records.
Performance-wise, I’m always looking to push out so if you’re reading this, hire me! In the meantime though, you can catch me at The Muse June 20th co-billing with Henry Ferland; June 27th and July 31st at Tinker Street Tavern; and 4th Fridays at AutoCamp Catskills all year (except August when I’m playing 8/14).
It’s hard to imagine where to go from here–not that I don’t have plenty of room to grow, but I’m so grateful and so happy to be where I am now. What I truly aspire to do at the very least is continue to make music until I drop dead on stage, and at the most, change this country and the world for the better, in whatever form that may take. That might sound full-of-it as I say it out loud, but isn’t that kind of what everyone wants?
Conor Wenk’s social and streaming links:
Buy the album on Bandcamp:
-Review written by and interview conducted by James Kwapisz
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