Category Archives: Ball of Wax

Ball of Wax 48 Songs: Pampa – “Entre Balas y Batman”

Welcome to Ball of Wax 48, a collection of songs in languages other than English. Our first track is from Pampa, a band whose participation in this volume was mandatory. “Entre Balas y Batman” (which I just learned means “between … Continue reading

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BoW 48 at Conor Byrne! Songs of Resistance at Folklife!

Hello there, Friends of Wax. There are a couple events coming up that you should know about if you like music, or resistance, or languages. I hope to see you at both. (Or at least one. [But really, come on, … Continue reading

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Get On With It: Going Home with the Foghorns

The Foghorns – . . . on a Dog’s Ass Sometime (2017, Knick Knack Records) The older you get, the more the memories pile up. The Foghorns’ new album . . . on a Dog’s Ass Sometime (a companion piece … Continue reading

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Let’s Live it Up While We’re Alive: Thoughts on the Foghorns . . . on a Dog’s Ass Sometime

The Foghorns – . . . on a Dog’s Ass Sometime (2017, Knick Knack Records) “Oh, the way you used to look at me / like an old Trans Am on the road” – so begins . . . on … Continue reading

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Submit to Ball of Wax 48: Any Language but English

In the interest of continuing the important work of broadening all of our perspectives, I thought it would be nice if the next volume of Ball of Wax were to contain only songs sung (or rapped or ranted or intoned … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 47 Songs: Colin Ernst – “The Lonesome American Fascist”

Longtime Ball of Wax contributor Colin Ernst makes no bones about his sentiments with the satirical cowboy song, “The Lonesome American Fascist.” The song itemizes the atrocities committed by Americans throughout history in a familiar folk style, as in: “Home, … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 47 Songs: Hangry Hayrabs – “Racist Thief”

Clocking in at a mere 1:19, “Racist Thief” packages up an anti-Trump screed as lo fi, arty bedroom punk. Acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, and voices are all the internet presenceless Hangry Hayrabs need to stage their protest song, decrying “You’re the … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 47 Songs: Greasy Slim Slider – “Summer of Hate Recap Cap in Yo Ass”

Holy crap, this song’s got it all! It’s like the the Digital Underground and Beck and the eighties and nineties. This song could easily be a protest song during the Reagan years as it is a protest song for today. … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 47 Songs: James Kelly Pitts – “Rich Kids”

James Kelly Pitts’s “Rich Kids” was one of the first submissions I received for this volume, just a couple weeks after I’d put out the call and barely a month after election day. It was clear that he had something … Continue reading

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Ball of Wax 47 Songs: Virgin of the Birds – “Henry Kissinger Is A War Criminal”

“He will die free and we’ll let him.” This is as much a protest song against others’ actions as it is a protest against our own failings which let others actions win out. This song implicates Henry Kissinger as well … Continue reading

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