Strike Music

This song documents reaction to a series of labor riots and strikes in the summer of 1937 in Fyzabad, Trinidad, led by Grenada-born preacher Tubal Uriah "Buzz" Butler(pictured).

I have to admit, to my untrained ear, there's a kind of cognitive dissonance that comes from the pairing of upbeat, major-key calypso music and the careful description of carnage and violence. But I post this because of its tangential relevance to what's happening in New York today and because it seems like something fastbacker would post if he had the time. Especially because I know he's got this record, Calypsos From Trinidad - Politics, Intrigue, and Violence in the 1930s, somewhere in his collection. It came out on the incredible Arhoolie/Folklyric label in 1991, and is, effectively, a collection of history lessons set to music, rich with social commentary and political reportage.

Atilla The Hun - The Strike
Buy it!