Low Cut Connie has reworked its protest song “Livin in the USA” into an upbeat, blues song that frontman Adam Weiner said was inspired by his disgust at the United States’ descent into “an authoritarian hell, a moral vacuum and a place where art does not lead the cultural conversation.”
The song, initially released last May as a piano ballad, will serve as the title track of the Philadelphia band’s next album, which drops July 3. The new version of “Livin in the USA” was released Monday.
MORE: Philly had three winners at the Grammy Awards — Will Yip, Andre Harris and Christian McBride
Last week, Weiner described Low Cut Connie’s new album as a “party album” that attempts to reclaim patriotism and human connection. The album is inspired by protest songs like “Sign o’the Times” by Prince, “Stand” by Sly & The Family Stone and “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen, he said.
“Music with soul communicates on a level that no algorithm or tech bro or artificial intelligence or political machinery can ever understand or contain,” Weiner said in an Instagram post. “Rock n roll is a table-flipping artform. It’s time to flip the table again.”
The lyrics of “Livin in the USA” allude to the immigration raids being conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with Weiner singing “Walkin’ home from school there’s all these people out there lookin’ strange … Screamin’ in the midnight, don’t you take my child away.”
Weiner said he received he received violent threats after releasing “Livin in the USA,” and was forced to cancel shows, including one in Wilkes-Barre last summer. After consulting with his security team, Weiner said the band continued its tour.
“Many people told me just to stop singing ‘Livin in the USA’ last year so as to not ruffle too many feathers,” he said on Instagram. “F— THAT! I decided to sing it LOUDER.”
The album’s artwork shows a black-and-white photo of Weiner screaming upward. Each song on the album was recorded in one take.
“This was to capture lightning in a bottle and not rely on technology to fix things,” he said. “No auto-tune, no click track, just blurt it out, capture it and put it out. That’s how rock n roll was born, that’s how I tried to do it.”
The band has not released details on the album’s other tracks, but a playlist for the album on the band’s YouTube page includes “Livin in the USA” and nine hidden videos.
Last February, the band cancelled its Kennedy Center performance after President Donald Trump took over as chairman of the venue’s board. Weiner addressed this cancellation in his statement, saying the money would have been nice as a “middle-class working musician,” but that his soul was better for quitting.
Weiner is embarking on a 14-date solo tour next month. The band’s representatives describe it as a “feel-good non-denominational spiritual experience mixing music, comedy and protest.” Tickets can be purchased online.
“Livin in the USA” is available on all music streaming platforms.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.phillyvoice.com ’
