Singers tackle issues

4/13/2006

It'll be a good, old-fashioned, left-wing folk fest Wednesday at the University of Toledo with a show featuring two politically outspoken singer/songwriters.

David Rovics will bring his topical Phil Ochs-like songs to the show at UT's Doermann Theater, along with Alistair Hulett, a Scottish-born musician who taps into worker revolts for some of his subject matter.

Rovics, a 39-year-old songwriter who has been championed as musical spokesman of the progressive movement, makes all his music available for free downloading on the Internet. His tunes tackle issues such as the Iraq war in a traditional protest song style.

"I believe music can be more than an escape," he said in the bio on his Internet site. "It can be that, yes, fine, but it can also be a hammer, to paraphrase Bertoldt Brecht. It can be a tool for selling products on the one hand, or part of the stockpile of ammunition necessary to build and maintain a social movement."

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. They can be purchased in advance at People Called Women, 3153 West Central Ave. Information: www.nwopc.org.