Even if there wasn’t an important message attached to the newest single from Girl With A Hawk, being a member of our vaunted “Will drop everything to cover” club guarantees that “#VOTE (Rock The Boat)” was going to be featured here. As it is! Right now!
When we think of new music (Or any music really) out of the Girl With A Hawk camp we immediately think of the phrase “kick ass” so it’s no surprise that “#VOTE (Rock The Boat)” kicks a whole lotta the “A” word a whole lotta the time. GWAH’s singer/songwriter/guitarist Linda Viens took the reins here, dusting off an in-the-works song from 20 years ago as George W. Bush was up for reelection against John Kerry. Now completed, “#VOTE (Rock The Boat)” bears an even more meaningful message and to truly stress the importance Viens, Boston’s very own Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams all in one, stripped the band down for a more Americana/Folk anthem sporting less bombast with Viens on lead vocals, guitar, and backing vocals along with Daniel Coughlin on slide guitar and backing vocals, Jim Fitting on harmonica and Richard Lamphear, Dan Bernfeld, and Nancy Delaney shedding their instruments here to contribute on backing vocals. Poignant, powerful, and in line with some of the great fight/protest songs of the ’60’s, if you only listen to one election-related song this season make sure it’s “#VOTE (Rock The Boat)”.
“#VOTE (Rock The Boat)” arrives on September 27th through Rum Bar Records as a free download through both the label and artist and you can do your civic duty by checking it out when it starts streaming with all of the links included here. Then, stay tuned for the Joan Hathaway-directed video treatment which drops on October 9th (We’ve seen it, it also kicks ass) ahead of a fundraiser for Harris/Walz at Crystal Ballroom on October 10th where Girl With A Hawk will be performing acoustically. To stay in the know to all that and more, head here, here, and here. Oh, and on November 5th don’t forget to vote like your life depends on it. Because it just might. For more information on voting in MA, head here.