Cass McCombs – "Don't (Just) Vote" (Feat. Angel Olsen, Bob Weir, And Noam Chomsky)

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Cass McCombs – "Don't (Just) Vote" (Feat. Angel Olsen, Bob Weir, And Noam Chomsky)

The election looms next week, and we’re hearing from a lot of artists, celebrities, and general luminaries about the importance of voting. But man, who saw this lineup coming? Cass McCombs has entered the fray, and he’s brought Angel Olsen, Bob Weir, and Noam Chomsky to help him get his point across.

Specifically, McCombs has offered up a new version of his 2011 song “Don’t Vote.” “I was compelled to write something for the election and I thought of no better way than to troll myself, laying waste to a much-misunderstood song of mine from over a decade ago, ‘Don’t Vote,’” McCombs said in a statement. “Most people never made it much further than the title, anyway. For this new song, ‘Don’t (Just) Vote,’ the message is clear: Vote, yes, but when you do, imagine the world you would like to see, beyond what appears on your ballot. Harness your imagination and justice becomes inevitable.”

Musically, “Don’t (Just) Vote” has the same general backdrop as “Don’t Vote,” though now McCombs sings alongside Weir and trades verses with Olsen. Lyrically, it’s been updated a ton, changing part of the central message but also including references to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Then Noam Chomsky comes in at the end with a spoken finale: “Don’t just vote. We have to excise a malignant cancer from the body politic. But that’s just the beginning. Real politics is what you do before and after you push the lever. You have to keep your shoulder to the wheel: engagement, activism, organizing. That’s what will make the difference.” Check out “Don’t (Just) Vote” and compare it to the original “Don’t Vote” below.

All royalties after costs from “Don’t (Just) Vote” go to Elevate Oakland, which funds music education in Oakland.

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