Protest music is hardly a genre, but it's what Kill The Autocrat (KAT) makes.
The Sudbury-based “hip-hop-rock” trio, comprised of Mike O'Brien, Scott Swain and Trevor Johnston, is out to prove “music has the power to unify against incredible odds, and that every great revolution needs an even greater voice of reason.”
The band grabbed attention in June 2010 when O'Brien's song One Day Longer was released online. He wrote it while he was on strike against Vale for nearly a year.
Shortly after, the group performed the single for about 80,000 striking workers in Wisconsin.
“Our initial goal when we started this band was to educate and inspire, so that hard-working people realize that they are capable of igniting change and killing the tyranny in everyday life,” O'Brien stated in a press release.
“I rap about me — a blue collar guy who grew up in a small city — because that's real and what's who I am.”
The band released their debut album, A New World Disorder, Aug. 30. It is “direct and raw, driving home a powerful intent behind every word,” the press release stated.
There isn't anything “cheesy” about it either, O'Brien said.
“What we're trying to do here is make powerful, timeless music that combines the best of multiples genres, and still maintains a message when it's all said and done,” he said. “Good music has the power to move people and that is something that always prevails.”
A New World Disorder is available on iTunes and from 6.8.2 Records in Sudbury. Visit www.682records.com for more information.
- Posted by Jenny Jelen
