Formed out of the nucleus of a squatter community living in abandoned buildings and greenbelt treehouses in Santa Cruz, CA, in 2004, the members began to learn to play folk instruments from each other and other members of the train-hopping squat culture. The band members had played in anarcho-punk, indie, metal, and ska bands and then, learning traditional music from jams, contradances and festivals, made music in the middle of punk, metal and folk. Their repertoire includes folk songs with Appalachian influenced time signature gymnastics that owe much to crust, hardcore, and metal and slower, drone influenced folk pieces with three, four, and five-part vocal harmony.
Avoiding the retro aesthetic of many other folk punk bands, they write music that addresses abusive police, modern alienation, ecological devastation, creeping ambiguity and vague fear, but also stories of resistance, mythology, a strong sense of community, and a deep love of a natural world constantly on the verge of collapse.
Critics began to take more notice when 2013's "False Weavers" saw the band change their sound. They incorporated more adventurous studio elements, bringing in many more instruments than on previous records. The earlier split with Hail Seizures saw the addition of fiddle and galician pipes, but "False Weavers" brought synthesizer, resophonic baritone guitar, bouzouki, and post-recording manipulation. There were also stylistic changes of Crass-influenced shouting interludes, and traditional folk passages in the style of Irish folk bands like Planxty and American traditional fiddlers like John Salyer.
In 2015, Blackbird Raum's fifth full-length "Destroying" continued to experiment and, after multiple tours of the US and Europe with them, included many contributions from Dublin's Lynched including spoken word passages, uilleann pipes, concertina and large amounts of Irish traditional influence. Later that year, Mars left the band to focus on activism and her side project Pale Robin. After Mars left, the band took a short break before a short tour followed by the release of an EP titled "Nevermind The Ballads" in 2016.
Members:
Caspian (2004 - ): Banjo, Fiddle, Resophonic Baritone Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Zack Religious (2004 - ): Accordion, Piano, Pump Organ, Vocals
David (2005 - ): Washtub Bass, Vocals
Allen D'Generate (2012 - ): Washboard, Percussion, Vocals
Former Members:
Mars Goetia (2005 - 2015): Musical Saw, Resophonic Mandolin, Accordion, Piano, Pump Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
K.C. (2005 - 2011): Washboard, Vocals
Silent Spring
Blackbird Raum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One thousand ladies in ribbon all adorned, underneath
The sun underneath the earth underneath an awful banner
And golden trumpets. they're braying like clockwork mules
In a time of plague, in a time of war
The poisoned landscape defiled by the factory pipe, the
Sickened land the sickened sky. Cold eyes are spying from the
Top of the pyramid:
But I want something much more different
Not these factories of prisons
I wish that the earth was green again
I wish I had a gun in my hand
Someday I will come back in from the cold
In Blackbird Raum's song Silent Spring, the lyrics paint a picture of a desolate and dystopian world. The first line, "The silent the severed the path of raven the words are dead", suggests the absence of communication and thus, the loss of knowledge and history. The use of the raven, a symbol of knowledge and wisdom, being separated from its path, also suggests a sense of chaos and disarray. The second line, "One thousand ladies in ribbon all adorned, underneath the sun underneath the earth underneath an awful banner" speaks of the oppression of the masses, who are adorned with ribbons, a symbol of servitude or obedience, under "an awful banner". This can be interpreted as a nod to the concept of nationalism and how it can be used for oppressive control. The third line brings to attention "golden trumpets". Trumpets represent the arrival of something significant but in this case, they are "braying like clockwork mules", suggesting a sense of repetition, conformity, and perhaps, the empty gestures of those in power.
The lines, "In a time of plague, in a time of war / The poisoned landscape defiled by the factory pipe, the / Sickened land, the sickened sky" describe an environmental dystopia, where the effects of industrialization have caused both environmental and social decay. The government is complicit in this, as suggested in the line, "Cold eyes are spying from the top of the pyramid: / The government thug, the government snitch." The pyramid refers to the hierarchical structure of power, with those at the top being the government officials who are spying on the people, who are at the bottom of the pyramid.
The chorus, "But I want something much more different / Not these factories or prisons / I wish that the earth was green again / I wish I had a gun in my hand / Someday I will come back in from the cold" speaks of the desire for change, for something different from the oppressive industrial and social systems. The hope is for a return to a more natural state of being ("the earth was green again") and for freedom ("I wish I had a gun in my hand", and "someday I will come back in from the cold"). Overall, the lyrics of this song suggest a call for change, for the return of knowledge, freedom, and harmony with the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
The silent the severed the path of raven the words are dead
The raven's communication is dead, broken by a silence that separates beings.
One thousand ladies in ribbon all adorned, underneath
Beneath the beauty of a thousand adorned ladies lies a darker reality.
The sun underneath the earth underneath an awful banner
A banner of oppression hangs over a world where the natural order is reversed.
And golden trumpets. they're braying like clockwork mules
The instruments of power herald their message like soulless machines.
In a time of plague, in a time of war
Amidst suffering and conflict, those in power seek to control and suppress.
The poisoned landscape defiled by the factory pipe, the
The environment is poisoned and exploited by those who profit from industry.
Sickened land the sickened sky. Cold eyes are spying from the
A world of sickness and pollution is watched over by the watchful eyes of the powerful.
Top of the pyramid:
The elite sit atop a structure of hierarchy and domination.
The government thug, the government snitch.
Agents of the state enforce its will through violence and surveillance.
But I want something much more different
There must be an alternative to the oppressive system we live in.
Not these factories of prisons
We must reject the institutions that seek to control us and exploit the earth.
I wish that the earth was green again
We long for a world where nature is allowed to flourish once more.
I wish I had a gun in my hand
In the face of oppression, we sometimes feel the need for radical action to defend ourselves and those we love.
Someday I will come back in from the cold
One day, we may find a way out of the darkness and isolation of our current reality.
Contributed by Brayden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.