Protest Songs by Al Bloch

Al Bloch, after having gone through many years of near silence, has released his second album of all new material this year, Protest Songs. Eleven new slices of pure Al goodness. It is being released Nov. 20, on CDr (from our GMR Bandcamp site) and all the usual streaming/download joints. Did I mention it rocks and is wonderful and pure?

So … what does Brother Al have to say about this one?

Hello, Al Bloch here. This album, Protest Songs was recorded in September and October of this year, with me recording my parts remotely in Roanoke, VA and Kurt Bloch producing and recording his parts at Strictly Vintage in Seattle. I wrote all the songs after the recording of my other 2020 album, It Was All Once Bright Jewels, and while I thought the songs would be profoundly influenced by the coronavirus pandemic, they turned out with nary a mention of it. Which probably is better for the listener, because really . . . who wants to keep being reminded of the events of this horrible year? So, ultimately the songs ended up being about zombies, pirates, cavemen, and other topics important to me, but not at all relevant to the year 2020. They came out of me, nonetheless. I thought the songs were good enough to present to my brother Kurt, and see if he would be up for working his magic and bringing them to life. He accepted, and arrangements were created and recording ensued. The songs were laid down very quickly, and that was pretty much that, as they say. The Bloch Brothers don’t mess around. Tom Dyer, from Green Monkey Records, jumped onboard and agreed to release Protest Songs. (happily -td)

The album could very well have been credited to both Al Bloch and Kurt Bloch, as Kurt’s contributions were monumental and breathed life into my songs and really made them crackle. AND, because Kurt has much clout in the music world, he was even able to get the band BAD SCENE to join us for a cover of the great 1975 UFO song, “This Kid’s.” That song ends this album, but before that you get ten new Al Bloch songs that are pretty great, if I do say so myself. All songs were written on a Taylor acoustic guitar in a small room in my house, dedicated to my musical pursuits. In this room, which I keep very dark, I'm free to visit those places in my brain where I think those deep, rambling, non-linear thoughts that I try to coax outside with the sound of a pretty guitar chord. Sometimes I succeed and I have something that I call a song, a designation many would find debatable. These songs make me happy, and I’m glad I was able to record them with my brother Kurt, who is awesome. Also awesome is my daughter, the very talented Olivia Bloch, who sings with me on “A Pirate Melody.” Sort of a family affair, you could say. Which is just fine with me. I hope you, the listener, enjoy this album. And don’t get too comfortable, I hope to have another album out in mid-2021 that you might like even better. Thank you!