Instagram - @olliemaemusic

you can find the whole song here if you're interested: https://youtu.be/NNBuN7DwJwM?si=NPxII3hs0G7zqct0

Instagram - @kutumba_nepal and @thebluegrassjourneymen

He writes songs about everything from pizza to the death of Charlie Kirk.

His name is Jesse Welles and he said that he likes to “sing the news”; he tried to remain unpolitical for a very long time, but his new album goes against that (with satirical songs like “Join Ice” and “Red”). Other more political songs he’s released are called “No Kings” and “Masks Off”.

When he’s not singing the news, he writes songs about problems surrounding everyday parts of American life (such as “Walmart,” “United Health,” “Fat,” and “See Arkansas”).

One of my favorite songs of his is called “Bugs,” and here’s a sample of the lyrics:

Bzz-bz, bzz, bzz, bzz, bzz, bz-bzz, bzz
Bzz, bz-bz-bz, b-bzz, bzz, bz-bzz, bzz-bzz, bzz, bzz, bz-bz-bzz

I, 16M love folk. It is my favorite type of music. I would love to expand who I listen to, but can’t really talk to my friends as they don’t listen to the same music. Do you have any suggestions of people and an album or two to start on?

Thank you guys so much! There is too many responses to respond individually, but I will definitely be listening to all of these artists.

Walking at 8 AM going to my class while watching the sun through the green trees. This was so peaceful.

Are there other albums that feel like this one?

I will vehemently stand up for Jesse. I saw him live less than a month ago in Melbourne (hence defence, not defense). Here's the one song I recorded for posterity. I am making this post because I'm bored of all these shitty reactionary takes that slander someone who is telling the truth to the best of his ability and through his lens, which to me is the essence of folk music (and god forbid someone make a living by doing it).

Besides when he blew up after "United Health" went viral (which was how I learned about him, since the murder captivated me), which got a lot of love across the board, there has been a lot of backlash on folk subreddits and and its various offshoots such as this one. This hate (or at least strong cynicism) against Jesse feels like the antithesis of what punk is about. I'm absolutely positive he is positive in his convictions, and his lyrics vary in complexity and depth, so you're obviously not going to get deep lyrical or topical complexity from a song like "Bugs" or "Turtles" than you are with with political-heavy songs such as "War Isn't Murder" or "Red". I should also make a disclaimer at this point that these songs focus more on intent and context than sheer lyricism or musicality. For instance, his detached affectation in "War Isn't Murder" is symbolic of the detachment of war aggressors such as Netanyahu or Putin, who seem to have disdain not just for enemy combatants but also civilians and even their own troops. In other words, the delivery and intent is just as important as the lyrics in many cases.

For lyrical prowess, just look at the rap-like flow on "Masks Off".

His sense of melody, compassion, lyricism, and urgency shine in "The Poor".

His guitar skill and sardonic wit are present in many songs that he deems it suitable. At the same time, songs like "Gilgamesh" (see the very first link) and "Middle" show he can be introspective and zoom out beyond the day-to-day chaos that is the current political zeitgeist.

One final thing I'd like to mention is that Jesse Welles is not Woody Guthrie or Bob Dylan. He is Jesse Welles. People make comparisons like this because people naturally like to pigeonhole artists. That is not Jesse's fault. People who got upset about his Charlie Kirk song are missing the point. I abhorred Kirk's views and the way he argued them, but last I checked, America still has free speech. There are ten right-wing grifters willing to take his place, so the idea is to shoot down ideas, not people. Another thing that irks me is the criticism that he rips out songs very quickly after the event. Okay? These cynics are calling it opportunistic? Well, that's just fucking dumb. It's his fucking job to interpret reality through his lens in a timely way. Would you rather him have waited six months to sing about United Health or the Epstein List? It's an an asinine argument that completely misses the point of what folk music is supposed to be.

Good on ya, Jesse. Thanks for the incredible live show you put on.

Inspired by Nick Drake's guitar playing and Bob Dylan's and Joni Mitchell's lyrics. If you enjoyed, you can stream an acoustic or studio version (both 100% produced & played by me!), but no pressure.