After a year of sporadic shows and regrouping, Fishbone is back with an ode to Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement with the song and video, ‘RxPxOxS’ aka ‘Racist Piece of Shit’, slated for release on November 1st, the first from their forthcoming independent LP, tentatively titled ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. The track is produced by Chris Dowd, Aroyn Davis, and Chris McGrew, and mixed by eight-time Grammy-winning mixer and longtime friend Neal Pogue (Tyler the Creator, Outkast, Doja Cat).
Fishbone has a history of addressing social and political issues in their music and with ‘RxPxOxS’ aka ‘Racist Piece of Shit’ they return with an unrestrained lyrical attack on the current state of the world and the continued rise of global racism.
“Racism has always been around, but outside of people like David Duke in the ’80s, we never really saw such rhetoric in the public eye until 2015 when Donald Trump descended a golden escalator to the basement of his New York tower, announced his bid for President and set off on an offensive, angry speech, in which he accused Mexico of sending “rapists” to the US. In that moment and since he has given a twisted new power to white supremacy, and racists the courage to take off the hoods, show their faces, and say what they thought out loud,” says founding member Christopher Dowd.
For Trump it’s more than political opportunism, he has a long history of bigotry, the DOJ sued him for racial discrimination, he called for a modern-day lynching of 5 teens of color, the ‘Central Park Five’ who were imprisoned and later found innocent, he said there were some “some very fine people” among the white supremacists. Let’s not forget his comments about “shithole countries,” and calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” and “kung flu,” to name a few. Trump’s racism is not just a key part of his campaign, it’s an element of his personality and character.
“With an election around the corner, the rhetoric has only increased, and sadly, the toothpaste is out of the tube. Hopefully, we won’t have this racist piece of shit back in the White House, but even if he loses, his presence and the freedom to express hate openly will continue. We are here to call it out and give power to those who oppose him, providing an anthem to fight back with the same freedom of expression,” shares Dowd.
“One thing we have had the power to do, and it wasn’t always easy for people of color, women and naturalized citizens, is vote. You can’t sit on the sidelines and complain if you don’t try to voice your opinion with a cast of a ballot. Vote local, vote statewide and vote for the President. You have a choice between a smart person with leadership skills and empathy or a racist piece of shit who has more turnovers than a bakery and you know he will call fraud if he loses. Remember this was the dude that released hate. Don’t vote on one issue either, there is more at stake than one issue. There is right (not white) vs wrong,” says Dowd.
Upcoming tour dates:
December 11th – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
December 12th – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
December 13th – The Pearl – Vancouver, BC
December 14th – Capital Ballroom – Victoria, BC
December 17th – Mystic Theatre – Petaluma, CA
December 18th – Rio Theatre – Santa Cruz, CA
December 19th – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
December 20th – Garden Amp – Garden Grove, CA
December 21st – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
December 22nd – Swan Dive – Las Vegas, NV
December 23rd – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ