As recently announced, Martin Simpson is to release his brand new studio album Rooted on August 30 on Topic Records. He has just released the first single titled Neo which features Dom Flemons, Richard Hawley (and quite a few chorus singers by the sounds of it).
Simpson takes on the voice of a neo-liberal billionaire to highlight how self-serving neoliberalism has brought about incredible inequality in society today. If you fancy a read about the history of neoliberalism then try this article by George Monbiot in which he charts the rise of neoliberalism from 1938 when the term was first coined by Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek in a meeting in Paris through to the Regan and Thatcher years and beyond with the ‘massive tax cuts for the rich, the crushing of trade unions, deregulation, privatisation, outsourcing and competition in public services’…not forgetting ‘the freedom to poison rivers, endanger workers, charge iniquitous rates of interest’.
“I don’t care if you’re sick or well and I don’t care if your life is hell I’m going to wreck your national health or for the sake of my irrational wealth”…tell’em Simpson.
Rooted features an array of stellar guest musicians, including Nancy Kerr (fiddle and viola), Andy Cutting (melodeon and diatonic accordion), Liz Hanks (cello), John Smith (electric guitar and vocals), Ben Nicholls (string bass and electric bass guitar), Julie Matthews (vocals), Alan Barnes (clarinet), Max Simpson (vocals), Amy Smith (vocals), Chris While (vocals) and Tom A Wright (drums and percussion). Richard Hawley and Dom Flemons contribute backing vocals and bones respectively to first single ‘Neo’ (out 21st June). As well as vocals, Martin himself plays banjola, 5-string banjo, 6-string fretless banjo, electric bass guitar and electric and resonator guitars!
Martin will tour extensively in support of Rooted. See full dates here: http://www.martinsimpson.com/gigs/