From huge artists like Bruce Springsteen and Billy Bragg to local musicians like Jeremy Messersmith, Jillian Rae and LAAMAR, musicians have quickly responded to the federal immigration occupation of Minnesota and the resulting conflicts.
Joining the growing list is a new compilation of 32 protest songs by Minnesota musicians called Music for Good: A Mixtape for MN Mutual Aid, a benefit album for Community Aid Network MN, or CANMN.
Bryan Odeen and Brandon Hepola, two of the project's organizers, recently stopped by Headwaters to talk about the album.
"I was looking at my phone one night and I got a text from Bryan saying, 'Have you ever thought about doing a compilation?'" Hepola said. "And so I was like, 'Yeah, actually I have been thinking about that.'"
The pair worked quickly, setting up a Bandcamp page for CANMN so money would immediately go the organization, and putting together a form for musicians to submit music.
The local music scene was quick to step up.
"Before I even had the form up, I had people emailing me or texting me tracks that ended up on the album because they were like, 'Yes, here, right away,'" Odeen said. "So it was really amazing to watch the response, both of the artists and of the public."
We spoke to the pair Monday, Jan. 9, six days after the project went live on Bandcamp and they had raised $6,000 at the time.
CANMN is a mutual aid group located in the Bancroft neighborhood of Minneapolis. According to Hepola, the organization will use the money for grocery deliveries, baby supplies and "helping connect resources and volunteers with the people who need help."
Every Thursday the group hands out free food 5-7 p.m. at the Bethel Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
Both Hepola and Odeen — in addition to their organizing role — have songs on the album: Hepola with his punk band Unattractive Giant Monster's "Canaduh" and Odeen with a solo contribution called "Draw That Line (Live)."
They join a variety of musicians, some established like Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum/Golden Smog/The Scarlet Goodbye) and Liz Draper (Charlie Parr/Iris Dement/Low), and some making their debuts, like Louie Rhinestone and Parent Patrol.
At the beginning of the interview, the pair was asked what they were seeing at the time in the Twin Cities.
"I feel like we're kind of seeing the best and the worst of humanity, kind of all in one, you know, just outside our front door. It kind of depends on where you're looking. We've seen a lot of people trying to step up, sometimes for the first time to really try to stand up for their neighbors. The folks who are organizing, it's amazing to watch, like truly inspiring," Odeen responded. "But we're still seeing people being taken. We're still seeing people being questioned on the sidewalk and having to prove their citizenship or their legal standing here."
The full album can be found here.
