Ghost Cult has been supporting the Solidarity Voices charity comp from Fine Shammy Records, since it dropped this summer! In addition to sharing the new single from the comp – “Listen” by Sect. 8, we caught up with the co-owners of the label – Abe and J3 (also the vocalist and songwriter of Sect. 8), as well as Teddy from Picnic Casket to discuss the cause, the labor movement, and of course, the music. Stream the new single from the comp and read our Q & A interview.
For physical merch from the comp, and more:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sect8/listen
Q & A:
GCM: In brief explain the cause that solidarity voices supports:
Abe: All profits from album sales benefit the Democratic Socialists of America San Francisco Chapter Labor Board.
This album was released in July amidst DSA SF’s efforts supporting UPS Teamsters in their 2023 contract negotiations and strike preparations. With the credible strike threat looming, UPS Teamsters won an historic 5-year contract that achieved most of their bargaining goals.
Since the UPS campaign, DSA SF Labor Board’s continuing activities have included:
- forming a Labor Education Subcommittee to plan long term strategy for outward facing labor education.
- hosting SF tech workers to develop organizing skills and grow class consciousness.UAW
- solidarity work supporting local Starbucks workers to organize the second union store in SF.
- supporting UAW in their negotiations with the big three automakers.
- a new local SF EWOC chapter for direct new shop organizing.
J3: The right to safely unionize and bargain for workers rights. When Big Business has already shown where its interests truly lie, there seem to be perilously few options for the worker to better their working conditions, their pay rates, insurance etc. Big Business will not do it on its own, except in rare cases. In many cases (such as Starbucks) Big Business will throw considerable financial and political wherewithal at achieving their goals instead of just coming to an agreement. Politicians have spent decades dismantling the power of unions so their greedy buddies can profit. But they still need those workers to show up so…maybe a discussion is in order?
It seems to me that unions are more important than ever. What can the average non-union workers do to support those in trade unions?
Abe: Never cross a picket line! When you see picketing workers outside a place of business, don’t do business there. Also don’t be a scab and take the work of a striking union member.
Boycott businesses that have a history of union busting and violating labor law. This means cancel your Amazon Prime membership and go to your local café rather than Starbucks!
Support businesses that have unionized workforces and/or take good care of their employees.
J3: Don’t support or patronize companies who disallow unions, whenever possible. Supporting those people who are picketing however possible.
Lot of people feel that politics and music don’t mix but to me they’re inseparable? How about you?
Abe: Music doesn’t have to be political. However, great music is often political. There is a long history of music and song being part and parcel of social movements. As someone who grew up on the likes of Nina Simone, Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, Ani DiFranco, and Lee Michaels, I have a warm place in my heart for strong political music.
Music is one of the most universal languages and unifying forces in the world. So, what better means to deliver a political message? Ultimately everything is influenced or controlled by politics, and everything has the power to influence politics. That includes your workplace, your place of worship, your neighborhood bar, sports, schools, cinema, and yes, music. Those who don’t understand this and would like to silo politics in its own little corner tend be those getting fucked the hardest by the powers that be.
J3: I spent a good portion of my songwriting and performing career addressing my political, human and social grievances, either in songs I was writing or songs I chose to perform that I didn’t write. Times are quite different now, I came up in pre-internet scenes. But I was certainly encouraged by Big Business-owned music-biz entities to keep it simple and stupid, for the benefit of my own “success”. They would much rather have me sing about titties and beer than the outrageous corruption of any particular president, government, business etc. “People don’t want to hear about politics.” Well unfortunately for them, I have strong opinions and can smell a rat. US politics have always been a mess, but is now absurdity. “I’m just tryin to live my life, man.” 😉
Teddy: I personally think that all art has some sort of politics within it. For me most things I listen to I want to have that element. My background with music comes from punk/Hip Hop both genres that usually tell stories of struggle through the music. I think it’s important to connect with each other and cultural things like music can really push us to understand where someone is coming from.
Please discuss the formation of Fine Shammy Records and why things like this comp are so vital to the ethos of your label?
Abe: We started Fine Shammy in early 2022, and our ethos and mission generally was concerned more with making and releasing music that doesn’t suck than doing benefits or political work. That said, we each have a consciousness for social and economic justice. It’s who we are. We’re students of history with a strong sense of right and wrong. I’ve been an activist on a wide variety of causes since I was a teenager. And if you take a survey through J3’s hundreds of songs of lyrics, you’ll find quite a few that are political, both explicitly and implicitly.
J3: Abe and I started the label firstly to address the mountain of unreleased or out-of-print material that I have sitting here, and hopefully make it available to those who might want it. But also to find and release artists/songs that we both like or can get behind, that wouldn’t see the light of day for whatever reason, and do that with our cumulative years of experience. The compilation supports a cause we can both get behind, and I have the additional pleasure of having one of my songs on there!! 🙂 After decades of slogging through the politics and banality of the mainstream major label/indie label music business, it is powerful to be able to create something and release it and be the final say. And that means being free to discuss topics that the main-steam finds to be too risky, too political or heavens….too HONEST. Or, to sound like something that “isn’t on the radio”, or Spotify or whatever.
Teddy, along with Alex you helped pick and drive a lot of the talent on this comp. In addition to your own projects what led you to choose some of these collaborators?
Teddy: A lot of the bands that I brought to the table are also people who really care about the labor movement. Some are my fellow comrades in DSA and others are just friends I’ve known for a long time who do their own supporting outside of DSA. I just really wanted to get people on the comp that I knew would see the vision and be ok with fundraising for the cause.
Fundraising is tough in the best of times, and now is no different. We would love to have people support the cause by donating and/or buying the comp, but what other ways can people get involved and help?
Abe: If you’re in a union, get active within your local. If you’re not in a union, but want to be, think about helping organize a union within your workplace. And/or do labor solidarity work with your local DSA chapter. Join DSA!
J3: Using the considerable accessibility of social media and networking to publicize and bring attention to give people the most streamlined avenue to contribute, whether financially, technically, time-wise, etc
Teddy: Personally, I’d recommend people get involved with a local org that provides strike support if possible like DSA. If not regularly, there are funds that you can donate to or even just showing up to local strike lines and talking with workers. Some unions don’t need financial support as much so just showing up and figuring out what workers need, such has food on the line is huge.
What is the next music project you have coming out soon?
Abe: It’s another benefit! This will be a single called “Blackhawk Ride” by Scott DeCarlo. It will drop on Veteran’s Day (November 11). Scott is a tremendous songwriter and performer residing in Nashville who is donating all profits from this single to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, whose work provides housing to veterans and fallen first responder families.
J3: Not 100% sure of the order, but I know I will be on the road mixing FOH for The Struts US Tour for Nov/Dec. Fine Shammy has several projects in the works: “Blackhawk Ride” by Scott Decarlo will be released on Veteran’s Day. Sect.8 has “Everybody’s Having A Baby appearing on a split 7” with The Dwarves, also “Suitguy” waiting to be released. A rock opera from Johnny Miller is being mixed for next year – video shoots and release. So we busy!! 🙂
Teddy: For me there’s some exciting projects on the horizon. My band Boy Talk is finishing up in the studio with Jesse Nichols at Atomic Garden. While my other band Picnic Casket has some shows (@ Thee Parkside 11/4) coming up and new singles. We are excited to get back into the groove of things since we took a break to allow our guitarist Kyle to work on unionizing his Starbucks in the Castro. Other than that you can most likely always catch me supporting a picket line somewhere in San Francisco.
What can the average person do to educate themselves on the labor movement?
Abe: Don’t trust the corporate media! Listen to and watch Democracy Now! Read and subscribe to Scheerpost, Labor Notes, and Jim Hightower’s Lowdown, among others.
J3: I would avoid mainstream media. Or at least take it for what it is. They will only put something up when the shit is truly hitting the fan. Independent documentaries. Harper’s Magazine, The Nation, InTheseTimes.
Non-commercial radio. I have been listening to Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! since it’s inception in 1996. They do an amazing job of covering labor (and many other) struggles worldwide so you can see exactly how bad (or GOOD!) it is here in the US. I can credit WBAI in NYC in the 90s( and a whole lot of reading and researching during that time) with inspiring my progression into political songwriting. As well as delving much deeper into what we are not being, and haven’t been told since our birth. There is fuckery afoot!
Teddy: Once again I think finding an org that does education and strike support is great. There’s definitely plenty of things to read but having people around you to study with is the best. For example SFDSA has a subcommittee for labor education that provides some great classes. It’s an easy way to learn plus meeting people around you who share similar ideas. We are all in this struggle together so finding a group of people to struggle with always makes it a little less lonely and easier.
Follow Fine Shammy records:
Free Online Listening Party Sunday Oct. 15, 11am PST: https://fineshammy.bandcamp.com/live/solidarity-voices-listening-party
Bandcamp with Limited Edition Vinyl & Cassette Pre-orders: https://fineshammy.bandcamp.com/album/solidarity-voices
https://picniccasketsf.bandcamp.com/album/hentai-room-demos
https://fineshammy.bandcamp.com/album/
Follow Picnic Casket:
https://picniccasketsf.bandcamp.com/
Follow Boy Talk:
https://boytalksf.bandcamp.com/