This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, and the University Musical Society.
The second iteration of the Michigan Music Resistance (MMR), a loose collective of musicians formed in opposition to President Donald Trump, is now in full swing.
The MMR was first launched by David Roof, musician and owner/operator of the Grand Blanc recording studio Rooftop Recording, in 2017, not long after Trump was elected to his first term.
Roof, who also organizes the annual Funky Rivertown Fest in Ypsilanti, says he’s motivated by the following questions: "What can I do that's going to do the most good?" and "What can I do that's going to make the most difference?"
"I don't have a lot of time. I don't have a lot of money. What I do have is a recording studio," Roof says.
Artists interested in participating are invited to submit original songs of "resistance," according to MMR's
Facebook page, which will then be produced, mixed, and mastered at Rooftop Recording.
"One of the big goals is to let people know that they're not alone, and there are people in the fight with us, and there's hope," Roof says. "If we can spread that feeling of unity and hope and togetherness, that's every bit as important a goal for me as raising any money."
Roof says he’s already found "lots of artists who seem to feel similarly concerned" about the country’s prospects under a second Trump term, and who are eager to work towards "increasing acceptance of our neighbors and working to improve tolerance and opportunity for everybody."
Ann Arbor- and Ypsilanti-based artists such as John Finan, Kandy Fredrick, and Head Full of Ghosts have already submitted songs, which Roof expects to see released shortly. He says to watch the group’s
Facebook page for news and updates.
During the last iteration of the MMR, Roof produced a full album’s worth of material, which he then released in one go on Bandcamp. This time around, he plans to release a song at a time, as they become available, "on an ongoing, indefinite basis."
The Bandcamp platform has one particular advantage, according to Roof: it "allows people to make a donation of any amount that they want towards the music," he says.
The MMR is collecting donations on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) because it "seems to be an organization that free-thinking people interested in freedom and democracy … can all agree on," Roof says.
Roof estimates that the first iteration of the MMR, during Trump’s first term, was able to raise several hundred dollars for the ACLU.
"Money is important," he says, "but [resistance] is also about lifting people's spirits and giving soft support to positive forces for progress and progressive thinking. And if that means lifting somebody's spirits, then [that’s] freaking awesome."
This time around, Roof is also interested in organizing MMR-associated benefit concerts, and he says he’s already in talks with several area venues about the possibility of some spring and summer shows.
"There is a significant portion of the population that feels we're headed in a very wrong direction with some really damaging results," Roof says. "It's important for us to resist that — stop that drift to the right [and] stop the drift to totalitarianism and authoritarianism and fascism."
Natalia Holtzman is a freelance writer based in Ann Arbor. Her work has appeared in publications such as the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Literary Hub, The Millions, and others.
Photo courtesy of David Roof.
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