Ease My Revolutionary Mind
by Willem Sanders
New Multitudes is a Woody Guthrie tribute album performed by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Yim Yames to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Guthrie’s birth, released through Rounder Records on February 28, 2012. The project was initiated by Woody’s daughter Nora Guthrie to have Farrar add music to her father’s lyrics—specifically, his earliest songwriting years in Los Angeles. Over the course of several years, he invited the others to collaborate and recorded at a variety of locations across the United States. Each artist wrote music to lyrics that inspired him and presented it to the collaborators for recording. The result is an album with diverse musical genres that has garnered positive reviews from critics for its varied styles and instrumentation.
One song “Ease My Revolutionary Mind” really stood out for me. During this period I produced several paintings which seemingly had no direct connection whatsoever. Not that I mind. Much of my work is so divers, it is hard to understand it comes from the same mind. Once I read the lyrics of the song I found some sort of a mindset to these paintings. They all connect. It is me. I could feel into this endless search of meaning. This strive. This restlesness. Your mind going bananas. Going in all directions. The seriousness of an internal revolution in an output of paintings of whom you do not know what their eternal meaning or direction will be.
I need something to ease my revolutionary mind.
molenbeersel selfportrait # 14
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 40 cm
2012
Night is here again, baby,
I’m stretched out on my bed
Seeing all kinds of crazy notions
Running through my head;
lower of life # 05
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 40 cm
2013
I need a progressive woman;
I need an awfully liberal woman;
Ain’t no reactionary baby
Can ease my revolutionary mind.
molenbeersel selfportrait # 15
oilpaint on MDF
50 x 40 cm
2012
One hand is on my pillow
One hand is on my head,
I see a million nightmares
Tearing around inside my head;
the hand of the artist # 01
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 40 cm
2013
I need a progressive woman
I need an awfully liberal woman
I need a social conscious woman
To ease my revolutionary mind.
flower of life # 03
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 40 cm
2013
If I could only make you see, babe,
I ache and pain and bleed,
I know you’d come a runnin’
If you blistered both your feet.
the hand of the artist after gardening ( with blisters ) # 07
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 50 cm
2013
I need a progressive woman;
I need an awful liberal woman;
I need an open minded mama
To ease my revolutionary mind.
flower of life #02
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 40 cm
2012
If you could see me here, baby,
Broke out with salty sweat;
No matter where you go
I know You never could forget
noceto selfportrait # 22
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 40 cm
2014
I need a progressive woman;
I need a liberal thinking woman;
I need an open hearted mama
To ease my revolutionary mind.
flower of life # 01
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 40 cm
2012
I ain’t no lumpen proletariat,
And I ain’t no petty bourgeoisie
But I’m gonna be a cold corpse
If you don’t run here to me
The hand of the Artist # 06
oilpaint on MDF
34 x 40 cm
2013
I need a progressive shipmate;
I need a liberous nature lover,
But no reactionary female
Can ease my revolutionary mind.
altalanghe dogrose # 22
watercolour
100 x 140 cm
2014
If you’re a republican or a democrat,
Or a white hood Ku Klux Klan,
No use to ring my doorbell
‘Cause I’ll never be your man
the hand of the artist after gardening ( with blisters ) # 08
oilpaint on MDF
50 x 40 cm
2013
I want a union working woman
I want a progressive liberous woman,
I want a nice progressive mama
To ease my revolutionary mind.
he hand of the artist (with blisters) # 10
oilpaint on MDF
40 x 33 cm
2014
Paintings by Willem Sanders / Lyrics by Woody Guthrie Music by New Multitudes
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