When the world feels unstable, people write songs.
On today's episode, we trace the through line of resistance from folk to punk to soul to pop, featuring artists like Woody Guthrie, The Clash, Tom Robinson, Tracy Chapman, Brandi Carlile, and Shea Diamond. These songs rise out of labor movements, civil rights struggles, queer liberation, and today’s ongoing fight for justice. They remind us that music has long been a tool for confronting power, building community, and refusing silence.
We're joined by a very special guest - Celeste Lecesne — co-founder of The Trevor Project and The Future Perfect Project — to talk about storytelling as protest and the urgent need to protect queer youth. Celeste is the writer and performer of The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, a one-person play about a radiant queer teenager whose presence challenges a small town to confront its own prejudice. Celeste will be performing the show at BarnsideLIVE and 50% of the proceeds from the performance will benefit The Trevor Project and The Future Perfect Project, supporting life-saving crisis intervention and empowering LGBTQ+ youth to tell their own stories. If this episode moves you, consider showing up in person — because protest doesn’t only live in songs. It lives in community, in visibility, and in choosing to stand beside young people who deserve to shine.
Tickets for The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey are available here;
