Arlo McKinley’s new song “Die Midwestern” evokes the tragedy and impact of drugs on the Midwest.
It has been a few years since we had a Song-of-the-Day from Arlo McKinley. So we are long overdue for checking in with the Ohio singer-songwriter on John Prine’s Oh Boy Records. The title track from his upcoming album Die Midwestern evokes how one may feel trapped by geography into a certain path.
McKinley explains that “Die Midwestern” is about a love-hate relationship with his home state of Ohio. “The Midwest is full of drugs that end up controlling people. . . . I love [Ohio] because it’s everything that I am but I hate it because I’ve seen it take my loved ones lives, I’ve seen it make hopeful people hopeless.” He adds, “Temptations run all along the Ohio river, but it’s so hard to watch the Ohio fade in the rearview mirror.”
The video for “Die Midwestern” features McKinley around Cincinnati. Check it out.
Arlo McKinley‘s album Die Midwestern hits the Internet on August 14, 2020. It features ten original songs by McKinley.
Patty Griffin will release her seventh album American Kid (2013), her first with record company New West, on May 7. Below is “Ohio,” the first single from the upcoming album. The song, like the folk song “Banks of the Ohio,” is about the river more than the state. But unlike the old murder ballad, Griffin’s dreamlike song is about the Underground Railroad and people escaping slavery to go north.
The Ohio River borders the southern border of what was then the free state of Ohio, and it is estimated that 40,000 escaped slaves went through the Underground Railroad in Ohio to escape to freedom in Canada. Griffin has explained that her song “Ohio” was inspired by something she read “in a Toni Morrison novel” a few years ago. Based on the lyrics, my guess is that she is referring to Morrison’s Beloved. Check it out.
That voice you hear accompanying Griffin (and the man you see in the video) is legendary Led Zeppelin front-man Robert Plant. Griffin helped on Plant’s Band of Joy album, and Plant here also helped arrange “Ohio.” Luther Dickinson (guitar) and Cody Dickinson (drums) from North Mississippi Allstars also perform on the album.
American Kid features songs inspired by Griffin’s father, who passed away in 2011. As someone who has every one of Griffin’s CD’s, I look forward to this new one.
What do you think of “Ohio”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Nine other students were wounded, and those who were shot included students on their way to class. The exact events of that date are still in dispute, with some of those involved still seeking answers.
Events Leading to the Kent State Shootings
The anti-war demonstrations began days earlier after President Nixon announced on television on April 30 that U.S. forces had invaded Cambodia. Pres. Nixon presented the invasion as a defensive response meant to help end the Vietnam War. But students and demonstrators believed the announcement revealed the war was escalating and expanding.
Watch Pres. Nixon’s address in the video below.
The day after Nixon’s address, on May 1 students began demonstrating at Kent State University. After some confrontations between local police and demonstrators, Ohio Governor James Rhodes called out the National Guard.
On May 4, members of the Guard used tear gas to disperse protesters. And while the protesters were in retreat, suddenly over the course of 13 seconds, 67 bullets were fired, resulting in the deaths and injuries.
Questions About the Shootings
A big question remaining is whether or not someone gave an order to fire on the demonstrators. At a 2012 news conference, seven of the people who were wounded that day announced a campaign to convince officials to hold hearings on the question. They claimed that analysis of audio recordings shed new light on the question, apparently revealing that there was an order to fire.
The group sought public support for the government inquiries. They said they did not seek individual prosecutions. Instead, they sought answers. Those questions and answers are still relevant today, as addressed in an excellent essay by Jesse Kornbluth at Huffington Post.
But subsequently in 2012, the FBI concluded the new tapes were inconclusive. The Department of Justice decided not to re-open the case. [2015 Update] Having failed to get the review they wanted in the U.S., the Kent State Truth Tribunal subsequently requested a review by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Neil Young’s “Ohio”
In 1970, the Kent State shootings became national news, affecting everyone who read about it, including a young songwriter. After seeing photos in Life magazine, Neil Young wrote the song “Ohio.”
Then, Young’s group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded the song only 11 days after the tragedy and then quickly released it as a single. Young later noted that David Crosby broke down and cried after the recording.
The video below for “Ohio” was put together by a talented YouTuber. Check it out.
“Ohio,” which first appeared on an album as a live song on Four Way Street (1971), stirred up some controversy for its criticism of Pres. Nixon. But the song went on to become a classic. It has been covered by a number of artists, including the Isley Brothers on Givin’ It Back (1971).
Rolling Stone lists “Ohio” as the 365th greatest rock song of all time. The song deserves a spot in the rankings as there are few songs that were so immediate about a current event. And there are few songs with such unanswered questions four decades after the song’s release.
(2013), her first with record company 
. Check it out.
