Joel Soley, Ryan Demmitt and Josh Straight spend so much time together that they finish one another’s sentences.
Sometimes, the words are uttered in a staccato beat, inspired by the hip-hop and rap they write, perform and produce in an underground house in Lake Stevens. Other times, they speak in serious tones, eyes wide and fists clenched.
Lately, the topic is almost always the same.
Straight, 26: “We were inspired …”
Demmitt, 26: “… and we make songs about whatever inspires us …”
Soley, 25: “… and what Ron Paul says, it really hits me.”
That’s right, Ron Paul.
He’s the 72-year-old Texas congressman who is running for the Republican presidential nomination on a platform that opposes the war in Iraq and supports eliminating the income tax, returning to the gold standard, physically securing the border with Mexico, resisting bans on assault weapons and ending abortion.
It’s an unusual cocktail of opinions to attract three young men who dream of making a living by performing hip-hop, but Soley, Demmitt and Straight say Paul has transformed them from frustrated citizens who avoided voting booths into passionate political animals.
Soley: “I quit my job, and we were just making music …”
Demmitt: “… until we found Ron Paul …”
Soley: “… or, until Ron Paul found us.”
Soley, Demmitt and Straight, who perform as Rise, Consise and Krookid, heard Paul speak last year and were intrigued. They investigated Paul’s claims that the country’s current tax structure and a multitude of ways the government has chosen to fight terrorism are unconstitutional, and they liked what they heard.
They liked it so much that they penned a song in his honor:
“Ron Paul for president, 2008;
There’s still hope for America, it’s almost too late;
Ron Paul for president, 2008;
It’s time to stand up for freedom while we still got a say.”
Somewhere amid their frustration with recent administrations (“Open your eyes! Clintons and Bushes have run this for almost my whole life!”) dramatic descriptions of dwindling liberty (“Our freedom circles the drain on its way out”) and a last-second admonition to stick to ink and paper (“Vote paper — electronic’s rigged. Who do you think writes that software?”) the young trio found its hit single.
They posted a video of their performance, interspersed with photos of atomic bombs exploding and of Paul supporters erecting campaign signs, on YouTube. Before long, the video had found its way onto Paul’s official campaign Web site.
Soley: “We just put it on YouTube …”
Demmitt: “… and the people responded …”
Soley: “… because there’s a giant group of people just like us …”
Demmitt: “… and they needed a song.”
They’ve got another song written in support of Paul that they plan to release in a week or two. In it, they admonish listeners to “dust off” their guns to protect their private property.
On Saturday, the band hopes to make another contribution to the Paul campaign: money.
They’ll perform at Club Broadway in Everett in exchange for $2 and all the donations their audience can muster. They said the venue was donated, so they’ll turn the proceeds over to the campaign.
And even if Paul doesn’t make it to the November presidential election, Soley, Demmitt and Straight say this is only the beginning.
Soley: “It’s the Ron Paul revolution, not the Ron Paul campaign …”
Straight: “… because it can’t be done just by one person, anyway.”
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
Benefit concert
The Ron Paul for President Benefit Concert, featuring Joel “Rise” Soley, Ryan “Consise” Demmitt and Josh “Krookid” Straight is scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday at Club Broadway, 1611 Everett Ave. in Everett. The cost is $2 per person. For more information, go to www.newyearsrevolution.us.
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