Alt-rockers Soul Asylum have covered a punk classic to raise money in memory of George Floyd, whose death in police custody has sparked anti-racism uprisings across America.
The band, whose early music was a pre-cursor to grunge, are from Minneapolis, where the 46-year-old father-of-two died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes while arresting him for allegedly using fake money to buy cigarettes.
The incident proved to be the final straw for a black population who have suffered decades of injustice at the hands of the police, with protests being held in many US cities.
Soul Asylum have shown their support for George Floyd, his family, and everyone peacefully seeking justice to be served by two releasing two free downloads.
The first is their 1984 song Black And Blue, which is about police abusing their power, and the second is a cover of the Dead Kennedys’ anti-racist anthem Nazi Punks Fuck Off.
The music is free, but the band are encouraging donations to ‘Official George Floyd Memorial Fund’ on gofundme, and asking fans to sign the Justice for George Floyd petition on change.org.
They are also encouraging people to register and vote in all elections, especially local ones, where they can make the largest impact on change in our police and justice departments.
The band said on their website: “Let’s all unite to fight racism peacefully and intelligently. Nazis, racists, white supremacists and fascists, you have no business in our amazing city. To the rest of you beautiful people, love from Minneapolis, MN!”
Soul Asylum were founded in 1981, and are best known for their 1992 album Grave Dancers Union, which enjoyed triple platinum sales. They have released 12 albums in all, the most recent being this year’s Hurry Up And Wait.
