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"I never heard so musical a discord, such sweet thunder." –Wm. Shakespeare Mike Stout runs a business in Homestead, Steel Valley Printers. He writes and sings his own songs and has performed at labor and peace rallies. He chairs the board of Just Harvest and has been the spark for PUSH, the new national health care coalition. I met him when he was a grievance man for steelworkers local #1397 in Homestead before the steel-making complex was replaced by a mall. We struggled for years as board members of the innovative Tri-State Conference on Steel to keep the mills from closing. My husband Bill, was a draftsman who worked on steel mill designs at 32 local engineering companies before they went bust. He was laid off after drawing plans for new plants in Spain, the then Soviet Union and China. So the die had been cast. "War and Resistance," Mike’s new CD offers spirited rock and blues, intimate melody and, in Homestead Town, (used to be the story of a glory boom town) a lively tune with a country flavor. Rachel Corrie, is the story of a warrior for peace, who while acting as a human shield in Palestine, was mowed down by a bulldozer. Mike called Rachel’s mother and poured his heart into a song celebrating her humanity. Just a Pawn in their Game, states, "Landed in the eye of a desert storm. They said we went to liberate, not occupy. But it didn’t take long to see the real reasons why." And in There Are No Winners in War, Not in Our Name or Stop the Wars the lyrics identify the real victims "..on the poor, working women and men.." Then listen to the creepy Big Brother’s Watching, "you don’t even know he’s here" and the rockin’ Big Time Corporate Blues "ripping off the people, tearing up the land, when it’s all for them and the rest of us be damned." The arrangements and the strong accompaniment by terrific musicians and vocalists give power, energy and sweetness that, along with Mike’s vocals, bring the songs to life. It’s good the first time, then replaying, grows on you. - Molly Rush
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