© 2024 WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting
Member-Supported Public Media from Southern Illinois University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Nat Myers, 'Yellow Peril'

Blues music can be raucous and ready to party, but can also speak directly to struggle and social inequality. Nat Myers, a Korean American poet raised on hardcore and hip-hop, adds to the canon of songs that sound off on racist stereotypes. From his album of the same name, "Yellow Peril" is an up-tempo number that takes on the waves of Asian hate surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a swagger that leaps out of the speakers, Myers plays slide on his resonator guitar to a rhythm straight from the Delta. "Everywhere I been somebody being abused / Never gonna win some of us are born to lose / Just wanna have a little fun before we die / There never ever was no difference 'tween you and I," he sings, punctuating his message with finger picking that is as precise as it is intense.

Copyright 2023 WNCW

Joe Kendrick
As a WSIU donor, you don’t simply watch or listen to public media programs, you are a partner. By making a gift, you help WSIU produce, purchase, and broadcast programs you care about and enjoy – every day of the year.