Pop quiz: Have any American artists profiled in No Depression over the years been promoted to public office? I’m going to guess if the list exists, it’s a short one.
Canada, however, can now count Andrew Cash as an elected Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party. Last week, Cash won a seat in the House of Commons in a hotly contested election which saw some seismic shifts on the Canadian political scene.
Some non-Canadian No Depression readers may have been introduced to Cash way back in 2001 when I profiled him and his brother, Peter, as they were launching their album How Was Tomorrow in the U.S. (read it here). Post-election coverage of Cash’s victory has focused on his post-punk credentials as a founding member of Toronto’s L’Etranger (and the coincidental presence in the House of Commons of his former bandmate Charlie Angus) here and here.
The record(s) will show that the commitment to social justice has been part of Cash’s art long before he turned to politics. Check out this 1983 interview with Cash and L’Etranger.
And the song “Boomtown” from his stint as a solo artist on Island Records.
Cash’s elevation to politician may deny a great musical voice (for a while, anyway), but the Canadian political scene will gain much from his perspective and commitment. Congratulations!
