the die was cast, the rebel flag unfurled

It’s Patriots’ Day today, commemorating the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. It’s a state holiday in Massachusetts and Maine, which has led to a number of jibes directed this way from friends in other parts of the country, who tend to view it as another “hack holiday” along the lines of Bunker Hill Day or St. Patrick’s Day -- excuse me, “Evacuation Day.”

Yeah, I’m thrilled at getting an extra three paid holidays a year, but I’m also glad I live in a state (or technically, “a commonwealth”) willing to take pride in spearheading American independence. Other colonies hemmed and hawed about British rule; the residents of Massachusetts took the initiative and removed all doubt as to the course of action, and in doing so delivered stinging blows to British military that shattered its confidence (for a while, at least).

It has become fashionable in some quarters to dismiss Massachusetts as being “out of step” with the rest of America. I prefer to think of us as ahead of the curve, and the state’s legalization of gay marriage is another example of that proud, forward-thinking legacy.

Bob Dorough – The Shot Heard ‘Round the World (from Schoolhouse Rock: America Rock, 1997) – Pure nostalgia candy for a certain generation (i.e. mine). The “America Rock” songs are odd to hear after all these years spent studying and reading American history. They present a more sensitive, 1970’s version of the American national mythology: heavy on civics and progress, not so much on the victims of said progress. “Elbow Room” is especially creepy, being a children’s primer on manifest destiny that fails to mention the extermination of native cultures while incorporating a kid-friendly version of the Nazi principle of lebensraum.

The Alarm – Spirit of ’76 (from Strength, 1985) – A band that burned too brightly, too quickly. Their first EP and the Declaration LP are fantastic, containing an assortment of fist-pumping anthems which blended cowpunk and arena rock. It was all downhill from there, though, as the band quickly morphed into a weak U2 clone. “Spirit of ‘76” captures the band in mid-transformation, with flashes of their initial brilliance shining through the morass of excessively earnest “relevant rawk” nonsense.

Paul Revere and The Raiders – Kicks (from a 1966 single) – Straight edge, 1960’s style. Back then it apparently involved dressing up like an Revolutionary War soldier, rather than writing an “X” on the back on one’s hand with a Sharpie. Now that’s a trend I wouldn’t have minded seeing persist into the 1980’s hardcore scene.