Do billionaires have feelings? These Phoenix punks skewer the 1%
This world is ripe for satire in 2024.
And Phoenix punk band Mike and the Molotovs have taken full advantage of the situation on “Monarchy in the USA,” an EP of working-class anthems served with a liberal dose of irreverent humor by Mike Lee, a singer who leaves no doubt that vocal cords were shredded in the process, over a head-on collision of country and punk.
“There's a lot of insanity in the world today,” he says. “And if people aren't angry, they're not paying attention. In a lot of ways, I think, music is therapy for me.”
Lee and his bandmates will celebrate the release of their second EP with a show at Yucca Tap Room in Tempe on Saturday, Aug. 3.
'Billionaires Have Feelings, Too' lampoons the struggles of the 1%
They’ve also made a video for “Billionaires Have Feelings, Too,” a song that opens with Lee in the role of the billionaire whining, “So you think it’s easy? Well it’s tough. Imagine making $16 million every month,” bringing the sardonic chorus to a brilliant close with “Someone’s gotta drive the yachts.”
And to be clear, the singer’s sympathies do not lie with the billionaire.
“Billionaires are just this perfect target," Lee says.
"Just the sheer amount of hoarding. And they're hilarious because they seem to care so much about what other people think, like buying Twitter and controlling everything. At what point are we like, 'All right, man, you won capitalism. Here’s your trophy. Now how about sharing a little bit?’”
Economic disparity is a running theme on 'Monarchy in the USA'
Economic disparity is something of a running theme on the Molotovs' new disc, from the opening salvo of “I’d Rather Die Than Be Rich” to the EP-closing “Dig Capitalism’s Grave.”
Taking a stand against capitalism is practically a mission statement for Mike and the Molotovs.
“Capitalism probably had a time and place, but it's certainly rotten at this point,” Lee says.
“And I firmly believe that we have to stop thinking the system can solve these problems for us. The corporations have so much power and sway over government decisions that they're more powerful than the government agencies. And that, I think, is a unifying message that I really hope to connect with people regardless of how you vote.”
Mike and the Molotovs' singer says he wants to unify the working class
Lee’s goal, he says, has always been to find some common ground among the 99% in these politically divisive times.
“It's a difficult line to walk,” he says.
“We've been lucky. We've never had bottles thrown at us or anything. But unless there's billionaires or people from the 1% in the audience, I'm not too worried about upsetting anyone. When you’re making fun of corporations, it can definitely rile some people up. But for the most part? I don't think we're really that controversial.”
Lee has always been a fan of artists using satire to get their point across.
“My biggest influences are a lot of bands that used humor in an intellectual way,” Lee says.
“And when I say that, I mean Devo. I think of Frank Zappa. I think of 'Weird' Al. I think of Dr. Hook. These are people that sort of used humor subversively, and some had more to say than others. I'm not suggesting 'Weird' Al has a lot of intellectual depth to what he's saying. But there were some songs on his first couple albums.”
To Lee, there’s an obvious power in humor.
“I'm just tired of being yelled at all the time,” he says.
“It's like I get it, man. There's a lot to be angry about. We should be angry. But I kind of want to feel empowered, too. I want people to walk away from a live show feeling like we’re all in this together. And I think there's a way to do that with humor that isn't too on the nose, but also sort of is subversive.”
How Mike and the Molotovs arrived at their country-punk hybrid
Lee formed the Molotovs in 2022.
“Originally it was just gonna be a studio project,” he says.
“I was in this band called Goth Brooks for about eight years. We did this kind of jokey industrial-country mash-up. And the lead singer died unexpectedly. So I had to make a decision about what I wanted to do with my music.”
The idea was to do an anti-capitalist punk release.
When Molotovs' guitarist Daniel Morris came on board, the sound evolved a bit, but the agenda stayed the same.
“The first guy I recruited was this absolutely incredible country guitar player from Kentucky,” Lee says.
“I just went up to him and was like, 'Dude, I'd love to have you throw some country licks down on this.' And the songs weren't really country. He came on and sort of challenged me, like, 'OK, well I know how to write country, but do you?”
The answer was, of course, that Lee did not.
“He said, ‘I want to challenge you. What does country sound like to you? Through your lens. Now start writing country the way you would write punk.' I was like, 'Oh, OK, that sounds fun.'”
A song from their 'This Is Spaghetti Punk' EP won KUPD contest
They released their first EP, “This Is Spaghetti Punk,” in 2023, setting the tone with a shout of “Welcome to the U.S.A., where we’re always right” before making their way through such highlights as “(Expletive) the Boss’s Wife for the Working Class” and “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Work at Walmart.”
That song about the boss’ wife won the Playdio contest on KUPD-FM, where morning host John Holmberg proclaimed it the modern-day “Take This Job and Shove It."
“Which, I mean, that's high praise coming from that guy, a jaded morning show guy who's heard it all and seen it all,” Lee says.
The new EP was produced by Jamie Woolford of the Stereo.
Lee credits Woolford with helping them arrive at a dynamic that makes the more electrifying moments that much more effective.
“Dynamics are a thing that I think is sort of a lost art,” Lee says. “I think having moments where you kind of pump the brakes a little bit creates a more diverse and full sound when you start swinging again. That's definitely something that we try to pursue when it comes to songs, the ebbs, the flows and where's the energy?”
It’s Lee’s hope that the album is both entertaining and inspiring.
“I just want to normalize that it's OK to be angry about this system, that corporations are not our friends,” he says.
“I don't want to preach to anybody, and I'm not that intelligent enough to talk about what the solution is, except to say, ‘We’ve got a problem. Let's stop defending a system that's clearly broken.' The emperor has no clothes.”
Mike and the Molotovs release show
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3.
Where: Yucca Tap Room, 29 W. Southern Ave., Tempe.
Admission: Free.
Details: 480-967-4777, yuccatap.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix punks Mike and the Molotovs satirize 'Monarchy in the USA"