A Darkwave Anthem for the Appalachian Renaissance: Appalachian Rage and the Music of Static Fur by Andréa Fekete
The Have Nots is a powerful and pithy Appalachian darkwave punk anthem by Static Fur, an experimental punk rock band from the Capitol City of West Virginia. The Have Nots is an expression of Appalachian rage. Appalachian rage is a natural reaction to the oppression of the Appalachian working class and the mainstream's acceptance, even perpetuation of it. Unfortunately, this rage is often an integral part of Appalachianness, whether we are yet in touch with this rage or not; it's there. I often forget my Appalachian rage, especially now that I reside in a small northeastern city that wants to be NYC (real, real bad). Yet, it only takes one mention of Big Pharma, coal mines, or unions to pull it right back to the surface.
Americans have finally begun making space for all identities and voices. Yet, inclusiveness comes late for Appalachia; we're still stereotyped and dehumanized and it's still ok to do it. The sloth-like speed at which the trend of inclusivity and tolerance reaching us as Appalachians reminds me of the pandemic. It's like we're just forgotten entirely, even by viruses. West Virginia was the very last state in the U.S. to get a single case of COVID-19. I still resided in WV in 2020. In 2020, we watched the news as the animated COVID-19 U.S. map slowly turn red indicating the spread of cases. The red dots crowded the outline of our state as the rest of the U.S. blazed red. The color closed in on us, loomed like zombies around a locked barn of scraggly still-human survivors at the end of a zombie flick. West Virginians huddled safely in the red-dot-free space until the disease would finally infiltrate our small communities.
Unfortunately, while our mountains keep some negative things out, our mountains also trap things in. The lack of travel in and out of the isolated mountainous regions means Appalachians are unexposed physically, though not culturally thanks to technology, to the rest of the country, but because accurate representations of Appalachian culture aren't shared in mainstream media the rest of the country is unexposed to Appalachia not only physically but culturally, too: art, music, books, crafts. Trailblazing artists are all tucked safely in these rural working-class communities. Appalachian, specifically West Virginian, talent is just now trickling out and enjoying real recognition beyond its borders. Appalachian artists of all sorts are riding the wave of the Appalachian Renaissance. Suddenly, it's hip to be an artist from Appalachia. I never thought the words hip and Appalachia would be in the same sentence, but here we are. One band of genius punk rock misfits tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains is Static Fur.
The Have Nots is their track I love the most. It appeals to the coal miner's daughter in me, daughter, granddaughter, and niece to union organizers. It's a deeply POWERFUL and pithy Appalachian darkwave punk anthem. An attentive listener learns the complex reality of Appalachian stereotypes and stereotypes' role in the oppression of the Appalachian working class; these exist to coax the rest of the nation to turn a blind eye to King Coal’s exploitation of WV and Big Pharma’s stranglehold on one of the sickest and impoverished states in the US. Anger seethes in the guitar’s messy distortion while the aggressive percussion presents as tightly controlled yet simultaneously on the verge of utter chaos, that paradox lends an heir of suspense and unpredictability to this track.
The percussion, like drums of war, hints at the working class’s urge to rebel, to rise again against their many exploiters. WV is famous for its workers right’s uprisings, but the lyrics temper this hope with cold reality explaining, “they’ve got guns but they ain’t got a shot.” This line highlights the potential impotence of any resistance while also exploring what we think of ourselves and our suffering. Do we give reason for it? Do we wear our survival as a symbol of valor rewarding victimization and exploitation with a place inside our identities as Appalachian Americans. Can we maybe not do that and retain our identities? Appalachians grow up steeped in disadvantages people from outside Appalachia couldn’t imagine. The resultant ideologies are therefore complex, often misunderstood and can’t be without first a lesson in WV history.
Static Fur ingeniously employ deceptively minimalistic language, and that’s a core beauty of this track. The deeper sociopolitical message juxtaposed with minimalist language and a clean straightforward driving beat mirrors popular false perceptions of Appalachia as a simple place with simple people when there’s nothing further from the truth. Appalachia’s stereotypes are embraced and accepted in mainstream culture. No West Virginian bats an eye when they’re asked, “Do you wear shoes?” Which brings me to the song's clever reference to the infamous stereotype of “shoeless hillbillies” and Gloria Steinem’s quote, “You can’t tell people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they don’t have bootstraps.” The Static Fur lyric reads: “Tried to grab a bootstrap, but my grip slipped, see. I suppose y’all are right, we got no shoes on our feet.” Then the final gut-punch line comes at the end, "One last little message for you, just be aware before you choose. They will devour all our hills and leave us with nothing but a bottle of pills."
Static Fur’s most recent appearance was at The Shop at in Dunbar, WV where they opened for Richard Lloyd, legendary singer-songwriter and founding member of Television, whose 1977 debut release, Marquee Moon, is widely regarded as one of greatest albums in rock and roll history and seminal to the 70s NYC music scene. I argue Static Fur is as groundbreaking. Give them a listen, a follow, attend a show, and find them online.
To purchase/stream their music:
Static Fur - Take My Ashes (hearnow.com)
Photo Credit: Kevin Jack Photography. Pictured: Scott McMillian, (synth) David Stephenson, (bass and guitar) Patrick Nelson (frontman/guitar) Not pictured is drummer Brad Kinder.
