Artie Do Good Makes a Classic Song Modern with the Premiere of “Three Miles Down”

As pop artist Artie Do Good so effectively illustrates, a song is always better when it’s accompanied by a valuable message. Artie Do Good is the stage name of Chicago experimental pop artist Chris Misch-Bloxdorf and today it’s time to unveil his socially conscious new single “Three Miles Down.” The jazzy and soulful new song comes from the artist’s recently announced new album, Socialist Dance Party.

It’s the follow-up single to “Bread and Roses,” with both songs hinting at the upcoming socially and politically driven new record. Misch-Bloxdorf is an artist who has found his legs recently, with Artie Do Good, his platform designed to share his varied background in music. Within a pop music context, Misch-Bloxdorf brings many influences to the table. He is a songwriter, singer, producer, and even a jazz-trained trombonist. He also has a Master’s in jazz and has travelled as a horn player for hip-hop and indie artists.

Discussing “Three Miles Down,” Misch-Bloxdorf states:

“A cover of a song written by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. Possibly the funkiest song about the rights, plights, and realities of life as a miner. Throughout the 20th century, some of the greatest battles for labour were fought by mining communities. In this track, Scott-Heron and Jackson specifically address the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act. I chose to change the original lyrics from ‘But Taft and Hartley ain’t done one day in the mines’ to a more broadened ‘them that signed it…’”

He continues, “This alteration felt appropriate from a few different angles: I think the original line is so powerful and doesn’t feel restricted only to miners’ rights. Most working people find themselves beholden to the whims of those who have never wanted for anything. People who know nothing of the conditions are the ones most often making decisions.

“I arranged and reconceptualized this tune through the lens of psychedelic-bossa. I wanted to pay homage to the original by featuring a flute solo by the incredible Kenthaney Redmond. So I laid down the foundation of the track and then asked for help from William Corduroy (bass), Josh Jessen (Rhodes), and Alec Trickett (drums/perc) to help bring variety and organic textures into the mix.”

Chicago is a city with a rich history when it comes to the development of labour rights. So it’s no wonder that as a Chicago native, Artie Do Good is a songwriting project with a sharp focus on social and political issues. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in Chicago so he used this as inspiration to write an album that would trace the city’s labour roots. There are many significant labour moments intertwined with Chicago’s history, including the Haymarket affair, The Pullman Strikes of 1894, and the life and legacy of young Black activist Fred Hampton.

For Socialist Dance Party, Artie took 1900s labour movement slogans, references, and hymnals and reworked them. The album carefully and cleverly takes ideas of the last century and modernizes them for current times. Throw that in along with his catchy brand of electrifying pop music that you can dance to and you have a winning formula. There are few artists able to make pop music an educational and intellectually enlightening experience, but Artie Do Good has skillfully pulled that off.

Artie Do Good “Three Miles Down,” artwork by Cori Lin

Socialist Dance Party Track Listing:

1. Bread and Roses
2. JOYOP (feat. Semi-Cycle)
3. Curriculum
4. Ataraxia (feat. rhiagh the druid)
5. Vitamin D
6. Three Miles Down
7. Marx
8. Repair
9. Brain Broken (feat. Lenard Simpson)
10. Seeker
11. Swimming