1968 and 2008 politics share some things in common - can you say "change"? RFK was campaigning against the Johnson administration and events such as the prolonging of the war in Vietnam ... Nixon won the election - post the RFK assassination - and, of course, ended up resigning in disgrace over Watergate. Oddly, until Obama, many people feel America lost the tone that RFK's brother, JFK, set in the 1960 election. Clips here of audio from the 1968 pre-election with RFK announcing he was running and LBJ announcing he wouldn't run - all underpinned by Ted Kennedy's eulogy for his brother at RFK's funeral and also Nixon resigning speech - all roll under the music and visuals of Obama's January 20, 2009 inauguration. And, yes, this is a more rocking Whiners band with the backing.

Lyric:
Yes We Can
by KEITH McDonald Janaury 2009

Yes we can
Yes we can
Yes we can
Yes we can

Disapointment on the left
Disapointment on the right
WIn the battle
Lose the fight
Disappointment losing sight

Thru the day
Thru the night
to the morning
Anfd let there be light

Yes we can
On the streets
Yes we can
Beat defeat
Talk the talk
Walk the walk
Yes we can
Block by block

Thru the day
Thru the night
To the morning
And let there be light

(Audio clips from the 1968 pre-election with RFK announcing he was running and LBJ announcing he wouldn't run - all underpinned by Ted Kennedy's eulogy for his brother at RFK's funeral and also Nixon resigning speech - all roll under the music)

(B.G. vocal: Very slow ... very slow ... very slow)

Yes we can
On the streets
Yes we can
Beat defeat
Talk the talk
Walk the walk
Yes we can
Block by block

Thru the day
Thru the night
To the morning
And let there be light
Let there be light
Let there be light

(Obama speaks from Chicago and Super Duper Tuesday in 2008 ... we then slide into Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech ... spectacular times we witness in 2008 to 2009 swearing in of President Obama)

Yes we can ...

Y1WR106oHFg

A friend of KEITH's said you can get rid of a cold by wearing socks to bed ... apparently guaranteed to stop the cold. So, with that rolling around in his head he came up with this song. A full band arrangement is on MySpace but this is KEITH & Jamie's effort at Variety Night Year 7.

bmBOpTGj104

Brett Boyko - spoken word artist, guests at the Whiners Variety Night Year 7, December 8, 2008. There is a Bogey Man in all of us ... especially those who enjoy whinersmusic.

boQ4lhXUlcY

Shannon & KEITH bring back Holly McNarland's Beautiful Blue with a dual acoustic version. This is from the Whiners Variety Night Year 7, December 2, 2008. Last played at Vareity Night show 4 in 2003.

jJ9ffVZ_jVE

Dave & KEITH with a play on "Paperback Writer". Kind of the right sound with the guitars and reverb and all done live from the December 2, 2008 Whiners Variety Night. With apologies to any purists out there - KEITH used his Toys 'R Us pink guitar on this one and the footage had a digitized edge to it so we kind of went overboard on the pink when we mixed this. More a poverty light show feel.

PZTvnVkc5I8

More from Variety Night Year 7 and Shannon. This one is Shannon's take on The Sundays' "My Finest Hour". Do 'ya love the sound of her guitar playing here?

wxgb2qQYDBQ

Variety Night Year 7 and Shannon comes well into her own with Frente's Labour of Love. I mean wow. This is big league from our Shannon. Add it to your favourites. This one is fresh from the show December 2, 2008.

vGfDngKmRoI

Song specifically about the Jane Creba murder and recurring violence in the city. Did she die in vain? Or are we going to do something? "Johnnie" most recent person to be taken.

4Q5BUKPyCf4

Step by step by step we walk through life ... ah, that's too profound even for The Whiners. Here's a song demo with some feet to accompany it.

iDsLSyVvMRY

I thought this might have a life span only for election time but, what with the happenings here in Canada and in the City of Toronto, maybe not! Geez, how do we get people engaged in making things better not worse? Well, the theme of this song may be a good place to start ....

Here's the original description: Just in time for the elections. This is a new (October 2008) song which could be the rallying cry anytime there is an election. Forget about the verses, it's the chorus that we can all use. Oh yeah, vote! This is from a KEITH solo gig at Graffiti's in Toronto.

hzqCUIETr9Y

Shannon's first show with The Whiners - first in a series of Whiner history clips. This one best viewed first.

aoYBtQ1dvbs

Whiners in Transition - Dave Part 1 - best viewed as number 2 in the series

v7lAXRjtsHY