I know there are exceptions, but:

The musicians I like -- progressive rock from the '70s to the present -- are for the most part politically hopeless. I've known this for many years.

It pains me too much to give you examples.

I thought there was a chance that in the world of metal, which is edgy, unconventional, and (at least ostensibly) anti-establishment, I'd find more open minds.

Nope.

Pretty much conventional Democrat.

Zzzzzzzzzz.

They choose one of the two established parties, and indeed the one favored by academia, the media, and the entertainment world? How bold!

One outstanding exception: Phil Labonte of All That Remains.

Now that guy is hardcore libertarian.

When I interviewed him on the Tom Woods Show he discussed the impact Ron Paul had on him. His Twitter feed is pure gold.

He's a lone voice for libertarianism in metal, which is why one of the main metal news sites treats him and his band like pariahs. One dissenting voice is too many for the totalitarians.

You'd think they might say, "We may not agree with Phil, but it takes guts to stand out from the crowd and we salute him for that."

Nope.

If you're not part of the herd, you can expect the pariah treatment from them.

Phil and All That Remains succeed in spite of all this.

And guess what: I'm happy to announce that Phil will be joining us as yet another special guest on this year's Contra Cruise!

Also this year: comedian and podcaster Dave Smith -- whose comedy special Libertas spent three weeks as the number-one comedy album on iTunes -- will be roasted by Bob Murphy, Scott Horton, and me.

Special bonus for the first 50 folks who sign up.

I'll see you there:
 

http://www.ContraCruise.com
 

Tom Woods