The greatest writing comes from urgent need, and it is just such a palatable sense of urgency that motivated musician, songwriter and producer Diedrich Donald Weiss, known by his musical alias RED BIRD RISING, to write "My Revolution". "My Revolution" is at once a profound love song and an immense anti-war statement. A tremendous undertaking and community effort, "My Revolution" features a wide range of instrumentation and musical collaborators, including Ukranian husband and wife Taras Kuznetsov on lead vocals and Ana Pshokina on bass.

“I believe in the magic that only exists when two or more artists engage themselves fully within the natural energy of music.”

“I have a world worn faith in the power of music to significantly change people’s lives.”

As if the powerful composition, fearless lyricism and ample musicianship on display wasn't enough, an official music video was filmed in Odessa under threat of bombing by Russian missiles. Even during times of war, the creative impulse survives, defying those who would wish to snuff it out.

Speaking about “My Revolution”, Diedrich Donald Weiss says,

I have a world worn faith in the power of music to effect people’s lives positively. It’s from this place that inspired me to write "My Revolution" in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It may be naive to think a song could in any way substantially effect something as dominating as this horror, yet it was my answer to the inner question, “what can I do?”.

I initially thought of the invasion as life or death. Soldiers, tanks, missiles, guns, blood. My mind touched the images and information coming in and it quickly separated to protect me from the intensity. It filled in the blanks with past wars in modern history. But the battle is not what this song is about.

Connecting to Taras Kuznetsov to pursue fulfilling "My Revolution" ported me into a day to day contact with a civilian experience unique to anything that has come before in modern war. This invasion is barbaric, highly personal, and specifically targets civilians to create terror and leverage surrender.

My Revolution is about a man stuck against a force dominating his life, his dreams, and adapting his mundane but simple comforts into necessities in order to cope. And this man is not fictional. He is Taras Kuznetsov, a 32 year old full time remote freelance vocalist, producer, arranger, audio engineer, drummer and pianist. The time of the scene of the song is March, 2022, about 6 weeks after the first Russian military intrusion of sovereignty. The location is Odessa, the port city crucial to access to import and export of vital goods and artistic soul of Ukraine.

Because Taras is the subject of "My Revolution" and the lead vocalist, I wrote the lyrics as if I were him, using factual information of what he is contending with in this early stage of the invasion. The chorus which sings, “my revolution begins in my world within” is anthemic and specifically an answer to the question, “what can I do?”. The external world is much beyond his control. But Taras’ inner world is where he can find stability and strength to contend and keep moving forward in his life and as person. He can change, adapt, resist and grow. He sings in the second verse, “good, good they haven’t yet bombed my home, but I can not go out, so I rule my own house, work like a bee in honeycomb.”

Perhaps the only reasonable explanation for the invasion is Putin’s retaliation for the Orange Revolution of 2014. Students and activists dared to challenge the authority of oppressive government puppeteered by Putin. The Ukrainian revolutionaries liberated Ukraine, and in becoming a free democracy, embarrassed Russia globally. That is why Taras felt it important to include footage of this history near the beginning of the video for "My Revolution". It is the full modern context of Russian abuse of their country.

But 8 years later, Taras’s country is now in this moment as you read being grazed with genocidal terrorism. After weeks of alarm sirens without being struck, the threat of missiles and bombs live as abstract. The danger exists like vultures and gargoyles circling the sky of his psyche. The opening scene of the video for "My Revolution" was shot from inside his apartment in Odessa bringing us into the chilling feeling of the alarm sirens ricocheting off the buildings in the otherwise silent night.

Rationally, he should leave Ukraine. He sings in the opening verse, “passport be damned, take all I can, get out now like I should.” As a man, he can’t legally leave Ukraine. And like many who due to physical conditions are not eligible for military service, he gets access to a gun for personal safety and sings, “I was given a gun, I can take out some Russians, bring those reptiles down.” If Russians were to enter Odessa, he says he would use this gun, but what can he do in the meantime? In the third pre-chorus he sings, “I can’t just go along, I can’t just sing this song” while in the video, he and his wife Ana are in their studio working on music.

Taras is aware of the missiles and bombs, aware of the rape and torture happening in occupied cities and towns. He is a well informed, thoughtful man, who loves his country, yet what will he do? What can he do? It is a moment to calibrate inside himself and chose how to respond in the large context of his own singular inner life. This tension within is expressed in the video through the exquisite dance sequences of Melina Acune where she struggles and leans into the fight to find grace within.

The song gets to the heart of what matters most to him in the bridge. “If it wasn’t for you, you are enough, my love”. His wife Ana, whom also plays bass guitar on the track, chose to stay with Taras in Odessa rather than flee to neighboring countries. Together, they are united to survive, yet what makes them extraordinary artists is that they are determined to keep moving forward with their music. They understand that music is what they need to contend and thrive. He sings, “I can’t lose my mind checking the headlines, play my piano instead.” Music is their sanctuary.

Music is also their source of a powerful union with a strength within. In the words of Taras, “Music is about me and I'm all about music. Throughout my career I've been and I continue to be a pianist, keyboard player, drummer, singer, sound engineer, mastering engineer and sound producer. And I've just only started. I have a beautiful bass player and singer wife, Ana Pshokina and we're going to share our music with the world. The time has come.”

Ana expressed her reliance on music during the invasion on an Instagram post. She wrote, “I’m still alive. I have a warm dinner and an undamaged home. I have no words to express my gratitude for our soldiers for the opportunity to keep practicing and working. Music is my only weapon. Music is almost the only thing that can distract me from the news. Music can help draw attention of the people from other countries to the real situation in Ukraine. I want to share it with you as long as I have this opportunity.”

Watch the music video for “My Revolution” below, listen to it on Spotify and connect with Red Bird Rising on IG.

If you want to know more about Taras Kuznetsov, you can find all his profiles and music here: https://linktr.ee/taraskuznetsov. If you want to know more about Ana Pshokina, you can find all her profiles and music at: https://linktr.ee/ana.pshokina

Stream and Share “My Revolution” on Spotify

Connect with Red Bird Rising: Instagram