Jesse Welles: THe Revival of Protest Music in the Trump era

By: Finn Wentz

Despite the downsides of doom-scrolling that I know we’ve all hopelessly fallen victim to, Instagram reels has shockingly unearthed a genre of music lost to time. The genre that placed McCarthyism on the trail of beloved folk banjoist Pete Seeger back in ‘61 has reemerged in the wake of one of America’s most tumultuous periods. Protest music is alive and well, as has been seen to by internet sensation Jesse Welles. Sporting Dylan-esque attire as rebellious as his lyricism, Welles records himself against the backdrop of woodland powerlines and countryside prairies, strumming his worn-out ‘60s Stella guitar as viewers are serenaded by the warm  freewheelin’ rasp of his voice. Whether it’s the Mangione case, Boeing whistleblower scandal, or any other of the seemingly endless series of unfortunate events that we’ve had the misfortune of knowing, Welles has a song for it. I first stumbled upon his work over a year ago as I was infatuated with the sight of an underground protest musician who just simply, for lack of a better description, was not of this time.

Fast forward to today, Welles’ music has become widely known and increasingly important under the Trump administration as he channels the thoughts of uncertainty we all have yet struggled to put into words. Since 2023, Welles has released three albums on Spotify with hits such as ‘Payola’, ‘Whistle Boeing’, ‘Fentanyl’, and ‘Trump Trailers’ which all found their audience on Instagram. His repertoire targets the corporate powerful and their treatment of the American populace, the result is a bipartisan support for his music. Seeing Welles play these songs with his harmonica and guitar in garb that has been lost to time, it’s impossible not to see in him the Greenwich Village dwelling Bob Dylan that preceded the folk world scandal of Bringing It All Back Home and the feud with Seeger that was formed in its tracks. Some of Welles’ music borrows directly from Dylan’s: a song of his channels the violin segment from the protest classic ‘Hurricane’. Tributes to the ‘the voice of a generation’ can be seen in his live performances such as his cover of ‘Knockin’ on Heaven's Door’ in D.C. just two months ago. It’s on YouTube, I implore anyone to watch it! Welles carries the torch of past generations and the protest music they created, though he is not alone. Oliver Anthony’s working class ballad ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ caused quite a stir just two years ago with its billboard Cinderella story.

With the work of these artists, the revival of protest music has resulted in an escape from its niche resulting in national recognition. It seems as though we are entering a period mirroring that which gave us Seeger, Dylan, Guthrie, and Baez. I wish I could say that is a great thing, but it would seem that sometimes hard times create good music. Welles has emerged as a voice of reason in a time where it seems to be a rarity. The creation of his music and its rise in popularity is a staple of musical history in the making, and I suggest any reader of this article take stock.