Carsie Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. “It is possible to face the world as it is - rapidly heating, ruled by grifters, ravaged by profitable wars - and still have hope,” she says of her forthcoming release, After the Revolution. “Not the narrow, grasping hope you might hang on an election, but a patient, zoomed-out hope.” Blanton’s ninth full-length album draws from many influences. Tracks like My Good Friends evoke her childhood in Appalachia, while Ain’t We Got Fun showcases a musical roux earned from a long stint in New Orleans and fifteen years of touring with her band. The title track, a hard-rocking protest anthem, shows that her commitment to the good fight need not obscure her considerable acumen as a writer and musician.