In 1948, a plane carrying Mexican migrant workers who were deported from the U.S. crashed, killing all 32 aboard. News reports listed the names of the four Americans who died but not those of the 28 migrant workers. They were buried in a mass grave labeled only “Mexican Nationals.” Singer-songwriter and folk-music hero Woody Guthrie was so affected by the inhumane treatment of the migrant workers that he penned a song: “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos).”
“The crops are all in and the peaches are rotting,” Guthrie sang. “The oranges are filed in their creosote dumps / They’re flying ’em back to the Mexico border / to take all their money to wade back again.”
Almost 80 years later, amid the Trump administration’s continued immigration crackdown, the song maintains heavy relevance. So much so that five Vermont musicians — Raph Worrick, Jane Boxall, Russ Lawton, Ray Paczkowski and Kevin Stevens — came together as the band Ray Fork and His Knives to record a live rendition of the Guthrie track to raise funds for migrants’ rights organizations. The track and accompanying live video, recorded at the Pantry studio in Granville, hit Bandcamp and YouTube on Saturday, with all proceeds generated going to the Vermont Immigrant Legal Defense Fund and the Arizona humanitarian organization No Más Muertes.
“From Los Gatos to Granville, for nearly a century, artists and musicians have carried the stories of those too often forgotten — and that is a gift to our democracy,” Vermont State Treasurer and VILDF cofounder Mike Pieciak said in a press release. “Here in Vermont, we are coming together to ensure every neighbor receives the fairness and due process they deserve. These aren’t abstract ideals. They are what keep our democracy alive.”
To hear Ray Fork and His Knives’ rendition of the song, visit rayfork.bandcamp.com.
Speaking of fighting for democracy, Burlington’s own resident cartoonist and rocker James Kochalka has released a trio of new tracks under his moniker James Kochalka Superstar. The extended single is called Good Frog and features the title track, along with “Easy Love” and “Fascist Bikes.”
“We just wanted to do something, anything, to combat the rise of fascism,” Kochalka wrote in an email to Seven Days. “And making music seemed like something within our power.”
The single is a tribute to the activists in inflatable frog costumes who have been spotted at protests of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Portland, Ore., and elsewhere.
“I’m a good frog / I love my mom,” Kochalka sings on the title track. “I’m a good frog and I don’t back down / When bad men come to Froggy Town.”
“Good Frog” and “Fascist Bikes” were both produced by Grammy Award winner Peter Katis (the National, Kurt Vile), and Kochalka produced “Easy Love” himself. They’re all up on major streaming services now.
Burlington indie rockers Robber Robber dropped their new single, “Talkback,” on November 19. The fuzzed-out, bass-driven track continues the band’s excellent run, which started with 2024’s debut LP Wild Guess. That album is getting a vinyl reissue courtesy of record label Fire Talk, according to a post on the band’s social media, which also says the band plans to tour Europe in 2026.
“Talkback” is available at robberrobber.bandcamp.com, as well as major streaming services and YouTube.
7 Shows to Watch Out For
1. Chris Isaak at Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, N.H., December 2
2. Mac DeMarco at MTELUS in Montréal, December 7
3. Michael Blaustein at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington, January 15
4. Jazz Mandolin Project at Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington, February 4, Sold out
5. North Mississippi Allstars at the Stone Church in Brattleboro, February 21
6. Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt at State Theatre in Portland, Maine, February 24
7. “Weird Al” Yankovic at Midway Lawn at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, July 24
Listening In
Playlist of Vermont Jams
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2 2025.
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