Contemporary music in the United States is all about falling into love, or finding an encounter in a club, maybe profanely sexing it up dipsomaniacally--under the influence of one chemical or another. Or it’s falling out of love in the form of ballads in a more invigorated form of pop self-reliance, braggadocio, accumulation of wealth. It’s fun, exciting and empty. ??But music has also existed as a form of protest. Music inspires even as it incites. It unites cultures linguistically. It invents new ways of understanding the world--aurally, lyrically. Lyrics combined with music have their own special power among those attuned to listen. When traveling around Spain and ultimately venturing into the Basque region, one readily sees how the language shares little similarities with its bordering Romance language-based neighbors. Linguistically, it stems back to a Proto-Indo-European language, long before Roman and Celtic influences. There’s always been a rich Basque singing tradition. Music has been a part of the Basque culture, as troubadours would break out into song in the native language in pubs and public squares. It was a fundamental communal ritual of nationalistic pride and celebration. Folk music was intrinsically linked with the language that gave it the gravity of meaning. In the post-war Franco regime there was a clamping down of the Basque language, and anything associated with an expression in the language. Despotically, schools were shut down and expression in the Basque language was rendered illegal. But this mandate could not shutter the nationalistic pride that encapsulated and defined the oral and singing tradition. There was truth in the folk expression. It was the language of the people of the region, and it retained its relevance in the face of the majority combatants of the time. The post-Franco years saw a return to an openness of expression. Basque music took a decidedly more forward approach, a shift propelled by a new radio station exclusively broadcast in Basque. It appealed to a broad audience (especially the youth) who were steadfastly holding on to their heritage and language, many of these young people, including members of the band were first generation speakers of their native language. They could not release their ideals to a rigid structure that t