The voice of change can seem sterile, reasoned and articulate, and coldly directed at a distance audience.
Unless you’re listening to the voice of Ish. Raw and real, deep and without pretension, singing about what he knows and what he has lived. Ish who lives in the moment. Ish who knows the poverty. Ish who dreams. Ish who will give the shirt off his back to a stranger. Ish who can find what’s good in anybody.
Ish is part of the songwriting-singing duo of “William Pilgrim & The All Grows Ups,” whose music blends Country-soaked Americana and late 60’s Soul. The other part of the duo is PM Romero. He’s the pensive social activist and bookworm. Like Don Quixote, he’s comfortable chasing windmills as he nudges society toward change. “We need to learn to value the least of us, if we hope to save the most important of evolutionary flukes, our humanity,” PM explains.
Together, they fight the same fight, PM for the legacy of his generation and Ish, for the validation of his existence.
They’re songwriters of social change through a medium that connects with everyone. It’s musical activism. Through their music, they hope to challenge people, and by their actions, they hope to bring people together to make a difference. Both their albums and programs with at-risk youth, start the conversation that brings about good.
We want to hear more. We will. Their newest album releases this summer, “Epic Endings.” The album title is a reference to the song structure, which favors simple beginnings and big finishes. The songs on it are sharp- tongued character studies of human fallibility and at other times, they celebrate our human weaknesses. The album also speaks to an undercurrent in the lyrics that highlight beliefs that are too short-sighted to endure.