# Rewind: Valerie June and Billy Bragg on Finding Your Voice, Keeping Traditions Alive, and Writing Protest Songs

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kyle-meredith-with-718084/rewind-valerie-june-and-billy-bragg-on-finding-your-voice-keeping-traditions-alive-and-writing-protest-songs
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kyle-meredith-with-718084/rewind-valerie-june-and-billy-bragg-on-finding-your-voice-keeping-traditions-alive-and-writing-protest-songs.md
Podcast: [Kyle Meredith With...](https://stenobird.com/podcast/kyle-meredith-with-718084)
Published: 2026-09-09T08:00:20+00:00
Episode link: https://consequence.net/category/consequence-podcast-network/kyle-meredith-with/
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audio2.redcircle.com/episodes/c9b94a67-922a-46a6-b218-cf17e06ac2ae/stream.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kyle-meredith-with-718084/episodes/rewind-valerie-june-and-billy-bragg-on-finding-your-voice-keeping-traditions-alive-and-writing-protest-songs
Duration seconds: 2568

## Resource

Songs have lives of their own, and some political ones have an unfortunate habit of becoming relevant all over again. In this KMW Rewind, Valerie June talks with Kyle Meredith across two archival conversations about drawing from spirituals and early blues, teaching herself to play around her voice, and making Pushing Against the Stone and The Order of Time, while Billy Bragg explains why protest writers need to spend as much time on the song as the protest. Along the way, June recalls recording with her family and writing the title track to Mavis Staples’ Livin’ on a High Note , while Bragg reveals how posing as a TV repairman helped launch his career. Show your support for Kyle Meredith With by making sure to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network . Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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## Transcript

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