Ari Hest recently put out his first full-length album in over 4 years called Sunset Over Hope Street, and along with the album, he’s got a new video for his very socially conscious song “Business of America.” The song poetically laments the blinders society wears when it comes to the suffering of the poor and homeless. It was directed by Phillip Montgomery, who is best known for his documentary work on “ReGeneration” – an exploration into the social and political apathy of today’s youth that features narration by Ryan Gosling as well as interviews with Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli.

So I know there are some homeless people that don’t help alleviate the stigma of homeless people = bad people. I mean, like you may have seen a sad homeless guy in a wheelchair begging for change, get up, click his heels, and jauntily walk away when he thinks you’re not looking. BUT that does not mean all homeless people are like that. There are all types of people who, for all different kinds of reasons, become homeless and we need to remember that before conveniently labeling all the homeless as unworthy of help. Homeless people are war veterans, victims of abuse, former foster kids, LGBT youth, victims of the recession and unemployment, those who lost their homes due to natural disaster or foreclosure, the mentally ill and so on. And I can totally understand not giving a dollar to a guy cause you’re worried he’ll buy a case of Natty Light with it (which ironically kinda makes the homeless dude not that much different than a college kid), but just keep in mind who’s stuck out there for real and try to support the organizations that are in place to help them.

Ok, soapbox dismounted via triple lutz with only a slight shake on the landing. Now on to the video!

Ari Hest Tour Dates:

04/27 – The Rivoli – Toronto, ON
05/01 – The Carleton – Halifax, Nova Scotia/Canada
05/05 – Hiro Ballroom – New York, NY
05/06 – Club Passim – Cambridge, MA (Two shows)
05/07 – New Hope Winery – New Hope, PA
05/20 – Brennan Coffehouse Series – Jersey City, NJ
06/02 – Mountain Jam Festival – Hunter, TX

For more information:
Ari Hest
Ari Hest on Facebook
National Coalition for the Homeless