Found in the Inbox: The Refusers Won’t “Go Back to Sleep”

The Refusers are a high-energy Seattle rock band led by singer-songwriter Michael Belkin, and the Rive Video Promotion campaign for “Go Back to Sleep” introduced them with a manifesto: their album Wake Up America, released October 14, 2016, is “Belkin’s declaration of war on mind-numbing pop music,” with 15 socially conscious tracks.

A former Wall Street insider

Belkin, once a Los Angeles studio guitarist, worked on Wall Street before walking away from what the campaign calls its greed and corruption. A graduate of UC Berkeley’s Haas School, Belkin formed The Refusers four years earlier to share that experience through rock. The band is Belkin on vocals and lead, rhythm, slide and pedal steel guitar, bassist Steve Newton, Seattle keyboard legend Joe Doria, who has played with Santana, and contributing drummer Brendan Hill of Blues Traveler.

A raised hand that says no

“The band’s name represents the essence of Rock rebellion,” Belkin says. “Our logo is the raised hand saying NO. No to the establishment. No to corporate BS. No to government corruption.” The campaign frames the music as a return to eras when rock spoke for a generation.

Why it was in the inbox

Protest rock lives on conviction, and The Refusers have plenty. The views are the band’s; the riffs are for everyone.

Watch the official video

Quotes and release details from Rive Video Promotion’s campaign for “Go Back to Sleep.” This feature updates Exposed Vocals’ original October 2016 post.