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Learning How To Unlearn

by Dogtooth & Nail

supported by
Academic Cannibal
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Academic Cannibal Do i really have to pick a favorite song? all these songs slap. Super talented.
This is protest-song folk punk. This is the kinda music that you wake up to and go “Hell yeah, I am gonna go fuck with I.C.E. today.”
I love it. very much. Favorite track: Sleeping Under Bridge City.
s.kullmann
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s.kullmann I love this track. None of us are perfect. We all can benefit from unlearning the ideologies we've been conditioned to believe. Lets tear down the walls and build a better world. Favorite track: Learning How To Unlearn.
Daniel Beckwith
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Daniel Beckwith Beautiful people making beautiful music! Favorite track: Friends Fur Life.
coyote dude
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coyote dude i love this record a lot, you guys have great lyrics and a really great vibe & rhythm Favorite track: My Old Friend.
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    Our first full length album, LEARNING HOW TO UNLEARN in a cardboard CD case. hand screen printed case, Includes lyric book & hand stamped CD.

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1.
2.
How do I explain When you ask me how I'm doing I tell ya, it's all the same It's all the same Oh and how do we escape A system that we're feeding the truth is We're all to blame We're all to blame And I'm surrounded by strangers even if I know their names... Your voice is worse than a thousand nails on a chalkboard Piercing my skull like Phineas Gage Iron through skin and bone But this railroad can only take me so far away.... so far away.... Shadows follow you But I'm no follower I don't need to be saved No leader no law no one rules me

How do you sleep Cause I know I sure don’t Blood on your hands means more money in your pockets You’ll do anything for a vote AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I grit my teeth as you speak in empty promises Full of hope and just the right amount of vague Sorry doesn’t mean much when the strings on your back are showing I feel my heart beat increase with every word I read Stories spinning ‘round steal me from my sleep
I can’t breathe when the tide is rising Coming to take me and my family 
I’m lost at sea Shadows follow you But I’m not follower 
If you’re feeling the pain you’re awake 
But we have the power to change We have the power to change (x4)

3.
Everything I love seems to be falling apart You're not broken but you just need some mending And I'll take the time to pull every stitch I can't fix you but I promise I'll listen {Chorus} So don't be afraid to talk to somebody Don't be afraid 
I promise you'll find someone who's safe 
 Cause we're all learning how to unlearn Rosy cheeks and tired feet 
I'm use to climbing mountains Sweat on my neck and muddy knees 
 I'm use to falling down, down, use to falling down I fall into patterns (x7) I fall into patterns… (x7) We all carry packs full of bottles and rocks 
I know you’re tired but I don’t think it’s over 
I see strength in your sadness Won’t ask you to smile 
 And it’s ok that you’re not ok 

 Cause some of my friends they’ve wanted to die Some of them have made it to the other side 
 I’ve been where you’re at trying to hold back a knife but the worst of times was when I couldn’t even cry {Chorus} The only home that is my own is this body I am always occupying stolen land The only home that is my own is this body 
So I’ll cover it with sunflowers and songs 
And the way that you see me is not my reality I step out of straight lines 
A box can’t define my story 
I’m learning how to unlearn So I listen to voices unheard
I’m learning how to unlearn So I listen to voices.
4.
These walls they divide us These borders don't define us We all cry and bleed the same These walls they divide us These borders don't define us We all know what it's like to feel pain Do you see that shack on the side of the mountain Looking down on the freeway That could be us someday Yeah, we’re only three steps away Do you see that tent on the sidewalk slouching Yeah, that’s someone's home You put up gates to save your property Instead of saving someone from the cold These walls they divide us These borders don't define us We all cry and bleed the same These walls they divide us These borders don't define us We all deserve shelter from the rain Do you see that building vacant and lonely Let's break down the doors There's enough space in this city To provide shelter for the poor Do you see that mama crying don't you take me My baby's still got to grow You're cutting the roots of our family tree You're going to leave that child all alone Do you see her working her hands to the bone now Every single day Barely escaped with her life You're going to send her back to harm's way These walls they divide us These borders don't define us We all cry and bleed the same These walls they divide us These borders don't define us We all should have a place to feel safe. Do you see the way they use lives to bargain When we scream not one more Nadie es ilegal Resistance rising from the desert to the shore If they gonna build a wall oh we gonna tear it down (x3) In every god damn town If they gonna build a wall oh we gonna tear it down (x3) And build a bridge in every town
5.
Ten more steps And I'm on my way You've been leaving for weeks But I've got no more reason to stay Ten or more times You could have walked away And it's just got me thinking What would you be singing today? {CHORUS} I wish I could see you my old friend x3 When it rains It reminds me of home And I don't care if my boots drown me they They all complain like they're alone But if they could just lift themselves Up from their damn phones I still remember the last thing you asked me and I'm Working through the ways I still feel sorry... {CHORUS} If you asked, I'd say I'm an optimistic pessimist And you'd say that I'm an oxymoron but I'll Tell you why I think like this There's so much working against us It's really no surprise that I lost my faith When it's easy to get lost And think that no one will remember your face {CHORUS} I don't expect For the pieces to fall into place The selfishness that surrounds us makes it Feel like we all can be replaced So go ahead and prove me wrong I'm trying my hardest to do the same And it's ok that I've got holes in my heart There came a time when I embraced the pain {CHORUS}
6.
Breathe Slowly Shut your eyes And count your steps 
I tell myself 
But then I look back from where I just left 

 What have you been burying In the depths of your garden
 Oh what have you been hiding 
 Hoping the sunlight won’t start it from sprouting but Spring came early and summer will be the the hottest 
 I’m just waiting for all this to burn The fire’s started What have you been running from 
Is it yourself or is it danger Cause I know it can be easier to leave Than to face yourself in that mirror 
And it’s not your fault (x8) I know it can be hard for you to say it but I believe you Why can’t I take my own advice
I hurt myself more than you do to me
 Why can’t I take my own advice 
I hurt myself more than you can see 
 But let me tell you, Nothing lasts forever 
 You’re a survivor
 Nothing lasts forever 
 You’re a survivor

 I’ll paint you a picture of my pain 
And it will look different every day 
 But one thing that remains 
Is it will come back again 
But let me tell you, Nothing lasts forever You’re a survivor 
(x2)
7.
Rising 04:40
There’s a red thread that’s been unraveling for years Its spool sits upon a high table of high people and fine wines And they’re dining not dying by hands that think they’re gods I could never take a job that required I decided when to take a life 
 On the streets… {Chorus} They won’t see me like they see you They see you rising They won’t see you like I see you I support you rising Fed up fucking fed up Of aching hearts and wilting family trees Tied up tightly tied up By habitual harm not intended for me Listen not to my light skin But to the voices that speak of systems of deceit Reclaim, take back everything Fighting against a nation’s grave history 
And I’ll stand, I’ll stand back if that’s where You need me to be while you Speak out, speak out loudly I’ll be an echo in this vast sea {Chorus} The laws that let them stop and frisk Pull their guns out and kill like this In the name of safety, it’s racist and obvious And the violence that they’re feeding you About property means nothing to me Lives taken, never gonna rest But ignoring this you’re just perpetuating 
They try to instill that some lives don’t matter And for those lives it’s getting harder to breathe 
Admit that you path is different Don’t just talk, I want to see you in the streets {Chorus} There’s a movement that’s been unraveling for years 
It won’t be whispered but shouted so the highest tables can hear And this red thread forms a written history of names REST IN POWER We’ll lock arms and break chains 
Sometimes we can’t walk in each other’s shoes 
But I promise I’ll walk next to you 
(x2) Even if they won’t, even if they won’t…
8.
I always listened to you when you spoke Even when I was day dreaming as we sat playing cards The musty smell of decades ricocheted off of each one As they were shuffled 
 Light danced through your hair

 I knew from a young age 
 That there was something special 
About being in the presence Of someone who had loved and lost more than I can count
 On my fingers There are patterns That they know without looking {Chorus} These veins are made of blood not oil This body is made of water not chemicals Now I see grandma’s facing guns Prayers against pepper spray In a war protecting money In the face of your violence our voices stand strong 
And which side are you on is not just a song so WHO DO YOU SERVE WHO DO YOU PROTECT Placing profits over people will hurt you in the end WHO DO YOU SERVE WHO DO YOU PROTECT Spill after spill You are next {Chorus} (x2) I remember when the bees were always in her garden I was surrounded
Before the water ran out and the word drought spilled out their mouths Maybe they’ll come back on Sunday Oh maybe they’ll come back on Sunday {Chorus} (x4)
9.
Sleep it off they said But I’ve been Having dreams of standing on the edge 
 And no I won’t just wake up feeling better 
 When my nightmares never went to bed 
 They say it’s all in my head 

 Mama told me I was a rebel And I’d be one ’til I die 
I can’t lock you in but I can lock them out Don’t let their judgement swallow your fire

 Never worshiped no god 
 Cause confession won’t make my wrongs right But when I speak of my sins and sorrows 
I get demonized {Chorus} 
Break through, break through, break through what they’re telling you break through (x2) Doctor told me I was broken 
And that he could mend my mind 
 Take these pills in the morning 
 And you’ll leave your demons behind 

 Break through (x4) I want to be clear not clouded But all I can see is the storm And on the inside I’m a prisoner
 But when I yell I can’t be heard You say I’m moving too fast But I’m just on my own time 
No I won’t sacrifice my spirit No you cannot have my mind 

 {Chorus} 

10.
Let It Fall 04:34
She reaches her arms out to me And whispers listen carefully You can run away you can change your name but you can never hide from me She said I’m taking back what’s mine 
 Cause it’s never been yours And when you die will you be defined by your possessions or what you stood up for {Chorus}
 When will the rain fall Oh when will the rain fall
 Cause I can hear her roaring she’s breaking down my door Singing I’ll still be hear when you’re gone 
 When will the rain fall Oh when will the rain fall
 Cause the deserts been growing reaching to the shore Singing I’ll still be here when you’re gone 

Soon there won’t be a need for these machines For highways and high beams 
 So if you stay silent I’m damn sure you’re going to see That I’m heading right for the city 

 You won’t find shelter in glowing screens You won’t find safety in the police 
 You won’t find your saving grace in the worth of your things Won’t find water under these streets {Chorus} 

I’ve been hurt, I’ve been harmed, I’ve been broken, I’ve been lost, I’ve been helped, I’ve been helpless, I’ve been found 
And I’ve been waiting so long that you almost tore me down But I will keep living on 
 Yeah I’ll still be here, I’ll still be here, I’ll still be here when you’re gone {Chorus} - (replace “singing” with “screaming” in chorus)
11.
When the world seems to be crashing down I’ll be there just look to the ground 
I don’t know what it’s like to work at 9-5 But I know that my job is to be by your side 
I won’t ever say goodbye Cause our memories will stay in my mind Your smile, your wag, your stride My dog will always be by my side I won’t ever say goodbye Cause our memories will stay in my mind Your smile, your wag, your stride That’s my best friend for life When the world is feeling ruff and unsure I’ll be there, just listen to the sound of my purr I don’t know exactly what you’re going through But I’ll make ya smile If you give me the lace of your shoe I won’t ever say goodbye Cause our memories will stay in my mind Your playful ways, your stride My cat will always be by my side I won’t ever say goodbye Cause our memories will stay in my mind Your playful ways, your stride That’s my best friend for life You’re my best friend fur life

about

Dogtooth & Nail is
KELLY CHUDLER - banjo, guitar, piano, vocals
MICHAEL CONWAY - accordion, bass (upright, resonator, electric), vocals
From Portland, Oregon 
~Released May 2018 ~

////// THANK YOU \\\\\\
Special thanks to: Ali Cat - Entangled Roots Press,
Erin - Shootdang & Sparkle Carpet, M Prull, Yula, CJ,
Diane M. & The SUN team

Michael: I want to dedicate this album to all the freedom fighters, activists, protestors, tree sitters, migrant workers and immigrants. Thanks to my Haunty, cousin Sara and Amy, Riley, Connor, Drew, Jack, Allie, Aunt Karen and Dale, and the rest of my family. To my friends that have supported me throughout my life and given me courage to pursue my dreams. LOVE YOU! R.I.P. Mom & Dad, Dyna Cat, Johnny Drums, Rags, Corina and all the fallen political activists throughout the world! Viva La Revolución.
Live Your Life

Kelly: This album is dedicated to those fighting, resisting, struggling, healing, learning and unlearning. It is an album of solidarity, resilience and personal struggle. My Old Friend is for Luke Shiner R.I.P. Sleeping Under Bridge City is dedicated to Siham & Naseem. Thank you to the young folks who have inspired me in the past two years. Special thanks to Sonia Chudler, Mom, Dad & Sam, Felecia & Georgia, Courtney, Nina Bear for your love & support. Thank you to friends, family and ancestors who have supported and believed in me. I am so honored to share this album with you.

credits

released May 25, 2018

Song tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11
Recorded by Dusty Richards - Vision Z Studios 
All songs mixed by Dusty Richards - Vision Z Studios

Album mastered by Brendan Deiz

Songs tracks 2, 7, 9
Recorded by John Damiani - Molehill Recording

Featuring…
2. Shadows Follow You
Group vocals by: Chan B. of Porch Cat 
Megan Martinez
Allison Tiffany of Fake News
Reid Newlin, Eden Redmond, Mason Klauss, Kaiti Van Velkinburgh of Raccoon Venom



6. I Believe You
Cello by Brenna Sahatjian - Brenna Sahatjian Music, Aradia, Strangeweather
Group vocals by:
Chan B. - Porch Cat
Megan Martinez 
Allison Tiffany of Fake News 
Quiver Watts of Wayfairy

9. Clear Not Clouded
Mandolin by Keegan Good

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about

Dogtooth & Nail Portland, Oregon

Two punks playing folky, bluesy political tunes about environmentalism, feminism, anti-capitalism, healing and creating change. Many songs are about personal struggles and struggles we are in solidarity with.
Based out of Portland, OR. Contact us:
dogtoothandnailmusic@gmail.com
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