BILLINGS — Saturday, a crowd estimated to be more than 1,000 people gathered outside the courthouse, organized by Yellowstone County's Indivisible Chapter, to protest president Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) cuts.
In this case, however, it was not just the chants or signs that carry the message—it was the music.
“It doesn’t matter what your ideology is, what your political bent is, music opens the heart and it connects people,” said Elizabeth Klarich, one of the protest organizers.
This rally, which took place alongside nearly 1,400 other nationwide protests, has traded many chants for harmonies, slogans for songs.
“I would describe where we’re at today as, 'not where we should be,'” said Perry Birch, a military veteran who retired after a three decade career with law enforcement.
Birch has spent much of his life playing instruments. Just seven years ago, the now 64-year-old added guitar to his rotation.
“I was always intimidated by the guitar ‘cause it has more strings and you play more of them than you do (on) the bass,” said Birch.
Now, he strums familiar tunes from John Lennon, Tom Petty, Buffalo Springfield—once anthems of rebellion and counterculture, revived for another round.
“I mean, it’s unfortunate that we have to bring them back,” said Birch. “I grew up when those songs were out. I grew up when the Vietnam War was going on and (there was) a lot of civil unrest.”
Saturday's spark for Birch came after the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
“When January 6th happened, four years ago, I was very upset,” said Birch. “Then, when president Trump campaigned on pardoning those people after they were convicted and imprisoned, and then he went through on that promise, I was extremely upset.”
For him, music is about more than melody.
“We have to do more than maintain (democracy). We have to take action to maintain it like we’ve never taken before,” said Birch. “I’m not just doing it to sing ‘em, and let everybody hear them, and let them relive something, but it’s because that’s the way I feel about it.”
