The Pulse
Sept. 9, 2025

Singer-songwriter Martin Kerr's new album, Overdue for a Revolution, aims his protest folk at the growing number of Americans who are tired of the status quo and want to commune with people who feel the same.

"They told me this was a free speech land / so I made a post with my phone in my hand / now I've been detained / I can't see my fam / 'cause I dared to criticize the orange man," begins Kerr's song Banned from the USA, sung to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A.

Kerr, who grew up in England and now lives in Edmonton, told Taproot he is not banned from the United States. Rather, this song is about three incidents where people with legal permits to visit the U.S. were detained or denied entry. It touches on composer Andrew Balfour being sent back to Toronto ahead of a planned performance at Carnegie Hall, the arrest and imprisonment of student Rümeysa Öztürk by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement department, and the same treatment by the same department of Mahmoud Khalil (the latter two had spoken in support of Palestine).

Kerr said Born in the U.S.A. is an apt reference point because, while the original Springsteen song critiques the treatment of Vietnam veterans, it is routinely misinterpreted as a patriotic anthem. Former president Ronald Reagan perverted the song's message during his 1984 reelection campaign, and it was later embraced by supporters of sitting President Donald Trump, who Springsteen has criticized.

"I love Bruce Springsteen and what he stands for," Kerr said. "It was so bizarre to see my Facebook feed flooded with right-wing propaganda about him, people up in arms about him speaking out against the corruption of the Trump regime. They said that (Springsteen's) 'anti-American.' He's always stood for these things, and the people who were outraged by it have obviously never paid attention to the content of his lyrics."

Kerr calls his reimagining of songs "parodies," but they are not comedic in the way "Weird Al" Yankovic songs are. Take Hey There Luigi from the new album. It's based on Hey There Delilah, the 2005 love song by Plain White T's. Kerr's version explores Luigi Mangione and his alleged murder of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson. But the song is not flippant like so many memes about Mangione. Instead, it's about how the inhumanity of the American healthcare system and murder can be abhorrent at the same time. Kerr said he was reluctant to take on Hey There Delilah at first, but his manager's encouragement to record the song paid off.

"It immediately went viral," Kerr said. "I really put my heart into my rewrite, and I said what I wanted to say about that situation. It's a lament (about something that is) really a tragedy from all angles. The tragedy of the American healthcare system that exploits people suffering, illness, and death for profit, the tragedy of this businessman with kids who was shot in the street, and the tragedy of the guy who (allegedly) shot him, who's going to go to jail for the rest of his life, or will maybe be executed."

Kerr composes wholly original music most of the time. Half of Overdue for a Revolution is brand new, but his twists on classics have resonated with a larger audience lately. In 2023, he released the song God Rest Ye Merry Billionaires, a class-minded take on the Christmas carol God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen. This year, his song What's Up America? (based on What's Going On? by 4 Non Blondes) helped him gain 300,000 new American followers on social media. That's why he's crowdfunding to tour in the U.S. despite the increased visa costs and uptick in border scrutiny under the Trump administration.

"I want my music to be part of the movement for justice and democracy and community," Kerr said. "The live experience of sharing songs in a room together with a group of people that are united by the same rhythm, melody, words, and ideas is a very powerful thing, and can hopefully lead to a knock-on effect in the community. (Live music can) galvanize people to know that they're not alone and that they're part of something. They can help each other to build the kind of world that they want to live in."

Kerr will tour Canada and Europe ahead of the potential U.S. run, but none of his current dates are in the Edmonton region.

• Edmonton city council's urban planning committee will review a report advising against stricter regulations on short-term rentals, citing challenges in enforcement and potential legal risks. Instead, the report recommends a public education campaign on existing rules and host responsibilities. Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz, whose motion passed in April required business licences for such rentals, noted a 70% increase in licensed rentals since May 2024. However, Tracy Douglas-Blowers, President and CEO of the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association, advocates for platforms to share data, stating current regulations lack accountability for "ghost hotels." Nuisance complaints constitute only 0.3% of total bylaw complaints.
• Former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel officially endorsed Michael Walters for mayor in the upcoming municipal election. Walters, currently polling at 7% support, said that he is the "moderate candidate" focused on leadership for Edmontonians. Mandel, who served as mayor from 2004 to 2013, praised Walters's ability to build consensus and address challenges like homelessness and housing, highlighting his experience as a former city councillor. Walters previously served two terms under Mayor Don Iveson.
• Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides revised rules for school books, now banning books with explicit visual depictions of sexual acts, not written descriptions. This change follows an uproar after Edmonton Public Schools compiled a list of more than 200 books, including The Handmaid's Tale, for removal based on the original July ministerial order. Schools now have until Jan. 5 to comply and must submit a list of removed materials by the end of October.
• The Edmonton Police Service recorded 10 shootings in August, a slight increase from July, bringing the total for 2025 to 91. This represents a 7% rise compared to the 85 shootings reported by the same time in 2024. Of the August incidents, six were targeted and four resulted in injuries, with no fatalities reported. Police also seized 65 firearms in August.
• Volunteers in Edmonton have established a command post at the Dawson Park boat launch to aid in the search for 14-year-old Samuel Bird, who has been missing since June 1. His mother, Alanna Bird, continues to search daily, with efforts now entering their 14th week. Samuel was last seen leaving a friend's home in the Canora neighbourhood, and the Edmonton Police Service has deemed his disappearance suspicious. He is known to frequent West Edmonton Mall and areas in the west end and south side.
• The Alberta government announced it will defend against a court challenge to its school pronoun law. The legislation, which took effect this month, mandates parental consent for students under 16 changing names or pronouns, and parental notification for those aged 16 and 17, specifically when the request relates to gender identity. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups Egale Canada and Skipping Stone filed the challenge, arguing the law is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and harms gender-diverse youth by denying school support and forcing difficult choices.
• The Alberta government invested $713 million from a tobacco lawsuit settlement into the Heritage Savings Trust Fund in July. The payment is part of Alberta's $3.1 billion share from a $24.7 billion settlement with Canada's three largest tobacco companies. A government spokesperson said the fund, now valued at $30 billion, aims to protect future resources and strengthen healthcare for Albertans impacted by tobacco. Critics argue the funds should be allocated directly to cancer screening, treatment, and smoking cessation and prevention efforts.
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• Strength in Differences: Leveraging Diversity for Innovation starting at 11:30am
• Red Shoes Walk for FASD Awareness starting at 12:30pm at Churchill Square
• Culture of Startups starting at 5pm at EPIC Market
• Read | Eat | Drink book pairing dinner: Chocolat starting at 6pm at Chartier
• Nurture & Nature Lawn Chair Yoga starting at 6:15pm at Green and Gold Community Garden
• Hear Her: Shaping Our City's Future starting at 6:30pm at The Common
• A Conversation with Peter Mansbridge starting at 7pm at Horowitz Theatre
• Tuesday Jam hosted by Experience Points starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Sept. 24: Life Sciences Investment Summit Finale at Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute
• Sept. 27-28: Harvest Book Fair at CKUA
• Oct. 9: Edmonton Mayoral Candidate Forum at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

Reading Taproot's Health Innovation Roundup might help you with some of these clues!