Blue-collar punk band Coxey’s Army carries on a 19th century legacy

The march was deemed Coxey’s Army.

In 2025, Columbus/Dayton blue-collar punk band Coxey’s Army channels that late-19th century demonstration through street-level grit and working-class pride.

The band is performing Oct. 11 at Cosmo Joe’s Atomic Lounge, in support of its debut record, “Stand Together, Keep the Faith.” Toledo oi! band The Old Breed and Dayton cow-punks Viceroy Kings are also on the bill.

Music-centered nonprofit Punk Rock Saves Lives will be there swabbing for bone marrow registry and passing out harm reduction supplies.

In the years after the march, the term Coxey’s Army was used briefly as a slang term for a ragtag group of misfits and miscreants — outsiders, people who live on the fringes of society. When bassist and singer Nate Rising heard about that, he said, “Wow, that’s a punk band… that’s the punk scene.” So, in 2019, he formed a band that reflected that sense of community, the sense of being something bigger than yourself.

“All of us are working class guys,” Rising said. “We punch the clock every day. We work hard to provide for our families. Punk rock is just our art, and our lives. And we bring that to our listeners.”

Considering where the name comes from, Coxey’s Army has an inherent distaste for authority, which is also thoroughly expressed in the lyrics: “What happens when the work dries up / And the paycheck’s not enough / To save the fat cat’s bottom line?” Rising’s background is hardcore punk — “three powerchords and the truth” — but Coxey’s Army is rooted in Celtic folk tradition.

The Celtic sound, despite the distortion, developed through Rising writing songs on mandolins and tenor guitars, which is why the chord progressions found throughout “Stand Together, Keep the Faith” have just as much in common with folk as they do punk.

Rising’s voice is a consistent yell. His vocal endurance is from years of practice singing in punk bands for the past 20 years. Extended listening will give you a sore throat by proxy.

When he was writing songs for the debut record, Rising was going through a time in his life when the rug was pulled out from under him; his community was falling apart.

“Everything that I had been working toward was disappearing or taken away,” he said. “When I started writing music again, my mantra was ‘stand together, keep the faith.’ Lean on your friends. Lean on your community. Keep the faith. Don’t give up.”

Jacob Coxey recognized the infrastructure falling apart, so he petitioned for the government to consider doing something about it. In its own blue-collar punk way, Coxey’s Army, the band, petitions for togetherness. On the debut album cover, a young man and an older man hold their protest signs.

“A bunch of people standing together,” Rising said, “showing what we can do if we stand arm-in-arm, coming together as a community… that is essentially what we’re about.”

Finally, arguably the most important question of all: Is it necessary to wear a tweed flat cap to play this type of music?

“Absolutely. Yes. It’s a fashion staple.”

Coxey’s Army’s debut album “Stand Together, Keep the Faith,” produced by Mike Walter, is out digitally Oct. 6. It will be released on vinyl in three limited edition color variants.

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