Chris Pierce speaks up with his latest album, 'American Silence'

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Mathieu Bitton/Courtesy of the artist

Chris Pierce

Mathieu Bitton/Courtesy of the artist

If you want to help make the world a better place, sometimes it's not enough to just get along; you can't just put a nice sign in your window, or buy a T-shirt with a slogan on it. At a certain point, it's time to speak up — that's what my guest today, Chris Pierce, has done with his latest album, American Silence. And, as maybe you can guess from the title, he's hoping other people join him.

Born and raised in Southern California, Pierce's parents were the first interracial couple in their neighborhood, and many of the songs on the album deal with what he and his family experienced there. You'll hear him perform songs from American Silence in this session — and maybe our conversation will help you start one, too.