Song of the Day 6/27: Mumford and Sons, “Hopeless Wanderer”

Mumford and Sons, the British band that soared to popularity a decade ago by dressing up like farmers and playing Americana, hit the news this week when their banjo player left the band because, basically, he’s a right-wing dude-bro, and fans weren’t happy about it.

Winston Marshall, 33, the group’s co-founder and a self-described “trustafarian,” tweeted something in support of a right-wing provocateur who thinks Antifa is bent on world domination, creating serious backlash in the Twitterverse. He composed a jeremiad explaining his decision to leave the band so he can speak freely, but the length of the screed leads to suspicion it was a “quit or you’re fired” scenario.

There were plenty of signs before this that Marshall is a dick — he’s a fan of mock philosopher Jordan Peterson, and before joining the Mumfords he was in a “bluegrass sleaze rap” band called Captain Kick and the Cowboy Ramblers (these are Brits, remember) that played such songs as “Jesse the Gay” and “BitchFuckIt.”

There’s been no word yet from the rest of the band, which still has a fan base but has seen each of its last four albums sell less than its predecessor. Maybe Marshall thinks he’ll have a wider audience on the Wingnut Welfare speakers’ circuit. My bet is he moves to Nashville and goes country.