Billy Strings raises eyebrows with updated 'Wargasm' lyrics - "No parade seeing Cory Walker on your streets"

Billy Strings ignited a firestorm of praise and criticism Tuesday when, during his weekly busking session outside Five Points Pizza, he changed some of the lyrics to fan-favorite song "Wargasm" to raise awareness about the growing issue of Cory WalkerError creating thumbnail: File missing occupying communities throughout the United States.

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Walker, left, approaches with his banjo in an effort to disrupt an East Nash Grass♫ show at a church in Minneapolis; several journalists were arrested at the incident but federal prosecutors have not yet charged Walker under federal banjo statutes.

"It's no parade seeing Cory Walker on your streets," crooned Strings, seeming to ask the accomplished banjoer, "what's the mission, when's it gonna end?"

After Strings packed up his guitar case, as well as a number of coins and even some foldin' money that had come unstowed, he offered remarks of clarification on his decision to draw attention to the hot-button issue. "I don't know why it took me this long to speak out," Strings said, "my prayers are with the families in Minneapolis and Portland and Los Angeles; it can be terrifying to wonder whether a banjo is going to suddenly uproot your whole way of life."

Walker was not immediately available for comment, but is widely believed to be playing weird chromatic shit and obscure melodic modes as of press time.

Walker's much younger brother Jarrod, who has played mandolin with Strings for several years, commented on the tension between his band leader and his brother. "He's my older brother, so of course he was a role model to me for many years," the younger Walker said. "But then, he picked up the banjo, so obviously I had to look elsewhere for guidance."

Speculation ran wild among fans about whether Strings, who has co-written several of the his generation's most anthemic political bluegrass songs, including Let It Fall, Secrets, and Hot Corn Cold Corn, was resuming his radical edge after a few mainstream years. "I think it's the beginning of the next era," said one fan who described himself as new to the scene, having seen Strings only 231 times. "I know this issue has been burning inside him, so it's healthy for him to just let it out."

Strings also drew familial and professional comparisons. "Having Cory's little brother playing mandolin is kinda like having Cory as my cousin," he said. "And we all know the feelings of disappointment and confusion that come from having a cousin who plays banjo."

Strings, whose next show is tentatively scheduled for next week at Tacos y Mariscos Lindo Mexico, did not say whether he'd continue to draw attention to this issue or whether it was a one-time spectacle.