Paul Stein uses his accordion, melodica, claviola, voice, & original songs to support peace, justice, & the environment. Co-founder of The Occuponics, who were active throughout Occupy Wall Street, he can be heard at marches, demonstrations, rallies, & vigils all around the New York City area, often with the Filthy Rotten System band.
“If you haven’t seen Occuponics yet, you should. This is music OWS style. They sing and play the accordion and the guitar and invite all other musicians to play and everyone to sing. They have a large repertoire of Occupy Wall Street related songs, both original and traditional in folk/protest and pop style. To see them in action, please go to: www.occuponics.com
Spring Awakening 2012 is happening at 1 PM, Central Park South on the West Side of Wollman Rink. How to get there? Read this page.
Nice article over at RT.com about Occupella, a Bay Area-based musical project which performs Occupy Wall Street-themed works. in a way conducive to public sing alongs. Occupella (whose site is at Occupella.org), was founded by Bonnie Lockhart, along with longtime activists Hali Hammer, Betsy Rose and Nancy Schimmel.
The Occuponics’ Stephen Carl Baldwin wrote this song after witnessing the ordeals suffered by various brave young women at Occupy Wall Street. Some were arrested, others beaten up, or bruised — physically or psycholocially — by these travails. The song is entitled “Never Stop The Spring;” lyrics are below the Soundcloud embed area.
Lauren is free, free as can be
She was arrested for dancing for democracy
I never knew that dance was such a dangerous thing
They can crush the flowers, but they can never stop the Spring
Lana is free, free as the air
She was arrested for drumming in the square
I never knew that music was such a dangerous thing
They can crush the flowers, but they can never stop the Spring
Mosiah is free, free as can be
They say she was jaywalking so they dragged her down the street
I never knew that walking’s such a dangerous thing
They can crush the flowers, but they will never crush the spring
Allegra is free, they busted her up
They threw down her camera but she picked it up
I never knew that truth is such a dangerous thing
They can crush the flowers, but they can never stop the Spring
They can crush the flowers, but they can never stop the Spring
Our friend and fellow musician Carlos Mandelbaum expounds on Occupy Wall Street in this video, recorded by Allegra Culpepper, at Union Square on Saturday, March 24. You can avail yourself of more of Carlos’ thought-provoking views at his site, http://www.carnivalofideas.com.
The Occuponics greatly enjoyed providing musical entertainment for Occupy Town Square’s “pop up” Occupation, which occurred on Sunday, March 25th, 2012. Although it rained a bit, the inclement weather could not damp the spirit of the peaceful demonstrators, and a fine time was had by all.
The band performed many songs at Occupy Fort Greene, both original, parodies, and traditional folk songs. Other musicians were also on hand, including Dave Lippman, and the irrepressible Rude Mechanical Orchestra.
The Occuponics jam with the renowned Carlos Mandelbaum at Union Square Park, NY, playing “This Park Is Your Mark,” a slightly modified version of Woody Guthrie’s classic “This Land Is Your Land.”
One of the great joys of playing folk music is that this kind of music, by definition, is subject to modification as times change. Like the United States Constitution, folk songs are “living documents” which belong to the people and can be modified to their current needs.
The Occuponics had the rare pleasure of jamming with the polymath Carlos Mandelbaum (AKA David Intrator) on Wednesday, March 21, the fourth day of the Occupation of Union Square. Here the band performs “I Don’t Know But I’ve Been Told (Occupy People Are Mighty Bold),” an original composition by the Occuponics’ Stephen Carl Baldwin. This song has proven to be popular among the demonstrators, and is often requested when the Occuponics are on the scene.
The Occuponics jam with The OWS Sax Man at Union Square during the American Spring concert series, March 20, 2012.
Union Square became a locus of activity for Occupy Wall Street following the 6-month anniversary of OWS, which, while a joyous day, deteriorated into violence late in the evening. Many protesters came to Union Square in the following days, believing that they might be safer in a different part of Manhattan.
