The Occuponics – along with The OWS Sax Man, Guitarmy and the OWS Pulse Drum Circle – provided musical support to the second annual Animal Rights Day ceremony in Union Square Park this past Sunday, June 3rd. Toward the end of our concert, it began to rain, but folks kept right on dancing, and this short video captures of the magic of dancing in the rain!
I’m happy to say that the GUITARMY’s first major action this past Tuesday, May First, 2012, was a success.
GUITARMY’s seven Squad Leaders were able to deliver participating musicians safely from our point of departure (Bryant Park) to our destination (Union Square). This was a big challenge because yesterday’s march was “unpermitted,” which meant that everyone had to stay on the sidewalk and carefully heed directions issued by the NYPD, but everything went smoothly. Nobody was arrested, the music was sweet, our Guitar Medic kept people supplied with strings and picks as they broke or disintegrated, the playing was timely and tuneful, and the singing was soulful and on-key.
I can say that everybody who was a part of this felt great at the end of the day: they had mastered some classic protest songs (including Florence Reece’s iconic “Which Side Are You On”), felt more confident as players, and had experienced first hand the joy and excitement of playing music within the meaningful context of a significant protest march. It was especially important that Tom Morello was able to there supporting GUITARMY. The vast majority of musicians who’ve supported Occupy Wall Street over the winter aren’t famous and never will be, and it’s a big boost when a celebrity like Tom is there because the media pays more careful attention.
GUITARMY will be out and about again. If you’d like training as a Squad Leader, please get in touch with the group and someone will show you the ropes. You can reach GUITARMY via e-mail by sending mail to the Occupy Wall Street Music Group (music@nycga.net) and also by following them on Twitter: @owsmusicgroup. Guitarmy’s Tumbler site (which contains our set list, lyrics, chords, and other resources) is here: http://occupyguitarmy.tumblr.com/
A nice story was written on the Guitarmy’s Rehearsal Section here:
http://www.fuse.tv/2012/05/on-the-ground-with-tom-morello-occupy-wall-street-guitarmy
The following video from GlobalPost is very well produced and discusses Guitarmy within the context of the evolution of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The only real complaint is that one must endure a 30-second spot commercial before viewing the content.
MEDIA ALERT: THE OCCUPONICS WILL ACCOMPANY THE TAX DODGERS ON APRIL 17TH (FEDERAL TAX DAY)
MEDIA RELEASE IS HERE
EVENT SCHEDULE IS HERE
The Occuponics are honored to be the house band for The Tax Dodgers. The team was in Central Park this past Saturday warming up for the big game on Tax Day. Here’s a rousing performance of “Take Me Out to the Tax Game”. Thanks, RK Chin and Jennifer Maskell, for shooting these videos. And thanks to the OWS Drum Circle for providing a steady beat!
From http://springawakening2012.wordpress.com
“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.
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.
NEVER STOP THE SPRING by Stephen Carl Baldwin
NEVER STOP THE SPRING
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
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.
