Occuponics: Occupy Wall Street Christmas: Occupy’s the Way


At Zuccotti Park, rebranded “Liberty Plaza” by the Occupy Wall Street General Assembly in late 2011, the Occuponics perform “Occupy’s The Way,” an original parody by the Occuponics’ Paul Stein based on the old Christmas favorite, “Jingle Bells.”

OWS 2011 – Occupy Xmas – Zuccotti Park, NYC

Despite the fact that many protesters continued to feel aggrieved after they were denied the right to protest by encamping at Zuccotti Park (AKA Liberty Square), Christmas Day at Zuccotti Park was a joyous experience, and the Occuponics were on hand to provide musical support to the demonstrators.

As the evening darkened, the lights in the park glittered gaily, as protestors pondered the meaning of Christmas and were kept warm by a wonderful meal prepared by the OWS kitchen. Much of the food was donated by local restaurants, a fact that everyone was grateful for.

On Christmas Day, the Occuponics performed many songs at Zuccotti. This recording captures the band doing one of their standards, Paul Stain’s Occupy Wall Street Song.

Occuponics Occupy Xmas: Zuccotti Park Blues


One of the best things about playing at protests such as Occupy Wall Street is the energy and spontaneity of people participating in the musical experience that finds its way back into the music. Here, at Liberty Square (AKA Zuccotti Park), the band jams on a simple blues progression with input from the audience. What resulted in this case was a song called “Zuccotti Park Blues.” Given that this performance happened only a short time after police raided the Zuccotti encampment, removing and/or confiscating many of the occupiers’ personal possessions, it is quite appropriate that one of the singers notes that “they even took my shoes.”

Video Documentary: The Occuponics (Work In Progress)


All of us in the Occuponics are grateful to video documentarian Jean E. Taylor for taking the time to interview some of the Occuponics for her video documentary on Occupy Wall Street (OWS), recorded in late 2011 at Zuccotti Park (AKA Liberty Square). In this sequence, the Occuponics’ Stephen Carl Baldwin talks about the process of making music for Occupy Wall Street.

David Peel and The Occuponics at Occupy Wall Street, December 7, 2011


Veteran NYC street performer David Peel (often referred to as “The Godfather of Punk” because of his major influence over the development of the NYC-based punk music movement in the late 20th Century) jams with The Occuponics on December 7th, 2011, in Liberty Square (AKA Zuccotti Park). Dave started hanging with OWS early on, and was frequently seen playing what observers called his “Atomic Cowbell” in the drum circle. Here, Dave performs his original Occupy Wall Street song, “Wall Street Sucks” with accompaniment by at least one of the Occuponics.

Occuponics Occupy Thanksgiving 2011


The Occuponics perform at the Thanksgiving celebration at Zuccotti Park, November, 2011. Hundreds of very tasty meals were served by the Occupy Wall Street kitchen at this time, and the atmosphere was genuinely joyous, despite the fact that many protesters remained aggrieved, with some made newly homeless, by the police action that happened approximately one week before this time. Many singalongs were held on this day, and a spirited square dancing session happened later in the evening.

Occuponics: “Pharoah, Your Kingdom Must Come Down”


The Occuponics perform a new version of an old gospel song whose working title at the time of this recording was “Pharoah, Your Kingdom Must Come Down.” This song was taught to the group by musician Painless Parker (AKA Noam Berg) on the afternoon of November 15, 2011, as crowds of people gathered around the outside of Zuccotti Park, closed by police, and attempted to regain entry. While entry was granted to many, musical instruments were banned from the park because it was believed that sleeping bags or blankets could be concealed within them. “Pharoah, Your Kingdom Must Come Down” has since morphed into “Wall Street, Your Kingdom Must Come Down” and is regularly performed by The Occuponics because it is a powerful song that allows listeners and singers to add their own entities — persons, corporations, or social ills that happen to be on their mind at the time — to the lyrics. Here it is performed at Zuccotti Park a short time after the encampment was raided but after the park was reopened for public use.

The Occuponics Perform The Beatles’ “Revolution” at Zuccotti Park (AKA Liberty Square) For Occupy Wall Street

The Beatles’ Revolution is performed by Stephen C. Baldwin at Zuccotti Park (AKA Liberty Plaza) on November 8th, 2011. John Lennon’s song, like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.,” is often misunderstood by those seeking to use this tune as fodder for an ideological grindstone. In fact, the nuanced view presented by each song is testament to the writers’ respect for the complex requirements for peaceful social change.

Stephen C. Baldwin, who was a member of the New York City-based cover band “The Meetles” before joining The Occuponics, observes that of all the Beatles songs he knows, the three that he finds most appropriate for performing at Occupy Wall Street are “Imagine,” “Revolution,” and “Come Together.”