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.
The Occuponics Perform in a worldwide streamcast of The People Staged "Father$ of Lies." Photo credit: Stacy Lanyon.
The Occuponics performed with The People Staged this past Saturday night, providing music for an original play entitled “FATHER$ OF LIES.” The performance was streamed live to the world as part of the international broadcast ‘Low Lives: Occupy!’ on March 3, 2012. The music performed was “I Don’t Know But I’ve Been Told,” an original composition by the Occuponics’ Stephen Carl Baldwin.
“Sixteen Tons,” a working song written by country great Merle Travis and made a hit by Tennessee Ernie Ford, is a natural candidate for performance in OWS-related events. Here, Stephen C. Baldwin and guest harmonica player Anthony perform the song at Zuccotti Park (AKA Liberty Square) in late 2011.
An unpleasant, debilitating illness beset Occupy Wall Street (OWS) in the early weeks of January, 2012. Protesters returning from Washington DC may have brought the malady north after a mass demonstration there. Because many former Zuccotti Park campers now huddle, wandering nomads, in church shelters where disease easily spreads, an outbreak of what is being called the “Occu-Flu” has presented itself as the latest obstacle to OWS. Symptoms are centered in the stomach and this aggressive occupying microbe will seek out every available haven in the body.
The Occuponics recorded this brief Get Well ditty to express all those affected by the dreaded Occu-Flu.
Don’t let the Occu-Flu go chill ya
Cause the Occu-Flu can kill ya
You know the germ don’t give a damn about me and you
So if you go down to Zuccotti
Better take care of your body
We’ve got a long long way to go before we’re through
Don’t let the Occu-Flu go chill ya
Cause the Occu-Flu can kill ya
Don’t let the Occu-Flu go chill ya
Cause the Occu-Flu can kill ya
The Occuponics’ Stephen Carl Baldwin performing an original song at Occupy Wall Street in October, 2011, several weeks before Zuccotti Park was closed down by NYPD at the direction of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Scott Olsen, the subject of this song, is the ex-marine who was seriously injured at the Oakland, California demonstrations that happened several days before in solidarity with OWS.