Occuponics Occupy Union Square/American Spring Concert: March 20, 2012

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.

Occuponics Celebrate Occupy Wall Street 6 Month Anniversary

The Occuponics were on hand this past weekend to provide a musical soundtrack to OWS (Occupy Wall Street)’s 6 Month Anniversary, as shown in the following clips. Additionally, lyrics from The Occuponics’ Paul Stein’s song, “What We Believe Cannot Be Jailed,” were quoted in The Wall Street Journal of Monday in the article by reporters Jessica Ferger and Pervaiz Shallwani.

Occuponics at Liberty Square, 3/16/2012


The Occuponics’ Stephen Carl Baldwin and Paul Stein perform at Liberty Square (AKA Zuccotti Park) on March 16, 2012, participating in COOLS (the Cultural Occupation of Liberty Square), a winter series of lunchtime performances and concerts whose purpose is to demonstrate that Zuccotti Park has not been abandoned and that Occupy Wall Street has not collapsed. Thanks to Robert K. Chin for making this recording. We are always glad to see Robert recording OWS, because he really know what he is doing!

Occuponics At Low Lives: Occupy! FATHER$ OF LIE Live Broadcast, 3-4-12

The Occuponics Perform in a worldwide streamcast of The People Staged "Father$ of Lies." Photo credit: Stacy Lanyon.

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.

Occuponics at Tompkins Square Park, 2/26/2012

This past Sunday, February 26th, Tompkins Square Park was reoccupied by Occupy Town Square, a series of “pop-up” occupations of public spaces that’s done a number of interesting “mobile occupations,” including actions at Washington Square Park and the West Park Presbyterian Church. The event included plenty of music, art, poetry, drama, crafts, and teach-ins, and The Occuponics were there. Here, Stephen C. Baldwin performs two Occuponics favorites, “I Don’t Know But I’ve Been Told/Occupy People Are Mighty Bold” and “Wall Street, Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” a song derived from an old gospel tune taught to us by Painless Parker (AKA Noam Berg). The accompanying female voice belongs to the polymath Allegra Culpepper, who has both performed at and documented the Occupy Wall Street movement for many months.

Occuponics Join Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage, 2-22-2012

The Occuponics were proud to join musicians in the Catholic Workers Band (AKA “The Filthy Rotten System”) who greeted marchers who made a 12-mile pilgrimage from the Footbridge to Ellis Island in Liberty State Park to the Elizabeth Detention Center for the third Consecutive Year on Ash Wednesday, 2012. This center – run by a private, profit-making company, is filled with immigrants who are threatened with deportation, and one of the songs performed at this event was Woody Guthrie’s “Deportee.”

This annual event is archived on Facebook at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/events/119230314865597/

Ash Wednesday Pilgrimage from Ellis Island to Elizabeth Detention Center 2-22-12 : Arrival at EDC

Sunset Park Home Reporter Article: Duo Raise Voices of Protest

Steve Baldwin and Paul Stein are the Occuponics.

BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by Heather J. Chin

Heather J. Chin, of the Sunset Park Home Reporter and the Brooklyn Spectator, recently profiled the Occuponics’ Paul Stein and Stephen C. Baldwin for the paper’s “Brooklyn Buzz” section, and the band very much appreciates the coverage.

Occuponics: Sixteen Tons

“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.