Tag: justice

NOV 30, 2011 - A group of activist musicians calling themselves "Music For Occupy" which includes Jackson Browne, Crosby and Nash, Third Eye Blind, Lucinda Williams, Devo and Zuccotti Park drummers and others are planning to release a benefit album called "Occupy This Album". Many other artists will contribute such as DJ Logic, Ladytron, Warren Haynes, Toots and the Maytals, Mike Limbaud, Aeroplane Pageant, Yo La Tengo and even Michael Moore.

Activist musician Jason Samel is putting it all together and hopes to raise $1 to $2 million dollars to help fuel the movement. Alliance for Global Justice will coordinate the proceeds, with about half going to Occupy Wall Street, and the other half to help out with specific causes and projects related to the Occupy movement. The album will be released digital only at first, but they haven't ruled out a physical CD release in the future. Graham Nash said in a statement, "The Occupy movement is really the voice of the people, it's an idea that's been a long time coming. I fully support their non-violent protests against a system that is carefully crafted in favor of the rich one percent".

On Jackson Browne's website it says their mission is to "inspire and celebrate through music the Occupy Wall Street movement and the 99% who've been adversely affected by the economic corruption that has permeated our Democracy, created a near insurmountable disparity in wealth, and hindered life, liberty and justice and the honest pursuit of an honest living for all. Music For Occupy is in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, and all proceeds above board attained through the production and distribution of "Occupy This Album: A compilation of music by, for and inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and the 99%" will go directly towards the need of sustaining this growing movement". Check JTMP regularly and we will let you know the moment it comes out and how you can get a copy.

Check out Third Eye Blind's contribution to the album, "If There Ever Was a Time" below.

NOV 30, 2011 - 80 activist musicians are all coming together to honor Bob Dylan and Amnesty International for their 50 years of work on protecting and supporting human and civil rights in an album called "Chimes of Freedom" to be released in January of 2012. From Patti Smith to Kris Kristofferson, and even lesser-known artists, a diverse group of musicians will all contribute to this project produced by by legendary music executive Jeff Ayeroff and Julie Yannatta. 

"This album is a powerful fusion of the music community's respect for Amnesty's life-affirming work and for Bob Dylan's enduring brilliance," said Ayeroff and Yannatta. "We are proud to have worked with Amnesty to produce this remarkable project."

On Amnesty International's website they say, "Through Chimes of Freedom, Amnesty International seeks to enlist support for its fight against censorship and attacks on free speech -- whether involving artists, writers, musicians, political activists or bloggers. In this campaign, Amnesty is fighting for people such as the imprisoned Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in China, a scholar and human rights defender imprisoned since 2009 for writing about corruption and criticizing China's political system. In addition to purchasing the album at " To learn more go to AI's website by clicking here.
 

NOV 29, 2011 - Miley Cyrus has released a music video on her YouTube channel, and has dedicated it to the Occupy activists saying, "This is Dedicated to the thousands of people who are standing up for what they believe in. Miley Cyrus" Watch the video below.

Makana, a well known musical activist was hired to play at a dinner for President Barack Obama and other APEC leaders who are meeting in Hawaii, and he surreptitiously serenaded them with occupy protest support songs. Makana had played the White House back in 2007, but instead of playing the regular background music, he opened his jacket to reveal a shirt that said, "Occupy With Aloha" and he played his song, "We Are the Many” for a continuous 45 minutes; which has lines such as “The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw.... And until they are purged, we won't withdraw,” and ends with the refrain: “We'll occupy the streets, we'll occupy the courts, we'll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few." The Yes Men were there and filmed it all. They have a great post up about it here, and their video is below, along with Makana's video of "We Are The Many".

From Huffington Post, By DAVID BAUDER, The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The sound of insistent drumming bounces off the sides of nearby office towers announcing the location of the Occupy Wall Street home base long before its inhabitants are otherwise seen or heard.

Turn a corner in Zuccotti Park and you're likely to run into a drum circle or find someone strumming a guitar. Maybe it's an amateur trying to keep spirits up, or it could be the real deal – recording artists such as David Crosby and Graham Nash.

Read the rest of story with music videos here.