Tag: occupy Wall Street

OCT 24, 2011 - Willie Nelson and his wife Annie wrote a poem, and then made a video together and released it on the Internet in a show of solidarity with the Occupy movement that is sweeping the country. In the video Willie says he, "We stand with humanity, against the insanity." "We're the seeds, we're the core. We're the ones we've been waiting for," Annie says in the video. You can check it out below:

OCT 22, 2011 - Rapper Immortal Technique spoke his mind in a WeAreChange video hitting on politics, war, immigration, race and more from Occupy Wall Street. He said, "This is one of the best expressions of democracy that people have seen in America for the past few decades. Unlike the Tea Party, this is organic; it's not corporate-funded, it's not funded by the Koch brothers. This isn't a re-election campaign for Obama. We're willing to put his second term on the altar of democracy and sacrifice it if we need to." He said everyone should do that to send a message that the movement demands real change, not superficial. Check out the interview below.

OCT 22, 2011 - Pete Seeger, along with grandson and musician Tao Rodriguez Seeger, 60s activist musician Arlo Guthrie, composer David Amram, and bluesman Guy Davis joined a crowd of a thousand or so Occupy Wall Street protesters in a march from Symphony Space to Columbus Circle. They sang protest and activist songs as they marched, and then they all sang "We Shall Overcome" at Columbus Circle. Watch the footage below.

OCT 21, 2011 - Musicians at Occupy Boston have helped spark discussion at Dewey Square in downtown Boston it says an article by TheCrimson.com, and requests for bands to perform on the stage have swamped the organizers. In the article media representative Philip J. Anderson says, “[Music] boosts morale and builds community, especially on rainy days. Music is just one of those things that can galvanize movements—especially with songs that everyone knows and can connect with.”

Organizer Kelley P. said, “[Performers] are fighting for the same causes and the same rights that we are. It’s not as easy for a band to get nationally signed to a worldwide record deal anymore. The music industry has changed so dramatically and a lot of these artists struggle with their art and their music. They write songs about situations like these and they’re there [at Occupy Boston] because they are part of the 99 percent.”

Read the rest of TheCrimson article here.

Photo credit: Andrew Burton AP

OCT 21, 2011 - Drums, guitars, and even singing have been a major part of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Zuccotti Park, but local residents are upset about the noise and held local hearings on the issue. They have asked the protesters to limit the drumming to 2 hours during midday, and one protester said the request was reasonable and they would respect their wishes. Click Read More to watch a news clip from PIX11.com.