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Bucharest’s Drug-Addicted Roma Are Being Left to Rot | VICE …
VICE–16 hours agoA Trans Woman in Portland Was Just Convicted of Stealing Social Security by … A 20-minute drive from the underground ghetto in the sewers, …. He said lots of people from Ferentari love England because the …. and that there had been little movement in improving education or health care for Roma. -
Mekons Finally Get Their Revenge: An Interview with Sally Timms of …
Noisey (blog)–Jul 17, 2015The Mekons formed in 1977, in Leeds, England. …. And sometimes no one comes to the show but we just consider the shows a vehicle for our social life essentially. … there was the whole movement because there was a ton of racism, … of 1980’s house and then early 90s underground British dance music. -
Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter and Carey Mulligan star on …
Daily Mail–Jul 15, 2015… in the suffrage movement, Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political … to join the U.K.‘s growing suffragette movement led by Pankhurst. … women from all walks of life, who are eventually forced underground to … -
‘El Chapo’ jailbreak is both a Mexican and an American story
The Conversation AU–Jul 16, 2015El Chapo incarnates everything that the United States pities and fears … drugs symbolised social challenges to established norms across the Western world. … and British-based HSBC facilitated over many years the movement of … underground paths not only for escaping law enforcement agencies, but … -
You’re Not Racist But… : Irreverence, Bigotry and the Politically …
Huffington Post UK–Jul 13, 2015This was a slogan popularized by British Conservative MP Peter … It is often claimed that racism died with the civil rights movement and the … Or did they decide it was easiest to hide their racism so as not to lose social standing? … Racism is underground now, which makes it much more difficult to detect. -
Haaretz
Unprecedented Israeli Action Against Jerusalem Club’s Anti-Arab …
Huffington Post–Jul 10, 2015Beitar was founded in 1936 by members of the Beitar movement established in 1923 … para-military Jewish underground that waged a violent campaign against the pre-state British mandate authorities. … rooted in resentment against social and economic discrimination, rivals their disdain for Palestinians. -
The times they are a-changin’ as NME becomes free sheet
Financial Times–Jul 6, 2015According to its owner, Time Inc UK, the NME is taking the next step … writers from the underground press brought a newly irreverent tone … Coverage has had to adapt to the emergence of new music movements, from punk to hip-hop. … The new scheme aims to broaden its operations to social media and … -
Recovering New York City’s Black History
Huffington Post–Jul 2, 2015The image was first uncovered by Philip Panaritis, a social studies curriculum … to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad (Norton) and … In British New York slavery expanded and was more tightly regulated. … While New York City and State became central to the movement to abolish … -
Britain is wrong to reject fracking application: Kemp
Reuters–Jun 29, 2015The railway is now part of the West Coast Main Line, Britain’s busiest … Dickens was ambivalent about the social and economic changes wrought by … subject to stringent conditions on traffic movements, control of noise, dust, … arrive at giant regasification terminals and be sent via underground pipelines, … -
‘I must save my life and not risk my family’s safety!’: Untold Stories of …
Jadaliyya–Jul 5, 2015… was raised and educated in the United Kingdom, and she was descended from … of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Hama City during the 1980s, and … on her knees to climb down seven floors of stairs located underground until …. analysis of global and social media, I have analyzed representative …
Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
U.K: Boards, Briefs, Bain and Cure
Posted by N. A. Jones on July 21, 2015
Posted in Activism, Movements, Music | Comments Off on U.K: Boards, Briefs, Bain and Cure
Boards, Briefs, and Banter
Posted by N. A. Jones on July 21, 2015
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Why Banning the Confederate Flag Won’t Stop Confederate America …
Washingtonian.com (blog)–1 hour ago… in blackface, the fleeing president is escorted along the Underground Railroad by … the American Civil Rights movement, to bring the CSA into the USA. ….. Not with programs, not with “dialogue,” not with social engineering. -
The Quietus | Features | Noel’s Straight Hedge | Noel’s Straight …
The Quietus–10 hours ago… spits about ketamine-heavy house parties and tube journeys full of pricks. … punk and UK82, all movements with aims of trashing their ancestry. … containing varying degrees of relevant social comment but all worth hearing. -
Humans Recap: Instructions Not Included — Vulture
Vulture–Jul 19, 2015… left for a work commitment and uses Anita/Mia to track Laura’s movements, … the rights and contradictory social baggage that entails just because she … her way into an underground club of humans brutally beating synths. -
The New Underground Railroad Movement
San Francisco Bay View–Jun 24, 2015“History suggests that it is crucial to the success of social movements that the people on whose behalf the movement speaks and acts need to … -
Vogue ballroom culture endures in Philadelphia with new …
PhillyVoice.com–Jul 17, 2015It’s just not the “underground” scene it used to be. … They’re young people who, certainly, might embrace the prestige of social media fame if it comes along but … Henry Watts describes his movements as “sharp, precise and … -
Mock the Garden returns for another charitable punk marathon
City Pages–Jul 16, 2015Satisfied with this contribution to underground local and touring musicians, … where there’s already some momentum behind the movements,” he says, … as well as his provocative freelance writing and social media presence. -
Dallas Rapper Buffalo Black Sees Modern-Day America as a Real …
Dallas Observer–Jul 16, 2015… that’s been living under a rock that’s 300 feet underground and cut off from all … midst of some form of social upheaval and much of it is centered on race. … some of which marginalize the work of the Civil Rights movement. -
Jerusalem Post Israel News
Monitor Board of Contributors: United Church of Christ membership …
Concord Monitor–Jul 15, 2015The leaders of the progressive Jewish movements – the Reform movement in … in college cafeterias, and in social halls where Jews were partaking of … and bombings to eliminate – an extensive underground tunnel system. -
Whose face do you want on the $10 bill?
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle–Jul 12, 2015One of the most successful conductors on the Underground … “The political and social movements launched by these women and many like … -
What Trans Movement?
Advocate.com–Jul 14, 2015The battlefields are social media and op-ed sections, and the stakes are …. one another on city streets, in nightclubs, and at underground balls.
Posted in Activism, Movements, Music | Comments Off on Boards, Briefs, and Banter
Wildcard: Music
Posted by N. A. Jones on June 19, 2015
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The Top Five Songs Written about Specific Drugs
FDRMX–Mar 18, 2015Mark Lanegan created a song called “Methamphetamine Blues,” which … Like heroin, cocaine is another drug, which many bands and musicians … about heroin (to my knowledge) is “Heroin” by The Velvet Underground; …
Music of the Revolution
Posted by N. A. Jones on October 29, 2012
Songs of freedom
Thursday 25 October 2012
by Solomon Hughes
Printable
EmailIf your ears are drawn to political music, then buy or borrow Dorian Lynskey’s 33 Revolutions Per Minute.
Lynskey, who contributes to the Guardian among other publications, has written the story of radical music from the 1930s to now.
It’s narrative history, not sociological analysis – but Lynskey brilliantly captures the way individual artists’ lives and talents intermingle with great social movements to create the songs that move people’s feet on the dancefloor and the demonstration.
Songs above love of the struggle – as well as love of the best-looking girl in class.
At 864 pages Lynskey’s book is obviously a labour of love. Like all true romantics he’s anxious about the object of his desire.
Lynskey worries that the big political song’s moment has passed – that both grand political movements and the centrality of popular music to young people have waned.
We’ve all done it – written gloomily at the bottom of the political cycle, thinking things might stay down forever.
But shortly after Lynskey handed in his manuscript a Tunisian rapper helped spark a revolution.
It must be one of the highest points in the history of protest music – in 2011 Hamada Ben Amor released a rap on Facebook under the pseudonym El General.
The rap – called Mr President – was fiercely critical of president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
That song (worth a look on YouTube) and El General’s arrest by 30 secret service agents were a significant factor in igniting the revolution that unseated Ben Ali and in turn fed the wider Arab spring.
Music and politics can still flow together with dramatic consequences.
But there are other reasons for Lynskey to be more cheerful.
His favoured model often seems to be the big crossover hit. He really grasps how it happens – when individual artists, inspired by social protest as well as their own talent, feed into wider movements.
The way the civil rights and anti-war movements of the ’60s helped brew the psychedelic musical revolts or the conscious soul of Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye.
The way disgust with the Callaghan and Thatcher governments and the protests of the Anti-Nazi League or urban riots fed the Clash or the Specials.
The way the post-Seattle anti-globalisation movement transformed Rage Against The Machine from a minority interest into spokespeople for a movement.
But it isn’t all about the big time.
Lynskey certainly covers the apparently smaller underground moments and movements, but I’m not sure he always recognises their true power.
He does tell, for example, how Communist Party members and other radicals made folk music an essential prop for the trade union movements of the 1930s and ’40s, and later the civil rights movement of the ’50s and ’60s, even running a folk music school for activists in Tennessee, sometimes in the face of ugly red-scare attacks.
Lynskey sees that impact because it is obvious when the underground goes overground.
But I think he could have more faith in the impact of the left-field that doesn’t lead to a big hit.
Sometimes it isn’t the crossover that makes the difference. It’s the music that keeps the committed singing that holds together both musical and political radicalism.
This is often dismissed as “preaching to the choir,” but if the choir isn’t feeling good and isn’t inspired they’ll all go home – and we won’t have any more singing.
Quite rightly Gil Scott-Heron has a strong presence in Lynskey’s book. I saw him play in the ’80s and ’90s. He’s one of the most successful political songwriters for years, but Scott-Heron didn’t have a huge audience or massive hits.
Rather, to quote Dylan, he kept on keeping on.
He held together a mid-sized audience over many years. His songs offered a soundtrack to a committed audience, winning over some people but helping others to keep believing.
If music is recreation then people with social commitment need to create themselves again to face the next day with songs that sing about justice as well as love.
I was privileged to hear one “underground” voice this week when rapper Immortal Technique came to town in Southampton.
Technique is overtly, militantly socialist – a ball of energy throwing a bucketful of words at poverty, racism and imperialism over beats.
He opened the show with The Martyr, which is in effect a short lecture on guerilla-war tactics and counterinsurgency strategies – in rhyming couplets set to the tune of Eleanor Rigby.
He can run a scorching lyrical assault which I’m sure could – with the right application and safety precautions – be used to remove paint from wood.
But there is also lyrical flow and invention – he gets the line “capitalism and democracy are not synonymous” into a tightly delivered rhyme-scheme, alongside “Humanity is gone/Smoked up in a bong/by a Democrat, Republican, Cheech and Chong.”
Technique also has more of a playful presence in person than on disc, backed by DJ Static and supporting MC’s Poison Pen and Swave Sabah. This is a party, not a lecture.
It matters that there are artists who, in the middle of giving a “shout-out” to their DJ, crew and promoters, also offer thanks to “the people who have to sweep up this shit and clean it after we’re gone, who never get thanked.
“The working class – without whom nothing is possible.”
Born in Peru, brought up in Harlem, he has good reason to understand the limitations of liberal democracy.
In a remarkable feat he has for a decade been releasing records and touring on his own, without record company backing, having rejected offers that would have meant dropping his sharpest songs.
Offers he calls as attractive as “a blanket full of smallpox.”
This might mean he isn’t going platinum – but he can still travel thousands of miles to persuade a roomful of Southampton’s baseball-hatted youth to chant Viva La Revolucion to his Spanish-language Golpe de Estada.
If you like hip-hop at all – and don’t mind some profanity – head to http://www.viperrecords.com to get hold of any and all of his product.
And Dorian Lynskey’s 33 Revolutions Per Minute (Faber, 2011)?
It’s available from good bookshops.
If you have enjoyed this article then please consider donating to the Morning Star’s Fighting Fund to ensure we can keep publishing your paper.
Posted in Music | Comments Off on Music of the Revolution
Maltese Underground Music Scene
Posted by N. A. Jones on August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012 by
Ramona Depares
Underground but not unappreciated
No Bling at Buskett. Picture: EGI Photography
Maltese contemporary hip-hop artistes are bringing a touch of reality to the music scene. Ramona Depares traces the current landscape as it’s being developed by the new generation.
It’s as far from the festival circuit and even from the less sycophantic indie scene as you can get.
Despite the aggressive tone of many of his verses, these are not to be taken at face value
The newest generation of music in Maltese is the sound of life in the street, the no-apologies poetry of rap combined with the rawness of beatboxing, alternating with what has been described as the quasi-hypnotic vibe of hip-hop.
It is Malta’s answer to cult names like Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, brought to us in the purest form of our native language. This is not the spoken Maltese we are taught at school, but the language in its vernacular form, evolved and diluted by 21st-century influences, while still replete with the colourful turn of phrase that has been handed down from generation to generation.
In short, it is the living language that most of us speak but that doesn’t typically get set to music for posterity. Now, through an ever-growing hip-hop scene and the proliferation of Youtube and social media, it is.
The Maltese hip-hop artistes who are continuously active are still too few to constitute a fully-fledged movement, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in enthusiasm – and in a never-increasing following.
If there’s one thing these artistes have in common, it’s that for them hip-hop verses are not merely a means of entertainment but are synonymous with freedom.
Throughout the past decade, hip-hop artistes like Sixth Sinfoni and Hooligan were among the first to become household names – but the strongest mark was left by No Bling, led by frontman Jon Mallia in 2009, with the single and video Luċija u Samwel and the full-length album Stejjer mill-Bandli.
Many are attracted to hip-hop because of the element of social critique, which is popularly perceived as a trademark of the genre.
However, Mallia does not believe in the limitation of this definition; on the contrary, he says he finds hip-hop liberating precisely because it has no rules.
“We get to watch things get created from ‘nothing’, which is a prime principle of the hip-hop philosophy. Moreover, the rage against the machine sydrome is only one side to the spectrum; hip-hop doesn’t all fall under the cloak of protest songs. We make hip-hop for the sake of it and we are today’s storytellers.
“Of course, the music speaks about the things we experience but this doesn’t mean we always have a solution or we’re angry about them. It’s just the way things are.”
The group, which is expected to release a new album this summer, largely takes the credit for the contemporary re-emergence of hip-hop.
No Bling are known for tackling divisive topics like bullying and teenage violence, truancy, censorship and the like. Their lyrics opened a new avenue of creative expression that did not conform to the clichéd topics that are to be found in mainstream music charts.
“Hip-hop is brutal, but also beautifully real. Even if the reality depicted is fleeting, one writes what one feels. That is not to say that ‘counterfeit’ acts do not exist. There are acts that tailor their compositions towards marketing, but luckily we do not have that on the Maltese underground scene.”
He insists that the growth of hip-hop cannot be solely attributed to the disenfranchised youth that does not wish to endorse a mainstream ideal. Yet, this is a perception that many find difficult to relinquish, maybe also because music as a social critique has been steadily growing in popularity with Maltese bands over the last decade.
Some, like punk outfits BNI and RAS, took the serious approach. Others, like Xtruppaw, preferred to highlight the trademark foibles of our society through a more humorous turn of phrase.
Neville Borg, whose thesis ‘Going Undergound’ delved into the Maltese punk subculture from a sociological perspective, says an element of social critique has always existed in Maltese music.
“It was already present in the very earliest recordings of Maltese folk music, such as those heard in Andrew Alamango’s Lost Voices collection. Even għana (folk singing) often contained some form of critique of Malta’s class system.”
And while the present generation of hip-hop artistes does not necessarily all fit under the label of protest music, it is definitely contributing to the genre in Malta.
Borg finds a correlation between early rap/hip-hop and punk; he explains that both use music as a tool to express disenchantment with political and social institutions.
“They also achieve this by making the music more accessible tothe masses and breaking down boundaries between musicians and their audiences. They are both based upon relatively simple musicianship and instrumentation, at least in their early incarnations.”
Borg adds that a distinction needs to be made between the mainstream and the underground.
“Socially-conscious hip-hop is ever-present, but the vast majority of this is underground. Internationally successful hip-hop and rap contain precious little social critique and have been turned by the larger music labels into a best-selling genre. Much of it seems to be praising things that the earlier hip-hop artistes criticised – conspicuous consumption, greed, power and so forth.”
This commercialisation has not yet touched the Maltese scene and the verses of artistes like Gforce, Żdongraap (also known as Il-Faraun), Marmalja and Sempliċiment tat-Triq depict feelings that are as real as they come. At first glance, theirs is more a stringent attack on the way society is structured than a social commentary with a message.
To the casual listener, the redeeming element might not be immediately obvious. If there is one common element that ties them, it is the value that is placed on freedom of expression. Through their rapped lyrics they certainly stretch this freedom to its limit; no topic is sacred, no idiom too crude.
Claude Agius (who has now joined No Bling) is one half of Marmalja, a hip-hop act that is taking the scene by storm. He says that despite the aggressive tone of many of his verses, these are not to be taken at face value.
While the thoughts that give birth to the verses are genuine, the lyrics are a metaphor; maybe the only way a generation that has had to learn to live with constantly fluid boundaries can ever hope to make its voice heard by the very same ‘establishment’ it seeks to criticise.
While it’s undeniable that the elements of ‘aggression’ and ‘machoism’ tend to be a common thread, both Agius and No Bling’s Mallia agree that for many, hip-hop is considered a rite of passage, a coming of age.
This could also be a contributing factor to the reasons why the rougher hip-hop artistes tend to be more popular with teenage males.
“All teenagers go through that phase of aggression and rebellion. It happened to me too – at first you identify with the ‘macho’ element, then you outgrow it. When I trace back all the work I have done, it feels a bit like hearing my thought processes grow. Hip-hop is very raw in that sense; sometimes I listen to songs I came up with 10 years ago and realise I already had certain traits and beliefs I was not consciously aware of,” Mallia says.
Agius adds that in this regard hip-hop is no different from other genres – verses get written purely on the basis of the mood/phase the artiste happens to be going through.
“Human nature being what it is, moods and beliefs are constantly ever-changing. If you ask me right now, I do not necessarily identify with all of the verses I’ve written. People change and the words must be taken in the context of the genre and the music.”
The social issues that do get highlighted in these artistes’ verses are universal. They are the same that have inspired poets, musicians and philosophers across the world, but viewed through lenses that are coloured with the ‘Malta angle’.
At the end of the day, these artistes are doing what every bona fide musician dreams of: putting their thoughts to words and music without the doctoring that a commercial market would require of them.
Posted in Music | Comments Off on Maltese Underground Music Scene
Russia: Pussy Riot
Posted by N. A. Jones on August 4, 2012
Pussy Riot: ‘Russian courts are boring … but this week it’s been like an American movie’
Three female members of Pussy Riot, a Russian punk band, face prison on hooliganism charges. Here, Pyotr Verzilov, the husband of one of the women, gives his diary account of five extraordinary days in a Moscow court
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Pyotr Verzilov
- The Observer, Saturday 4 August 2012
Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina at their trial. Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA
Monday (Day one)
The first day of the trial. W e always knew it was going to be a brutal week in court, but nobody expected it to be quite this brutal. It’s mayhem right from the beginning: 500 protesters outside the court and crowds of journalists – perhaps 25 big TV crews from the mainstream international broadcasters: BBC, CNN, two Reuters crews, and ones from Japan and Australia.
Maria, Nadia and Yekaterina (the members of Pussy Riot) are smiling and joking and being very positive and the case is live-streamed for two hours until the prosecutor asks for that to stop. He asks the judge to ban all online communications, including Twitter. Of course, everyone immediately tweets this. There is a tradition of this in Russian courts but the journalists are outraged.
The judge says that it’s just “a recommendation”, it’s not official.
Finally, they start bringing in these amazing witnesses. A woman who looks after the candles in the church testifies and becomes an immediate star on Twitter. She says she saw the girls’ “devilish twitching” and “committing impudences”.
Court is finally adjourned for the day at 10pm. The judge is pushing this case to the limits in every way.
Tuesday
It takes the girls four hours to get back to the prison, and four hours to get to the court again because of all the procedures involved, so they had very little sleep. The first witness today was the person who cleans the cathedral altar where the girls sang their anti-Putin song. Did he feel morally traumatised (by the girls’ actions), the defence lawyer asked? No, he said, he felt a spiritual trauma.
So many of the defence lawyers’ questions are simply being disallowed by the judge. “Are you aware the halls inside the church are rented for $10,000 a time?” one of them asks, but the question is simply struck off.
To add to the craziness, there’s a dog in the middle of the courtroom, though it was a different one today. They alternate: there are two of them, a huge German shepherd and a rottweiler. They bark madly whenever anyone raises their voice.
Even in murder trials you don’t have them, it’s only when, say, the boss of organised crime goes on trial. Never in an ordinary case.
The public prosecutor had around 10 witnesses. The first question he asked each of them was, “Are you a deeply religious Orthodox person?” It gave the impression that if you answer no, you’d be taken out and put in a cage.
It really does give the smell of the Spanish Inquisition.
Wednesday
The girls are being very brave and smiling, but it’s clear they’re not getting enough sleep. The lawyers told the court they’re not getting enough food or sleep but the judge dismissed it.
An absolutely crazy witness appeared. He said that the girls had placed themselves in hell. That they’d declared war on God. That “hell is as real as the Moscow subway”.
There are constant arguments between the lawyers and the judge. They’ve been losing their temper with each other and getting very emotional. Usually Russian courts are quite boring, but this week it’s been like a scene from an American movie.
I did an interview via satellite on CNN with the Christiane Amanpour programme. After me the next guest was the director of a pro-Putin think-tank who said “These people engage in group sex” and “they had it coming”.
Thursday
There was a letter in a newspaper today with support from Jarvis Cocker, the Pet Shop Boys and all these other musicians. I found out that Putin had made a statement at the London Olympics when I was driving with a friend on Thursday night.
A Reuters journalist called me and said Putin had asked for the girls to be treated not too harshly, but that in Israel they wouldn’t have got out alive. We were a bit surprised, but it’s hard to know what it means.
There’s a million different explanations. Was it to look merciful?
Or to send a message to the court to show their independence and act tough? Who knows?
I’ve been passing on hellos from Nadia to our four-year-old daughter Gera. She’s in the countryside staying with relatives, but she knows what’s going on.
Friday
It was really the culmination of a crazy week today. There were vicious arguments all day between the lawyers and the judge. Pussy Riot was on a magazine front cover with a headline saying “Putin is Scared of Punk Girls”. And the proceedings started with a DVD “confiscated from Verzilov, Pyotr” of the footage from the church, though they took two hours to work out how to even play it.
The judge refused to hear the witnesses for the defence. Navalny [the main opposition leader] was banned from the courtroom by the guards, and then, when he did get in, the judge refused to hear him. There were endless battles and scuffles. And a new dog: today there was an even bigger rottweiler. We’re wondering what beast they’ll have on Monday. They might as well bring in a horse – nobody would be surprised.
Court adjourned at 10pm on Friday night. The case is moving so fast. They’re just rushing it through. A verdict is expected by Wednesday or Thursday. The girls were smiling as usual. There’s no possibility to talk to Nadia though. We’re always broken up by the guards.
Saturday
My phone connection has been very bad today. I’m missing about 30% of calls. I know that the security services listen to my calls but they don’t usually disrupt them. That seems to be changing. I’ve more briefings with lawyers today and tomorrow. The days are so long in court there’s barely been time to sleep and get coffee. Next week is another battle, though.
It’s 100% sure the girls will be convicted. The question is only: how long will they get?
Posted in Music | Comments Off on Russia: Pussy Riot
Underground Culture: TV Underground
Posted by N. A. Jones on April 29, 2012
Source: TV Underground
The Secret Policeman’s Ball
TVU Category: Live-ActionYear: 1979
Genre(s): Unknown
Country: Unknown
TVU Genre(s): Comedy, Music, Variety [Submit Genres]
TVU Rating:
(5.0 From 1 Votes)
IMDb Rating:
(0 From 0 Votes)
Show Description:
The Secret Policeman’s Ball Is The Collective Name Informally Used To Describe The Long-running Series Of Benefit Shows Staged In England To Raise Funds For The Human Rights Organisation Amnesty International. The Shows Started Out In The Mid-1970s Primarily As Comedy Galas Featuring Popular British Comedic Performers And Later Expanded To Include Leading Musical Performers.
The Shows Have Yielded Movies, TV Specials, Home-videos, Albums And Books That Have Been Distributed Worldwide And Had A Considerable International Impact. The Secret Policeman’s Ball Shows And Their Spin-offs Are Credited By Many Prominent Entertainers With Having Galvanised Them To Become Involved With Amnesty And Other Social And Political Causes In Succeeding Years. Musicians Such As Bob Geldof, Bono, Sting And Peter Gabriel Have Credited The Shows With Inspiring Benefit Events That They Subsequently Helped Organise Such As Live Aid And Live 8 – And Triggering Their Activism Leading To Social Issue Organisations With Which They Are Associated Including The Band Aid Trust, The Live Aid Foundation, The Witness Human Rights Group, The Rainforest Foundation, The ONE Campaign, The Debt, AIDS & Trade In Africa DATA Charity And The Global Elders.
To Date There Have Been Four Distinct Eras Of The Amnesty Benefit Shows. The First Era (1976–1981) Featured Internationally Known British Performers And Were Widely Seen And Heard Internationally Via Theatrical Films, TV Specials, Home-videos And Record Albums. The Three Subsequent Eras (1987–1989, 1991–2001 And 2006 Onwards) Have Featured Primarily British Performers Popular In Their Homeland – And The Spin-off Products Have Been Released Mainly Just In The UK.
In March 2012, A Secret Policeman’s Ball Took Place In The United States For The First Time. The One-night Show At New York’s Radio City Music Hall On Sunday March 4 Was Part Of Amnesty’s 50th Anniversary Commemorations. Little Was Released About The Format Or Line-up Prior To The Event But It Ultimately Included A Large Number Of Famous British And American Comedians And Musical Acts.
Dub:  |
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| Source | Season | Format | Title | Subtitles | Year | Date Added |
| DVB | 2012 | x264 | The Secret Policeman’s Ball – 2012 (HDTV) Complete | 2012 | 2012-03-10 16:46 | |
| DVB | 2012 | x264 | The Secret Policeman’s Ball – 2012 (720p.HDTV) Complete | 2012 | 2012-03-10 16:45 | |
Posted in Music, Police | 3 Comments »
Underground Music Scene
Posted by N. A. Jones on April 23, 2012
Source: Times of Malta
Sunday, April 22, 2012 by
Michael Bugeja
Connecting through music
Matteo Camisasca, Marco Fiorello and Marco Camisasca are AIM.
Looking up AIM on the internet can be something of a challenge. After several attempts, which wrongly pointed me to (a) a social network, (b) a British musician and (c) a Turkish band’s Facebook page, I finally find the band I was looking for – the Italian band AIM.
The connection with our fans is really important… we often bring people up to play with us on stage
The one based in Milan and which, come Thursday, will be kicking off a three-night run of live gigs in different venues and locations around the island, adding Malta to the list of several countries, among them Germany, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, it has performed in.
Originally formed in 2003 as a quartet from the ashes of other bands on the Milan scene, AIM is, following the departure of elder sibling Luca in 2006, a trio featuring Marco Fiorello and twin brothers Marco and Matteo Camisasca.
Luca used to play in some hardcore bands which they found fascinating.
“It was the first step to get involved in music,” the twins explain.
Fiorello, on the other hand, was introduced to the twins while looking to form a band for his high school prom.
“We did the show and enjoyed it so much we decided to keep playing together.”
Right from the start, it was clear that AIM’s musical bearings had a distinct alternative sound.
Was alternative music already popular in Italy or was it difficult to break into the scene?
When they started out, the Italian underground was more dominated by punk; alternative rock wasn’t as popular, Matteo recalls.
“These days it’s different as the music has spread.”
It has, bringing with it a wider market and an endless number of contenders all vying for the public’s attention (and cash). How are Italian bands handling this challenge?
Matteo notes the way a lot of good bands and plenty of ‘band collectives’ were creating their own scene.
“This is particularly important because musicians have understood that alone you can’t do anything. We can be considered as pioneers of this movement in our area and we are still doing a lot to keep it growing.”
As encouraging as this may sound, Matteo is quick to point out that there is a downside too, especially for bands trying to break into the Italian music scene.
It is still difficult because one can’t really tell if Italy has a real underground music scene. The major problem is that instead of being united, the scene is divided into regions, so you can be popular in one region but not another. This means bands have to continuously play gigs all over the pace to attract new audiences and create local fanbases.
AIM is one of those bands on tour most of the time, and when they’re not gigging, they’re usually running their own venue and independent record label, Via Audio.
Matteo explains that they decided to set up their own operation after deciding not to accept ‘dreams from strangers’.
“In Italy there are too many people making money from other people’s passion for music.
“Having experienced some delusions first-hand, we decided to invest our money in music – ours and that of other bands – and to do it while treating musicians with the respect they deserve.”
Running such an operation naturally requires them to take a different approach to that of a musician, particularly when considering acts for the venue or the label.
Matteo says they usually look for bands that have a distinct quality and are willing to work hard to promote their album.
“We believe in karma. One must work hard to get results. Waiting for things to happen won’t get you anywhere… as we say in Italy, aiutati che Dio ti aiuta.”
When booking bands for a gig, the approach is slightly different: They look for quality or popularity, but also make sure they are giving young bands a chance to show what they can do. Being so deeply involved in the business side of music inevitably also affects the way AIM approach music.
Matteo explains:
“It deeply affects the way we ‘live’ music. The musician just has to think about playing while Marco and I have to think about marketing the band and maintaining relationships with promoters, which are no joke when you are touring, tired and perhaps had one drink too many the night before.”
He goes on to explain how they also have to be mindful of the economic matters – definitely a stressful role, but which has enabled the band to enter the real music business, thanks to which AIM is now working with one of the best Italian booking agencies, Virus Concerti.
Certainly one of the more prominent aspects on the record label’s website is the number of free downloads, part of a vital strategic plan that addresses the way the music industry now operates.
“It has become harder to sell physical products, although we still manage to sell a lot of CDs because we tour a lot. Giving free music to people helps to attract people to the gigs, and this is where the major part of the band’s income comes from; selling CDs and merchandise.
“Our last album, We Are Sailing was released on CD but who knows, perhaps our next EP will be totally digital.”
AIM do tour a lot, but playing liveis just as important to the band.
“We love it and it’s why we make music. If you were to compare our records with our gigs, they are totally different.
“The records are smoother and well-defined while our live shows are wild and really punk rock. Playing live enables us to give our heart to the people who are there sharing the experience with us. We want to communicate an emotion, that’s why the connection with our fans is really important and why we often bring people up to play with us on stage.”
AIM will be performing three gigs starting with a mellow set on Thursday at Coach and Horses in Msida, with DJs Davide Zane and Paul Mizzi spinning classic Italian tunes before and after the band.
On Friday, AIM will headline Rock the South at Zion in Marsascala, also featuring local acts No Snow/No Alps, For Strings Inn, Bletchley Park, Bark Bark Disco and MS Leads, and DJ sets from Davide Zane and Michael Bugeja.
AIM’s Malta experience will end on Saturday when they perform alongside Errormantics, Three Stops To China and Stolen Creep, who will be playing a special acoustic set. Davide Zane will spin rocking tunes all night. There are a limited number of €10 block tickets for all three gigs. For more information, look up the events on Facebook or e-mail nosweatproductions@gmail.com.
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Winners: The Underground Music Awards
Posted by N. A. Jones on September 25, 2009
http://www.theundergroundmusicawards.com
Feeed and Photos of this years awards are located at the above site.
Check it out.
Most of the feed is video and photos at this site and two others.
So take a look for yourself and judge if you should have missed it or not.
~The UL
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Muslim Punk
Posted by N. A. Jones on September 13, 2009
Sep. 11 2009 – 7:33 am | 79 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments
Muslim punk music: A 9/11 story
Image of The Kominas by KaitlinFoley via Flickr Around the world, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is always pause for reflection – a chance to commemorate the innocent people who lost their lives eight years ago, a chance to reassess the impact of the most cataclysmic event in recent history. Last night, hours before the anniversary, a student at the University of California at Berkeley told me he was researching the post-9/11 phenomenon of Muslim punk-rockers, a group that emphasizes hardcore riffs and Islamic identity. After returning home, I did computer research on these musicians – only to find this news headline when I checked my email: “For Muslims, backlash fear builds each 9/11.”
The story was about U.S. Muslims and how they often face derisive comments (and more) on the 9/11 anniversary, but the UC student’s thesis was more telling to me than the media report because it revealed a trend that’s often overlooked in any discussion of Islam in America: Young Muslims are openly seeking refuge in rebellious music.
The Kominas, a Boston-area group with South Asian roots, is one of the Muslim punk bands that has made a name for itself – and raised eyebrows among other Muslims who question the music’s religious appropriateness. This video captures one such debate:
Last week, I did an onstage interview with Muslim scholar Reza Aslan, who said that American Muslims will eventually become accepted in the United States for who they are: A religious group with as many complexities as other religious groups. Five decades ago, Aslan reminded people, John F. Kennedy’s allegiance was questioned (would he be more loyal to the Vatican than the U.S. constitution?) during his presidential run for the White House. It’s a sign of how far U.S. Muslims have already come that “Islam” and “punk music” can be mentioned in the same breath.Photographer Kim Badawi has taken images of young Muslim women in hijab dancing to Muslim punk music. At one web site, the images are labeled “Snapshots from the Muslim-Punk Underground,” but – thanks to YouTube and media reports of The Kominas and other groups – this “underground” is becoming more mainstream, just eight short years after 9/11.
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Kenya: underground alternatives
Posted by N. A. Jones on September 8, 2009
Music and Activisim in the Hood
by Kevin TeddyWasanii Mtaani/Artists in the Hood is a group of artists based in Kangemi who mainly do emceeing Grafitti,building,Deejaying,Breakdancing,Freestyling or artists, actors or Lyricists,poets,Hip Hop Contortionists,Poppers,Breakers and Hip hop Dancers(Also b-boys and B-girls).It’s open to participants all over the world to empower our unit.
It was established in December 2006 by a group of three enthusiasts namely Lenny Onaya, Stanley Kai and Mwangi who felt that the team spirit brought more impact as opposed to working solo. From then on Wasanii Mtaani has grown from a group of emcees that merely meets to discuss their problems to one that promotes emcees by giving them publicity so that they can display and sharpen their skills. Emcees have also used the microphone to speak out messages of positive social change while at the same time siphoning in on group dynamics hence an Income Generating Activity too.
MISSION To be a platform for underground Emcees who are both visual and verbal artists.
VISION We believe that our group is capable of being recognized as a one stop shop for information regarding the youth in the grassroots level. This will be a driving force in encouraging our constituents who are mainly youths to embrace the various means of earning a livelihood by engaging in economic activities within their capacity.
The following are the functions/purposes of Wasanii Mtaani/Artists in the Hood. • We nurture young talent, display it while at the same time honing their skills. • We use the microphone as a tool to create awareness and fight vices in the society e.g. Tribalism, gender inequality, violence, peace and so on and so forth. • We co-operate with inter-governmental and other organizations for the advancement of international understanding and peace. • We promote community advocacy programmes and campaigns for development e.g. H.I.V/A.I.D.S programmes, Drug abuse, Breast cancer testing for women etc. • We act as a reflection of the society through the microphone “sisi wasanii ni kioo cha jamii” by becoming the media instead of blaming the media.
The Struggle continues!
Food ActivismBy Douglas RoriNairobi Food Not Bombs is a local chapter of the global Food Not Bombs Social Network Movement. We recover food from well wishers as well as local supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries, hotels and restaurants. We then feed the HUNGRY for our campaign and run a media out-let for sustainability and train people to tell stories the way they feel. We started by feeding and educating the street kids in korogocho and kangemi slums with a pilot project which was funded by our fellow activist and I.
Preferably ages 9-13 and get special series of articles on Kenya/issues in Kenya over the span of few issues from the kids themselves, which will be printed by http://www.indykids.net and filmmaking, while the kids are working on a short film called project ghetto which was shot in kangemi slums and touching on issues like drug abuse, domestic violence, prostitution and petty theft.
Nairobi FNB collective recover food from well wishers, local stores and delivers to local shelters, street children, as well as serving it ourselves to the hungry in concerts, parks etc. For the office sustainability we also have a media out-let (video, audio, radio, photo journalism, printing press, embroidery, logo design, banners, graphic design and animation).
Our workshops entail programs which cover: all aspects of film making, TV, photo journalism, radio construction and broadcasting, interviewing, editing and production of audio programming, silk-screen production and design, grass roots organizational skills and group facilitation and consensus, decision making skills. Nairobi FNB idea is to feed and educate at least every Saturday.
HOW TO BUILD ALTERNATIVE INSTITUTIONS: Organizing a Food Not Bombs Chapter. Food not bombs shares free vegetarian food with hungry people, and protests war and poverty. Food Not Bombs now has hundreds of autonomous chapters throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. The first group was formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1980 by anti-nuclear activists. Food Not Bombs is an all volunteer organization dedicated to nonviolent social change. Food not bombs has no formal leaders and strives to include everyone in its decision-making process. Each group recovers food that would otherwise be thrown out and makes fresh hot vegetarian meals that are served in public spaces to anyone without restriction. Each independent group also serves free vegetarian meals at protests and other events. At the outset, starting a Food Not Bombs might seem like more than you can handle. Work on the basics, taking one step at a time. There is no need to feel pressured into accomplishing everything all at once. Once you have made the decision on start a local food not bombs group, talk to other people you know who might be interested. It might be a group of friends, or members of an existing group. Pick a meeting date, time, and place. The following is a suggested step-by-step process.
Step 1: Establish Contact Points Start by getting a phone number, email address, and a mailing address. Use a voice mailbox, so you can have an out-going message with information about the next meeting time and place and you can receive messages so you never miss a call. Likewise, use a commercial mailbox or post box for your permanent address. Step 2: Publicize Meetings Next, make flyers announcing the existence of a local Food Not Bombs group. By handling them out at events, posting them around town, and/or mailing them out to your friends, you will start getting phone calls, mail, and additional volunteers. Step 3: Find a Vehicle The next step is to arrange for the use of a vehicle. You might be able to arrange borrowing a van or truck from a sympathetic church group or similar organization. In some cases it’s better to use bikes and bike carts. This is very common in Europe. Step 4: Locate Food With flyers in hand, begin looking for sources of food. The first places to approach are the local food co-ops and health food stores. These types of stores tend to be more supportive and are a good place to practice your approach. Ask the produce managers if they ever throw away any excess produce. Explain that you are willing to collect any food which is still edible but which will not or cannot be sold. Early on, also visit bakeries and ask for day old bread.
Step 5: Deliver Deliver this bulk food to shelters and meal kitchens. It is important to get to know the food pantries and soup kitchens in your area. Learn where they are located, whom they serve, and how many they serve. As your delivery route develops, the schedule of free food programs in your community will become clear to you. With this information, you will know where and when there is need to provide a hot meal and, therefore, where and when to set-up a food Not Bombs table out in public on the street or in a park. Step 6: Serve on the Streets It won’t be long before the network of a few stores and bakeries will be giving more food than you will be able to distribute to shelters. At first, go to demonstrations. There, the group can recruit more volunteers, collect donations, and lift spirits. Step 7: Serve Homeless People Once there are enough people involved consider serving meals one day a week to the homeless on the street in a visible way. Every group has different kitchen arrangements. Some use several people’s home kitchens; some use a donated church kitchen or other industrial-strength kitchen, and some use propane stoves and cook right at the site. Please visit these pages http://foodnotbombs.net and http://consensus.net to find out how you can help us work for peace and justice.
By: Douglas Rori Independent Activist Journalist/Filmmaker
Audio: Interviews with Million Youth Action
Interviews with a leader of the Million Youth Action, with advice to young people about poverty and education. By John Bwakali
Click to listen or right-click to download
Click to listen or right-click to download
Media through music Do Klan RevolutionBy Oscar Odhiambo Do Klan Revolution is an underground Hip Hop group. The group was established back in 1997 by five individuals namely; Chris pine Odhiambo aka Blak Skin, Oscar Odhiambo aka Ran-D, Cliff Ciama aka Mtoto Chao, Bob Odhiambo aka Lwanda Magere, Douglas Rori aka Kafiri and Joseph Obondi aka Zombie – Who hailed from neighborhood(s) faced with various social problems (kangemi, kibera and East Leigh). As we strived to overcome the many challenges that arise as a result of exposure to the harsh conditions that is inevitably a dominant factor that shape most of the slums – we resolved to use our time and talents in creating poetic conscious songs that were basically aimed at revolutionizing the mind of the people in the ghettos through its self-empowering lyrical content. Together we did work on an album which unfortunately was never launched into the market. The albums title was known as Toka Giza (Out of Darkness). It had 17 tracks which were mostly oriented towards addressing social issues.
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Best Underground Hip-Hop
Posted by N. A. Jones on August 18, 2009
{According to UGO:Lifestyle for Gamers In the top 11 cities is Dallas, Texas.}
Dallas, TX may not be the hotbed of southern hip-hop that Houston is, but that doesn’t mean the city’s indie scene is dead. DSR (Dirty South Rydaz) has been the most popular crew out of Dallas for the past decade. Comprised of Big Tuck, Tum Tum, Fat Bastard, and a host of others, the crew dropped notable mixtapes such as The Freestyle Massacre and Untamed Gorillas. DSR and T-Town Music eventually signed a deal with Universal Records, releasing major label solo albums from Big Tuck and Tum Tum. Unfortunately, neither artist scored a mainstream hit. Still, DSR remains one of the hottest groups in the South.
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Underground Music Scene: Denver, Colorado
Posted by N. A. Jones on August 17, 2009
User’s guide: The Denver Post’s Underground Music Showcase
Here’s your big chance to check out some of the best bands from Denver and beyond, all in one weekend and all within a few blocks.
Posted: 07/24/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 07/24/2009 08:33:23 PM MDT
Music fans line up outside the Hi-Dive and Sputnik on South Broadway last summer for the the UMS. This year, all 20 showcase venues are within seven blocks of one another. (Laurie Scavo )
Bad Weather California performs at the 2008 Denver Post UMS at the Irish Rover. This year, BWC finished third in The Denver Post’s poll of the best underground bands in Denver. They will be playing at midnight Saturday at the Hi-Dive. (John Moore | The Denver Post)
Related
Music festivals are for discovery — a chance to find your next favorite artist.
Maybe you already love Kings of Leon or Bon Iver. But now you want to hook up with the new, hot band, long before it lands on FM radio.
That is what the UMS is all about.
The ninth annual Denver Post Underground Music Showcase, presented by Floyd’s 99 Barbershops, will feature more than 200 bands on 20 Broadway stages today through Sunday.
The UMS is the largest indie music festival in the region. We like to think of it as our own, smaller version of Austin’s popular South by Southwest music festival.
As with any large music festival, it’s easy to feel intimidated by the vast schedule, the many venues, the enormity of all that music.
UMS Extras
- Experience the Underground Music Showcase via Reverb, The Denver Post’s local music blog, with live postings and reviews.
- Follow the Underground Music Showcase live via Twitter.
- Browse slide shows of the action from the 2009 Denver Post Underground Music Showcase.
- Watch video of performances and interviews with musicians from the UMS.
- Search the UMS schedule, venue-by-venue, day-by-day, artist-by-artist.
And that’s why we’re here with this user guide.Fear not, music fans. The UMS is your friend. And here’s how to get along with it best.
Legwork: Whether you have five or 45 minutes to check the online schedule in advance, you’ll be glad you did. Pull up theums.com, and you’ll see today’s schedule front and center.
Like the name Hello Kavita? Heard good things about the Wheel? Remember when Brooklyn’s Mishka Shubaly and Baltimore’s Theron Melchior used to live in Denver?
Click on the names for the artist bio and UMS set times. Click through to their My- Space pages, and listen to some tunes. It’s all right there. If you have time, check out the customizable schedule offered by our colleagues at Gigbot. It makes easy sense out of the UMS’s massive lineup with the click of a button.
Getting there: With its many clubs, bars, shops and galleries, the Baker neighborhood has been the UMS’s home the past four years. There is plenty of parking on and around Broadway between Second and Maple avenues. The RTD zero line also has multiple stops along the UMS thoroughfare.
Purchase tickets: The UMS box office will open today at 5:30 p.m. just outside the
(Jeff Neumann, The Denver Post; inset photo of Young Coyotes by Brian Carney )
Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. On Saturday and Sunday, the box office will open at 2:30 p.m. on Archer Place just west of Broadway, next to the Baker neighborhood’s Goodwill store. Comprehensive wristbands good for today through Sunday are $25. Single-day tickets are $15. Most of the money from wristband sales goes to the artists.
Finding your way: Nervous that you’ll spend your day walking instead of seeing live music? Worry not. All of our nearly 20 UMS venues are within seven blocks of each other. The walk between the CarToys Stage (in the Goodwill store parking lot) and the Floyd’s 99 Stage (in the TS Board Shop parking lot) is three, maybe four minutes. The walk from the Evergroove Stage (at 3 Kings Tavern) to the Indie 101.5
Many UMS venues are intimate, all-ages spaces providing a casual and close-up experience. Above, Erin Roberts of Porlolo plays a solo set in the basement gallery of 3 Kings Tavern last year. (Laurie Scavo )
Stage (at the Rule Gallery) is about the same.And, yes, most of our indoor venues are air-conditioned.
Boldly go: We highly encourage you to see some of the larger indie bands on the bill, including KaiserCartel, the Wheel, Mark Mallman, Ian Cooke, Bowerbirds, Dressy Bessy and others. But don’t be afraid to try something new. Seen Houses yet? They’re great, and so are Eyes and Ears. Red Sammy is brilliant, and it’s easy to say the same thing about Megafaun, Kingdom of Magic and Mishka Shubaly. And this is your last chance to catch Rabbit Is a Sphere — and one of your last chances to see Everything Absent or Distorted — as both beloved Denver outfits are soon disbanding.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
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The Underground Librarian 