(Click on pic for larger flyer)
On Saturday September 27th, the We the People Festival 2008 is scheduled to take place over in that stretch of park between Chinatown and Lincoln Heights. And guess what? We have a few tickets to give away! Click ahead for the exciting details!
UPDATE: The Winners Are In!
In the tradition of fusing music with the politics of social awareness, the organizers have put together a long lineup of musicians (click on the flyer above for the details) and speakers, including Anti-War activist Cindy Sheehan and Tezozomoc from the late South Central Farms. Plus food booths, an Art exhibit, Danza, and even a Kids Corner. Oh yeah, and they’ll even have a beer garden! Now we’re talking.
We’ve been promised a few pairs of tickets so if you want to try and win a pair, join the random drawing by submitting your response to the following question in the comments section below:
What is your favorite song that deals with politics and positive social change?
Pretty easy, eh? Just leave your response using a valid email address and cross your fingers. And maybe if you win you’ll send us a review of the event? We’ll announce the winners on Monday, so you have all weekend to come up with an easy answer. Hop to it!
Or if you don’t win, purchase your tickets from the organizers at http://wethepeoplefestival.com
UPDATE: Congratulations to P-3000, Sarah Grace, Omerino, Pitbull Girl, and human; you all won a pair of tickets! I’ll be writing you all shortly to get your info or you can just send me your mailing address using the contact page. Thanks everyone for participating.
Here’s more details:
—————————————————-
Project Sweatshop in association with Grass Roots productions presents the 3rd annual:
“We the People†Music, Arts & Cultural Festival 2008 – Saturday September 27th, 2008.
-America’s premier socially conscious entertainment & music festival-
Headliners:
LES CLAYPOOL of PRIMUS, TOM MORELLO of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE / THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, the RZA aka BOBBY DIGITAL of the WU TANG CLAN, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Z TRIP, EPMD, and BARRINGTON LEVY
Line Up:
SHAVO ODADJIAN,(System of a Down), DILATED PEOPLES, BASSNECTAR, EEK A MOUSE, MURS(Living Legends/Felt/3MG), FISHBONE, ILL BILL, B SIDE PLAYERS, FLYING LOTUS, LOOK DAGGERS, FREE THE ROBOTS, QUINTO SOL, BUSDRIVER, SCARUB (Living Legends/3MG), ELIGH (Living Legends/3MG),Janelle Monáe, NHI, ROOTS OF CREATION, MAETAR, SEAN PRICE (Boot Camp Clik/Heltah Skeltah), MARKUS JAMES, WEST INDIAN GIRL, and more…
Speakers:
Green party presidential nominee CYNTHIA MCKINNEY, Congressional candidate CINDY SHEEHAN, International radio personality JACK BLOOD, and South Central Farm organizer TEZOZOMOC, have been confirmed as speakers with more to be announced.
Hosts:
FIDEL RODRIGUEZ (KPFK) and GARTH TRINIDAD (KCRW)
Location:
LOS ANGELES STATE HISTORIC PARK 1245 N. Spring St. Los Angeles 90012 www.parks.ca.gov
Featuring:
3 Stages, Art Exhibit, 21 + Beer Garden, Martial Arts, Danza Mexica, Tribal Dancing, B Boys and B Girls, Non-Profit Quad, International Food Court, Kids Corner, Children 9 years and under FREE, and much more. ALL AGES welcome.
My problem with events like this are that they miss the most positive of, non-preachy, of musics: HOUSE MUSIC
(get the flames ready)
Peeps that go to events like this already know the issues, but we go and pay to hear others tell, or yell, at us about what we already know?
House music events at the Sports Arena and National Orange show are pulling 65,000 – 75,000 people. Yes there are no overt messages about particular issues, but there are no fights, no drama, just love of people coming together to BE.
Some real coalition building is in order. Then it won’t just be a another preaching to choir event, and some can learn to be free in the beats, to hear their own heart and thoughts without someone telling/yelling how to feel.
My favorite song with a message:
Alyus – Follow Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiUxCfh6DMU
this looks pretty impressive, but I think I might have to skip it to go to the One Nation Hip Hop Summit instead, whose truly grassroots organizers couldn’t afford the 20 g’s that We The People asked for when WTP approached One Nation to put their annual summit together for them–before then blowing them out of the water and taking a bunch of their potential headlining acts (and audience) with this massive show…on the same day.
or so I hear. who knows. maybe the nightwatchman knows.
http://www.onenationhiphop.org/
That day I’ll be drumming and dancing at the mostly FREE
Grand Avenue Festival
Experience the sights, sounds, and tastes at the cultural heart of Downtown LA as theaters, concert halls, museums, and other attractions along Grand Avenue join together and offer a free and unbeatable day of entertainment.
Music Center special events that afternoon include Active Arts Drum Downtown, Dance Downtown and Get Your Chops Back Final Rehearsals along with art-making workshops as part of the Music Center Family Festival.
Expose your friends, families and children to the best of Downtown LA’s cultural scene.
Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Downtown Los Angeles
Address: Grand Avenue , Los Angeles , 90017
Cross Streets: Grand / 2nd
Admission: Most performances are free.
Food prices are highly discounted and vary restaurant to restaurant.
Man, it sounds like the event really is “political.”
Since there aren’t any takers, I hope it’s okay for LA Eastside contributors to participate???
I have tons of favorite political songs but for some reason the first one that jumped in my head was Money Machine from one of my favorite 80s Nardcore bands, Agression,.
Here’s the lyrics:
It’s all part of the money machine, the money machine
It’s all part of the capitalist scheme, the money machine
Makes you forget you’re a human being
And I call it the money machine
So you can
Go to school, study real hard, get your college degree
It’s the American Dream, set up for you and me
To keep you from being free
Work from 9 to 5 sometimes overtime, just to pay your bills
The American Dream set up for you and me
By the jerks on Capitol Hill
Then one day, when you’re sixty-five
Ain’t got no reason to stay alive
Just sit at home waiting for your check
Personally I’d rather be hanging by the neck
Haha, if I’d only followed the good advice of this song…
¡El barzón!
Im gonna be hardcore and say “nature of the threat” by rass kass. I used to get a kick out of hanging with folks who were “down” and then playing that song for them, good history lesson if not a tad radical.
Althoug i dig a lot of “feel good” songs, If I am really to pick songs that i appreciate for their positive message or whatnot, I have to go with ones that actually drop educational science. A lot of immortal technique’s educatinal raps, or how about BDP’s love is gonna get you or that song where KRS one talks about moses being black. Naw, ill stay hardcore and nominate nature of the threat.
X Ray Spex’s Oh Bondage, Up Yours
Browne
Mine is “Big A Little A” by Crass.
10 Horas de Camino by La Merma
Esto ya no sirve
esto ya no va.
mi familia de hambre se muere
los tengo que salvar.
Oye compadre
la sierra abandonada,
que dices si tu y yo
hacemos una lana.
Quien nos va a decir que hacer
por que tenemos que vencer
la miseria en que nos tiene el poder
la miseria en que nos tiene el poder
Pobre sere
pero a rico llegare,
en mi carro bien cargado
voy a eludir la ley.
Cambio mi destino
en 10 horas de camino
nadie me lo negara
los tengo que salvar.
Ahora claro se ve mi ser
eludiendo el ayer
y la miseria porque me hago el poder
la paz porque me hago el poder!
So many good ones, but included in the top is definitely:
– Redemption Song.
– Also Police and Thieves.
maybe not my favorite of all time, but the one i’m feelin the most right now is “from women” by tor featuring natalia grosiak.
Weren’t these events played out like 10 years ago? You remember back when all the “Frente Zapatista” folk thought their “arte” were going to incite indigenous rebellion all over the US and Latin America. We need a new song. It kind of reminds me of what the African American historian John Henrik Clarke (a student of the Harlem Renaissance and veteran of the Civil Rights Movement) said about the Million Man March “a waste of shoe leather.” We need to come up with some new tactics. To my recollection, a bunch of songs no matter how much they exhibit a “rage against the machine,” has yet to change much.
Grito,
So that does mean you don’t want to be entered into the drawing for tickets? There’s still time everyone, so place your comments to try and win!
“Be Healthy” by Dead Prez cuz “lentil soup is mental fruit.”
Paris – Break The Grip of Shame
A lot of people do not know what issues plague them today. Does a house concert sign up bone marrow donors?
People do not realize how many people are on the waiting list for marrow transplants, nor do they care. Its festivals like these that make the difference.
Awareness is not something you achieve by swallowing a tablet with an E on it!
To the guy talking about he’s going to the One Nation Hip Hop Summit instead… Lol
If you are not part of the One Nation staff you are in for a very special surprise! Make sure to attend the conference on sat.
They don’t call it the We the People Festival for nothing. 😉