Sleeping in tents and marching the streets with Occupy Miami has been more pleasurable than painful, thanks in part to the protesters' spirited musical showcases.
In contrast to a slew of other more serious events designed to dilate your political mind, the second Occupalooza Music Festival planned for tomorrow evening will get the faces behind the Guy Fawkes masks smiling, dreads bopping, and bare feet dancing.
Miami's beloved folk duo Raffa and Rainer are headlining. And in the spirit of one of Raffa's favorite activist musicians Billy Bragg, they'll be playing not for money or fame, but for justice and change.
"We've been wanting to play Occupy Miami for a while, but we have just not gotten it together!" In a world where we all have 20 jobs (or none), it's hard for people to find time to organize and protest. But these two are making it their focus to help the cause.
Recently, Raffa and Rainer also closed out their Bank of America account and opened one at a credit union. "We felt like it was a good time to do that," she says, adding, "I highly encourage everyone to do that."
She and Rainer first visited the tent site a few days ago for a lecture by peace activist Sandy Davies, Rainer's father and the author of Blood On Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. Raffa's dad also came out for the event and it was there that they booked this show.
"Hopefully, we'll bring some people out," she says. "I know there have been a lot of people in and out of the Occupy movement. But it was my first time there just last week." And this weekend, she's hoping to check out one of the general assemblies. "I'm really curious to see how it works."
The show should be fun and DIY. But it'll also feature some real talent, including Free Like Me, Dusthead (Gypsy Bass), the Cornerstoners, Tamboka, Askultura, and Linenoise.
Go join the Occupation!
Occupy Miami's Occupalooza music festival. Saturday, November 5. Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 102 NW Second Ave., Miami. The fest begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends at midnight. Visit occupymia.org.
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