Musicians for a ceasefire hold two webinars to exchange songs, tactics

The Peoples’ Music Network continues their nearly half-century long mission of providing community for artistic activists

Make sure to read “An Australian klezmer band’s reaction to October 7” to hear another side of musical activism by musicians in the wake of October 7.

Individual statements by members of the Peoples’ Music Network do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the organization as a whole.

In late December, the Peoples’ Music Network (PMN) held two webinars dedicated to a ceasefire and peace in Israel and Palestine. The first webinar, titled “Songs in the Struggle for a Ceasefire and Peace with Justice in Israel/Palestine” was held on the evening of December 21 and dedicated to resource sharing. The second, titled “Songs for Peace and Healing in the Middle East” was a song exchange. Links with resources and song lyrics were released along with each talk respectively.

Who are the Peoples’ Music Network?

The Peoples’ Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle, started organizing in 1977 in Connecticut. In the shadow of musical protests of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement, there was a sense of emptiness among musician-activists. The first organizers, including founder Charlie King, met on weekends before reaching out to musicians for their first big protest. 

This culminated in a meetup during the 1977 May Day occupation of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire. The protest was a part of broader anti-nuclear protests in the United States at the time. Among other musicians, noted musician-activist Pete Seeger would be a regular attendee at PMN programming for some time.

Today, the Peoples’ Music Network continues to hold seasonal gatherings and “convergences” which include song swaps and educational workshops. Their website broadly describes their activities as “[sustaining and growing] a diverse community of performing artists, activists, and allies who use music, poetry, and other art forms as catalysts for a just and peaceful world.”

“Ceasefires are negotiated between the warring parties. Calls for a cease-fire include calls that no further harm be done to civilians from Palestine and Israel. This movement aims for all hostages and all illegal prisoners to be returned home safely,” writes the Peoples’ Music Network, elucidating their board’s stance on the conflict.

Ending the violence

Presenter Joanie Calem is a musician and disability awareness activist who serves on the PMN Steering Committee. Calem moved to Israel from the US in the ’70s and lived there for a couple of decades before moving back to the US in the late ’90s. During her time in Israel, Calem worked in Jewish-Arab relations and the anti-occupation movement where she first started getting involved in musical activism. 

Calem for a long time supported a one-state solution, but since October 7 has changed her mind. “We’re two traumatized people and we need some space and we need some reprieve.” said Calem. “These were two people that were thrust together in an abusive arranged marriage.” Calem went on to share a call-and-response song calling for an end to the violence of the current war. (1:07:03)

Keeping up the energy

Presenter Adam Gottlieb is a musician-activist from Chicago where they serve as a cantorial soloist with Tzedek Chicago, one of America’s only anti-zionist synagogues. Gottlieb has been involved in pro-Palestinian protests following October 7, where they’ve been engaged in civil disobedience and other forms of demonstration.

Gottlieb emphasized three angles that music can have in activism: ritual and healing, connecting and sharing, and boosting. On the point of boosting, Gottlieb told Oyer in an interview about the power music can have during protest. “The thing about music is that it sustains us, it doesn’t drain us. If you’re just being expected to yell for five or 10 minutes straight, it can be exhausting,” said Gottlieb

(Video highlighting a demonstration and song Gottlieb participated in at the Israeli consulate in Chicago)

Repurposing musical idioms

Ben Grosscup has served as PMN’s Executive Director since 2013. During the webinar, Grosscup shared a song that he had repurposed for a protest he was invited to sing at. The song was an updated version of the 1931 labor union song “Which Side Are You On?” by Florence Reece. 

Grosscup’s version was made specifically for a protest at University of Massachusetts Amherst. The lyrics criticize the university’s partnership with Raytheon Technologies, a military contractor that has supplied weapons to the Israeli Defence Forces. 

Reflecting on the power of musical activism such as that done by many PMN members, Grosscup emphasized how music can change political discourse. “We have the element in our tradition of using music to communicate political ideas. It changes the way in which a contentious political topic like this gets discussed,” said Grosscup. 

“We’re not going to fight with people over their emotional connection to culture. We’re going to let that be just as it is and bring in this new insurgent element into the already existing culture,” said Grosscup, reflecting on the power of repurposing music for activism. “It can be very productive to work with the cultural idiom people already know and take it somewhere new.”