Minnie Lerner, co-organizer:
Sometime this summer, I sent Ian a screenshot. Five or six anti-war songs, most with their roots in protest of U.S. violence in Vietnam in the 1960s, side by side on a digital playlist I’d compiled. I think I added a message something like: what if you played these songs, and we charged people money to hear them, and the money went to aid for Palestinians?
His reply: “Wait, I was thinking the same thing!”
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/19c1n7E8QO69P6bSWl5ewbPnp38ErpqM9/view?usp=sharing
The Lingonberries a la The Cranberries
The Lingonberries: “Student organized shows are simply the greatest thing. Well, artist-organized shows in general, but at Williams, that means students. We have a lot of creative students, and a lot of them are musicians. Many have a relationship with music that exists outside the patterns of critical thinking and self-maxxing that make up most of school life. It’s for these students that DIY shows are most important: they let us show off this relationship, these talents, in a low stakes, high energy room. We might not be performing sonatas in Chapin Hall, or drawing the attention of official school photography, but we make an impact on what we find important.”
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Ian McMahan doing his cowboy schtick
Ian shared a reflection with me, which I’ll repeat here: “Folk + Punk for Peace in Gaza, despite being a sort of rag-tag student effort, was a much greater success than any of us could have hoped,” spanning four acts in two hours playing to an ebb-and-flowing crowd of a roughly constant 60. It began as a little dream, which quickly grew into a big one. Listening to Ian blow the first few notes into his new harmonica over FaceTime back in June, I couldn’t have so much as envisioned September’s event. Now, at the close of things, we find ourselves in a position of abundance and ability, and we are enheartened to share the numbers that follow.
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Milquetoast jamming
The Lingonberries: “This past show also loudly celebrated that which is often kept out of immediate sight. 500 dollars for charity in Gaza is something to be extremely proud of; the size of the crowd was also something we couldn’t have expected. While any opportunity to play at a student-organized event is a great privilege, we are especially appreciative of this one’s focus on helping others. Hopefully it sets a trend, and others follow, organizing more shows of their own… you never know. Huge thank you to Minnie and Ian for organizing and hosting: we appreciate the effort it takes to put something like this together. It was more than worth it.”
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/17iNnWaKCygcbw_NlqcWtrp7iqUCPyUkI/view?usp=sharing
The grand total raised by the Folk and Punk for Peace in Gaza benefit concert meets an exact and ultimate count of five hundred dollars. We split the final total into three donated sums: $125.00 to the United Nations’ humanitarian and developmental work in Gaza through UNICEF, $125.00 to the UNRWA (another UN agency dedicated to the relief of Palestine refugees specifically), and $250.00 to Shahed and Abdullah Awad, a couple working to help their extended families leave Gaza for Egypt and providing food and medical aid along the way. Our donations were advised by representatives from Jews for Justice (J4J), and the above allocation of the funds raised was calculated so as to best maximize their impact across all possible channels of aid to the people of Palestine.
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Mike Ma: “I’m grateful to have been able to be a part of an event like this, where students came together through their music to promote peace. I felt a lot of love in the room that night and it’s things like these that give me hope.”
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Each musician, donor, and attendee played a part in what was no less than a consummate group effort –– whether big or small, a dollar bill tucked into my purse or half an hour of virtuosic tambourine, every level of involvement has constituted an addend in a hugely impactful equation. Throughout this article, contributors to the endeavor have shared their own thoughts. Ours, all together, is a testament to the power of community.
By: Minnie Lerner and Ian McMahan