Hello dear comrades,

I hope you all are weathering the daily storm with a rooted network of community support. In that spirit, we’re continuing our efforts to support our neighbors impacted by ICE detention with another benefit concert at Sisters. At the last one, we raised over $1k for legal and commissary funds via Mixteca org (which you can support any time). We’re hopeful for another good haul and some added support for car services for workers who fear commuting to and from their jobs. It’s up to us to keep each other safe. This time, Elder Ones will be anchoring the bill along with the homies DoYeon Kim, Alex Zhang Hungtai (in town for a limited time only!) and Kwami Winfield. It’s gonna be a great one.

This weekend I’ll be in Boston for Waterworks Festival of Experimental Sound, in a special collaboration with the incredibly deep musician Marshall Trammel aka Music Research Strategies. Marshall’s seriously socially engaged practice harnesses public engagement through philosophical, infrastructural and civic policy oriented ways that feel revolutionary to me. His sprawling practice is something I’ve been excited to contribute to, since we met years ago through Black Spirituals and played together in the Bay Area over a decade ago!

Later in the month I’ve got a solo show at Union Docs and Elder Ones in Canada, so neighbors above our northern border take note!

I encourage everyone to continue to find ways to contribute to anti-fascist, anti-imperialist, community centered organizing in whatever way you can. It’s up to us to figure out how to harness our individual skills and knowledge to fight these inconceivable and continuous injustices. For me, that’s opening my mouth to yap and sing. Looking forward to seeing some of you out there!

If you haven’t already, check out the latest Outernational episode with Alsarah, speaking about her journey as a Sudanese refugee both personal and musical. We talk about the largest humanitarian, displacement and hunger crisis on earth and how the struggles of Sudan are interconnected with so many acute global injustices. All episodes are available, so check them out and tell your friends!

Solidarity,

Amirtha

Show Details:

Sat April 25 - Collaboration with Music Research Strategies (Marshall Trammel) for Waterworks Festival of Experimental Sound presented by Non-Event Series, Boston

Mon May 4 - Benefit for ICE Detainees @ Sisters, Bklyn 7:30pm doors, music at 8pm: Elder Ones (Alfredo Colon, Matt Nelson, Lester St. Louis, Jason Nazary), Alex Zhang Hungtai + Kwami Winfield, DoYeon Kim, DJ MPEACH

Fri May 8 - Solo @ Union Docs: We’re Sick to Death of All This Nonsense, a live series merging words, sounds and moving images intended to reframe or unframe what constitutes the poetic, the time-based, the time-less, the urgent and endurant in art and discourse.

Thurs May 14 - Elder Ones @ FIMAV, Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada

Fri May 15 - Elder Ones @ CEM, Chicoutimi, Saguenay, Canada