OccupyWallStreet (OWS) is planning to release a digital benefit album with a little help from Jackson Browne, Third Eye Blind, Crosby & Nash, Devo and Lucinda Williams.
The album – which will be available sometime this winter – is also expected to feature performances by Michael Moore, DJ Logic, Ladytron, Warren Haynes, Toots and the Maytals, Mike Limbaud, Aeroplane Pageant and Yo La Tengo.
Although punk rock legend Patti Smith wasn’t listed on the initial lineup detailed by the Associated Press, one can only hope the singer-songwriter will be included in the final version of the album. Maybe she can sing/speak her classic rendition of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, or perhaps her very own Piss Factory?
Other musicians considered OWS “naturals” we hope to hear on the digital release? Oakland activist Boots Riley, Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against the Machine, Neil Young, Swingin’ Utters and Rancid.
Jason Samel, who is helping to compile the album, said the goal is to raise between $1 million-$2 million. Funds generated by the benefit initiative will be handled via the nonprofit Alliance for Global Justice, with half the cash allocated to OWS HQ in NYC. The other half will be dolled out to various Occupy offshoots across the world that apply for specific projects.
Matt Pless, who co-wrote “Something’s Got to Give” with Kaneska Carter told the AP that the lyrics to the song – which will be included on the OWS benefit album – convey a universal feeling of compassion and hope for a better existence.
“I believe [these] are the common threads that wind through everyone… The positive spirit behind this song is a reflection of what birthed the movement and still exists at its core.”
