Open Letter to Austin City Council
Created: December 2023
Dear Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, and Austin City Council Members,
We come together as local Austin musicians and advocates, but most importantly as human beings who are bearing witness to the devastating loss of life and unfolding horrors in Palestine and Israel, and an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which has been described as the “most dangerous place to be a child” by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder & executive director Catherine Russell, and has been described as “a textbook case of genocide” by US based Israeli scholar of Genocide Raz Segal, and former UN Human Rights official Craig Mokhiber.
History shows that music has the power to educate people, build empathy, break down barriers, and inspire change in a way that’s fundamentally different from any other form of communication. Music is an essential part of all human civilizations, and a powerful catalyst for change, bringing people together in various ways; from something as simple as knowing you are not alone in a personal struggle, to something as monumental as sparking a mass demand for human rights and change. As the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin is immersed in the buzz and energy of the power of music, and we are ready to channel that power into positive action. For this reason, we align our message with that of Musicians for Palestine, a collective of thousands of musicians globally, who have gathered together to ask for a permanent ceasefire, to stand against all forms of racism and hatred, to uplift the voices of the oppressed and silenced, and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom, justice, and equal rights. We too, will not be silent after 75 years of Israel’s military occupation and system of apartheid against Palestinians – as leading international, Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations have described it.
We stand with our fellow musicians in Gaza, such as Fares Anbar, a young and talented musician in Gaza, who prior to this conflict was preparing for concerts abroad with his band, Sol Band, but now spends his days documenting the tragic and catastrophic realities in Gaza, and trying to survive. We also condemn and mourn the murder of Gaza’s first music teacher Elham Farah, an 84 year old accordionist, beloved musician, and a member of Gaza’s ancient Christian minority, who was shot by an Israeli sniper meters away from her home, and left to bleed to death.
We ask that as the representatives of the city of Austin, where thousands of Texans have rallied in support of a ceasefire, that city council members support the ceasefire resolution passed by the the city of Austin’s Human Rights Commission on November 6th, 2023, by sponsoring this item on the next Council agenda on January 18th, 2023. The resolution denounces islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Arab sentiments, and calls for an immediate and explicit ceasefire, to allow for the entry of urgent humanitarian aid in Gaza, to prevent the further loss of innocent life, & to facilitate the release of all civilian hostages.
Over 17,000 (EDIT: now 30,000+) people have been killed in Gaza over the last two months alone, not accounting for the thousands of murdered civilians whose bodies are decomposing under the rubble, which puts the number well over 25,000 of which over 10,000 are children. Over 1.8 million people have been displaced, and a Human Rights Watch report has accused Israel of committing war crimes by deliberately using starvation as a method of warfare against the civilian population in Gaza. In addition, and according to the U.N humanitarian office, Gaza is facing a public health disaster “due to the collapse of its health system and the spread of disease”, conditions exacerbated by Israel’s bombardment of healthcare facilities and residential buildings. Situations have been described where patients, including children, have had limbs amputated, and women have had emergency cesareans, all without anesthesia. Wounds have been cleaned using vinegar, and surgeries done using the unsophisticated illumination of smartphone flashlights. Any human of conscience knows that these statistics are absolutely horrific, and these situations are catastrophic.
We urge city council members to join the actions of other cities in the nation who have passed ceasefire resolutions, including but not limited to, Richmond, CA, Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL, Akron, OH, Detroit, MI, Seattle, WA, and San Francisco, CA amongst others, to implement a ceasefire resolution that calls for the ending of bombing in Gaza, the entrance of humanitarian aid, and the return of all hostages.
We believe that the city of Austin can play a vital role in advocating for the ending of the suffering, and we are adding our voices to those of dozens of representatives from the US congress, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, Amnesty International, The International Committee of the Red Cross, Jewish Voices for Peace, our fellow musicians and artists nationally and globally, many other organizations, most UN nations, and millions of people of conscience around the globe.
We refuse to stand by idly and silently as a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza unfolds, which has been described by UN Secretary General António Guterres as a threat to “international peace & security.” As the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini put it best, “The generations to come will know that we watched this human tragedy unfold over social media and news channels. We will not be able to say we did not know. History will ask why the world did not have the courage to act decisively and stop this hell on Earth.”
We Must Act Now.
SUPPORTING MUSICIANS
| 1 | Ibrahim Batshon | Abe Batshon is a Hip Hop artist and founder and CEO of BeatStars which began in 2008 as a hip-hop site but now includes all genres of music |
| 2 | Henry Kohen | Henry Kohen of the rad-rock band Mylets is the youngest artist signed to Sargent House |
| 3 | Félix Pacheco | Félix Pacheco is bassist for Cilantro Boombox, a funk band in Austin. They have opened for Willie Nelson and Café Tacvba at ACL live and Los Amigos Invisibles. Their growing list of accolades includes a feature in the Austin-American Statesman, selection as one of NPR’s favorite songs of 2014 (Fears Away), and a single premier on MTV Iggy |
| 4 | Sari Andoni | Indimaj |
| 5 | Abdullah Alqaroot | Shams Band |
| 6 | Laurie Peckins | Classical music specialist |
| 7 | Erik Salinas | Son jarocho musician |
| 8 | Hanna Salmon | Ethnomusicologist, pianist, oudist |
| 9 | Dimitris Gkoulimaris | Middle Eastern, Balkan, American, Latin Music |
| 10 | Waylon Jack Montesinos | The Point is an organ trio based in Austin, taking influence from Peruvian cumbia, Turkish rock and Saharan blues. They have roots in American blues music |
| 11 | Joshua Thomson | Joshua Thomson, Jazz, Arab Music, World Music, Experimental Music, Music For Human Rights |
| 12 | Ingebrigt Håker Flaten | The Young Mothers |
| 13 | Brian Seward | |
| 14 | Joshua Peters | Jazz, maqam, electo-acoustic, avant garde |
| 15 | Julie Slim | Julie Slim & RendezVous, World Jazz |
| 16 | Ralph Manak | |
| 17 | Micah Shalom Segal | Micah Shalom, Reggae Ska Afrobeat |
| 18 | Charles Prewitt | Cellist |
| 19 | Paul Klemperer | Paul Klemperer Music |
| 20 | Umar Khan | Atalla, Composer / Songwriter |
| 21 | Nabiha Hossain | |
| 22 | Javier Jara | |
| 23 | Corinne Hall | Corinne Zappler |
| 24 | Jonathan Horne | |
| 25 | Michael Alan Katz | |
| 26 | Hanna Bakarat | HANNA BARAKAT is a rock group from Austin. Lebanese-American performing and recording artist |
| 27 | Kevin Collins Candace Collins | Austin based American rock band Kev Bev, draws from a historical musicology of genres including rock n’ roll, indie rock, funk, soul, afrobeat, Latin, reggae, disco, hip hop, and jazz |
| 28 | Shawn Ellison | |
| 29 | Lisa Cameron | |
| 30 | Elijah Siegal | Residual Cough, experimental trip-hop |
| 31 | Marina Barsoum | |
| 32 | Roman | Specific Thing, Cartoon rock pop |
| 33 | Geeti Shirazi Mahajan | Utopia Healing Arts, Persian Vocalist |
| 34 | David Israel | |
| 35 | Cara Tillma | |
| 36 | AnaMichele Babyak | Latin music |
| 37 | Keith Galloway Jr. | KindKeith |
| 38 | Cassandra Wulff | Cassie Crouton, Dream Pop |
| 39 | Madeline Bowsher | |
| 40 | Ryan Goldstom | Big Bill |
| 41 | Barbara Finlay | Soloist |
| 42 | John Rose | John Rose / Al Frescos. Singer/songwriter of rock, country, blues. |
| 43 | Emma Hollingsworth | Dog Bird Butterfly, Bluegrass |
| 44 | José Luis Vásquez | anarchoskum, Digicore/rap |
| 45 | Scott Riegel | Friday Boys |
| 46 | Angela Vanegas | |
| 47 | Manuel B. López III | Manolo Black |
| 48 | Haley Cole | Sumi Wave, amplified prayers, ethereal, folk, experimental |
| 49 | Matthew Rogers | Matt |
| 50 | Quinn Decker | quinndecker.com, Glam and psychedelic rock, indie rock |
| 51 | Aaron Chávez | Cloud Companion, Contemplative Bedroom Pop / New Age |
| 52 | Laura Villalobos | DJ HELIOS |
| 53 | Lark Riopelle | Lark |
| 54 | Genesis Green | Cloud Companion / Genesis Green, singer, songwriter, and bassist |
| 55 | Tristan White | Medieval Snails |
| 56 | Carlos Cartagena | Rose Ceremony, an Emo, Skramz, Post-Hardcore group based in Austin |
| 57 | Nick Leon | Grandmaster, Narrative Party Prog |
| 58 | Joshua Gibbs | On behalf of Rose Ceremony, an Emo, Skramz, Post-Hardcore group based in Austin |
| 59 | Bryan Blaylock | B.R. Lively |
| 60 | Henry Jewesson | Henry Jewesson, Electronic |
| 61 | Seina Sleep | Rapper |
| 62 | Carter Eleanor Davis | Violist, orchestral member, and music teacher |
| 63 | Corey Halbert | On behalf of Saline, a Post-rock, Shoegaze, Emo group based in Austin. |
| 64 | Willie Chapa | Tamsen, Hardcore group |
| 65 | Guiding Light | Post-punk band |
| 66 | Rylie Riddle | Slurp the world, Austin- based alt band |
| 67 | Ryan Watson | On behalf of the band Rat Church, punk/rock, hardcore |
| 68 | Ginger Rodriguez | |
| 69 | Daniel Bryson | A.L. West, indie rock |
| 70 | Alexander James Riegelman | Big Bill, Alex Riegelman + Friends, Indie rock, folk rock, singer-songwriter, punk |
| 71 | Zairen Atlas Phillips | MIDI THE FOOL, new age electronic hip-hop |
| 72 | Sydney Harding-Sloan | Hey Cowboy! |
| 73 | Isabel Sofia Mikhail | Isa Sofía, Soul/ jazz/ pop |
| 74 | Evan Thomas | Bookout |
| 75 | Sarah Ronan | Queen Serene, Alternative, shoegaze, post-punk |
| 76 | Chris Ouseley Moynan | Easy Prey (post-hardcore), Mall Walker (emo), Anchorite (Hardcore) |
| 77 | Laura Delarosa | Saturnia Pavonia, Alternative indie rock |
| 78 | Emma Shahin | |
| 79 | Lauren Burton | Lola Tried |
| 80 | David Alvarez | |
| 81 | Andrea Carroll | Oh Antonio and His Imaginary Friends, Parker Woodland, and more |
| 82 | Syd Border | Sektite, Hardcore with Nu Metal and Shoegaze influences |
| 83 | Connor McCampbell | TC Superstar, Dance pop |
| 84 | Taft Mashburn | taft, singer songwriter |
| 85 | Emily Kolb | Emily Kolb performs with Choux Choux, a post-punk disco band based in Austin |
| 86 | Kimberly Monroe | Kimm Monroe |
| 87 | Alex Hughes | Alex Hughes / GRINDING VIOLENCE |
| 88 | Rafael A | Rafael is a member of Grupo Ladeira, a NE Brazilian percussion, song, and dance group |
| 89 | Ziyad Doany | Indimaj, Arabic music, fusion |
| 90 | Emily Grace Loe | Egee, Singer-songwriter, pop, americana |
| 91 | Bethony Harnden | Lady Chops & the Goddamn Jam Known for their expressive and energetic performances that draw from rock, blues, jazz, soul, and pop to create something entirely new. |
| 92 | Nicole Powell | Minor Mishap Marching Band & Grupo Ladeira |
| 93 | Jenni Wieland | Minor Mishap and Great Howl |
| 94 | Chalo Colina | Minor Mishap Marching Band, Dancing in the street |
| 95 | John | What you’re looking for |
| 96 | Jeremy Brandelik | Shinglers, Country, Country Rock |
| 97 | Matt Mossman | Great Howl, Orchestral indie rock |
| 98 | L Jecker | |
| 99 | Sergio Gonzalez | Cosmos A., Ambient Floral |
| 100 | Erica Parfit | Erica Parfit is a member of Grupo Ladiera, a Maracatu based drumming group. Maracatu music has always been played as a way to voice freedom for all from oppression. |
| 101 | Eric Quitugua | language |
| 102 | Gabriela Torres | Large Brush Collection, indie folk rock |
| 103 | Tessa Mitterhoff | Pony Soprano, Country folk duo |
| 104 | Lainey Gonzales | Lainey Gonzales is a singer-songwriter in Austin, TX. She makes a mix of pop, rock and country that is easy on the ears and hard on the heart. |
| 105 | Adri Hullet | The Get Lows is an Austin dance punk group |
| 106 | Ziyad Doany | Indimaj, Arabic fusion |
| 107 | Steven Austin Zamora | Steven Austin Zamora is a drummer for Die Mart / Futon Blonde / Burrito Seagull |
| 108 | Morgan Witthoft | Djamberry Caravan, Reeds |
| 109 | Eric Braden | On behalf of the rock/punk group Big Bill |
| 110 | Michael Williams | Wake Up Spaceboy is an indie/emo band based in Austin. |
| 111 | Haitham Gabr | Middle Eastern percussionist & vocalist |
| 112 | Kenny Mistretta | Bend kenny |
| 113 | Caitlin King | Solo singer-songwriter, pianist and in Austin who likes cats |
| 114 | Orlando Kassing | |
| 115 | Ayush Agrawal | Ayushers |
| 116 | Laura Guerra | Grupo Ladiera |
| 117 | Jen Carnes | Grupo Ladeira |
| 118 | Ripley Hellion Sonata | |
| 119 | Free Hamze | Free Hamze is a Hip Hop artist from Texas, by way of the Bekaa Valley |
| 120 | Anna Noble | Jazz |
| 121 | Julian Ruiz | Holy wave, subterranean pop |
| 122 | Stephanie Hunt | Buffalo Hunt, Recorded under the moniker Buffalo Hunt, Ambitions of Ambiguity, the solo debut by Austin-based singer-songwriter Stephanie Hunt |
| 123 | Erica Flores | The Applicators, Punk |
| 124 | Carter Hogan | Creekbed Carter Hogan is a trans blasphemer folksinger |
| 125 | Bryan Davis | Misfortune Teller / Vampyre / Resent, Post-hardcore |
| 126 | Thom Washburn | Thom Washburn, don leady, tailgators |
| 127 | John Michael Sherry | John Michael Sherry, Luxury Television |
| 128 | William John Rogers | William John Rogers, Grupo Ladeira, Brazilian Percussion |
| 129 | Christopher Webb | Chris Webb, Producer, psych rock |
| 130 | Kayla Green | Violinist |
| 131 | Rebecca Lester | |
| 132 | Will Kurzner | will k, acoustic noisy rock |
| 133 | Kai Jasmin | Bad Luck Penny, Folk Punk |
| 134 | Dana Lewis | |
| 135 | Roberto Paolo Riggio | Atash |
| 136 | Charles Stephens | Chucky Blk |
| 137 | Falcon B*tch | Being Dead,Texas-based lo-fi creep-rock best friends and multi-instrumentalists. |
| 138 | Tommy Jammer | Saliyah, DJ / experimental producer |
| 139 | Rollie Bílíto Ratibor | Rollie Ratibor, Singer, bodhrán player |
| 140 | Sadie Wolfe | Batty Jr., Hip Hop |
| 141 | Sierra Vernon | Sierra Vernon, Singer/songwriter |
| 142 | Nikki Begley | Nephalem, Hardcore/Darkwave DJ /producer |
| 143 | Blake Thompson | Ragtag/Daisy Dullboy. Slacker Sentimental Dream Rock |
| 144 | Zoey Zarate | Rasputin/Death Witch, Melodic Black Metal/Breakpunk (Death Witch) |
| 145 | Paula Burle de Niemeyer | Paula Maya Niemeyer, Brazilian/ World/ Jazz |
| 146 | Evan Staggs | |
| 147 | Declan Murtagh | TV’s Goodtimes, Pop/Rock |
| 148 | Dax Evans | Solo, electronic |
| 149 | Forrest Garner | Forrest and the Fire rock |
| 150 | Meaghan Perry | |
| 151 | Gianna Emole | Knstalgia Alternative R&B, Electronic |
| 152 | Aastha Kumari Karki | Junkerri Psych-rock @junkerri |
| 153 | Mohamed Diab | Caravan strange |
| 154 | Jake Holtzman | Pianist, teacher |
| 155 | Emily Ng | Band: Emily No Good Indie/Alternative Rock @emilynogood |
| 156 | Kendra Sells | Égaux Sells |
| 157 | Ellie Winnubst & Clara Blackstone | GOOD POLLUTION |
| 158 | Samer Zakzok | Trill$am |
| 159 | Joseph Chavez | DJ Beatsmode @djbeatsmode |
| 160 | Devin James Fry | Name Sayers Devin Fry |
| 161 | Umar Khan | Atalla |
| 162 | Ana Maria Pamela Reyes | Pam Reyes Musician and songwriter |
| 163 | Jordan Randolph | Band: DIONE IV |
| 164 | Beami Strong | Beami Lyrically conscious, self-accountable hip hop and more @beaminotyou |
| 165 | Marlon Hedrick | Band: Turtle Pond Indie Rock |
| 166 | Elisa Davila | Little Power Songs @littlepowersongs |
| 167 | jennifer parrott | jenny parrott folk, soul rock |
| 168 | Mikaela Rodriguez | Veneer is a DJ and producer in Austin creating 90s inspired House and dance music |
| 169 | Andi Pouncey | Band: Deadtramps Punk rock hardcore neo metal @deadtramps on IG |
| 170 | Carolyn Somes | |
| 171 | Aaron Goldman | Band: The Reeks punk |
| 172 | Cara Andres | Signing on behalf of hardcore band Maldosa |
| 173 | Casey Boyer | classical / experimental |
| 174 | Jake Magee | Band: Stalefish |
| 175 | Helen Lundy | Violinist, Teacher, Fiddler, and Composer |
| 176 | Matt Abajian | Band: Hover Experimental Electronic Folk |
| 178 | Erin capps | Catastica |
| 179 | Christabel Lin | Violinist, www.christabelviolin.com |
| 180 | Riley Curnutt | Singer -Songwriter, Rileyamanda.com |
| 181 | Pearl Kwilosz – Turner | Band: PEARL Z, instagram: @pearl_zmusic Genre: rock, alternative, punk |
| 182 | Lacey Lewis | Band: Heavy Stars Genre: Solo artist – vocals, loops, synth, sampler |
| 183 | Muna Javaid | Genre: Electronic |
| 184 | Thomas Trinh | Band: Pretty Blue |
| 185 | Mark Woods | Band: Misfortune Teller |
| 186 | Joshua David Mauk | Band: Lavish Genre: Shoegaze, folk, western |
| 187 | Jayé Maverick | Band: Provoked Emotions Genre: Punk/Emo |
| 188 | Madison Whitaker | |
| 189 | Anthony Payne | |
| 190 | Rey Arteaga | Afro-Cuban/ Latin/ Rock/ Pop Singer, Percussionist, and Band Leader reyarteaga.com ; Instagram: @reyintexas ; TikTok: @sonynoson |
| 191 | Maizy Metzger | Cloudkissed, bedroom indie-folk artist writing lyric heavy songs about mental health. @cl0ud.kissed (instagram) @cloudkissedmusic (tiktok) |
| 192 | Blair Tennille Robbins | Ama, Bandleader of Ama (dialectical interdependent rock ‘n’ roll), visual artist, Secretary-Treasurer of American Federation of Musicians Local 433 blairtrobbins.com, afm433.com |
| 193 | Richard Norman | Good Lord, Indie rock |
| 194 | Sierra Vernon | Sierra Vernon, pop folk |
| 195 | don leady | the Tailgators, swamp rock |
| 196 | Hannah Campbell | |
| 197 | Camille Lewis | Sentimental Family Band |
| 198 | Anna Noble | Jazz |
| 199 | Hilary James | Bathtub cig |
| 200 | Janelle Abad | No Desire |
| 201 | ||
Austin for Palestine Coalition 