Tom Morello, Ad-Rock and Kathleen Hanna are among the artists that have joined forces for an Anti-ICE benefit album.
It’s called Contra-ICE Vol 1: ICE OUT and comes out on October 2 on Sounds Good Records. It features 30 tracks, all of which are previously unreleased, from a range of artists working in the music, spoken word and comedy fields. Confirmed names for the project include ex-Beastie Boy Ad-Rock, Jello Biafra, Ozomatli, Money Mark, Fred Armisen and David J of Bauhaus and Love And Rockets fame.
All proceeds from the record go to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Unión del Barrio, organisations that work with immigrant groups at risk of deportation.
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The first single to be released from an album is a cover, curiously of Justin Bieber’s Let Me Love You, which features Hanna, Ad-Rock, Money Mark, Fred Ortiz and Frank Figueroa. See what you think:
Hanna, the Bikini Kill singer and riot grrrl icon, has said in a statement: “It’s not often you get to play music with your favourite people while working with a grassroots organisation like Contra-ICE. They are passionately fighting against fascism and white supremacy, which is something none of us can afford to ignore.”
She continued, “Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys) produced our song, which was a dream come true for me. Thank you so much to Contra-ICE for making this happen and allowing me to represent what we collectively stand for.”
The album has been put together by Build Art Make Change, a nonprofit group that aim, in their words, to “empower vulnerable communities by harnessing artistic expression to raise awareness, shift public discourse, and drive meaningful policy reform.”
Their founder Dali Colorado has said of Contra-ICE. “(It) is not only an album It is not only a collective. It is a cultural infrastructure built to support frontline organisations, amplify immigrant voices, and mobilise creatives who believe that love is not passive; it’s organised. Music has always been my first language. Justice has always been my inheritance. Contra-ICE is where those two lineages meet, urgently, unapologetically, and with love over fear.”
ICE, or the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, has been in the news since the re-election of Donald Trump eighteen months back. Trump has significantly expanded ICE’s budget and mission since then. The force’s greater visibility has led to clashes with protestors, which earlier this year led to the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti – both US citizens – by members of the force.
The day after the album’s release, on October 3, there’s a live event featuring a number of the artists featured on the album, at La Cita in Los Angeles.
