Not on Their Knees Yet, Artists Will Plead for Peace

Author: Daniel Wolf Roda

The Middlebury music and arts scene waits in anticipation for the upcoming second Annual "24 Hours of Peace" music and entertainment festival. The event will kick off this Friday evening in Pearson's lounge, migrate to the Gamut Room at 1 a.m. and then continue in front of McCullough on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Scheduled to perform are the beloved Otter Nonsense Comedy Players, unheard-of punk/ska cover band Stevie Ray Hendrix, DJ Ben Gore, acoustic duos Mike & Matt and Will & Marco, singer/songwriters Anais Mitchell and Tori Sikes, MiddleGround, the Mischords, the Mamajamas, Erwin Allen and the Route 7 Ramblers, chant group Mchakamchaka, the String Quartet, the Shari P'oons Funk Brigade and the Royal We.
On Saturday evening, the event will be capped off with a performance by Riddim, featuring Damian 'Dash' Washington '03. Participating performers are excited not only about their own involvement in the festival, but also about the talent and variety of acts included on the bill.
It is sure to be one heck of a weekend, and the positive guiding force behind each of the 24 hours is quite noble. "We like our peace loud!" and "Wage this!" proclaim the flyers for "24 Hours of Peace."
"We come together to call on our government to back away from the precipice of war," wrote Joya Scott '03, founder of the event, who goes on to say that the goal of this event is to "remind the president and our representatives in Congress that a pre-emptive attack on Iraq would violate the spirit of peace and freedom that is one of our most treasured American values. We insist upon further investigation and open deliberation before our country embarks on a unilateral action that would defy international law and the wishes of our allies. We especially decry any war embarked upon for political gain."
"It is an honor to perform at an event that has a real message behind it," said Marco Sotelino '04, of Will & Marco.
The event was conceived last year at a Middlebury Progressives meeting when members sought to provide a constructive way for students to respond to Sept.11. Scott suggested a 24-hour arts and music festival. "I then found out that the Otters had been planning a 24 hour show as well, so we joined forces," recalls Scott.
"24 Hours of Peace" is the culmination of the Week of Activism, during which the community is invited to "come forth for a week of discussion, education and participation."
Donations — going to the nonprofit Seeds of Peace — are encouraged.