The Rag: Articles

Bringing Down the Walls of Jericho

By Alice Embree
March 24, 2006

It rained, but the bad weather didn’t dampen the spirits of Austin’s Million Musicians’ March to End the War in Iraq. On Saturday, March 18th, musicians Bill Oliver and Steve Brooks warmed the crowd up at the federal building plaza as a steady drizzle fell around them. At noon, led by a marching band, the procession left the federal building. It snaked its way down Red River and West Sixth Street, down Congress Avenue to Fourth Street to a rally at City Hall.

The third anniversary of the Iraq war coincided with the finale of the city’s South by Southwest (SXSW) music extravaganza. SXSW crowds waiting in line at the live music venues along Red River and West Sixth watched with delight - flashing peace signs - as the procession passed by.

It was fiddler Richard Bowden and singer songwriter Bill Oliver who suggested the musical theme to the small Austin Against War (AAW) organizing committee. AAW agreed to limit the speakers to civil rights activist Rev. Peter Johnson of Dallas and Code Pink founder Diane Wilson, and tap into Austin’s rich vein of musical talent.

Richard Bowden’s enthusiasm was contagious. Like a pied piper with a fiddle and a charming smile, he sold the idea to everyone he talked to. “Be an instrument for peace,” was his theme song. Bowden was convinced he could draw in local performers as well as performers in town for SXSW who were against the war – particularly in a town that calls itself “the live music capital of the world.”

Fellow musician, Mark Rubin, helped assemble the marching band and gave the band the name “Jericho Brass Band” inspired by the biblical stories of Jericho’s walls tumbling down and the Good Samaritan who helped strangers on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho. The marching band had never played together, but they brimmed over with talent as they performed traditional New Orleans Funeral music - “Down By The Riverside,” “Over In Gloryland,” “Joe Avery’s Piece,” “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Just A Closer Walk With Thee.” Sax player Paul Klemperer said the songs lasted roughly a block, with the band breaking into a new number at each intersection. Marchers sang and beat out percussion on drums and noisemakers. Pedestrians smiled and flashed peace signs.

The “Jericho Brass Band” included: Oliver Steck – trumpet, Stanley Smith – clarinet, Ray Strucker – trombone, Paul Klemperer – soprano sax, Ephraim Owens – trumpet, John Stansell – alto sax, Ryan Gould – soprano sax, Beth Gallagher – flute, Lloyd Maines – guitar, Paul Schlichting – bass drum, and Mark Rubin – tuba. Everyone donated talent without condition of acknowledgment.

Several marchers were dressed as revolutionary war heroes, reminiscent of Lexington and Concord. These included Harry Kleintank playing the flute and Mary Ann Price (of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks) with a drum.

On stage at the rally, Guy Forsyth sang a memorable “Ain’t Gonna Study War No More” and Dylan’s “Masters of War.” Carolyn Wonderland’s powerful lyrics moved many to tears. Jon Emery brought Blaze Foley’s “Oval Room” to life. Lisa Rogers added her therapeutic humor with “Curious George.” Frank Meyer, who put in many hours handing out leaflets and spreading the word among musicians, sang “Oil In That Soil.”

The speakers were excellent as well. Reverend Peter Johnson, who worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, spoke eloquently of the legacy of the civil rights struggle and its relevance to opposing this war. Diane Wilson, a fourth generation fisherwoman from Seadrift, Texas and founder of Code Pink, reminded everyone that spunk is worth its weight in gold as she told tales of taking on Formosa Plastics and Union Carbide and disrupting Tom Delay’s fundraiser. Dressed as a Republican with a nametag pilfered from the table, Wilson unfurled a “No Blood for Oil” banner in front of Dick Cheney’s face and served time in the Harris County Jail as a result.

Alyssa Burgin, of Texans for Peace, a co-sponsor of the event, said that she received universally positive comments about the march and rally. Burgin’s outreach brought participants from the San Antonio Peace Center, Palestinians for Peace and Democracy, Texas Lutheran College in Seguin and the South Texas Alliance for Peace and Justice of Corpus Christi. An antiwar veteran with the Hill Country Peace Movement gave the event high praise by saying it reminded her of the sixties.

March and rally logistical planning rested on the stalwart shoulders of Eddie Gary, Justin Patch and others from Austin Against War. Without the AWW infrastructure – in place for nearly four years – there would have been no parade permit or sound amplification; no one would have gotten a leaflet or been notified by a list serve. Other groups endorsing the event included CAMEO, University Iraq Campaign, Veterans for Peace, ISO, U.S. Tour of Duty, Austin Tan Cerca De La Frontera, American Friends Service Committee, and Texans for Peace.

In Austin, advanced media coverage helped spread the word. Richard Bowden was interviewed on radio several times leading up to the event. He responded to calls from KUT, the Statesman, and several TV stations. Music promoters and agents familiar with the media offered him advice. Fellow fiddler, Eleanore Whitmore, helped Bowden promote the event as did Frank Meyer, a member of Veterans for Peace.

Many musicians lent their name to the call. Some came in support, but didn’t perform. Christine Albert, John Reed and two of the Flatlanders – Jimmy Dale Gilmore and Joe Ely – were at the rally. Bowden said, “It was wonderful to have musicians put their names on the line in opposition to this war. That is big news because the peace movement needs the creative people to make it come alive. With the creative people, anything is possible.”

Although the rain diminished turnout, about 600 people marched and another 400 were at the rally site. Channel 8, 24, and Univision provided television coverage. Stories ran in The Daily Texan and the Austin American Statesman. The Texas Music Magazine will report on the march. The event also garnered German and Norwegian coverage from reporters in town for SXSW.

The march fell short of a million musicians, but the spirit of the event unleashed new energy. It provided evidence of a largely untapped reservoir of talent willing to voice their opposition to the war. The president now says withdrawal from this war will be “for future presidents to decide.” Lord help us all if we must mark a fourth anniversary of this war. But, we know that the next year’s theme is already set. By then we may be able to get a million musicians.

The speeches were a powerful witness in word. But, it was the music that transformed the march and rally, forged a sense of community and made spirits soar above the cloud cover. After all, it was music that made the walls tumble in Jericho.

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