Finding Joy in Resistance
With BABAM, a Brigade of Activist Musicians
I'm writing this in 2025, but this statement should hold for awhile: We're living through some fucked up times. If you live in the United States (or follow any news at all), you might’ve noticed this whole “fascist coup” thing going on. And that ain’t helping the climate crisis, either…our fossil fuel addicted civilization is speeding towards the brink of ecosystem collapse, and the moneyed elites refuse to let their hand off the gas pedal. Now is the time to stand up and resist.
But these fucked up times take a heavy emotional toll. So many folks are struggling to survive and stay sane…how can they find the spoons for activism? How can we find the strength to stand up defiantly, when the weight of the world is so heavy, it’s hard just to stay on our feet? How can we be a candle in the dark, without burning out?
One path I'm trying: finding joy in resistance. This is the story of one day I walked down that path, playing in BABAM (the Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians).
BABAM really is a “brigade,” not a “band.” It’s a loose consortium of musicians…some from bands, some solo, some with just a chip on their shoulder and a tambourine in their hand. We have a shared songbook to practice, and lots of space to improvise.
Any activist organization can request BABAM to play at a protest, rally, march, etc. If enough brigade members commit to it, with a reasonable mix of instruments, then the gig is on, and the revolution has a soundtrack.
Last year I started playing drums with School of HONK, a radically inclusive brass band, and all-ages music school. I thought School of HONK was anarchic, but BABAM is an even wilder beast…especially in the drum section! There’s no sheet music, no section leaders, no rules. The band begins to play, and you just start banging out whichever beat makes sense. It has really stretched my improvisation skills, which I love.
My first day playing with BABAM was a double header, at two protests: the 50501 rally in the Boston Common, then a Tesla Takedown down the street. In between the two, we threw in a unplanned parade for good measure.
The 50501 rally was short and sweet, only about 30 minutes of music. It was my first introduction to “making it work” musically with BABAM, and I had to learn fast. Now I truly appreciate how hard it is to take 4 drummers, who’ve never practiced before, and meld them into one cohesive groove! It might’ve been a bit rough, but it got people dancing, and that’s what matters.
In between the two protests, a bunch of the musicians (me included) walked the 25-minutes from Boston Common to the Prudential Center. The whole way there, we jammed...mostly percussion, but snatches of melody too. I felt such joy, being in that spontaneous parade down the sidewalk. We had no signs, and weren't technically "for" anything. But the passersby could tell, by our look and patches and buttons, we were the "archetypical protestor," on the side of justice and liberty and resistance (just as general concepts). That was wonderful, and I wanna make it happen again.
Finally, the parade made it to the Tesla Takedown…to the cheers of the crowd, like the cavalry had just arrived. It had a different format…not just 30 minutes of music at the start, but songs interspersed through the whole hour. In between songs, we would improvise beats to the chanting. Playing in that jam parade must have really locked us into the same groove, because it sounded great.
And the crowd loved it so much! It’s amazing how adding a swinging, raucous brass band adds to the energy of a protest. Maybe it’s not amazing…maybe it’s obvious? But that day taught me an important lesson: any protest can be a party. I want passersby to think, “That looks fun! I wanna do it!” If you want people to join your movement, you gotta make them want to join it.
We can’t lose sight of the injustices we’re raging against. Rage may get people out on the streets, but won’t necessarily keep them there. Activism doesn’t have to feel like work…it can feel like play. It can be where we go to meet old friends, make new friends, take in art, make new art…all the things that make life worth living. In these fucked up times, we must fight to live, and that fight can be what makes us feel alive.
These are the thoughts that I’m testing out, in as many ways as I can. I’ll definitely keep playing with BABAM, every chance I get. I recently started a Dance Affinity Group within Extinction Rebellion Boston, to add not just music to protests, but dance. And there’s so many more possibilities! Music, dance, song, meditation, yoga, play, cookies, connection, humor, art, poetry…what is your joy, and how can you find it in resistance?