I wasn't at Saturday's one million protest. Instead, I was at a good friend's birthday party at a bar where the protest was shown on TV, and we saw on mute Eyal Golan exciting the crowd of 300,000 in Tel Aviv with an additional 106,000 throughout the country. There's been a lot of talk about the performers at the protests. Ever since the protest became so mainstream and such a consensus, it seems that every big artist wanted to join and give their support. There was some criticism at first regarding the fact that Mizrahi singers hadn't joined the party because at first, the protest was regarded as belonging to the middle-class Tel Avivians. But that's no longer the case, and Eyal Golan's performance in Tel Aviv seemed to serve to prove that the protest really does belong to (almost) all of Israel. And of course, he was also chosen to perform because he is such a great performer and crowd pleaser. Hayehudim were also there for pretty much the same reason, and probably also to bring in the young rocker audience. I have nothing against these performers, but it would have been great if there were more musicians performing who actually had something to say about the protest and not just attract a huge crowd. Hadag Nachash are great, but they're not enough. So I was quite thrilled to stumble upon this collection, which for now is available to download for free, of indie singers singing songs that directly have to do with social change and the general feelings among the public regarding the protest. The collection is called "Ohalim Adirim" which translates to "Huge/Amazing Tents" but also sounds very much like "Oh my God". The song I chose is from the second compilation, which is getting bigger and bigger since any musician is free to send a track. Plaster may not be a very successful band here (yet), but I'm pretty sure that if they had performed with this song in the protest, they would have been able to excite each and every protester and get them to sing along to the chorus. The songs on the collection capture the different feelings of the protest, from frustration at the government to hope for a better future, and this one is no exception, capturing the main feeling that has come from this protest - that small citizens can stand up together against the powerful and make a change. Nobody knows what will come next, and if there really will be a change, but without a doubt, there has been a change of consciousness, and many people have realized that they aren't alone with their feelings of frustration. I translated the creator's description of the collection because it really is important to support our culture and the artists who make it such a great one.
"The voice of a revolution. Musicians for a change of priorities.
The wind of revolutions are blowing over Israel and like always also this time the musicians are there from day one: playing, supporting, cheering, performing for free to strengthen the protesters and the righteous. But they too need support, they too are among the protesters, and they too are lifting their heads and saying
We need to change the priorities.
A country that neglects its culture also neglects its people. Despite its enormous contribution to society and social change, despite it being a pillar of the Israeli experience, the arts and especially the artists are always at the bottom of the priority ladder-they're the last to get paid (if at all), the last to receive support (if at all), and are still expected to always be there, always to shout the cry of the people, always to strengthen and encourage and sing the songs that will excite, calm, motivate action, become the soundtrack of an era.
This is no longer a compilation of protest songs, there are in this collection political protest songs, social, personal, and instrumental pieces that musicians gave without anything for exchange, out of sympathy and support for promoting the culture in Israel in all its forms and in the social struggle that's changing the social order in the country. We are all calling upon Israel: Acknowledge your culture as a national treasure!
This collection belongs to all of us!
We call on more musicians to upload their songs.
You are invited to mail liroon@gmail.com to receive a username and password"
To take two cups of cheese
Maybe it's a bit too much
It's the old list
The one that slipped from my hands
To take two cups of cheese
I'll pass on the whipped cream
The top layer
I'll leave for someone richer
Two rooms for rent
Maybe it's a bit too much
To dream about a car and apartment
About the kids and not me
Two rooms for rent
I'm sick of being ashamed
And paying for what there isn't
And sharing what there is
Who wants to can blame
The small, the weak
That stood up against the big
If there aren't apartments there are tents
Who wants to can blame
The small, the desperate
That stood up against the big
If there aren't apartments there are tents
Two shifts without sleep
Maybe it's a bit too much
Even for sharp observers
To find what's wrong and till when
Two shifts without sleep
In the end, I feel asleep on guard
Maybe it's the whole country
That wakes up only when things are bad
Who wants to can blame
The small, the weak
That stood up against the big
If there aren't apartments there are tents
Who wants to can blame
The small, the desperate
That stood up against the big
If there aren't apartments there are tents
www.facebook.com/plasterofficial
http://ohalimadirim.bandcamp.com/album/-