Musicians Action Group (MAG) is an ad-hoc group of musicians, horn players and percussionists, who have played at Bay Area actions and events for progressive political causes for over thirty-five years. We started in the early 1980's, participating with the Livermore Action Group protesting nuclear weapons research. We are amateur and professional musicians who make music for marches, rallies, boycotts, picket lines, block parties, neighborhood actions and celebrations. We use our music to mobilize for union causes, against war, for civil rights, against fascism, for women’s rights, against police brutality, for the rights of immigrants, and with left/progressive movements in our local communities and around the world.

Our repertoire consists of arrangements of songs and anthems from decades of American and international struggles for peace and social justice. We recognize the power of song and music to unify, uplift, and unite, and we share the music that has brought people together in struggles for justice. Our songs are chosen for their melodies and their histories.

Many of our members have been around and active in the Bay Area music, art and political scene for many years. We have shared history with Bay Area alternative cultural institutions including the S.F. Mime Troupe, Bay Area Progressive Musicians Association (BAPMA), Pickle Family Circus, Red Star Singers, and the East Bay Sharks. We are union organizers, tenants rights advocates, teachers, scientists, lawyers, carpenters, anarchists, socialists, communists, activists, retirees and more. Musicians over 65 make up the majority of our band, and we are open to all players interested in movement music as a living tradition.

MAG is devoted to helping, supporting and participating with the people who are organizing and building the movements for progressive social and political change. This often includes organizations with which our members are involved. We use our music to mobilize for union causes, against war, for civil rights, against fascism, for women’s rights, against police brutality, for the rights of immigrants, and with left/progressive movements in our local community and around the world. We recognize the power of song and music to unify, uplift, and unite, and we share the music that has brought people together in struggles for justice. We play for the joy that music can bring and to boost the energy of the events. We have marched with as few as 8 and as many as forty musicians in recent years. Anyone who feels comfortable playing our music is welcome to join the band.

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Many members are both musician activists (using music for social change) and activist musicians (folks engaged in other activist activities), and have found ways to make this work in their lives for many years. We developed from an earlier activist band, the Bay Area Progressive Musicians Association - BAPMA - that began in 1973. We can contribute the experience of a multi-generational band whose members have participated in the struggles for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam, and have incorporated new musicians over the decades. Our music provides an active link to decades of progressive music. We are both historically and contemporarily connected to movements for progressive change. How we build connections and participate in actions is something we would love to share and learn about with other political marching bands.

2018 - Played on the March For Our Lives in Oakland (Mar 24)
2018 – International Working Women’s Solidarity March, Oakland.
2017 and 2018 – We participated in the Oakland Women’s March in January as part of the Nasty Woman Band.
2018 – Played for a rally at the local Here/There homeless encampment for the First They Came For The Homeless group.
2017 – Played for California Nurses Association to oppose closing Alta Bates Hospital (Nov)
2017 – We joined in and played for the anti-fascist demonstration of last August in Berkeley (Aug 27).
2017 – Played at Berkeley City Hall in support of a neighborhood opposing a big business encroachment into their community.
2017 – May Day March in Oakland – fight for migrant and worker justice!
2017 – People’s Climate Mobilization, Oakland Ca. (April)
2017 – March for Science – San Francisco (April)
2016 & 2017 – Parade and block party organized by the South Berkeley Neighbors and Friends of Adeline groups.
2016 – No Coal in Oakland
2016 – May Day and Les Fanfares s’en mêlent– Paris France - an international gathering of fourteen political/activist brass bands.
2015 – May Day, Port of Oakland Shutdown and Immigrant Rights March
and the list goes on...

We primarily support diversity by the events in which we participate. Folks who enjoy us during these events are encouraged to join. Our repertoire is made up of music from a diversity of peoples, nationally and internationally. We have female and male sharing of leadership, responsibility and decision making. Our members identify in a variety of ways. While we are primarily white, we consciously outreach to and support organizations and events by people of color that would appreciate our participation. Many members are over 60 (some in their 70’s and 80’s). We make every effort for rehearsals to be accessible by public transportation and for all band trips we share our means to ensure that all members who want to attend are able without economic hardship being a limiting factor. Most of our members join through word of mouth or seeing us in action.

We struggle to have racial and ethnic diversity in our band - a problem in our gentrifying communities in general. We have members diverse in gender, gender identity, age, and economic background. MAG is open to all players who are interested in learning the music and joining protests. We do not have an outreach protocol and folks mostly join after seeing us at an action. We have very little formal organization. All members are encouraged to propose events for us to play.

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