Sunday Concerts for Assange with Jessie Grace
Every Sunday Only on Youtube!
Every Sunday at Noon PST/15h EST/20h GMT on Assange Defense, Stella Assange, we will be premiering concerts from musicians around the world in support of my husband, Julian Assange.
An eclectic mix of never before streams on Youtube, the series will include live, acoustic and home studio music sets from musicians including James Kennedy from the Underdogs, Adelchi & Jes, David Rovics, Ben Mitchell, Mark Chadwick from the Levellers, Gabriel Moreno and many more.
This series aims to spread awareness about Julian Assange's case in preparation for the New Court Date that we are expecting at any moment now. Every week we will be premiering a music set with weekly priority actions and other information on how you can join the fight and help Julian.
WEEKLY PRIORITY ACTION
WEEKLY PRIORITY ACTION UNITED STATES - We need your help. Call your representatives to sign onto H.Res. 934!
H.Res.934 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment, and that the United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.
118th Congress (2023-2024)
Read more here.
Find your Representative here.
This week’s Sunday Concert is with Jessie Grace.
Watch it now on Youtube.
Tracklist:
1. King Of Villains
2. Say Something
3. Flatline
4. Polished Off
Jessie Grace is an alternative indie pop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who resided in Wales, UK. Jessie's passion for music was evident from a young age, where she developed a deep connection and love for the piano. As she grew older, she began to hone her skills on the guitar, an instrument she felt gave her new found liberation, after her classical piano studies.
Jessie Grace, continued her musical studies at University, where she delved into the world of composition, performance and music production. Her journey as a musician and her dedication to her craft have undoubtedly contributed to the development of her distinctive sound, and we have watched her develop her individual musical identity since her debut album release; “Asleep On The Goodfoot” in 2009.
Transcript of interview below:
You've decided to join the fight and speak up for Julian in an industry where many may find it expedient to keep silent. What do you think formed your political perspective and activation?
I would say that I'm quite politically activist in my head. As in keep up to date with things that are going on and in justice in 2023, but also my dad is very passionate about Julian Assange, who we're kind of incensed by America and you know, them going after him, which obviously has much wider implications for us as people, human beings, journalists, the whole journalistic profession, human rights.
And I've been following Stella Assange and listening to, you know, Yanis Varoufakis and Jeremy Corbyn and all these great people who are his friends. And it's just absolutely immoral and disgusting. And in just what has been done to him, he's literally being tortured in Belmarsh. You've got him in solitary confinement, and my heart just goes out to him and his family and it's just a major injustice and I think that music and activism go together.
You know, you've got a voice. Use it. Even though a lot of the songs that I'm going to play aren't necessarily political. Some of them are.
Because obviously as a songwriter, you write about lots of things. But I do feel passionate about this campaign because it has like such impact for everyone, like we all are Julian Assange. It's like we all are Gaza. We all are. I am you. This is the thing we need to learn. We are like one people on one planet.
It's like you just think, that there's that person. Maybe they're in. They're separate for me, but it's not really true. You know, it's like it has big implications for justice, for journalism. I mean, it's just that could be anyone who was trying to uncover war crimes. You know, look at the journalists in Gaza now risking their lives and to bring, you know, the campaign and and the information to the rest of the world.
So I feel passionate about Julian's case. And we must fight for Julian and raise awareness of the injustice. And he must not be extradited to the USA. Yeah. So I just think they're throwing the book and they're trying everything they can to destroy him personally. And it's just immoral and unjust. And, yeah, we need to fight him. I'm not sure if there's anything else I can add. Really.
I think that this leads into the second question, which you've answered a bit, is how did you come to care about this cause?
Yeah, and I think my dad cares about a lot. We've spoken about it and he I could see him getting really upset and like I said, it like it comes up a lot in my feed, just generally because of the people that I follow.
And then I've just kept kept up with it, really. And then I saw they were doing these music concerts and I thought, well, if there's anything that I can do, is that being a songwriter and there's not much else I can do, I'm not a lawyer, I'm not famous. So, you know, because he's a dad as well, he doesn't get to see his kids.
And my every time they were talking about going through the whole scenario of going to the prison and how disgusting it is, like his high security prison. It's not he's not a threat. But they've destroyed him like they like. I don't know how he's coping, like as a human being. Like, I think if they. I wouldn't cope with a situation like they they've tortured him and this is in the UK, you know it's like the UK, like tries to like pretend that we're like this big moral and we can take the moral high ground on America and it's just not true.
Like we are part of the industrial war machine and we want peace. You know, we don't, you know, these wars that they keep stalling. And then the Iraq war was that it was unjustified and he exposed war crimes and he's not guilty of anything. He was a journalist and he did his job.
And what's the most important thing you'd like people to understand about Julian's case?
That is completely, unfounded. He did his job as a journalist, and, you know, there were other publications that were release material, and he should be free and he should be able to go where he wants and be a free man. And it is a complete injustice and it's the industrial war complex just going after him because and, you know, throwing the book at him because they can and they're just bullies.
And it just make sure that nobody else exposes their war crimes. But we can see like and I think this whole situation in Gaza, like, really it's like it's really shown us and really revealed to us, especially with the American and UK position, that we cannot take the moral high ground and that our governments do not speak for us as people.
They, they do not speak for us. And how dare they spend our tax money on things like litigation against journalists and wars and. Yeah, and I think that this is a really well reflected of your son. Keep a couple of them. I mean, the king of villains is about the human condition and greed. So when I say the king, he lives inside.
It's about humanity and like how the war really is inside of you. And then you take it outside of you. And also how greed is just kind of never ending, which is kind of all wrapped up in war as well. Because the reason why there is so much war is because they're making so much money. And then the last two are more political.
Yeah, yeah. Flatline is about people who signed deals and kind of like how can they sleep themselves and can they not, like, feel something more like to this existence? I know of God sake on a planet in a space and look, what we've done is just crazy to me. And also about the environment. So it's lots of things kind of wrapped up into the songs.
I also say something again is is a bit more about human condition really more than particularly for Assange or for war, but it's kind of all mixed together in a song Pot and he gives a feeling like not only yeah, the feeling, yeah. And that's powerful. That is where the power is in the feeling to portray some kind of and spark some kind of, reaction.
That's what ask for.
Find out more about Jessie Grace on her website. Follow him on socials: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Spotify, Bandcamp, TikTok.