Pali Paltz, a Hudson Valley-based group dedicated to raising awareness towards and uplifting Palestinian voices, collaborated with local house show venue The Mouse Trap to host a benefit concert for the relief effort in Gaza. The event “Lyricists 4 Liberation” took place on Saturday, April 6, kicking off at 3 p.m. with performances by local Arab and Palestinian artists.
Hashishen, a producer and DJ, took the stage first from 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. His music falls into genres of Arabic pop, Afrobeats and world dance with remixes and original works. The hour-long performance consisted of a variety of traditional and contemporary songs mixed into one harmonious set.
“I’ve been dedicated toward hosting and helping out with events all over the Hudson Valley,” said Hashishen, “and collaborating with local artists to give more of a platform towards women and people of color.
Recently, he has put out multiple collaborative remixes such as “The River to See,” “I Don’t Even Know I Don’t Even Know” and “Austra Music Club.” His biggest ongoing project called “I LOVE YOU HUDSON VALLEY,” is an 18-track playlist currently on Soundcloud. Hashishen’s work can be found on all streaming platforms.
Up next was Neesee from 4:45 – 5 p.m. Neesee is an organizer for Pali Paltz, so when they heard about The Mouse Trap’s interest in hosting a benefit show, they wanted to do their part.
“I’m glad that we can share some of our culture with you,” Neesee said, addressing the crowd. “Because we aren’t just sad people. We have history, we have things to share and we are artists.” They performed three of their original songs and poetry such as “Puppy Love,” a poem about their mom.
“We have to remember we aren’t doing this in spite of what is happening,” said Neesee, “We are doing it to uplift Palestinian voices.”
Neesee introduced the next performer, Summer, who spoke about “acceptability politics” and reading poetry. She first read two poems that will be published in The Stonesthrow Review later this spring about her experience as an Arab-American.
She then read two of her other poems “My Mother’s Hair” and “Things This Year Has Taught Me.” These two were more specific to her Palestinian identity and the current conflict. In “Things This Year has Taught Me,” Summer writes: “A person is, among all else, a material thing. Easily torn and not easily mended., but I will never be desensitized to the pain of others.”
Mikayla Joy closed out the day with more poetry. She read her three part collection “On Blood,” discussing genocide and politics.
This was the first show back of the semester for The Mouse Trap. The original date for the performance was moved from March 23 due to rain. In an Instagram post advertising the event, they said, “We can grieve for Palestine while we dance together in a space full of like-minded people.”
The Mouse Trap’s next show will be on April 20, with the lineup yet to be announced. For more information on future shows, go to @themoustrapnp on Instagram and for more information on Pali Paltz go to @palipaltz.
