Musicians Take Anti-War Message to D.C.

08/09/2005 2:01 PM, AP


An eclectic lineup of punk, country and ambient musicians will gather on the National Mall in September to build support for ending the war in Iraq.

Jello Biafra, formerly of the group Dead Kennedys, will host the "Operation Ceasefire" concert at the Washington Monument on September 24. Other acts include iconoclastic country crooner Steve Earle and Wayne Kramer from 1960s-era radical rockers MC5.

The concert is a chance for like-minded musicians to take their anti-war message to a large audience, said organizer Eric Hilton of the experimental pop duo Thievery Corporation, which also will perform.

"If it can get a few more people thinking about the issue and not just pushing it to the back of their brains, it would be a good thing," Hilton said.

Hilton said he expects 30,000 to 40,000 people to attend to concert, where commentators, political figures and families of deployed troops are slated to share the stage with the musicians.

The concert is part of a weekend-long series of anti-war marches and rallies in Washington that organizers have timed to coincide with International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in the city.

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