Partying for Your Right to Fight: Get Down and Battle Bush

The Republicans are coming to town, so what better time for a party—a really big, raucous party! “There’s going to be a lot of protests and dissent on the street this summer, so this event is about building the world we want to see,” says William Etundi, one of the masterminds behind complacent.org and counterconvention.org, who invites you to “explore the space between revelry and revolution.” The event throws down at the old Lunatarium warehouse, but even before you step inside there’ll be “performance patrols” roving DUMBO’s cobblestone streets and “guerrilla video” bouncing off the walls. Organizers have sound permits for both inside and outside this massive waterfront space and a slew of bands and beat masters lined up—including Philly’s deep-house maestro Nigel Richards, DJ Rekha’s Bollywood disco, Akim Funk Buddha, Femme Nameless (an all-female Afrobeat act), the funky Female Bureau of Investigation, conscious rap from 3rd Party, and MC Hired Gun backed by Chrome of the Blakkat crew—and a bevy of fire-eaters, circus freaks, and African dancers and drummers, plus a “midnight masquerade” hosted by the Hungry March Band. Proceeds benefit the League of Pissed Off Voters, NYC Summer, and I Am New York City—proving that this summer, politics and partying are a fertile mix.