Antares. Nelani Mejias Photo.
The deep bass reverberating from the speakers lured patrons to the front of Cafe Nine, where they began to dance before a glittering red curtain. Music undulated through the space and voices rose and fell around it, overlapping with the persistent beat. In between wooden tables adorned with stickers and a techno/darkwave mix, the beloved venue had become a punk paradise with a mission.
Welcome to the sixth iteration of “It’s Right to Rebel,” which took the stage at Cafe Nine on a recent Wednesday with the goal of helping families affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and deportations in and beyond New Haven. Organized by Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), the event marked the latest installment in a monthly fundraiser that helps raise money for legal fees, lost income, utilities and food, transportation, and relocation expenses.
“The point of the concert is not just to raise money, it’s a good way to expose what's going on in this country, create this sense of solidarity, have fun and support families at the same time,” said ULA founder John Jairo Lugo, who has been on the front lines of immigrant rights work for decades, and is often the first person families call when a loved one is arrested or detained.
“Every day, somebody else is getting detained,” Lugo said, adding that he is currently working with 20 families in the greater New Haven area. “They [ICE] are recruiting people and we feel that they are going to increase their presence on the streets.”
Bringing attention to that work is more critical than ever, he said. Since the Trump Administration took office in January of this year, ICE arrests, detentions, and deportations in Connecticut are way up, as is the growing presence of officers in public spaces, outside courthouses, and at workplace raids that upend lives and livelihoods.
To that chilling reality, people still need to experience joy, and live music is a fast way to get there. So when ULA member Drew Keefer first came to Lugo with the idea of a music-arts fundraiser earlier this year, he was excited to see it grow. Even in the darkest of times, he’s found that music can be a salve, including in a long-running show called “¡Barricada!” on the Bridgeport radio station WPKN.
He added that people who want to help can donate to ULA directly, “open their homes for families who cannot afford a place to stay,” and attend weekly ULA meetings to learn how to do rapid response work and courthouse accompaniments.
If Wednesday’s set was any indication, it turned out that Cafe Nine is a perfect venue for blending art and activism. First to take the stage was the artist Antares, whose cat-ear headphones became a staple that accompanied electronic, vocal-tuned music and a spirited set. Using monster high dolls and some tried-and-true moshing, they rang in the evening with high energy, making sure that excitement buzzed and thrummed through the intimate Ninth Square venue.
Softwalls, which is the solo project of New Havener Allie Tracz, then took the stage. As synthy, pulsing beats filled the room, Tracz transformed the space into a gothic disco, with a set that made female rage feel palpable and at times threw it back to the 1980s, when new wave and synth pop lived comfortably side by side. In songs like “Shadowdance,” off the 2023 Novice EP, Tracz nearly spat out the words “I’m so sick of love / being all a woman is good for / but I’m so lonely.”
Next up was the band Corpse Ripper, made up of artists Country Corpse and Void Ripper (a.k.a. Waterbury-based musician and painter AJ Colella). They played a variety of songs for their set, from covers of Marina and the Diamonds to new songs that would be released at midnight. As they took the mic and hopped around the stage, those listening had no choice but to dance along.
In between songs, they also took the opportunity to urge those in the audience to donate to the cause as much as they were able to.
To end the night ChopChopChopChopChopChopChop, wearing a red ski mask, began his inventive set. Utilizing pots and pans as part of the “noise” in his music, he conjured an the auditory landscape that was entirely unique and insisted on being listened to. Those attending swayed, jumped, and head-bopped to the tunes, before heading back out into the night.
As he listened, attendee(and repeat New Haven Green Party candidate) Paul Garlinghouse called the event and the venue “essential” to building community. A member of ULA who declined to give their name agreed.
“Whether it’s to help raise funds for their lawyers, or to help buy them [immigrants] tickets if they need to go back to different countries, whatever it is that’s what we’re here for right now,” they said.
The next "It's Right To Rebel" takes place at Cafe Nine on Dec. 17. Tickets and more information here.