In February, 15,000 rally towels reading ICE OUT were handed to fans filing into Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX. The people who organized that stunt have spent the months since making a record — and the guest list reads like a roll call of American protest music.
Contra-ICE Vol. 1: ICE OUT arrives on October 2 via SoundsGood, a 47-track compilation featuring more than 30 artists. Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine is on it. So are Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Fishbone, David J of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, Ozomatli, Fred Armisen, Money Mark, and Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill alongside Beastie Boy Ad-Rock.
From the stands to the studio
The Super Bowl action, titled “Flags in the Stands,” was organized by Contra-ICE in response to Department of Homeland Security statements that ICE agents would be present at the game. DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski and Secretary Kristi Noem both said ICE would be active around the event; the NFL’s chief security officer, Cathy Lanier, told reporters there were “no planned ICE enforcement activities.”
Volunteers positioned at multiple stadium entrances distributed the towels before kickoff. One side carried artwork by Los Angeles illustrator Lalo Alcaraz — a bunny in a jíbaro hat and football jersey punting a football encased in a block of ice, a nod to halftime performer Bad Bunny. The reverse read ICE OUT in block letters, with a QR code encouraging fans to raise the towels whenever referees threw a penalty flag.
The moment was not short of political heat. President Trump had called the booking of Bad Bunny and Green Day “a terrible choice” that “sows hatred.” Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong used the band’s pre-game set to address ICE agents directly: “Wherever you are: quit that s— job you have.”
“Culture often leads politics,” Contra-ICE leader Shasti Conrad said of the action, “and moments like this show how people are using joy, creativity and visibility to push back.”
What’s actually on the record
For players, the tracklist is the interesting part. Morello contributes “Pretend You Remember Me.” Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine turn up with “Three Strikes.” Fishbone deliver “Secret Police,” which is about as on-the-nose as the veteran Los Angeles ska-punk band has ever been. David J appears twice — once on Duende’s “Divisive Crisis” and again with a demo titled “ICE TOO COLD TO THAW.”
Elsewhere the record leans hard into Los Angeles: Ozomatli’s “Redline,” Chicano Batman bassist Eduardo Arenas, Ceci Bastida, Las Chorizeras, Tropa Magica, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical and Puerta Negra all feature. Money Mark, the Beastie Boys’ longtime keyboard player, contributes “Helicopter.” Fred Armisen turns in a track called “Compact.” Comedians Al Madrigal and Chris Estrada, and cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, break up the running order with spoken-word and comedy pieces.
The whole thing was sequenced by DJ Dali — Dali Colorado, the founder of parent nonprofit Build Art Make Change. “I approached this project as a curator, carefully crafting a listening experience that unfolds as a journey,” she said. “Every track, transition and voice serves a purpose.”
The lead single is a Justin Bieber cover
The first track released is the least predictable thing here. Kathleen Hanna and Ad-Rock — joined by Money Mark, Fredo Ortiz and Frank Figueroa — have covered “Let Me Love You”, the 2016 DJ Snake and Justin Bieber collaboration. Mario Caldato Jr., the engineer and producer behind the Beastie Boys’ Check Your Head and Ill Communication, produced it.
“It’s not often you get to play music with your favorite people while working with a grassroots organization like Contra-ICE,” Hanna said. “Mario Caldato Jr. produced our song, which was a dream come true for me.”
It is a strange, effective choice: a bubblegum EDM-pop hook handed to two figures from Bikini Kill and the Beastie Boys, on a protest compilation. Whether that reads as subversion or novelty will probably split listeners — which may be the point.
Where the money goes
Proceeds go to two frontline organizations. The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) works on labor and civil rights for day laborers, migrants and low-wage workers nationally. Unión del Barrio is a Los Angeles-based community organization focused on human and civil rights.
Contra-ICE describes itself as a collective of musicians and artists formed as “a creative response to the inhumane treatment of people and communities terrorized by U.S. immigration agents.” It operates under Build Art Make Change, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. Founding members include Uli Bella of Ozomatli; Jim Coleman of Cop Shoot Cop serves as sound director, and Don Giovanni Records co-founder Joe Steinhardt is also involved.
Release details
Contra-ICE Vol. 1: ICE OUT is out October 2 via SoundsGood and is available to pre-order now. The collective will mark the release with a show at La Cita in Los Angeles on October 3, featuring performances and DJ sets from artists on the record. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 14 at 10am local time.
Protest compilations have a long and patchy history — for every Rock Against Racism there are a dozen worthy records nobody played twice. What separates this one is that the organizing came first and the album second. The towels were already in the stands.
