ANGELICA – As part of the celebration of the 30th
anniversary of the Bump the Dump protest, the music which defined the event is
being re-released in the B.A.N.D.I.T.S. 30th Anniversary Collection.
At a recent meeting of the Concerned Citizens of Allegany
County (CCAC) Ad Hoc committee planning the April 4th and 5th, 2020 anniversary
celebration Howard Appell, one of the original members of the B.A.N.D.I.T.S.,
said that an anniversary collection of B.A.N.D.I.T.S. music had been completed
and copies are now available.
The B.A.N.D.I.T.S. were a group of local musicians who used
their music to help protest the dump. Their music helped keep the acts of
protest non-violent, served as a way of raising funds for the CCAC and spread
the message of what was happening in the county.
“Right in the beginning music was an element in Allegany
County’s struggle to keep free from nuclear waste. I was surprised to find that
the studio we used to produce the first albums still had the original tapes and
the original artwork. Mostly all they had to do was remaster the original
tapes. The sound is exquisite. I’ve heard instruments on the remastered music
that I never heard in the music before,” Appell said.
The B.A.N.D.I.T.S. (Bands Against Nuclear Dumps In This
State) first performed together on Sept. 23, 1989 in the Nancy Howe Auditorium
at the Wellsville Library. The original members are deceased, Dale Misenheimer
and Ed Whitney. While many musicians played with the group, other members who
performed in the band are Appell, Cher Appell, Sue Beckhorn, Gary Barteau,
Marta Whitney, Melissa Jacobs, Honey DeLapa, Thomas Dose, Rich Konert and Dale
Misenheimer and Ed Whitney who are both deceased.
The 30th Anniversary Collection contains 20 tracks including
the song, “No Radiation Without Representation” by Beckhorn, which became the
anthem of the Bump The Dump protest.
Appell has given the CDs to CCAC and stipulated that 100
percent of the proceeds from the sale of the anniversary edition will go to the
CCAC. To obtain a CD go to contactusCCAC@gmail.com or call 585-466-4474.
