Story Tools
There is an emerging movement in the music industry today, as musicians are tapping into a new era of consciousness concerning energy and its ecological ramifications. While music can often serve as the voice of education or reason regarding global awareness, the irony is that relaying that message to the fans is often environmentally taxing. Bands that tour cross-country, for example, consume massive amounts of energy, requiring fuel for the tour buses, rigs, and production trucks-—not to mention the carbon-dioxide emissions that these vehicles release into our air. In addition, the tens of thousands of fans it takes to fill these venues—usually by car—results in heavy traffic, plus the multitude of glass and plastic refreshment containers that are left behind. On the production side, CDs encased in toxic plastic continue to be distributed by the truckload, even in the age of the digital download. For the sake of the environment, the music industry needs to reach greener ground. Musicians are realizing something’s got to give and now they’re giving back—in the form of digital CD releases, solar-powered stages, and biodiesel fuels.
Thom Yorke, front man for the critically acclaimed band Radiohead, is an ardent advocate for greenhouse-gas limits in the United Kingdom. The band recently released its new album exclusively in digital form from its Web site, www.inrainbows.com. Radiohead has not only opted out of CDs and the paper and plastic that go with them, but record labels and contracts as well. In an unprecedented move, the band offers its listeners a pay-what-you-want price as the ultimate incentive. Having such an influential band going CD-free at launch could be the beginning of a new age in music and the end of the overpackaged compact disc.
Here are some other big-name artists jumping on the green wagon:
- Dave Matthews Band buys renewable energy credits to offset energy use from amps onstage.
- Pearl Jam is now using 100 percent biodiesel fuel in all tour production trucks and donates $100,000 to nine organizations doing climate-change reform activities.
- The Vans Warped Tour employs a solar-powered stage, runs on biodiesel fuel, and saves 81,000 disposable plates by using washable dishware and utensils for its bands and crews.
- The Projekt Revolution Tour also ran on biodiesel fuel (eliminating an estimated 350 tons of carbon emissions) and donated $1 from every ticket sold to American Forests—a world leader in tree planting for environmental restoration.
Long Island seems to be fertile ground for greening as well. The latest local band to catch the wave is Beat Radio (www.beatradio.org). Its debut LP, the great big sea, is a lo-fi phenomenon of sounds that front man Brian Sendrowitz imaginatively describes as “ramshackle electro” or “arena rock for mystics”—descriptions that may leave you clueless until you hear the lushly textured strings (banjos and mandolins included) and lyrical poetry that make this surreal, synthesized sound feel as warm and fuzzy as the California sun. The lineup consists of Sendrowitz (guitar, vocals), Philip Jimenez (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Paul Rovira (bass), and Brian Ver Straten (drums). In October 2006, Beat Radio chose to release its CD solely on the Internet, where it has since been downloaded close to 30,000 times.
“The idea of getting your music out digitally as opposed to actual CDs is a breakthrough. It’s gotten to the point where the production of CDs is an unnecessary part of the mix,” Sendrowitz explains. Beat Radio has encouraged its listeners to buy its music through iTunes. As a relatively new band, Beat Radio would have printed up about 1,000 CDs and only sold a couple of hundred of them. Going the digital route has given them much more exposure. Sendrowitz says, “If you’re an indie band and you don’t have a lot of money or a record label promoting you, it makes more sense to do it digitally. Plus, it’s the most environmentally safe route.” Sendrowitz has played at several global-awareness benefits, including Solarfest—a weekend festival that is run entirely on renewable energy with a completely solar-powered stage (www.nysolarfest.org). A nonprofit organization since 1995, Solarfest inspires the conservation of the Earth’s limited resources and promotes and supports the creation of sustainable communities.
Other Long Island artists are looking to reduce their carbon footprint as well. Celebrated natural-foods chef and folk singer/songwriter Seth Davis (www.sethdavis.com) has also performed at several nonprofit events, including Solarfest. “In theory, it [Solarfest] was cool because it raised awareness of solar-energy alternatives and other ground-breaking technology that will help heal the planet,” Davis says. A former Long Beach native, Davis recently moved to New Paltz for a deeper connection to the environment, both spiritually and career-wise. He says, “The Catskills are beautiful every minute of every day. I feel that being surrounded by natural beauty has inspired my love for life.”
Davis joined forces with an equally impassioned Long Island musician/activist, Edgar Mills (www.naturalproductions.com), who was able to produce both of Davis’s CDs clean and green. Mills’ recording studio, Natural Productions, in Huntington, is a state-of-the-art 100-percent wind-powered facility. “I’m willing to pay a little more [an additional 1 cent per kilowatt] for my electricity to guarantee that it comes from the cleanest sources available,” says Mills, who is not only a producer, sound engineer, and multimedia artist, but also the founding member and bass player of the band Buddha on Mars. “Being a musician means a host of skill sets such as audio engineering, producing, and staging events with other artists who are also making a concerted effort to protect the environment.” In October, Mills and Davis did a benefit in New Paltz for the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary. Their goal was to raise awareness of how meat and dairy production in the U.S. has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. As Mills says, “Those childhood images of happy animals living on sunny, idyllic farms couldn’t be further from reality. Virtually all of the animals raised for food live miserable, inhumane lives in dark, overcrowded facilities called ‘factory farms.’ We’re trying to educate people on how food choices affect the planet we want to save.”
Through music and the production of it, whether in the form of renewable energy or digital technology, these artists are relaying a message—not just for our listening pleasure, but one that we need to hear. Davis says it perfectly: “I’ve seen so much beauty…I’ve lived in the desert, the mountains and on the beach. It’s nuts to pretend that all the world’s beauty is going to remain if we keep on trashing it.
Tune In
If you would like to play a positive part in the planet’s future as a music consumer try some of these simple steps:
- Download all your music digitally
(iTunes, digital CD cards, etc.) - Support bands that are environmentally conscious
- Take public transportation to concerts, or carpool if you must drive
Are you a local artist or have a favorite Long Island band that is making a difference for the planet or our community? Email us at editor@canvasli.com or comment on this story below.
