Those of you who are Barry Manilow fans will recognize the title of this blog as a line from one of his songs however I use it as it completely embodies just what we as environmentally aware individuals are doing to come together collectively -- sing loudly on our own so all our voices end up joining together as one in the end. There are many musicians who, through their recognizable names and faces, are fighting for humanitarian or environmental efforts so we all have a chance to survive on this planet. These are two of my favorites who not only spread their message but also live it everyday. Who are your favorite eco-musicians?
One of my all-time favorite musicians is Jason Mraz. The reasons for this are not strictly linked to his beautiful music or lyrics but to his strong planetary and humanitarian efforts as well; he genuinely seems to care greatly about the state of our planet. Not only do I support his art from a musical standpoint but I am an avid reader of his blog as well. Over the past year that he has been writing, he has shared information on his: diet change to raw foodist, carrying of a Sigg to replace plastic water bottles, support of local artists, tour in bio-diesel busses, concern that he is not very eco-friendly due to his flight paths, support of humanitarian causes and many others. One of his most recent efforts is teaming up with Bruce Parry and Brett Dennen to record a song (Long Road to Forgiveness) for Survival International. Truly inspirational.
A local act, The Grownup Noise caught my attention when a close friend told me of them and their plan to convert their 1980’s, diesel van into one that runs on vegetable oil, in an effort to save the environment as well as some cash on their summer tour. Cool! I met up with their bassist, Adam, at their kick off show in Boston and through shared information, links and photos, compiled a fantastic three part story of the entire process from installation right up through wrapping up the tour. To follow the journey please visit these three links -- Part I: The Band Gets a Van, Boston Based Band The Grownup Noise Kick Off the Veggie Van Tour and The Grownup Noise Part II: Touring, With a Side of Fries.
The inspiration for this post comes from the song by Barry Manilow, referenced above, so for those who are unfamiliar with it, here are the lyrics. It is a story about one individual starting the movement of joining together for a common purpose. We do not have to be celebrities to have a huge impact, all it takes is one effort in one town by one person and eventually all of those "ones" will add up to tons!
One Voice
Just One Voice,
Singing in the darkness,
All it takes is One Voice,
Singing so they hear what's on your mind,
And when you look around you'll find
There's more than
One Voice,
Singing in the darkness,
Joining with your
One Voice,
Each and every note another octave,
Hands are joined and fears unlocked,
If only
One Voice
Would start it on its own,
We need just
One Voice facing the unknown,
And then that
One Voice would never be alone,
It takes that
One Voice.
It takes that
One Voice.
Just
One Voice
Singing in the darkness,
All it takes is
One Voice,
Shout it out and let it ring.
Just One Voice,
It takes that
One Voice,
And everyone will sing!
4 comments:
Amen!
One of my biggest pet peeves is when musicians or politicians who claim to care about our environment, who even campaign for a better world, do not act on it. This came to my attention because 1) I saw Hanson in concert last week, and they had plastic water bottles all over the stage that just got trashed after the concert and 2) I was watching the movie W. and realized the same exact thing happens in the government. Why can't they carry one water bottle and re-use it? Why can't they see that they are part of the problem? The way I see it, everyone is either part of the problem or part of the solution. I agree that one person CAN make a difference.
and btw, I LOVE that song. it made me cry the first time I saw the video.
what a good song :)
Mandy I know exactly what you mean, it infuriates me when things like that occur. We can all see through the veil when celebrities (or politicians, great point!) are just out to make a quick buck or tell us what they think we want to hear. Those who talk the talk and walk the walk go up about a billion hotness points in my book!
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