As most of you know, Earth Day is just around the corner. Next Tuesday, April 22, people will be celebrating healthy lifestyles and visions of the present and future. Many will choose to walk or bike instead of taking the car to run errands. Some will plant small trees or flowers in the ground. Some will be conserving energy. And some will be rocking out, Earth Day style!
But Lesley, how is music related to Earth Day?
Usually, it really isn’t. The closest I get to being one with the earth with music is when I listen to U2 (which is rare, but isn’t Bono the quintessential do-gooder?). Despite my feeble attempts of linking music to environmental activism, the clever folks at Metro are three steps ahead of me.
Metro Earth Day concert at Union Station at noon!
The Metro is hosting a free Earth Day concert by the band Canon, a “green” rock band. I haven’t personally heard of Canon, since majority of the music I listen to is mid 90’s music written by the depressed youth of Seattle. But Canon is a band I’d go see based on the simple fact that the music scene is getting heavily involved with improving the environment. From the reviews of Canon, it appears to produce sounds similar to Muse and Radiohead, and their single, “The Hourglass,” is an anthem to environmental awareness.
This reward system is yet another attempt of the public transportation system of Los Angeles to promote awareness of it’s, well, existence. Metro riders already either are entirely aware of the benefits of commuting, or don’t know the extent of their actions, yet promote a greener lifestyle by default by their commuting. But there is a large portion of Los Angeles residents who remain unfamiliar to the benefits of commuting, the many ways to do so, or the overall ease.
The concert will be held in Union Station, which, as every one of my blogs has indicated, is the mecca of public transportation. I’ve never actually driven to Union Station since it’s in the confusing part of downtown (not to imply that the rest of downtown is a piece of cake to navigate through). But perhaps this logic is shared among others who are interested in going to the event, so people will embark on a Metro ride to the station, see how easy and convenient it is, and become more frequent riders. Who knows if this will actually recruit more riders, but you’ve gotta hand it to the Metro people for trying new angles.
In my eyes, music is fantastic. Riding the Metro and other public transportation is great. Earth Day is cool. And Union Station is fabulous. I haven’t had a chance to explain my supreme approval for Union Station because I am usually too focused on where I’m going instead of appreciating where I am at the present (profound application to the philosophy of life, too, eh?). But really, Union Station is great because it’s nearly impossible to get lost, it offers restaurants and services for those who are waiting for larger train rides, and it’s a historic relic of the old transportation days of a booming metropolitan city.
Outside the fact that nearly everything is filmed in Los Angeles these days, I like to believe that Union Station is viewed in several movies because it exemplifies what one expects of a train station; brown leather seats, large clocks, great architecture, and pretty tiled floors.
Enough on Union Station, I want to know more about “green” bands!
Good, me too. Actually, there are several major bands that in one way or another help the environment.
Grist, an environmental news magazine, lists several bands that contribute concert profits and general income to support green ideas. Money is donated to organizations working on climate change, renewable energy, environmental education, local farmers, and many more.
Of such bands and musicians, my favorites are Pearl Jam, Perry Farrell (of Jane’s Addiction), Barenaked Ladies, Moby, Guster, Thom Yorke (of Radiohead).
Other bands highlighted in the article are: The Roots, Sarah Harmer, Green Day, Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, KT Tunstall, Sheryl Crow, Cloud Cult and Bonnie Raitt.
In addition to all these artists who, for some of them, I wouldn’t expect, there are also several music festivals which contribute to the green scene. Such annual concerts include Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo.
To read the full Grist article, go here
To learn more about the Earth Day concert, visit the Metro website
3 comments:
I hope Grist is printed on recycled paper. :)
How was the show?
Wish I could have gone, yet I was holding down a booth at my school's Earth Day festivities. I think they do other concerts at various times in the big fancy train station, so I shall go.
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