Posts tagged with "Music and Audio"

Ithaca Freeskool: We Are All Teachers - New Video!

By Shira | Apr 21, 10 04:32 PM

We just finished making this video to promote the Ithaca Freeskool. Stay tuned for a longer film...

Ithaca Freeskool: We Are All Teachers from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

New Ithaca Freeskool Mushroom Hunt Video

By Shira | Jan 12, 10 11:58 AM

Renowned local fungi expert Carl Whittaker led a Mushroom Hunt and Identification on August 30th, 2009 as part of the Ithaca Freeskool summer session, and I finally got around to editing the footage. Enjoy the beauties of the Danby State Forest while learning about many species of edible and inedible mushrooms.

Mushroom Hunt and Identification - Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Greening "Away We Go" and the Fun Theory

By Shira | Oct 30, 09 10:34 AM

What the Frac?!

By Shira | Oct 12, 09 12:59 AM

Behold the teaser for Frack Attack, a short environmental zombie thriller that we're making with the Dacha Project:

Frac Attack Teaser from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

I just finished making this movie for the Ithaca Area Poets

By Shira | Sep 15, 09 09:39 PM

Our friends Josh and Jeci organize monthly open mics/slams for Ithaca Area Poets. They're applying for a local arts grant and thought having a video of one of their events might strengthen their submission. So they asked me to make a 5-minute piece and in exchange they hooked us up with many beautiful baskets of fruits and veggies. Yay for swapping! Here's the video - I hope they get the grant!

I ♥ Coconut Records

By Ari | Aug 14, 09 02:14 PM

I've been obsessed with Jason Schwartzman recently, watching Darjeeling Limited on repeat and listening to Coconut Records over and over. SO GOOD.

Here's a cute article about how Jason likes Babycakes vegan cupcakes and here's a funny photo of Jason with Mike White and Jonah Hill at the Darjeeling Limited LA premiere. Notice Mike's shirt - that's two vegans in one photo! Yay vegans!

Now go listen to Coconut Records, it's adorable.

A crowd dancing in a train station

By Ari | Aug 12, 09 11:59 AM

This made me cry. Yay public dancing!

Thanks to Frank for the link!

A Truck Farm Grows in Brooklyn

By Shira | Jul 28, 09 11:58 AM

I'm not quite sure why they're doing this in a truck other than that it's quirky, and I feel like they could have gone more low-budget by getting free seeds, compost, etc, but I love the spirit of what they're doing - really great production value and the musical narration is awesome...

Video Interviews from the 2009 Emerging Art Spaces Retreat on Wasan Island

By Shira | Jul 20, 09 03:54 PM

Meet Alma Khasawnih of the Makan Art Space in Jordan from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

Meet Pierre Mujomba of the Kamalenga House in the Democratic Republic of Congo from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

As I mentioned a few posts back, Ari and I recently helped facilitate and document a retreat for emerging art spaces which explored the intersections between the arts and human rights. As part of the video documentation I filmed interviews with all the participants, which are now online thanks to Vimeo. You can watch all the interviews on the freeDimensional Ning and check out pictures on Flickr.

Rooftop Films: Spread the word

By Ari | Jun 3, 09 12:38 PM

If you're in NYC this summer, go check out Rooftop Films, a film series dedicated to showcasing new, independent films and emerging bands in unique outdoor locations. This weekend there are a couple of screenings coming up that look great - one has free beer, and both also feature live music. Good times!

Fri, June 5
Trapped Inside the Machine (short films)
A fun, frantic, fantastical program of films about losing your grip on reality, and reality losing its grip on the world.
Venue: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
Address: 350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music
9:00PM: Films
11:30PM - 1:00AM: Open Bar at Fontana's (105 Eldridge St), courtesy of Radeberger beer
Tickets: $9, http://newyork.going.com/event-602721;Rooftop_Films_Trapped_Inside_the_Machine

Sat, June 6
Stingray Sam (Feature length film)
A dazzling six-episode musical-western comedy that takes place in outer space, written, directed by and starring Cory McAbee, the creator of The American Astronaut. The filmmakers will be in attendance. Watch a trailer at http://stingraysam.com/trailer.html
Venue: on the roof of the Brooklyn Tech
Address: 29 Fort Greene Place (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music
9:00PM: Films
Tickets: $9, http://newyork.going.com/event-602737;Rooftop_Films_Stingray_Sam

Beauty

By Ari | Apr 18, 09 08:26 AM

Paul Potts and Susan Boyle have made me cry, so here they are on our blog. Watch and listen. Even better than the performances is seeing the faces of the audience and judges (these are both on Britain's Got Talent, if you haven't seen them yet...) change. In both cases, judgement and condescension is replaced with disbelief, glimmers of awe, happiness. Thanks, Paul and Susan, for helping to wake us up.

Here's the New York Times on what Susan means to us, with a mention of Paul as well.

UPDATE, 4.19.09: A great article on Huffington Post about why Susan makes women cry.

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast #6: Economies

By shirari | Feb 4, 09 02:33 PM

Tune into the Wednesday, February 4th edition of our podcast to check out our snappy new format! We've broken the show into three segments to make it easier for folks to selectively listen to parts they're interested in:

Local Updates, in which we tell you about wonderful and exciting new developments in our local area, the Fingerlakes region of New York. You'll hear about permaculture organizing, the new Ithaca Freeskool calendar, and a new vegan group. (We can't wait to go to their pizza party on Friday!)
Be the Change, in which we give you two tips, both of which, now that we think about it, are pig-related. (And yet, somehow, relevant to a general audience. We think.)
Discussion: Economies, in which we look briefly at some issues with non-profit funding, venture capital, microlending, and global capitalism, as well as with socialism and other isms, before giving an overview of different interesting alternatives (featuring copyleft, coworking, freeganism, CSAs, relocalization, and other awesomeness).

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Links mentioned in the show:
Hook up with other Fingerlakes Permaculture folks at flxpermaculture.net
Ithaca Freeskool
Ithaca Zine
Ahimsa Ecovillage
Ithaca Vegans Yahoo Group
Vegan Chai is so over bacon!
Ari's Twitter
Find a local CSA at localharvest.org

If you listen to our podcast, tell us what you like about it, and what could be improved! And if you don't listen to our podcast, why not? Tell us what you might like to hear, so we can do a better job of it. Thanks and peace to all who tune into this edition!

Previously:
Previous show notes

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast #5: Top 8 Activist Strategies

By Shira | Dec 16, 08 05:51 PM

December 16, 2008 - 71 minutes - 95.5MB

After an update about Ithaca, Shaleshock and our vegan ecovillage project, we discuss our top eight best practices for changing the world and conclude the show with some ideas for a d.i.y. anticapitalist holiday season.

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Show links:

Some Places Worth Donating To (there are so many more, here are just a few):

Arts Engine supports, produces, and distributes independent media of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by advocates, educators and the general public. Donate
East New York Farms! is a collaborative project whose mission is to organize youth and adult residents to address food issues in their community by promoting local and regional sustainable agriculture and community-based economic development. Donate
freeDimensional is an international network that advances social justice by hosting activists in art spaces and using cultural resources to strengthen their work. Donate
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Donate
Just Vision is a nonprofit organization that informs local and international audiences about under-documented Palestinian and Israeli joint civilian efforts to resolve the conflict nonviolently. Using media and educational tools, they raise awareness in order to encourage civic participation in grassroots peace building. Donate
Scenarios USA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that that uses writing and filmmaking to foster youth leadership, advocacy and self-expression in under-served teens. Scenarios USA asks teens to write about the issues that shape their lives for the annual "What's the REAL DEAL?" writing contest, and thousands have responded with their raw and revealing insights. Donate
Shaleshock Citizens Action Alliance is a grassroots group of Finger Lakes residents who are concerned with understanding and protecting our communities and environment from exploitation by the energy industry with regards to drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Donate

Previously:

R.I.P. Odetta (1930-2008)

By Shira | Dec 8, 08 12:22 PM

Expanding My Musical Horizons

By Shira | Nov 24, 08 02:41 PM

I've been playing guitar for twenty years. I started taking lessons at the Jewish Community Center across the street from my school in the third grade, after tap class. This guy named Tom taught me how to read music and play classical tunes. Later, I learned a bunch of Flamenco pieces. But really, I've always wanted to be in a band.

I was born in Portland, Oregon and even though we moved to Maryland when I was two, we have strong ties to the Feuer family, who have lived there for decades. Throughout my childhood, we visited them every few years, usually for Passover, when they host a seder with upwards of fifty people. The Feuers know how to have a good time, and a big part of that is music. Everybody plays something, or multiple instruments. Yoav plays the trumpet and can sing like Louis Armstrong. Avi plays guitar and taught me how to play folk music - the first non-classical song I learned to play was Tracy Chapman's "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" and it was Avi who showed me how to strum. Kimi's son Asher is a year younger than me and he can play a bunch of stuff, including the didgeridoo! In my nostalgic memories, every night at the Feuers was one extended jam session, with the players dropping in and out, spirited singing, and toddlers banging on drums.

Now that I'm a more seasoned musician with a bunch of songs and performances under my belt, what I'm still longing for is the jam. I want a community of people who I can get together with and make music. And I think I'm finding it here in Ithaca! The musical culture in these parts is really strong. When the weather is warm, it's not uncommon to see a person walking down the street playing the banjo, or stumble upon a drum circle in one of the parks.

And I'm jumping in. I haven't done an open mic yet, but I'm going to be performing on December 19th with my "hat band." I went to this party last week where a bunch of folks got together and put their names in a hat. Bands were picked at random and each group is going to perform as part of a group show. The catch is, we're supposed to play an instrument that we're not proficient in. I just got a mandolin a few weeks ago, so I think I'm going to play that! Wish me luck and stay tuned for details...

Strange Overtones

By Shira | Aug 8, 08 12:02 PM

"Strange Overtones" is the name of the new track just released by David Byrne and Brian Eno. I was just listening to it a few minutes ago, and I could not keep myself from getting up and dancing. It's pretty awesome. You can download it for free from the album site - I guess they're experimenting with new distribution techniques a la Radiohead with their album, In Rainbows.

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know much about Byrne a few years ago, but he'll definitely be a part of what I remember about our time living in NYC, which is rapidly coming to an end! And apparently he likes some of the same stuff as us. He was in the same movie theatre as us when we saw the amazing Korean monster comedy The Host at the Sunshine and I spotted his glistening white hair in line at McSweeney's "The World Explained" fundraiser for 826 NYC in April 2007. He also curated what was definitely the best concert experience I have had in many years - the "Welcome to Dreamland" show at Carnegie Hall, a showcase of the "freak folk" movement featuring Devendra Banhart, Vashti Bunyan, CocoRosie and others.

Most recently, we checked out Byrne's installation "Playing the Building" at the Maritime Building en route to the Figment Festival on Governor's Island. Here's a little video clip...

So now I have to start learning more about Brian Eno. Our paths haven't crossed nearly as much, but coincidently he did the music for the 1997 BBC series "How Buildings Learn" by Stewart Brand (embedded below), which I was just watching a few days ago on Google video. It's a great introduction to the way that buildings are shaped by humans and the environment. So can I assume that Eno shares our passion for permaculture and natural building? Just maybe...

I Met the Walrus

By Shira | Jul 9, 08 06:45 PM

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast #3: Travel

By shirari | Jun 30, 08 06:26 PM

Get ready for an hour and twelve minutes of non-stop queer vegan rambling! Wait, that didn't sound particularly attractive. Rest assured it'll be worth a listen - in this third installment of Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast we talk about our recent trip to Israel, Amsterdam, and Iceland, and how we attempted to take best advantage of the fuel used to have a experience that was as low-impact and culture-rich as possible. You'll hear about a kibbutz that turns soda cans and other trash into eco-friendly buildings, bikes by the boatload, naked showers with Europeans, friendly ducks interrupting breakfast in a tent, a town where street art is loved and not hated, and delicious, delicious falafel.

Shira's voice is kinda quiet in this one, sorry about that! We're still working out the technical kinks here. If you're actually downloading and listening to these, please comment and tell us what you think! Thanks to those of you who've written to us or commented already, we're so happy folks are giving these a listen.

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast #3: Travel »
June 30, 2008 - 72 minutes - 32.9MB

Show links:

Previously:

Gogol Bordello and the oldest Roma settlement in the world, Sulukule

By Ari | Jun 30, 08 01:01 AM

Gypsy band Gogol Bordello supports Sulukule [Turkish Daily News, via Gogol Bordello Mailing List]:

Gogol Bordello's soloist Eugene Hutz, in the Sunday concert, said, "The incidents happening in Sulukule happen in many places around the world. Do people want more McDonalds' and hotel chains? Or is it more logical to protect a country's culture and historical structures? The choice is yours." (Read more)

Camp it up with Rude Mechanical Orchestra - Party tonight, NYC!

By Ari | Jun 27, 08 02:18 PM

Folly Day 2008 - RMO Horns Advance
Originally uploaded by LarimdaME

If you've never seen an activist marching band perform, and you're in NYC, tonight is the perfect opportunity to catch an amazing show. Our friends in the Rude Mechanical Orchestra are having a big benefit party, and we're bringing along some hand-drawn peace and love buttons and a poster in a hand-made frame for auction. We'll post photos of the stuff we made later on Flickr, or you can come see it in person tonight! For more info read on:

CAMP IT UP! with the RUDE MECHANICAL ORCHESTRA
Friday, June 27th at DCTV
87 Lafayette Street, NYC (just south of Canal)
$0-$20 suggested donation - $20 gets you a special gift!
Doors open at 7pm
Wear something CAMP-y!
HELP US GO PROTEST THE RNC! ***
Bike valet! Silent auction! S'mores! Stripes! Khaki shorts! Fun!
Buy a raffle ticket and win your chance to have the RMO perform at a personal event of your choosing! Yes, we're serious. 1 for $3, 2 for $5, 10 for $20. Available now until the party. Your event must take place after our tour and be in one of the five boroughs.
Also featuring:
Veveritse
Inner Princess
Melora auf Rasputina
Frank London
Jennifer Miller of Circus Amok!
DJ Dusty Walker
And, of course, the RMO
*** In August 2008, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra is taking our show on the road - in a low-impact, environmentally-friendly manner (no stretch SUV limo for us). We will be converting a school bus to run on waste veggie oil and traveling cross country for a two-week adventure -- to cross-pollinate with progressive grassroots organizations and other amazing movers and shakers, and to loudly register our dissent at the Republican National Convention. Along our journey, we plan to raise awareness about and support groups and individuals fighting against racism, sexism, homophobia, war and violence in all its forms. So come party with us and help one of the hardest-working bands in town send our rabble-rousing brassy selves to speak music to power!

Previously: Send the Rude Mechanical Orchestra to the RNC

Bushwick Open Studios

By Ari | Jun 24, 08 12:26 PM

ladies looking at our art
Originally uploaded by Shira Golding

This June 6-8, we participated in Bushwick Open Studios 2008. We had some art up in the Mighty Tanaka group show at Nut Roaster Studio (see photo), and Shira performed at Bushwick Open Studios Musicfest '08 on the 8th, at Don Pedro's Bar and Lounge. We got favorable responses and met a lot of cool people - and of course saw some awesome art and heard some great music, despite the heat.

The stuff we put up at Nut Roasters was a combination of photography and posters, much like what we put up last year at Office Ops - some choice photos, and some activisty posters you might be familiar with from our shop.

You can see some of my recent work on Flickr, as well as Shira's photography (also on Flickr), and Shira's got some music tracks up at myspace.com/shiragoldingmusic. Her complete first album is downloadable for free/donation right here.

Among the stuff we saw were giant subway photos by Daryl-Ann Saunders, a small lightbox/photography installation by Ryan Frank, photography by Lensflare, detailed drawings by Denise DeSpirito, paintings by Mishel Valenton and David Cahill, and some great prints by JeeYun Lee, probably our favorite work at the Mighty Tanaka show. I also seem to have picked up a card from a Mr. Nicolas A. Forker, and while I can't remember where on earth I saw his work, his site is pretty cool. Finally, we met a dude with a fun beard-and-hat combo who I believe is this very same Johnny Bubonic I've just hunted down - though I'm not 100% sure that's his link. He had stuff up at Ad Hoc, which we somehow ended up missing. (Odd, because that's usually our #1 art destination in Bushwick - sorry, Johnny.)

Thank you Arts in Bushwick for another great arts and music festival!

New and wonderful things from Lavender Diamond

By Ari | Jun 10, 08 10:15 AM

Becky Stark and the adorably wonderful peace-loving folks of Lavender Diamond are working on a new video project, Imagine Our Love. Click for info, beautiful film stills and production photos like the one above, and art for auction, proceeds to support the video.

Also, look: Ron Regé, the band's resident illustrator (of Peace Comics fame) now has his own blog.

I learned all of this from Lavender Diamond's mailing list, which I just joined. Yesterday an email arrived, the first message I've received on the list, apparently written by Becky Stark herself. It's probably one of the more awesome mailing list postings I've ever received. It begins:

hello everyone!
i hope you are well!
it is a beautiful day here in los angeles at the beginning of june-
i hope that wherever you are you feeling well and whole-
i'm writing to you today with some news!
and- also a little reminder-
remember: the power of love is infinite! Reading this email and visiting these links made me really happy, so I had to share. I listen to Lavender Diamond and I'm filled with hope for the world. I think that's a great effect for music to have.

Happy List

By Shira | Jun 5, 08 07:20 PM

There is a cat posse in our apartment, same-sex marriages are going to be recognized in New York State, my cousin Amir starred in this Borat spoof (it's a video for his high-school graduation party in Haifa), crop circles on google earth, using skype as our land line, Senegalese hip-hop at the eighth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Awards Ceremony, visiting Ithaca last weekend for a co-housing workshop at EcoVillage, looking for an apartment in Ithaca and finding an awesome one!!!, the plants in our window pots are starting to bloom, Obama is the democratic candidate for president, sharing our art and music this weekend as part of Bushwick Open Studios, picking up our first Hearty Roots CSA share of the season in Williamsburg, women's turkish oil wrestling at Galapagos, Renegade Craft Fair at the McCarren Park Pool June 14-15, Pineapple Express at BAM with Director David Gordon Green, tank tops, summer...

Check Out Our Music and Art at Bushwick Arts Festival This Weekend!

By shirari | Jun 5, 08 05:45 PM

This weekend (June 6-8) is the Bushwick Open Studios & Arts Festival and we hope you'll come check it out!

We'll have art and photography at the Nut Roaster Studio as part of a group show on display all weekend, and on Sunday night Shira is playing her music as part of a music festival at Don Pedro's. Here are the details...

Shirari Art and Photography
Mighty Tanaka Group Show
Saturday, June 7th - Sunday, June 8th
12-7pm
Nut Roaster Studio
120 Ingraham St., Brooklyn (at the corner of Porter Ave.)
L train to Morgan Ave.
Google Map

Shira's Live Music
Bushwick Open Studios Music Festival
Sunday, June 8th
Shira is scheduled to go on at 10pm
Don Pedro's Bar and Lounge
90 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn (between Boerum St. and McKibben St.)
L train to Montrose Ave. or J/M to Lorimer or G to Broadway
Google Map
www.myspace.com/shiragoldingmusic

We'll be in the neighborhood all weekend. Hundreds of artists will be having open studios, and there are tons of events including an art parade, cabaret and more.

Check out the full schedule.

Send the Rude Mechanical Orchestra to the RNC

By Ari | May 15, 08 02:13 PM

DSC_8744.jpg
Originally uploaded by dogseat

Our friend Hugh (the gentleman in very short shorts in this photo) is part of the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, which is AWESOME and currently raising funds for a wonderful project. Check it:

After 4 years of inspiring political work in New York City, this August the RMO is taking our show on the road - in a low-impact, environmentally-friendly manner. We are collaborating with the students and faculty of the Brooklyn-based Automotive High School to convert our recently-acquired school bus to run on waste veggie oil. Our goal is to go across the country for a two-week adventure, to cross-pollinate with progressive grassroots organizations and other amazing movers and shakers and to loudly register our dissent at the Republican National Convention. Along our journey, we plan to raise awareness about and support for the groups and individuals who are fighting against racism, sexism, homophobia, war and violence in all its forms.
Every penny counts, and we have raised almost half of the money we need to go on our tour! The government is investing in a temporary "solution" to systemic problems; the RMO is investing in the long-term fight against them. Please help us in reaching our goal! Please go to our chip-in page at http://rmo.chipin.com/rmo. For more information please see our webpage www.rudemechanicalorchestra.org or our Myspace at www.myspace.com/rudemechanicalorchestra.

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast #2: Housing

By shirari | May 14, 08 12:09 PM

We're sure that you've been on the edge of your seats ever since we released our first podcast. Well, edge-dwell no more - here's the second installment.

In this edition we discuss the topic of housing, focusing on our upcoming move to Ithaca, NY where we are exploring the idea of building our own home from local materials and maybe even starting a vegan ecovillage.

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast #2: Housing »
May 13, 2008 - 48 minutes - 5.5MB

Show Links:

Recommended Books - check your local library or buy used:

Two and a Half Weeks in Israel, Amsterdam and Iceland

By Shira | May 12, 08 05:36 PM

Israel (232 Photos)

Amsterdam (232 Photos)

Iceland (207 Photos)

Photos from Ari and more about the trip coming soon :)

NPR Covers Gender Queer Kids

By Shira | May 8, 08 01:46 PM

On All Things Considered yesterday, there was a pretty in-depth piece about families dealing with gender queer kids. In typical NPR fashion there was an attempt at objectivity by interviewing two doctors with very different approaches - one who thinks kids should be forced to behave accordingly with their biological sex, another who focuses on the child's happiness and sense of comfort and security with their body and gender expression. It's nice to see these issues getting some mainstream media coverage.

Listen to Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences

Songy

By Shira | Apr 11, 08 08:28 PM

I'm only allowed six songs on my MySpace page.

Here's another one (named by Ari):
songy (mp3, 1:28min.) »

I Never Thought I Would But Yes, I've Launched a MySpace Music Page

By Shira | Mar 30, 08 02:28 PM

shira playing
Originally uploaded by arimoore

There are many reasons that I dislike MySpace -- bad design, obnoxious advertising, the fact that it belongs to Rupert Murdoch -- but, the word on the street is that it's a good way to promote your music, so I've bitten the bullet and put up a page at myspace.com/shiragoldingmusic.

You can only put up six songs, so I tried to choose ones that represent the spectrum of music I like to make. Have a listen and let me know what you think. All of this is part of a plan to release an album, so I'd love feedback and any encouragement.

Earth Hour, Blackout Sabbath, and other symbols of sustainability

By Ari | Mar 29, 08 10:37 AM

Today I was happy to see Google blacked out in support of Earth Hour, tonight's hour of energy awareness (8pm - 9pm). Turn out your lights to participate, if you're into it.

However, reading about Earth Hour, I couldn't help but think Rufus Wainwright's Blackout Sabbath - 12 hours of no energy use at all, on the summer solstice, June 21, along with setting personal goals for sustainability - is a lot more hardcore. The World Wildlife Fund, who's behind Earth Hour, should have talked to Rufus and set their sights a little higher, pushed people a little harder!

On Rufus' short sample list of actions one can take for the environment, he even includes going vegan (my fingers are SO crossed right now that he'll join our vegan ranks... c'mon Rufus, you can do it...). Veganism is such an obvious step toward sustainability that it gets a little infuriating when I see Treehugger and WorldChanging and the like continually ignoring it as an option and suggesting people find "sustainable fisheries" and "happy meat", as if that solves much else besides making people feel a little better about oppressing animals.

I don't think I'm going to participate in Earth Hour, but I do think I'll do Blackout Sabbath. I loved the blackout too, and I think it could be magic to spend that time making art about the earth and the future, or writing by (vegan!) candlelight about the times to come and how we can make it beautiful. I like setting goals for myself, and I like participating in consciousness-raising events like fasts and the like, because I like, well, raising my consciousness. These events are symbols, but important ones: They're fissures in the wall of separation we put up between our energy-consuming, self-centered, here-and-now lives - and the future, our children's future, the future of the earth. We don't like to look over there, to see what we're actually setting up for ourselves. If it takes an hour (or 12 hours) of reflection and awareness to really take a good look at what we're doing and how we can change, then that symbolic act is a very useful one.

But in the end, we need more than just temporary observances and symbolic acts, right? If you're out of a room for over two minutes, there shouldn't be a light on in there. If you've got appliances with power indicator lights on them that are plugged in all day, they're just sitting there sucking up energy, and should be unplugged until they're needed. If your home just doesn't stay cool in the summer or warm in the winter, maybe you need to fix your insulation so all of that energy doesn't just fly our the window. In every situation we have the power to make decisions that add to the problem, or that make the world a better place. There are easy little things we can all do every day, all day, to go beyond symbols and toward true sustainability. What do you do? And do symbols help, or distract from this larger, deeper movement?

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast... #1?

By shirari | Mar 25, 08 06:32 PM

We've been talking about doing a podcast for a really long time and today we actually recorded one! Well, call it an experiment - if people are interested we'll record more. In the meantime, it's just a link to an MP3 file that you can download and play. Whee.

We talk about how we got into activism back in college, and how our veganism and anti-capitalism and sustainability activism are all related. Also features trash talk and an interruption by a kitten. Basically it's about living in line with our ethics, and having a very good time doing it. We've really loved learning from others' podcasts and hope someone will find something here that's worth listening to.

Shirari's Peace and Love Podcast #1: Who we are and what this is all about
March 25, 2008 - 17 minutes - 20.3MB

R.I.P.

By Shira | Mar 25, 08 01:55 PM

rip - 3.08.08.jpg

When people die around the same time, are their souls somehow interconnected? I'm not sure that I believe that we have a "soul" and I'm pretty certain that there is no after-life, other than a slow reunion with mama earth, and yet when people pass away in close succession, I can't help but searching for common threads. (Remember when James Brown, Robert Altman, Saddam Hussein and Gerald Ford died in November/December 2006?)

So what do filmmaker Anthony Minghella, author Arthur C. Clarke and musician Israel "Cachao" López have in common? They were all creative visionaries.

Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley is a beautiful film that captures the conflict between external and internal identities in a way that I have never seen before or since. It also shows how totally destructive homophobia, especially the internalized variety, can be.

Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey was written concurrently with the production of Kubrick's film and published after its release. The film, the book, the whole of Arthur C. Clarke's work, is an example of the best of what science-fiction has to offer the world - a glimpse into the future that shows us what we need to do today.

I actually hadn't heard of Israel López until a few days ago, when his death was announced. On NPR he was described as the "inventor of Mambo music." While I'm sure that, as with any artistic movement, López had many collaborators and co-inventors along the way, it's still pretty amazing to be known as the creator of anything. It's time to listen to the Buena Vista Social Club Soundtrack again (López composed a number of the songs).

So rest in peace Anthony, Arthur and Israel. If there is a heaven, I hope you're all up there working on a mambo/sci-fi/cinematic mash-up.

Vote Gogol Bordello

By Ari | Feb 7, 08 09:45 AM

One of my favorite bands, Gogol Bordello, has been nominated for Best Punk Album and Best Live Show in the 2008 Plug Independent Music Awards. Voting is open until February 15th, so if you're into them too, vote now!

If you don't know them, check them out. Gogol Bordello is an international punk-dub-gypsy party. When we saw them live a while back, the audience was so excited before the show that spontaneous hora mosh pits broke out when a Fanfare Ciocarlia song came on. And during the show... let's just say there was drag, wine, an accordion, and some premium dancing. Most endearingly, GB's multilingual lyrics criticize US immigration policy, capitalism, globalization and organized religion, tell the stories of the oppressed, and point at a future in which we all recognize each other as family instead of competition. Good stuff.

I am a foreigner and I'm walking
Through new streets
But before I want to I see the same deeds
Inherited by few a power machine
That crushes you and strangles you
Right in your sleep
But be it me, or it's you, the leisure class
I think we all know:
That be it punk, hip-hop, be it a reggae sound
It is all connected through
The gypsy part of town..
Let's go!
It's the underdog world strike!

(Via Gogol Bordello Mailing List)

Deer Song

By Shira | Feb 3, 08 06:17 PM

Here's a track I threw together today. I'm not happy with the vocals I recorded, but I think it works without them: Listen to "Deer Song" mp3 »

They're Cleaning Out the Back

By Shira | Feb 2, 08 05:13 PM

I felt inspired to record a little music this afternoon, so I laid down a few tracks on GarageBand. Everything's improvised, including the lyrics, which are a response to the happenings of the day: Listen to "They're Cleaning Out the Back" mp3 »

Angela Davis Tells It

By Shira | Jan 25, 08 03:33 PM

Earlier this week, on Martin Luther King Day, I happened upon an amazing speech that Angela Davis gave at Duke University in 2005. In an hour she manages to cover racism, homophobia, the war in Iraq, the prison industrial complex, media conglomeration and more (including some prescient shout-outs for Dennis Kucinich and Barack Obama).

Most importantly, Davis calls attention to the worldwide movement for social change, a network of people from around the globe, united in the belief that "Another World Is Possible." It turns out the World Social Forum, the largest annual convening of this movement of movements, is taking place right now, all around the world (in the past, it's been held in particular locations like Porte Alegre, Mumbai and Nairobe). The WSF site hosts an interactive Google map that you can search for actions in your area.

I found the Angela Davis speech on iTunes U, a pretty awesome section of the iTunes store where you can download free audio from various universities, including full courses. To find the speech, open iTunes, click on the store, click on "iTunes U" on the upper left side, then click on "Duke" in the universities list on the left, then on "Campus" in the topics list on the left, and then on "Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration" under Offices and Programs on the bottom. (Yes, it's really annoying that you can't bookmark or hyperlink things in iTunes,unless you know you don't mind installing AppleScripts.)

Does anyone out there know the deal on Shola Lynch's documentary Free Angela & All Political Prisoners? All I can find online is this video interview Shola did for AOL Black Voices about the project. I really want to see it, but I can't find any distribution info.

Ari and I are also working our way through the UC Berkeley class "Introduction to Nonviolence" with professor Michael Nagler. Just go to iTunes and do a search to find it. College without homework - woohoo!

Shirari Industries