Photo via the Green Girls

Janine Johnson, Green Girl and founder of Green Wave, is giving the Crystal Method an eco makeover.

First on the list is greening the band’s rider. On tour, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland ask for backstage amenities like reusable plates, utensils, and cups; local, organic food and beverages; reduced disposables; and recycling bins.

What’s especially cool about this – other than the fact that the duo specifically requests organic vodka – is that a green rider is about more than lessening a band’s carbon footprint. When artists ask for greener options, it forces venues to think about the impacts of their own operations. (Hey, maybe we should do this for all our artists.) Sneaky, but surprisingly effective.

Janine has also helped Ken and Scott green their wardrobes. The band now sports environmentally and socially responsible clothing from the likes of Revenge Is, Simple Shoes, Rise Up International, and Covenant Green.

And the green initiatives runneth over to the other side of the stage as well. The Crystal Method promotes carpooling to their fans through social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. The “Eco Table” is now a standard feature at their gigs, where audience members can get information about organizations like Save the Blue, 1 Sky, and Sea Shepherd.

The Crystal Method are currently on tour in support of their latest album, Divided by Night. Follow the progress of their green makeover at the Green Girls website.

Image via Green Notes

You don’t have to be a rock climber or a mountain biker to enjoy the great outdoors. Musicians and fans love to play outside just as much as anyone else.

Think about it. How many major outdoor music festivals – not to mention outdoor venues on the regular touring circuit – are there? A lot. And it seems they grow in number and popularity every year.

All that music-related outdoor fun takes a toll on the environment. Clif Bar – the makers of those tasty, organic energy bars – gets it. Their Green Notes program helps resource-strapped emerging artists and sustainably-minded music festivals reduce their environmental impacts.

By downloading their Protect the Places We Play compilation, featuring artists like Michael Franti, Brett Dennen, and Missy Higgins, we can help too.  All proceeds from the album benefit Leave No Trace, Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, and the National Environmental Education Foundation, organizations working to preserve our natural playgrounds.

Looking for more ways to go green? If you’re a musician, check out Green Notes’ green touring tips. Better yet, apply for some one-on-one assistance.

If you’re a music lover, support Green Notes’ roster of artists, which this year includes Ingrid Michaelson, Josh Ritter, and the Sam Roberts Band. You can also take their Pledge to the Planet and calculate the CO2 emissions eliminated from making simple changes like eating organic or riding your bike.

Photo via The Masses

Have you seen the newly-released Modest Mouse video for “King Rat?” Conceived and directed by the late Heath Ledger, the animated video raises awareness about the evils of modern whaling by turning the tables: in this scenario, it’s whales that hunt humans.

Sadly, Heath passed away before the video was finished. The production company the Masses completed the project in his honor with Modest Mouse’s blessing.

And if you’re a little disturbed by the final product, be thankful that some scenes were cut, including one where whales eat sushi made with human fingers. Eeeew.

Of course, the images are meant to be provocative. Heath was a strong advocate against illegal commercial whale hunts that occurred off the coast of his native Australia each year, and hoped to call attention to the issue through this video. As co-director and illustrator Dan Auber elaborates:

“The powerful song by Modest Mouse was a major inspiration. Isaac’s dramatic voice was driving us towards a deranged imaginative territory…. The clip had to be shocking. The fun we were having was less important than the strength of Heath’s message in favour of marine wildlife.”

During the first month of its release, proceeds from iTunes video downloads will go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international nonprofit committed to conserving and protecting marine habitat and wildlife.

via The Huffington Post

Photo by Alyce Santoro via Flickr

Sonic Fabric, woven from a 50/50 blend of recycled cassette tape and cotton, can actually be played. Just run a tape head over the fabric. It sings a different tune than what was originally recorded on the tape, however, sounding more like scratching a record or radio static.

But as Sonic Fabric’s creator Alyce Santoro explains, being able to play back the tape as is isn’t really the point:  “To me it’s the concept that makes it meaningful…all those sounds mixed together to form a totally unique new sound.”

For an excellent example of how Sonic Fabric both looks and sounds, check out footage from this 2004 Phish show. Jon Fishman, the band’s percussionist, not only models a dress woven from Sonic Fabric, but also proves that it can indeed double as a musical instrument.

So how was this crazy singing fabric idea born? Growing up, Alyce’s dad employed a strand of cassette tape as his “tell tail,” a small bit of fabric or yarn sailors use to determine the direction of the wind:

“When I was a kid I used to imagine that I could hear Cat Stevens or Beethoven’s 6th …wafting out into the air if the wind hit the tell-tail just the right way. Years later, I learned about Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags…[that are] hung outdoors…where their blessings can be activated and sent off into the world on the wind. It seemed a natural progression to me to combine these two concepts…”

The Sonic Fabric shop has a variety of goodies for sale. Right now neck ties and strings of flags are all the rage. If you’re feeling crafty and want to design your own fashion statement (or musical instrument), you can also buy Sonic Fabric by the yard.

Get It Here: Sonic Fabric (Ties $140, Flags $50, Yardage – contact for details)

via Crafting a Green World