5 Questions with... The Red Paintings! October 15, 2008

Posted by Shannon Phillips | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

I'm back with another installment of our "5 Questions With" blogs! This time, it's with the up and coming art-rock band, The Red Paintings, a new personal favorite of mine! Check them out, and if you want a great place to talk about all aspects of animal rights, visit their message board! - xo, shan

Photo courtesy of Gee Greenslade.

NAME OF BAND: The Red Paintings
BAND MEMBERS: Trash McSweeney
SOUNDS LIKE: Orchestral Art Rock

How long have you been vegetarian/ vegan and what made you start? I have only been a full-time vegetarian for the last six months, although I have been challenging myself to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I have found that veganism is a lot harder to maintain in Australia due to a lack of vegan restaurants and products.

I have been holding "Animal Rebellion Marches" in Australia over the past two years but it was not until our recent U.S.A. tour that I realized how important it was for everyone to stop eating animals. On that tour I met a lovely lady named Susan Weingartner who is actually on the Board of Directors for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. They are well-known for their work with rescuing whales from slaughter. I spent a few weeks with Susan in L.A. watching many animal rights films including "Earthlings" and "Lolita". We went to a farm sanctuary called "Animal Acres" to meet animals that had been rescued from cruel farming conditions or had been dumped on the streets.

Since those experiences my life has never been the same. Through Susan I was able to meet many animal activists and they helped me to see the animal holocaust around us and it is a very frightening realization.

Now, I feel it is my duty to speak up for all animals as they can not speak for themselves. The most effective and simple way to stand up for animals, I believe, is to stop eating them.

What's your favorite vegetarian/vegan meal? I was taken to some amazing vegan restaurants in L.A. I recall eating an incredible vegan pizza, but my favorite vegan food would have to be vegan burritos. I was lucky enough to have one recently, when I was invited onto the "Steve Irwin" Sea Shepherd ship for a vegan meal. It was great to spend quailty time with the crew on board and they seemed like such lovely, hardworking people who dedicate their lives to such a great cause.

Everyone involved in animal rights has an issue that really sticks out for them. What is that issue for you? I feel strongly about all of those issues, but the issue of factory farming has probably created the most impact on my lifestyle choices to date because it has made me stop eating animals for good. Of course, I am still learning so much every day about all of these issues and hopefully, in due time, I can help others understand these problems as well. It is important for us all to be more conscience of the effects of animal cruelty - not only on animals, but on people and the environment as well.

If a fan came to you with advice on how to get involved with animal rights, what would you tell them? Engaging in conversations with people about animal rights issues is so important for any action to occur. Whether a person is a highly experienced animal rights activist, or is thinking about these issues for the first time, it is through the exchange of their own knowledge, experience and ideas with others that instigates them to do something more.

Therefore, if a fan came to me with advice on becoming more active, or I was to give a fan advice, the best place to begin would be to share our thoughts. This is something I have hoped to achieve on my band website's forum where we have begun discussing animal rights issues with fans. The discussions have been quite productive with people sharing viewpoints from both sides and has also given the forum a lot of new energy and purpose. We are always looking for new people to join the discussions so please come take a look: http://trpboard.proboards24.com/

What's next for The Red Paintings? For the remainder of 2008, I have just locked the band in to playing our first animal rights festivals around Australia. But, I think our biggest achievement will be the Sea Shepherd benefit/farewell show in Brisbane, Australia. It is taking place a few days before they take off to tackle the Japanesse whaling ships. I'm a big supporter of what Captain Paul Watson and his crew have achieved in the oceans over the last 30 years, saving the lives of many whales. I am disgusted, however, that our Australian Government is charging the boat over $400 a day in berthing fees during its time in Brisbane before they leave on their next campaign against Japanese whalers. My aim is to hold a free event for the Sea Shepherd to help raise public awareness of the fees imposed on them and to raise funds for their cause.

Come 2009, we will be releasing our new album, "The Revolution is Never Coming", with many surprises in store.

www.theredpaintings.com
www.myspace.com/theredpaintings

Comments

Post a comment