Gaiaisi

Saturday was the inaugural Cool it for the Kids rally against climate change on Parliament Hill. Music from youth and adult choirs alike alternated with speeches by some of the youthful members of the non-profit. The weather co-operated and the event ended by heading to the Human Rights monument on Elgin Street for a rousing... - iPolitics.ca

I used to think thousands of animals were killed every year for the fur industry. Now I know it's actually MILLIONS of animals — killed only for their fur. (Though, for the record, thousands is also too many.)

Shaking my head.

Warning: This is the censored version of the song for people like me who want to be informed but can’t always handle the graphic nature of these images, but there are still some pretty graphic images of animal cruelty.

If you really want to see the whole truth, you can click on the uncensored version at the end of this video. Just be prepared for what you will see. - Upworthy

The video’s juxtaposition of some of Toronto’s cutest dogs (the band is lead by a coyote look-alike by the name of Kobu) with imagery of wild animals caught in traps and caged in fur farms has sparked fury at what many are just discovering to be real dog’s fur that is used on Canada Goose, as well as other popular jackets.

While recent acts of sabotage have aimed to damage the business of fur retailers in Toronto, Gaiaisi, with the assistance of the Vancouver-based Association for the Protection of Fur Bearing Animals, PETA, and the Humane Society of the United States, is taking on one of the world’s most popular fashion icons in broad daylight, hoping that shedding the truth on the sources of fur trim will help end the yearly slaughter of 700,000 wild animals in Canada, in addition to the approximately 75 million killed annually in global fur industry.

With the economic and ecological consequences of such a boycott also clearly in mind, the music video links viewers at the end to the myth-busting website www.furtrimisatrap.com which answers each of the fur industry’s claims and justifications for its practices one by one, including the supposed importance of fur trapping to indigenous communities, and highlighting the toxic and carbon intensive treatment process that goes into fur products that the industry has recently been trying to market as “green.”

Canada Goose has so far refused to comment on the music video, or any of the more serious mass-animal abuse accusations levelled against them and other manufacturers by animal advocacy groups. - Ouch! Magazine

This PETA powered visual anthem is highly expressive. A hybrid of rock, rap, indie and alternative. This ensemble pushes their artistry to the limits. Amazing production, lyrical content and vocals. Every verse will literally have you on pins and needles. B-roll of animals being tortured for their fur for fashion. A stance many have taken but few have accomplished. With almost 100,000 views, this visual apparatus explicitly showcases animal cruelty. Catchy beat, breakdown and cadence of drum beats will keep your eyes peeled on the dirty truth behind some of the largest outerwear brands. This is just one of the artist’s videos within their arsenal to reside in harmony - both eco-friendly and philanthropic. Their innovation, talent and messages have landed them as a heavy contender for our SonicBids indie promo feature. Not to mention, a spot on our #360WatchList.

Kudos for the bravery exerted in the filming of this amazing body of work. Afterall, big risks get big results.

See for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KgNx8OgSrA&hd=1
https://www.facebook.com/Gaiaisi

We salute Gaiaisi for their ability to exhibit immense humanity for the many animals that have been victims of big business.

*Viewer Discretion Is Advised.
#GlobalSociety

http://www.gaiaisi.org/ - 360 Magazine

http://greenmajority.ca/2014/01/24/tgm-012414/ - Green Majority Radio (Syndicated on 20 different stations)

EcoWatch | November 7, 2013


Five prominent environmental groups have joined together with Canadian musician Gaiaisi to release a music video and raise awareness on one of the most critical issues facing the human race—climate change.

With extreme weather events becoming the new normal, global temperatures reaching record highs and a continued streak of climate science denial, the music video is an effort to break through public apathy and pessimism to galvanize action on climate change.

The video is a dramatic global tour showing everything from the devastation caused by wildfires and deforestation, to the huge footprint of industrial agriculture and impacts of our fossil-fueled economy. The video captures the struggles of activists from all continents fighting for action on the climate crisis and highlights solutions, including sustainable transportation, permaculture and renewable energy.

The song, Change the Earth, is the result of a collaboration between Gaiaisi, 350.org, Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and World Wildlife Fund. - EcoWatch

December 16, 2013

Musicians have the ability to reach millions of people through their music. In this day and age, most of the younger generation musicians are all trying to be the next big thing; they want the fame, the fortune, the lifestyle. Every once in a while though, you come across a young musician who is ahead of their time: one who recognizes the impact music can have, and utilizes their voice to make difference in the world. Meet Gaiaisi.

Gaiaisi grew up in quiet suburban Toronto in a household where traveling was frequent and encouraged. Gaiaisi was lucky enough as a child to explore many parts of the world which allowed him to see things on a more global scale. He was always making music in his head, writing lyrics down, and trying to put rhymes together, but it was not until he saw "Rebel Music," a documentary on Bob Marley that he realized the potential for music to make a difference in the world. Acquainting himself with Rage Against the Machine's Evil Empire, also solidified that urge to marry his passion for music to his passion for the world.

Gaiaisi (pronounced Gaia's Eye - where Gaia is the Greek word for Earth) understands that all beings - living and non - on this Earth need to interact with each other and rely on each other in order to survive. He took Marley and Rage's inspirations to put out music about real issues. His most successful track to date, "Tell A Friend" tackles the cruelty and injustice done to animals to make fur for clothing, including the ever-so-popular Canada Goose brand coats. His most recent track, "Change the Earth," addresses climate change and the extinction crisis; it was done in collaboration with BBC's Planet Earth, Greenpeace, and WWF, amongst other organizations.

Gaiaisi is currently working on a few tracks he says are more for entertainment, including rapping in both Spanish and English; however he will always remain an activist through his music. You can find him on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. - The Examiner

November 6, 2013

Ontario - In an exclusive interview for examiner.com, Canadian musician and animal advocate Gaiaisi tells about his new song “Change the Earth.” The video for the song was uploaded and released on YouTube less than a month ago and has already received over 40,000 views. Gaiaisi has the support of five major environmental groups: 350.org, Al Gore’s “Climate Reality,” Greenpeace, the Rainforest Action Network and the WWF.

The lyrics of the song are strong and with beautiful imagery they speak the stark truth of planet Earth. The video also has stunning scenery shots and thought-provoking images. Much of the footage used in the project was donated by the 5 organizations named previously. Gaiaisi also uses footage that came from the BBC series Planet Earth. “It was critical in creating the visual storyline of the video, the majority of the most epic and beautiful scenery of the our planet's wildlife and natural ecosystems came from that series and was used to help contrast images of the destruction and poisoning of the natural world” explained Gaiaisi.

At the moment there are two online fundraisers asking for help in collecting the fees being charged by the BBC. He is a dedicated artist with a vision that uses his talents to advocate for animals. He believes that those that empathize with animals will see the vision he has for the video “Change the Earth” and with their kind donations he will be able to pay the reduced fee by the BBC and allow the release of his video.

Through a series of brief questions, we will get to know more about Gaiaisi, his project and his desire to help planet Earth and all of its inhabitants.

In the video of "Tell a friend" you have more than 86,000 views...with the new song "Change the Earth" do you expect even more number of views?

It is difficult to tell what will go viral in today's culture... I see videos with millions of views that I find inane and would never consider sharing, and others that are amazing that few have seen, and of course everything in between. I will spend a lot of my time working hard to get this video out to the world because I think there is no other issue more important on this planet; every other controversy of our time will literally fade to dust if we don't stop destroying the biosphere and with it our supplies of water, food, medicines and shelter. That being said, because solving climate change means switching to a more plant-based diet and eliminating a lot of the toxic industries responsible for so many cases of cancer and illness every year I think the benefits from our actions will be far-reaching and extremely positive for human and animal kind.

According to a poll conducted in 2012, only 2% of Canadians deny climate change, yet many are not aware of the impact that is happening on all living creatures. Do you think people are more receptive to the message of "saving Earth" because it is the planet where we live and some people don't realize that non-human animals are part of it too?

Absolutely! Most of the people in the 'developed world' where people who are consuming and causing the most damage live in cities. Our contact with wilderness and wildlife is little to non-existent. I think that's part of the reason the footage from BBC's Planet Earth used in this video blows a lot of people's minds and why that series is so popular. What would have been every day sights for our tribal ancestors are becoming rarer and rarer to see, and nature herself is naturally stunning, pardon the pun. For a lot of people who are cynical about the human race and very jaded when it comes to humans, many still have a soft spot when it comes to our cuddly mammal relatives and may even be more motivated to save their lives from extinction than to save people. Either way, as I mentioned before the benefits will be for the entire circle of life so the key is just doing something and taking action to reverse the deep damage we are doing.

What would you say to someone that is an omnivore that believes that his or her diet does not hurt Mother Earth?

I would say, "read more." For some indigenous hunter-gatherer societies that live off of the land its possible, even obvious their way of life does less damage to the Earth than many of our civilized lifestyles, but for anyone we'd be interacting with on the Internet or in cities that simply isn't true. If your food comes from agriculture then growing plants takes 10 times less space from what was formerly nature. Of course how your food is grown matters immensely (permaculture vs. industrial farming,) but I think most people who would say that are simply making excuses because they like the taste of flesh and they should admit that to themselves without hiding behind ecological excuses.

The donation of $2,000 from The Climate Reality Project is amazing. What did you feel when you were awarded the money?

Well it still isn't a sure thing, there's quite a bit of bureaucracy to get thru first. But if it does happen it would be the first time I've had any kind of help in a major way for my musical/activist projects that I've been devoting my heart and soul to for a very long time now. So in short, amazing, and a load off my back that would allow me to move forward faster and hopefully make a bigger difference sooner!

Your way of advocating for the Earth and all living creatures is through your music...what is the response from people that hear your music and lyrics?

Overwhelmingly positive for the most part. I'm sure in your own work as an animal advocate you've come across many scumbags who say cruel and mean things about defenseless animals just to get a rise out of you, but thankfully these people are rare and most of those who aren't blatantly on your side are at least in agreement that what our civilization is doing to mother nature and her children is wrong and it is absolutely necessary to change our ways. Many are just uninformed, apathetic, feel overwhelmed, or all of the above, and I hope the rhythm and soul that I put into my songs can inspire them to get up and do something, the same way that my heroes like Bob Marley and Rage Against the Machine did for me... Every revolution needs a beat, and something we can all sing along to!

Why is it important for you to meet the goal of your online fundraiser?

Because this message needs to be heard and this video needs to be seen by everyone on this planet with eyes and ears. Too many of us are asleep as we speed towards the cliff and if we wake up only when there's worldwide crop failure, or massively destructive wars being fought over dwindling fresh water supplies then it'll be way too late. We need to make these changes yesterday and I believe this video is a critically useful tool in spreading awareness and motivating people towards individual and collective action.

Your inspiration and your biggest supporter?

To be honest my biggest inspiration, whenever I feel like I have the slightest bit of hardship, is thinking about what the other-than human beings of the world endure on a daily basis. If a polar bear, driven mad by starvation has to swim 8 days straight across the melted Arctic Ocean just to find food, who am I to complain about some minor b.s that might be bugging me, or anything I go through that isn't 1/1000th as hard? If a mother cow has to go through the emotional agony of having her baby torn away from her moments after birth, and scream about it for weeks while she herself is hooked up to mutilating machinery to suck the milk out of her that was meant for that baby than who the f*** am I, or anyone else to complain about missing pizza or any of that bloody, pus-filled dairy? Sure it tastes good but reminding myself of these things helps me strengthen my backbone and fight for relief as best and as fast as I can.

As far as support, other than my mom and dad and my adopted daughter, Kitten Face (yes, that's her name, and her claws are as sharp as knives so please don't make fun of her) I think my girlfriend and musical partner in crime, Azucena Azul is by far my most reliable fellow warrior when it comes to my struggles. She provided the beautiful harmonies in "Tell A Friend" and being a musician and animal lover herself is always there to reason with me and help me when I'm lost and getting frustrated with anything. If she stops being so shy with her music you just might hear some world-changing tunes coming at you, but for now you'll just have to come jam with us here in Toronto! - The Examiner

February 22, 2013

TORONTO, ON - Armed with nothing but a simple melody, acoustic instruments, and a small army of canine sympathizers, Toronto-based singer/rapper Gaiaisi has declared war on the global fur industry. In just five days since its original release, the censored version of the music video “Tell A Friend” has already been seen by more than 10,000 people, many of whom are expressing shock and outrage upon viewing the reality behind the fur trim decorations that have become such a common sight on winter coats this year.
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The video’s juxtaposition of some of Toronto’s cutest dogs (the band is led by a coyote look-alike by the name of Kobu) with imagery of wild animals caught in traps and caged in fur farms has sparked fury at what many are just discovering to be real dog’s fur that is used on Canada Goose, as well as other popular jackets.

While recent acts of sabotage have aimed to damage the business of fur retailers in Toronto, Gaiaisi, with the assistance of the Association for the Protection of Fur Bearing Animals, PETA, and the Humane Society of the United States, is taking on one of the world’s most popular fashion icons in broad daylight, hoping that shedding the truth on the sources of fur trim will help end the yearly slaughter of 700,000 wild animals in Canada, in addition to 3.3 million killed annually in Canadian fur farms.

With the economic and ecological consequences of such a boycott also clearly in mind, the music video links viewers at the end to the myth-busting website www.furtrimisatrap.com which answers each of the fur industry’s claims and justifications for its practices one by one, including the supposed importance of fur trapping for indigenous communities, as well as highlighting the toxic and carbon intensive treatment process that goes into fur products that the industry has recently been trying to market as “green.” - The Examiner

Five major environmental groups have joined together with Canadian musician Gaiaisi to release a music video aiming to raise awareness on the climate crisis with an overwhelming collage of imagery delving into the complex causes, as well as solutions to what the artist refers to as a “global meltdown.” The song ‘Change The Earth’, which has already been viewed more than 40,000 times in the first three weeks since its release, is the result of an unprecedented level of cooperation between major environmental groups including 350.org, Al Gore’s “Climate Reality,” Greenpeace, the Rainforest Action Network and the WWF:

While the song entices listeners with a soothing introduction, the video quickly becomes a dramatic global tour that encapsulates everything from the devastation caused by wildfires and deforestation, to the huge footprint of human agriculture, species’ extinction, to the myriad of flames large and small burning within our fossil-fuelled economy. Far from leaving audiences in despair however, the video also captures the determined struggles of activists from every continent fighting for emergency action on the climate crisis and for the protection of the Earth’s last remaining pieces of virgin wilderness. Solutions to the eco-crisis, including sustainable transportation, permaculture and renewable energy are also profiled with the intent of directing audiences straight through to the myriad of actions that can help avert runaway global warming, and with it the mass extinction of most of life as we know it on Earth.

With global temperatures shattering records throughout 2012 and 2013, potent methane gasses beginning to erupt from the melting Arctic Ocean, and an increasing number of water shortages, crop failures and extreme weather events being attributed to the de-stabilizing climate, scientists around the world are sounding the alarm that global warming may soon reach uncontrollable levels where various “feedback loops” come in to play and multiply the human-induced warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions to a level that in geological history has meant the mass extinction of most of life on land and in the oceans. With attempts at international treaties all but frozen, and a strong streak of climate science denial still raging in North America, Greenpeace and the other NGO’s are hoping to use this music video to break through public apathy and pessimism, particularly amongst youth, to galvanize action on the issue. - I Scream Music

Gaiaisi's music video "Canadian Revolution," featuring Mishaki Binese and Rosary Spence, calls for unity among the NDP, Green Party and other progressives.

Unite to end poverty in Canada, save our forests, protect our bodies from industrial poisons and toxins, lead Canada out of the fossil fuel era and towards a sustainable and fertile future. Unite to keep oil out of our oceans, lakes, rivers and land. Unite to end corporate government in Canada. Unite for an elected Senate, proportional representation, and an end to political bribery. Unite to bring true democracy to Canada.

GREENDP: Canadians For a United Party:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu2XBMLKeMY

Vote for Unification:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112428765465230 - Rabble.ca

In an election ripe with unorthodox tactics, these Canadians have decided to sing a new song.

Using lyrically explicit messaging and striking imagery of ecological destruction and extreme poverty across the country, Toronto-based Gaiaisi is aiming to shift the focus of the national political debate to more immediate, life and death matters.

The music video "Canadian Revolution", filmed on Parliament Hill, and featuring imagery from around the country, aims to raise awareness on issues such as the Tar Sands, homelessness, climate change, deforestation, inadequate health care, and the historical and present crimes committed against indigenous peoples in Canada.

Canadian Revolution:

While the original intent of this campaign was to bring about "emergency environmental protection and poverty relief" via a unified Green/NDP party, the shift has now focused, with an election right around the corner, to simply mobilizing young voters, and rallying behind all progressive parties in a bid to replace the Harper government with an administration more accountable to regular Canadians, and the health of the natural environment that sustains us.

After the election, and in advance of provincial contests coming up later this year across the country, the movement will once again resume to inspire the Green Party and NDP to merge into a "United Party". The "Canadian Revolution" music video itself finishes with a link to the following comedy video, poking fun at continued Green/NDP divisions.

GreeNDP: Canadians for a United Party

A supporter of the idea of Proportional Representation, the lead singer of Gaiaisi, Gabriel Nicolau, believes that only when every Canadians vote is equally and fairly counted can Canada truly call itself a democracy.

"... Having an unelected Senate kill legislation that was passed by parliament, as happened recently with the Climate Accountability Act, makes a complete mockery of our country. These are some of the systemic issues that lead Canadians to be apathetic to our own politics, feeling disconnected and powerless to affect change, even when some of the more responsible of our elected officials tirelessly work towards it."

Supporters of the idea of a United GreeNDP are being directed to the Facebook page below as a means to "vote for unification"... - Straight Goods

http://www.examiner.com/article/toronto-musicians-launch-international-boycott-of-canada-goose-jackets - Montreal Examiner