The Sea Shepherd Benefit Show, Friday November 21, 2008 at the Arena Entertainment Complex, Brisbane

Our anticipation and excitement is building by the second as we continue to prepare for the Sea Shepherd Benefit/farewell show! Those who’ve missed the proverbial rock we threw through your windows have heard allllll about this night, but here’s some new info: The theme of the show will be based around battles at sea, and the story of The Sea Shepherd. This is a brand new TRP stage show, and is shaping up to be a delight for all who attend.

We would love if everyone who attends would consider dressing up in pirate regalia or as their favorite monster from the deep…everyone loves to dress up now and then — if this is the one time a year you do it, make it count! The more creatures we have the more interactive the show will be.

We are also looking at building a very unique art installation from Human Canvases. Please, if you are interested in being a human canvas or stage statue send us your name/age/phone number/and a link to your MySpace — e-mail it to milkbar@theredpaintings.com or call Maaike directly on 0403601279 and we will get back to you with more details as we plan this shindig.

Well-known whale whisperer Bunna Lawrie is the original founding member of Coloured Stone, one of Australia’s longest surviving Aboriginal bands. Coloured Stone’s sound has been described as having a reggae thump and a funk feel, with unique Aboriginal qualities. The band performs using guitar, bass, drums, and Aboriginal instruments. Two decades of releases and tours in the 80s and 90s culminated in Bunna being awarded the 1999 Don Banks Music Award for his outstanding contribution to Australian music.

At a recent gig he sat cross-legged on the stage as he began the set with “Mouydjengara”, a traditional whale-dreaming song of his people - the Mirning. Playing what he described as the oldest musical instrument on the planet - the bundawuthada or gong stone - Bunna created an eerie, ringing percussion, over which the wailing lead guitar feedback simulated the song of the whale.

Bunna is part of the recent film WhaleDreamers, and was in the news in August trying to help the baby humpback whale stranded in Pittwater, NSW. Authorities allowed Bunna to go out and ’sing’ to the calf, which came right to him and communicated back.

http://www.myspace.com/bunnalawrie

We’ve just confirmed another artist for the gig - Adam Pavitt.

Known to The Red Paintings as Ademski Pavirotti, Adam has been onstage with the band since 2001. Way back then Adam produced the first ever live paintings inspired by the sounds and energy of the live shows. You will rarely see Adam paint in-between songs as he sees every sung note, plucked string or cymbal crash as a catalyst to completing the canvas.

Now as a solo acoustic performer and also in bands in the past (Common Threads, The Deconsumers) , Adam has brought his blend of political- folk-funk to the people.

This show is going to be heart-felt for Adam as he has been a vegan for seven years and a firm believer in animal rights. Spending time in the ocean from a young age as a surfer, Adam has happily shared the ocean with whales countless times and wishes for this show to send a clear message to STOP animal cruelty!

Adam will be painting during The Red Paintings’ set, and also playing an acoustic set on the night. There’s more about Adam on the Who page.

Brisbane band, The Paper and The Plane, have just been announced as a support act for the Sea Shepherd gig on November 21.

The band describe themselves as a progressive-rock group and have two EPs to their name including ‘The Introduction’ (2007) and ‘A Year Two Months Sixteen Days and Counting’ (2008).

If you’re not familiar with their sound visit their MySpace page, read this review on RAVE magazine or check their page on Wikipedia which has a heap of info.

They also recently featured in American music magazine ‘Alternative Press’, or AP as it’s commonly referred to, in the October 2008 issue (#243).

The Sea Shepherd gig is shaping up to be truly epic - TRP are really looking forward to having this band on board and hope to see you there on the night!

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are lucky to have Trash and The Red Paintings giving their support to defend the Oceans.

It’s not often we find people in Trash’s position of influence that really stick their neck out to lend a helping hand. Except in this case, Trash is leading the charge for this benefit and opening many minds along the way. Sea Shepherd could not ask for a better ambassador to join their fight to save the oceans.

The Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign 2007/2008 saw the Steve Irwin and its international crew (almost half were Australian) take on the role of upholding the Australian Federal Court Ruling.  The Steve Irwin made 3 return trips from Melbourne to the Antarctic coast in 3 1/2 months covering a distance just shy of circumnavigating the globe.  The Japanese whalers had a self allocated quota of 1035 whales. Due to Sea Shepherds direct action they failed to take 484 whales reducing the Japanese quota to 53%.

This year’s campaign, Sea Shepherd’s fifth campaign to Antarctic waters, will be called Operation Musashi in reference to the legendary Japanese strategist, Miyamoto Musashi.  “We intend to sink the Japanese fleet economically,” said Captain Paul Watson, founder and president of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. “Our strategy is to prevent whales from being killed, to force Japan to spend money on fuel without killing whales. My crew and I will not watch whales die; we will not bear witness to the cruel slaughter of a single whale without risking our lives to prevent its unlawful and cruel murder.

Why Sea Shepherd needs your help!

Sea Shepherd is a volunteer organisation that runs on the smell of an oily rag. Every person you see out there spreading the awareness and rattling the tin is 100% voluntary (no commission). As are our the ships brave crew that fly in from all over the globe at their own expense.  The crew are paramedics, ex Royal Australia Navy and Army, doctors, ex police officers, engineers, first class mariners, fathers, mothers, etc, all taking time out from loved ones to go into one of the most dangerous oceans in the world, to stand up for what is right.

They know that its all good and well to work towards a sound financial future, but what’s the point if we keep attacking the environment from all fronts. People forget that up to 80% of the oxygen we breath comes from marine plants. Our supporters know that the best investment that they can make is in the future of the Oceans!

Just in ships fuel alone, last years campaign cost the organisation in excess of $750 thousand dollars, add on top of that food, engine parts and repairs, helicopter fuel, maintenance, storage and helideck maintenance, berthing costs (in excess of $500/day), etc, one starts to comprehend the massive scale and cost of this campaign. As soon as the Japanese whalers leave the Antarctic area, Sea Shepherd is already hard at work planning the next effective campaign to shut them down.

Earlier this year the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was invited down to Augusta to open up the whale watching season. Steve Mitchell, from Naturalist Charters stated that there would not be a $360 million dollar a year whale watching industry in Australia if it were not for Sea Shepherd. He said that without a doubt, if you start sticking harpoons in humpback whales, they will not go anywhere near a boat.

Sea Shepherd does not receive any support from the Australian government, even though we help secure a AUD$360 million dollar a year industry.

“We have never injured a single person in our 31 year history, nor been convicted of any felony crime, nor have we ever been sued,” said Captain Watson, “and we intend to keep that record unblemished.”

We are counting on the people of Australia to jump onboard with this event and send the Steve Irwin and its crew with a mighty roar down to the Southern Ocean Whale sanctuary!

We are on the threshold of a major victory over illegal whaling!

This is a historic event in a last stand defence for the gentle giants and we want the people of Australia to be a part of it!

For the Oceans

Jeff Hansen
Australian Director
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
www.seashepherd.org

Earlier this year I was privileged to meet Captain Paul Watson and his crew from The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in L.A. at an exhibition of local artists, when we were touring the US of A recording tracks for the upcoming album.

At that function Paul Watson gave a spine tingling speech about the state of our oceans and his experience with whale hunters. I was in awe of his energy and conviction to the cause and have wanted to do whatever I can to help the Sea Shepherd ever since.

The idea of Sea Shepherd was formed when Paul founded the Earth Force Society in 1977 in Canada. The original mandate of both organizations was marine mammal protection and conservation with an immediate goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations, but Sea Shepherd later expanded its mission to include all marine wildlife.

In 1986, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) enacted a moratorium on all commercial whaling. Since then, three nations – Iceland, Norway, and Japan – have brutally slaughtered over 25,000 whales under the guise of scientific research and for commercial purposes.

The IWC does not have the capacity to enforce the moratorium. Sea Shepherd, guided by the United Nations World Charter for Nature, is the only organisation whose mission is to enforce these international conservation regulations on the high seas. To this day, Sea Shepherd remains totally funded by donation and staffed by volunteers. Amazing.

So my mind went into overdrive. What can I do to help these guys save more whales? Well here’s where the gig comes in. I know we are lucky enough to have very supportive fans. I know I’m not the only one that wants to save whales, right? So….let’s put a gig together, get some great bands, get Paul Watson to speak (there’s enough value in that alone) and let’s put the proceeds towards funding the Sea Shepherd’s next Antarctic Adventure to combat the Japanese whalers. Even better! My friends at individuum said they’d fund the gig so you guys get in for free and the hard earned cash you would’ve shelled out for the ticket can be donated straight to The Sea Shepherd.

I am working on a very artistic never before seen Red Paintings show as a very special farewell for the Captain, helpers and crew before they tackle the Japanese hopefully once and for all.

So hope to see you all supporting this very important historic event on November 21st. Save your donation money hard & lets save the whales!