Member Since: 23/12/2006
Band Website: lab-rats.tripod.com
Band Members: everyone who can wire up a speaka or pull off a crazy manooover can join us in our escapade to save the planet
Influences: omns not bombs-bedlam-negusa negast-spaz-vibe tribe-combat wombat-
......me and youThe media has a tendency to lie and distort. There is only so long one can crawl to their mercy to get the different issues voiced to the rest of the population. Things so important to our survival such as the fate of our forests, potential contamination of our environment by Mines, waste dumps, emissions from industry, human rights violations etc (the list is long). These are often misconstrued by the media or more often ignored due to financial interests and basic prejudice. This became more and more apparent with our increased involvement in different campaigns. Over the years the media tends to focus on the colour of your dreadlocks and if have had a shower instead of the issues at hand. Just when one had almost given up hope we found a restoration of faith in the crew at SKA TV ( Access News), CAT TV, NEWS UNLIMITED and more recently INDIE MEDIA. These are grass roots community media in which footage from different actions we have documented could be broadcast to the public without being tainted by commercial interest. This was a great outlet to reach people in the city, but when it came to informing people in remote communities who are often more directly affected by issues of land rights and environmental destruction a different medium was required. It was out a Lake Eyre Camp in the South Australian desert that the Wind Powered Cinema was born and on it the revolution is being televised.
Sounds Like: sometimes a little distorted due to flat batteries.... sometimes cranking in the face of authority with a bin fulla bass....." Basically it's a massive car stereo. 12 volts is the key to alternative energy efficiency when you're using solar power. We've got 3 solar panels on the van, one on the caravan and a wind generator. The power that's produced is stored in a hefty battery bank. We've got 12 volt amplifiers and a 240-volt invertors to power the decks. This enables us to pull up to anywhere and do a party, cos its all set up in the back of the van ready to go "Izzy: I'd heard about the Earthdream tour when travelling in Europe a few years ago. In the first week of my return to Australia I went to the Aboriginal tent Embassy in Canberra. Here I met Uncle Kevin Buzzacott an aboriginal elder putting out the call for people to come out to his country in the desert of South Australia. That is currently facing the devastating affects of Roxby Downs Uranium Mine. It was at this point I saw the potential for this tour to coincide with the issues and campaigns of the land that the convoy would be travelling through. I felt inclined to go out there to do some ground work for the journey. So for the year previous to Earthdream 2000 we have been in the desert fighting the mining companies learning about the land and aboriginal culture. Earthdream 99 was held at Lake Eyre camp and brought maybe 200 people out to the desert. 3 days of wild solstice parties were followed up by direct action on Western Mining. This was an inspiring time for everyone and brought in to action the reality of the mobile party protest convoy thing that materialized this year on Earthdream 2000. With the wind powered cinema we were able to educate people on the tour to the local issues and inspire them to get involved. One of the highlights of earth dream were definitely the 5 day reclaim the road party was we blocked the main intersection to Roxby Mine and had a rockin party, a b.b.q for the workers a mutant cabaret show and a hip hop sound clash war between ours and the Omns Not Bombs system with MCs oshara and yohan.Most importantly we discovered that cops don't like Speedbass (ridiculously fast techno from San Francisco). Marc reversed the van, the speakers getting closer to the police blocking the road, sporadic beats bleeps bass and babble of speed bass penetrated their senses causing them to literally walk backwards get in their cars wind up there windows and piss off in a state of panic, enabling the peace bus to pull across the road and block it for the next 5 days.Another highlight I'll mention is the wicked Alice Springs solstice party at the clay pans one ridge over from Pine Gap, with everything from tripping Alice Springs cover band playing on combined ohms not bombs Jupiter 3 and Labrats systems to mean Drum & Bass pumpin out from combined Bedlam & Negusa Negast Sound Systems. Music?.The musical aspect is the most important thing for me as it's the simplest and most fun way to get the message across
Record Label: wicked maaaatttttteeeeee