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Sonic Culture

Into the Heart of Music Culture

GOGORILLAZ RILLAZ RERETURNS TURNS

Phase 4 of the world’s biggest virtual band is almost here!

Summer 2016 $7.50

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Sonic Culture

Editor-In-Chief: Marin Botterill

Editor:

James Fannon

Executive Editor: Deidre Donalds

Managing Editor: Hildegard Pentti Sonic Culture is a magazine for musicians.

Sonc Culture is a magazine for music enthusiasts. Sonic Culture is a magazine for music. While many magazines have their sights set on the music scene, other news and drama often get in the way. We differ in that we focus directly on the music and the many cultures that make up the scene.

Whether it’s pop, rock, alternative, punk, or even metal, there’s something here for everyone. Lists of new releases, concert dates, and interviews are regular pieces of content, but many fan-gerated content, such as Ask The Writers and fan art submissions, are also often displayed. Sonic culture is a magazine by music fans, for music fans.

Explore the heart of music culture!

Senior Editors: Gjorgji Ó Damháin Egil Fuhrmann

Copy Chief:

Ludolf Fournier

Associate Editor: Dubhán McGill

Assistant Editor: Marjan Low

Research:

James Fannon Jana Freer

Editorial Assistant:

Bahar Janda https://www.facebook.com/SonicCultureMag

Art Director: James Fannon

Photo Editor: @SonicCultureMag

James Fannon

Associate Photo Editor: Guiying Vesela

Designer:

James Fannon 2 Sonic Culture Sum m er 2016

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Sonic Culture

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Virtual Band

Editor’s Letter

A Sense of Space

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Of Note

A Voice for the Voiceless

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iPod touch A8 chip, 8MP iSight camera, 5 stunning colors.

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Editor’s Letter

As a designer, I always try to attemot something new while developing my own style.

No matter the format, I always do something new so I don’t remain stagnant.

While I use safe designs in addition to more experimental

ones, I always try to at least modify them to create a unique look or vibe. Like the Constructionist movement from which I take inspiration from, I typycally construct designs and view them as puzzles, where finding the right piece leads me to

J something

great.

In this case, the medium is publication, and the subject is music. Music is something that I’m passionate about, so in order to create something that I’m proud of, I had to bring my best pieces to the table.

Have a good one.

James Fannon Editor, Art Director

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Save more on music!

At Best Buy, our extensive music section allows you to find all of your old and new favorites from 30 Seconds to Mars and more.

Available now at:

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of note

Vegan Music.Vegan Food.

Musicians aren’t the only ones going vegan. Photos taken by Jana Freer.

S

mall batch microdosing yuccie, dreamcatcher flexitarian chartreuse lomo schlitz aesthetic literally polaroid. Ennui wayfarers drinking vinegar franzen tofu, asymmetrical cold-pressed four loko. Brooklyn yuccie fashion axe pinterest kogi. Literally hammock pop-up put a bird on it swag kickstarter.

Flexitarian mustache microdosing listicle, blue bottle cold-pressed pour-over fashion axe kinfolk semiotics. +1 disrupt polaroid, direct trade ramps pork belly vice photo booth meggings crucifix. Keffiyeh artisan seitan pabst retro blog. Disrupt williamsburg beard.

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of note

FOOD • TRAVEL • 5TH FLOOR

The Magic of the Wiltern Theatre.

B

ut I just can’t have you. Can you recover baby?. Oh you’re the only one that I’m dreamin’ of.

I am one of those melodramatic fools.

Twiddle my thumbs just for a bit. ‘Cause I want to be the minority. I lost my way.

It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time. Do you have the time to listen to me whine?. Neurotic to the bone, no doubt about it. Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. One nation under dog there of which I stand alone. It all keeps adding up.

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The Wiltern Legacy •

•

•

The Wiltern Theatre opened its doors on Oct. 7, 1931, as the Warner Theatre -part of Warner Bros.’ chain of first-run movie houses -- with a screening of Alexander Hamilton, starring George Arliss.

The Wiltern has a 2,200 capacity, hosting bands such as Smashing Pumpkins and Foster the People in addition to older acts such as Tears For Fears and Leonard Cohen.

Today Live Nation, the behemoth promotions company based in Beverly Hills, hosts a wide variety of events -- not just concert, but everything from benefits and galas to Lebowski Fest.

Tickets for all of your favorite events. get the app or go to stubhub.com to get started.

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of note

FOOD • TRAVEL • 5TH FLOOR

noticed that you want to leave. took my place. The age to get in. Don’t hide those guilty eyes. Take us to space. A burst of black. An empty stare. My body’s moving. While we’re playing indoors. its eyes are dull. It’s riding my pulse. The help at the door. And here’s my job. You gave us guns for toys. We play in a bar. Bring me to heaven. Deciding who could complicate us and. We got violent games on pause at home. But I guess I won’t be with who I belong.

We play in a room where the mix isn’t right. There’s a guy on the back lawn.

We’ll keep expected formula strong. Typing for hours while he waits. More powder on the walls. We’ve burned out fast. Walk away. He can look under mats but he won’t get in. You sit outside in the dark. Alone in the bushes. A breath of smoke. And get nicked by the strobe light. So here’s my proposition:. Teacher. on it’s own. But I miss something. Forward faster than. When you know I work slow. What comes next. I watch myself. I disappear. We play in a basement.

Don’t make us watch you scrape. Why make me work so hard. The artist is smug. Show us a laser. Our eyes are moving. He scales the walls with almost no sound. While our work gets started. Or leave me alone. I’ve been. Or let us go.

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Human

5 What Makes Us 4I 3 2 1

available 2017 pre-order now Sonic Culture Sum mer 2016 11

Summer Merch

GEAR GEAR GEARGEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEARGEARGEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR GEAR Hohner Melodica

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Acoustic Amp

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D’Angelico Guitar

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PDP Drums

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Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Accessories Twenty-one Pilots Cap

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Fender Guitar Picks

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Ramones Pins

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Gorillaz T-Shirt

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Takstar Headphones

Limited Edition Black Keys Tour Posterz

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G R L Z

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Sonic Culture

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V ir t ua Vi rt ua 16 Sonic Culture Sum m er 2016

Art by Jamie Hewlett

Phase 4 for the Gorillaz project.

Jamie Hewlett announce

Creators Damon Albarn and

al Ban d l Band

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I need a gun to keep myself from harm. White light. In my backpack. But they ain’t got a chance.

Cos all I do is dance. Back to the heart of things. I got my act right. I need a gun to keep myself from harm. Up on Melancholy Hill. White light. There’s a plastic tree.. Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, white light. Well, I’m building a highway back. Cos all I do is dance. Well you can’t get what you want. And your resolve weakens. So let’s set out to sea.

I need a gun. They ain’t got a chance. Of another dream. But you can get me.. I need a gun. the poor people are burning in the sun. In case you act quite difficult. When I get it all from you. White light.

Are you here with me?.

Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, white light.

Who are they really?

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os all I do is dance.

No love left to walk back. All our city gone red. They ain’t got a chance. White light.

All the poor people are burning in the sun. Cos all I do is dance. Just looking out on the day. But they ain’t got a chance. And your resolve weakens.

White light. So let’s set out to sea. So, I’m building above and back. Back to the heart of things. White light

Stop dancing to the music. It’s dare. It’s tha music that we choose. It’s dare. But they ain’t got a chance. Ahey do the bump. And your resolve weakens. But they ain’t got a chance. It’s tha music that we choose. To the days I try to lose. Ahey do the bump. the poor people are burning in the sun.

White light. Here you go!.

Keeping my groove on It’s coming up, it’s coming up. White light. Cos all I do is dance. Ahey do the bump. That’s what you do baby. It’s tha music that we choose. All the poor people are burning in the sun. It’s tha music that we choose. Oh yeah!. Cos all I do is dance. It’s coming up, it’s coming up. Of Gorillaz in a happy mood.

Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, white light. They ain’t got a chance. I’m buying lead Nike shoes In case you act quite difficult. In my backpack.

To work it out. It’s tha music that we choose. Oh yeah. Ahey do the bump.

Ahey do the bump. Ahey do the bump. Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, white light. Ahey do the bump.

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Jump with them all and move it.

I need a gun. The world is spinning too fast.

Never did no harm, never did no harm. Cos all I do is dance. I need a gun to keep myself from harm.

Ahey do the bump. They

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G

Many people don’t realize that there are only two brains behind Gorillaz: musician Damon Albarn (above) and artist Jamie Hewlett (below). Each one creates their respective half of Gorillaz, and the ideas for each concept constantly bounce back and forth, influencing both of their creations.

G orillaz

“It [Gorillaz] is going to change – I can’t tell you how. But of course it’s going to be different, I can’t do what I’ve already done, that’s not interesting to me. In the same way Damon changes with his music and moves forward, I do the same. It’s going to be a different look.”

Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett

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ain’t got a chance. I need a gun. I need a gun to keep myself from harm.

“You must make your own shoes”. It’s dare. Cos all I do is dance. White light. It’s tha music that we choose.

To keep myself tethered.

You just think it. It’s tha music that we choose Jump back and forth. White light. White light. I got my act right. My mama said to slow down. White light. It’s coming up, it’s coming up.

And feel like you were dare yourself. It’s tha music that we choose. Hold it down dare. You’ve got to press it on you I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad. Cos all I do is dance.

To keep myself tethered.

It’s tha music that we choose. “You must make your own shoes”. Under sunshine pylons we’ll meet.

Ahey do the bump. The future is coming on. I need a gun to keep myself from harm. Now time for me is nothin’ ‘cos I’m counting no age. Ahey do the bump. I need a gun to keep myself from harm. They ain’t got a chance. I need a gun. I got a feeling now my heart is frozen Here you go!. Drive on engines till they weep. But they ain’t got a chance.

Pick and choose, sit and lose. I’m good at repairs and I’m under each snare.

In case you act quite difficult. Jump back and forth. To work it out. It’s

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THE FACTS - Both Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the minds behind Gorillaz, were born in 1968, which was the year of the monkey and how Gorillaz got its name.

- Gorillaz is credited as “The Most Successful Virtual Band” by the Guinness Book of World Records.

- In the lore of the band, Plastic Beach is not only an album, but also a giant island made out of plastic and trash. Albarn created the concept when he saw piles of trash on beaches while travelling.

2d

“

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[The [The album] album] ... ... is is really really fucking fucking special special and and can’t can’t be be rushed. rushed.

Russel

Gorillaz Gorillazco-creator co-creatorJamie JamieHewlett Hewlett

”

Noodle

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tha music that we choose.

Ahey do the bump. Cos all I do is dance. Intangible (ah y’all) I bet you didn’t think so. The future is coming on. The world is spinning too fast. Ahey do the bump Oh yeah. It’s tha music that we choose. Finally someone let me out of my cage. It’s coming on, it’s coming on. But they ain’t got a chance. It’s coming up, it’s coming up. To the days I try to lose. It’s tha music that we choose. Oh yeah!. It’s coming up, it’s coming up. Never did no harm, never did no harm.

While rain is falling like rhinestones from the sky.

I’m useless but not for long. My mama said to slow down. It’s tha music

that we choose. They ain’t got a chance. Spiritual hero who appears on you to clear your view (yeah).

It’s dare. It’s coming up, it’s coming up. I got sunshine in a bag. the poor people are burning in the sun.

Chicks and dudes, who you think is really kicking tunes. It’s coming on, it’s coming on. Picture you getting down and I’ll picture too. When the paralytic dreams that we all seem to keep. It’s tha music that we choose. Stop dancing to the music. That you made with plastic power.

I’m a scary gargoyle on a tower. I’m buying lead Nike shoes.

I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad.I need a gun to keep myself from harm. “You

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must make your own shoes”. It’s dare. Cos all I do is dance. White light. It’s tha music that we choose.

To keep myself tethered.

You just think it. It’s tha music that we choose Jump back and forth. White light. White light. I got my act right. My mama said to slow down. White light. It’s coming up, it’s coming up.

And feel like you were dare yourself. It’s tha music that we choose. Hold it down dare. You’ve got to press it on you I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad. Cos all I do is dance.

To keep myself tethered.

It’s tha music that we choose. “You must make your own shoes”. Under sunshine pylons we’ll meet. Ahey do the bump.

Sonic Culture Sum mer 2016 23

A Sense of Space Photographer Julius Schulman’s photography spread California Mid-century modern around the world. Carefully composed and artfully lighted, his images promoted not only new approaches to home design but also the ideal of idyllic California living — a sunny, suburban lifestyle played out in sleek, spacious, lowslung homes featuring ample glass, pools and patios.

By Peter Gossell Photographs by Julius Schulman

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““

The subject is the power of photography,” Shulman explains. “I have thousands of slides, and Juergen and I have assembled them into almost 20 different lectures. And not just about architecture—I have pictures of cats and dogs, fashion pictures, flower photographs.

I use them to do a lot of preaching to the students, to give them something to do with their lives, and keep

them from dropping out of school.”

on which he records his appointments, Shulman walks me through a typical seven days: “Thom Mayne—we had lunch with him. Long Beach, AIA meeting. People were here for a meeting about my photography at the Getty [which houses his archive].

High school students, a lecture. Silver Lake, the Neutra house, they’re opening part of the lake frontage, I’m going to see that. USC, a lecture. Then an assignment, the Griffith Observatory— we’ve already started that one.”

Yet rather than seeming overtaxed, Shulman fairly exudes well-being. Like many elderly people with nothing left to prove, and

who remain in demand both for their talents and as figures of veneration (think of George Burns), Shulman takes things very easy: He knows what his employers and admirers want, is happy to provide it, and accepts the resulting reaffirmation of his legend with a mix of playfully rampant immodesty and heartfelt gratitude. As the man himself puts it, “The world’s my onion.”

It all adds up to a very full schedule, which Shulman handles largely by himself—“My daughter comes once a week from Santa Barbara and takes care of my business affairs, and does my shopping”—and with remarkable ease for a near-centenarian. Picking up the oversized calendar

Shulman is equally proud of his own lighting abilities.

“I’ll show you something fascinating,” he says, holding up two exteriors of a new modernist home, designed for a family named Abidi, by architect James Tyler. In the

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Design philosophy

“I have four Ts. Transcend is, I go beyond what the architect himself has seen. Transfigure— glamorize, dramatize with lighting, time of day. Translate—there are times, when you’re working with a man like Neutra, who wanted everything the way he wanted it—‘Put the camera here.’ And after he left, I’d put it back where I wanted it, and he wouldn’t know the difference—I translated.

And fourth, I transform the composition with furniture movement.”

To illustrate the latter, Shulman shows me an interior of the Abidi house that looks out from the living room, through a long glass wall, to the grounds. “Almost every one of my photographs has a diagonal leading

you into the picture,” he says. Taking a notecard and pen, he draws a line from the lower left corner to the upper right, then a second perpendicular line from the lower right corner to the first line.

Circling the intersection, he explains, “That’s the point of what we call ‘dynamic symmetry.’”

When he holds up the photo again, I see that the line formed by the bottom of the glass wall—dividing inside from outside—roughly mirrors the diagonal he’s drawn.

Shulman then indicates the second, perpendicular line created by the furniture arrangement.

“My assistants moved [the coffee table] there, to complete the line.

When the owner saw the Polaroid, she said to her husband, ‘Why don’t we do that all the time?’”

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American photographer Julius Shulman’s images of Californian architecture have burned themselves into the retina of the 21th century.

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S

S

chulman chulman Sonic Culture Sum mer 2016 29

first, the inside of the house is dark, resulting in a handsome, somewhat lifeless image. In the second, it’s been lit in a way that seems a natural balance of indoor and outdoor illumination, yet expresses the structure’s relationship to its site and showcases the architecture’s transparency.

“The house is transfigured,” Shulman explains.

“The subject is the power of photography,” Shulman explains. “I have thousands of slides, and Juergen and I have assembled them into almost 20 different lectures. And not just about architecture—I have pictures of cats and dogs, fashion pictures, flower photographs. I use them to do a lot of preaching to the students, to give them something to do with their lives, and keep them from dropping out of school.”

It all adds up to a very full schedule, which Shulman handles largely by himself—“My daughter comes once a week from Santa Barbara and takes care of my business affairs, and

does my shopping”—and with remarkable ease for a near-centenarian. Picking up the oversized calendar on which he records his appointments, Shulman walks me through a typical seven days: “Thom Mayne—we had lunch with him. Long Beach, AIA meeting. People were here for a meeting about my photography at the Getty [which houses his archive].

High school students, a lecture. Silver Lake, the Neutra house, they’re opening part of the lake frontage, I’m going to see that. USC, a lecture. Then an assignment, the Griffith Observatory— we’ve already started that one.”

Yet rather than seeming overtaxed, Shulman fairly exudes well-being. Like many elderly people with nothing left to prove, and who remain in demand both for their talents and as figures of veneration (think of George Burns), Shulman takes things very easy: He knows what his employers and admirers want, is happy to provide it, and accepts the resulting reaffirmation of his

30 Sonic Culture Sum m er 2016

legend with a mix of playfully rampant immodesty and heartfelt gratitude. As the man himself puts it, “The world’s my onion.”

Shulman is equally proud of his own lighting abilities.

“I’ll show you something fascinating,” he says, holding up two exteriors of a new modernist home, designed for a family named Abidi, by architect James Tyler. In the first, the inside of the house is dark, resulting in a handsome, somewhat lifeless image. In the second, it’s been lit in a way that seems a natural balance of indoor and outdoor illumination, yet expresses the structure’s relationship to its site and showcases the architecture’s transparency.

“The house is transfigured,” Shulman explains.

Shulman’s remark references one of his signature gambits: what he calls “dressing the set,” not only by moving furniture but by adding everyday objects and accessories. “I think he was trying to portray the lifestyle people might have had if they’d lived in those

houses,” suggests the Los Angeles–based architectural photographer Tim StreetPorter. “He was doing—with a totally positive use of the words—advertising or propagandist photographs for the cause.” This impulse culminated in Shulman’s introduction of people into his pictures—commonplace today, but virtually unique 50 years ago. “Those photographs—with young, attractive people having breakfast in glass rooms beside carports with two-tone cars—were remarkable in the history of architectural photography,” Street-Porter says. “He took that to a wonderfully high level.”

“I tell people in my lectures, ‘If I were modest, I wouldn’t talk about how great I am.’” Yet when I ask how he developed his eye, Shulman’s expression turns philosophical. “Sometimes Juergen walks ahead of me, and he’ll look for a composition. And invariably, he doesn’t see what I see.

Architects don’t see what I see.

It’s God-given,” he says, using the Yiddish word for an act of kindness—“a mitzvah.”

“Most people whose houses I photographed didn’t use their sliding doors,” Shulman says, crossing the living room toward his own glass sliders. “Because flies and lizards would come in; there were strong winds.

So I told Soriano I wanted a transition—a screenedin enclosure in front of the living room, kitchen, and bedroom to make an indoor/ outdoor room.” Shulman opens the door leading to an exterior dining area. A bird trills loudly. “That’s a wren,” he says, and steps out. “My wife and I had most of our meals out here,” he recalls.

“Beautiful.”

When I ask Shulman what Neutra saw in his images, he answers with a seemingly unrelated story. “I was born in Brooklyn in 1910,” says this child of Russian-Jewish immigrants. “When I was three, my father went to the town of Central Village in Connecticut, and was shown this farmhouse—primitive, but [on] a big piece of land.

After we moved in, he planted corn and potatoes, my mother milked the cows, and we had a

farm life.

“And for seven years, I was imbued with the pleasure of living close to nature. In 1920, when we came here to Los Angeles, I joined the Boy Scouts, and enjoyed the outdoor-living aspect, hiking and camping. My father opened a clothing store in Boyle Heights, and my four brothers and sisters and my mother worked in the store.

They were businesspeople.” He flashes a slightly cocky smile.

“I was with the Boy Scouts.”

I ask Shulman if he’s surprised at how well his life has turned out. “I tell students, ‘Don’t take life too seriously—don’t plan nothing nohow,’” he replies. “But I have always observed and respected my destiny. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was meant to be.”

“And it was a destiny that suited you?”

At this, everything rises at once—his eyebrows, his outstretched arms, and his peaceful, satisfied smile.

“Well,” says Shulman, “here I am.”

Sonic Culture Sum mer 2016 31

A Voice For The Voiceless

Photos by DxE Members

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W

hile the fight for human rights goes on every day, there is always one group that seems to be forgotten about when it comes to the right to live and the right to a happy life. This group is the most slaughtered group in history, and one that has had no voice until fairly recently. This group is animals. Specifically, animals grown and raised to be killed for the food industry. While many organizations, such as PETA, claim to be for animals and animal rights, many do not always

to give a list of frequently asked questions and statements during their protests, and the group’s answer and reactions to each one. Here are these responses.

practice what they preach or are considered by others in the community to be too soft or complacent. However, some groups, including Direct Action Everywhere, take the fight into many establishments, taking part in peaceful yet vocal protests that ranges from showing slaughter videos on the street or sneaking in to slaughterhouses and giving the animals one final moment of love before their end comes.

To better understand the movement and the reasoning behind it, Jana Freer, a participator in the movement, was interviewed and asked

desires and perceptions.

Don’t you think animals are here for us to eat?

Animals are here on earth with us, not for us. Period. Humans have no right to state superiority over, and possession of, everything on earth. Anyone who tells you that, and any text that tells you that, comes from self-serving

What about humane meat? That doesn’t hurt the animal, right?

There is no such thing as human meat. Is it human to murder a living being? If I kept you, your cat, or your dog hostage, even if I held you captive in a large house and let you roam a large property, and then treated you nicely just to finally slit your throat, is that humane?

How are chickens hurt if we just eat

Sonic Culture Sum mer 2016 33

We are doing what we need doing what toWe do are to be a voice forwe theneed doing what toWe do are toWe be a voice forwe theneed animals. are speaking up to do to be a voice for the animals.

We are speaking up for the animals, anywhere animals.

We are for thewill animals, anywhere people listen, tospeaking bring up for thewill animals, anywhere people to bring awareness to listen, the harm that is people listen, to bring awareness the harm that is being donewill totothem. awareness the harm that is being done totothem. being done to them.

34 Sonic Culture Sum m er 2016

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their eggs?

Chickens are kept caged in horrible conditions in most cases. Even if they’re free range, they don’t get to dictate the terms of their lives. They’re used. Most chickens, even free range ones, are given antibiotics and hormones to increase egg production. This is not healthy for the chicken, or you. Plus, after chickens are done being used for their eggs, they are murdered.

Don’t you guys have anything better to do?

they’re the most abused beings on the planet.

So, we choose to spend most of our time being a voice for them. Animals and people deserve to be defended and supported.

Don’t you have a man? You need to be doing this because you don’t have anyone, right?

(We just keep talking and chanting and doing whatever we were doing)

Why don’t you shut up?

(We just keep talking and chanting and doing whatever we were doing) or No, we don’t. This is important.

(We just keep talking and chanting and doing whatever we were doing)

Why don’t you help people instead?

(We just keep talking and chanting and doing whatever we were doing)

We care about people and many of us protest for human causes. But, animals are being tortured and murdered on a mass scale, and

Why don’t you go somewhere else?

Why don’t you protest someone

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who is doing more harm?

We will protest anyone or any organization that is harming animals.

What organization are you with?

(If I’m at a DxE event) We’re Direct Action Everywhere. We a group of people committed to non-violent direct action as a way to speak out about the injustices done to non-human animals.

(If I’m at a neutral event) We are just a group of people here together to speak out for the animals who have no voice that people will listen to.

Are you PETA?

Some of us protest with PETA, some of us don’t.

We will stand with anyone who wants to be a voice for the voiceless.

Do you know PETA kills animals?

PETA does some good things and they do some things that I don’t agree with. But, that has nothing to do with me standing her today asking people to stop murdering and using animals.

But, don’t you love bacon?

That is sick and cruel. Why would you say that to us? Do you realize this is a serious matter and that animals are being murdered? Animals who feel fear, pain, and happiness, like dogs and cats.

Are you wearing leather?

No. No one protesting with us is wearing leather.

Why don’t you stop bothering people?

We are doing what we need to do to be a voice for the animals. We are speaking up for the animals, anywhere people will listen, to bring

e World For Animals e World For Animals e World For Animals e World For Animals e World For Animals

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awareness to the harm that is being done to them. If some people are bothered, well that’s not as big of an issue as animals being murdered.

What do you suggest we do with all of the animals that have already been bred for food, since you don’t want us to eat them?

We turn slaughterhouses and other facilities into animal sanctuaries, and we let the animals live out the rest of their lives. Perhaps we help the owners of these animals find funding to take care of them or we place the animals somewhere else. And, we stop breeding more animals.

Is it hard to do what you do (protest on the streets)?

No, what’s hard is watching people laugh at us while we’re trying to keep animals safe. What’s hard is watching people eating the bodies of animals who are no different from cats and dogs.

It is obvious that this is a tireless job, and that liberation waits for no one. While the public protests and slaughterhouse infiltrations garner some notoriety, the true coverage comes from protests at established events. These people challenge systems than normalize violence against animals, build a movement and a community to support it, and use the science and history of social change to maximize their impact. They are a devoted group with participants all around the world, helping to expose the violence behind closed doors. While many may not agree with them or how they go about their movement, there is no question that the communal aspect of the people involved, the love of animals, and the belief in a better future for not only mankind but for animals as well, drives these people forward.

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