Dave Rastovich talks music and ocean conservation
Dave Rastovich interview by Luke McConnell
The interview by Luke McConnell in Byron – transcript here
Dave, I heard you have been paddling out in the ocean and risking your life to save whales. Why, how and where have you been doing this mate?
Well , every year in Japan 25, 000 dolphins and small whales are killed in their coastal waters. Very few people inside Japan know about these kills. They also are being kept from the fact that ALL whale and dolphin meat is loaded with mercury and other toxins harmful to health. The kills are very brutal and show no respect for the animals. I wanted to expose this crime against nature and also expose the crime of keeping what should be a public health warning from the people of Japan who are being fed the toxic meat.
This issue is also directly linked to the fact that our oceans are dying and the fish populations are disappearing due to our over fishing. Japan is the worlds largest consumer of seafood and the country that keeps the most information hidden from their public. I have Japanese surfing friends and I am connected to my fellow human, I do not want them blamed for doing something they know nothing about, I do not want them poisoned by the Cetacean meat, I do not want their waters to be stripped of ALL sea life, though this is already nearly the case in their coastal waters, and I do not want my friends the dolphins and whales to be wiped out due to people being manipulated and lied to.
The seafood industry is going to completely collapse by 2040 according to many studies by independent scientists around the world. I do not want to sit back and let that happen.
How could I help if I cant actually get out there and do what you do?
Stop eating seafood! Or at least stop buying it from mainstream seafood companies. Catch it yourself or buy it from a local who fishes in a small scale sustainable manner.
Use only organic produce, the pesticide run off from farmlands is poisoning our waters. Use anything but plastic in your life. Plastic ends up in the ocean and never breaks down.
Actively go out and expose criminals who are destroying eco systems, wildlife or qualiy of human life.
Present sustainable alternatives to take the place of those previous harmful actions. eg-- whale watching instead of whale killing. Organic farming instead of pesticides. Tree planting river banks to prevent erosion and top soil destruction.
Do anything. When we are old and grey and the younger generation asks us why we didn't do anything to stop the death of our waters, we don't want to say we were too busy paying the rent and paying off excessive loans for luxuries we don't need.
If we share all this info it becomes harder for people to ignore and it eventually reaches the eyes and ears of someone who has a strong desire to change this scenario.
As surfers, we are born into being the stewards of our coastal areas. TO take all the pleasure that we attain from surfing and given nothing back to the ocean would mean we are no true surfers at all. This is part of what it means to be a surfer.
Does hanging out in the ocean with whales influence your music and percussion?
Yeah, it helps me stay loose and have fun. In surfing you have to relax and maintain flexibility in order to move with the wave. Music feels the same to me. Just pure joy. It serves no other purpose than experiencing joy, spirit, creativity, and connection.
THE HAPPENING – ART, FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL
The worlds of art, music, film, surfing and skateboarding will converge at The Happening in Sydney at Bondi Openair on March 14, 2008. The event will feature a select group of artists and photographers exhibiting work based in contemporary beach and street cultures followed by acoustic music performances by Matt Costa, Will Conner, Dave Rastovich, Andrew Kidman & more. In addition, The Happening will help raise money and awareness for a group of non-profit organizations, including Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. This is the first date of an international tour, including upcoming events in Tokyo, Cornwall (England), Paris, New York City and San Francisco.
The Happening will take place at the oceanfront Bondi Openair at the Bondi Beach Pavilion in Sydney. The affair kicks off with the art exhibition opening at 6 p.m. Featured artists and photographers include Thomas Campbell, Andy Davis, Wolfgang Bloch, Andrew Kidman, Jeff Canham, Ryan Heywood, Mark Sutherland, David Lloyd, Greg LaMarche, Peter Webb, Harry Daily, Scott Richards, Julie Goldstein, Alex Kopps, Herbie Fletcher, Kate Sutton, Joe Curren and more.
The evening continues with music performances at 7 p.m. by Andrew Kidman, Will Conner and Matt Costa, who is celebrating his recent release "Unfamiliar Faces" on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records. The event will showcase four films including feature film, "Sliding Liberia" by Britton Caillouette and Nicholai Lidow. In addition, there will be short films by the Malloys, Thomas Campbell and The Gothic Dolphins.
All-inclusive tickets are available for $35 through moshtix. Ticket price includes all music performances, film screenings and entrance to the art exhibition.
Costa’s flexibility and willingness to embrace almost any situation, musical or otherwise, keeps Songs We Sing fresh and free from categorization. It’s an unexpected effort from a young man in the unlikely suburban surroundings of Huntington Beach: a city whose reputation is built on surfers and skaters, not brown-eyed bards with compelling voices.
The Happening is presented by Quiksilver and Roxy.
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