Music For Trees @ Unplugged + Uncomplicated

Music For Trees has curated our free live music series Unplugged + Uncomplicated three times since Summer 2011 and will join us for the last time this Saturday 29 October.

This Saturday 29 October, M4T will be tipping the year’s Tree Tally over 100,000 trees. The line-up ranges from the distinct sounds of Packwood who has just launched his debut single, to the folksy melodies of Hazzy Bee, to Cody Dillon who’ll offer a concoction of alt-country and colonial blues; talented songbird Chelsea Gibson; and Rob Alexander with his band The Anon Anons.

The M4T vision is simple and inspiring: get people involved in making simple and immediate positive change in struggling communities through the powerful medium of music. We had the pleasure of interviewing Lekki Maze, co-founder of Music For Trees, about their inspiring project:

CW. What is your favorite thing about M4T gigs at CarriageWorks?

LM. What’s not to love about CarriageWorks on a Saturday…?
Where else can you get an armful of fresh flowers and wonky, organic vegies; a cracking bacon and egg roll and good coffee; and a room full of heartful people and free live music? It’s a pretty good mix. I love that people come and settle in for the whole afternoon and that the audience is really diverse - that we have kids and oldies and everyone in between. That’s what’s so great about music - it’s everyone’s. I love that we can program the stage with a really wide mix of local artists and that people are able to come and discover how amazing what they do is.

CW.  Live music is a large part of the M4T experience - what else can we expect to see from M4T at Unplugged + Uncomplicated on Saturday 29 October?

LM. Music is a really big part – it’s how we bring people together and how we connect what we do with the communities we support. At the heart of Music For Trees there’s this simple idea of the small, everyday things you can do in a conscious way, that can have a really big impact on stuff that’s bigger than just you. That can be anything from the bands who donate their time and tunes to play for us, to the people coming to hear them, to generous artists like Jess Cook who give their energy and creativity to be part of Music For Trees events. Her initiative Interwoven will be doing some collective fence weaving for us to keep the little people occupied while the big people kick back with a drink and enjoy the music. Something for everyone! And it all helps plant trees on the other side of the world.

CW. The trees planted by M4T gigs restore life to environmentally degraded land and help reinvigorate impoverished communities.  Can you tell us about how M4T connects with local communities?

LM. In poorer countries, it seems like a bit of a luxury to ask people to think ‘sustainably’ when they’re desperately trying to feed their family, make a fire to stay warm, or build some shelter. The problem with that is, when trees get cut down to answer an understandable and immediate need, quite quickly things start to go seriously wrong in the longer term. Without trees, soil quality decreases, the land dries up and can no longer support the communities that are trying to farm it.

The trees from our events are planted in agroforestry based Community Garden Forests that are tailored specifically to suit different cultures, landscapes, climates and needs. The Garden Forests are large and are designed with a mix of plants and trees that offer food, fuel, fodder for livestock, sustainable construction materials, and various sources of income. They are managed by the local communities who are trained and supported to oversee every aspect of them. The trees provide a heap of natural benefits like biodiversity and shade for the landscape, more fertile soils, restored water courses, breathable air and a more stable climate. But what’s so great is that while the trees help replenish the land and protect the environment, they also improve quality of life and grow community.

So while it’s Music For Trees, it’s really about people for people.

CW. Unplugged + Uncomplicated is your last event for 2011, what can we look forward to from M4T in 2012?

Yeah, this Saturday we’re tipping the Tree Tally over 100,000 trees which is an awesome way to close off our gigs for 2011. People have been so great in supporting us and we want to celebrate with everyone who has helped create what Music For Trees has grown into. Next year we’re mixing it up a little and taking things to the next level with one larger Summer event, a short film, the launch of our schools program and a few other surprises we’ll keep up our sleeve. One thing for sure - 100,000 trees in a year just shows what can happen when you put people and music together, and lift the stage up so the sound you make reaches all the way across the other side of the world. It can only get better from here!

Visit the Music for Trees website
Music For Trees Facebook