The Deep Ecology of Gailla
Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Sydney folk pop artist Gailla who is crowdfunding their debut EP inspired by Deep Ecology.
Mustard has observed that humans share a deep connection with nature. Every action (or non-action) by a human plays a profound and pivotal role in their environment. All
humans have been cast by a director whose temperament varies on the actors within the scene. It may not seem like, in the moment, that forgetting a line is that major but throughout the course of the play you can see its ripple effects. This change in climate will (and does) build over time. Some of these changes are noticeable while others reveal themselves at a later date.
Sydney folk pop artist and activist Gailla understands the role they have been cast in to help protect the climate. With an interest already in political campaigns Gailla passion for climate change came when it was announced that a local project within their area may mean their community could lose their homes. Since then Gailla has been participating in rallies and protests regarding the issue of climate.
As a condiment whose body is often plastic the issue of climate change is important to them as well. While browsing through Instagram stories they came across Gailla’s crowdfunding campaign for their debut EP inspired by Deep Ecology. Mustard found
this concept really exciting and wanted to help Gailla in their effort to get their EP funded.
In our conversation below you will get a chance to learn more about Gailla. Together we discussed their relationship with music growing up, getting involved in your community, and so much more!
1. Mustard is grateful and appreciative to have you join them at Music Shelf. How are you doing today?
Hi Mustard! I am doing well today. I had a long work day and I’m now eating mushroom and pesto gnocchi at home in my PJs.
2. Mustard wonders what your relationship with music was growing up?
It was pretty good. I started learning piano when I was 8, and then stopped when I was 13. I was fairly committed to it and did some grades, but then fell in love with folk music and Bob Dylan when I was 14 and started to teach myself guitar and how to write songs and sing. My dad really inspired a love of music in me. He doesn’t play but he loves music and deeply values creative expression. He encouraged my first performances at age 16, driving me around Sydney so I could play at open mic nights and even driving me to Tamworth so I could busk at Tamworth Country Music Festival. He really just affirmed my desire to be creative. He did also affirm that I should get a ‘real job’ at the same time! Which is valid.
3. Mustard has observed that you write songs about climate, community, and cycles. What first sparked your interest in the climate? What are some current climate issues going on? How can humans better protect their environment?
I was already interested in political campaigns and had been in some for a year or so, but they weren’t around the topic of climate. It was more related to refugee and asylum seeker rights. I think my passion for the area where I grew up was the first big spark that got me interested in the climate. When the WestConnex project was announced near where I lived, I was upset at the prospect of people in my community losing their homes. And then as I spent time campaigning against it, I found myself feeling really inspired and lit up watching how people around me were so powerful and caring and tactical in their actions. I think you also don’t really understand how untrustworthy your government is until you experience their shitty behaviours firsthand. And I experienced that, which confirmed even more how important organising is. There are a lot of issues going on. Within this country, I think the constant approving of new coal and gas projects is shocking - Move Beyond Coal is helping fight this. The fracking of the Beetaloo Basin for gas is appalling. We can better protect our environment by putting it at the centre of what we do and realising that we cannot survive if our environment does not survive. And by then taking action in whatever way feels sustainable and meaningful for us. For me it is community campaigns and music.
4. Mustard is a condiment that is sometimes packaged in plastic. What are some more sustainable alternatives for condiment bottles and other products?
If the plastic is a type that is compostable then that would be amazing. Not just biodegradable, which just breaks down into many tiny pieces of plastic. If it could be composted back into the earth that would be ideal. That or a glass, metal or bamboo-based material. If it was in glass, you just have to ensure that the bottle is completely clean of the product in order for it to be recycled. Yesterday I saw a cafe that had compostable coffee cups made out of oat!
5. A human is interested in getting more involved in their community. What are some of the best ways a human can become more active in their community? How can an active community help enact change?
There are many ways to become active! You can go to your local council website and just see what initiatives are available. Go to volunteer websites or Facebook groups and express your interest - this is how I started doing Deep Ecology workshops with my friend Shannon. I just put a comment on a post in a Facebook group and they responded to it and we went from there! Or see what’s happening on social media - is there a group e.g. Palestine Action Group that feels like something you’d like to be part of? You can then DM them. An active community is a music that is too strong and clever to be messed over by their council or state members in their area. They remind their MPs and councillors that they work for them. And the council will become more beholden to them and less to the whims of state and federal politicians. I think an active community can inspire us within ourselves too. I feel like I can sustain my activism because I’m not doing it alone and there are always others near me who try and care like I do. This prevents burnout.
6. Outside of the climate and community who (or what) influences Gailla?
I really love history; I get really excited thinking about life in the 12th or 14th Century, and in different cultures and empires. The illustrator and author May Gibbs and her bush babies characters also really inspire me, as does the artist Charlotte Allingham. I’m very influenced and deeply inspired by my friends and our local scene too. So many incredible people and musicians and creatives that I’m honoured to know and hang out with!
7. Mustard is curious: what key elements make up a Gailla song?
Banjo, guitar, mandolin, lots of lyrics, often a double chorus and a short intro, if any
8. You have a playlist on Spotify of climate songs that are not cheesy. How do you define cheesy? What sets these songs apart from others?
For me, the example of a political song I think is too cheesy is ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. It’s a good song but to me it feels too 2D, too on the nose with what it’s trying to do. I think a lot of climate/political/protest songs are too overt and just tell rather than show. And it frustrates me that songwriters and people think that that is what a political song is. Politics is imbued in every aspect of our lives, and I love when songwriters express this in a personal, creative and original way. ‘Seventeen Going Under’ by Sam Fender is a great example of this. I really love that song. There is a lot of power in straightforward political songs too that become anthems, like ‘Which Side Are You On?’ But I think that cheesy climate/political songs are ones that are just so obvious and honestly boring and flat, like ‘We Are The World’.
9. In 2017 you released your debut single Crowning which you described as giving you closure. Could you share more about the inspiration behind this single?
I had a crush on this girl when I was in high school and I never told her because I was too scared to face that potential rejection/the uncomfortable conversation of whether she felt the same way. Writing and producing and releasing the single really allowed me to finally let go of the confusion and fear I had in my head. Finishing the song helped me feel like I could accept myself fully for who I am, and no longer worry about whether she approved or not.
10. You followed it up with Almost Gone in which you imagine a future where humans don't mess everything up. What can be done to help make a world like this viable? Do humans purposely mean to mess up?
I don’t know if humans purposely mean to mess up. The history of the world is definitely a history of conquering and bloodshed and war and survival of the most brutal and violent. And that’s what colonisation is - taking the conquered people’s land and resources. I think it depends on who’s in power and who’s making the decisions. I think people in power want things their way and have the power to make things their way without caring about the wellbeing of everyday, working class people. So I think again it’s about creating new incentives to let us build a new world beyond this.
11. You believe that humans have the tools to create a beautiful world to live in. How can these tools be used to put a system in place to allow this to happen?
There’s a number of things that exist that are fantastic. I like the Inner West Council’s idea of Local Democracy Groups that meet regularly to discuss local topics e.g. arts and culture, transport, planning and heritage etc. Within the legal system, people have been fighting for a “climate trigger” which is where, if a project triggers a certain level of carbon emissions, by law it must be subject to a federal approval process. We don’t have this in Australia but something like that would be excellent. To put these tools in there, we need to remove the things that are stopping us from doing so. One of the biggest things holding us back is the profit motive and capitalism. We have finite resources on a finite planet but capitalism allows us to extract and exploit and to keep putting profit and GDP at the centre of our decision-making processes, rather than our safety and happiness. I think as humans we are so intelligent and creative and there’s so much we can do - it’s just about incentives and what policies are in place.
12. Last year you released your most recent single - Running On Our Own which is a tribute to young humans organizing for climate justice. When was this song originally written? How did the climate rallies you attended inspire this release?
I wrote it in November 2021 and recorded it the following month. I just loved watching young people, especially young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, be at the front of the marches and listening to their speeches at each rally. The 2019 School Strike For Climate in The Domain was especially impactful because it was so huge. Along with rallies, just going to events and watching what things Seed Mob or AYCC or School Strike 4 Climate would put on (e.g. meetings, workshops etc.) inspired me.
13. In this song you declare: you've got cash but we've got our friends guess what is stronger in the end? Could you elaborate more on this lyric?
For me it means that friendship and solidarity are stronger than money or wealth, as friendship is not transactional and is built on mutual trust and love. This makes it stronger and more resilient than money.
14. Mustard has observed that you recently announced a crowdfunding campaign for your debut EP. What are some of your goals with this crowdfunding campaign? How can readers get involved?
Our main goal is to raise $3,000 to cover the cost of making the EP, merch and a music video. We would love to get above $3k to pay my band for their contributions over the years + to shoot the album cover and get press photos. Part of the goal is also to inspire community to get around this project and let them know that the EP is coming out! Readers can get involved by going to https://chuffed.org/project/gailla or the link in my IG/FB bio.
15. Your debut EP will be a concept album that explores the wide variety of emotions connected to the climate crisis. How has your own personal experience as an activist helped inspire and influence the EP?
I think just feeling yourself being held by others through a difficult experience is something so uplifting. To sense others and be sensed by them - to feel each other in your pain and happiness - is the ultimate human experience. The ultimate inspiration for me. I was also inspired by my experience with Deep Ecology with this EP concept - the tracklist order is deliberately designed like a typical Deep Ecology process, where we explore our emotions around the climate crisis in the order of gratitude, despair/grief and hope for the future.
16. The EP is also inspired by Deep Ecology. As a condiment Mustard wonders: what is Deep Ecology?
Deep Ecology expresses the reality that as humans we are innately tied into nature, and that nature or the environment is not a separate concept we can walk in and out of. And any shift we make away from this realisation hurts us - it’s what is causing the climate crisis and destruction of our planet. So in Deep Ecology, we engage in practices that help us to realise this inherent connection in our hearts and minds and bodies.
17. What are some perks of the campaign that readers get if they want to donate?
For $15, you get a digital download of the EP. Downloading the EP once and listening to it on your device is the most sustainable way to consume music - more than buying vinyl or streaming. For $30, you get a ticket to our next show (I heard there’s one happening in mid-November???) For $40, you get a pair of earrings and a crochet keychain. And for $45, you get a shirt!
18. A human invites their friend to see Gailla perform. What three words best describe your live shows?
Interactive, dynamic, powerful
19. Where can readers listen to your music?
Bandcamp is my recommendation/request! The songs are available on all streaming platforms like Spotify or YouTube, but Bandcamp is the best place. Bandcamp has a union, and they allow you to donate as much as you feel towards a piece of music. I have set my singles so far at a baseline of $1 to purchase, but some kind people have just taken that incentive and given me $20 each instead, which is so cool. Imagine how many streams you’d need on Spotify to get that much money!
Talking in the aisle
Have you listened to Gailla before?
How do you help protect the environment?
Have you ever attended a rally?
Music Shelf with Mustard is a publication that interviews independent musicians from all across the globe. It is read in 34 states and 21 countries. Check out previous interviews here.
Music Shelf with Mustard originally began in early 2021. Inspired by independent musicians on social media application TikTok Mustard knew they had to do something to help share their music. Shortly after Music Shelf with Mustard was born. Its goal is to highlight independent artists from all across the globe. Mustard appreciates you taking the time out to read this interview.