Not only is NZ rapper, Trillion, a talented musician, he's a pretty good mind reader I reckon. His song 'Dirty Dozen' gets in the head of a caged chicken and, well, you can probably guess that it's pretty dark. BUT Trillion's track is creating a brighter world for chickens. Have a listen and then I'll tell you about how this song is helping to free chooks from cages:

What did you think? This bit in particular got me in the feels – "I want my life, let me outside, let me live in the light". Seems like such a basic request but millions of birds are denied the simple pleasure of sunlight, spending their whole lives confined to crowded cages :(

Thankfully, it doesn't have to be this way. Over 100,000 battery hens have already been freed from cages by Animals Australia supporters making kind choices this year! (Have you signed the pledge yet? You can do so here.) And Trillion is using his awesome track 'Dirty Dozen' to help make an even bigger difference for hens! Not only by spreading the word about the true cost of cage eggs through his lyrics, but by donating profits from the sale of the song to help animals :) What a good egg! (Geddit? #sorrynotsorry)

Anyone that can rhyme irreverence and benevolence is already going straight to the top of my playlist, but helping animals too? I'm in! Click here to download a copy of the track for yourself and make a donation to Animals Australia's campaign to make battery cages history!

Which is your favourite lyric from the song?

"I HATED being in a cage (for barely an hour) to make my new song-video ..." says Vegan Smythe.

Imagine living your entire life like this:

Billions of animals are living like this every day around the world – sleeping on concrete surrounded by bars. BUT, we can fix this! Here's the solution, in 2 mins:

Already helping to Make it Possible? Click here to share this video to your Facebook wall to help inspire others to do the same :)

In case you missed it, here are some of the best bits from our Big Day Out tour:

Rabbunzel let down her hair.

Volunteers smiled :)

Hannah photo-bombed a polar bear.
#greenpeace #savethearctic

And a bunch of photo booth action took place :)

Not to mention all the awesome people we met and the great bands that played.

In fact, we had such a good time, we're doing it all over again! Soundwave 2014 here we come:

Brisbane – Sat 22 Feb
Sydney – Sun 23 Feb
Melbourne – Fri 28 Feb
Adelaide – Sat 1 March
Perth – Mon 3 March

Will we see you there?

It's safe to say that we're festival junkies here at Unleashed. Going on tour with Big Day Out was such a blast last year that we're doing it all over again! This time, bigger and better :)

You won't want to miss our Unleashed photo booth with awesome animal props and messages of kindness. We've also got BRAND NEW merch and a 'Heartcore' festival pack full of festival survival goodies :) (Follow us on Instagram for sneak peeks of our new stuff.) So if you're a festival head like me, check out when we'll be in your city and make sure you pop by, support our campaigns, get a photo booth pic, high-five our awesome vollies and score a free sticker!

Gold Coast – Sunday 19 Jan
Melbourne – Friday 24 Jan
Sydney – Sunday 26 Jan
Adelaide – Friday 31 Jan
Perth – Sunday 2 Feb

Who's your fave band at BDO this year?

Unleashed is going on tour!! We'll be rocking out at the Big Day Out and Soundwave around the country over the coming weeks. Find out when we'll be in your town ... then make it a date to come and see us!

Our "Unleashing Unleashed Tour 2013" has already kicked off in style. Our enthusiastic and friendly vollies on the Gold Coast started the party on the weekend, getting the word out about compassion and kindness at the Big Day Out there.

That's just the start, though! We're going to be criss-crossing this wide brown land, bringing good vibes and a pro-kindness message to music festivals everywhere. It's going to be a long and hot few weeks, but our amazing volunteers are hyped and ready for the challenge.

Check out the "Unleashing Unleashed" tour dates below ... and if you've got tickets to the Big Day Out and/or Soundwave (or if you're just going to jump the fence), make sure you come say hello, support our campaigns and grab some cool merch!

BIG DAY OUT

Adelaide 25th January
Melbourne 26th January
Perth 28th January

SOUNDWAVE

Brisbane 23rd February
Sydney 24th February
Melbourne 1st March
Adelaide 2nd March
Perth 4th March

Which band would you most want to see at BDO or Soundwave this year?

Five surefire ways to get cred:

1. You were in two different hardcore bands while still at school.
2. The first concert you went to was Bob Marley.
3. Your oldies named you Jose
4. You can turn a Massive Attack classic into an epic indie song.
5. You became vegetarian as a teenager.

If you tick all those boxes, then add me on facebook, please - I need friends like you!

Someone who fits this description fully is Jose Gonzalez - who made time to chat to Unleashed about why he cut cruelty out of his diet.

Jose is just one of loads of musos who refuse to eat meat. And it's not just hardcore or indie types. Jason Mraz, Missy Higgins, half the Wu-Tang Clan, Joel and Benji Madden - all eat cruelty free! Not to mention the late, great MCA from the Beastie Boys. The music world is full of super-talented, super-kind stars. You don't have to be musical to cut cruelty from your diet though (trust me!).

Jose said that it was "definitely the suffering of the animals that was my concern". How 'bout you? Do you want to take a stand against animal cruelty too? The single most powerful thing you can do to protect animals from abuse is simply pledge not to eat them.

Jose also reckons it was his mates that introduced him to the idea. If you're already a life-saver for the animals, then share this video on your facebook or twitter (or Tumblr, pinterest, etc) to inspire your friends to save lives too. It's a simple way to help animals and your mates.

If you're anything like me, then there's probably one thing you like more than scoring a bargain on eBay -- and that's scoring a bargain on eBay ... from a world famous guitarist. And if there's one thing even better than THAT -- it's knowing that some of the money you part with will go towards helping animals!Imagine how stoked I was to hear then that Jona Weinhofen (guitarist in I Killed the Prom Queen and Bring Me the Horizon) is having a massive sale on eBay and slinging some of the money raised towards Animals Australia.

Wherever he travels round the globe, Jona is pretty easy to spot. He's the fella with lots of ink in the vegan cafe. Now once again, if you're anything like me, then your own metal band may not actually get the chance to tour the world (I guess we just weren't that good). But don't stress ...because if you hit up Jona's garage sale you'll at least LOOK like you have. Jona's lead got me thinking -- how easy would it be to have your own garage sale to raise funds for animals?? Plus you get to clear your room of all that gear you don't use anymore. Win-win!

Here's some words from the man himself. "As a devoted vegan and animal lover I have been supporting Animals Australia since 2008 when i did my first photoshoot & campaign with them. Ever since, i have closely followed Lyn White and the team's progress with speaking out on behalf of animals. That's why I'm more than happy for part proceeds from this sale to go towards supporting their latest projects."

If you're wondering about the 2008 campaign Jona is referring to, then check out this video I've dusted off. There's a bit more hair and a bit less ink - but that's definitely still Jona speaking up for the animals!

Missy Higgins is the complete package -- a chart-topping musician, a budding actress, and best of all, she practically oozes compassion. As well as releasing her latest (sure-to-be) hit album, Missy has joined forces with Animals Australia to give her beautiful voice to the most abused animals on the planet -- battery hens.

So why is Missy speaking up for hens? Well, in the EU, battery cages have been completely banned. But get this -- in Australia, 12 MILLION hens are still imprisoned in battery cages! Whaaat??

These hens live their whole lives in a space no larger than an A4 piece of paper. They can't stretch or flap their wings; and as chicks they have their beaks sliced off with a hot blade! And I hate to say it, but there's so much more I could tell you.

So ... YOU know about the cruelty involved with cage eggs, and MISSY knows about it too. What about your friends though? If you think they should know, then throw the video on your facebook or share it on twitter.

P.S. There's another reason why you should give eggs a miss. The biggest difference you could make for our feathered friends is to simply not buy eggs. It's easy, makes sense and hey ... it doesn't cost anything!

Who said cows don't have an ear for fine music?! An American jazz group put this theory to the test when they recently performed in front of a crowd of captivated, music-loving French cows. Check out the video below, very cute!

I especially like how all the cows stand to attention side-by-side, their ears honed in on the music, seemingly twitching in curiosity and pleasure! Adorable! Just a sunny afternoon of grass munching and jazz - what better way to pass the time?

If only dairy cows, who sing their own songs of sorrow, when their new born calves are taken from them only hours after birth and are trucked off to be killed as 'waste products' of the dairy industry; and steers, castrated, de-horned and branded without pain relief in the beef industry could all experience a little less human cruelty and a little more human kindness and creativity.

Cows are intelligent and inquisitive creatures that form strong social bonds with their bovine buddies, and according to scientists, even enjoy solving mental puzzles! This video just goes to show these amazing animals are every bit as intriguiing and deserving of our respect as dogs, cats or any other animal...

Have you got any cute or funny cow stories/videos to share?

I don't know about you guys, but I lurrrrve my Rock and Roll! It's no secret that I'm pretty fond of animals too so when I heard that The Black Spurs had written a song about banning live export, I was interested.

Nothing prepared me for how awesome the song is though! Check it out!

The footage that Animals Australia filmed in Indonesia of the cruel live animal export trade was enough to outrage guitarist GG Twang to pen the powerful lyrics. But then, he went one better, and donated the song to the Ban live Export campaign!

Yep, all the proceeds from this little pearler go to Animals Australia and for $1.69 on iTunes it's cheaper than a soy latte!

If you're in Sydney, you can see The Black Spurs perform "It Ain't Right" at the Sydney Ban Live Export National Rally this Sunday 14th August.

For everyone else, I reckon we should learn the words and sing them loud and clear at the rallies in all the other major cities this weekend.

Get your rock on guys, and let's rally together to Ban Live Export!

It Ain't Right - The Black Spurs

Herd them into ships, to sail the open seas
The lucky don't survive, the stress and disease
To feeding lots far and wide, on foreign sovereign ground
To take their final rest before the butcher's killing ground

Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, animal rights
Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, it ain't right!

Slaughter box is open, leg ropes tied and bound
A mighty slap as the Brahman's back, hits the concrete ground
One by one they follow, trembling in their stride
To face the blade of the butcher's trade, conscious and alive

Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, animal rights
Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, it ain't right!

The politicians argue, the experts disagree
Live export is no answer, let's end the suffering
Let's start to think it over, find a better way
Cause right is right and wrong is wrong stand up and voice a change

Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, animal rights
Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, it ain't right!

I can't say for you, but it's plain to me
It ain't right to mistreat life cause pain and misery
We need to feed the world, every family
But not forget to show respect for all that lives and breathes

Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, animal rights
Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, it ain't right!
Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, animal rights
Live ban, live ban, live ban, live, it ain't right!

GG Twang 2011

I think I've discovered the next big thing in celebrity chefs!
(Warning there's a little bit of bad language in this recipe!)

And I'm totally having Pad Thai for dinner now.
I just have to put on my make up and pleathers first!

What do you reckon Vegan Black Metal Chef should make next?

I always get a kick out of discovering new songs about animal rights and so just wanted to share a beautiful song I discovered today with you: "Human Eyeballs on Toast", by Peter Broderick. I thought the lyrics were very thoughtful:

American singer/songwriter/composer, Peter Broderick says he has been "back and forth vegetarian" his whole life, and picked up Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer to try and work out once and for all where he stood. He says the book gave him "some really clear answers" and inspired/outraged by what he'd read he wrote this song from the point of view of animals in factory farms.

This is from Broderick: "I find the animal agriculture industry (especially in the USA) to be deeply, deeply disturbing and incredibly sad, and this song is a product of that sadness."

If you want to know more about how animals in Australian factory farms are treated, you could start by clicking here.

Let me know what you think of the song.