McKay is a singer, songwriter, actress and activist who’s latest album, Obligatory Villagers, is on our top favorite list.

Last year Ecorazzi featured an exclusive interview with the musician who told us to “please vote and don’t listen to celebrities because my toaster was just on fire about a half hour ago and my whole building didn’t know what was going on.”

McKay is once again encouraging people to vote (but hopefully staying away from the toaster) with her latest PSA endorsing New York City Council candidate Yetta Kurland.

Now we know that not everybody lives in New York, but Kurland is exceptionally awesome and we can’t help but showcase her greatness. A warrior for human, animal and environmental rights, Kurland has a long history of taking action for her community and we endorse the hell out of her.

Check out the video below to watch Nellie’s PSA and then visit YettaKurland.com to find out why we’re glowing.

Are you having a good weekend? Cause we sure are!

The Ecorazzi/VEGdaily team is having a damn blast getting our learn on at the HSUS’s Taking Action for Animals Conference here in Arlington, VA.

What does a little old conference have to do with celebrity awesomeness? Uh…EVERYTHING!

Well-known vegan stars like Ginnifer Goodwin, Nellie McKay, Carol Leifer and others are all on site to help make this event extra super special. You gotta love those vegan celebs!

Not able to make the event but still want to get all the juicy deets? We’ve got you covered!

Just visit our sister site VEGdaily.com throughout the day to get the latest and greatest conference scoop. Of course you can also follow us on Twitter (@vegdaily) if you want up to the minute news!

Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Ginnifer Goodwin coming this week!

How many times have you sat around the house thinking, ” Gosh – I ‘d like to do more, but I really just don’t know how to take it to the next level?” Well good news — I’m about to open your peepers!

From July 24-27th, the best of the best will be heading to Arlington, VA to attend the Taking Action for Animals Conference –  the largest national conference for the animal protection movement.

According to their site, you’ll have the chance to “join advocates from around the globe to brush up on the basics, learn about the latest cutting-edge campaigns, and attend dynamic workshops that will help you improve your work for animals.”

And of course no badass event would be complete without a little celebrity action. Well-known folks in attendance include: Carol Leifer, Ginnifer Goodwin, Rep John Conyers, Rep Jim Moran and a special performance by Nellie McKay. We’ve featured Nellie before and give her the ultimate two thumbs up. We’ve never chilled with Ginnifer, but we’re excited to finally meet her (especially after titling her one our Top 5 Vegans of 2009)!

I’ll be there representing both Ecorazzi and VEGdaily as I blog live, update our twitter like crazy and make some cool ass videos! So what are you waiting for? Visit TakingActionForAnimals.org and come play!

The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is teaming up Gotham Comedy Club for a one night only event that you won’t want to miss. 

Stars like Janeane Garofalo, Louis CK, Judy Gold, Dan Piraro, Gary Gulman and Judah Friedlander will be cracking you up to help raise money for the rescue organization that  has provided shelter to hundreds of animals from cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment.

Last year, Ecorazzi brought news of Morgan Spurlock’s trip to the farm and Nellie McKay and Dan Piraro’s two person show, and now Ecorazzi is going to see for ourselves (yes, we’ll be at the event too) just what all the fuss is with these do-gooders upstate. 

The event will be held tomorrow, February 11th at 8 pm sharp at Gotham Comedy Club in NYC. Tickets to the event are $60 at the door or $50 if you scurry on over to the website and buy them in advance. Oh, and if you want to rock the VIP status, you can get special reserved seats for 100 smackers. Also, students tickets are available for those youngins out there who want a little komedy and karma in their lives.  So visit Woodstock FAS’s website today and join myself and the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary team for what I’m sure will be an awesome evening!!

- Singer Nellie Mckay telling the Vegetarian Journal what she thinks might help the movement. To check out the entire interview, visit the Vegetarian Journal. If you’d like to read Ecorazzi’s convo with the star, simply click here!

Oh man — you guys are in for a treat, today! Last week we kicked off our Vegetarian Awareness Month interview series with some inspirational words by groundbreaking author, Peter Singer. This week, Ecorazzi got the chance to chat it up with singer/actress extraordinaire, Nellie McKay.

I won’t lie to you readers, I am totally smitten with Miss McKay and make no attempt to hide it for even a second. With a voice like buttah and a heart of gold, Nellie is genuine in her music and generous in her activism.  As a fellow twenty-something (just 364 days older than me), Nellie has managed to avoid the rather dismal template of young stardom with grace and integrity, radiating the kind of artisic honesty that’s rare in even the most seasoned of veterans. Earlier this year I attended one of McKay’s concerts, and this weekend I’ll once again get the honor of watching her perform at Farm Sanctuary’s Party for the Pigs in Washington D.C.  In preparation for the event, Nellie sat down with Ecorazzi to discuss music, politics and, of course, that vegetarian pride we love so much. Enjoy!

At the age of 26 you’ve already recorded three albums, starred on Broadway and been featured in major motion pictures. How, through it all, have you managed to stay so committed to fighting for the issues that you think are important?

Oh, well I’d certainly like to stand for a lot more. Yeah I think it’s hard on everybody because every place you turn there’s something being offered to you that comes from another kind of suffering. Whether it’s an animal product which comes from a factory farm, or a product that comes from a sweatshop, or a product based on the raping of the earth, there’s basically no way to avoid hurting others and that’s kind of a devastating thing. So you just try to hurt as little as possible, but I’m not sure that it’s possible for a person to get out of it altogether.

Speaking of suffering, let’s talk about the presidential race for a second. What are your thoughts on where the candidates stand on both environmental and animal rights issues?

Well I mean you don’t see Obama advocating the closure of the Chicago stockyards. But then there’s someone like the republican vice presidential candidate, Governor Palin, who takes it to an extreme degree, and some might say a more honest degree, in that she goes out and kills them herself. And you know, she’s very forthright in her suing the Bush administration for giving too many rights and trying to protect the polar bears—that’s pretty out there. And certainly Obama’s better than McCain on wind and solar because McCain has spoken against wind and solar in the past and only now, because it’s trendy and election time, is he supporting that. The good thing about this election is Proposition 2 in California because it really gives hope and some measure of relief to animals — knock on wood that it’s really gonna pass.

Well everyone at Ecorazzi is certainly supporting the proposition and I’m quite optimistic about it.

Oh yes and it’s about time. Europe has given this small measure of relief to farm animals for years now and I’m glad we’re finally catching up to them.

I heard you became a vegetarian when you were quite young – eight-years-old, I believe. Talk to me about your experience growing up as a vegetarian.

Well it was hard – a couple of times I cheated in the school cafeteria. I still think I would love the taste of meat. I’m not one of those vegans who think that animal products taste bad. I’m thoroughly capable, or I would be, of enjoying a product of torture — like most people. But because I was raised in a vegetarian home it was very easy. Eating out pretty much anywhere back then was hard, but now you can find vegetarian and vegan alternatives in almost all large cosmopolitan cities.

Right! And you and I are particularly lucky because we live in New York City. What would you say are your top 3 favorite NYC vegetarian restaurants?

Oh, that’s hard. Vegetarian Paradise 2, F&B– it has meat stuff too, but they make vegetarian food a little more affordable. Can I say four?

You can say as many as you’d like.

OK, good — then Better Burger and Chipotle.

Oh my God, Chipotle’s guacamole is IN-FRIGIN-CREDIBLE! I’m pretty sure they put heroin in it or some other powerful narcotic! I’m always very impressed by your passion and participation in animal issues. I know a couple years back you wrote Columbia is Bleeding to protest Columbia’s vivisection practices. How did you get involved with that?

Well, PETA launched a massive campaign when the whistleblowers came forth with information on the lab, and veterinary reports agreed that the animals were kept in inhumane conditions. And of course once the nature of the tests themselves were made public, it was obviously so unnecessary. I don’t think vivisection is ever necessary, but sometimes you have things that are just so flagrant. Anyway, I lived near Columbia University so it was right in my own backyard and that’s where the song came from. But people have to realize that we can get progress in certain ways from all kinds of things that we wouldn’t necessary support. Unwilling experiments on human beings have yielded certain kinds of “progress,” but most people would say that it’s unconscionable to test on prisoners or disabled people or minorities or women — which would probably be the first types of people they would try that on. Most people wouldn’t accept that, and the same thing should be said with animals. No matter what the benefit! And the benefit is really small to nil that comes out of animal experimentation; it’s not worth what we have to do.

You’re obviously very passionate about the topic, and I know you’re excited to perform at Farm Sanctuary’s Party for the Pigs this Saturday in Washington D.C. How did you get involved with the organization?

Oh, well I’ve known about Farm Sanctuary for years. It’s a wonderful organization because the group of animals that suffers the most is farm animals. As appalling as vivisection is and fur farming and all the other areas, the amount of suffering that farm animals endure is so huge.

Now obviously I expect all the D.C veggies to come out for Party for the Pigs, but what other projects are you working on?

I’m working on the musical of the movie Election which is based on the book, Election. And I’m also working on the The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom which we just finished writing and are working on getting made. Of course with the economy like it is people are rather gun-shy about producing, but that’s a fantastic book and I would urge people to check it out.

My last “formal” question is one that I always ask to impassioned vegetarians. If you could go back and meet one person particularly influential in the animal rights movement, who would it be?

Maybe Zora Neil Hurston, she put a lot of pro-animal stuff into her work. She’s been so recently rediscovered and celebrated and they tend to pass up the pro-animal stuff she put in her work. Either her or maybe Isaac Bashevis Singer because he really demonstrated the links between our subjugation of animals and the subjugation of people. Or maybe Caroline White, the founder of the National Anti-Vivisection Society which I believe was started in the late 1800’s.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers before you go?

Well…I guess….umm… just please vote and don’t listen to celebrities because my toaster was just on fire about a half hour ago and my whole building didn’t know what was going on. I had to put signs out in the hallways that it was okay now. It’s just so pathetic. Nobody’s got all the answers, even Caroline White. And I guess if we could all fight for the animals we might know we’re on the right track.

For all the latest and greatest Nellie McKay info, make sure to visit NellieMcKay.com!

While Ecorazzi is a bicoastal operation, I’m stationed here in NYC and often brag about the wonderful green events that take place on my little island. But the Big Apple isn’t the only city in New York State that knows how to throw a good party!!

On September 20th, Nellie McKay & Dan Piraro will be combining their talents for a one night only event at the Colony Café in Woodstock, NY to benefit the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. So what do a soulful cabaret singer and a hysterical cartoonist have in common? THEY’RE BOTH ALL ABOUT THE VEGANISM…DUH!

The evening is hosted by the Mid-Hudson Vegetarian Society (MHVS) and tickets are just $20. Doors open at 7 and its first come first serve…so get there early, people! Also make sure to bring that appetite! Because while the Colony Café isn’t regularly a vegan establishment, the restaurant will be veganizing their menu for the event.

To find out more about this kickass event, visit WoodstockFAS.org!

- Vegan singer (and one of my celebrity crushes) tells the audience at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival.

via: fantasticweapon.com

I have been a fan of Nellie for years, but it wasn’t until this past Saturday that I had the chance to check her out live at the Zipper Factory in NYC. The space was warm and intimate and embodied the fleeting off-off Broadway spirit that once flourished on the western side of midtown Manhattan. I suck at pretty much anything fashion so excuse me if I cannot explain to you what she was wearing, but I’ll give you this: it was sparkly and corset-like. Later in the concert Nellie joked that she got the outfit from Shania Twain who donated her clothes to the Vegetarian Relief Fund after the divorce — prompting McKay to ask the audience if Shania was a vegetarian or vegan. I quickly yelled out vegan…come on it’s my job to know these things! (Note: While famousveggie.com reports that Shania is vegan, I have found other reports saying she eats dairy. Anyone know?)

Nellie soared through her first few songs, and I must admit, I was worried she wasn’t going to talk to us at all! But as the night moved on McKay became more comfortable and by the end she was chatting up a storm! Nellie is famous for her outspoken views on animal rights and told us that she thought the writers of the Sex and The City Movie were “just so stupid” by characterizing the animal rights activists that appear in the film as ugly and disgusting. There was some audience participation too. She asked us to cry at one point and gave us topics in case we needed help: Dick Cheney smiling, Ann Coulter holding a puppy…Bill Murray.

Overall the evening was absolutely delightful! It’s always encouraging to see a performer (especially a young one) who stands up for what she believe in and isn’t influenced by the Hollywood norm. For it is those differences that make McKay’s music unique and keep her fans coming back for more. To listen to some of her tunes or find out more about Nellie McKay vist NellieMcKay.com.

Solve this math problem: take a dozen or so musicians, add one super green city and multiply it all by three days of good old fashion summer fun. What did you get? If you came up with the Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival then you’ve got it right! 2 gold stars!

The first ever Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival will be held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on August 22-24 and will feature some of today’s hottest musicians. So far the roster includes: Beck, Wilco, Widespread Panic, Primus, Radiohead, Tom Petty, Jack Johnson Manu Chao, Ben Harper, Steve Winwood, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Drive-By Truckers, Cafe Tacuba, Devendra Banhart, Regina Spektor, Cold War Kids, and Nellie McKay.

OLMAF is taking it a step further by making the event as green as possible. First off, when you buy your tickets you’ll be given the option of donating $3 to the National Arbor Day Foundation to help reforest California. Or if you’d rather, you could donate $3 to help ‘green’ your ticket. These donations will be used to purchase (and then retire) pollution credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange. Once you’ve got your slot, leave that car at home and take advantage of the complimentary bike valet service. Yes, you heard me…bike valet!

The festival itself is like green heaven with almost all the products on sale being either recyclable or compostable. You can also win prizes just for recycling! The Outside Lands Recycling Store will be stocked with items you can “buy” with your used bottles and cans as currency. And finally don’t forget to bring your old cell phone to be refurbished and redistributed throughout other countries. Once you’ve done all your good deeds for the day you can sit back and relax in front of a fully solar-powered stage and watch your favorite musicians rock away!

Sounds like an event you HAVE TO BE AT? Tickets are $225.50 (plus fees) for all three days and go on sale March 30th. So scoot on over to sfoutsidelands.com to learn more and get your green on!