Taking Back Sunday's Fred Mascherino is no newcomer to Live Earth's environmentally-friendly message. He drives a 1982 VW Rabbit that runs on vegetable oil. (He picks it up the used oil from a local Thai restaurant; the oil he got from the nearby Chinese restaurant proved too chunky, he said.) He and his family hang dry their clothes instead of using an electric dryer. And he's always giving back plastic bags when he buys stuff at the store -- no matter how much they want him to take one.
"Maybe the store clerks will see [Live Earth] and understand now why I don't want the bags," Mascherino said.
Madcherino, who TBS bassist Matt Rubano calls a "Superman for the environment," said he hopes people who tune into the Live Earth concerts will see how just changing a few habits can make a big difference.
"I've always been passionate about this issue, but before it was just seen as a hippie thing," Mascherino said. "Now it's gone mainstream. It's awesome to see."
Mascherino said the Rockville Centre-based band is also thrilled to play on the Giants Stadium bill with The Police and Smashing Pumpkins, who they have idolized for years. "We’re going to bring the fire that night," he said. "It's not the pressure of who’s going to see it, it's the bands that we’re playing with that night who are going to inspire us."
Mascherino said the band even planned an environmentally-themed video for its new single "My Blue Heaven," which hits radio in a couple of weeks. However, it's still unclear whether that will ever be seen. "We bit off a little more than we could chew, I think," he said. "We're still piecing it together in the editing room."
He said TBS plans to write songs for its next album on the upcoming Projekt Revolution tour. He is also set to record songs for his solo project The Color Fred this week.
But the project he is most excited about is being part of Live Earth and getting more attention for environmental causes.
"I know there are certain interests that are against this, but the way I see it, they're trying to make a decision between money and the whole earth," he said. "I think they'll make much more money if we don't kill the earth."
PHOTO by Derrick Santini/Warner Bros.
(l. to r. -- Fred Mascherino, Ed Reyes, Matt Rubano, Adam Lazzara, Mark O'Connell)