(Courtesy of Rio Helmi)

On one fine Sunday morning, dudes from Navicula — Bali’s Green Grunge Gentleman — found themselves fresh in town after leaving Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and feeling very weary after a busy month.

The four-piece band had been on a tour that started with a few gigs in Canada then into the heart of Borneo, where they teamed up with Greenpeace Indonesia before finally landing back in Metro-pollutant — their nickname for Jakarta.

That Sunday, they were scheduled to play Sound for Orangutan, a benefit gig for orangutan conservation held by the Center of Orangutan Protection, Jakarta. They shared the stage with White Shoes and the Couples Company, Efek Rumah Kaca and few other bands.

Navicula was formed in 1996, when Dankie and Robi first met. Over the years they have had good times as well as trials and tribulations, such as the time they went back and forth to Jakarta by bus from Bali or when they had a record deal with Sony Music Indonesia, they parted ways only after one album.

Seattle’s Grunge revolution, famous in the 90s, is their inspiring sound and they aspire to create music like their idols Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana. Seattle Sound is their religion.

They’ve produced seven albums and are currently working on their eighth, which is scheduled to be mixed and mastered in the US later this year.

“Then, we are planning to go straight on tour to the West Coast [US]. I know it’s not a good time to tour during winter, but we need to take the chance,” Robi said. “And of course, visiting Seattle will be on the schedule. It’s like our umrah pilgrimage”.

Their tour of the East Coast is scheduled for next year. In between the US tours, they are also scheduled for an Australian Tour. Touring may now be a regular routine for the band but each has a different purpose. The Borneo Tour was a way for the band to support something they really believed in.

“We joined Greenpeace’s Mata Harimau Team on their third day of the Kepak Sayang Enggang motorbike tour and did 12 days of riding across Borneo. The initial plan was to see with our own eyes of how badly people treat the rainforest,” explained Robi.

They started in Palangkaraya and visited many towns in the region including Bangkal, Jelai Hulu, Delang/Tapinbini, Selat Hulu, Kendawangan, Nangatayap, Tayan and Sekadau before finishing up in Pontianak. The route covered some 2,000 kilometers.

The band took it in turns to ride the motorbikes in shifts. The quietly cool drummer Gembul emerged the strongest among them all during all the trips.

“It was quite crazy to ride those motorbikes for 12 hours nonstop. I felt like I was flying, not touching the ground, it was a good experience for me,” said Gembul.

“He has the strongest ability amongst us all,” joked Robbie.

During the 12 days on the Borneo roads, they talked with people, jammed together and then sped off to the next stop. “We met lots of people and by going in to the field, we got to know what is really happening. The problem seems clearer for us now,” Robi said.

One most important thing they found, which they regard as extremely sad, was the misuse of Mother Nature.

Music and activism have always been in Navicula’s blood. The band’s newest single “Harimau! Harimau!” (Tiger! Tiger!) supports the endangered Sumatran tiger campaign. (Courtesy of Navicula)
“We wanted to see Borneo’s icons with our own eyes, such as the jungle and the hornbills. But it’s quite frustrating since we nearly couldn’t see them at all. Right from the start, it’s just palm trees or mining fields. We were very sad to see that,” Robi said.

“It’s beyond greediness for me. The plantations even enclosed the river, the source of livelihood for many people. Can you imagine that companies buried the river in order to make way for their operations?”

The band has made many songs that have been inspired by their love for Mother Nature; environmental issues continue to have a place in Navicula’s heart.

The band’s newest single “Harimau! Harimau!” (Tiger! Tiger!), which was written in English, supports the endangered Sumatran tiger campaign. They have also released a free downloaded single entitled “Orangutan” to highlight the plight of orangutan’s.

Yuyun Indradi from Greenpeace Indonesia said the organization and Navicula share a common concern, the main reason why they hit the road together for the campaign.

“We have the same vision. The band is concerned with how to save our rainforests. That’s why we asked them to come. Their fanbase along the way was also something important,” he said.

The reality they found along the road was documented by videographer Rahung Nasution, who made the Mentawai Tattoo Revival documentary.

“We will take the video with us on our next tour to America and Australia. So, people can see what is really happening in our lovely Borneo,” Robi said.

Music and activism have always been in Navicula’s DNA.

“We are musicians who can fight with our music. It’s a long battle for a long-term cause. Mother Nature is suffering. They only thing we need to know is how the government will respond to what we saw. There are laws and it’s only a matter of how they are implemented. Otherwise, the local people will suffer first and then all of us will follow,” said Robi.

Navicula is an agent of change, they won’t easily give up the fight for a cause that they believe in.