Americana singer Mike Aiken wants to grab people's attention, but not for his music. The Virginia-based artist has filmed an emotionally compelling 'Save the Whales' video, featuring both vintage film clips and photos along with more modern-day images of the Country Joe McDonald tune, to save a population that is dangerously close to extinction.

"This is an issue that's really close to my heart," Aiken explains in a press release. "I've spent a good part of my life on the sea -- sailing the waters from New Bedford to Halifax and the Azores and watching these gentle giants," he adds. "To see them so close to extinction because of man's folly is just criminal to me."

Mike and his wife live on a 42-foot sailboat, which gives him a firsthand look at how precious these sea creatures are -- and how damaging people's actions can be towards the mammals and other living creaturs. "It's going down daily," Aiken insists. "Between the decimation of this planet's creatures and the cartin' off of coal, we are destroying our air, our land, our waters and our futures. If we don't start turning this around, who will?"

An outspoken advocate of sound ecological principals, Aiken says he hopes the song conveys a message words cannot. "It captures a subtle mix of the romance of the sea and the reality of modern-day slaughter," he adds.

'Save the Whales' can be found on Aiken's 'Captains & Cowboys' CD on Northwind Records. Purchase the entire album here.

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