Plot Synopsis

In this three-part music series, musicians take singular journeys to locales that are just as important to them as they are to our ecosystem -- from the Amazon with Animal Collective to the avocado and butterfly farms in Mexico with Miguel and the Colorado River with Local Natives. In each of these locations, the musicians are given the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the environment and let that deep exploration inform their music and performances.

In the first episode, for Animal Collective's Brian Weitz the experience was the culmination of a personal goal: "For the last ten years I've been looking for ways to join my previous life in environmental policy with my current one in music. This trip and the music we created represent the most rewarding realization of that goal. There is more work to be done... " The experimental pop band known for using natural sounds ventured through the largest rainforest in the world collecting new sounds and materials, which eventually resulted in a live EP entitled Meeting Of The Waters.

In the second installment, Grammy Award winning R&B artist Miguel and his family headed to Mexico. On his journey alongside his father and his brother, take an investigative look at his family tree discovering along the way the music and environments that have inevitably embedded themselves in Miguel's own songwriting process. He spoke of his motivation: "The opportunity to visit some of my origins for the first time with two of the most important people in my life was enough. The fact that we'd be educated and possibly help educate others was the cherry on top. This trip means the world to me still, in that It really makes me reflect on and appreciate the journey and the sacrifice of my elders and how much of my success I owe to them, on both sides of my family."

In the finale, indie rock band Local Natives ventured to the Colorado River, a vital source of water and power that's been cut off from the Pacific Ocean and faces massive drought. Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives said of the experience: "Growing up in Southern California, we've always been aware of our need to conserve water, but we've never asked where it comes from or how it's being used. This Viceland trip opened our eyes to the many complicated issues associated with the water we use in the Southwest, all coming from the Colorado River. Basically we're using more than is being replenished. We learned there's no easy answer, but we can only start to solve it by opening a dialogue and becoming aware."