Well, hello there!
So what’s new with you?
I am fine.
Yeah, so actually, I’m really busy. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks music wise. Let’s run down the insanity:
So last week I was due to audition with a band. Long story short, I put a lot of time into learning some songs, and then the audition got postponed due to a sudden emergency. So that’s on hold.
THEN, last Saturday I had a gig with My 2 Sense at the Zurich (Ontario) Beanfest. Those of you who pay especially close attention to my musical exploits (uh, which I guess is me) will know that I played Beanfest two years ago with Monica Joy, the highlight of which was the septic truck coming in and emptying the portapotties mid-set to the delight of no one.
This year was different: the septic tank showed up while we were soundchecking, to the relief everyone. This truck was not to be outdone, however, and managed to run over the cabling and disconnect all power to the stage. As a result we went on SUPER late and only got to play about half of our songs. The set itself went very well, though. I got to have a really cool conversation with a cancer victim who was really struck by the song “Destiny Rides” which is about a girl dying of cancer (who likes to ride horses and is named Destiny, hence the title).
Perhaps my favourite part of the day was interacting with the “headlining” band. This was some local C&W band with an obscenely long name who were playing three sets throughout the day. We had been told that we could use their drummer’s kit in order to minimize stage setup. Thursday before that he was getting “itchy” and would rather I bring my own kit. Hauling a drumkit 2 hours across the province isn’t high on my list of favourite things to do, so I already have an intense dislike for this guy, but am resolved to be professional.
So I get there and am glad I brought my kit ‘cause his was AWFUL. Must have been around 20 y/o, with a warped 24” x 12” kick (yes, the kick was half as long as it was around). All the toms had only batter heads (no resonant heads to make them sound like anything other than tarps over cooking pots) and the bass pedal had a strap instead of a chain. Oh, and he had ROTOTOMS!!!!! Yikes.
The drummer himself was this 40+ guy with a feathered blond dye-job and grey roots. He was wearing a button down shirt with nothing underneath wide open and it was one of those crazy print-style button downs that you always see kids wearing with Spider-Man, except this one had Snoop Dogg on the back. I so wish I was making this up. He told me he wasn’t “interested” in moving his kit, so I would have to set mine up at the side of the stage. You have to understand that this stage is basically an open side-view of a trailer, so there’s barely room for one kit, let alone two.
The funny thing is, I had visions of this exact same thing happening while I was driving up and I had all these grand ideas about how I would just start grabbing his kit and taking it offstage, all rebel-like. But by this point I had already been in the sun for an hour and saw that there was a crown of 20 pensioners and a couple of families. In short, it really didn’t seem worth it to kick up a fuss. I hope Feather-Haired-Snoop-Dogg-Country-Drummer has a long and successful career as a Rototom solo artist.
Sunday I made the trek to Hamilton to lead worship with Jeremiah’s Big Day Out at Philpott church. It was a lot of fun. A LOT of fun. There’s something to be said about playing with people you’ve been playing with for five years. Everything was smooth bordering on precognitive: I can anticipate where Graham’s going now to the point that he turned around to call a structure change mid-song and I said it at the same time as he did. Doesn’t make a great story, but it makes me happy to be playing, so that’s the main thing,
Have a good week! I’ll check in Friday.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
News and such
OK, missed Friday's post. You'd thinkin a week where Isaac Hayes died I could find something to post about, but not so much. So here's what's new with me.
So this past weekend Krista and I got to rokk out with Garner. TheG-men are a three piece, but were leading worship for a conference which necessitated a bigger band. So Krista sang, I percussed and Christy Bloemendal bass'd. We called ourselves the Adherents and we rocked. We did a session Friday night and two sessions on Saturday and Sunday. In between we went to Starbucks, ate thai, played Settlers of Catan, and made general merriment. The coolest part was seeing Garner do a show Satrsday night for the conference. You have to check these guys out -- they're great. I'll post some pics later if Krista sends them to me. :)
So this week I am:
1) Auditioning for a new band (Tuesday)
2) Rehearsing and playing a show with My 2 Sense (Thursday/Saturaday)
3) Leading worship with Jeremiah's Big Day Out (Sunday)
So yes, I'm insane. Will ty to remember to take pics and I hope you'll forgive me if i miss this Friday as well. :)
K
So this past weekend Krista and I got to rokk out with Garner. TheG-men are a three piece, but were leading worship for a conference which necessitated a bigger band. So Krista sang, I percussed and Christy Bloemendal bass'd. We called ourselves the Adherents and we rocked. We did a session Friday night and two sessions on Saturday and Sunday. In between we went to Starbucks, ate thai, played Settlers of Catan, and made general merriment. The coolest part was seeing Garner do a show Satrsday night for the conference. You have to check these guys out -- they're great. I'll post some pics later if Krista sends them to me. :)
So this week I am:
1) Auditioning for a new band (Tuesday)
2) Rehearsing and playing a show with My 2 Sense (Thursday/Saturaday)
3) Leading worship with Jeremiah's Big Day Out (Sunday)
So yes, I'm insane. Will ty to remember to take pics and I hope you'll forgive me if i miss this Friday as well. :)
K
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The RIAA Took My Baby Away II
Part one was last Friday (just below) talking about why the RIAA's continued legal action against private citizens is ridiculous. According to a semi-succesful drummer who's never worked full-time in the industry but cares about it, here's what they should do.
CD prices need to PLUMMET. CDs are now an outdated medium and their price needs to reflect that. No one should EVER have to pay more than $15 for a CD, and if it's one disc with a two-page insert it shouldn't be over $10. CDs started their rise to popularity in 1985, and by 1993 they had overtaken tapes; this with everyone having to buy new equipement to play them! If MP3s move that much quicker, why hasn't the price of CDs dropped more? Because the industry is holding on to their money card instead of trying to develop a new one.
After CD prices go down, hopefully CD sales will stabilize and even climb a bit. Sure, the industry will still lose money, but at least people will be buying from the industry again instead of just file sharing. The assumption here is that people would rather buy in physical form rather than online, which isn't always the case; but even as a show of respect for the MP3 and a sign of deference to the customer, it helps.
Next, understand that "copyright" is not the same as "ownership". Copyright is meant to encourage the creation of new, original works while simultaniously affording some protection for the creators of said works. It is NOT meant to give you unending rights to everything you make forever. Once I bought my car from Ford, it's MINE. Once I bought my shirt from Old Navy, it's MINE. RIAA, please stop trying to tell me what I can do with something once it's mine.
OK, I am now off my high horse. Something funny about musicians or something on Friday, promise.
CD prices need to PLUMMET. CDs are now an outdated medium and their price needs to reflect that. No one should EVER have to pay more than $15 for a CD, and if it's one disc with a two-page insert it shouldn't be over $10. CDs started their rise to popularity in 1985, and by 1993 they had overtaken tapes; this with everyone having to buy new equipement to play them! If MP3s move that much quicker, why hasn't the price of CDs dropped more? Because the industry is holding on to their money card instead of trying to develop a new one.
After CD prices go down, hopefully CD sales will stabilize and even climb a bit. Sure, the industry will still lose money, but at least people will be buying from the industry again instead of just file sharing. The assumption here is that people would rather buy in physical form rather than online, which isn't always the case; but even as a show of respect for the MP3 and a sign of deference to the customer, it helps.
Next, understand that "copyright" is not the same as "ownership". Copyright is meant to encourage the creation of new, original works while simultaniously affording some protection for the creators of said works. It is NOT meant to give you unending rights to everything you make forever. Once I bought my car from Ford, it's MINE. Once I bought my shirt from Old Navy, it's MINE. RIAA, please stop trying to tell me what I can do with something once it's mine.
OK, I am now off my high horse. Something funny about musicians or something on Friday, promise.
The RIAA Took My Baby Away
Yup, a Ramones reference. I'm sure old!
Found this blog today. It provides updates on current file-sharing lawsuits the Recording Industry Associaton of America (RIAA) has launched against private citizens who uploaded music onto peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, allegedlly infringing on the copyrights of the RIAA. As you might have guessed from the title, Recording Industry vs The People (RITP) is very anti RIAA.
Most people who know me know that I'm not a big fan of P2P downloading. Yes, I make CDs for friends, and I receive CDs from friends too. Word of mouth has always been a necessary component of the industry, one that the record companies can't eveer seem to get their heads around (remember the attempted levy on blank cassettes in the mid-90s?).
Now, had somebody gone ahead and created 4,000 tapes and distributed them to anyone he or she could find, I would have had a problem with that. And we all know that there are at least a couple of more than 4,000 people downloading not only entire albums but entire discographies every day, with not a whit of money going to the companies that, as much as it sucks to say it, deserve the money.
Believe it or not, that's not what I wanted to discuss today. I'm actually pretty tired of arguing the ethics of downloading (SUPER SECRET HIDDEN MESSAGE: NOT INTERESTED IN THAT TODAY, SO LET'S MOVE FORWARD, MMMMMMMMMKAY?). What I WANT to talk about, and have hopefully provided adequete background for, is what I think of the RIAA's lawsuits.
Would you believe me if I said I thought they were a bad idea?
Please note that I didn't say I thought they were unjustified or even illegal (although some of their tactics are pretty frightening, according to RITP). What the lawsuits are, however, is a bellow and a swipe from a dinosaur going down into a tar pit: a scary and potentially damaging threat, but one you know can't last too long. (Oh, and the dinosaur part shows that the RIAA is behind the times. Wanted to make sure that's obvious.)
For one, let's look at general perception. Even before the lawsuits, record execs were considered to be evil parasites digging their claws into the backs of the artists, altering records to attract more sales and signing and dropping artists on a whim. You never, EVER heard someone outside speak well of execs: opinions from the general public were either neutral or negative. And it wasn't even the public they were screwing (much; when average CD prices climbed above the $20 mark in the early 2000's, the protest was so great that one company marked all their new product back to $15, and the rest followed suit. Only know that 'cause I was working at a record store at the time).
So now, already holding (at best) a -25% rating with the people, the RIAA is going after the people. Yep, that's going to encourage a LOT of people to stay on their side and keep paying them for music. My favourite was this case , where the RIAA accused a private citizens of file sharing a few songs. Not many, just a couple. Turns out the person was a disabled single mother who, through the untraceable wonder that is an IP Address, was registered as downloading/uploading such family friendly tunes as "Hoes In My Room" despite the fact that nothing was on her PC indicated she had EVER shared ANYTHING. So of course, the RIAA pressed forward, of course, the case got thrown out, and OF COURSE, the mother is countersuing and the RIAA looks like a demon. An incompetent, foolish, somewhat amusing demon. The RIAA looks like a demon played by Curly of the Three Stooges.
Wow, maybe I should get back to the dinosaur simile from before before going to a demon metaphor. OK, so why a dinosaur? The RIAA is acting just like the recording industry always does when faced with something it can't control immediately; grinding its heels an calling foul. It did it in the 90s with blank tapes, too. And as long as it keeps this up, it's going to be behind the 8-ball.
Think about it: the first MP3 encoding program came out in 1994, creating a fourth media family for audio (vinyl, tape, disc and digital). Difference is, the industry does not control the device needed to play the medium: everyone already has a computer. Seven years later came a file sharing program, Napster, that took control of the MP3s right out of the industry's hands. Where was the industry in those seven years? Why were they not the ones developing and testing this BRAND NEW MEDIUM, making it work for them, creating a SALES system that they could control? Searched the interwebs, couldn't find an answer. I guess they were boosting CD prices, signing boy bands and girl singers, and thinking that everyone was going to have CDs forever.
What I would really like the RIAA to do is stop trying to scare us. RIAA, you can't get it back. You just can't. It's like holding sand: yes, some is going to slide through your fingers, but the harder you squeeze, the more you lose. So what do you do?
I'll tell you on Tuesday.
Found this blog today. It provides updates on current file-sharing lawsuits the Recording Industry Associaton of America (RIAA) has launched against private citizens who uploaded music onto peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, allegedlly infringing on the copyrights of the RIAA. As you might have guessed from the title, Recording Industry vs The People (RITP) is very anti RIAA.
Most people who know me know that I'm not a big fan of P2P downloading. Yes, I make CDs for friends, and I receive CDs from friends too. Word of mouth has always been a necessary component of the industry, one that the record companies can't eveer seem to get their heads around (remember the attempted levy on blank cassettes in the mid-90s?).
Now, had somebody gone ahead and created 4,000 tapes and distributed them to anyone he or she could find, I would have had a problem with that. And we all know that there are at least a couple of more than 4,000 people downloading not only entire albums but entire discographies every day, with not a whit of money going to the companies that, as much as it sucks to say it, deserve the money.
Believe it or not, that's not what I wanted to discuss today. I'm actually pretty tired of arguing the ethics of downloading (SUPER SECRET HIDDEN MESSAGE: NOT INTERESTED IN THAT TODAY, SO LET'S MOVE FORWARD, MMMMMMMMMKAY?). What I WANT to talk about, and have hopefully provided adequete background for, is what I think of the RIAA's lawsuits.
Would you believe me if I said I thought they were a bad idea?
Please note that I didn't say I thought they were unjustified or even illegal (although some of their tactics are pretty frightening, according to RITP). What the lawsuits are, however, is a bellow and a swipe from a dinosaur going down into a tar pit: a scary and potentially damaging threat, but one you know can't last too long. (Oh, and the dinosaur part shows that the RIAA is behind the times. Wanted to make sure that's obvious.)
For one, let's look at general perception. Even before the lawsuits, record execs were considered to be evil parasites digging their claws into the backs of the artists, altering records to attract more sales and signing and dropping artists on a whim. You never, EVER heard someone outside speak well of execs: opinions from the general public were either neutral or negative. And it wasn't even the public they were screwing (much; when average CD prices climbed above the $20 mark in the early 2000's, the protest was so great that one company marked all their new product back to $15, and the rest followed suit. Only know that 'cause I was working at a record store at the time).
So now, already holding (at best) a -25% rating with the people, the RIAA is going after the people. Yep, that's going to encourage a LOT of people to stay on their side and keep paying them for music. My favourite was this case , where the RIAA accused a private citizens of file sharing a few songs. Not many, just a couple. Turns out the person was a disabled single mother who, through the untraceable wonder that is an IP Address, was registered as downloading/uploading such family friendly tunes as "Hoes In My Room" despite the fact that nothing was on her PC indicated she had EVER shared ANYTHING. So of course, the RIAA pressed forward, of course, the case got thrown out, and OF COURSE, the mother is countersuing and the RIAA looks like a demon. An incompetent, foolish, somewhat amusing demon. The RIAA looks like a demon played by Curly of the Three Stooges.
Wow, maybe I should get back to the dinosaur simile from before before going to a demon metaphor. OK, so why a dinosaur? The RIAA is acting just like the recording industry always does when faced with something it can't control immediately; grinding its heels an calling foul. It did it in the 90s with blank tapes, too. And as long as it keeps this up, it's going to be behind the 8-ball.
Think about it: the first MP3 encoding program came out in 1994, creating a fourth media family for audio (vinyl, tape, disc and digital). Difference is, the industry does not control the device needed to play the medium: everyone already has a computer. Seven years later came a file sharing program, Napster, that took control of the MP3s right out of the industry's hands. Where was the industry in those seven years? Why were they not the ones developing and testing this BRAND NEW MEDIUM, making it work for them, creating a SALES system that they could control? Searched the interwebs, couldn't find an answer. I guess they were boosting CD prices, signing boy bands and girl singers, and thinking that everyone was going to have CDs forever.
What I would really like the RIAA to do is stop trying to scare us. RIAA, you can't get it back. You just can't. It's like holding sand: yes, some is going to slide through your fingers, but the harder you squeeze, the more you lose. So what do you do?
I'll tell you on Tuesday.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sesame Street
OK, so I am sick with...something. Not sure what, but my body isn't really responding to my requests for movement without dizziness and nausea right now. So you get random Sesame Street videos from Youtube. Enjoy.
Many props to my man Mike Morrice for sending me this one. Gotta love Feist. Can't wait to see her ex-roommate Peaches on there. [WARNING -- Peaches is pretty crass).
This one you might need earphones for if you're at work:
And finally, this isn't from Sesame Street per se, but it embodies the spirit. A blast back to 90's:
That is all.
Many props to my man Mike Morrice for sending me this one. Gotta love Feist. Can't wait to see her ex-roommate Peaches on there. [WARNING -- Peaches is pretty crass).
This one you might need earphones for if you're at work:
And finally, this isn't from Sesame Street per se, but it embodies the spirit. A blast back to 90's:
That is all.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Sales
So after having a pretty slow June (by choice) and a really slow July (not so much by choice) things are picking up again!
I mentioned all kinds of stuff in the last post. Stuff I’d like you to remember. Stuff like the August 14 show in Milton with the Runaway. Please remember that. I won't be doing the BCR album, by the way: practiced with the boys last night and it didn't feel super good for me. I'm not so good at the metal stuff. They were still interested, but they wanted to get in the studio ASAP and I don't have the time to rehearse twice weekly for a band I'm not technically joining in the first place. So an amicable parting of way ensued.
But yeah, I forgot to mention the funnest stuff! Mainly, that I’m getting the chance to rock out with Garner soon. Remember them? Remember when I said I’ve never wanted a band I wasn’t in to succeed so badly? Well, that’s a half truth, because for three awesome days I am IN like FLYNN with Garner. They’re playing a worship conference in Waterloo and their drummer can’t make the last day, so I’ll be filling in. For the rest of the weekend I’ll rocking the djembe and shakers and so on. I even bought a djembe stand for the occasion, but after our first practice last night I’m kind of annoyed with it and may take it back.
Having worked in the sales part of music for a while, it’s always weird going into a store and having people sell me stuff. Not for the reason you think, though. For some reason, and I wish I knew why, I have this urge to make sure that the person knows I used to be in sales. I used to think that it was so they didn’t try to snow me on stuff that I knew better about, but I think it’s an esteem thing. It’s important to me that the sales person re-welcome me to the (non-existent) Fraternity of Sales. “I WAS ONCE LIKE YOU, SHINING IN THE STORE!! WE ARE CONTEMPORARIES, YOU AND I!” Yep, Weird guy.
Oh, and I also found a bunch a stuff I want to buy. A derbouka, for one,. And we saw an ocean drum. It’s a drum usually around 16”-20” around and around 3 inches wide. It’s completely enclosed, with one end clear plastic and the other head fabric. There are a bunch of ball bearings inside. You hold the drum flat with the fabric side down and gently swoosh the bearings inside to create the sound of the ocean (much like a rain stick). Sweet. Absolutely useless, but sweet.
I’m writing this on Thursday and I have my first practice with BCR tonight, so we’ll see how that goes. Have a rocktastic weekend and we’ll talk soon!
I mentioned all kinds of stuff in the last post. Stuff I’d like you to remember. Stuff like the August 14 show in Milton with the Runaway. Please remember that. I won't be doing the BCR album, by the way: practiced with the boys last night and it didn't feel super good for me. I'm not so good at the metal stuff. They were still interested, but they wanted to get in the studio ASAP and I don't have the time to rehearse twice weekly for a band I'm not technically joining in the first place. So an amicable parting of way ensued.
But yeah, I forgot to mention the funnest stuff! Mainly, that I’m getting the chance to rock out with Garner soon. Remember them? Remember when I said I’ve never wanted a band I wasn’t in to succeed so badly? Well, that’s a half truth, because for three awesome days I am IN like FLYNN with Garner. They’re playing a worship conference in Waterloo and their drummer can’t make the last day, so I’ll be filling in. For the rest of the weekend I’ll rocking the djembe and shakers and so on. I even bought a djembe stand for the occasion, but after our first practice last night I’m kind of annoyed with it and may take it back.
Having worked in the sales part of music for a while, it’s always weird going into a store and having people sell me stuff. Not for the reason you think, though. For some reason, and I wish I knew why, I have this urge to make sure that the person knows I used to be in sales. I used to think that it was so they didn’t try to snow me on stuff that I knew better about, but I think it’s an esteem thing. It’s important to me that the sales person re-welcome me to the (non-existent) Fraternity of Sales. “I WAS ONCE LIKE YOU, SHINING IN THE STORE!! WE ARE CONTEMPORARIES, YOU AND I!” Yep, Weird guy.
Oh, and I also found a bunch a stuff I want to buy. A derbouka, for one,. And we saw an ocean drum. It’s a drum usually around 16”-20” around and around 3 inches wide. It’s completely enclosed, with one end clear plastic and the other head fabric. There are a bunch of ball bearings inside. You hold the drum flat with the fabric side down and gently swoosh the bearings inside to create the sound of the ocean (much like a rain stick). Sweet. Absolutely useless, but sweet.
I’m writing this on Thursday and I have my first practice with BCR tonight, so we’ll see how that goes. Have a rocktastic weekend and we’ll talk soon!
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