August's Random Lyric:
If his final sequence is not contrived
Keep him honest now Just to keep him alive
- Magellan
August 24, 2005
Another wonderful band has just been added to my roster, and so sit back while I tell you all about it!
The band hails from the states, and are known as Dredg . What can only be described as a more emotional, highly energetic but less spastic amalgamation of The Mars Volta has quickly grown into one of my favorite new bands. I got into them reading suggestions on a TMV message board when someone recommended these and called the 2002 album El Cielo a masterpiece. I'm open to new things, and like hearing suggestions as to new masterpieces, so I went right out to find it! Sure enough, after some soul seeking, the album was in my possession and I quickly heard the masterpiece behind it. I found them on myspace, added them to our site and then saw that they were playing here in just a few days time! I grabbed some tickets and headed there two nights ago, and am quite glad I did.
Monday night Dredg played for a semi packed theater of mostly teenagers, but some older folk like myself were dispersed amongst them. When they came on, singer Gavin declared he would not be as animated as usual because his neck and back were slightly injured. Ignoring that, their performance was quite special. The guitarist had the ability to create so many effects with combinations of delay, fuzz, distortion, loops that my head was spinning. A lot of the album effects, however ridiculous, were instantly reproduced that night. His violent strumming and spastic movements were quite entertaining to watch. The bassist was quite composed, with several excursions into odd times and strange scales that added to the already powerful melodies. The vocalist had a strange toy... some sort of slide guitar connected to various effects, that he would play with wire clippers and sometimes some sort of big metal nail. The drummer was the odd one of the bunch, with one of the smallest drumkits I've ever seen, and on top of it, it was clear. He plays with such dynamic that I thought perhaps it was the TMV drummer! A few times he would stop being insane and play a simple beat with one hand and play some calm keyboards with the other. Which brings me to the best part... the ending.
Quite possibly the most innovative way to end a show I've ever seen... and here's the way it went down. During the last tune, the singer finished his vocal part and announced that they were done, and then thanked the crowd and left while the rest of the band continued to play. The guitarist and bassist left shortly thereafter while the drummer played his trademark keyboard-while-drumming. Then stagehands came and delicately took pieces of the drumkit away, while he was playing it, until he was left with just a hi hat and the keyboard. When the hi hat was removed, he played the same progression with both hands on the keyboard twice, then let the last note ring and got up and left. The lights promptly went on in the house and the stagehands came to pack things up literally 10 seconds later. No encore, but quite possibly the most brilliant and creative way to end a show!
As you can tell, this band is quite interesting, let's hope to hear more from them!
Song of the day: Dredg - Ode To The Sun (can't get enough! love those weird guitar effects and vocal parts!)
August 8, 2005
Just a quick update to say that there are two complete, cool live tracks from SJ's battle of the bands (round 2) performance available. One of which can be located in the downloads section all the way at the bottom, the other one can be located on our myspace site . As I may have said many times, these tunes are not totally representative of our style, as it varies, but these are three of my favorite tunes to play.
Descriptions of the tunes can be found in downloads section. Enjoy!
Song of the day: Mad Crayon - Come VentoTornero c/o Colossus of Rhodes (whee... 27 minute prog epics aplenty!)
August 1, 2005
Some good news to add the roster! Shaking Judy played three times this past month, including two successfully completed rounds of Battle of the Bands! Yep, that's right, SJ beat all competition so far in rounds 1 and 2 and are moving to the final round in approximately one month. Thanks to all who came out to support us! We also got hot recordings of each performance, recorded with a zillion channel mixer and then given to us to tweak.
In other SJ news, in either late August or late December we will be entering the local Apollo studios to record a five song CD to be sold exclusively online or at our shows. More details to follow!
Hopefully August will be more relaxing, I've been working like a dog this past month with the summer job and the band, so I'm looking forward to some lethargy!
So I finished that Serial Experiments Lain series, and boy... I can't even describe it. I barely understood what was going on, that's all I can safely say. I won't even bother rating it because it was too difficult to comprehend! Onto a trial series Elfen Lied about a murderous Elf unsuspectedly unleashed into a rural town.
Song of the day: Shpongle - The Nebbish Route (spacey trance ethnic music with an electric guitar too?!)
July's Random Lyric:
Wake up soldier
- 3
There’s no dreams left in the dark
Save them, Save yourself
July 10, 2005
Hey all! Happy summer, of course, and here's to the rest of it!
Shaking Judy performs their next gig at the 10th annual Clyde's Battle of the Bands here in Montreal! Details can be found here. We perform on Thursday, July 14th at approx 10 PM. We hope to advance to the next round and win the competition, allowing us to get 16 hours rehearsal time at a nice studio, plus 1000$ cash!
In other news, SJ played a show 2 weeks ago at Le Swimming with fellow strange rockers Fluid Rouge and No Barbers Required. Another rock solid performance, and the first introduction of new tune On The Run, and the Mars Volta introductory piece. We will continue to rock on indefinitely until we're told to stop! Also, check out our myspace site!
In anime news, I recently completed the interesting saga known as Scrapped Princess (rating: 9/10). An interesting journey through the somewhat midieval times, with a hint of sci-fi, lots of imagination, and good characters. Not many slow moments, the only thing lacking perhaps was the music. Cool effects too. Moving along to the incredibly odd Serial Experiments Lain...
Song of the day: Violent Marv - M.A.R.T.H.A (local hardcore prog metal band rips it up!)
June's Random Lyric:
In a stream of consciousness there is a river crying
Living comes much easier once you admit you're dying
June 14, 2005
The only news worth reporting is the new Dream Theater album, Octavarium! W00t! Ok, contain geekiness... This puppy came out June 7th and I've been listening non stop since. Funny how the day it came out I locked myself in my room and listened the entire 72 minutes through. After that I was so musically overloaded I actually had to take a nap!
Ok, so impressions? I like it!!! Lots of variety on this disc... not the full metal blast of ToT, nor is it all calm and quiet. I also think JR had a little more input and prominence on this album (and rightly so). JP also calmed down his tendons and fingers, cooling down the mad shredder in every single song, which is fine by me (showing restraint leaves me wanting more, although hearing him shred like a madman is also entertaining). some of the tunes don't even have instrumental breaks or solos... seems like a step up for DT to become prominent songwriters instead of just making the most insane complex music ever. Granted I like the other side of DT too, but I think they concentrated on songs more for this album... upon first listen I am quite impressed. Not blown away, but impressed. It takes a lot to blow me away on the first listen, especially having expected so much from DT over the years. "I walk beside you" is a fantastic tune with a great sing along-able chorus!
Other general track comments...
#1 - I knew it! Glass Prison continues!! I said so back in the prediction stage, didn't I? ;) looks like there's still 4 parts left!
#4 - wunderbar! possibly my favorite tune... love that chorus! Restraint in the form of little to no solo just makes you itch for more.
#6 - Nothing too fantastic, although the instrumental break is fun. The part in the chorus where he says "for your ungrateful ways" sounds REALLY familiar in terms of melody, but I can't seem to place it... ideas?
#8 - loads of fun! What's an Octavarium anyway? I was almost disappointed that there was no "ridiculous" part in the album, but then between parts 3 and 4 holy crap... they go insane. Lots of influences in this opus too! Very Symphony X-ish at the beginning, besides the insane instrumentalism, parts 3 and 4 totally remind me of Genesis, and there's even a Steve Howe style 5
second acoustic guitar blast!
Song of the day: Dream Theater - I Walk Beside You (duh ;))
June 3, 2005
Alright, so the school year is officially over (classes wise that is. I still have exams to make and correct!!). It was a blast teaching, and I may continue, however, SJ wants to get serious this summer and start making a demo CD and playing more shows. Whatever to do... dilemmas, dilemmas!
On a brighter but similar note, SJ now has two more jams up for grabs in the downloads section. Both from a practice on May 28. Grab them in the downloads section.
Now for the concert review section... last night I had the privelege of seeing Sweden's The Flower Kings for the third time. Last time I saw them play at a small club, there was a minor power failure and they were unable to complete their set. This time they were back in full force, playing a three hour set! But first... the opening band. Hailing from Montreal, Virtual Max was the openers of choice for TFK. Basically, a drummer, keyboardist and keyboardist. The catch? The two keyboardists play the keys with superball mallets (for lack of a better description). One plays two in each hand, the other one in each hand. Their powerful synthesizers combined with this strange style of playing gives them a dynamic percussive approach and a large genre bending range. Needless to say, their innovative playing captivated me, and after an hour long opening set of wonderful music (ranging from atmospheric to King Crimson influence to full out rock to odd RIO influences), I rushed to their table to buy their two CDs.
TFK then took the stage. After a rough sound start (namely because Roine's lead guitar was barely audible), they got into the groove of things and proceeded to play a full blast set of new and old tunes. They were in typically great shape, although unfortunately there was no Gildenlow for backup vox/guitar and no Hasse for percussion. They were, however, sporting their new drummer Marcus, who got a little solo spot (as did bassist Jonas and keyboardist Tomas) to sport his chops. I can't judge yet whether or not he compares to Jaime or Zoltan, but he seemed to have no trouble playing their long compositions. A great experience, as usual! Setlist included Love Supreme, Cosmic Circus, Last Minute on Earth / In The Eyes of the World, Stardust We Are (part 3), The Truth Will Set You Free, a floydesque guitar jam, Church of Your Heart, A Vampire's View and an encore of I Am The Sun (part 1).
In final news... new Dream Theater in approximately 4 days! EXCITEMENT!!!
Song of the day: Art Zoyd - epithalame (you think this song will explode into chaos, but it never does! probably the best RIO / avant garde tune I know of!)
May's Random Lyric:
Now it's time to shed your fear and throw it all away
you'll brave the sea despite the waves
May 17, 2005
Enjoying a well deserved blob of concerts is the name of the game this month! I just returned from a day at work to write a review for the two fantastic concerts I witnessed in the last week.
The first of two was last week and it was the fantastic spastic Mars Volta. I heard only bad things about their live perfomances (saw that as well from clips, etc), so I went in hoping for the best but expecting nothing. Although about 30 minutes late, TVM put on one of the best shows I've ever seen. Sporting what appears to be extra musicians, this 7 piece of guitar, keys, percussion/keys, percussion/flute/sax, vocals, drums, and bass effortlessly breezed through a remarkable 7 songs. Why remarkable? Their concert lasted approximately 3 hours. Yes, they played 5-6 minute songs that had random inserted, no joke, 30 minutes of jamming and chaos. In between each song was what I can only describe as a "musical wormhole", allowing the audience breathing room in the form of strange noises, samples and soundscapes. They were remarkably tight, with a powerful sense of dynamic, going from bombastic insanity to a quiet, relaxing jam in the blink of an eye and then back to a wall of sound. The vocals were a little distorted at times, but the sound was crisp and everything could be relatively well heard. Without John Frusciante and Flea, I can safely say TMV played perfectly fine without them! Drummer and guitarist (Omar and Jon respectively) are both monsters that simply do not stop! Get a chance to see them if possible, regretting it should not be an option! The 2005 setlist included new tunes L'Via Viaquez, Cygnus, The Widow, and the 30+ minute epic Cassandra Gemini (complete with the extended sax solo!). On top of that, old tunes Roulette Dares, Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt (complete with insane odd time tapping section at the end) and Drunkship of Lanterns (with 30 minutes of extended jamming). Inserted into one of the songs was a bit of the EP only tune Concertina.
Last night was the second of two concerts, the fantabulous incarnation of one of the UK's best exports, Porcupine Tree. Often hailed as the new Pink Floyd, the venue in the middle of nowhere was completely sold out, with literally a mile long line up outside 2 hours before they let us in. The venue was packed, so my friends and I shoved to the front to watch. As usual with most prog bands (strangely enough), PT came on approximately an hour late, after one lonely stage man came out to set up towels, then 5 minutes later water bottles, then 5 minutes later setlists. The boys came on and headed right into the set's opener, my tied-for-favorite tune on Deadwing, the title track. Guitarist/vocalist John Wesley certainly impressed us all, as he got to sing a song on his own, got several guitar solos, and has a beautiful accompanying voice for frontman Wilson. Colin Edwin, as usual, was perfection in bass form, barely breaking a sweat. New drummer Gavin Harrison pounded the skins with power and confidence (although in comparison he is rather calm compared to Mr.Volta!), while Richard Barbieri delivered his usual display of lights and dazzling soundscapes as well as his unmistakeable remarkable keyboard solo sounds. Incredibly, Steven Wilson reproduced all album solos flawlessly, including those by Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt and KC's Adrian Belew! Great sound at the venue too, although the only minor complaint was Wilson's guitar was a little low in the mix during solos (perhaps due to where I was standing). Setlist included Deadwing, Arriving Somewhere But Not Here, Mellotron Scratch, Halo, Shallow, Lazarus, The Sound of Muzak, Hatesong (with extended jamming and solos), Fadeaway (sung by John Wesley), Even Less, Shesmovedon, Blackest Eyes and an encore of Trains. All in all a successful last week!
In other nonrelated news, I finally got a chance to finish the strange anime RahXephon (rating: 7/10). If I watched it again perhaps 3 or 4 times, maybe I'd understand, but I was so lost throughout almost ALL of this anime that I only continued watching just to see if they'd explain it all. I heard great things about this anime and came out disappointed. I don't mind thinking and figuring it out myself, but this one required more brainpower then I had available.
In job news, my classroom now has a website in which you can find all relevant material. If you want to take a peek as to what my wacky students are up to these days, take a peek here. Note this site unfortunately will ONLY work on internet explorer.
That's all for now. Progheads take note of www.progmontreal.com for all local kickass upcoming shows!!
Song of the day: Dream Theater - The Spirit Carries on [[with John Petrucci on vocals]] (probably the most ridiculously over the top cheese singing ever... it's great! They even laugh at themselves!)
May 2, 2005
Happy birthday to me! I've made you all a gift for this joyous occasion of me becoming 23. In the download section there is now a link to 2 "songs" from each of my bands! Two improvised jams from Shaking Judy and two somewhat decent quality tunes from Sleaper. Enjoy them... more to come but in better quality!
Speaking of which, April 28th SJ played their third show to a relatively large audience at Concordia University's Reggie's Bar. We were approached by a friend of the band who, somewhat drunk, said he wants to produce us and get us in touch with record labels. We'll see what happens with that ;)
Song of the day: Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere But Not Here (trying to locate Akerfeldt influence is proving difficult!)
April's Random Lyric:
Did you ever imagine the last thing you'd hear as you're fading out
was a song?
April 19, 2005
Wow... where have I been???
Well, I'll answer that in a few easy steps. I am currently posting from my brand new laptop, courtesy of americans XoticPC. The laptop unfortunately came with a dead pixel, and much to my chagrin, this is not covered by the warranty. Do yourselves favors and CHECK your warranties on new products before you get them. Otherwise, the laptop is hot, looks great and plays great. I'm currently using it for gaming, work, and editing.
Also been busy with alternaprogrock band Shaking Judy, producing some "demos" (ie rough jam recordings) and preparing for our next show at Reggie's Bar in Montreal, on April 28th. Expect some tunes of our jams up here soon! Sleaper has been on hold because of our mutually busy schedules, but rest assured more rocking WILL happen.
I also just returned from a long day at work after being up until 1:30 after the infamous Strapping Young Lad concert (see below for URL). Holy monkeys... that was a crazy concert. HevyDevy himself was a lunatic, with warp speed picking, spine tingling screams, and greatly humorous lines like "if snot were money, i'd be a ten-ionnaire!" or "we're strapping young lad, you're you, what more is there to say?" or "we're strapping and you're not! shut up!", while monster drummer Gene Hogland is a man-beast of ungodly speed and precision. They played mostly material from their newest release, Alien, but a few songs from their old CDs which I unfortunately do not own. A performance worthy of earplugs and a sanity check!
Two out of the three opening bands, Agony Scene and Misery Index were pretty good, but what took the cake was the incredible first opening band Reflux, from Washington. Picture if you can, a short drummer who plays with Virgil Donati style precision and acrobatics, a jeans-and-hat-clad bassist who plays Les Claypool-esque tapping, sweeping and slapping, and a tall, built guitarist who shreds like Michael Romeo and has a great array of effects to add magic to the music. Combine this with a musical style similar to SYL plus a bit of hardcore, emo, neoclassical, thrash and prog metal, and you have these guys. Absolutely blew me away... I ended up rushing to buy their CD, and I rarely do that with opening bands. Check them out here...
http://www.refluxsound.com
In anime news, I recently finished two serieseseses (never gets tiring, does it?) entitled Gantz and Xenosaga. Gantz is quite simply, one of the most bizarre and disturbing yet wonderful and enticing animes I have seen since FMA and Naruto. The premise: when you die, you don't disappear, you are reincarnated by a black orb that makes you hunt aliens in order to potentially return to your previous life! Mmm hmm, ridiculous isn't quite the word (rating: 9.5/10)! Xenosaga is based on the game I played back in 2003, and was rather enjoyable. Almost exactly the story of the 40+ hour game, summarized neatly in 12 episodes. I look forward to more (rating: 8.5/10)!
That's all for today, folks. Keep on proggin' ;)
Song of the day: SYL - Skeksis (holy moley... the new definition of "insanity")
March's Random Lyric:
I count the days to find what was left behind
Only these names I clutch will lead me to my home
March 25, 2005
Finally, in my possession is a brand new 7 string Ibanez RG1527. This is now "my baby", just as many other musicians have one, now do I. Here is a picture for you to ogle. This is my attempt at being what is known as "badass looking".
March has suddenly become warm and attractive outside! Perfect day for a gig, no? Sleaper just came from playing our third gig, this time I dragged them to play at the talent show for the high school I work at. We went on only 2 hours after we were supposed to, but the 20 or so students who stayed to see us were impressed.
I'm in the process of buying a laptop from the dudes at XoticPC. They appear to be a reputable eBay based business, and their prices for the systems advertised are quite good! With that in hand, I'll be much more prepared for school and for fun at any time of the day and any location! ;)
Song of the day: Pineapple Thief - The Answers (so beautiful... can't get the chorus out of my head!)
March 13, 2005
Welcome to the frosty month of March, ladies and gents. Not much to report as of yet, as my job is somewhat all consuming. Been getting myself some new gadgets, like wireless devices for my computer, new digital camera, repairing cars after a lousy icy accident, and soon to be a new guitar and laptop. Currently looking at a Cobalt Blue Ibanez RG1527 7 string. Plays and looks sweet!
Prog metal band Sleaper is looking for a singer to suit our musical needs! Our styles as you may have gathered, are diverse, with influences from Dream Theater to Dimmu Borgir to Yes and Genesis to Spastic Ink. Female or male singer(s) welcome to audition or contact us, both clean and death vocals would be nice. Reach us at the contact information below or contact the user Sleaper at Montreal Music Scene.
A few cool recommendations to add to your selection of musiks. New Mars Volta is freaking great, a definite worthwhile purchase. DT guitarist Petrucci just released his solo album Suspended Animation, which is also very worthwhile (duh!). New DT album also due out in June, sweet!!
I'm thinking of posting some videos up of the Shawn Lane recording sessions. More details to come...
Song of the day: Failure - Bernie (so they DID make other albums! And they're just as strange!)
February's Random Lyric:
There is no forever, just today
Don't let your sacrifice waste away
February 25, 2005
Hey everyone, a long overdue update has finally taken place! Much to talk about...
Approximately two weeks ago, alternative rock band Shaking Judy played to a significant crowd of 80 or so at the local bar Club One. We played almost the same set as we did two weeks before at our second gig, with a few minor touchups. We also introduced, as our closer, a new cool rocking tune by the clichéd name of "Change of Heart". I personally thought we played better at our first gig, but the crowd was very friendly and giving, and we had a blast. We ended up renting a huge white van and marker-ing our SJ logo on it, and I lived the supposed rock star dream by getting hammered after our show and then getting sick in the bar's bathroom!
... and to keep the music rolling, last Friday prog metal band Sleaper, as a now three piece with no vocalist, performed at a local bar Pub St Ciboire for a McGill University Physics Society fundraiser. We were the 2nd out of 4 bands, playing alongside an acoustic female guitarist, an alternative jam band, and a Metallica cover band. In other words, we were all somewhat out of place, but had a great time. We played one 45 minute set of approximately 6 songs, one of which was an improv "Greek Jam" (two of the three members happen to be Greek). The crowd was generous and pleased with us, and we got many compliments after.
All in all, a rocking month so far! Here's to more shows to come in the future!
Song of the day: 3 - Dregs (freaking love this band! Coheed meets Mars Volta meets Pink Floyd!)
February 7, 2005
Just a quick update to say that the new Shawn Lane track can now be downloaded! It clocks in at about 5:30, and is quite the heartfelt guitar based instrumental! There's two blurbs about it, one in the music section, and one in the downloads section (at the bottom, as usual). Each of those blurbs contains a link to download the song, so go ahead and enjoy it! It was originally in WAV format, compressed down to 192 kbps, so here's to a good quality tune!
Song of the day: Mattias IA Eklundh - Fletch Theme (another wackjob guitarist to add to the rosters!)
February 1, 2005
Holy monkeys! The Shawn Lane tune is now finished and has been sent off for production! It ended up being called "I Can Wait Forever", and clocked it an approximately 5:30. Credits are JT on drums, production and mixing, and yours truly on bass, guitars and production. I'm extremely happy with the way the tune came out, and I look forward to everyone's reactions! Expect a compressed MP3 version sometime soon!
Just recently finished a great anime by the name of Wolf's Rain (rating: 9/10). Great characters, good story, great animation, good soundtrack! The ending even somewhat made sense and was satisfying!!! High quality stuff, the only complaint is the somewhat lack of explanation for certain characters and events. I've come to somewhat expect this of animes, however ;)
Song of the day: Mastodon - Blood and Thunder (what a massively powerful opening riff! That drum sound is TIGHT!)
January's Random Lyric:
i want nothing of your snarling mongrel strain your smarmy doggerel lies
and if these words have singed your fur consider yourself a whipped cur
January 29, 2005
Last night the rock band Shaking Judy played our first show (with me as bassist, that is) at Concordia's "Lizard Lounge" Engineering event. We had two 45 minutes sets of 5 songs each, with 2 Strokes covers, 1 Coheed and Cambria song, that hit Franz Ferdinand song (which I loathe, but thankfully we play it much better), and 6 originals.
Lack of a sound guy made it difficult to maintain good levels for all instruments and mics, but thankfully many did not seem to mind. The guitarists rented two stacks, so we had plenty of power. Upon getting a sound check together, the boys claimed they weren't ready yet, and told me to mess around until they were. Aiming to please, I decided to use the opportunity to try out a bass solo that would blow people's minds. Definitely entertaining to watch people's reactions!
Although we made a few mistakes (as expected), we had many compliments after the show and the turnout was great. Thanks to any and all that came out to see us... and hope to see a turnout at our next gig on February 12th!
As you may have noticed, less updates than usual this month because of my new job which takes up most of my time. Those of you that aren't down with it, I got a job as a full-time Science teacher at my old alma mater, teaching grades 7 to 9. When I get a laptop for my work needs, I'll use it to put more updates!
Song of the day: Killswitch Engage - Wasted Sacrifice (I love this song's chorus... makes me want to scream it out at bystanders!)
January 4, 2005
I come bearing word of the sunny beaches of Florida! Actually... no I don't. Basically, I hope everyone had a safe, eventful and productive new years and vacation.
I'll be starting my new job on the 10th of January, so my bands and solo work will probably get a little less attention as the weeks and months go by. However, there will still be shows for each, and solo Sandman tunes to boot, just a little more patience than usual is necessary. :)
Song of the day: Alexisonfire - Accidents (could this cross between metal and punk be any more headbangable? I feel like breaking windows!)
December's Random Lyric:
Those days we lost our dignity
The ride home through victory
The eager dare to stand.
On the innocent they tread.
December 21, 2004
Alright kiddies and fans and hatemongers! It's vacation time starting tomorrow! I am now the proud recipient of a B.Sc in Physics from McGill University, and I'm celebrating being done my 17 straight years of schooling by heading off to the sun-soaked beaches of Florida! Many albums will be listened to there, so updates will be minimal if at all. Shawn Lane tribute tune will be done by the time I get back, and a few new self produced tunes will be available shortly thereafter. Happy holidays and new year to all the readers and listeners alike!
Catch you all in '05...
Song of the day: Soilwork - Follow the Hollow (rocking melodic death metal! Can't get the chorus of this tune out of my head!)
December 10, 2004
Alright, December seems to be the month for updates! In the midst of eventually starting to study for finals, I started composing another song to follow up the calmness that is Left Wing. Heck, just yesterday I tossed some guitar tracks together into yet another potential song! Some new song titles have been floating around in my brain too, so maybe we'll be back into the weird title mode soon?
Thanks for all that downloaded and praised the track, I'm quite proud of it!
The new song's premise (not the one started yesterday) came from a calm piano interlude I heard while watching repeats of Boston Public online. I took the three note theme and developed it into a synth-laden jam with a few strange key changes, weird sounds and eventually some interesting rhythmic guitar. The song is progressing nicely, and I'd love to add some real drums over it, but that doesn't seem likely, at least anytime soon. Since reformatting I don't have FruityLoops or Reason installed, so I might be lacking in the drum department. Maybe I'll borrow my friend's Yamaha recording console and use it to make some beats. We'll see what happens! Hopefully the track will be done by the Xmas holidays...
In other news, Shawn Lane tribute song has all drums recorded. The final mixdown will be taking place sometime this week, and that means yet ANOTHER new song will be added to the repertoire soon!!!!
I just finished re-watching the brilliant series Spiral. I can't remember what I rated it before, but after rewatching it, I'll have to give it an 8.5. The story behind the anime is quite interesting, and revolves around a mysterious disappearance and a group of people who are being hunted for no apparent reason. These two main questions you develop while watching the series, miraculously, are never answered, and if I had one complaint, that would be it. Overall however, a great series!
Lastly, the appearance of a new fulltime job starting January 10 has caused me to have to drop my Friday afternoon cartooning class at the Elementary school I spent many years at. Take a look in the pictures section at the fine young artists' works, it may very well be the last time to see them!
Song of the day: 4Front - The Front (loving these guys! Great songwriting and guitar lines)
December 2, 2004
What a way to start off the Xmas / Hanukkah month, that is, giving y'all a new song for your ears to chew on. This was created today, spur of the moment, after not having plugged in my guitar for weeks. The guitar had been giving me troubles aplenty, mainly not staying in tune, so I hadn't composed anything in a while and had been concentrating mostly on bass (after all, I seem to be playing only bass these days!). This song is a product of not having played guitar in a while, so it's a bit rusty! ;)
Head on over to the downloads section to hear a taste of the most recent audio splurge!
Song of the day: Dillinger Escape Plan - Unretrofied (way too melodic and pleasing for these guys! ;))
November's Random Lyric:
"I relied on you to make me see
the foolishness of paragraphs that were better as one word"
- Kevin Gilbert (RIP)
November 29, 2004
The metal band just had our first gig a few days ago at the 5th Annual McGill Physics Variety Show! We went under the name Sleaper and played 4 originals. Our drummer was slightly inebriated and our singer had work and therefore was absent, but besides that I think we played very well! We warned the audience about our loudness and fastness, and some people left, but the rest gave us plenty of applause and praise. We were even asked if our songs were composed or just jammed in pure chaos! Naturally, I responded they were chaotically composed ;)
A few days back I finished watching the anime Last Exile (rating:8.5/10). Lack of superpowers, fiction et al, but the plot was pretty deep and the animation was superb. The ending was decent, and as expected there were many questions left unanswered by the time it finished.
That's all as of yet kiddies, keep on proggin'!
Song of the day: Frank Gambale - Table For One (despite his "patented Gambale Nouveau Tuning", this song is pretty sweet and melodic!)
November 17, 2004
...and so another 2-and-some-odd weeks have gone by in which nothing much to report. The only thing of real relevance is the completion of all the guitar tracks for One Truth: A Tribute To Shawn Lane. My producer and drummer and all-around-wackjob JT is in the process of mixing down, after which he will add some percussion tracks and then have the final copy ready to be sent out. I'm still quite excited to be on a somewhat professional CD, and I don't even care that there won't be any profit in my bank account! ;) Reserve your copies as it's expected to sell quite a few!
In other news, the metal band will be performing on Friday, November 26th! That's right, our first gig! However, despite the raging cheers from you the reader, it's at a local McGill University talent show and we only get one song. Gotta start somewhere!
I'm also applying to take a leave of absence from this here country and head over to Japan for most of 2005-2006. The application is to postmarked no later than this friday so I gotta get on it, don't I? More news to follow...
Song of the day: Ron Jarzombek - I've Got The Runs Really Bad (didja know ol' Jarz used to be in Slayer? W00T! Hey... now I almost understand a bunch of his music theory based songs!)
November 1, 2004
Wow, I haven't updated in a good three weeks! Time for some news! Well... I don't have much. Progress with both the alternative rock and the metal bands are both going well, we have approximately 4 songs each (although the alt rock band has several more that haven't been shown to me yet). Shawn Lane tribute song has a tentative title "I Can Wait Forever", which is somewhat of a little pun on how long it's taken to actually write this piece. The last time JT and I worked on it, my guitar was being a pain and wouldn't stay tuned.
I finally got the opportunity to finish the famed anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. It took me almost an entire year to watch all 26 episodes. Why? The dialog, plot, and characters are quite deep and complicated. It's not the type of anime to watch at night when you have a short attention span. It's THAT complicated and intricate! In the end the somewhat disorganized series began to take a continuing story approach, and ended up with a fantastic finale. Highly recommended for those that have the patience to want to watch it and try and understand it. This is definitely NOT a no-thinking-required anime! (rating:9/10)
In further anime news, I started watching a cool series called Last Exile. All I can say so far is that the animation is SICK! Fantastic fluid CGI with vibrant colors. I haven't quite figured out what it's about yet though... ;)
I've also rediscovered the brilliant songwriter Kevin Gilbert, who I believe perished in 1996 or so. The album of his that I have, "Thud!" has quite a disconcerning pop rock element to it which I don't enjoy much, but there are subtle hints of prog in there, as well as several wonderful lyrics and melodies. See the November Random Lyric for proof! And look for the song of the day below if you don't mind getting depressed by hearing it...
More news next time, kiddies! I'm off to devour some not-eaten-yet candy from last night's leftovers! ;)
Song of the day: Kevin Gilbert - Song for a Dead Friend (this is quite possibly one of the single saddest songs I've ever heard... quite a beautiful piano melody!)
October's Random Lyric:
"Devious movements in your eyes
Breath comes out white clouds with your lies
Moved me from relief
And filters through me"
- Opeth
October 11, 2004
Last night was the fantastic show of Miriodor and Frogg Cafe, two distinct and different bands who played with passion at a relatively small unknown venue in the outskirts of my hometown. I couldn't convince any friends who weren't working that night to go with me, so I enjoyed myself alone with a disgusting British pale ale for the night, taking in the music.
Miriodor are a six piece band from Montreal which play a tight sophisticated form of RIO, complete with a drummer/percussionist, guitarist/bassist, saxophonist/pianist, bassist/pianist, violinist and synth/keyboard player/sampler. Their style can be described as, in my father's words, "demented circus music". Complicated, intricate, powerful, and humorous, they played almost flawlessly for an hour or so, playing both new and old pieces. To me, an opening band hasn't been this impressive since California Guitar Trio opened for the Flower Kings show in Quebec City back a few years. Particularly notable were the compositions from the new upcoming album, which is to be released this spring on Cuneiform.
Frogg Cafe are a 5 piece NY band of music teachers who play a melodic, almost symphonic form of Prog Rock, reminiscent (to me at least) of Flower Kings, Marillion, Thieves Kitchen and elements of jazz as well. The lineup is guitars, bass, keyboards/trumpets/horns, drums and violins. Their set included current and older songs, as well as to-be-recorded songs from their upcoming album on Prog Rock records, due, in their own words, "soon". The band is extremely tight, never seeming to miss a note, while maintaining a high level of enjoyment for the music they played. I'm used to seeing bands which play complicated compositions and can only execute them live when they are totally concentrating and not moving. Frogg Cafe does this with ease, entertaining themselves on stage, making faces, movements and cracking jokes with each other while playing. I hoped for the 20+ minute opus Waterfall Carnival, but we only got a section of it... what a tease! Very notably, the sound was fantastic at this relatively unknown venue; almost every instrument could be heard perfectly (guitar could have used some slight low tone boosting or high tone reduction). Impressive!
Both bands put on a fantastic show, well worth the 22 dollars I paid, and I got a chance to chat with Andrew and co from Frogg Cafe after, discussing modern prog acts, their other tour experiences and influences. They're all really down to earth guys, as I suppose they must be if they are teachers... I hope to see one or the other or both of them sometime soon, in my hometown or not. Highly recommended!
In other less relevant news, I THINK the song for the Shawn Lane tribute album is finished. JT and myself put the finishing touches on it the other day, and I think the mixdown, bouncing and post-production is all that remains. Fortunately, those things cannot be done properly by me, so everything I can do for this song is done ;) It's exciting to know that a 5 minute song took almost 4 months to complete!
Song of the day: California Guitar Trio - Led Foot (impossible to play riffs on all acoustic guitars... oh man I suck at guitar compared to them! :P)
October 9, 2004
Not many things to note this time, but those that are noted are cool, rest assured... ;)
First of all, the metal band of which I am currently a member (as bassist) just got a hold of the "demo CD" we made this past week at a local studio / jamspace. I use Demo CD loosely because it is not polished, and it doesn't sound fantastic. For the conditions we had, and the amount we payed, I think it turned out pretty good. We have four complete songs, or rather three and one whose vocal melodies are still being worked out. The somewhat unsure band name the boys decided on is Sleaper, for some reason, and our songs are Eric Clapton, Number 9, March of the Axes and The Sickness. If we book a show, the details will be here, don't you all worry! :)
With the other alterna-rock band I recently got invited into, Shaking Judy, we plan to learn two Coheed and Cambria songs for our repertoire of covers. I'm excited to play them, as I get to sing the fun high pitched backup vocals!
Finally, the saga of FullMetal Alchemist (rating:10/10) came to an end this week, and oh boy what a ride! As you can tell, it takes a lot for any anime to receive a 10/10 rating, as I'm quite picky! This anime had it all, lemme tell you... great characters, plot twists aplenty, continuity, humor, gut wrenching emotional scenes, great animation during battles and outside, great music too! I HIGHLY recommend this show, it is probably (depending on if Naruto actually ever ends and how the story develops and such) the best anime I've ever seen. Even the ending had a certain element of closure and continuity, but left me not completely satisfied and wanting more! I hope the movie coming out soon, taking place 20 years later, will be incredible as well!
Song of the day: California Guitar Trio - The Marsh (this song is so pretty it almost makes me cry acoustic tears!)
September's Random Lyric:
The humming road whispers low
It says: sometimes you feel alone
cause sometimes you are" - Echolyn
September 22, 2004
Alright, after months and months of thinking this over, I've decided to give my music section what I've been bugged for since I announced the concept album. That's right, the rough versions of tracks 1,2,3,4 and 11 from A Cosmic Requiem, which I had worked on for months in 2003 but then put on the back burner because I kept having recording problems (and my equipment was frustrating me, being all low budget junk except my synth). Unfortunately, you all know as well as I do that this concept album may never get done. That's precisely why I'm going to upload the rough copies. In my opinion, they're strong compositions that show promise in what they were supposed to be, and in that sense they deserve a listen. Hop over to the download section for more details.
Song of the day: Ahvak - Vivisektia (good old Israeli amelodic chaos avant-garde chamber rock!)
September 19, 2004
Not much to report as of the current days. I got back to practicing with my metal band, whose name is still undecided. We currently have about 4 songs down pat, and a few more that are in the rough stage. Our old guitarist quit, so we're down to a four piece of guitar/bass/drums/vocals, but still sounding hot. I don't know when sound clips will be available, but I'll keep everyone updated.
Drummer friend JT's alterna-rock band Shaking Judy has also asked me to potentially play as their bassist. I may accept, depending on the amount of free time I have. They aren't my type of music, but they are fun to jam with and their songs are entertaining to play. More updates as they come...
I've been getting heavily into the great New Jersey area band Coheed and Cambria, as my Current Albums of Listenage suggests. JT's band has already learned Blood Red Summer, a fun but easy tune on which I sing backup falsetto vocals too, and we plan to learn the fantastic song The Crowing as well. That may persuade me to join, as that song and band is just plain wonderful.
Song of the day: Coheed and Cambria - The Crowing (this song has been in my head for almost the entire week!)
September 4, 2004
As you can see, the download server is back on track and you can all enjoy yourselves once again. Spread the word with my songs! I don't do them for profit, only for the love of music, so tell anyone you know about it, and mention the word free ;)
I recently finished the hilarious anime Excel Saga (rating:9.0/10) and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the series generally random and hilarious, but it actually ended up having a semi cohesive story (storieS even...) which came together in the 25th episode. It was also entertaining that there was an "extra" 26th episode which continued past the end of the story with more nonsense and hilarity. Great series, much funnier than I found Azumangah Daioh to be. Now moving on to finish the SAC series of Ghost in the Shell, while continuing the great sagas that are Naruto and FullMetal Alchemist.
As noted below, I recently came across a fantastic guitarist by the name of Buckethead. His URL is below, and as far as I can tell, he's been around for some time, doing solo projects and being a hired goon for such groups as Primus offsprings, Praxis, etc. I believe he is currently the replacement for Slash in Guns N Roses. Most of his solo stuff is lunacy; beatboxing, record scratching, dance music with warp speed shredding, even battles between him and futuristic monsters put to music. Then I came across the album Electric Tears, which was described as Buckethead's "tame" album of ballads only. Having heard his chaos, I scoffed at the possibility that he calmed down for such an album, and boy was I wrong. All tracks on the disc are brilliant, hardly a trace of shredding or pretentiousness at all. I particularly love the song below, its melody is simply calming and refreshing. Hail Buckethead for his lunacy!
Song of the day: Buckethead - All in the Waiting (a newly discovered guitar great! he rocks!)
August 21, 2004
Just a quick update. The download server seems to be down for those that for whatever reason want to get my songs. I believe Phil, my gracious webspace host, is on vacation, and therefore his site is probably down as a result. No worries, it'll be back up eventually!
As you've probably noticed, the album Seventh House from IQ has been in constant rotation lately. I heard the British band's latest effort, Dark Matter, and I was kinda disappointed. I remembered how much I liked Seventh House best, and then went back to listen to it, and it's better than ever. In my opinion, their best release! I'll have to do some more Dark Matter listenage, it might grow on me...
Two anime updates for ye as well. I recently finished Azumangah Daioh (rating:7.5/10) and Final Fantasy Unlimited (rating:8.0/10). Azumangah is rumored to have been one of the funniest animes out there, and I agree it was pretty funny, the stories and jokes just got really old after a while. They had (I think) three episodes that (although not after another) were about the same thing. Final Fantasy Unlimited had a pretty mediocre story and pretty drab characters, but the thing that saved it was the great video game style CG scenes. I felt like I was playing a video game actually, just one with a bad story :P
Song of the day: IQ - Guiding Light (oh man, can Pete sing great melodies or what...)
August 22, 2004
Camp be over! After many weeks of work, I have a bit of freedom before school starts. Many memories, many friendships made, many links created and broken. A good summer overall!
This past Wednesday I had the pleasure of seeing Dream Theater again for my fourth time! This time they opened for Yes at a local big arena. Great show! I was extremely tired so during the Yes show I was kinda comatose, listening with my eyes closed. I was up on the balcony actually, but they moved us up about 50 rows because they didnt sell enough balcony tickets. Fine with me! Dream Theater's set was short, but the lighting and sound was great, since it was at a large venue. The setlist comprised of various songs, mostly ones that they've never played for us, so I was happy. Songs included Learning to Live, Stream of Consciousness, Trial of Tears, Overture / About To Crash, and Solitary Shell / About to Crash (reprise) / Losing Time. Set was kinda short, but a good choice of songs. LaBrie was sounding top notch, hitting lots of high notes and not missing a beat. Myung's bass could have been a PINCH louder, but thats usual...
Yes' set, however, was approximately two hours and their setup was interesting. They had a large inflatable random looking thing that I couldnt exactly figure out. One that floated above them was claw shaped, the other looked like random shapes with drawings on them that spanned most of the stage. I tried to figure it out but with no luck. Their setlist was mostly songs I don't know, I recognized Awaken, Owner of a Lonely Heart and Yours Is No Disgrace. A few others sounded familiar but I didn't know the titles. Steve Howe is a wacky guitarist, I must say! He kinda plays in his own time and tempo, as if he doesn't hear the rest of the band. I like his style. The band is pretty tight for one that's been around for that long, King Crimson style. Gods of old prog are still as powerful as ever! :D
Song of the day: IQ - Seventh House (the masters of great vocal melodies! This whole album is great!)
August 3, 2004
W00T! Welcome August! Where has the summer gone? I see camp and such have eaten away all my free time. Fine with me :P
First, onto the news of newses! I finally got a chance to see the wonderful Ozric Tentacles this past weekend while visiting a friend in Atlanta. Friday night I took the long drive (after being up at 4:00 AM for my flights) from Atlanta to Athens, Georgia. We got there a few hours early, stupids in Georgia apparently only start concerts after 9 PM? :P Opening act Garbage Island was, needless to say, strange. They sounded like a jam band that was experienced in playing noise. There seemed to be little structure to their set, and most of the instruments except the drums and bass were just making dense walls of sound that few could really hear through. Once they were done, it was still another hour before OT came out. They finally came out at about 11:15 and jammed till 1:30 AM. Setlist included the regulars like Jurassic Shift, Sunscape, Sploosh, Chewier, Plasmoid and an extended jam, two synth jams, Pyramidion plus reggae jam, White Rhino Tea, Domes of G'bal, Oakum, Tidal Convergence, 0-1 and the encore was The Throbbe. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Sunscape instead of what I thought would be Saucers, and the jam which followed Plasmoid was pretty intense. The band is still pretty tight, new synth-ist Hal is pretty good, although I hear what people have been talking about. His solos can use some polishing, but I like the work he's been doing. Paz is a tight bassist, able to keep up at any speed they were playing at. I'd be interested to hear what him and Hal can offer to recordings though. Jon at one point got up to the mic and said "did anyone realize we're at a... concert?". I thought that was pretty amusing. The show only had about 100 people there tops, which was also entertaining because I got to be as close as I wanted :) Some people really came far to see the band, like Alabama, New York, Florida (some guy had to be at work the next day in Tampa for 9 AM :P), but I took the cake, flying from Montreal to Toronto to Atlanta, then driving 2 hours to Athens :) All in all a great show, well worth my extravagantly priced tickets!
The Shawn Lane song is on hiatus (surprise?) until JT gets back from China. I imagine it'll be easier to get work done with him around (and I'm busy myself during the week). The rough copy is still loads of fun to listen to and I'm surprised at the great tune we've created! Go us! :D
Song of the day: Tiles - Facing Failure (it's great to rediscover an album which you used to love but put down for a few years!)
July 13, 2004
Ladies and gents, the Shawn Lane tribute song finally nears completion! The last few recording sessions had myself and JT completely redoing all guitar tracks as I replaced my guitar strings, redid one track, then found that all the tracks sound infinitely better with new strings. Upon completing that, we added bass tracks (which incidentally, sound great!), some small lead tracks, and JT spend his last 6 hours in montreal (before heading to China until August 8) putting on fantastic sounding drum tracks. All that remains is adding two tracks of mirroring acoustic guitar, redoing a lead track, and if possible, redoing the outro riff which is, without a doubt, the most difficult progression I've ever composed. Not because of its complexity, but because of its sheer finger demand. With any luck the song may be finished this weekend (although it's not looking that way). Keep yours ears peeled!
Also, any suggestions for a title are welcome. Email me!
Song of the day: Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth (this guy apparently has no testicles, either that or there was helium in his mother's womb!)
July 2, 2004
Not much to update nowadays either. I started my summer job not long ago, working at a local day camp to boost my savings account towards a new sweet guitar, among other new toys. This of course has left me with little time to work on the Shawn Lane project (that and drummer JT has been busy preparing a potential trip to the orient), and so the song has been put on an unfortunate hiatus for as long as it takes. Rest assured, if I do not meet the deadline and are unable to appear on this tribute album, I'll make the song 100x better and it will be available for free here before the album would have even come out! :P
In non musical news, I recently finished the anime Chrono Crusade (rating: 9.0/10), a fantastic tale of 1920's era demons, religion and of course, super powers. Oh yeah, and plot twists. The ending as usual left me a bit confused, and seems to be looking at room for a potential story continuation in the future. A last word on this, I'll never give in to calling it its alleged title of Chrno Crusade! :)
Until next time, keep on proggin'...
Song of the day: Thinking Plague - Blown Apart (to quote a friend, "this is TOO weird! I'm having trouble understanding it!")
June 11, 2004
A small update to say that there are now new pictures to view in the pictures section. One of them mine, the others belonging to talented young artists in my school of teachage. There's also new lyrics available to read. Lyrics section is available through the Music page, or through here.
Unfortunately, Shawn Lane song hasn't gotten much attention lately as myself and JT haven't had much free time. Bass sessions, lead guitars / solos will be recorded ASAP! It's coming along nicely and looks like a satisfying result will come out of this!
I've been watching much of the King Crimson DVD lately, and I've gained much more love for them as a result. Fripp and co are brilliant masters of music. Eyes Wide Open is a great double DVD with a great setlist!
Song of the day: Steve Hackett - Omega Metallicus (to think, this wacky guitarist making dancey heavy guitar prog is pretty old :P)
June 6, 2004
Finally, I have an opportunity to post a self concert review! Without sounding too tough on myself, I kinda thought we played pretty crappily. I enjoyed myself very much though, so that aside, let's get to the nitty gritty.
First of all, it really sucks playing with other groups who have a-hole members in them, lemme tell you. From the "no, unload your own equipment" to the "use our bass amp, you don't need yours. every bass amp sounds the same!", I was about ready to smack them with my 5 string monster :)
THEN we got delayed because the sound guy wanted to watch the rest of the hockey game...THEN we had to wait for our singer to show because he's a religious jew who had to leave after the Sabbath was over at 9:30 (sposed to be on at 10 PM...).
Once we started playing, things started to pick up. I also forgot to mention that our singer showed up and calmly stated "I have 103 fever and the flu". Bonus, you say? :P After our first song, my third bass string got slightly untuned, so while introducing ourselves, I started retuning, only to find that nobody noticed so they continued playing. It's hard to play 2 whole songs while consciously avoiding the string that is out of tune. Once I fixed that, the only problems were timing issues between our drummer and guitarist (which I'm glad they noticed, because they were pretty prominent)...
Crowd received us well, and friends who came said we were fun to see. I had fun playing the air bass in the intro of one of the songs, then pretending I never heard the song before by staring blankly at the guitarist's fretboard. I then made it appear like I was learning the song as they played it, and apparently I fooled several people who thought I was a "bass god for learning the song on the spot". :) I'm still a little disappointed and thought we could have played better, but I had a blast and that's what counts!
Song of the day: Blackfield - Blackfield (Geffen + Wilson = calm folk prog bliss! I wanna hire Stevey to sing on my songs! :D)
June 1, 2004
Day 3 of Shawn Lane Tribute album session... (May 27)
Now time was beginning to get short. Get shorty? Yeah, sure. Today we laid out an order of what parts go where, a sort of structure that the song would follow. Kind of difficult when the main riff itself is like 40 seconds long, and you're limited to being about 4-5 minutes in the song ;)
Day 4 of Shawn Lane Tribute album session... (May 31)
So much music in one day!! Not counting a break for 2 hours, recording today went on for 7 hours. We laid down all the tracks in their respective order, some took a few takes, some we played around with, and some we recorded using different pickups and effects. Success finally after finishing at 11 pm. For the remaining hour of being awake, we discussed possible basslines. What remains over the next few days is to record the bass, for JT to put in his own drums (be they programmed or real), and for a solo and/or some lead to be put in somewhere.
Stay tuned for more...
I quit playing Final Fantasy 11! :( Pictures from my various excursions will be posted soon in a nostalgic form. Don't play MMORPGs, they suck out your life! :D
For a real laugh, read some Mars Volta lyrics here and try to decode what they're singing about :P
Song of the day: Jens and Anders Johansson - Quli (I can't get this damn song out of my head!!)
May 26, 2004
Day 1 of Shawn Lane Tribute album session... (yesterday...)
I had two main themes already in mind when approaching this project. I perform best under pressure, or so I'm told, so naturally I subconsciously waited until I have a week left to complete this song to start it. Keeping the extremely melodic, classically influenced, major scales with a bit of blues or funk sort of style Mr Lane was known for planted firmly in my head, I laid down some tracks with drummer compadré JT in rough WAV format and then sat there dumbfounded. I borrowed a bandmate's Line6 Pod to boost my sound capabilities, only to find it's preamps weren't fantastic and therefore had nice effects but still sounded kinda low quality. Good thing we weren't recording yet... For this session, I didn't have much creative juices flowing as I had been gone for three days straight will little sleep, so we just laid those two themes down and then added some slight variations on those themes.
Day 2 of Shawn Lane Tribute album session...
Today was a little more on the productive side. With nobody around to file noise complaints (living out of parents' houses sounds good right about now!), we had the freedom to play at higher volume and with actual drums. When lacking in composing skills, JT and I resort to jamming out already known parts and see where the flow takes us. This worked wonders, as within 3 hours we had almost ten themes with slight variations of each other laid down. Tomorrow, we work on the order of things, the repetitions (if any ;)) and the general song layout. Then comes the dirtywork of putting a solo or two somewhere, then the actual recording!!
Stay tuned for the next two days...
Head on over here to view and hear samples of the rock group I am lending my bass skills to for a show on June 5. Club One on Crescent Street in downtown Montreal, come one come all! Don't expect a total progfest though, but I promise to pull some funktastic basslines... ;)
Song of the day: Kaki King - Night After Sidewalk (such beautiful guitar playing, I could overlook the fact that there are no other instruments!)
May 2, 2004
In the spirit of my own birthday today, I put up the space train song I've talked about for weeks and weeks. This version does NOT have the remixed qualities I originally said it would, but eventually that one will come. It's at the bottom of the download section as expected.
In other news, I'm looking into purchasing a lovely new Ibanez 7 string guitar. Suggestions? Hop over to the contact information and send them over with the subject NEW GUITAR. I also played a 2600$ synth yesterday, which i really want too. Donations through paypal accepted! :D
Expect some new music sometime soon as I finish up (or rather continue) the Shawn Lane tribute song which is due June 1st, and as I put together the ending of the epic Atmospheric Instability. That's all for now... play safe!
Song of the day: Pineapple Thief - Vapour Trails (mmm... a delicious mixture of Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree)
April 17, 2004
Alright, where have I been? Well if you know me at all, you'll know April is hectic crazy month due to the upcoming storm called final exams. Fear not, I shall get through them!!! I may not pass, but I'll get through them ;)
In musical news, new Spastic Ink album ROCKS!!!! Purchase it through Laser's Edge or through Ron's site indicated below. Slightly stranger than the last one as there are actually vocals, the album still has the zany time changes and impossible riffs that we've all come to know and love!
In my zone of music, I've been busy working on a song for the Shawn Lane tribute album run by Mike Rewa, and have been putting together some themes for Atmospheric Instability part iii. Remember the downloads are still up and you grab them indefinitely. Spread the word!
Song of the day: Spastic Ink - Words For Nerds (only Ron Jarzombek can put like 8 themes with 1241 time changes into one 5 minute song!)
March 28, 2004
DREAM THEATER IS STILL THE BEST BAND EVAR!!! ok... gotta calm down here. Last night was their best performance BY FAR, great sound, light and video. Minor complaints first: Petrucci was a little louder than Rudess, which kinda sucked during JR's solos. Portnoy's bass drum hits weren't loud enough. LaBrie's REALLY high singing parts somehow were way louder than his not so high pitched stuff, and it was painful. Myung could have been a bit louder. I hoped since the venue was called Metropolis, they'd comment on it, but nope! Last complaint: I wanted to hear SoC :(
Now the good stuff! Setlist (which spanned over 3 hours plus intermission) in no particular order:
As I Am, This Dying Soul, Beyond This Life plus Zappa weirdness jamming and Petrucci playing insane scales with one hand, A Fortune In Lies, The Mirror, A Mind Beside Itself with a tiny part of Voices taken out for some reason and a ROCKIN' version of Silent Man, Metropolis Part 1, War Inside My Head / Test That Stumped Them All, Portnoy / Rudess jamming, Rudess solo, Finally Free, Peruvian Skies, Honor Thy Father, In The Name of God, and ACoS for an encore. HOLY MONKEYS!
I reiterate, sound was great. Video was also great. Portnoy has lights on each of his bass drums that light up on occasion, and counting the TV's in the venue, there were SEVEN screens showing videos and the band and video animations. Their money seemed to have gone to good use!
Entertainment aspect; the highlights:
Petrucci looking totally BADASS with his spiked hair and black attire, legs spread during the heavy parts, and totally not even watching while playing crazy solos.
Petrucci flawlessly pulling off the Fortune in Lies solo with a good non-80's sounding guitar.
Rudess walking around in a circle while playing his solo on his rotating keyboard. The solo even had rhythm and other tracks programmed over it :)
Rudess using his mouth to emote the wah wah sound of his solos as he played them.
Portnoy and the sound/lighting guy playing "toss the drumstick" back and forth while playing in odd time.
Watching the crowd ogle the band during the endless arpeggio that finishes off This Dying Soul.
Portnoy playing in odd time while drinking from a coffee mug in the other.
Portnoy getting up while playing to switch to the OTHER side of his drum set.
Watching the crowd attempt to clap their hands to a lot of the heavy stuff that's in odd time and failing miserably.
After the show when the band took a bow, Portnoy made a "im tired" face and stayed bent over after the band left. JR and Labrie came back to drag him out after they realized he was still bent over. :)
Ok, I can relax now and never compose again because of these godly musicians that destroy my confidence. At least I can die happily now! :)
In non DT news, go buy the new Ozric album NOW!!!! More on this later as my brain can only think DT at this moment.
Song of the day: Ozric Tentacles - Spirals in Hyperspace (OK, time to get a Roland D50 for just this handbell sound)
March 18, 2004
Ok, I accidentally deleted this update as I usually do, so here's the gist. Animes for you all to watch: Kousetsu Hyakumonogatari (rating:9.0/10), a GREAT innovative anime that's funny, violent, and disturbing all at once. Should have been longer :( Also, finally finished the famous Rurouni Kenshin rating:8.5/10), which would have been great if they stopped it at episode ~60. There were three main stories, first one GREAT, second one decent and the third disappointing. They really should have ended it after the first stage finished. Almost done watching Peace Maker Kurogane, one episode left!!!
In musical news, new Ozric just came out and am awaiting it, as I am the new Spastic Ink. On my musical front, nothing much happening. Still attempting to write a song for the Shawn Lane tribute album, while trying to get JT to put some drums over my new song. More to come eventually!
Song of the day: Spastic Ink - A Quick Affix (eagerly awaiting more Jarzombek craziness....)
February 25, 2004
AYIEEEE! Opeth was monstrously incredulous! I almost moshed this time (as opposed to last time when sadly, I couldn't escape the pit!). Akerfeldt announced at the start of the show "ok, tonight will consist of stuff we've never played live before!" to which the crowd went totally wild. His next words were, somehow, "Ok, now we're gonna play a song you probably all heard before". So the night was somewhat mixed feelings. Awesome setlist including Master's Apprentices, Deliverance, Windowpane and In My Time Of Need from Damnation, April Ethereal, Blackwater Park, Drapery Falls, The Moor and of course Demon Of The Fall. As you can see this included some songs already played before (damnation tunes, deliverance and drapery falls). No complaint, but I just figured it would be ALL unheard tunes. They had the same keyboardist guy from the Damnation tour, and he added some cool ambiance to the whole set. Dunno who he is though...
The boys were in excellent shape and sounded great. Bass and guitars and drums were totally seamlessly woven together in an exquisite wall of sound. Strangely, the songs chosen for this set were ones whose guitar solos were performed by frontman Akerfeldt. Only one guitar solo was Peter Lindgren's. We all know he can play all the stuff Mikael does, so no complaints ;) All in all a fantastic night with a great setlist. My third time seeing them in almost a span of two years was definitely worth it. Dream Theater is next at the end of march, can't wait!
Thanks for all that downloaded the now available new stuff. Thanks for the comments too, criticisms and silence too even ;) Once again, point your browser to the download section and have fun. Newest songs at the bottom, and there's also a link at the top of the section for downloads of my first horrid quality album.
Song of the day: ZubZub - Mellocycle (this arpeggio rocks! totally mellow and uh, cycling!)
February 20, 2004
Alright! Got an account to webspace man, and TP is all uploaded and ready to go. Download to your heart's content! Also, newest song Another Word For Synonym is good to go!
Also, expect another song to hit the shelves of, um, the download section in a few days when drummer JT performs said task. Another spacey track to add to your collection, this time based on pure improvisation! :)
Upcoming concert: Opeth this sunday. BOOYA! I hear they're playing never-before-played material? If so, I may need to change my underwear only a few songs into the night.
Notice this page is much smaller... :S
That's because all the rest of my online diary which nobody reads except me is now archived in the above link. Text takes up little webspace, so I can archive this stuff all I want! MWAHAHAH!
Song of the day: Gambale, Hamm and Smith - Dangerous Curves(funny how much this jazz fusion sounds like random chords in any scale!)
February 15, 2004
OK, misconception. Can't upload Trigonometric Parallax to my webspace guy because he's on vacation. I'll fix that up ASAP. It's midterm time anyway, so not really having much free time!
Likewise, as soon as he gets back, head over to the newly created download section to hear the bulk of the newest created track. Once again, don't expect an insane prog metal fest with odd times a plenty... that will come soon ;)
Famous drummer JT will be remixing the new song (or at least the MIDI export capable parts composed in FruityLoops FLStudio)in Reason (as well as providing me with a copy of it) to eventually create a cool new version of it. Expect it in the download section as soon as he can do it!
Song of the day: Opeth - Forest of October (getting ready for the upcoming concert isn't too difficult ;))
February 8, 2004
Alright! Got some actual stuff goin on here! Notice there's a new section up there, a fantastic newly revamped download section which you can access by means of the orange menu above. Coming (i swear!) in the next few days will be the finished work entitled Another Word For Synonym (look to Jens' website below and see how he sorta ripped me off ;)).
In the download section as well, there's a link to my first recording, 2002's Trigonometric Parallax. This can also be reached by going through the music section and looking under Previous Projects. The album has received good reactions from critics (er.. my friends) and is not really worth putting into production because of the time and money constraints. Also, I'd rather hear reactions and spread my love of the music than expect a profit. Point your browser to it and grab the songs of your choice. For the inclined, each song has a little read-along which gives you insight into my "how was this song made or written and why was it called so?". Feedback appreciated!
On another note of music, my Audiophile USB is giving me issues. I have been told that realistically it was silly to buy because it's specially made for electronic musicians, which means it's about 25% useful for me... anyone want it? I'll probably replace it with a mixer / pre-amp or something. Cost me 170 US, so I'd be willing to let go of it for 130-150. Email me and we'll talk.
Song of the day: Jens Johansson - Phase Camouflage (not only does this title rock but the song is dazzingly dizzyingly cool!)
January 25, 2004
Just a short update today. Two new pictures added, expect more from my Final Fantasy XI craze which is currently underway. My trippy techno-ish song is coming along nicely, I have to decide what sort of bass / guitar and possibly synth to put over it, as of now it's just programming. The tentative working title is "Another Word for Synonym".
Song of the day: IQ - Shooting Angels(call me crazy but this simple song is so beautiful!)
January 9, 2004
Whoa! It's been many weeks since I've had a chance to update here, so I'll apologize now: sorry! :)
Okay, first off, LOTS of music has recently come into my possession and so I'm having trouble listening to old stuff! Most notably mentionable is the fantastic Xenn album "Offworld", a project from polish prog group Abraxas' ex-bassist (of course the group no longer exists, so maybe I can say ex-polish prog group instead?). Trey Gunn's newest 2003 release Untune The Sky is also a fantastic purchase and comes with a an awesome dvd of him playing the weird yet enticing Warr guitar. Flower Kings bassist Jonas Reingold recently released an interesting prog rock album called Karmakanic, featuring various Swedish musicians. Also a good purchase! Grab most if not all of these from www.theendrecords.com for 1$ shipping!
More on the music front, I finally got my M-Audio Audiophile USB with MIDI capability, so look forward to some new tracks soon. Most notably is a track I'm working on which as of yet is only programmed through FLStudio. I plan to add some real synth, bass and guitar in the near future. It is in the similar vein of my latest track, Breaching The Void, so don't expect any prog metal just yet ;) Expect the song to be available sometime on the weekend perhaps.
I also plan to contribute a project to Mike Rewa's compilation benefitting the family of recently deceased guitarist Shawn Lane. His two studio albums, TriTone Fascination and Powers of Ten are both EXTREMELY strong releases. His style reminds me of a bit of Steve Morse at times. Nevertheless, my track to be contributed will obviously be mostly guitar oriented, maybe I'll even try to even sound like Lane! ;)
Anime-wise, I'm still hooked on the one-episode-a-week Naruto, which is getting me REALLY impatient :) Also worth mention is Kousetsu Hyakumonogatari (100 Ghost Stories), a very interesting series with the art style similar of Soul Taker. Recently finished a decent vampire-themed anime called Shingetsutan Tsukihime (Moon Princess) (rating:8.0/10). Interesting take on what you'd expect to be a pure chaotic series, this one develops into a quasi love story cool twists. I'm actually getting used to not being able to understand the ending of animes ;) Grab all of these serieses while they last at AnimeSuki.
Song of the day: Xenn - Dark Matter (man is this song ever catchy! sort of expected when you have like only one lyric :P)
November 24, 2003
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Montreal's own Heaven's Cry with main performer Arena from the UK. Both put on a great show and was well worth the cheap ticket prices. Being my second time seeing HC, I was pleased to hear some familiar songs from the album I own. The highlight is their classical guitarist and the fact that their singer/guitarist pulls some of the WACKIEST guitar effects (read: he makes it sound like a synthesizer). Arena had trouble with sound for the first few minutes and had to start over but then played a full set of their recent concept album Contagion, then continued with a second set including older songs like Chosen, Valley of the Kings, Sirens, (Don't Forget To) Breathe, Crack In The Ice and a double encore with Friday's Dream, Enemy Without and Crying for Help VII. I got a great spot in the crowd but was extremely close to the three stack amps so 1) sound was distorted at high volume, especially keyboards and loud vocal parts and 2) I am almost deaf in my right ear. All in all a good night :) Man, that guitarist John Mitchell can pull some beautiful sounding guitar parts!
In other news, apologies to anyone that actually reads this and is semi interested, but I haven't been able to record or write any music lately. I foolishly bought the online-only Final Fantasy XI (yes, there are eleven games... read about the preview for the 12th one here) and that has been taking up most of my time. Look for me on the Lakshmi server with the player name Saishuu, currently a level 14 red mage. Go geekiness! Over the break perhaps, I plan to sometime soon finish up the Atmospheric Instability theme with a third and final section with vocals, yes, more than one verse this time :P
Also on the note of music, I am very much leaning towards starting the recording process over on tracks 1-4 of my newest project (see the music section).Track 11 is impeccably done, I think, and needs no real tweaking or re-recording. Only when I have my new superduper USB MIDI capable soundcard will I finalize my decision, but it looks as though this project may take a LOT longer than I thought (which, considering it's already going onto a year of composing, recording, scrapping, re-recording, etc... is a LONG time already :P). Patience, my friends, the project will well be worth it in the end! Read along text (for both the musical approach and the scientific approach) for the songs will be readily available, as has been done with each theme-based composition of mine, so you can read along to my demented music writing if you so desire! That's all for now, keep on proggin' ;)
Song of the day: Planet X - Digital Vertigo (THIS DRUM PATTERN MAKES NO SENSE! AHHHH!)
November 17, 2003
Saturday night rocked the cashbah with Devin Townsend band and Symphony X. DTB was having some sound / tech problems and as a result, the show suffered in its quality, but Devin kicked butt. Setlist included Seventh Wave, Earth Day, Suicide, Away / Deep Peace, 3 AM, and Life. Symphony X was brilliant as usual, perfectly executed songs and singer Russ Allen is still one of the most friendly stage presences ever. Sitting on the far right I was treated to mostly guitarist Michael Romeo's sound and VERY low doses of keyboardist Michael Pinella. Unfortunately in ALL three shows of SX I've seen, I've never been able to clearly hear the keyboards unless they are playing a softer song. Setlist included Inferno, Awakenings, Sea of Lies, Smoke and Mirrors, Accolade 2, Of Sins and Shadows, Evolution, Communion and the Oracle and they actually kept their promise from back in March and played the epic The Odyssey. Awesome show in total! Regretfully, due to the my own positioning, the sound quality caused the show to lose momentum. King Crimson all in all was a better show therefore, but doesn't mean I didn't have a great time!
In other news, a few key parts of the pictures section have been taken down due to complications in the workplace. Most pictures donated to my cause willingly will be kept online, so rest assured your peepers will be able to check out those young artists' works all you want!
Song of the day: Dream Theater - Stream of Consciousness (this song grows on me every time I hear. great tune!)
November 12, 2003
First order of business... in what order do I present this? Well, new DT came out and it kicks buttocks. MUCH heavier than the usual DT... back to the awake era sound maybe? Interesting compositions, and I think Petrucci has tendonitis :)
That aside, King Crimson was AWESOME... kickass setlist, great musicians. Setlist included much of "The Power to Believe" and others such as Dinosaur, Construkction of Light, Prozakc, One Time, etc. That Trey Gunn :S I have the show bootlegged in bad mp3 form if anyone wants.
Using my wuvly digital camera there's now a few new pictures donated by the girls of my second of two art classes. Enjoy!
Song of the day: Dream Theater - This Dying Soul (ahhhhh! Glass Prison CONTINUES!!! :) :) :))
November 7, 2003
Alrighty, first note of business... new DT album soon!!!!!!! AAAAAH!!!! Those of you that don't know about it, the radio edit of As I Am can be found on the DT site and the contest entries for the instrumental songwriting contest can be found here. Note that some of these entries may blow your brain to a million pieces :P
Second thing, I got a digital camera! Thusly using it, there are now 3 new pictures ready to be viewed in the pics section, one from each of my two schools, and one I made not too long ago. Enjoy!
Third thing, King Crimson, Symphony X / Devin Townsend and Arena concerts approach. I may not survive, but at least I'll perish a happy man! :D On a similar note, wanna copy of the Alex Skolnick Trio or Flower Kings shows this past October and July, respectively? I got 'em made :)
Song of the day: Howe / Wooten / Chambers - Contigo (latin jazz fusion... three musical concepts I will never be able to play, let alone ALL AT ONCE!!)
October 17, 2003
Another short update today, unfortunately. School's been getting busy so I haven't had much time to draw, compose, or edit anything major. Look forward to some stuff in November (otherwise known as the post midterm month). I have a few pictures that will be finished and uploaded soon, as well as some pictures from my cartooning classes this session.
I just found out recently that the one and only King Crimson will be in my town November 11. I'd like to check them out but tickets range from 40 to 75 dollars, so let's hope 40 bucks will get me semi decent seats. Primus is also hitting my area on November 22nd, but I don't think I'll be able to catch them as Arena is the next day.
Last week I checked out the Alex Skolnick Trio. Awesome show! Alex used to be a guitarist for the metal band Testament and then for some reason decided to form a jazz band. These guys are pretty nuts! If you feel like getting your brain blown apart by nonsensical jazz, go see them :)
Thanks to all who checked out my newest song in the download section, Breaching the Void. The general consensus was that it is a pretty groovin' song, and a bit cheesy at times :) I'll try to make more songs like it when I get a better hang of FruityLoops FL Studio. I'm currently working on another amusing funky song, we'll see what comes of it.
That's all for now, keep on proggin' :P
Song of the day: Shawn Lane - Not Again (this guy really reminds me of Steve Morse. Got a lot of cool side project bands too!)
September 30, 2003
Just a short update this time! Two new pictures in the pictures section, the new song Breaching The Void available in the music download section, and a rough version of the cover of A Cosmic Requiem can be found in the music section. Enjoy!
Song of the day: Symphony X - Accolade II (yeeeeah! getting prepped for the concert is easy ;))
September 28, 2003
Ok, finally we have some progress. :) As of this evening I made a trippy song entitled Breaching The Void. Check it out in the download section in a few days!
Coming up soon in Montreal (in december) is a local metal fest headlined by Dimmu Borgir. These guys are pretty nuts, I suggest any metal fans check them out, along with two "counterpart" bands called Vintersorg (beware, they don't sing in english all the time!) and Borknagar. I've been in a metal phase recently, I guess that's what happens when you write an INSANE song like "the event horizon", which is now apparently finished. I don't think I've written anything this nuts since Purging of the Oath, so you can imagine what it's like ;)
I also made a few more pictures lately of random anime characters I made up out of boredom. Look for those in the pictures section momentarily!
Song of the day: Dimmu Borgir - Sympozium (ok, this drummer officially has 8 arms. I can't even play that fast for 5 seconds straight and he can do it for a 7 minute song!)
September 22, 2003
Howdy everyone! Good news for people wanting a taste of what's to come... a few samples of the upcoming "A Cosmic Requiem" (see the music section) will be up for download soon. I'm pretty excited myself! I imagine at the moment having samples for tracks 1-4 and 11, which is essentially all I have at the moment. Rest assured, person who is reading this RIGHT now, you will be the first person I inform when the tracks are up for d/l! That aside, the website now boasts the "if you want to hear my first album, just ask" feature. I'm willing to make CDR's of the album if you're interested, complete with a nice "as you listen" reading material as to the insight on the project in that frame of mind. Email me for details! :)
Let's see, what else is happening? As if I don't talk enough about myself... well...
Two bands I recommend everyone checks out is A.C.T and Satellite, very impressive acts (no pun intended... well, ok maybe a little one). That and the excitement ensues for the ARENA show and the SYMPHONY X / DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND show... those will both be incredible. So far away though... :-/
Ok, I'm gonna stop with my three dots now. Hi wifey! :P
Song of the day: A.C.T - Waltz (this song has so many different styles and thusly kicks mega posterior!)
September 8, 2003
Howdy all! My almost weekly post is now coming together! School has started once again, so off I go into the land of brain destruction in the form of equations and such, leading to the eventual meltdown of my brain. Lovely!
On to the good stuff... I borrowed a 12 string acoustic electric guitar from a friend of mine and will have more access to it as the days go by, and it has proven useful in adding wackiness to the already quasi complete tracks in A Cosmic Requiem. I'm actually listening to the partially revamped track 3, and seeing how well it transitions into track 4. I've also sent a copy of track 4 to my drummer friend (same one who played on Tones) and will do so with track 3 once it's finished so he can put some percussive-ish tracks over it. He said he'll make a few versions and I can pick the one I want. I think I'll keep all of them just in case :)
In the anime universe, I recently finished a few serieses, namely Scryed (rating:9.5/10) and Spiral (rating:9.0/10). Both series were kick buttocks, however Spiral could have used a better ending. Scryed was ambiguous enough, and in the end it got so NUTS I thought I was gonna explode! On that note, Naruto is a must-see series (although action progresses so damn SLOW that it takes SO many episodes for stuff to happen) about a ninja school. The soundtrack is also coolness as the battle themes are cool metal-ish progness. Go watch this now as it is INSANE!!!! :)
In the world of music, I stumbled across the album according to the song of the day below, and it is GREAT!!!! I love FF music and combining that with prog-ish notions gives me tingles :)
Listening to track 3 now... apparently one of the tracks vanished in the mixdown, lovely work, cool edit pro!! In total this track has, no joke, 87 separate tracks (although some of them are like little guitar diddles, etc). Go me! :)
Song of the day: Nobuo Uematsu and The Black Mages - Dancing Mad (ok... combine prog with final fantasy music, makes a recipe for AURAL INSANITY!!! Get it on ebay cheap!)
August 10, 2003
My computer is fixed? Well, let's hold our horses and not throw a parade just yet. After getting a new hard drive and a new motherboard, the computer has stopped giving me blue screens of death and has settled on the occasional freeze. That's good news, sorta, so I am trying the onboard VGA console which is about half as fast as my current video card. No freezes yet...
On that note, I just reinstalled Cool Edit Pro and I will be borrowing my friend's 12 string guitar for a bit. I need a decent mic and i should be able to fix up some songs that are in need of acoustic action. I might ACTUALLY record something sometime soon! :)
In the land of music, upcoming November 15th is Symphony X (fourth time in three years, kickass!) with opening act Devin Townsend Band. AWESOME!
Song of the day: Greywall - Mark On You (tentative name... whee! i helped my friends' band write this one!)
July 20, 2003
Well, I finally caved in and bought some new RAM for my computer. Granted, it's the same type of RAM (besides being c2 and not c3, big whoop) I had before, but I merely bought it to see if my computer would stop freezing. On the contrary, it hasn't frozen yet, but instead I've seen three different blue screens of death. On top of that I can't play any of the games I had installed, not that they would have worked anyway... I wonder if the system is salvageable at all?
New in the download section are the bass/drum jam session tracks. Check out improv at its worst! :P
Song of the day: Jordan Rudess - Revolving Door (Petrucci's solo is mind destroying aural bliss!)
July 17, 2003
Darn it, my "three incredulous concerts" summer stint has come to a close! Last night was my third of three, the fantastic Porcupine Tree / Opeth combo. PT came on stage a little late and played a variety of In Absentia songs and some oldies. The most noticeable thing about this show was their guest guitarist (was he a guest?) who had a great voice for harmonies, and their new drummer who replaced Maitland has some kickass chops. Among the setlist was Strip The Soul, Even Less, Russia On Ice, Gravity Eyelids, Blackest Eyes, Wedding Nails, Trains, a song I don't know called Futile, Waiting, Slave Called Shiver, Shesmovedon, Hatesong, and a keyboard-dual-voice-duet sorta thingy that sounded familiar but I don't know the name too.
While I was waiting for Opeth to take the stage I headed to the coat check and picked up my MD player and mic and readied myself for recording. Unfortunately the coat check woman noticed what I was taking and made a note to the venue staff. More on that after.
When they finally came on an hour later, Opeth put on an excellent show, as I knew they would. Armed with their guest keyboardist, they played all of Damnation in its entirety, followed by Benighted, To Bid You Farewell and Face of Melinda and a Deep Purple cover of Soldier of Fortune. The sound they were getting out of each instrument was fantastic. Solos, lead and rhythm were all played flawlessly. They even teased the crowd with a few seconds of Deliverance... then "reassured" them that there would be no metal or loudness at the show. On that note, they said they will never abandon metal, and that their next album may very well be all black metal. Sounds good to me!
On the way out I grabbed my bag and got stopped by security who then proceeded to confiscate the minidisc which has the show on it. I promptly told them to give the minidisc to the promoter or the band. Knowing someone who knows the promoter, I might be able to somehow get it back. We'll see! All in all, a kickass night, a common thing in the prog concert community :) My next concert will probably be Devy and Strapping Young Lad in October. Can't wait!
In the non-music world of my life, I just finished Scryed (rating:10/10), an incredible, VERY recommended series about, well, essentially, humans with mysterious powers who live in exile of the mainland being antagonized by a group of policelike humans with similar powers. Excellent jazzy / orchestral soundtrack too. GO WATCH IT!
Song of the day: John Arch - Relentless (Any project involving Portnoy just seems to magnetize me into it somehow!)
July 6, 2003
My ears seemed to have ceased to function as it were as last night was the incredulous and utterly fantastic Dream Theater show. I think the last time DT was in my neighborhood was when they opened for Deep Purple many years ago. This show and the Quebec City had I Mother Earth opening, playing a four song ~20 minute set, which was good but disappointingly short. Next came Fates Warning playing about 30 minutes, joined by the Beard's Nick D'Virgilio replacing Mark Zonder on drums. Nick has some serious chops! :) They played a few older songs, among the ones I recognized were Monument, Pieces of Me, You, and half of Still Remains. I wasn't aware they had two guitarists, but in any case they can both solo!!
Queensryche had their 90 minute setlist and the only songs I recognized were Revolution Calling and Eyes of a Stranger. Needless to say, I don't know much QR and only have Mindcrime, so I can't say much about the albums I've missed. They put on a decent show, but I found their songs a bit repetitive and not as exciting or energetic as Fates.
Despite not playing any new material, Dream Theater kicked some serious buttocks in this show, playing many unexpected tracks and a few regulars. Setlist in no particular order: Overture 1928, Strange Deja Vu, Through My Words, Fatal Tragedy, Hollow Years, Under A Glass Moon, Pull Me Under, The Great Debate, Scarred, and an Instrumedley differing from the one I heard last year. The encore was Spirit Carries On played with Queensryche (all guitarists got a chance to solo), and two songs by The Who played by both bands (both bassists and drummers too!). All tracks were executed PERFECTLY, and once again this show is proof that Petrucci is GOD, plain and simple. I had great seats and was able to check out the video screens which they were using to focus on whoever was soloing. All in all, a wonderful night of incredible musicians, well worth every penny!
Before the show, Petrucci and Portnoy were signing autographs at a local music shop, which was also a treat to us die hard prog fans that don't get enough prog treatment. The lineup was substantial and my friends and I didn't have to wait too long. Both signed my ticket, I got a nice picture with both of them, and got two Petrucci posters (one signed) and a Petrucci pick. I can die a complete man now :)
Song of the day: Dream Theater - UberInstrumedley (If there was any chance a human's brain could spontaneously combust, it's from this!)
June 27, 2003
Wheee! Flower Kings rocked last night, as I expected them to. A lovely guest appearance by Daniel Gildenlow of Pain of Salvation made my day as he played guitar, keyboards and percussion for an already semi complete band. I even got autographs and a pic with Zoltan (drummer) and Daniel, and one with me and Roine (lead guitars/vocals). Setlist included The Truth Will Set You Free, Black And White, Circus Brimstone, Humanizzimo, Last Minute on Earth, as well as a few solo spots and jams. The concert was cut short, however, because of a slight power failure. The band jammed with whatever instruments worked until the venue realized they probably wouldn't be able to fix it right away. Shame, but for a ~7 song set, they played almost 2 hours. I did end up being able to record the show, but I had to switch minidiscs in the middle of Humanizzimo... so we'll see how it turns out!
I recently joined the Progressive Music Society (PMS), a yahoo music group which showcases local, mostly unsigned, independent artists of various musical nature. I plan on sending a "demo" CD to the owner which will allow me to be in their next compilation in July! Go me!
Recently discovered on my computer is the soundtracks to Xenosaga episode 1, Scryed, Spiral, and Star Ocean Ex. Haven't had time to listen to all of them but the Spiral soundtrack is super cool :)
Song of the day: The Flower Kings - Black And White (If only I was classically trained on the bass I'd be able to be classified as BASS GOD like Jonas!)
June 19, 2003
Well how about that? I have been so busy doing NOTHING that I haven't updated around here lately 8-). While my computer is somewhat fixed (despite having not actually DONE anything to it...), Cool Edit still messed up again and roasted my Cosmic Requiem track 2. The song basically still exists, but there's a bit of low frequency clipping at times (read: the track farts), so I'm thinking of just redoing the track. Damn perfection! I hope one day I get this album sounding exactly how I want it to... On a similar note I started to redo Collapse / Protoform with some synthification and it kicks gluteus maximus! Kudos to the korg for another job well done!
Good old mIRC provided me with the excellent Now and Then, Here and There soundtrack. GET IT! On other musical topics, I also picked up a few tracks by Steven Wilson's No-Man (cool trippy pop stuff) and Ayreon's "Into the Electric Castle" (AWESOME album).
One week till the Flower Kings concert! Hopefully I'll be able to get a hold of a decent mic for recording, then I can put up the (warning: wanker pun) shoe appendages of the show.
Song of the day: Ayreon - Across the Rainbow Bridge (Ok, I'm gonna change my name to something legendary like Arjen Anthony over here!)
June 6, 2003
Okay kiddies, here's where I tell you to go listen to my tracks again, as there are two new ones complete with programmed drums and all in the music section! Damn freezing computer messed up Cosmic Requiem track 2 so I had to improvize, cutting out the last minute or two and adding weirdness to it to compensate. Rest assured, I'm still happy with the way it came out.
An anime I finished recently is none other than the fantastic Now and Then, Here and There (rating:9.0/10). Awesome music, good story, good characters, all in all an anime I'm glad I watched. There are 13 episodes.
Song of the day: On The Virg - Dragon Bones (okay, is he HUMAN or what? damn his ability to play so incredibly!)
May 31, 2003
Ok, everyone who hates technology raise their hand! Good... me too. So my computer's insides were dusty, I popped her open and vacuumed a bit. Since then I have experienced weird color issues, freezing, lack of free RAM, and sometimes plain not-wanting-to-boot-up. Not to mention my Minidisc player recently decided "give me a minidisc and ill delete whatever's on it. no joke!"... of course it's probably cuz I dropped it, but STILL! :P
Those of you that have seen the extremely in your face anime movie Ninja Scroll will be happy to know that there is now, or has been, a tv series called Ryohogyoku Hen: Jubei Ninpuncho, or pretty much a spinoff of NS with the original Jubei and Dakuan the old ugly monk dude. Violent as ever, I've only seen the first four episodes and it's pretty cool!!
Song of the day: Have been listening to mostly my stuff lately, so I'll have to think about this...
May 24, 2003
I AM KORGFUL, HEAR ME ROAR! Yeah that's right, 705 dollars later (plus 59 dollars tax/duty) I have a lovely synth to call my own. Too bad a few days before I played a sick 4000 dollar Roland V-Synth which puts this Korg to shame! Go Figure... :)
Now that I've had a chance to play around with it, I've made up a tiny lil track called Digitized, showcasing 6 of the 128 possible effects this baby is capable of. Enjoy!
In other news recently I finished an anime called SoulTaker about mutants with a sort of gothic kind of twist. It was pretty cool, best feature is definitely its unique animation look and style (rating:8.0/10).
Song of the day: Kaipa - Leaving The Horizon (This song's chorus has been stuck in my head at least 10 times since I've gotten it. At least!!)
May 18, 2003
Wrote most of the second part of the Atmospheric Instability and also laid down most of the guitar tracks for a song I called Harmonious Disenchantment. I'm quite proud of that one as it showcases some stuff I don't think I've ever tried to do before. I'll put it up when it's ready!!
The korg is waiting for me across the border, I just have to stay 48 hours and I can bring it back without being charged much/any duty... Can that be done?
Song of the day: Dimmu Borgir - Sympozium (Okay, does this drummer have like 8 hands? or maybe 9?)
May 11, 2003
I added a few more tracks to the d/l section... geez it's only been like 2 months! :P The Atmospheric Instability epic (first part of a potential three is in the music section) is turning out to be lots of fun, there's a few techniques and harmonies I've never tried before. Hope the Korg has something to say about those songs! :)
Elsewhere in the world today, I got a hold of a three song jam session a friend of mine and I made a few weeks ago with me on the bass and him on the drums. The experience was interesting as the three songs were all improv. Look for their tracks in kaka quality soon, and then their remasters into songs in the future! :)
Song of the day: Porcupine Tree - 0.3 (Ah, the bass on this song just cries out phatness... "AHHH PHATNESS!")
May 9, 2003
FREEDOM! COMPLETE AND UTTER FREEDOM! MWAHAHAH! The long awaited moment finally came, and I surprisingly did well this semester. More compositions on the way, including one with vocals finally! :)
On another note, I got myself the Korg for my birthday, just waiting for it to be shipped, and the keyboard just needs four 10 ohm resistors and it is all set to go. Riiiight, and i get those WHERE?
Song of the day: Opeth - Closure (Wah! how could they have teased us by cutting this song short?!)
April 23, 2003
Yep... I'm still alive, barely that is. You thought I was busy before? Phhh! I am even MORE busy now that exams even started... Only 2 more to go, one of which is tomorrow. Regretfully I haven't even picked up an instrument to work on my album in like almost a month. On the brighter side, my birthday approaches and I hope to find a great deal on a Korg MS2000 synth for my future projects. Any ideas of where to find one for ~450-500 US? Email me please! Hey, I should be studying, stop distracting me!
Song of the day: DTB - Deadhead (Ok... Devy officially has one of the best powers of emotional screaming EVER!)
April 3, 2003
Yes, I am still alive! Unfortunately, that is. Being very occupied with exams and such, the site hasn't got much attention. But, being a new month, a new rotation of songs will be on the way.
Also finished two animes recently. Saikano was okay, cool animation and times, nice story, but the ending was a little unclear (which I'm sad to say I'm used to :P) and I was expecting it to be, well, sadder (rating:8.0/10). Star Ocean Ex turned out alright, it's as if I played the game! I liked the little love story on the side, that added a bit to the story. Something typical of a video game based show... maybe I'm just a sap (rating:8.0/10)! Recently I plan to get into RahXephon, Scryed, Goldenboy, Spiral and perhaps Gundam Seed or Kenshin,as well as finishing up Gits:SAC. Yeah sure, act like you know what those are! :P
Song of the day: Glass Hammer - When We're Young (gotta love that fresh vintage keyboard solo sound!)
March 19, 2003
I just finished watching another anime. This series is actually new and quite popular, and has spawned several sequels. The one I finished, .hack//sign (pronounced dot hack sign, or for us non-overseas people, just hack sign works), is the first of many. It is followed by three video games, an OVA series called hack Liminality (ummm.... what word is that?), then hack dusk followed. I've seen a bit of Dusk, it looks a little less serious than Sign, but cool nonetheless. Sign was just craziness, the damn plot twists n stuff at the end! O-Boy-O! (rating:8.5/10)
On another note, my keyboard is still pooped out... What can ya do! Well, I guess I'll fix it after school business dies down. Off to start a new anime :)
Song of the day: Opeth - The Funeral Portrait (nothing beats 4 insane solos in a row... except maybe when they are placed on top of impossible to play riffs. Yeah, that helps too.)
March 15, 2003
Recently discovered Petrucci was voted number 9 out of 10 in the top 10 shredders. Not bad for a guitarist whom most people have never even heard of. Number 1, however, was new to me until I downloaded a clip of this guy playing a four neck guitar, doing inverse sweep scales with both hands. Ok... on crack perhaps?!
I heard he used to sit in his room for 20 hours a DAY practicing. Now there's someone devoted :D
On another note, track number 5 on A Cosmic Requiem is completed, except for a few minor touchups. Be patient, my friends, it will be worth it! That is, be patient cuz my ^#&$in keyboard is quasi broken! GRRR...
Lastly... woohoo! DT back in the studio! I got some sucker on the ytsejam list thinking it was gonna be 4 discs, one huge song each. Sorry dude! =)
Song of the day: OSI - Memory Daydreams Lapses (hmmm... 25/16? I can play that with my tongue while standing on no feet!)
March 10, 2003
Symphony X! AHHHHHH! Saw them for the second time, and they were awesome. Setlist includes Accolade 1 and 2 (back to back!), Smoke and Mirrors, Out of the Ashes, Egypt, Lacrymosa (WOOHOO!), Communion and the Oracle, Sea of Lies, Of Sins and Shadows, Inferno, Wicked, Awakenings, King of Terrors, Evolution, Church of the Machine, and possibly more, my brain may have exploded. They also jammed on the Star Wars theme and did some cool question and answer bass/guitar stuff. GO SEE THEM AND BUY ALL THEIR ALBUMS! They were even enjoyable after being impaled by a spiked bracelet!
I am also adding Symphony X to spot #2 of my "list of super bands from beyond the celestial plane of existence". I hope you're all happy!
Song of the day: Wolverine - Leaving Yesterday (ok... female singer just adds SO much to this song!)
March 6, 2003
Got myself OSI (review up now), Heaven's Cry, the new Arena disc, the latest Wolverine disc and a freakin tan! Other reviews will be up soon, and so will information about the newest track for A Cosmic Requiem...
On another note, I've officially added Opeth to my "list of super bands from beyond the celestial plane of existence". However, it is indeterminate what spot they are exactly in. I'm sure that Dream Theater is still in spot number 1. #2 is a tightly packed space, holding the Flower Kings, Ozric Tentacles and Opeth. #3 is also tightly packed with such artists as Pain of Salvation and Arena. I however, don't know where to put good ol' Jarzombek. He's just in a class all his own, maybe spot number 0? Considering he only has two solo cds and few side projects, let's say he's incredible and leave it at that. =)
Anybody going to see Metallica here? If it wasn't 90 dollars a ticket and the opening bands weren't such garbage (let the flames begin!), I would consider going. It would be good for a laugh at least to listen to the way Hetfield sings now!
Song of the day: Sandman - ZAMS! (I swear... I'm gonna only do this once!!)
February 21, 2003
Off to florida everyone! Enjoy the new tracks and have a safe and productive spring break! Back in about a week, hopefully with the new OSI CD and a new vid card!
Song of the day: On The Virg - Running from the Alien (ahhh... Virgil just plains rocks. That's all there is to it!)
February 12, 2003
I've decided to post up more than just music and random stuff on this site. Over the next week or so, I'll be putting up CD and anime reviews and some projects I happened to have worked on out of boredom.
Song of the day: Opeth - The Leper Affinity (yeah... I can't seem to get over this song!)
February 1, 2003
Hopefully some of you have noticed that there used to be more on this page. I swear there was, honest injun! Then mysteriously, the Angelfire button for "save" must have been switched by some unknown force with the button for "delete", because after pressing "save" I went to check this page out to find that it is empty. Aren't computers great? I'm upset that I lost my funny comments from previous days. Console me!
Song of the day: Pagan's Mind - The Seven Sacred Promises (geez... do these guys know how to rock or what!!)
