learning

i've Learned some things in the past 24 hours. Or at least Realized some things. First i have to address the Tragedy in Japan. A lot of people may dismiss this Disaster because it's happened to an Affluent "Western" Country, the 3rd largest economy in the world; however, it is important to recognize that all Tragedies are Equal despite what standard of living the victims may or may not have had before the Tragedy. All Humanitarian efforts are Worthy causes whether they are in seemingly cursed nations like Haiti or seemingly Utopian nations like Japan.

the second thing i learned was that no war is just. In discussing this topic with someone i consider a Friend we came to a Disagreement. He believed that war could and often was Just and that Pacifism was a naive philosophy. I finally realized the problem with this is that by defining wars as just or unjust we are defining sides and in the process establishing Conflict. By saying that war is just or unjust we separate the world into us and them, when really the people who perpetrate injustice upon others are Humans just like us. In reality, every act of war is an error which reflects upon the Values of all of Humanity. No one can say that Gandhi and King's non-violent Pacifist Activism was naive and served no greater purpose. War is simply not the only way of fighting injustice. War which brings an era of peace and freedom is in reality the exception not the rule.

the other thing i've increasing been coming to terms with is that the vast majority of people will not agree with me, whether by their own intelligent decision or out of apathy. Whether the topic is political, concerning an individual's belief that public debate on the Israel-Palestine issue is important or whether it is a question of appreciating the progressive rock of RUSH or the cult following of Meatloaf or even none of the above (god forbid). The fact is we are impossibly divided even considering that we all strive for the same basic things. Love, shelter, freedom.

today, the Rebel of the Day is a guy named Nick Day, who spoke his mind despite criticism and refused to step back even in the face of overwhelming opposition from those who elected him. It is this level of moral conscience which is desperately needed in our society. And I hope that others can see this and make an intelligent decision to speak out.

Robin Hood Hipsters

Lately, there has been a rash of bicycle thefts in my neighbourhood. Living in an upper-class suburb, that means expensive bicycles and pissed off, paranoid neighbours. While the rest of the passersby are buzzing about the problem and complaining, "Somebody should teach them a lesson!" I am laughing at the whole situation because A: What is someone doing with a $2500 bicycle anyway? Honestly everyone else only uses one of their 15 gears, why do you need 30? AND B: The crime duo's Modus Operandi (Celtic... just kidding) is absolutely fantastic.

See, the two will target a house with their garage doors open, they will ride in on their own bicycles, usually one-gear speed-bikes from a by-gone era. They ride in, take the expensive bikes and drop off their antique jewels. In one case they actually left a tandem bicycle (or bicycle-built-for-two) in the place of the more expensive bikes. Now having recently traveled to downtown Toronto (haven of hipsters) to see the Arcade Fire's concert promoting their new album "The Suburbs" (which was a fantastic show by the way) I came to be well acquainted with the idea that one-gear speed-bikes are hip. Thus I have concluded that these felons are stylish in their crime.

If I did not believe that these ne'erdowells were simply trying to make a quick buck and cause trouble, I would dream up some story of how these were Robin Hood Hipsters stealing from the rich, and bringing hipster style to the masses. They steal the (needless) $2500 bicycles pawn them off and purchase, at garage sales, through the internet, etc. old jewel junkers to give to their "victims." Really they are just trying to make everyone a little bit cooler and a little less snobbish.

(The Picture: My own contribution, okay I stole the parts, but I spliced 'em good....ish)

Musics: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Music Video)

RUSHumentary!

Rush, Canada's greatest band, and arguably one of the world's legendary bands. Praised as having forged a genre of their own over 40 years and 20 albums, they are truly revolutionary. It's about time this band had a Rockumentary. Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, stealing its name from their world-renowned song Limelight, was unveiled at Toronto's Hot Docs Film Festival last Thursday. The film is said to boast a complete history of the band from its early days playing high school gigs (It's noteworthy that Rush apparently played my high school back in the day) to its latest album Snakes and Arrows.

For a band that has not experienced a lot of drama or tragedy, but a steady stream of success since its early days, some, including Geddy Lee himself, worried that there was no story to tell; however the directors are being praised for successfully and intelligently portraying the history of a great band. As their style has changed and developed over the years Rush has remained the same group of nerdy outcasts they were from Day 1, without too much upset. Despite the seeming lack of drama in the band the director's supposedly went to great lengths to dig up the whole story. The film leaves no subject untouched as it explains the grim history of Lee's parents (Holocaust survivors) and Peart's personal tragedy with the loss of his wife and daughter.

The documentary will be released as Rush prepares to do a summer tour of North America. They will be performing a long anticipated set of their pivotal album Moving Pictures in full, with such songs as Red Barchetta, Limelight, YYZ and Tom Sawyer at four Canadian venues and many more American venues. Personally I'm looking forward to seeing them in all their glory at the Molson Amphitheater on July 13th.

Becoming Legendary

Everyone knows them. Those bands that are legendary. Their members, household names. Their music, anthems of a generation. Who are the legends? Unarguably, The Beatles, Queen, The Rolling Stones, The Who.

Even today decades later, you'll be hard-up trying to find a person who can't sing a single Beatles song. Between Lennon and McCartney they wrote the greatest, most recognized yet diverse library of music in history. Because of the sheer volume and variety of music there are few people who cannot be touched by the music of the Beatles. From McCartney's "Yesterday" to "I Am the Walrus" the Beatles have something for everyone. They lead a revolution among musicians, where they may have lacked in musical complexity or deep lyrical meaning they raised the bar for performance, style and innovation.

As for Queen, they're songs "We Will Rock You" "We Are The Champions" and "Another One Bites The Dust" have become anthems that have transcended generations. Like the Beatles, Queen and especially Freddie Mercury raised the bar for stage performance. The Cult of Personality surrounding Freddie Mercury with his eccentric style and his eventual struggle for life has certainly been a deciding factor in Queen's legendary status. The lasting impact the late Freddie Mercury and his band have had on music is staggering; they really meant what they were saying in "The Show Must Go On."

The Rolling Stones have had a similar effect as the former two. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards with their life-long dedication to deviancy (with songs questionably named "Brown Sugar") are synonymous with fame, excess and fortune in the world. The only thing that could have boosted their legendary status is if Keith Richards had died of a drug overdose 20 years ago. Then again its their (partially) intact band that has probably kept them in the spotlight over the years, where some bands peter out because of petty squabbles, deaths and break-ups the Rolling Stones have maintained a good relationship and a steady flow of fame.

Finally The Who, is definitely a legendary band. Enjoying worldwide fame The Who got us rocking with catchy, goofy songs like "Pinball Wizard" and they defined a generation in their song "My Generation." I think another good measure of their legendary status is tonight's Super Sunday (Don't wanna get sued, d:) Half-time Show in which they played their iconic songs "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." With CSI being an avid advertiser of The Who in modern day America, they remain a household name, enjoying the status of legendary.

While there are more that could fit into the description of Legendary, and possibly even better. These are four examples of legendary bands. Using these bands as a model, with their accessibility, innovation, style, stage presence and personality, can we predict the legendary bands of the future? What bands that we listen to today, will be become immortal? A few bands are on their way.

U2 has a familiar sound, a unique personality and Bono is a household name. There are few people who don't own or know and enjoy U2's music. Though, there are some who would wager that U2 has reached its peak in fame, having been formed in the 70s, and that it's music is not accessible enough to the masses. They could go the Queen route, having less accessible music but a cult of personality surrounding the lead and a habit of extravagant stage performances. With continued success and nurturing of Bono's reputation U2 could become the next in a line of truly legendary bands.

Another band to keep your eye on is Muse. Straight out of Britain and relatively new, Muse is gaining popularity in the United States and the world with play-time in the Twilight movie. Its semi-unfortunate that their State-side fame comes from this source but it could have its ups. With young women who watched Twilight getting into Muse, they could enjoy some of the same fortune that lead the Beatles to legendary status, the sex appeal and the faint female fans. Muse is by far the most atypical candidate though. They are a truly innovative band and the have a complex but accessible sound. If Muse were to gain legendary status, it would be a glorious day in the Renaissance of Rock.

This is all I have the energy to write today, so I'll beg the question... What bands do you think will gain legendary status in the future, and what bands do you think already have?

Emmanuel Jal: Warchild

Its that time again. My [tentative] finale MMoM post. Well technically I've never done this before, as the last M stands for month, and I've just begun doing monthly musicians, so really its the first time. BUT NEVERMIND THAT! This is the [possible] finale, so we'll go back to the beginning. I started with his most recent single "We Fall" a shining example of his newer work. Then you heard his earliest single "Gua" a raw beat with heavy African influence. You also heard his little-known song "50 Cent" which is another shiny example of his new work. Finally, you'll hear one of his earlier break-out singles "Warchild." This song is less hip hop and more spoken word poetry. The words are chilling, the beat chaotic. The effect is obviously light years short of the transient (non-existent) peace and happiness experienced by a Sudanese child soldier, but Emmanuel Jal effectively disturbs and concerns listeners with this song."I believe I’ve survived for a reason … to tell my story to touch lives."

Emmanuel Jal- Warchild.


Aha, I'm kinda feeling this might not be the finale... I might squeeze another in tomorrow. There's so much I realized I've missed!

MMoM [24.01.10] + Let it be noted

That at this moment in time, I do not care about anything worldly or political. I'm too tired. My brain is shutting down. All I think of, if anything is frivolity. I feel like... 50 cent. Like I could glorify the ghetto. That is if I'd ever even been in the ghetto, much less experienced the gangster life. Anyway, this is my excuse to play this song by Emmanuel Jal. Its a shout out to 50 cent and like-minded rappers to change their ways. Its a condemnation of the modern hip hop scene and all that corporate stuff. Not that I care, as I said before. Really, its just a mildly catchy song, with no important meaning especially to me.

"50 Cent" Emmanuel Jal.

Haiti: The Song

So, now that I'm doing Movement Musician of the Month I'll be doing little features on other non-MMoM artists, in between, because a month is a long time to wait if I find a cool song. So here's the first little mini-feature; "Haiti". This is a song by a Canadian Band called the Arcade Fire. This song was written by one of their vocalists, Régine Chassagne, as a tribute to her home-country Haiti. The song is upbeat, while Régines voice is haunting and beautiful in French. She sings about the regime of Duvalier who was responsible for the deaths of many in her home country and speaks of her lost relatives. Throughout the song little shreds of hope are offered, specifically when she sings about rebirth. But enough of my feeble interpretation, enjoy it for yourself, take your own meaning from it.


I feel like its worth it to post the lyrics hear.

Haïti, mon pays,
wounded mother I'll never see.
Ma famille set me free.
Throw my ashes into the sea.

Mes cousins jamais nés
hantent les nuits de Duvalier.
Rien n'arrete nos esprits.
Guns can't kill what soldiers can't see.

In the forest we lie hiding,
unmarked graves where flowers grow.
Hear the soldiers angry yelling,
in the river we will go.

Tous les morts-nés forment une armée,
soon we will reclaim the earth.
All the tears and all the bodies
bring about our second birth.

Haïti, never free,
n'aie pas peur de sonner l'alarme.
Tes enfants sont partis,
In those days their blood was still warm

Power and Peace.

The hit single "Gua" by Emmanuel Jal, is a song that expresses his people's will be be independent, at peace and happy in their land. The word "gua" means peace in his native Nuer and power in Arabic. This song is not your average hip hop tune. It has strong African and tribal roots like much of his music. In this song, Emmanuel Jal speaks out for the freedom of his people, "my people will plant seed in the land."

Emmanuel Jal's song "Gua" has parallels to Haiti's situation. Haiti is an economically depressed nation much like Sudan. The people of both Sudan and Haiti suffer homelessness, poverty, and violence. They are forced out of work, unable to farm their land and displaced from their homes in times of disaster. The thing that is truly profound about the situation in Haiti is that when we open our eyes we realize how close we are to abject poverty, that the conditions that make Africa so impoverished exist on our own backstep. It seems the government blinds us to Haiti. Why? Because what would happen if we realized the extent of the poverty in Haiti, and did something about it? Would we then we would have the moral obligation to do something about the poverty in Africa as well?

With no further adieu, Gua.

Movement Musician of the Month!

Born in Sudan and forced into the military at a young age, Emmanuel Jal was forced to fight for the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. He was eventually rescued and brought to school in Ethiopia. He has taken a long journey from fighting as a Warchild to being an internationally renowned musician and activist. Emmanuel Jal is probably one of the most well-rounded Movement Musicians advocating peace and happiness as a means to an end rather than violence and vengeance as some other artists seem to suggest. Emmanuel Jal combines happiness, realism and truth in his music when necessary to convey his message. His music is written in a variety of languages from English and Sudanese Arabic to the Southern Sudanese language of Nuer. Emmanuel Jal is a representative of many international groups for abolition of child soldiers and he has maintained a "One Meal Per Day" fast to raise money for schools in Sudan.

Organizations Emmanuel Jal represents:
Make Poverty History
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
Control Arms
Emmanuel Jal

We Fall - Emmanuel Jal
A single off of Emmanuel Jal's upcoming album.

Thought

It was a day, a long one. From dawn... er... noon, until now. I put the finishing touches on my new blog "The Curious Chronicler," I made some minor headway on my data management project, and I killed the white on my painting. Quite an accomplished day, right? Well I don't feel accomplished. I've failed a friend. Not been there for them, and now they're in trouble. I just hope they'll listen to me now. I hope its not too late. Thought, its a powerful, and dangerous tool. Using thought, you can justify just about anything. Rational or irrational. What's most dangerous is not when someone is completely rational, or when someone is completely irrational, its when someone can pick and choose. When you can use both logic, and intuition to come to a conclusion, that's when you most thoroughly believe your outcome. Look at me, breaking down human thought and emotion. Into simple categories, as though I know something and can change the way people think, well I can't and pretending to know something won't help. Let's just hope my irrationality wins out this time

Also I'm thinking of changing to Movement Musician of the Month, so I don't run out and so I can profile more songs from each artist, and if I find anything neat outside of the MMotM I'll just do a little profile on it one day.

Tomorrow I'll introduce Emmanuel Jal. Januarys MMotM.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Ponder that phrase for a second. One Mississippi. For a set of instructions off of your average shampoo bottle, it has a lot of meaning. If you consider for a second the phrasing Step 1: Lather, Step 2: Rinse and Step 3: Repeat, it doesn't specify to simply repeat steps 1 & 2, so in theory, you should continue in an endless cycle. It kind of defines or consumer society, not solely because shampoo CEOs added the repeat in order to sell more shampoo, but also, because we all live this robotic life. Our day is a step by step guide, and when its done we repeat. Every once in a while there's something different thrown in, but still week by week, month by month, year by year, we lather, rinse and repeat.

Movement Musician of the Week: Rise Against "Re-Education (Through Labour)"

Happy New Years I Hope

Its a New Year, and a New Decade, time for reception, reflection and resolution. And in some places in the world its time for rioting for reform. In Canadian government its time for a temporary recess. Okay, I'll stop with the R-litteration. It's simply my way of making fun of more serious situations, I mean, its the new year right, I shouldn't be fuming about world issues and governments and shit, I should be making statements of hope at least. But when the Stephen Harper prorogues government to avoid scandal surrounding torture in Afghanistan and backlash over the Copenhagen talks its ridiculous, especially when you consider he did so just before New Years when no one would pay attention, and parliament resumes after the Olympics when we'll all be too proud of our athletes to care. So his little act of dishonesty will strategically put Afghan detainees and climate off the table for the months ahead and prolong his inevitable fall from grace. Aside from that, we have rioting in Iran again. Some people claim the reformers are going to take power. I just think that the reformers are going to get their lights knocked out. Sorry, that's my New Years soapbox. Amongst all the holiday celebration we can easily lose sight of reality. While we should be happy and hopeful we have to remember what the reason to be hopeful for is. We can't just hope things will get better without knowing what is wrong in the first place. The holidays aren't a time to ignore our problems they are a time to remedy them. Let us hope for the new year, and the new decade, that the Copenhagen Accord, is followed up with an actual legally binding treaty come next December in Mexico City. Let us hope that violence in Iran and other countries stricken by authoritarian government is relieved and freedoms encouraged. And let us hope that governments world-wide will be held accountable for their corruption and dishonesty towards the public. Let us just hope to live in a happier, but not falsely so, world come 2020.

Movement Musician of the Week:
I'm going to continue with Rise Against, as I only got one, mediocre post in about them last week, unfortunately I was busy, and lazy, and ignoring the important things in life. I couldn't do them justice in just one shit-tastic post. So here it is, possibly their most well known songs. A soft one, but it packs a punch. Those who don't know the story, pay attention to the flag. "Hero of War"

Movement Musician of the Week [26.12.09]

Rise Against, you all know them. Heavy sound, heavy lyrics. Anti-war. Anti-Bush. Genre, Hardcore, Punk Rock, Something Something. Etcetera. Etcetera. You've all heard Hero of War. And here's one of my favourites. Collapse.

2012

By this time, in two years, will our planet be destroyed? The Maya never really stated for or against. Their mythology would indicate some sort of peril. With the "galactic alignment" mirroring the original "galactic alignment" that occurred at the beginning of days. Their knowledge of astronomy was and remains to be staggering in some cases rivaling our own up to present day. But then again, they never actually indicated that the lords of the underworld would reign their terror on the world, they just indicated that the calendar cycle would end and begin anew. Some theorize that with the growth in popularity of the myth, someone with the actual power to carry out a world-ending deed and the will to destroy the planet will make it happen. A self-fulfilling prophecy. So what should we do. Hope for the best, and continue the calendar.

Mayan Calendar Portal (Interactive Web-based Mayan Calendar)

Movement Musician of the Week: Shad "I Heard You Had A Voice Like An Angel"

The Final Frontier

The sub-atomic particles that we are built from will never die
They will not dissipate,
They will not dissolve,
They will not disappear.
Their energy is infinite.
It will last forever.
Billions of years from now,
The energy that once maybe up the beauty of human existence,
The planet Earth,
The Sol System,
The Milky Way Galaxy,
And the once tangible and explorable universe,
Will reach into the depths of space never to form that beauty again.
On this scale our existence seems feeble,
In the grand scheme of time and space.
So why not expand our existence,
Reach for the stars while we can,
Use our remaining resources to make our presence known,
And teach other life that they too must preserve their existence?
Or we can burn out,
Expend our resources without developing the alternatives,
And no species human or otherwise,
Will ever reach from Earth into the final frontier.
Is Earth doomed to failure?
Or merely meekness?
It is human desire to be bigger, better and stronger,
And exploration is second nature.
We have time, but not a lot,
And it is a noble goal, to preserve and propagate.
If we are important, should we not save ourselves,
and ultimately prosper?

Movement Musician of the Week: Shad "Get Up"

Movement Musician of the Week [21.12.09]

This weeks movement musician, as you may have already realized from my previous post, is Shad. Born in Kenya, of Rwandan parents Shad is a hip hop artist from London, Ontario. His beats are catchy, his lyrics intense and his style hilarious. He's a 30-something year old part-time Liberal Arts student, and lives in his mothers basement. In his most recent album "The Old Prince" he parodies the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in an attempt to portray his unsuccessful Quest for Glory in the hip hop world. Through his lyrics Shad represents modern black activism and attempts to break down youth stereotypes. He is yet another alternative hip hop musician who condemns the "gangster" rap scene and the corporatism of music.

"The Old Prince Still Lives At Home"
PS This is my 50th Post Hurrah!

The Party Prophet At Work

Its 1 am, the party has died down, some people are sleeping others are on an adventure to Subway™. I am sitting in someone's bedroom writing this blog. I have proven myself once again to be a deserted diviner. I was unable to make disciples of the drunk. Though I have forged new connections. The Party Prophet. The Deserted Diviner. The Lame Leader. I'll have my time.

Movement Musician of the Week: Shad "Brother (Watching)"

Age of Stupid

Fifty years from now they'll look back and call this the Age of Stupid. Looking at all us consumers and followers. We don't know where our food comes from. We don't know the impacts of our actions on the world. And most importantly we don't realize we can make a difference. Even in the Age of Stupid we are the Architects of the Future, how will we build the future? Hopefully in a way that our descendants won't label us stupid.

Movies: Age of Stupid, Food Inc. Check them out.

Movement Musician of the Week: Johnny Clegg & Savuka "One (Hu)' Man One Vote"
PS its Reconciliation Day in South Africa

Bring Back the 30s

It'd be swell if some abercrombie scientist would bring back the 30s. Those cool cats would dig the way we live. What with the economy all wet. No one's got any bacon but those crumb grifters selling cadillacs and hooch. We don't even have enough tin to fill up the tin can. I'm just a joe. I'm beat, don't got a single five spot or sawbuck to my name. Or even a snazzy horn like all my pals. But all a twit like me really needs is a sweet broad to bumpgums with, a canary singing music into my tin ears.

Swell Musician of the Week (For all you cats and alligators): Johnny Clegg and Savuka "Scatterlings of Africa" (Excuse my French)

Movement Musician of the Week [12.12.09]

This weeks movement musician is Johnny Clegg and Savuka. Johnny Clegg and Savuka was a South African band active during the 80s. A band of mixed European and Zulu ethnicity they fought against racism in South Africa and the apartheid which separated whites and blacks. During the apartheid they were even at risk of being prosecuted for their interracial band. Their unique sound was influenced by Jazz, Rock, African and even Celtic music. In songs such as Asimbonanga, they incorporated English and Zulu lyrics to get their multicultural and political message across. Causes they fought for included, universal suffrage, multiculturalism, desegregation and liberating Nelson Mandela from prison. This weeks movement musician is fitting because this coming Wednesday is Reconciliation Day in South Africa. This is a day celebrating the end of the apartheid and encouraging forgiveness and national unity between the different ethnic groups that make up South Africa. Because of activists like Johnny Clegg and Savuka, South Africa is a freer and arguably more united country today.

Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) is a song protesting Nelson Mandela's imprisonment on Robbin Island.