November 16, 2008
The Kazoo
Posted by i220 at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2006
Emotive Hardcore And The 19th Century Romantic Movement
Spookychick reminds us that we have a past.
Our screamo and emo is the obvious reaction to the cubicle and overbearing governmental institutions. This has happened once before and sure the bulk of the population scoffed and wondered just what these romantic fools were doing.
Driving aimlessly, songs often illicit images in my mind as it and my car wander. Most recently I was struck by a song by Silverstein conjuring the image of one of my favorite oil paintings of the Romantic era, 'Saturn Devouring His Son' by Goya. Not sure why 'Bleed No More' reminded me of that stark bit of canvas and turning a corner into a busy intersection of traffic, I most nearly forgot.
It was drawn to my attention again as I perused a forum dedicated to a group of young "cutters" and their quest to end an addiction to the strange coping mechanism that this morbid 21st century bloodletting has become.
One young girl described looking over her scars and how even recalling what had moved her to begin the mutilation seemed to trigger another outbreak with the straight razor. Interestingly, she turned to no one who could actually help her in her real-life, but the internet (as an astounding number of cutters do) in turn intensifying the fact that she had faced the onset and recovery process of her addiction alone.
Spending time in front of the mirror, she described the look in her own eyes as she realized she alone had trapped her in this vicious circle of self loathing. The look in her own eyes made all of the difference. For the first time she could admit she was frightened, simply frightened, as that was the best way to label the look in her own eyes. Finally, after no person, bottle, blade, or blood spatter could frighten her . . . all it took was a look into her own eyes.
"Fucking emo kids.", I thought.
Again, a painting from the romantic era came to mind; one I have long forgotten the artist or title of. Years ago, as the Art instructor led us through the fall of the Renaissance and into the budding of the Romantic Era, the painting he put on the overhead was of a young man.
Pre- Monet, Manet and Renoir . . . the passive solitude of Degas . . . art had been volatile. Post Rembrandt and Donatello, art became emotive. Landscapes were once again "allowed" and those chosen displayed a reflective attitude. Man was portrayed contemplating the landscape as opposed to simply existing within it.
The slide was of a man. Unkempt hair. Wild in the biting wind sweeping up from the rocky ocean shore. All ice cold blue, black and grey. The only striking bit of the whole piece was the look in the subjects eyes. He seemed to be looking back at the viewer with an utter glaze of fear. A fear caught in the eye of the subject that had that air of a subconscious statement. "It is I that I fear" he seemed to be saying, "Not the ocean, not you, not the sharp rocks . . . it is I that I run away from now, I that I fear most." The look in his eyes was what I imagine this razor weilding emo chick caught in her own reflection. "Certainly effective", thought I. Scary as Hell, fo shizzle.
Days passed and I found a few other parallels in the Romantic movement of 1825 to 1900.
The fall of the Renaissance philosophy, the looming of the British and American Industrial Revolution . . . this left a similar hole in the heart of the common man, such as the fall of Silicone Valley has left in the heart of modern common man. Artwork and suicidal tendencies aside, the music has very similar trends as well.
Memorable composers of the Romantic period are Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Wagner, Chopin, Verdi, Brahms, Tchaikovsky . . . all highly recognizable whether you know their names or not; some of the greatest program music ever composed. Used extensively in Music History, commercial advertising, background score . . . we have all heard it. All very highly emotive, as was Program music in the Romantic era, a move away from the dreary and uninformative minuet. It was a move away from the norm and deeper into the true natures of man and his emotions. The point, as in the visual art of the time was to capture the reactions, moods and melancholies of man, as opposed to the mere re-creating of the physical world.
Think of the hell Beethoven put Solieri through. He only lied, cheated and stole his way through his career . . . Beethoven, the original punk rocker, wrote emo-core, went deaf - turned totally emo. Honestly.
"Among the characteristic attitudes of Romanticism were the following: a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature; a general exaltation of emotion over reason and of the senses over intellect; a turning in upon the self and a heightened examination of human personality and its moods and mental potentialities; a preoccupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure in general, and a focus on his passions and inner struggles; a new view of the artist as a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures; an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth; an obsessive interest in folk culture, national and ethnic cultural origins, and the medieval era; and a predilection for the exotic, the remote, the mysterious, the weird, the occult, the monstrous, the diseased, and even the satanic."
Music stopped attempting to re-create, for example, the sound of the babbling brook. Instead music moved to re-create the sound (if there was one) of the emotions and mood instilled by one who hears the babbling of a brook.
How emo? Very emo. The original Emo.
"... the Romantics turned to the emotional directness of personal experience and to the boundlessness of individual imagination and aspiration. Increasingly independent of the declining system of artistocratic patronage, they saw themselves as free spirits expressing their own imaginative truths; several found admirers ready to hero-worship the artist as a genius or prophet."
And further:
". . . often taken to extremes of raptures, nostalgia (for childhood or the past), horror, melancholy, or sentimentality. . . . almost all showed a new interest in the irrational realms of dream and delirium or of folk superstition and legend."
(Chris Baldick, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms [New York: Oxford University Press, 1991]).
Ideals reminding me consistently of the Emotive Hardcore movement today. Shelly, one of the more prominent writers of the Romantic movement writes what is parallel to, say, Atreyu lyrics today. Certainly 'emo kids' would agree there is a large amount of worship attached to the style of artists of today as well as the lyrics. This is our 1888 oil painting come-to-life, the words of Byron and Shelly as shouted from rooftops. This is our shoving away of Blue Shirt Thursdays and not so glamorous coke infected and Bay Street fueled goals of two decades ago.
A mirror of how the romantic movement shoved away the pomp of micro managed government, powdered wigs and a near denial of mans very emotion. The 'Roboticism' that the looming Industrial Revolution suggested led man to a nearly destructive emotional upheaval. We had become nearly robotic in thinking, poetry art and music, and the machines and 40 hour work week soon threatened all that was human.
We seem to be buckling under that threat once again, embracing all that we can that is human in our tears, blood, joy - fear. Our screamo and emo is the obvious reaction to the cubicle and overbearing governmental institutions. This has happened once before, and sure the bulk of the population scoffed and wondered just what these romantic fools were doing. Wrapped up in reactions, moods, love, hate . . . the First Romantics cared little of the direction of the movement and less of the robotic reactions of society. The Western Romantic Era lasted 75 years and crested into the Depression then Common-sense-Better Homes and Gardens attitude of the 50's . . . and on . . .
Surely this Emotive Hardcore movement has been with us since the middle of the Post-Punk scene of the late 1970's and early 1980's. The first mentions of the term stem from band interviews since 1985. The hair, speech, clothing and (lol) dance styles have been evolving since then as well, but only hardly changing . . . mainly growing in acceptance. This puts us nearly a third of the way through the current era, when compared to the Romantic movement of over 100 years ago.
The future for 1900's romantic grew darker still in reality with the loss of certainty brought about by drought, war, disease and even the worst crash of the Stock Market. Music fueled by the great composers grew far more emotive in arrangement a la Pink Floyd, Phillip Glass and Yo-Yo Ma. Romantic Poets paved the way for the writing of Poe, Lovecraft and even to today with our modern Koja and Gibson. It is true that a darker element has entered our advertising and entertainment, and it will surely darken further decade by decade.
Simply put, we have been here before. Bad hair and great music. It will pass from Enlightenment to Revolution. This could be the shaky middle ground, yet it has only just begun.
Posted by i220 at 09:13 AM | Comments (5)
November 27, 2005
The Rokkenrohl Revolution
Mr Leeroy Rokkenrohl is putting together a film that will "voice the opinions of Canadians opposed to the American (war/struggle for power) bullying that has gone on for too long."
CALLING ALL: What do you think of this? Share opinions here.
If you have music/artwork to submit to the film, contact Mr. Rokkenrohl here: rokkenrohl@hotmail.com
Read on to discover Leeroy's motivation and intentions - click below.
Dear friends,
I know that I am usually a jackass and center my film and music ideas around funny material, but I am currently preparing to organize a project of a far more serious nature and would like to open it up to anyone interested in the cause. Please take the time to read this, I swear that it's not some crazy chain letter or useless petition and I don't want any money. These ideas are all from the heart of Leeroy Rokkenrohl.
As a Canadian, I have always been leery of the Great American Power Machine and the propaganda war that it has been waging on the rest of the world. Our generation has been witness to numerous events that have cast an unfavorable light on U.S. politics. I protested nuclear weapons with my mom as a young child. I have seen the damage the States has done in the Middle East in the 80's; not to mention 2 Iraqi wars in the 90's and now. The United States government seems to always have justified reasons concerning peace and freedom, but in recent years there is more and more evidence that Team America is simply out to conquer the world like some kind of new Roman Empire. What's worse is that they are now seemingly employing techniques of propaganda and torture reminiscent of the Nazi regime.
Facts have come to light about the repeated staging of attacks on American soil to sway the American public to back wars that are unjust. The U.S. has not set out to correct the corrupt aspects of communism around the world but instead it has been determined to destroy the concept all together because communist ideals interfere with the capitalist money making plan. I personally think that there are more important things in life than money like the freedom to disagree with the American way of life without fear of prosecution, torture and being labeled a terrorist.
My friends, I could not me more opposed to the conduct of the U.S. government and I am not a terrorist for feeling this way! This is my right as a peace loving Canadian citizen to oppose the FBI, the CIA, the secret capture and torture of free people and the domination of our planet by a country that has no right to preach its distorted moral views to anyone! I not only feel horribly sad for all of the innocent people around the globe who have been violated by Western politics, but I also have complete empathy for the millions of good Americans who are trapped in a dictatorship disguised as democracy! I am afraid that any number of countries will decide to wage a war against the United States and we will find ourselves right smack in the middle of WWIII.
I don't want to go to war! And, with the vast natural resources in Canada, it seems only a matter of time until the American nation tries to engulf our country. It's already happening and I sure as hell am not willing to become a part of what's going on down there!
The rest of the world needs to come together to oppose this insane corporate conglomeration that has hijacked the United States of America and the peacekeepers of Canada are the best nation to start the ball rolling. All this being said, it occurs to me that any big movement that has had success in the past has been pushed into the spotlight by the musicians and artists of the world. We might not be rich or have a mighty army, but we have the power of ideas and influence!
I feel blessed by the talents of my friends and so I am proposing a collective be formed. I am going to begin the production of a film that will voice the opinions of Canadians opposed to the American bullying that has gone on for too long. I would like for anyone interested to submit music and artwork, as well as opinions and facts to this project. If it can raise awareness and get the world working together to make the planet just the tiniest bit better for everyone on it, this project will be a success. If the decent people of Canada, America and the whole World continue to sit on their hands waiting to see what will happen, then we are no better than the terrorists who drive car bombs, the terrorists who fly airplanes or the terrorists who shield their secret agencies from the law and unjustly invade other countries for the sake of capitalism. It's time to make some big changes for the sake of our global nation! Who's in?
Leeroy Rokkenrohl
Posted by i220 at 12:37 PM | Comments (5)
December 04, 2004
Independent Musician Cross Canada Tour (Pt.1)
Corporate Cash Cow... to the West coast and back.
Objective: To tour Western Canada on a song (more like 50 or so songs). Big love to the pubs that were a part of making it all happen. East Coast next year???
Who? Solo acoustic musician "Corporate Cash Cow..." aka Me.
Where? 20 Cities across Western Canada.
When? The summer of '04.
What? Discovering Canada and sharing music with its people.
Why? Travel. Perform. To champion independence in a dependent musical/business environment.
Klik the title below for a step by step approach to achieving the above.
Use the Comments button below if you have any feedback on this idea.
Check the new Category (main page right) Tour Diary for a day by day account of the Western leg of this tour. Note: I will be posting the diary intermittently.
What I did (mistakes and all). And in order.
1. Early '03 - Tried to book a Western Canada tour but failed miserably. 3 months work down the drain, nobody said that independence was easy. Regrouped and developed a new approach.
2. Spring '04 - Constructed an online package which included: Bio, Setlist, 3 songs (Mp3s), Promo Picture and Cover Letter. Used http://www.tripod.com/ - advertiser driven (free) web space.
3. Drew up a loose itinerary: Where I was stopping, when and for how long.
4. Canvassed the cities I planned to stop at to find out which pubs/bars would require my services. Tried internet but found that the yellow pages were my strongest tool here. Obtained contacts, emails and cell phone numbers.*
5. Based on accesibility, targeted 5 bars per city and contacted them.
6. Mailed packages where necessary.
7. Solicited bars. This requires time and persistence!
8. Secured gigs. Besides the obvious here, had to check on equipment requirements, availability of hospitality, travel requirements if the bar wasn't central, etc... Equipment: Mic, mic stand and P.A. (amp, mixer and speakers plus connections).
9. Finalized schedule. Contacted everybody we knew (family and friends). Thanks all for the hospitality and help.
10. Purchased a large backpack and a gig side satchel. Everything I was bringing had to fit in these bags (also had to carry guitar).
11. Purchased tickets from bus depot. Tickets: 30 day all you can travel in Canada.
12. Packed: Guitar, case, cables & DI, camera & film, binder (setlist, tour diary and maps), 2 garbage bags, 2 plastic bags (rain), air mattress and pump, blanket, pillow, small alarm clock, combination lock (YMCA), rain jacket, loaded bathroom bag (plus sunscreen), light hooded jacket, sweatshirt, 2 t-shirts, 2 pair of pants, 2 pair of shorts, 5 pair of undies, 5 pair of socks, a hat and a bandana. Destination climate has a lot to do with packing.
13. Hit the road - July 4, 2004.
*Check upcoming Category, Friendly Establishments for lists of pubs, bars, taverns, etc... that support new/live music. The list will be categorized by city and include bar name plus website if applicable.
**To see how all of this turned out, frequently check back with the Category: Tour Diary
Posted by i220 at 02:32 PM | Comments (1)
October 14, 2004
The "Revolutionary Ideas" Category
Projects for better music. Share here.
Got an idea? Know someone who is creating, exposing, analyzing, developing music in a unique way?
Share it with us: weblog@themusicalrevolution.com
Or throw in your coupla dimes by hitting the "Comments" button at the bottom of each proposed revolution.
Or just chek back here to witness how others are revolutionizing shit. Revolutionary Ideas Category.
BE the revolution.
Posted by i220 at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)