Mainstream Music… A Sad State of Affairs

I’ll start out by saying that while I admit I’m not really much of a Top 40 fan I provide this next bit of dialogue without bias.

To be fair my focus here won’t be so much on mainstream music as one of it’s most popular acts. This act is the Black eyed Peas.

Recently B.E.P was allowed to get up and give a performance at mainstream music’s biggest show, The Grammys, despite having not one but TWO lawsuits of plagiarism currently against them. REALLY!?!

How is it that the powers that be in this industry actually put aside such brazen claims? They might as well say that it’s ok to rip off someone else’s hard work and pass it off as your own. Don’t get me wrong here… I realize that sampling is a HUGE part of today’s music industry but at least credit is given where it’s due and rights are, for the most part, properly secured. In fact a lot of what I listen to is sample heavy and I bloody well love it.

For those of you not in the know here’s the info on who exactly is suing them and for what.

First was DJ/Producer Adam Freeland of Marine Parade. His song ‘Mancry’ off his latest album COPE was blatantly stolen without permission and used on B.E.P.’s track ‘Party All the Time’. When you listen to the two tracks side by side you can’t even say that it’s similar it’s the SAME.

The second situation, which is a bit more recent, is coming from an artist named Phoenix Phenom who claims that her track ‘Boom Dynamite’ was used as the inspiration for ‘Boom Boom Pow’. This case isn’t as clear cut but there is no denying that the two songs sound similar both rhythmically and lyrically. Not only is Phoenix Phenom suing B.E.P. over this but they are also suing the Pea’s label Interscope as well. Interscope had shown interest in Phoenix and turned them away after hearing ‘Boom Dynamite’. Is it just another COINCIDENCE that this plagiarism suit has arisen?

All in all there’s a couple things I just don’t understand. One… how can an act as popular as B.E.P. actually think it can get away with this theft and it not get caught? Their music is blasted on every god forsaken Top 40 station on the planet! Two… how can the industry allow it to happen without repercussion? I just can’t get over the fact that it seems so wrong to allow them to perform at the industry’s biggest showcase when these claims are levied against them.

Maybe in the long run I’m bitching just for the sake of bitching. I readily admit I’m not a big fan of Top 40 and B.E.P. especially. What do you think? Is it no big deal that B.E.P. still gets grand promotion on an awards show despite their legal troubles?

In the end, if this is passed off as no big deal I think it’s an arrow into the heart of an industry that barely beats as it is. Forget music that is inspired and written with emotion. You might as well use somebody else’s inspiration instead.

The Art of Motivation… and the Art of Keeping It

I’ve been on a very recent kick to try and get healthier. I’ve always been a bigger guy (as in muscle, not fat) but I found that I had let myself go a bit and turned into a bigger guy (as in fat, not muscle). I came to this realization in a very unmanly sort of way unfortunately. To be dreadfully honest it was a rather girly move in my mind.

I was hopping out of my shower and happened to glance at myself in the mirror. I turned to the side and stuck out my gut and thought ‘Geez, you’ve really let yourself go you fatass.’

This dude is everything I DON'T want to become....

It was in this moment that my motivation struck me like a lightning bolt. Is this the guy I’m proud of being? The answer was an emphatic no.

Now in the following 3 weeks since my amazing discovery I’ve used this motivation in every way possible. 5 days of cardio a week with 4 days of weight lifting injected in there. Sit-ups and push-ups every night before bed. Yogurt, fruit and protein smoothies on the regular. It seems like I’m finally starting to notice results both physically and mentally. I feel better and I look better.

Considering the title of my blog post I think it’s really kind of sad that my ‘Art of Motivation’ had to be me noticing something negative about myself. I need to figure out a way to convince my brain to be motivated without that negative push whether it be for my health, my career… whatever really. What I’m hoping for is that my current motivation and its effects can propel me to be motivated in other avenues of my life.

This brings me around to the second half of my blog title… the art of keeping that motivation going. I know that for now the visual results are making me feel good and that is keeping my gung-ho attitude in full swing. What about when I reach my desired weight/toning? Will I just fall back off and say hello to that tubby fellow I saw in the mirror sometime ago? I certainly hope not.

What I’m hoping for is that along with this motivation comes a full circle change in attitude. Healthier lifestyles lead to healthier decisions don’t they? If you’re reading this what do you think? I mean what can a person do to best ensure that their motivation is not lost?

I think in the long run, for me at least, the art of keeping my motivation will have to be setting goals. Once I achieve one goal I can set another and push myself in a new direction. One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to become the complacent lazy bastard I was a mere 3 weeks ago… keep your fingers crossed for me ok?

The 2010 Olympics and its Protesters

I’ve spent some time wondering how alone I might be in my near complete lack of sympathy for most (not necessarily all) of the groups going out of their way to protest the upcoming Olympic celebrations. Talking with some coworkers I find that I’m more than likely in the majority as opposed to the minority. The vast majority of people I’ve spoken with seem to have close to the same viewpoint as myself.

As it stands I am your average Canadian in almost every way. I go to work, I pay my taxes, I take care of my 2.3 kids and 1.4 dogs while paying the mortgage on my not-quite-yet white picket fence home. The Canadian dream right? SURE. This ‘dream’ as it is put requires a lot of work and not a lot of room for play at times.

Now in my ever so humble opinion the upcoming games are a jolt of excitement to the average Lower Mainland citizen’s daily grind. We get to root for our country on our own turf. We get amazing facilities that will endure long after the games are gone as well as the lasting tourism effects. For those of us (ie: me) who don’t have crazy amounts of extra cash there’s an abundance of free events and entertainment out there also. Go to www.citycaucus.com to check it out or http://vancitybuzz.blogspot.com Both spots have a lot of great info.

This slowly brings me around to my point. Why do I, as a hard working and responsible Canadian taxpayer, have to feel bad about being able to enjoy these games?

The APC and various other hippy-dippy groups are intent on ruining the experience for us, our visitors and the competing athletes. They’re screaming about fund this and fund that and social housing and free such and such. Don’t get me wrong… it’s not that I’m not sympathetic at all. I just think that they’re going about it the wrong way if they want anyone to pay attention and not write them off as more jobless hippy protesters. They need to find a better venue other than staging sit-ins, protests and disrupting what should be an amazing celebration of world unity and competition.

WAAA..... I WANT I WANT I WANT.

Bottom line is this… while I feel that we as citizens have a responsibility to do our best to help out those in less fortunate situations than we are I do NOT believe that I should carry a weight on my shoulders because I’m fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with the rest of the world at these 2010 games.

Now I’m not expecting everyone to agree with me completely but really… don’t we (the 40hr a week grinders) deserve a bit of excitement?

What’s your take friends? I’d love to hear it!

AFI @ the Commodore Ballroom (Jan 24, 2010)

Ok so this might be a few days late but I figure better late than never.

This being my first time seeing AFI live I wasn’t sure what I was in for. I’d seen the live DVD ‘I Heard a Voice’ which was filmed with a massive crowd in Long Beach, California and it blew me away but this was a much more intimate venue. I knew for a fact I wouldn’t be disappointed and I couldn’t have been more right.

From the first note to the very last the band wound its way through a catalog of fist-pumping, sing along rock anthems. Davey Havok was at his best writhing on stage and engaging the crowd at every turn. Judging by the response that the band received it seemed like Vancouver ate every last bit of it up.

The band touched on a few tracks from its earlier hardcore days but spent most of the time banging out tunes from its 3 previous efforts (Sing the Sorrow, Decemberunderground, Crash Love). I’m an appreciator of the early stuff so it was nice to hear at least a few songs.

Being the ripe old age of 32 I’ve been to more shows than I can count in this city. The best of them have almost always been at the Commodore (best venue in the city, am I rite?). Saying this I’d like to consider myself a great judge of what it takes to deem a show fantastic and great. This one truly had all the elements… sound, lights, showmanship, and a stellar Vancouver crowd if I ever saw one.

SETLIST

• 1. Medicate
  2. Girl’s Not Grey
  3. The Leaving Song Pt. II
  4. I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here
  5. Kill Caustic
  6. End Transmission
  7. Ever And A Day
  8. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
  9. Beautiful Thieves
  10. Dancing Through Sunday
  11. The Leaving Song
  12. On the Arrow
  13. Death of Seasons
  14. Miss Murder
  15. Too Shy to Scream
  16. Love Like Winter
  17. Silver and Cold

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