My annual “year in review” music post in January 2010 will be filled with fantastic music (and will actually be written properly this year). But before that happens, you should have time to enjoy the music now! So here’s a little breakdown on some stuff you should be listening to.

Alexisonfire. Old Crows, Young Cardinals.

These guys know how to rock, and this album is no exception. Their sound is familiar, yet new. Somehow, the screaming parts (the parts NOT sung by Dallas Green) are more controlled, and thus, not as irritating. Some songs have a bit of a punk influence to them (especially the single, Young Cardinals). This is not my favourite album ever, but it is a really solid album that will have you rockin’ all night long.

Green Day. 21st Century Breakdown.

Green Day has come back with what I believe will be a milestone album for the band. With a unique mix of old-school fast “machine gun” guitar riff songs that are pure Green Day, to softer ballads that elevate their songwriting skills to new heights, this album is my top pick for album of the year.

Moneen. Hold That Sound EP (full album due in a few months)

It’s no secret that Moneen is at the top of my band list. They have such a complex and deep songwriting style that is unmatched in a market full of “sound-alikes”. If this EP is any indication of what the album will be like, I expect Moneen to do quite well for themselves. Their songs are finely crafted in true Moneen fashion, and they are sure to please long-time fans as well as garner a few new fans along the way. I bought the EP instantly on iTunes. Have a listen if you get a moment. You have my personal guarantee that it is worth listening to over and over again.

Till next time.

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After a long wait, and large amount of planning, Hotcakes New Media‘s first weekend of shooting was finally started this past weekend. Dave and I just wrapped the “bar scene” and all the live band footage. Keep reading to see more pictures and find out how it went.

The video shoot was spread out over 2 days. Saturday night was filming the crowd, live band performances, and the final acting scene (cop chases criminal into the bar, criminal tried to get lost in the crowd, gets taken down by the cop). We started the night with the live performances of the band. We needed to run the song 5 times, each from a different camera angle (middle of the crowd, back/left, behind the band, and two roving steadicam shots of the band and the crowd). Those shots went amazingly well, though incredibly slow. The “crowd” was not made up of paid extras, just the band’s friends. So in between shots, they all left to get drinks and go party upstairs. It took forever to get everyone back in place each time. Of course, since that extended everything, it meant that people were getting increasingly more drunk as the night went on. We ended the night by attempting to film the acting scenes. By then, the crowd was drunk, rowdy and belligerent. Things were getting out of hand, so we had very little time to shoot. We gathered all the crowd we could and just shot everything as fast and as furious as we could, hoping that we got what we needed. It was hectic, and messy, and I had all kinds of alcohol spilled on me, but I think we got most of what we needed.

As a result of the drunken partying, people were stepping on the camera’s cords. The camera was unplugged abruptly on a couple of occasions, which caused us to lose some good footage. We also had a number of people in the crowd looking directly into the camera (which made those shots unusable). But as I said… there was enough footage to put the scene together (but just barely).

Now we are on to planning and shooting the final 4 acted scenes of the video, including one huge scene with police cruisers, bloody bodies, smoke machines and a cast of 10-15 actors. So far everything has gone relatively well, and the footage we have is unbelievable. I forgot just how amazing my camera is. Doing this video shoot has reminded me how much I love it. And Dave did a fantastic job of working the camera in question. I think we work well as a team… I was like the director watching the monitor to ensure the footage and shots were clean and we got the shots we needed, and he was co-director and camera operator. Judging from the footage, it looks like that setup worked quite nicely.

A few more pictures of the footage we captured are below. For more information on Hotcakes New Media, visit our site at http://www.hotcakesnewmedia.com .

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EDIT: More pictures from Day 2!

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Between the house and my work setting up the business, I just never got around to it. Plus, there’s simply far too many bands in 2008 that have been amazing. It was a great year for rock/alternative/poppunk, so a LOT of great music came out.

So what can I do? Well the best I can do is just list a few of the great bands that I’ve listened to this year. I don’t have time to check if these are albums that have come out in 2008, but these are artists I listened to for most of 2008. I can’t go into any detail because I just don’t have the time or energy to do so, but do check out some of these bands if you get a moment.

In alphabetical order (just because I’m skimming through iTunes):

Armor For Sleep
Avenged Sevenfold (courtesy of Rockband)
Billy Clyro
Blind Melon (yes, they made a new album)
The Black Maria
Breaking Benjamin
Buckethead (thanks to Guns n Roses)
City Sleeps
Coheed and Cambria (courtesy of Rockband)
Death Cab for Cutie
Econoline Crush (glad I saw them live in Ottawa and bought the new album)
Flobots
Foxboro Hot Tubs (aka Green Day’s side project)
The Fratellis
Gob
Guns n Roses
Louis XIV (great unique band!)
Ludo
Metallica
Panic At The Disco
Paramore
Puddle of Mudd (another comeback artist… amazing new album)
Radiohead
The Reason (a great Ontario band)
Rise Against (yet another Rockband influence)
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Sick Puppies
State of Shock
Story of the Year
To The Rescue (the Ottawa band)

As you can see, one hell of a long list. Check a few out… you won’t regret it. 

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2008 was certainly a year of change for me; Not that any of the previous 5 years have been stale by any means, but 2008 was a year with large-scale scary decisions and accomplishments. How did I fare this year? Let’s find out.

Friends:
This year had far less drama in it than previous years. It was pretty much smooth sailing for the most part. I’m guessing that had a lot to do with moving back to Ottawa and seeing all our old friends on a regular(ish) basis again. I’m still guilty of not communicating enough, but dammit, that’s just how I am, so deal with it people.

Family:
It certainly was interesting living at home (and at the in-laws) for the better part of 6 months. I’d like to say it brought me and my family closer together, but we were already close. I’ll tell ya, the hardest part was living out of a suitcase in a single room for all that time. I do miss “family dinners” (read: ordering out) on Friday or Saturday nights. And oddly enough, I kind of miss the smell of boiled hotdogs every Saturday.

House:
Getting the house was without a doubt one of the biggest events of the year. It really occupied pretty much the entire year, since the initial planning started all the way at the beginning of 2008, starting with the decision to buy, followed by the choice of builder, the model of house, the mortgage, the construction, the possession, and the decorating. Can you believe it? Tartan delivered the home on time! And more importantly, we are home owners again! I LOVE cooking in my custom designed kitchen with my indoor grill. I LOVE my home theatre setup in the basement (and I’ll love it more when the basement is finished). I LOVE my “sanctuary”; my organic earthy bedroom. And I LOVE my iHome setup, working exactly as I envisioned it.

Work:
You would think the house would be the most memorable event of 2008, but surprisingly, it is not. My employment has the honours of taking the top spot of 2008. It was a rocky, scary, hard-fought but exhilarating ride this year. It started off with my with my work at Artez. Just as my contract was about to expire, I was contemplating bringing up a deal with them to do design work as an independent contractor. It turns out the CTO had other plans for me, and a vision for the company’s future. He offered me a full-time position to work as an Interaction Designer. Unfortunately, after the move to Ottawa, the work started drying up. There was less and less work being sent my way, and I knew the inevitable was bound to happen; and it did. I was laid off, but they were still happy with my work, and asked me to continue working for them on a contract basis (which, ironically, I was going to propose doing 4 months earlier). This unfortunate turn of events allowed me to set in motion what would become the foundation of Hotcakes New Media. In November of 2008, Hotcakes New Media was official, and off to a great start. Although having my own company means my income is a little less than stable, it has proven to be successful so far, as I have designed websites for Canadian Tire Jump Start, Relay For Life, Red Nose Day, Better Farming Magazine, and of course, Ottawa’s Premiere Music Studio, Studio MC.

What’s Next:
With all the huge changes from 2008, 2009 is shaping up to be one hell of a good year. I will soon be writing the pilot for my “Hero Complex” mockumentary sitcom, and with any luck, filming it by year end. Hotcakes New Media is destined to become Ottawa’s best New Media company, Studio MC is destined to become Ottawa’s best piano and violin school, the house is destined to become a stunning example of modern design, and who knows… the house might be filled with a child’s laughter (or crying) by year end. 2009 is a big year indeed. Hang on, and enjoy the ride.

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Now, you all know I have a yearly ritual of posting a “year in review” at the end of December, and one post is usually dedicated to bands who I believe to have been influential in moving the music industry forward. Guns n’ Roses will most definitely be a part of this list, in fact, I will likely just be copying and pasting most of this article. But I thought this album deserved it’s own post, as it deserves to be listened to now, not only in a month from now.

By now you may have guessed that this will be a positive review. It is; But it is so much more than that. This album is truly spectacular in ways most people won’t grasp, so I’m hoping this post helps people REALLY listen to the music, and appreciate the depth that is has.

First, let’s preface this with a bit of history. I’m not going to go in great detail, and I may have some facts slightly off, but this is close enough to give you an idea of where the album comes from. In 1991, GnR released it’s double album Use Your Illusion I and II. In 1994, they announced that they were working on a new album, despite losing the original drummer, and began recording songs sporadically until about 1996. In 1996, Slash left the band (and eventually ended up with Velvet Revolver). A few years later, bassist Duff McKagan leaves the band as well, leaving Axl Rose as the sole original GnR band member. In 1999, they announce they are working on the album Chinese Democracy and release one single. From 2000 to 2008, a bunch of weirdness occurs. Axl Rose discovers electronica music and begins experimenting with loops and effects. GnR goes on tour in 2002 to promote the album, which was still not released, and riots ensue when the band no-shows a couple of venues. Axl Rose cycles through band member after band member, including the guitarist from NiN, an avant-guard guitarist called “Buckethead” and a number of others. Meanwhile, it’s been more than 10 years since the album was announced, and the rumours of the album begin surfacing again. Everyone is skeptical, and Dr Pepper, in an interesting marketing idea, announces that they will give a free can of their soda to every person in America if GnR releases Chinese Democracy in 2008. In November of 2008, hell freezes over; The album is released. Dr Peppers for everyone!

Now that you have the history, it’s a little easier to understand where this review comes from. The fact is that this album is a masterpiece, but it is NOT Guns n’ Roses. It is clearly an Axl Rose solo album. Axl wrote the music, created the album, and did everything his way (hence various band members leaving due to him being a control freak). If you can listen to the album without the assumption that this is classic GnR, it will go a long way to appreciating the album for what it is.

One thing that is fascinating about the album is that, due to Axl going through so many different band mates during this time, the album is incredibly dense and layered with a variety of different styles. You can clearly hear the electronica influence, but you can also hear Buckethead’s unique guitar style, some jazz chord patterns, some old rock, and more. There is orchestration. There is piano. There are tender moments. There are rockin’ guitar solos. And it all blends in perfectly.

The album really sounds a little bit like a rock opera due to the technicality and orchestration of most of the songs. This is not an album that the average rock fan will really be into. This is clearly not generic rock with simple chord patterns. This album features some spectacularly complex and unique song writing and instrumentation. As a result, it initially sounds “odd” because you can’t follow the song like other generic radio-friendly tunes you hear these days. You have to listen to the music several times, keep an open mind, and hear the subtle nuances that make this album pure genius. You have to be a fan of MUSIC, not a fan of rock, nor a fan of GnR. 

Make no mistake; This album is epic, and will inevitably go down as one of the best rock albums ever written, but it will take time for this to happen. The songs on this album are classic, timeless, and unique. 

Was it worth the wait? Every minute. Here’s hoping we get another epic masterpiece from Axl Rose in 2018.

A7

Just thought I would let you all know that the article I wrote for CONFRONT Magazine is now live. Click here to read the article (with pictures).

I thought that I would post about a few really good bands that I discovered while surfing on the net. It all started when I googled The Crow Soundtrack. You see, I have always really liked the song “Burn” from The Cure. I have always been a fan of dark movies and themes with a fascination in things “goth.” But don’t get me wrong, I don’t like “elements” of the goth culture that you see on the streets nor do I like the various subcultures perpetuated by popular media that define themselves with their own sensational spin-off themes like S&M, Deathrock (you know, the kind with lyrics of teen suicide), satanic worship, mutilation, etc.

What I do like and what kind of goth am I talking about? Think the style of dress from the Renaissance and Victoria era, not so much the punk and deathrock stream. Think medieval romances, gothic revival architecture and yes, even the horror genre with ghosts, vampires, graveyards and old country castles.

What surprised me, however, was when I started looking up “Goth Rock” bands, I came up with some surprisingly mellow and very emotionally charged music. So lately, I’ve been expanding my repertoire of music reflecting that taste. Once I got “Burn” from The Cure on my Youtube playlist, on a list of related videos, I came across these great songs from a Finnish Band called Entwine. Well, 4 hours later of exploring, I discovered this great band along with others that fall under the “Goth Rock” label including Lacuna Coil and H.I.M.. And now a lot of their music makes up my very best list for songs from the late 90s to now. So I am including links to the songs that I like most. These songs move me. They make me feel something. Not a lot of bands do that for me anymore.

If you are interested, check out the links. Regrettably, not all of them have a video per se, but some do include the lyrics which is nice…

Here is a list of songs from the band Entwine…

Entwine

• Learn to Let Go
• Closer (My Love)
• Lost Within
• Time Of Despair
• Nothing Left To Say
• Nothing’s Forever
• Frozen By the Sun
• Hearts of Frozen Stone

And 2 from Lacuna Coil

• Entwined
• Falling Again

And 2 from H.I.M.

• Join Me in Death
• Gone With the Sin

If you went to these links, I would really like to know what you think.

Tina

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7doanW8fKw]

The video features my sister Sam singing and performing Overprotected by Britney Spears. It was made as a contest entry to win tickets to a Britney Spears concert. This was my second video production ever, and was created using an old VHS tape camera, and a trial of Premere (version 2 I believe!) on the PC. Looking back at it now, it was actually pretty well done considering the technology I was working with. I just can’t help but laugh at the hilariously cheesy transitions I used. Thankfully, I learned my lesson about transitions by the time I made my third video, so nobody had to endure the horror of bad wipes and transitions ever again.

Historical note:
As mentioned, this was my second video production. My first was a video package for my high school graduating art class for the school’s arts gala. I wish I could find a copy of it; Ironically, that gala video featured me naked (though I wasn’t really naked… we just made it look that way), which later became a recurring theme in my OCAD works.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this little piece of history.

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As some of you know, we are now in the middle of having our house built. During the planning and selection process, we determined that we wanted to have “whole-home audio”. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a solution that provides the home owner with music on demand in several rooms throughout the house. Generally, this involves built-in ceiling speakers in each room, with a little audio console built into the wall near the light switch (often the same size as the light switch, and allows you to control the volume and potentially the CD track). This all connects to a little console, usually in the basement, that provides radio and CD options. Sounds cool huh? It is. It’s also outrageously expensive. As in $4000 and up expensive. Ouch.

In my quest to find a cheaper solution I researched a number of options. One of the issues that kept popping up was that I wanted access to MY music whenever I wanted. I didn’t want to be limited to CDs or radio. What good is having a library of 2000 songs in iTunes if I can’t access them? All these whole-home solutions provide CD and radio, but only a simple audio input. That means I would need a computer running iTunes next to the console, and have no control over changing tracks.

The goal in creating the iHome was:

• to provide seamless audio from iTunes in three separate rooms in the house
• to allow me to change tracks, select playlists, and control volume wherever I am
• to do all this for under $2000

The biggest hurdle in finding a suitable solution is the price tag. Finding a solution like this for less than half the price of a standard installation (with more features) was an issue. That led me to looking into a few 3rd party solutions that are designed to provide access to iTunes music wirelessly from any room. One of them was Sonos, which provides a cool full-colour LCD controller to select your iTunes music and play it wirelessly in any room. It seems to be a decent slick-looking solution, and works on both Mac and PCs. Unfortunately, there are three major roadblocks with this solution: You need to plug in the wireless device into an electrical outlet somewhere in the room (which defeats the purpose of going wireless), you need to plug in external speakers (which take up space in the room, and create visible wiring) and it costs a freakin’ fortune (for two rooms, it would cost around $3500).

As I was ready to give up, I randomly came across someone mentioning the AirTunes functionality of the Apple Airport Express. The Airport Express is a tiny wireless router that allows you to stream your iTunes music to it. You plug in this little wireless router (the size of a standard wall adapter) anywhere in your house, plug in some speakers, and you can send your iTunes music to it. This got me thinking… and eventually provided the roadmap for the entire Apple home audio solution I like to call my iHome.

What’s required:

• Ceiling mounted speakers (about $600 a pair installed*)
• One Airport Extreme base station (about $120)
• Two Airport Express devices (about $200)
• One Apple TV (about $250)
• Two cheap amplifiers (about $300)

The total cost of this setup is about $2070… just a tad over the bugdet BUT with an unexpected bonus that I’m willing to pay the extra $70 for. Also note that the bulk of this cost ($1200) comes from the outrageously expensive cost of the ceiling mounted speakers. We are dealing with our home builder to have them installed during construction, and builders tend to overcharge. Unfortunately, we don’t have much of a choice in the matter (we need that part to be seamless, and to be included in the mortgage). If you are doing this to an existing house, you can likely do it yourself for $800 less, making the total cost under $1300.

There will be a pair of speakers mounted in the ceiling of the bedroom, and in the ceiling of the kitchen. That way, there are no visible speakers, wires, or devices anywhere in sight. All the wires will be through the walls going to a collection point in the basement. The basement will have my home theater sound system already, so no need for additional speakers down there. The Airport Extreme will be installed on the main level. It acts as a wireless N router, and will supply the whole house with wireless internet (as well as serving up the audio). My computer with iTunes will be in my home office upstairs. The two Airport Express devices will be in the basement. One will be labeled “kitchen” and will plug into one of the amplifiers, which will have the kitchen speaker wires plugged in. The other will be labeled “bedroom” and will plug into the other amplifier, which will have the bedroom speaker wires plugged in. Finally, the Apple TV will be hooked up to my Home Theatre system (HDTV/Projector and 5.1 surround sound system).

You might be asking yourself how I plan to tie this all together, right? How will I control the tracks and volume?  Will I have to run down to the Apple TV for control? Will I have to go use the computer upstairs? Well… I can do those things, yes. But I can also use my iPhone from anywhere in the house. Using an ingenious piece of software called “Signal”, I can use my iPhone to select where in the house the music is playing, set the track, the volume, and any number of other settings. I can even see the album art of the track that’s currently playing, and cue up a bunch of songs my friends request for playing later on. Pretty incredible stuff, isn’t it. I can be pouring a bath in the ensuite and decide I want some relaxing music. I simply press a button on the iPhone, select the bedroom and press play. Voila… magically there is music coming in the bedroom from the invisible speakers in the ceiling.

So what’s the cool bonus I talked about? Apple TV. In addition to providing my iTunes music in the basement via my Home Theater setup, it also provides video. Any of my own videos I create are imported into my iTunes library, so they are instantly available to view in full HD on the Apple TV. I can even watch YouTube videos from the comfort of my couch, watch the latest movie trailers, and even rent videos wirelessly in HD, all from the Apple TV.

So there you have my plans for the ultimate iHome. When I move into the new house in December, I will be documenting the whole process with video or pictures, and writing up a full guide on how to set it all up. Don’t forget to check back in January for part 2.

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