Sacrifices That I Wish That I Didn’t Have To Make:

There was a recent show (yesterday) that I would have liked to have gone to, but the funds that I would be spending on the show to support the bands and the bar, I could be putting that towards purchasing a new laptop for my own live show. Most of the people that know me, know I generally try to make it to most, if not all the goth/industrial shows that roll through here. Unfortunately, this time around, this is a sacrifice that I have to make… I don’t like it, but there really is nothing else I can do… and that is a reality of life, sometimes we have to make these sacrifices, and it sucks, but it’s gonna put me further ahead in my career, and I will be able to get back to playing live shows again...  In a previous blog, I had mentioned that there are some changes coming to Twitch, this is part of phase one of those changes… there are some pieces of gear that I’m unfortunately forced to update now, cause some of it, in particular my laptop is starting to fail (it’s 14 years old, and is running Windows Vista [yep, oooooooooooooold]), there are some other pieces I’ll be retiring and upgrading as well in this phase… I’m not gonna get into it quite yet, but you’ll see those updates on our Facebook page as well as our various other social media channels when they come about. If I haven’t been to your shows here lately in Calgary, I do apologize, but I’ve had to make some sacrifices and unfortunately, I can’t go to every event or show right now... but being that I couldn't be there in physical presence, here's all the Bandcamp pages for all the acts for last nights show:













Love your Canadian Goth/Rivethead,

Shayne “Daemon_w60” Lawrence / Twitch

P.S.:  and hey, if you want to help us out in our endeavor, we just released a new single, take a listen and maybe even consider supporting us ;)

Time and My Musical Endeavor

So, I just wrote a blog (note) about how I've been constantly reminded lately, that life is very short (we have maybe 100 years to live, if we are healthy), and that we should live life to the fullest, with no regrets, and no fear... this particular blog is about that fact, and how it relates to my musical endeavor.

Being that recently I've been reminding myself of how short our lives are...how we shouldn't be afraid to be ourselves and live life to the fullest, I've been really reflecting and thinking about what exactly I want to do and achieve with my musical endeavor...

(Rivethead in Toronto)

... First, I recently made a very quick and short trip to a city that I always wanted to live in (it's pretty obvious where I was from the photos), for a synth expo, and after being in that city, and realizing, I still want to live there... and that it was waaaaaaaaaaaay better than I ever I expected it to be..

... and then flying back, and then the following week I attended a day of the Alberta Electronic Music Conference to see a very well renowned audio engineer in the goth/industrial music scene give a talk about some of the production and audio engineering techniques he used on, if I remember correctly, the song "Smothered Hope" by Skinny Puppy (it's amazing that, when broken down, that song is only 16 tracks), and also some of his time working with Nine Inch Nails and such...

(The National Music Centre [Studio Bell] where The Alberta Electronic Music Conference took place)

...it was very enlightening (I had a couple of questions for him, that I didn't have to ask, cause he answered them without being prompted), there's things that my heroes of industrial music did, and still do, that I had figured was the case, but after this audio engineers talk, confirmed exactly what I was feeling and thinking! I found it highly motivating!

Something that I’ve been thinking about recently... I've had sleep issues for almost as long as I've been doing Twitch... so roughly 18 or so years (Twitch is 20 years old)... I think it might be time to embrace that... and just get done what I need to get done (of course it all has to be within reason, we all need rest, and lack of sleep will catch up with you, but)... if I'm not able to sleep, fuck it! Work on music! My lack of sleep issues are not actually stress related, they are generally because, my mind doesn't turn off like everyone else's does when it's time to go to bed, I may not even be thinking of anything... my brain just doesn't shut off... it's weird too, cause I don't generally feel extremely tired, or tired at all most of the time when I can't sleep... I do normally work-out and such, and read, as well as all my other creative endeavors, and I generally have full days and such, but the problems seems to persist... I think it's time to embrace that...I’m awake so I might as well do something! The trip and AEMCon really made me reflect on what I've been doing, and where I want to go... Life is short people! My friends already call me a workaholic when it comes to my music endeavor, but I know in my heart and my mind that I can be doing more... There's a lot in store for Twitch this coming year (fuck yeah, we're almost in 2020 here), and there are a lot of changes coming... I'm not gonna share them all here, but keep it locked to our Facebook page here for those announcements!
If there is one (or several) thing(s) you want to do this coming year, what are those things? (I really want to know!) Leave your answers in the comment section of this post!!

(Your Canadian Goth / Rivethead)

Thank you for reading,
Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence

P.S.: Oh yeah, forgot to mention... in the last few months I've been getting up earlier in the morning on the weekends, cause, I know I can't say this enough, but time is short, and I would rather spend a good full day on my creative endeavors, and get shit done!! Life really is too short, and sleep... well, I don't get to sleep easily anyway, so fuck it! I'll take it as a sign, that I should be productive on my music (as well as other creative shit)!!

Time and The Urgency of Living a Full Life with No Regrets

Well, recently, like in the last few months I've been reminded of the shortness of our time to live on Earth (we maybe have 100 years if we are lucky, and in good health), and being that time is so short, I might as well live life to it's fullest, and do the things I feel and want, cause yeah... time is extremely short, and quite frankly, I might as well do the things I want and feel! As of recently, I've decided to wear makeup whenever the fuck I feel like it... sometimes I don't leave my apartment, but fuck it... I'm gonna put on eyeliner and get dressed up! It doesn't even have to be a special occasion... or even if I'm going out for a coffee with a friend or solo, why the fuck not get dressed up and put on eyeliner and shit! We are certainly not getting younger. And, if life is so short, why the fuck not get the tattoos I want? Why not do the things I want? And a tip for you folks reading this... fuck what others think! In the end, what someone else thinks of you has no effect on your life, and quite frankly you shouldn't let it! Here's the mental side of it... through your entire life the one thing that will happen to all of us... in the end we all die... so do you want to live your life in fear, worrying about what others think and say of you..? Or do you want to live your life how you want, walking the path you want, not giving a fuck about what others think... no fear? I don't know if I can reiterate this enough, we are all gonna die someday, do you want the end of your life to be full of regret not doing the things you wanted to do.. fearing that you may be ostracized, or picked on, or called a freak, or whatever..? Or do you want to live life to fullest, knowing that you may die someday and that there is no time like today to do the things you want and feel, cause fuck... you never know when you are going to die..?

There you go folks... there's a mental, motivational lesson for you... I do realize for some it may be hard, but do everything in your power to live that full life, if it means to get help from a professional, so you can finally start to feel happiness, fuckin do it! Do whatever you need to do to finally achieve that peace! Find people that are supportive... fuck the rest, cause they are not worth your time or energy!

Note: I do realize sometimes an individual can feel lonely at times, stepping out of their comfort zone and doing the things you want or feel like doing, and sometimes it is lonely, but be the person you want to be, live the life you want to, be yourself... you will find your true friends are the ones that love you for who you are!


Love your Canadian Rivethead,

Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence

(Your Canadian Goth / Rivethead)

The Making of "Machine Heart"

We did a making of "Machine Heart"! Check it out!!

Twitch releases new single "Machine Heart"!

It's here!! Twitch's, first in a series of singles called "Machine Heart"! This single and coming album is the result of a 3 year process... in that time a joke of a president was elected in the US, we here in Canada almost ended up in a similar situation with this most recent election. Technology saw great advances, some for good, some possibly very bad. Will we survive our time? Will humanity survive to see the stars... and travel the galaxy (or even further)? Will we survive and live to see the possible heat death of the universe..?

"Machine Heart" is the attitude, "Machine Heart" is the answer!



twitch bandcamp

Twitch Facebook

twitch instagram

Twitch Youtube

twitch Soundcloud

Trippingonacable Records Facebook

Industrial Music Monday - Years of Denial

Haven't done one of these in a while, due to being very busy the last few weeks... but we won't let that get in the way! So... it's Monday, and you know what that means... Industrial!! This week we have a band that doesn't claim to be associated with any particular region of the world, other than the world itself. Their music is in the vein of EBM/Techno/Industrial. The project consists of two members: Barkosina Hanusova and Jerome Tcherneyan. They are called: Years Of Denial! Check them out!!




yearsofdenial Facebook

Years Of Denial on Pinkman Records

Years Of Denial on veyl records

Breaking from the norm, and making a... mistake...

Normally, I spend every Saturday in the studio, working on music or some other music related stuff, I find that day works for me… but, every-once-in-a-while, breaking from the norm, I’ll venture out of the studio on a Saturday, and every time I do that, I regret it… today I tried to do something a little different, and decided to get out of the studio this afternoon (around 3:30pmish) and went and had a coffee, and worked on some other music stuff. The result… it was a mistake… I’ve made this mistake a few other times as well in the past… whenever I do something like this, I always come to the conclusion, stay in the studio… stepping outside of that on a Saturday (with a few minor exceptions) is just not a good idea… mental health-wise Saturdays for me, are reserved for strictly being in the studio working on music, or music related stuff. No breaking from the norm. I now realize that. Saturday will always be the day that I have to remain in the studio and either be making music or music related stuff! I was trying to change up my environment today, to get some fresh ideas… but I find when I step out of the Saturday routine of being in the environment, either nothing gets done, or I just don’t get as much done, and I suffer mentally cause of it… sorry folks, that’s just the way it is… I’m glad I learnt this lesson today… if I plan on being in a different environment on a Saturday, it has to be after my allocated studio hours (which is between 9:30am to 7pm). Of course there are the rare exceptions, like when I’m travelling and such… and I have no other options (even then I try to take some time out of the day to work on stuff), but yeah, those are the only exceptions. For some, that may not seem logical, but for me… I need that routine… that is just a fact of my life... is it a blessing..? A Curse..? I view it as a blessing, cause I’m forced to be in the studio doing something musically, or music related, that’s it!

Today's lesson; Saturday will always be reserved for being in my studio and working on my musical endeavor, whether it's writing music or working on other aspects. After everything that has happened over this last 20 year time span of Twitch's existence, there is no diverging from the original routine of being in the studio and working on music, or music related stuff!

Time to get back to work!

Twitch Travel Diary: Toronto & AEMCon: November 8 – 16: Part 2... + New Single Drops!!

So, some of you may have watched the Youtube video I posted about the Toronto & AEMCon trip… there were some things that I left out of the video that I thought might be interesting to read about. So, if you have watched the video here, you will know, I made my first trip to Toronto from November 8th to the 11^th… and I hit up a few places, and coffee shops, and my whole reason for going was to check out their Second Annual Synth Expo. The synth expo was alright, but the story that happened after was fuckin hilarious… so, after I left the synth expo I hit up a coffee shop, and then after the coffee shop…I headed towards Union Station to meet a friend… I was using the phone to play music, plus use the Map/GPS feature as well as dropping pins so my friend could find me, and communicating with her as well through text, and then just when I was about at the station my phone decided to reboot itself… I was soo worried that I was gonna get stuck in Toronto with no way to find anyone, or communicate with anyone, and obviously this fuckin had to happen… I’m not sure if the universe was trying to tell me something or not, but it was kinda funny! So, I tried to turn on my phone again and it rebooted itself for a second time, and then asked to be plugged in… fortunately I had my charging cable and all that, and I quickly found an outlet at the top of the station, plugged it in, and everything seemed to work ok… my friend found me at the location we discussed, and the rest of the evening, I had no issues… just kinda fucked up and funny little story. Obviously, I know I wouldn’t have gotten stuck, if my phone decided to fail, and not work anymore… I would’ve found a payphone or asked for directions or help or something like that, it’s just kinda funny it happened. Now I know, my phone can’t handle all that shit at once, and now I know better to not have a bunch of shit going on and apps open and running on my phone at the same time. It’s just funny that it happened, I was thinking that something like that might happen, and of course it did… Do you think the universe is trying to tell me something? Let me know in the comment section!

Oh yeah, we are dropping a new single off the upcoming album on November 27^th/2019, called “Machine Heart” on our Bandcamp… which you can find here!

Here's the artwork:

Industrial Music Monday - TOTEM

Well, haven't done one of these in a couple of weeks, but we are back at it! It is Monday, and that means... Industrial!! This week we are featuring a band out of Copenhagen, Denmark. The music is in the vein of dark wave, with elements of industrial rock, and witch house. The band consists of two members: Christoffer Bagge and Trina Echidna. They are called TOTEM! Check them out!!






T0tvm on Facebook

t0tvm on bandcamp


P.S.: I came about finding this band from a feature on the I Die You Die magazine website! I figured I would give this band a bump as well! It's decent stuff!

Dreamtime in Shayne's Dreamland: Part 3: I don't know what the fuck...

Well, this time around I have nothing to report... I dreamt last night, but nothing I could remember, unfortunately... but I think from the last couple of days, the two dreams that I do remember... have their own meaning separate from each other. While I was writing about the first one (here) I found it quite easy to discern meaning from it... and as I wrote the second one (here), once again it was quite easy to discern their meaning! So, on that note, I'm not going to continue to post this kind of stuff on social media, and in my blogs and such... as I don't really think anyone is interested in reading about my fuckin dreams in dreamland... but, I will say... as an exercise, I liked the idea of typing them out or writing them down... I may to continue to do that in privacy... but, as I stated in the first blog in this series, I do remember most of my dreams... and normally I can quickly discern what exactly they are about, and what my mind is trying to tell me, (granted that is not always the case, as some nights I can't remember exactly what I dreamt about, but that does happen sometimes) and if it's not revealed in the first dream I have it is often revealed in the third dream... but this time around, as stated above, blogging about this series... I was able to discern, as I was typing them out, what they were about! So, if I were to offer anyone advice when it comes to dreams and such, and trying to figure out exactly what your subconscious or mind is trying to tell you, maybe write or type out your dreams and keep a dream log somewhere... you never know what may be affecting you psychologically, and sometimes the answers come to you in dreams. Course this is all subjective, what I dream about I'll interpret differently than someone else who has had a similar dream, and the way I interpret my dream might be interpreted differently than someone else reading about and assessing my dreams. In the end, I look at the bigger picture of what is going on around me at the time, what is stressing me out, or other concerns or things I'm thinking about at the time, and then look at what happens in the dream, and determine what my mind is trying to tell me!


Speaking of dreams... I dream of a better world! We've got an album on the way here, here's something to listen to while you wait:

Dreamtime in Shayne's Dreamland: Part 2: UFO and spaceflight

Well, here's the second dream that I've had in a row... like I said in the last "...Dreamland" blog, generally my dreams run in three's, as usually if I don't understand the meaning of a vivid dream in the first night, it usually unfolds in a process over three nights... this dream was quite different... I dreamt that there were these UFO's (that humans traveled in through space, and maybe time) that for some reason, I couldn't access on my own, and every time I would try to fly and access these UFO's there was always some obstacle in the way... but as time passed these opportunities to fly and access these UFO flights, they would eventually at the end of the dream allow me to access them and fly them... but the opportunities had to line-up perfectly... when the first flight happened, that I wasn't able to participate in... I would see the flight take-off, and I knew everything had to line-up perfectly so that I could access this first UFO, by the end of the dream... everything had lined up perfectly, and I was able to finally access the UFO and take flight. This blog probably doesn't make any sense, but this is the stream of thought, and how the dream rolled out.  Not sure what this means, not sure how it relates to the last dream, as the last dream was about people stockpiling weapons cause there was a war coming (and me being so afraid about this coming war, and needing to somehow protect myself, that I ended up with a gun, but I didn't want to have to resort to using it), and last nights dream was more about opportunities (UFO's) finally coming to me after everything lined up perfectly (maybe that's the meaning of the dream... not sure yet... we'll see what tonight brings). I could get into the finer details... in this dream as well... another thing I remember is an old man at the end of the dream, basically agreeing with me (and supporting me) that the time is right for me to fly in these UFO's. I guess we'll see what tonight brings...

Maybe I already have the answers...

Do you sit down and write out your dreams or type them out? Do you find meaning in them?

I've had dreams that I've woken up from that had music in them, and lyrics to songs... when I woke up, I wrote them down... granted I haven't used those particular lyrics yet, but oddly they made sense, and actually have meaning, they weren't just random words.

Dreamtime in Shayne's Dreamland... part 1: The War

Well, not many of you know, but ever since I was young I've kept a mental record of most of my dreams while I'm sleeping, I generally remember most of them. I've always been able to draw meaning from them... and if it doesn't happen the first night of a vivid dream then it's usually the third night in a row, that the meaning will come to me... Whenever, I've had problems or issues in my life, I've always found that a combination of meditation and studying my dreams has really helped me make decisions or helped me realize certain things, or let me know there is something that I need to do, or something that I need to address. Our minds are amazing things... it takes all the information that we've processed all day, and at least I've generally found, I've been able to take meaning from the dreams that I've had, and maybe learn something, or take action on something that I need to do. I know a lot of people say dreams could be just that... nothing more that reflections of our daily activities... but believe it or not, if you listen to your dreams and what your mind is trying to tell you about your daily activities (maybe it's work [I hate work dreams; as that means I'm getting stressed out, and will eventually wake soon cause I'm worried about work, and what I should be doing is relaxing], or maybe it's interactions with your friends, and conversations you've had with them throughout the day or week, or maybe it's other stuff like creative endeavors and possible directions that you've been stressing about and you are not too sure which direction... there could be all sorts of things... and it's all purely individual based cause each of us has a different job, we have different friends, we have different aspirations and goals in your life)... but when we are sleeping your brain doesn't shut off... it's actually working on problems while you sleep sub-consciously...and what I've found by studying and interpreting my own dreams (a long time ago, I was trying to interpret dreams by using dream definition book [ie: if you dream a certain animal, it means this certain thing], but I found it was never helpful, none of it's definitions were true for me, and I realized, every single "Dream Dictionary" type books is based on the writers definition of what these things mean... so, I started to listen to my own dreams and define themself)... and generally if the meaning does't come in the first dream it'll resolve itself, after a 3 day cycle, and I'll wake up with the answer! And, that leads to "Shayne's Dreamland: Part 1: The War!"

This dream started off with me doing a little wandering in the around and moving into this house (If I'm not mistaken it was a house I was living in with parents or brother... and a friend showed up (yes, Jordan Jaundice showed up in my dream... he wanted me to take care of his dog for a little while, so I agreed to do it, while I was taking care of his dog, I was looking outside, and people were preparing for war in our City (I think it was Calgary), cause of all that shit is going on in politics lately (with the election here in Canada, and in the US), I was afraid, cause I didn't want to pick up a gun, and possibly have to fight my neighbors or fellow Canadians, and I really don't want to use a gun, cause I have no fuckin idea what I'm going to do with it... when Jordan Jaundice got back... because I was sooo worried about this war, and I could see neighbors in the area planning and stocking up on weapons (think the neighbor right across from us had a modern military canon, the type that you sit in and pull ze trigger to launch some kind of missile or whatever). So, I told him I need to protect myself, and he handed my this shitty small revolver... then when he was about to leave again... he took his dog, looked over the dog, and I knew he wasn't gonna trust me with his dog (in real life I love all animals and I love dogs especially larger dogs; Huskies anyone??), but I also felt a little bit of relief because I new I would have to take care of him and have the added stress of having to dog sit, and also protecting myself if a war does happen... the dream got a little more vivid at this point, and I was starting to think the dream was real, and I hear this voice saying "You're getting closer" as I was heading into this upper room of the house, an I realized I was in a very deep sleep, and generally when things get vivid like that, it's time to wake myself up, so I shook (I literally force my body to shake) myself out of the dream and woke up!

...So, I suspect the next couple of days I will have a couple more vivid dreams like this and the meaning will be revealed to me (as that is usually what happens if it's not revealed sooner)...

... I will tell you my initial thought's I think I'm worried about politics, polarization, us vs them shit that certain conservative governments are trying to push forward...as a way of dividing people into us vs them, in order to divide us and make it easier to control us... cause that is what polarization is... and if you look at politics around the world, and especially here in Canada and in our neighbors in the South... a lot of the conservative agenda has been to push this idea that polarization is happening (I have another theory why they are pushing that idea, but that is a conversation for another time), and I'm slightly worried about the coming Canadian election, as if things don't go well, there's no telling what will happen. However, maybe I'm off on this... we'll see in the next couple of days... maybe there is another reason for this dream... I will keep you folks informed on this dream cycle and let you know if there is any meaning that comes to me in the next couple of days!


P.S.: At some point here, I'll also go into a little more details on the definition of what I mean by "Dreamland" as suggested in the title of this post!


What have you folks been dreaming about lately? Do you take meaning from your dreams..?

Movie: Joker

Yes, this Thanksgiving weekend, I went and saw the Joker. All I gotta say is... go see it! An excellent movie! This story, is the back story of how the Joker, or a Joker became to be. It is excellent! I have a theory, the way that they are playing all the different Joker's... I think they are playing it as, he is one of many. Every Joker we've seen in the movies, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and now Joaquin Pheonix... they are all the Joker, but they are different Joker's... and each Joker has a slightly different backstory and does things a bit different, and when one dies, another picks up where they left off... I will be honest, I think it works well for the story! The Joker we are given in the movie "Joker" is the story of a very broken individual, who ends up turning into a villain type... the story was very psychological... if you are looking for an action movie... sorry, it's not there... which doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the movie, I think that because they stuck with the psychological stuff the movie ended being better! I don't want to spoil anything here, but go see this movie, it is excellent!! I had heard that Joaquin's performance is Oscar worthy, and it certainly is!! Outside of the Batman Begins series of movies, this is probably one of the best DC franchise movies out there!!

The Death of Physical Media

Well, the last few days I've been really thinking about physical music media, and if we didn't know this already, I'm really starting to think, physical is dead. Most computers and laptops nowadays don't include CD players or even DVD players... and, it's only gonna get harder to obtain that outdated type of technology (you can purchase USB connected external CD/DVD drives right now, but it won't be like that forever)... even physical CD sales are rare... I do like the idea of having physical (love the packaging and stuff), but as time goes by, it will get harder and harder to find tech that supports that outdated media. Sure, there has been a slight resurgence in vinyl, but for how long? Quite frankly, I'm not interested in investing in vinyl (the question is, how long is that gonna last for..?)... Even with my own musical endeavor... I'm at the point where I think selling a CD is kinda pointless, being that that media IS becoming rare, and no one really purchases it anymore... and as stated above, it's only gonna get harder to find CD/DVD drives to connect to our computers or laptops. I'm also looking at my CD collection and wondering if it's even worth trying to collect more, or even keeping what I have... with digital and streaming being the #1 way for people to consume and listen to music, why even bother with physical. Like I said, I like the idea of collecting and the packaging and all that stuff, but in the end, it really is a dead format... and everything I have in physical, has been uploaded and digitized into my library on my computer... so what's the point? I don't need to have a physical copy anymore... and quite frankly they are probably gonna end up in a landfill somewhere at some point down the road... which really has me thinking... should I sell it? To be honest, I'm at the point where I want to, save for a select few pieces (will probably never get rid of my Nine Inch Nails pieces, but the rest of it... I don't really care). Of course, there's memories attached to some of these pieces, but will the memory die if I get rid of them? ... I'm really not sure, there is dates and times, and feelings associated with some of these pieces... I feel like having them is a reminder of those memories... but could I actually get rid of the majority of my collection?

What are your thoughts on physical media (CDs/DVDs)? And, would you get rid of your collection, knowing that the technology used to play that media is becoming rare and outdated?

Twitch Vlog: August 19/2019

Industrial Music Monday - Thegn

It's that day, and you know what that means... Industrial!!! This week we have a project originally out of Vancouver, BC, Canada. The music is in the vein of dark ambient/industrial/noise. The project is the sole creation of Joy (not sure if that is a stage name or not, but from the info I could find, it seems to be the name they go by)! This endeavor is called: Thegn! Check it out!!






thegn Facebook

absurdtrax.bandcamp.com

absurd-creation Soundcloud

Thoughts on Dystopia: RANT TIME

**BEGIN RANT**

Well, it seems like a lot of people out there are saying we are currently living in a dystopia because of current politics and what is going on in the world right now. And it seems as though people are almost romanticizing the idea... Truthfully speaking, I love cyberpunk fiction. However that form of fiction was written as a warning to not tread the path laid out in those stories... it was meant to be a warning to not end up in a dystopia. (EDIT: Dystopia isn't fun. When the fiction was created, it was meant to be a warning for us not to end up in that situation! William Gibson was intelligent enough to know that this could be a possibility if we don't do something about the situation we are in... what I am saying here, is if he was intelligent enough to see and know that, then we are intelligent enough, to not end up in that situation!) I also think we are not living in a dystopia... and quite frankly, I'm willing to do anything, so we don't end up in that reality. And, here's my point, if you truly don't want to live in a dystopia, go out there, get involved in a local charity, or a cause of some kind... stop fuckin saying we live in a dystopia, and start actually doing something about what is going on around you and your fucking communities... I actually view being in a dystopia, is not a good thing, it's not an intelligent thing... I think we as a human species are more intelligent than to let something like that become a reality! If you truly don't want to live in a dystopia, get out there, get involved in your communities, make the world a better place, cause if you don't, we'll certainly end up in that reality!


By saying we live in a dystopia, means you've already given up, and you are ok with what is going on around you... you've thrown in the towel, and accepted that it is not possible to do anything about the world situation, the political situation. You think when we went to war in World War II that we thought that nothing could be done about that whole situation..? People gave their lives so we could have our freedom... and they changed the world for the better for us! It is not impossible, if we put our minds to it, we can change the world!

Once again; as with the last rant: Violence should be the last resort!!

**END RANT**

Note: I know I've ranted about this before, but I want to get across the point, you have the power to change things! No matter how big or how small! If it wasn't possible, what is the fuckin point, we might as well lay down and let the world end... Sorry folks, that's the reality of life, if we can't affect change within ourselves and ultimately influence others to take action... then why live?! Each one of us has the ability to change! You are not fated to do anything, society isn't fated to do anything... You always have a choice, and you will always have the ability to change, and in doing so, you influence others to take action! That's all I gotta say.

EDIT 2: I removed something earlier… and censored my blog a little bit… and now I feel I should have left it in, with a bit of an explanation… so I’m putting this back in it; the reality of Dystopia, is that corporations rule… Government pays lip-service to the people and capitalism has run rampant, with no checks and balances. Secret wars are going on, mega-corporations are taking out competing corporate executives by hiring, hired-guns, or anyone that is a threat, or could pose a threat… everyone carries weapons, cause no one knows who’s next and is not sure who is competing against them for the same space. Violence is normalized… no one is safe. What I had taken out of the blog is, I don’t want this to happen… and quite frankly, the idea of me picking up a weapon, whatever it is… to protect myself is something that I don’t want to do (violence actually makes me physically sick; one of the reasons why I can’t watch horror movies anymore, or even watch violent movies and shit, or even the news for that matter, cause there is too much negativity, and too much violence)… I believe in peace… maybe not a true peace (we still have to be able to defend ourselves, cause unfortunately there is people out in the world that want to hurt you), but I definitely believe in peace! I also believe that we will overcome the current world situation, by accepting each others differences (that doesn’t mean you have to believe what I believe, but accept that we are all different… and as long as you are not infringing on anyone’s rights, or going out there hurting someone [I believe we all have a right to life], and you can change and grow within those beliefs then that is for you)… This can all be done without violence, I believe we will overcome it without violence. What I was getting at in this blog Rant is; there seems to be a lot of people in our community (especially, the goth/industrial community), that are saying that we are living in a dystopia, and the idea is almost romanticised… and what I am trying to articulate is… if you truly think we are in a dystopia, or we are on the verge of becoming a dystopic society here in Canada or even the U.S., is go out there and get involved in your communities, donate time to a charity or worthy cause… whether it’s volunteering at the local drop-in centre or raising awareness for mental health issues. Do something to circumvent the dystopia! It’s one thing to say we are living in a dystopia, or are on the brink of becoming a dystopia… but if you are not taking any actions to circumvent it, then we will truly end up in that situation, if you truly don’t want it to happen, go out there and get involved in your communities and make the world a better place! I realize it’s one thing for me to rant about it on the internet and social media… but I’m already, working on the making the world a better place part ;) ! We can’t make the world a better place, unless all of us are doing it together!

I hope I got my point across!


What are your thoughts?

Documentary - The Great Hack

We all know what the political climate is like right now, we all know that because of social media being exploited, "hacked" and politicians using it to manipulate the general populace, the results of the election didn't turn out for the good, and there is a joke of a president in power... who is only interested in benefiting himself and his family. If you are curious how social media was involved and used to manipulate people, then watch "The Great Hack" on Netflix! Such an excellent documentary! A little commentary here: If the laws change around the internet and social media to not be able to use our data without our permission, and fake news also not being allowed, we might be in a better place, but so far nothing has really changed all that much... which means this shit can still happen... as you'll see in this documentary, know that your data can be used against you, and used to manipulate you... You would not believe how much data your leaving online with simple interactions, even with playing "games", such as those online "fun" questionnaires (eg: what is your spirit animal, etc).

Movie - Beats

Have been on vacation this last week and a bit; spent some downtime watching movies and such, one of them was "Beats", it was such an excellent movie! The movie is basically about this kid out of Chicago, who his sister and him get shot, he survives, but she doesn't... as a result, he ends up with severe PTSD... and spends a large portion of his time making beats in his bedroom, never leaving his house. Along comes a school cop/security guy, who used to be in the music business managing bands and rappers and such... and he is tasked with the job of getting kids who haven't been in school for awhile, to actually show up. In his journey to find these kids, he meets August (the beatmaker) and figures he can get back in the music business with this artist savant. Not gonna ruin the story for ya, but it is an excellent movie, and I would highly suggest you check it out! If you are into beatmaking or just music writing in general this movie is definitely inspiring, even though it is fictional! I will be honest, I couldn't tell if this was a promo for the beatmaking machines that appear in the movie, although, I don't think you see any logos or anything in it, but at first it did come across as a bit of a promo for these specific machines... I think they were trying to attract actual beatmakers that use these specific pieces of machinery to watch this movie, but... still a decent movie!!