Studio Diary: The Night Loves You!!

(The night loves you!)

Well, I got done what needed to get done today, the process was still fun... and I'm very productive. I will say though, today I was feeling anxious for some reason, not sure why. Like normally, when I pour my morning coffee... and have the first sip, I feel good and relaxed, but today for some reason, before I poured my coffee, I felt anxious today... not sure why... I couldn't really place my finger on it. I'm thinking maybe I feel a little time starved... (there's a reason for that, and I'll let you know why in the future... right now is not the time)... However, even though I felt time starved... I was still productive, and got everything done that needed to get done today!

Once again, I'm really enjoying the process right now, and it truly reminds me of the early days of Twitch, maybe not sound-wise, but definitely in the sequencing and programming kind of way. There was a part of me that felt, for at least part of the creative process today, that I needed to change things up a little bit today, so I cut up and fucked with a drum loop that I was playing with... it definitely payed off! I will say again, I'm really loving the process... and it's forcing me to think about music differently, and really get my ideas out, as they come out! In the future it is very likely that I'll work in this kind of fashion moving forward... sooo inspired!!

I hope you folks are staying safe and doing well!! I know they are starting to open up things where we live, and I know some of you are worried what this is gonna look like... are we gonna be able to remain safe, or is this whole situation gonna get worse... I'm remaining hopeful and positive... but the numbers, ultimately will tell us the tale.

Whatever the situation, love you!

Studio Diary: Getting this shit as it comes out!!

(Darkness... something that I have lived in my whole life, but through darkness, ultimately, you will find light!)

Well, today... didn't go as planned... thought I would have gotten more done, but that's ok... wasn't really sure where to take this piece, so... tomorrow I can come to it from a fresh perspective and fresh new ideas. Although I will say, there was a lot of messing around and shit... trying things here and there, but could only get so far, I've got the basic structure of what I want, it's just all the details inside! Still fun though, and quite honestly when I shut everything down tonight... and stepped away, already had fresh ideas that I want to use for this particular piece, but that's a tomorrow thing.

Overall feeling: Still learning new stuff, and going about things in a way that, for me is highly inspiring and really getting this shit, as it comes out!! Love this!!

Studio Diary: Feeling Good About Being Creative!!

(Another excellent evening... inspiration?)

Ye, another evening in the studio, lot's of ideas... making a lot of progress... learning so many things right now! I am feeling good about being creative again! The directions this creativity is going is... well... you'll just have to wait to find out! Doing things this way, I think if I can pull this off, will be the new way of doing things! Exciting!! I'm glad I gave this a bit of time to start, the inspiration is different, and what I thought was gonna go one way, has now changed. Although, it is funny, cause if I had started this sooner, rather than doing it now, things have completely changed... although, I do feel time really is a luxury, so in the future, when something wants to come out, I'll let it, but I am thankful I waited a little bit on this!

A little side note: The other evening I had a dream that the lead singer from Dope Stars Inc. was testing me on my cyberpunk knowledge, cause he figured I was becoming a cyberpunk and I had to pass the test, if I didn't, I wasn't a true cyberpunk. I will tell you, lately I've had various feelings about cyberpunk, and dystopia... but I'm not gonna get into that here (will some of this inspiration bleed into what's coming... we'll see...).

Studio Diary: The Mishap...

(Love the darkness!)

Yeah, was in the studio yesterday... bein all creative and shit, and I was doing some filming... then at the end of the night, I end up tripping over my fucking video camera plug... the camera crashes into the ground, and... well... let's just say, this last week has not been good for gear... video camera is now fucked.

I will be replacing it with something new obviously, at some point... just frustrating, when a person is trying to be productive and creative, and shit like this happens. I will say, it was an older camera (a step before HD), but the thing I liked about it was, because it was an older camera, the file sizes of the videos were easily manageable, and quick to load. Granted the quality of the video wasn't the best, but it did the job. Yeesh, I get this is a first world problem, but frustrating none-the-less.

On a plus note, I have been doing some things in the studio, there have been a lot of realizations in my process and how I'm starting to think, the process I had before when writing stuff, needs to change. Like I said in a previous studio diary (here), things have been changing, and this new process first of all reminds me of the early days of Twitch, when I was doing stuff in a Tracker type program, and yeah... it's been a lot of fun right now, and it truly is helping me change the way I think about writing. Depending on how this goes, my writing process may change permanently, cause the way things are coming out right now, is really inspiring, and... well... you'll just have to wait and see ;) 

We did just release an album called "Databomb" if you are curious what it is about, you can check it out here (and hey, just fucking download it, it's free)!

Anyway, thank you folks for all that you do, and your support,

Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch

Studio Diary: Was in the studio last night... things need to change (May 22nd/2020)

Yep, was in the studio last night, and things certainly need to change! I tried to fit everything and make sure everything has it's place and there some kind of sense of organization a few months ago, but... this current set-up is not optimal to being creative, so... I'm probably gonna have to move some things around and kinda see if there is a better way of setting up my gear, so that it's good for live streams, and it's good for being creative as well... (although, I like the idea of standing at my synth to do whatever playing, sound design, synth tweaking and all that)... we'll see... Not gonna get into all the details, but if you want a confirmation, yes last night I was being creative... in what capacity, well... you are going to have to wait and find out 😉! I will post another update later today, regarding the solution to this situation... just feel my Yamaha EX7 Synthesizer is too far away from my main desk.

Isolation, and Maybe The Answer to Having A Semi-Social Life...

(Photo courtesy of Katja Moeller)

Well, as you may have read in one of my previous blogs "Embracing The Isolation" here, the last little while I've experienced a bit of isolation, a kind of forced isolation (not really my choice, more of just, not being able to get out with friends as much as I would like to, and also kind of trying to achieve some goals monetarily-wise), and I want to touch upon the subject again, as a couple of days ago, I went for a long walk, and I was thinking about some things I could do to get out and just be in social environments... and I was reminded, that waaaay back in 2001, I used to have this routine, where every Friday, I would hit up an internet cafe, here in Calgary, and surf the net and just be around people, every-once-in-a-while I would play some team based games (Counter-Strike) that they had available as well, I fuckin sucked, I died a lot but, I think just being in that environment allowed me to just be around people, even if I was only there to surf the net. I remember when that stopped, cause I got internet at home, so there was no reason to do the usual internet cafe routine...

...Sooo, I was thinking about it, and I'm like "Maybe I need to do that again..?", so I think I'm going to re-introduce that into my routine... just so that I'm out and around people, even if I'm just doing my own thing... then at least it's an evening that I'll definitely be out, and get in some social time. Not sure where I'm going to hit up yet, but I'm thinking I could spend a couple of hours in a pub or a coffee shop with my laptop, and work on creative endeavors... I mean if I wanted, I could work on writing music (as the software I use to write is on my laptop), or other creative things I want to do... The time I spent in that internet cafe, even though I wasn't really chatting with anyone, it was good to just get out and be in an environment where I could be social if I wanted to... sooo, I think in this New Year I'm gonna try that again and see if it helps alleviate some of this isolation (I know I can't get away from it completely, but at least I'll be doing this)! Not sure what day I'm gonna pick to do it, not sure I'll be able to pick a specific day anyway, as our rehearsal schedule is generally dependent on when my live guitarist is available, and shows can be on weird fucked up days too, but maybe it doesn't have to be a specific day of the week, maybe it's just, a day during the week I have available that I make the decision to force myself to get out and be around people.

(Photo courtesy of Katja Moeller)

If you folks haven't guessed yet, I'm a very social person, and I need a lot of social time... that's why I feel isolated a lot, cause I'm not getting in enough of the social time I need. I think the one thing right now, outside of my job (Mon-Fri) and the one day I have set aside to do music stuff (Saturday), I don't really have a routine thing I do (like I work-out almost everyday of the week, and I do meditate on Tuesday evenings, and spend the evening not doing anything music related [need to have one evening just to relax], but outside of those things, my social schedule is all over the place)... our rehearsal days could be any day of the week, and as I stated above, my guitarist, his work schedule is usually all over the place, so we have to work around it, unfortunately... and we never know what day shows happen (not that I mind that though)... and I never really know when I'm getting together with friends (there have been times I've gone a couple of weeks or longer without actually seeing anyone, except when I have to get groceries or I force myself to hit up a coffee shop or something), so I think I've got to make more of an effort every week to get out and be in a social environment. I guess the other thing is, I feel like this isolation is actually helping me to be productive, and creative, and I want to maintain that level of productivity... so maybe when I do go out to a pub or coffee shop, I'll make sure I'm working on something creative, whether that's music or music related stuff! What do you typically do when you feel isolated? Let me know!

Thank you for reading,

(Your Canadian Goth / Rivethead)

Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence

Embracing The Isolation

Well, while I was in the middle of writing one blog, I was inspired to write this one… Right now, I feel sooo motivated! In my musical and other creative endeavors… what inspired me this time was, well… my current situation… I’ve been feeling a little on edge lately, there’s a lot I want to do in life, and I’ve been feeling isolated lately, and unfortunately, it’s a forced isolation… I don’t really have a choice in it, it’s partially due to just not being able to get together with friends as much as I would like to, it’s also due to some goals I want to reach monetarily, and just not being able to get out to events that I want to due to the funds being allocated to something else. Normally, I would be a little stressed about this, because I’m a very social person, but as of lately, I’ve started to embrace this forced isolation as an opportunity to work on my creative endeavors and get ahead in that sense! I will tell you, after living in this city for as long as I have (21ish years), I’ve started to realize that isolation is a normal everyday thing in this city… I’m coming to expect it… Something that you may not know, is my first “Self-titled” album, that album I was dealing with my first, but once again, a forced isolation, I was so depressed and that album was pretty much born out of that isolation. As I stated above, I’m coming to expect it here, and after all my time here, I’m starting to embrace it… I don’t get to hang with people as much as I would like, I’ve put in a lot of effort in maintaining the relationships that I do have, and unfortunately what I currently have is not enough for me. However, despite that, I’ve put in a lot of effort trying to have some kind of semblance of a social life, but the results of all that effort, well… I’m still struggling to actually have a social life… but as of lately (as stated above), I’m starting to embrace the isolation, and I’m using that time that I would “normally” be out socializing, to work on my creative endeavors… and I’m finding it highly motivating… of course this is only temporary, until I can figure out how to actually get out of this city, but for now I’m embracing the isolation, and getting ahead on my creative endeavors! I may have another album lined up as well, lol... (There’s the one we are releasing soonish, I’ve got some themes for the one after, as well as the one after that one… they even have names now)! No rest for the wicked!



Here’s some tips for people who are isolated, to help you break up, or make use of a forced isolation:

1. Get Creative; If you are isolated but it’s a forced isolation (no choice), work on your creative endeavors (write music, draw, paint, write… whatever it is)!

2. Learn something new; learn a new skill, maybe pick up and teach yourself how to play guitar, or whatever instrument you are interested in learning that you have access to. Or teach yourself new drawing or painting techniques!

3. Another tip to get out and be semi-social: Head to your local coffee shop and work on your creative endeavors there (if possible), for instance when I feel I need to be around people, and friends aren't available to do stuff, I will go to a coffee shop and write new music on my laptop, or write lyrics, or even just get out some ideas of where I would like to go creatively for the next release. I mean, there’s a multitude of other things you can do, take a sketchbook with you and draw, or plot out your ideas for your next painting.

4. OR, it doesn’t have to be a coffee shop, it could be a pub or bar… sit in your own booth or seat and work on things there (Although I would say, careful not to spill your beer on your shit, cause that could ruin whatever you’re working on… especially a laptop [can’t exactly recover very well when the internals of a laptop are soaked in beer])…

Other things you can do, just for general mental health;

5. Go for walks. Getting out for a fresh breath of air and clearing your head-space can be really helpful when you are not able to hang with friends, and you can really come back with a clear refreshed mind from your walk!

6. Workout and stretching if you find you sit a lot during the day at your job.

My final tip is:

7. Meditating! I find meditating very useful for not only clearing my mind, but also for spiritual purposes as well, especially when I’m trying to figure out what are the next steps I need to take for my endeavors and such… also, it really helps with general well-being and such!

I hope those are helpful, and hey if you have any other tips that have worked for you, please leave them in the comments!

(Your Canadian Goth / Rivethead)

Here's to embracing the isolation,

Shayne “Daemon_w60” Lawrence / Twitch


P.S.: The tips are what have worked for me, they may not necessarily work for others, in the end, you gotta find what works for you!

P.P.S.: It's really funny that this evening (December 9/2019) I end up having a conversation, after the fact of writing this blog, about the topic of isolation. Thanks for the convo lady (not sure you want me to mention your name here, but thank you for the conversation)!

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!

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:

Industrial Music, Inspiration, and some Tips

This last little while I've been highly inspired! I'm not even sure why... not that it's a bad thing or anything (I welcome it), but the other night I decided to get out and grab a coffee, I hung out in a coffee shop, and then afterwards I went for a walk, and now I know what direction I want the album that's coming after the next album to sound like musically, and lyrically (I actually forced myself to go for a walk, and because of it, I benefited)! Inspiration is a funny thing... sometimes it comes at unexpected times, sometimes it comes out when you are wanting it to come out... (I was actually listening to Pop Will Eat Itself, when this inspiration decided to strike... not that I wanted to sound like PWEI, but the combination of getting out, going for a walk, and listening to them, I felt inspired)! I love music! I love being creative! I love where things are going right now!! Soo, much inspiration out there! If I were to offer up advice or tips for anyone that is a creative; keep a notebook around, take it wherever you go... cause you never know when all the sudden you feel inspired, and you need to get those ideas out! Also, if you have a small recording device of some kind (your preferred iOS device has a nice little voice record function)... you can record little audio pieces to get out ideas and such! You never really know when inspiration will strike, and you want to be ready to get out ideas!! I will say, sometimes changing up your environment is also helpful in being inspired and creative! I know when I travel, I find that the writing process almost seems effortless... for some reason the change in environment aids in the process of writing music and such! Anyway, I thought I would share some of these tips, and I hope that some of these tips help you get inspired, and you feel forward momentum in your projects!

What has been inspiring you folks lately??

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!!

Birthday Week: July 1st - 7th/2019

Well, this last week has been a week long birthday celebration! It started on the 1st, which happens to be my solo endeavors 20th Anniversary (yep, 1999 – 2019)! Then on the 3rd, which is my actual birthday, I spent it having drinks with friends and then went to a showing of “What We Do in the Shadows” at the local independent movie theater here in Calgary, and then capping the evening off with even more drinks. Then Friday the 5th, I spent once again drinks with friends! Saturday, I spent preparing this next album I’m working on getting live parts down for the live show (figuring out what exactly I’m going to play, and perform live)… then in the evening spent it with other friends and a couple of glasses of gin and sparkling water. Sunday, I went for a nice walk…and spent the rest of the day educating myself on music production! This year’s birthday celebrations were pretty low-key, but I’m ok with that. Sure, last year 40 was a big number, but 41… not really, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind celebrating, but this year, it just didn’t seem as important... I just wanted to be with good friends and have a low-key celebration this year… although, next year might be different, and it might involve going to the bar in a house-coat and a towel or something like that (Apparently, 42 is the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything, 😉 lol!). I think the one thing I realize as I get older is, my musical and artistic endeavor’s becoming more important. As the year passes, I realize there is so much more work to do, and less time to do them in… which means I have to step up on achieving these goals and pushing my endeavors forward! I will say though, this year went by quite quickly, it feels like the forest fire skies of last summer were just here, and Terminus Festival just happened, and here we are... fortunately the forest fire situation doesn't seem as bad this year, and Terminus Festival is almost upon us again... I've got lots of plans, some of them already in the works! Love you guys!! 

Studio Diary: May 16/2019

Today's session was quick... very briefly worked on "TEoW/TBoH"... did some minor vocal editing! Then jumped into "DFY?" tweaked some parts here and there... did vocals, track has been sent off to have guitar added!! And that means, as far as things on my end for the writing, it's done!! Everything is now in the hands of Elijah, for guitars!! After the guitars, then mixing and mastering!! So, on that note... keep locked to our various social media channels (and here) for announcements and all sorts of goodies 😉!!!

Twitch Facebook

Twitch YouTube

Twitch Instagram

...and you can find our older releases as well as the latest EP "Instructions To Your Revolution" here!

Studio Diary: May 15/2019

Had rehearsal today. After rehearsal spent the evening in the studio! Today's session tweaked "TEoW/TBoH", took a part out... did some rough vocals! Everything sounds good! Have sent to have guitar added! Will definitely be tweaking and redoing the vocals after the guitars are added, but track is pretty much done arrangement-wise! Overall feeling from today's session: Feels good to be very close to be done writing! After all the guitars are added (and things tweaked here and there) will go into mixing phase! Very excited!!

Studio Diary: May 14/2019

Another session in the studio! Worked exclusively on "TEoW/TBoH". Added a very basic synth line. Tweaked some of the structure of the song. Things sound much better! Gotta add some samples to the mix for next session. Song is in an almost 50% done state... at least I feel it's almost halfway done. We'll see what happens after I add the samples... Overall feeling from this session: there was a lot of tweaking and messing around, but I think I've got it in a semi-finished state, regarding the overall "skeleton" of the song! Can't wait for next session!! Feels good to being this close to being done the album (for my part at least)! Just have to finish up this song and the next one and it'll be a wrap for my part!! Are you folks enjoying these Studio Diary updates on the album? Let me know in the comment section below!

Studio Diary: May 13/2019

Today's session I worked solely on "TEoW/TBoH". Made some progress... added a piano line to match another part, the section sounds really full now! Added a reverse part to one of the choruses, not sure if it works or not, will listen to it again next session! Also, tweaked some of the drum stuff. Starting to come together! Song is nowhere near complete, but at least made some progress!

Overall feeling from this session: This session was definitely productive, the album is getting closer to being completed on my part, got this song and another one, and then I'll just be waiting on the guitar parts! Can't wait to have this done and hopefully in your hands in the relative near future!

Studio Diary: May 11/2019

Today's session worked primarily on "WWM". Track is nearing completion... have sent off for guitar! May tweak things in it later! Also, worked on "TEoW/TBoH", not anywhere near complete, but added some atmospheric synth lines, and some noise type parts to it! Track is progressing nicely, not sure when I'll be in the studio again (tomorrow or Monday), but I expect to be very productive! I'm really enjoying writing this album, and I'm glad I'm spending so much time working on it! Things are getting done a lot quicker and I feel my production/writing/mixing skills are improving greatly for this album! Can't wait to share it with all you folks!!

Studio Diary: May 10/2019

Another day, in the studio! Today, worked on "YFI...LG!"... it is now done for my part! Tracked vocals, tweaked things hear and there, then sent off to have guitars completed!! Last bit of session worked on "WWM"... rewrote some of the lyrics, think they fit better now, and get across what I'm trying to articulate! Today's session ended a little early, but I will be spending all of tomorrow working on the last few tracks for this album! Getting sooo close and getting very excited!!

After session, enjoyed the view from my balcony. Overall thoughts: This next album is the continuation of ideas that were presented on the "Instructions To Your Revolution" EP which you can grab from here if you are not familiar with it yet... I would also say, if you've been following the Twitch Facebook page you would know, there is a way to get the EP for free, but you'll have to go to the Twitch Facebook for those details here (it may take a bit of searching 😉)!

Be Positive, be inspired!

Studio Diary: May 9/2019

A quick session in the studio this evening! Worked exclusively on "YFI...LG!". Made a lot of progress! Cloned a synth line and changed the instrument, then pitch-shifted it to all fuck, sounds awesome! Added some choral parts... track is really coming together! Can "hear" other choral parts in it. Will add those parts next time! Overall feeling of today's session: Shit is coming out fast!

Studio Diary: May 8/2019

Another day in the studio! Worked exclusively on "YFI...LG!". Made a lot of progress! Went searching for a "drip" type sound... then fucked around until I found something that fits better... then experimented a little bit, and the "drip" sound will change into something a little more abrasive near the end of the track! I love distorted noisy sounds, but I will capture that... next session! This track is still nowhere near completion, but yeah... lot's of progress!!

Overall feeling from this session: Session was very productive! Everything seems to be coming out quite nicely and quickly! I could repeat myself again, but I really like these almost daily sessions, lots of progress!