Happy New Years 2020!!

Well, I can’t believe we are almost here at 2020! I remember being younger, and being that I’m into cyberpunk literature, envisioning that the world would be a very different place. I thought technology would have advanced so fast that we would be travelling to other planets, there would be cybernetics (not just for limb replacement when someone had lost one or was born without one, but also made to make us stronger or faster, or even being able to connect to computers via a brain jack). Some of the tech has come to fruition, there are cybernetic limbs that are stronger and have more functionality than our real limbs (maybe except for actually feeling and nerve endings and such), but they are generally being used, or are, for people who need to replace their limbs. There is a brain jack in development that would allow us to have a physical, mind-to-computer connection (which would allow us to control and communicate with computers and artificial intelligence and stuff like that). It’s kinda funny, all those old cyberpunk stories, manga, movies, and anime… were way off, lol… but cyberpunk literature wasn’t written as something we should be striving for, it was written as a warning. The original authors of that fiction, wrote those stories cause they could see what was happening, and that situation (dystopic society) could very likely happen… and no it’s not a good thing, sure the tech is cool, the idea of a net or grid, that is highly graphic driven and being able to hack into people’s minds (burn out their brain), all that stuff seems really cool, but I don’t think any one of us actually wants that reality… it’s certainly not favorable to the one we have today. So, this is a New Year’s blog, what has this past year been like for me… well to start, we played a couple of shows at the beginning of the year in support of our “Instructions To Your Revolution” EP release in January, then at the end of February I went back into the studio to finish the next upcoming album. I worked literally, almost every day on it to get it done, and I think it certainly is the best album I’ve done so far! This last year I also made some lifestyle changes, regarding my physical health… what most people don’t know, I was overweight for the last... well 10 or more years (probably longer than that, but I can’t quite remember, cause it was so long ago), granted the lifestyle change was more geared for overall health, rather than trying to lose weight… but the benefit of the change was that I lost weight, and am much more clearheaded. I’m back down to my ideal weight range, and as a reward to myself, and also a motivator to never let myself get that physically unhealthy again, I tattooed my stomach. I also traveled out to Edmonton to see my best friend during the Easter vacation… who I hadn’t seen for quite some time. Typically when I travel I write music, but this time I didn’t… I ended up spending my time with my friend, and we both played Skyrim… it was fun stuff, I don’t do that a lot, and I think I needed to do that. As we started to roll into the summer Twitch celebrated its 20th year of existence with a “20 Years of Twitch” retrospective, that spanned the time from 1999-2019! Yeah, we’ve been doing it for a long time now! I also celebrated my 41st birthday, fuck… can’t believe I’m that old now, lol! Still feel young though!! Of course, there was all the other shit that was going on, from friends shows to Terminus Fest… I also managed to get all my synth upgrades for my prized synthesizer… I had to source things from the UK, US, and a couple of other places… but, I can finally utilize my synth to its fullest extent now, and not have to worry about being out of patch memory, or anything like that! I also made a purchase of a prized book called: “Re/Search: Industrial Culture Handbook” that I’ve wanted since I was I think 19 or 20 or something like that… it cost me a pretty penny to get it shipped here from the US… I haven’t read it yet, as I’m waiting for a special occasion to open it up and read it. In November, I made a last minute trip to a city that I’ve always wanted to go to, for a synth expo, and to kind of check the city out as well too! It was waaay better than what I expected, and it confirmed everything I was feeling about that city, I want to live there, lol! I’m sure most of you saw my various photos online of my trip there… so I don’t think I need to mention more here. Also, went to the Alberta Electronic Music Conference for a day to see a very well renowned audio engineer in the goth/industrial scene give a talk (all the questions I had, he answered, without me actually having to ask), it made me really reflect on what I’m doing as a musician, and confirmed some things that I was feeling! Also, I released the first two singles off the upcoming album (“Machine Heart” in November, and “The End Game” in December), and in January I’ll be releasing another single off the album, and then soon after… I’m hoping to release the new album! There’s also some changes coming to Twitch in the New Year, but I’m not gonna get into that right now… you are gonna have to wait for those announcements. So, what has this past year culminated into..? The one theme this year I’ve consistently seen is, isolation… unfortunately, the one sacrifice I’ve had to make this year to get all my synth upgrades, and some upcoming purchases, is going out and going to live shows and events and such. I really haven’t been able to get out as much as I’ve wanted to, to support shows or even just go to the local pub… I’ve been hanging with friends and such outside of those things, but unfortunately that is the one thing that has been the theme this year, I will tell you, I know I can’t do it forever, but for right now… it’s what I gotta do in order to get the things I want… (I’ve also cut out alcohol for the most part, for now, minus the minor celebration here or there)… I do try and make it to the shows/events that I can, but for right now, my attendance is on a limited capacity. I think this last year has probably been my most productive in the music writing department, the EP, the retrospective, and the coming album… I’m definitely starting to reach my goals in that respect. As far as the live show, I’m not where I want to be. I was hoping to start doing shows sooner than later this past year in support of this upcoming album, but I’ve had to push things off a little bit… I’m not sure I’m ok with that, but unfortunately there’s not much I can do about that right now, as there’s some things I need to attend to before I start playing live again (you will learn sooner rather than later what those things are). So, what are the plans for Twitch in the New Year? First and obviously, we plan on releasing our single called “Yeah, Fuck it… Let’s Go!!” in January! Second, we plan on releasing our new album codenamed: “DB” shortly after the single! And Third, we plan to tear this fuckin city a new asshole with live shows and various other shit! So, saying goodbye to 2019, and helloooooooo fuckin 2020! The future is definitely bright… or will it be dark? 😉

(Your Canadian Goth / Rivethead)

Happy New Year 2020!

Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch

Record Labels I Wish Still Existed...

There is so much good music out there these days! Some of it independent, some of it signed to labels. As in the present, the same holds true for past music releases, but some of those excellent record labels that existed in the past, don't exist today... today's blog is all about past, now defunct record labels that I wish were still around... the first one is:



Gashed! Records:

Gashed! Records started in 1998, as a way for Eric Deegan to promote quality electro-industrial bands that were often overlooked and unappreciated by larger industrial labels... some of the bands that were signed to Gashed! were: Assemblage 23, Aghast View, Negative Format, Abscess, NCC, . I really liked Gashed! They had some pretty cool bands signed to the label... and they helped in the success of some of the more well known bands in the scene now, specifically Assemblage 23. The other thing about Gashed! is that they were a local label out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada... and it was really cool having a label of their status based out of this city! I found sooo many cool bands because of them! My first purchase from the label was a budget compilation called "Virion Sequences", there were a whole shitload of cool bands on that compilation... I still have it actually... the artwork for that release was pretty cool too! I think it's amazing that the local scene here had such an amazing label, and I think it really put Calgary on the map as far as the industrial scene in Canada goes. You know, now that I think about it, I guess it's not so much that I miss the label, it's that the city had enough of a scene that it could support a label like that!


The second label I wish still existed is:

Wax Trax! Records:

We all know why I wish this label was still around, I'm sure a lot of you folks feel the same way! Wax Trax! was an iconic and pioneering label when it comes to industrial music... if it wasn't for them, EBM band Front 242 would not have made the impact it did, KMFDM wouldn't have made the impact they did, Al Jourgensen wouldn't be as successful as he was, I mean Front Line Assembly wouldn't be where they are today without Wax Trax!, fuck... VNV Nation, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Meat Beat Manifesto, Revolting Cocks, Chris Connelly, sooo many bands and artists in the goth/industrial scene would not be where they are today without this label... It's really too bad the way things ended (TVT takeover)... I mean it would be awesome to see more bands pour out of this label, if it could carry on! I'm glad that Julie Nash is keeping the memory of her father Jim Nash and his partner Dannie Flesher alive with the recent documentary "Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records" as well as the pop-up shop she did... I'm hoping there'll be more of that kind of stuff in the near and into the far future as well!


The third label I wish still existed is:

NOTHING Records:

Now this label was Trent Reznor's (Nine Inch Nails) personal label... and there were sooo many bands that came off this, first of all Marilyn Manson was signed to it for I do think three albums ("Portrait of An American Family", "Antichrist Superstar", and "Mechanical Animals"), he is a shock rock icon now... Pop Will Eat Itself was also signed to it for their most popular release in the States "Dos Dedos Mis Amigos" (as well as several singles off the album), which was probably one of their most popular records of all time, and the track that kind of made it for them was "Ich Bin Ein Auslander". Another band signed to the label was Prick... sooo many good bands were a part of NOTHING Records... I kinda wish Trent didn't dissolve the label after he ended up suing his business partner for hoarding profits or whatever... Granted NOTHING was a vanity label, but it did very well, and broke some awesome bands... Trent started NOTHING Records so that he could keep the artistic vision of Nine Inch Nails out of the control of major labels... and he could do whatever the fuck he wanted to artistically speaking! Granted even though NOTHING Records is gone now, he still retains control of his releases, and if I'm not mistaken, he releases NIN stuff under The Null Corporation banner now... and I think it is strictly reserved for his projects and not for any other band. Although, I would say, despite the NOTHING banner being gone now, his various musical endeavors are still high-quality, and none of his artistic vision is being compromised! I guess I felt like that NOTHING Records was him, and bands he believed in and helped get them out there in the world, and I felt like it was a very strong label... and anything that was associated with it, tended to be very good... and now we don't get to see, or discover bands like the ones he supported with his label. Also, I always thought that NOTHING Records was Trent and when it came out that he was dissolving the label, I felt like we lost a major part of the whole identity of Trent and Nine Inch Nails. I mean... I run a personal underground label, currently releasing my own stuff... and a large part of the inspiration for doing that was the same reason Trent ran NOTHING... creative control.

I think these are the three top labels I wish were still around! What are your thoughts? Are there goth/industrial labels that are non-existent that you wish were still around..? Let me know in the comments!!

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)!

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)