An Inspiring Music Conversation About Hardware Synthesizers!!

(My main synthesizer: Yamaha EX7)

Last night I had an excellent conversation with a longtime friend and ex-bandmate about hardware synthesizers... and all kinds of other music related shit! The conversation really got the creative juices flowing, and I was highly inspired!! That is one thing I've certainly missed during this whole period of self-isolation, and social-distancing... the conversations about music, music hardware, and all kinds of other music related shit... stuff that is really inspiring! It's sooo, refreshing to have those kind of conversations again! It got me into thinking about my own synth, and the things I want to do musically with it. There are sooo many ways I'm currently not utilizing my synths... and there are certainly ways of using it that I want to utilize in the future... just for the simple fact that it would be a great challenge to see what I can do with those features! Lot's of inpiration, and lot's of future plans and ideas!

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(Sign-up for free music)

Yes, you read that right! Sign-up to Twitch's mailing list here and receive Twitch's latest album "Darkness_Rise!" for free, as well as a bunch of other goodies!!

We don't get too annoying with this, you get our monthly newsletter as well as first to know about upcoming releases, music videos, future free music, and all kinds of other things going on in Twitchland! And hey, you get to say you are part of the exclusive Twitch community... and we might send you shit in the mail too!! 😉

Taking On A Lot Creatively... and that Pervading Feeling that I Might Be In A Downward Spiral

Well, I can now honestly say... I've taken on a lot creatively lately, and I do feel a little overwhelmed, and a little stressed, but the sooner I get these projects done and off my plate I'll feel a lot better. I had sooo much on my plate in the last couple of weeks, that there were moments that I just wanted to curl up under a blanket, but I also know if I didn't/don't get these things off my plate quickly I'll feel more stressed... I was actually ready to drop a couple projects off the list, and push them further into the year... but surprisingly I ended up finishing one of the major video projects way ahead of schedule. The evening of finishing that project, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to go and film my second video project on my list (I won't get to the editing stage for awhile yet though).

After getting the first video project off my plate, and starting the second one... I felt really good, cause I got more than what I wanted done, waaaaay ahead of schedule! Course I've got all kinds of shit going on in the background too, from episodes of "The Making of Darkness_Rise!" to filming/editing the new "Fuck Yeah, Industrial!" series... plus all the other minor shit, like our "25 Days of Twitchmas" posts and shit, this blog... plus all the Christmas preparations (which involves my other artistic endeavor)... lot's of shit going on! I'm glad I decided to take a brief hiatus of our live stream performances, cause I honestly think it just would have been waaaaay too much on my plate.

(We felt we were in a downward spiral)

This year has been productive, despite the situation... I mean, out of all the years that I've been doing Twitch... this year has probably been my most productive, at least creatively (we DID release two albums this year)! Course the stuff that I've been working on, will end up spilling into next year... maybe those two video projects will see the light of day, maybe early next year..? Buuuuuuuuut, this blog is about creatively feeling overwhelmed... So, what I was getting at was that, I have felt overwhelmed the last little while, to the point it was affecting my sleep, and I was having dreams that I was spiraling downward... and then I would wake up several times in the night... like, were talking 6 to 8, maybe more... and then I wouldn't reach REM and in the morning I would feel like absolute shit... then have to go into work and be tired all fuckin day... then that would go on for a couple of days... and then I would get some rest, then a couple of days later this whole thing repeats...

...but, as stated above, I've gotten the first major film project off my plate, and I started filming the second one, and got most, if not all the footage I need from that... I am waaaay ahead of schedule, and there's one more piece for the first film project that I've got to do, but it won't be long and that piece will be good to go! My time period for both of these projects was to be completed in 3 months time. I'm confident they will both be ready waaay ahead of schedule!!

The one thing I've found with the way my body works is, if I don't sleep... then I might as well get up and do something, cause it's just a waste of time for me to just lay in bed for hours on end, trying to sleep. My thinking is "I'm up, I might as well get shit done!", and if I'm not sleeping cause these projects are on my mind... then fuck it! There's no time to waste! Let's get shit done!!

I do feel elated that I've gotten so much done, and that I'm way ahead of schedule! I will say though, I will not likely take on so much creatively in the future, moving forward, cause the no sleep thing, even though I use that time to get stuff done, it's still taxing on your system... and eventually you'll need to sleep at some point, or you will burn out... and I don't want to do that! I think it's important to maintain mental health, and have a healthy sleep schedule... and even though this endeavor does give me energy, and I'm always being inspired in some way or another... you still shouldn't and can't take on more than your system will allow, and when things start to feel overwhelmed and stressful... it's time to push things back in your creative schedule... and maybe drop things. I love this endeavor and don't want to lose the energy to do it! If I need to drop something, or push things further back in the schedule, so I can maintain my health, mentally and physically... then that's what I'll do! 

(Photo courtesy of Eric Lemieux)

I'm in this for life!

Shayne "Daemon_W60" Lawrence / Twitch / Trippingonacable Records

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P.S.:  Twitch is giving away our latest album "Darkness_Rise!" for free!! All you have to do is sign up to our mailing list here!

We don't get too annoying with this, you get our monthly newsletter as well as first to know about upcoming releases, music videos, future free music, and all kinds of other things going on in Twitchland! And hey, you get to say you are part of the exclusive Twitch community... and we might send you shit in the mail too!! 😉

Celebrating 25 Days of Twitchmas!!

(Christmas this year is Industrial as Fuck!!)

Twitch is taking a bit of a hiatus from live streams over the Holiday Season. However, beginning December 1st/2020 we'll be celebrating 25 Days of Twitchmas on our Instagram here! As well as on our Twitch Facebook Page here!

What will it entail..? From watching black and white horror movies, to drinking eggnog... to watching live industrial concert replays... to watching industrial music documentaries... to reading industrial history books, or scene related books, decorating the Twitchmas tree... and even some Christmas shit too!! 

...Why? Cause hey... Why the fuck not!! In the same vein as Halloween, we feel this year has gone by waaaay to quickly, and we kinda just want to slow things down, and really enjoy the holiday season, and really just enjoy life in general! This is a new tradition for us... in celebrating it for 25 days (usually it's just a day), but we've got all kinds of stuff planned!! 

We hope you join us... and there might be a surprise or two as well! 😉 

#Twitch #25days #Twitchmas #IndustrialMusic #IndustrialMusicCulture #IndustrialMetal #IndustrialHiphop #IndustrialMusicForIndustrialPeople #IndustrialRecords #Rivethead #Goth #NewAlbum #DarknessRise #Darkness #Rise #Positivity #NewTradition #Holidays #25DaysOfTwitchmas

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)

Skinny Puppy: Rabies Turns 30!

Apparently, this is 30 years old now... I was too young to appreciate it when it came out (I was 11, lol), but this is a great album! I will say it is probably not my favorite album of theirs, but it is good! "Rodent", "Worlock", and "Choralone" are probably my favorites off of this album ("Tin Omen" might be in there too)! I remember I bought this particular album when I went on a Skinny Puppy spending spree and found this at the A&B Sound in downtown Calgary! If I remember correctly I got several of their albums on sale... got me Skinny Puppy fix in one go! I think for me, what I really enjoy is figuring out how they created these songs (or any of their songs for that matter), it is highly inspiring to try to figure out how they went about in writing these songs and figure out the "sound design" that went into creating the different tracks and such! I will tell you another memory regarding Skinny Puppy and some random goth I never had the chance to meet... long story short, before I was a babybat... when I was starting to discover myself... and figure out what I like, I remember being on the bus... can't remember if I was going to school or what exactly I was doing on the bus... but, I remember we passed a bus stop close to the "arty" area in Saskatoon (Broadway Ave.) and there was this dude sitting at the Bus stop, his hair was all done up kind of like old school Skinny Puppy (deathrock) style (Leeb era), with tons of hairspray and dyed black, he was wearing a black trench coat... and yeah... I wasn't quite a babybat then, but I will tell you, I loved his look, I loved the clothing, just the general darkness that surrounded him... pretty sure he had make-up on too... Then not entirely sure when I had seen that look again when I encountered Skinny Puppy for the first or second time (maybe I saw an interview on TV, or maybe after I purchased "Back & Forth: 3 + 4" and checked out the digital content that was included on the two discs)... but yeah... if that guy hadn't been sitting at the bus stop, I probably wouldn't have been interested in discovering what the scene was about... when I saw him, I was attracted to the darkness... I was curious what the darkness inside of me was...

Yeah, memories...

Curious what attracted you to the goth scene? (I get Skinny Puppy aren't exactly a goth band, but if it wasn't for that dude dressing the way he did, I wouldn't be doing what I do now... I wouldn't have discovered myself, or the scene).

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:

Twitch Announces Upcoming Single!!

Twitch announces upcoming single! Details Here!!

#Twitch #IndustrialMusic #IndustrialMetal #IndustrialHiphop #Rivethead #IndustrialMusicCulture #IndustrialSubculture #MachineHeart #NewSingle #ComingSoon #Goth #GothCulture #GothSubculture

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..?

Skinny Puppy and My Current Obsession

Well, I’ve moved on from Wax Trax! Records artists and trying to find as much of that as I can, to Skinny Puppy. Now, I have quite a few of their releases and albums already, but there is a treasure trove of albums and their “Back & Forth” series on YouTube... and I’ve been really enjoying listening to that stuff and finding stuff that I haven’t heard of theirs! I’ve been really interested in the “Back & Forth” stuff that they’ve released over the years, cause typically it’s all old demos, rough versions, live cuts, or unreleased stuff... I love hearing that stuff, cause it’s really inspiring to hear it, and try to figure out how they did it with all the old synth gear they had at the time, and it’s also really cool cause, once again, like the Wax Trax! Records back catalogue, there is a time and place associated with it... and it’s interesting to hear where some of the songs started and then also hearing the final product that was released! If you've read my blog (here) about Skinny Puppy's "Back and Forth: Vol: 3 & 4" you would know that it is my favorite Skinny Puppy release, and you would know that the reason is cause it has this bleak sound to it... there is a certain quality to it that they don't have on the other albums and releases (probably due to tape saturation). A lot of this back-catalogue and the various "Back and Forth" volumes upon listening to for the first time have a certain quality to them, each release has a sound character to them, and they are different from each other... which I really enjoy and they evoke visions, and highly inspire me in the musical sense (for my own project)! I don't know why Skinny Puppy inspires me... I remember seeing one of their tour videos waaay back in 1996 or 97 or something like that, at an all ages goth event in Saskatoon... and I loved it! It seemed so fuckin industrial, and so visceral... Ogre looked all fucked up, I'm sure he was drunk or on drugs of some kind, he had blood all over him... there's all these props and shit, his voice... Cevin Key is in the back surrounded by synths, a drum kit and other shit... If I'm not mistaken Mr. Goettel was in the back somewhere as well... I don't think at the time I owned a piece of Skinny Puppy music...  but just being in that environment (the club), with the goth/industrial community, I loved it... It made me want to dig further in the scene, find more music and really explore what all this industrial was! It was inspiring... some point afterwards I picked up "Back and Forth: Vol: 3 & 4"... and then eventually picked up "The Process" which I think is excellent, I would put that album up there in my top Skinny Puppy albums! Anyway, yes... gushing here, but I find this shit sooo inspiring, and every time I listen to it, I try and decipher their mental state (I'm sure a lot of drugs were involved, I mean they invented the term "Brap", which is to get fucked up, and write music... not that I would do drugs anymore [gave that up a long time ago], but I find that idea inspiring [although, I've found when I've written music when I was drunk, and I come back to it a day later after I'm sober, it's garbage... So, I don't do that anymore])... trying to decipher their lyrics is also fun too... what the fuck are they talking about, when Ogre strings his words together, it's quite abstract... Yeah, inspiring!

If you are new to industrial music, or are unfamiliar with Skinny Puppy, check this stuff out! Maybe you hear what I hear! OR... If you are not new, then maybe you have some thoughts regarding your musical listening or musical writing journey that you might want to share here!

Listen to Cevin Key's latest Back & Forth Volume "Brap and Forth: Vol:8"... excellent!!

What's your favorite Skinny Puppy album? And if you are a musician, what music inspired you to dig deeper and really discover what kind of bands are in the goth/industrial scene?

And hey, if you wanna hear some of our shit, you can listen to our "20 Years of Twitch" Retrospective here! 

Brap on fuckers!!

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?

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??

Mix Sessions: August 28/2019

Another day in the studio mixing! This was another short session, as had to start things a little late due to the software being a little finicky, and I did a quick virus scan (you know, gotta do those things), but we still did some mixing! Only got to one song today, "DC", but things went fairly well... gotta come back to this tomorrow and mix the drums and bass synth a little better, but things are shaping up! We got another question for you folks, what are your favorite Twitch tracks?

Mix Sessions: August 27/2019

Well, another mix session in the studio! Today's session was a little shorter, but that doesn't mean we aren't productive! We mixed "R" today! Session went fairly well, but this one I'm definitely gonna have to come back to, and listen to again... there might be some tweaks I need to make here and there... will come back to this either tomorrow or the following day! I'm sooo excited!! 😁 And on that note, I wanted to ask you folks, what are some of your inspirations? What get's you energized to crush your fuckin day?

Mix Sessions: August 26/2019

Well, as the last blog mentioned, we've gotten all the guitar stems back, and now we are in the mixing process! Things seem to be going well! Got to three(ish) songs today ("STF", "WAWP", and "DB") ... I expect things will be done in quick order here... I'm setting aside most of my evenings to get this done...and, obviously after the mixing process... I'll be mastering the tracks, and then we'll set a release date, and get it out to you guys!! That's all for now!


P.S.: I'm very excited, and I can't wait to get to performing these live for all you folks!!