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)!

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)

Twitch releases new single "Machine Heart"!

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

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



twitch bandcamp

Twitch Facebook

twitch instagram

Twitch Youtube

twitch Soundcloud

Trippingonacable Records Facebook

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:

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?

:Wumpscut: and it's Influence on Twitch

Well, being that we are on the topic of Wumpscut I thought I would tell you a little bit about Twitch's second release "We Are Here To Dance!" (2002). When I wrote this album, I was healing from being in a not too good place mentally, and this album was the transition from negative-hate to positive attitude! The album and lyrics were written between 2001 and 2002, and finally released in January of 2002! One of the songs on the album, "What Good Is It!?" was heavily inspired by Wumpscut's "War"... when I was writing "What Good Is It!?" I was trying to capture some of the feeling of "War". Lyrically speaking the song is much different than Wumpscut's track... I was trying to get across that nothing can come from war, and that it doesn't solve anything... and that we should smash all our weapons, put our differences aside, and work towards peace! The major influence that "War" had, was probably the delivery of the vocals, granted my vocals are slightly distorted, and Rudy's vocals on "War" was fairly clean, but I tried to capture a similar feeling. Have a listen:





What are your thoughts? Let us know!!


If you would like to support us, you can purchase our albums here!


Thank you for reading, and listening!

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!!

The Mixing Process has Begun!!

Well, all of the guitar tracks have come in, and the mixing and mastering process has begun, and boy, is it ever good to be back in the studio working on music stuff!! Not quite sure how long it's been since I've been in the studio (think 3 or 4 months). The first song that I ended up mixing today is shaping up, and sounding good!! I think I've taken it as far as it can go today, so for now, I'm putting it down and gonna focus on another song! I'll come back to it in a couple of days and see what it sounds like, and see if I need to adjust anything! At some point, I may bring someone else in the studio to listen and see if anything still needs to be adjusted to the tracks when everything is completed... just so I can have a second set of ears... and determine if things need further tweaks! If you are an industrial musician (here in the local Calgary, Alberta scene) and feel you could contribute, or lend a second set of ears to these tracks, let me know! There might be drinks involved 😉!

:Wumpscut: - Dried Blood of Gomorrha

Been listening to :Wumspcut: a lot these days (yeah, for now I've put down the Ministy, lol), and I remember my first :Wumpscut: purchase and how I felt about it... the very first :Wumpscut: track I heard was "Soylent Green" (it was being played in the clubs at the time)... but my very first :Wumpscut: purchase was actually "Dried Blood of Gomorrha" (went into the store hoping to find "Music For A Slaughtering Tribe", but unfortunately they only had "Dried Blood of Gomorrha", so I picked it up, without actually ever hearing any of the tracks off of it)! I remember listening to this on CD way back in the day (probably late 2000 early 2001), and the feeling it evoked for me... well, there's a long story that goes with this... if you purchased our "20 Years of Twitch" retrospective, included in that is a digital booklet that details the story of Twitch from the early days (1999) until now (2019), and I get a little into detail about struggling mentally in that story, well it was during that time that I had purchased "Dried Blood of Gomorrha" and it was really weird feeling, I really liked the music on this, but in my mind it's associated with bad memories... and every time that I had listened to it in the past, it would evoke the feelings I had when I was not doing very well... obviously now new memories are being formed, and as I've started to listen to it again, I am actually starting to really love this album, it's creepy and dark, it's bleak... the imagery in the CD artwork is a combination of what is, I do believe, World War II and possibly photos from the Vietnam War, and various images of decaying bodies... I typically don't look at them anymore, but I think the music and the whole package is very bleak. I will say, the sound quality and the ambiance that the album creates is quite different... at the time my only exposure to :Wumpscut: was the album "Music For A Slaughtering Tribe", (maybe "Embryodead" too) and I loved it! This was very different... I would say it almost seems mellow and dark compared to any of the tracks off of "Music For A Slaughtering Tribe"... (I realize some people think this album was a lot harder than "Music For A Slaughtering Tribe", but this for me was definitely a lot mellower sounding), I will also say this album definitely creates an ambiance that isn't there on "Music For A Slaughtering Tribe"... "Music For A Slaughtering Tribe" was definitely more harder electro-industrial. Right now, I'm not sure why I'm starting to love this album, but my feelings around it are changing and I'm starting to form new good memories (probably because things are good right now). If you haven't yet, please listen (maybe you hear what I hear?), and let me know your thoughts on this album!





Also, if you have the cash, please support Rudy, and purchase this, or any of his other albums on Bandcamp!! You can find them here!

P.S.: Wumpscut slightly influenced Twitch's sound back in the day... but that's a story for another time! ;)

Twitch Vlog: August 19/2019

Industrial Music Monday - Thegn

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






thegn Facebook

absurdtrax.bandcamp.com

absurd-creation Soundcloud

Terminus Override 2019

It's been another year, another festival... this year there wasn't a lot I wanted to see, but I do feel it's important to support these things! Here were some of the bands I was looking forward to seeing:

Freak Dream:

They were the surprise for me for this years festival. Wasn't too sure what to expect, actually hadn't heard very much of their music previous to their set. Although, I had heard a podcast (if I'm not mistaken) with an interview of the lead singer and main songwriter Elliot. Their performance was excellent! Their music is a mix of indie rock with industrial elements.

Neuroticfish:

I've never seen Neuroticfish before, but I've generally enjoyed their music (my favorite song is their cover of "They're Coming to Take Me Away!"). Their performance was excellent!

RabbitJunk:

I walked in part way through RabbitJunk's set, but their performance was excellent! I really dig the digital hardcore sound and the breaks! I did see them a few years ago at a previous Terminus (can't remember which one), I didn't really enjoy them all that much at the time, but this time I though their set was good!

Haujobb:

Everyone knows, Haujobb puts on excellent performances! This one is no different! Excellent performance!!

HEALTH:

This was the main band I wanted to see this year! Their set was excellent! Although, I did find it a little mellow, but maybe that's how their music translates into the live spectrum, mellow and cerebral.

Standalone:

Standalone was another band I wanted to check out this year, I really enjoyed when he brought his other project Hate Dept. here to Calgary for one of the Terminus's (there's been so many now, that I can't remember which one he was at), and I was interested to see what this particular endeavor is about! It was just him on stage, with some synths and some percussion instruments, and him doing vocals! It was an excellent set!

OHMelectronic:

I originally heard OHMelectronic on a podcast interview, by IDie:YouDie, and was interested cause Craig Huxtable used to be in a project (not sure if he still is) called Landscape Body Machine which has some history here in Calgary, as that particular project was signed to a label here called: Interdimensional Industries! So, after they were announced to play Terminus, I knew I definitely wanted to check out their set! They put on an excellent show!

Covenant:

I didn't take any photos/videos of Covenant... but Eskil and crew were in top form and put on an excellent show! The last time they rolled through here Eskil was pretty drunk and fumbled the lyrics for some of the songs, but it seemed this time he was sober and pulled off the set flawlessly!

That's it for this year!! I will be honest, I did find this year a little mellow and lackluster lineup-wise (not a lot of the harder acts), but there were still some things I wanted to check out! I will also say, I was a little anti-social this year, really didn't want to communicate unless it was my close social circle of friends, so I do apologize if I didn't chat with you, or was in a party mood (not really drinking all that much these days right now)... These last few months I've been really reflecting on what is going on with my life and where I want to be in life... and looking at the time I have left with it (yes, who know's when an individual is gonna die, but I turned 41 this year, and I'm really trying to put the right steps forward, to a long and good future)! I guess the other part that affects this is, I'm waiting on some stuff to get finished for this next album I'm working on, and I find it really difficult to stay fucking mentally healthy when there is really nothing I can do musically (doing music stuff is basically my sanity), and I've done everything I can for now, for this upcoming stuff... so just trying to find stuff to occupy my time with, to stay mentally healthy... I'm managing, but yeah, sometimes it's difficult, cause I'm used to constantly working on music, or music related stuff all the fucking time (within reason)... Anyway, love you guys, and thank you Chris and Ambor for putting this on for it's 8th year now! I'm glad I have a home with like minded people, and a place where I can feel safe!

Industrial Music Monday - NORILLAG

It's that day... and you know what that means... Industrial!! This week we have a project out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The music is in the vein of experimental/industrial. The band consists of sole member: Natalia. This project is called: NORILLAG! Check it out!!





Can't find too much info on this particular project, but here is their Bandcamp:

norillag.bandcamp.com

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!! 

Well, we are a day away from being 20 years old (yes, Twitch started on Canada Day with it's first "Self-Titled" tape release), and we are excited, and can't believe we've been around for this long! It's been quite a journey, and to be honest, I feel like it's just getting started. There have been definitely some up's and some down's over the years... Twitch started on a negative note... but then after dealing with an unhealthy mental state, Twitch grew and changed into a positive attitude! I knew when I started that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life, my mind and heart won't let me do anything else (and quite frankly I don't want to do anything else, I love music!) and after 7 albums, 7 EP's, 5 singles, and a bunch of other stuff... I can't give up now, I'm too invested! Here's to 20 years of Twitch! Cheers 🍻!

https://twitch01.bandcamp.com/…/20-years-of-twitch-1999-2019

#20Years #TwentyYears #Twitch #IndustrialMetal #IndustrialHiphop#Cheers #NineteenNinetyNine #TwoThousandAndNineteen#IndustrialMusic #Rivethead

Collecting Physical CD's and Industrial Music History

(Ministry's "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste")

Well, I've decided to collect CD's again... I realize in this day and age they are pretty much valueless, but to be honest, I've never been into vinyl... and quite frankly I don't want to start... I come from an age where CD's were the predominant medium for music. The whole reason for me collecting these pieces again, is first of all, I like looking at my CD collection, and seeing all the music I have... second, when people come over to my place, they can look at that collection, and there are stories and conversations to be had about those pieces... thirdly, I love looking at the artwork and the liner notes and shit like that, sometimes there is stories in the liner notes, and I like reading them and such. That is one thing that I think that is missing from today's digital music collection... the artwork, the stories, all of that! Most of today's releases there really isn't a digital booklet connected with the album... sure you get the cover artwork, but you don't get the stuff inside, cause generally bands don't include it in the purchase of the music... and a lot of the music aggregators don't allow for a band to include the digital booklet.

(Ministry's "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" back cover)

Today's find was Ministry's "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste". I did have this album when I was in my late teens (18 or 19 or so), but I've realized I love this stuff and I still would like to have it in my collection, and not too sure why I got rid of it in the first place. Lately, I've been really digging Ministry's stuff, and have decided to pick this stuff up again! I've actually been on a whole Wax Trax! kick lately (I know Ministry was not a part of Wax Trax! at this point, but yeah, just been really trying to grab as much of Ministry's stuff, as well as Chris Connelly's stuff, and other select pieces)... I think it's because the whole Wax Trax documentary (Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records), and being that I was too young at the time to really appreciate the whole Wax Trax! "scene" at the time... and I also saw Lead Into Gold last summer... I've just wanted to really explore more of industrial music history and see the evolution of it all, from where we started to where we are now! I mean you look at the start of industrial with Throbbing Gristle and look at it through the years and then Ministry starts the industrial metal thing, and then you look at today's industrial and it has evolved even further! Yeah, just exciting!!

What are you folks listening to, and excited about in the industrial scene?