COLDWAVES 2020 "Lost Weekend"

Wow, when you thought online live streamed festivals couldn't get any better, COLDWAVES put together an amazing festival!! A lot of the other festivals were basically just live streamed band performances, but this festival (granted a lot of this stuff was pre-recorded)... amazing... there's all kinds of amazing videos, performances, music video commentary (Chris Vrenna, Martin Atkins, and what I do believe is the director for both "Down In It" and "Head Like A Hole" video(s), talk about Nine Inch Nails "Head Like A Hole" as well as "Down In It" and the stories around the videos and how they were made, and kinda what happened around the filming of those videos)... even premiers of new music videos and all that kind of stuff... great!! I honestly think this is the best live streamed festival so far!! Makes me want to actually be at a future COLDWAVES! If you missed it, you really missed out!! Plus, they are trying to raise funds for the Darkest Before Dawn charity... the blurb says this: 

"Welcome to Darkest Before Dawn. We are a new non-profit, based in Chicago and Los Angeles, with one simple yet urgent goal: to provide resources, support, and community for our nightlife, restaurant and music venue industry, who's late hours and isolated commutes leave them susceptible to depression, addiction and suicide. Recent data points to a high rate of chemical dependency and suicide for this demographic in our country, especially in the very industries built to provide excitement, leisure and happiness to everyone else. They are the people heading home in the early morning hours, when businesses are closed, the streets are empty, and it truly is the darkest period of time before the dawn."

I realize this is a U.S. charity, but for folks who read this blog that are from the U.S., you can check out Darkest Before Dawn here!

Here's a Canadian Musician charity... it's called UNISON! Here's a little blurb about them:

"Unison Benevolent Fund is a non-profit, registered charity that provides counselling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community. We are here to help professional music-makers in times of hardship, illness or economic difficulties."

There's hope out there folks!!

Stay safe, stay positive!!

Industrial Metal... The Journey.

(Nailbomb)

So, as of recently I've been on an industrial metal journey... or well... just really interested in finding bands that do or did industrial metal. There were a couple of things that kind of kicked this recent journey off, one... there's a band I came across on Bandcamp called: Black Magnet... they are a dark black/doom/industrial metal band... I wanted to purchase a physical copy of their latest album "Hallucination Scene"... and that kinda spurred this whole deep dive into industrial metal music! Afterwards, randomly I came across a band from the mid-90's called: Nailbomb, which I had never heard before and to be honest, I'm not sure why they didn't cross my musical periphery when I was younger, but they did not... and discovering a video of their performance at some concert in the 90s on Youtube... I really enjoyed it and that is kinda how, I've ended up on this search for industrial metal bands (interesting enough Dino Cazares of Fear Factory was a session player on the Nailbomb album "Point Blank", and Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly played keys for Nailbomb for their one and only live concert).

There's things in the past that I passed over when I was a teenager, like Danzig's "Blackacidevil" where he fired his old band and went industrial (as at the time, it seemed every metal or rock band that had darker themes were inserting industrial elements into their music... I mean, Nine Inch Nails was at the peak of their Self-Destruct Tour and the whole "The Downward Spiral" era, and because of that tour, Industrial music was becoming more popular, and a lot of bands were jumping on the bandwagon), so... now I want that in my physical collection... cause it's industrial music history, and even though he was kind of jumping on the bandwagon, I thought the album was fairly solid. Even crossover bands like Prong I'm trying to find their stuff on CD (got one coming in the mail)... I mean Tommy Victor front man of Prong, had a stint in Danzig during the industrial phase of Danzig (he also appeared in the video for "Sacrifice"). He also toured and played guitars for Ministry. Course there's other stuff too, like Godflesh... which I've recently been checking out their stuff, which is something I passed over in the past, but now I want this stuff in my collection. It's really interesting all the kind of stuff that is out there... and finding stuff that is new to me in the vein of industrial metal... I mean there's all kinds of stories associated with this stuff too... how some of these bands were connected to each other in some way... yeah...

This journey so far has been fun, trying to find physical CDs rather than just picking up digital stuff, at least... if there is physical, if there isn't then I do go the digital route! I can't wait to continue in this journey... and kinda see how deep the rabbit hole goes... It's really interesting finding all this weird obscure shit (Black Magnet), and all that kind of stuff.

If you folks have any suggestions as to what I should take a listen to in the industrial metal vein, please leave those suggestions in the comments!

I'll likely post my progress in this journey, to let you know where I'm at, and maybe you have suggestions along the way!!

Stay positive, stay safe!!

Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch / Trippingonacable Records

Nine Inch Nails, Memories, and a Live Stream!

Yes... it's been quite sometime since I've given Nine Inch Nails a good listen. I found that during this pandemic, the lyrics are a little too depressing to really focus on it and enjoy listening to it, but last night "Head Like A Hole (Soil)" randomly came on my playlist... and it reminded me, that first I love Nine Inch Nails, and second... I love industrial music... not sure why, the mix just really clicked, and I felt inspired! So, the rest of yesterday and today I've been listening to NIN's back-catalogue... and really enjoying it. Not sure what changed there... but it seems to be what I want to listen to right now.

I thought I would share what tracks in particular are inspiring me right now:

(Nine Inch Nails "Head Like A Hole (Soil)")

I remember when I first heard this track, total inspiration, has a bit of a hiphop vibe:

(Nine Inch Nails "Closer (Deviation)")

This particular track, I remember when I first got this CD, loved it! Lot's of inspiration, and I actually prefer this mix of "March Of The Pigs" rather than the original mix:

(Nine Inch Nails "All The Pigs, All Lined Up")

It's really a lot of fun right now being back to having NIN in the playlist, there's sooo many memories, and reminders of why I love industrial music in general, and there is so much inspiration. I remember when I was first jamming with my first band Adam Hates You, and we would listen to stuff like this... and take inspiration from it. There were so many ideas, and truthfully speaking, I was finding my voice (vocally, and musically) and even though we didn't really go anywhere with it (and a lot of it was, us really jamming out), there was a lot of fun... I remember at the time, going into the music instrument stores in the area (H.E.L. Music), and checking out synthesizers and figuring out what I really wanted in a synth, and how I was gonna translate the stuff that I was creating into a live show. I remember looking at initially, the Alesis Q synth if I'm not mistaken, and testing it out, and playing with the sounds and stuff... and there were some patches in it, that kind of sounded like NIN patches... there was another synth I checked out (I can't remember for the life of me, what the name of it was), but ultimately I decided not to purchase either of them... I remember walking into Mothers Music (just down the street from H.E.L), and playing around with another synth, and it looked like a really cool synth... and I looked at the price tag... and at the time I thought "At that price ($2500), it's gotta be a good synth", for some reason the name of that synth stuck with me (Yamaha EX7)... and then eventually I ended up picking it up (years and years later)... and I still have it! 

(Nine Inch Nails "The Art Of Self-Destruction, Part One)

Lot's of memories from that time. There was a little goth/industrial scene in that city (Saskatoon) at the time, and a lot, if not all of my friends were doing industrial music in some way... Adam Hates You had a rotating roster (basically whoever showed up to jam), and even though I ended up dissolving that band and moving to Calgary, Alberta... it was really a time of exploration, and my first foray into writing industrial music, and kinda figuring out what exactly I wanted to do. A friend had given me a copy of a freeware DOS program called Impulse Tracker... and that's how I wrote my first track... really experimenting, finding my voice and sound, and then eventually some of those tracks ended up turning into Twitch's first "Self-titled" release.

(Nine Inch Nails "The Downward Spiral (The Bottom)")

Definitely, not feeling nostalgic, definitely don't want to go back to those times, but definitely reminded of why I love industrial music, and what got me into it in the first place!

I hope you folks are doing well, I hope you are staying safe, I hope you are staying positive!

Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch / Trippingonacable Records

(Your Canadian Goth/Rivethead)

P.S.: We got this live stream show coming up on September 24th/2020 on our Twitch Facebook Page, which you can confirm your attendance here!

We hope you folks join us!!

System Syn: Once Upon a Second Act...

(System Syn "Once Upon a Second Act...")

We were surprised and excited to receive this in the mail not too long ago! We did a bit of an unboxing video here! Yes, we like System Syn! When this album was announced to be released... there was a video teaser of all the tracks on the album... so I took a listen to that. It sounded great! So, I decided to hold off for a little bit to actually pick it up. After it had been released online (Bandcamp) in digital format, I took a closer listen... still sounds great! So... after ordering the Chris Connelly CD's from Wax Trax! Records, that same night I ordered the this System Syn album! Being that we are in a pandemic, it took a bit for it to get here, but... it arrived a few day's ago, and I'm currently listening to it!

(CD Artwork)

This album certainly does not disappoint!! It was actually better than what I thought it was gonna be! The production, the mixing, the mastering... all excellent, and very pristine, if I say so! Everything is fairly clear in the mixes, and is audible! System Syn's main songwriter is Clint Carney, and as with past releases (if I'm not mistaken, all of them), his production partner is Ted Phelps of the electro-industrial project Imperative Reaction! I'm not sure to what level Ted contributes to the System Syn releases, but he does do some production, as well as some programming on the releases as well!

(Tray card artwork)

I do think Clint has found his producer life partner... every System Syn release has always been solid, and the production, mixing and mastering are always excellent! There is definitely a consistent mix on all the tracks... and there is a certain production quality to each track... 

...As far as the tracks go... I would say the ones that stand out to me are: "The Wreckage", "Promise", "Once Upon a Second Act..", "We Had Time", and "Weightless"! And, my favorite track being "We Had Time"... As I stated above, the album is solid all the way through!

(Back cover artwork)

Clint has done something different this time around, rather than having the support from a record label behind him, he's gone totally independent, and has put this release out himself! From what I can tell he's started to self-release under the label name of Second Act Records! So, on that note... I would highly recommend checking this album out, and consider supporting them directly, by either purchasing this album, or any of their past albums on their site here! Or, purchasing digital copy of the album on Bandcamp here!

Hope you folks are well!

Chris Connelly - "Phenobarb Bambalam" and "July"

(Chris Connelly's "Phenobarb Bambalam")

If you saw our video here, you would know recently we received in the mail from Wax Trax! Records, two Chris Connelly releases, the first one being "July", and the second one being the album "Phenobarb Bambalam". I used to have both of these in my CD collection waaaaay back in the day, when I was 19 or 20 or something like that. I got rid of them when I was trying to build extra cash for my move to Calgary. I don't regret getting rid of them, but after all these years I realized I missed having them in my collection, and I'm trying to grab stuff from the recently brought back to life Wax Trax! Records label.

(Chris Connelly's "July")

So, a little bit about these releases: when I originally received these when I was 19 or 20 from a friend, he had passed them on from a local goth/industrial DJ in Saskatoon at the time. Then I eventually sold them... I didn't want to, but I had to get rid of things that weren't essential in my collection at the time... and I needed to raise some funds (I sold a lot of stuff that I'm in the process of recollecting now).

("Phenobarb Bambalam" disc)

("July" disc)

My initial thoughts about the releases when I originally received them were, I enjoyed them... it was a little different from the stuff I was normally used to, but I thought they were still good! I also felt a little bit of a connection to Mr. Connelly, cause in the album artwork he has dreads, and at the time I had dreads as well.

(Back of "Phenobarb Bambalam")

(Back of "July")

Listening to them now... I remember what I thought when I had heard them for the first time... On these releases, Chris Connelly definitely has a Bowie vibe going on. I'm not sure if that was what he was going for, but he certainly sounds like Mr.Bowie... nothing wrong with that! I would say at least on these albums Chris Connelly sounds like a industrialized David Bowie. I still am enjoying this stuff! I would say the production values on the album, as well as the mixing and mastering are quite different from the regular Wax Trax! stuff... and I think that that might be because Al Jourgensen had nothing to do with these releases. The mixing and mastering is solid though... very clear... nothing seems buried in the mix. Listening to them again, I don't think I had the same appreciation for the music back then that I do today... I'm glad I purchased them again, and supported the label directly! I'm glad they are back in my collection, and I will say, if you are interested in industrial music history... Wax Trax! Records played a very large role in the American goth/industrial scene and were pioneers when it came to bringing European bands like KMFDM and Front 242 to the American scene as well as played a large role in the industrial metal movement (Ministry being one of the first acts to incorporate metal elements with industrial music), so head over to their website here! and order some industrial music history!!

I hope you folks are doing well!!

(Your Canadian Goth/Rivethead)

Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch

Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records CD

("Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records" Compilation)

Well, I went and purchased a new CD at a store here in Calgary called SAN K JTURI BUKS! Great little spot for books, comics, industrial music (If I'm not mistaken, they are official Wax Trax! Records dealers), all kinds of movies... and just rare stuff (they are in Eau Claire Mall, if you a curious to go check them out)! I initially went to this store to hang out with a friend who works there and just chat for a little bit, but I ended up picking up this "Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records" compilation CD! I had already ordered the Documentary, and I figured being that I had done that, I might as well pick up the compilation CD that goes along with the film! So, what is on this CD... My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Revolting Cocks, Ministry, KMFDM, Front 242, Chris Connelly... and a bunch of other stuff!

(Interior)

Being that I wasn't old enough to really appreciate what was on the Wax Trax! roster when I was younger and when these songs and bands were coming out (I was waaaay too young, and industrial music wasn't really on my periphery at this point in time), I will say for what is on this compilation, and knowing the bands now, I would say this is an excellent collection of songs and definitely displays the major bands and some of their pioneering and most iconic sounds that were on the label!! This also reminds me of my baby bat or young years as a goth... and being at events in my young adult years in my home city, and being exposed to these bands for the first time... and really loving this stuff!

(Tray Art)

It wasn't until many, many years later that I really started to appreciate what came off this label, and even really start to dig into some of the music off this label! If you watched this video here, you would know that... I would say, yes all the bands definitely sound different, but I will also say, a lot of the bands that came off this label... there was a similarity in the sound quality of the music, maybe not so much in sound design, but definitely in the way it was mixed and mastered! I also think another reason why there was a similarity in that aspect, was because Al Jourgensen had a big hand in a lot of the bands that rolled off that label, and quite frankly, a lot of the bands were side-projects of Al (Revolting Cocks, Pailhead, 1000 Homo DJ's, etc)...

(Back Cover)

So, yeah... listening to this CD, there is definitely almost a nostalgia, when hearing this kind of stuff in my early baby bat days and being at goth/industrial events in my home city, but there's also appreciation for this stuff that I hadn't had in the past, because I was too young to really appreciate it! There's also a lot of inspiration, and a lot of almost "wonder", as too be honest, some of this stuff... this is the first time hearing it! So, yes!! If you are into industrial music and don't know who Wax Trax! Records is or know of the bands on this label, or just haven't heard these particular tracks that are on this compilation... pick it up! There is a lot of history here... and if you have watched my video regarding the documentary "Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records" I will say it again here... watch the documentary!! You will not regret it, you will learn more about this transgressive genre and where it came from, and you will learn about this pioneering record label that spawned the careers of many of today's well known industrial bands!!

Mental Health... and Why I Think it's Important, Especially Now (2020)!

(Hate has no home anywhere!!)

Ok, I figured I would get into this a little bit, cause a little earlier today, I was out on my balcony, and I noticed a crowd of people hanging out at the Safeway across the street from me. There was about 10 of them... and something I've noticed about the area recently, is that there are a lot of drug users and shit coming into the area... and they are doing drugs right out in the open... wherever and whenever, could be broad daylight, could be in the evening. With the recent going-on's in the world (you know, the pandemic and shit), and everyone being affected by these things... our provincial government decided to defund the safe injection sites in the area... and now there are an influx of drug users in the area... and it is really fuckin sad... cause these people used to have somewhere safe to go, and now they are doing it wherever and whenever... and they are not getting at least some of the help that they need, and likely there are gonna be overdoses and people dying in the street in the area... now you would think the government would have kept them open, being that, right now... and especially right now, that there is a lot of stress and a lot of people suffering in the mental health department, which would lead to more people using... so you think it would be logical to keep things open, so people don't fucking die unnecessarily!

So, I'm gonna say here again, drug use... is a mental health issue! Generally, people use, cause they have an underlying mental illness that they are trying to cope with, or... they have deep seated trauma, that they don't know how to deal with, and once again... try to cope by using drugs. I could get into some commentary on why I think we should legalize all drugs, but that is maybe something I'll get into another time. But, what I'm getting at is... if these people learnt better ways to cope... without the use of street drugs, but proper counselling and maybe medication of some kind (if there is a mental illness involved)... I think that most if not all drug addiction issues would be solved! If we deal with drug addiction as a mental health issue, rather than an addiction issue... that the government thinks should be criminalized, I think society and humanity would be in a way better place, cause these people would have tools and proper coping techniques that will keep them away from using street drugs.

I also want to mention here, that I do think that racism, and hate... is a mental health issue as well. Think about all the time and energy someone puts into being hateful and angry at someone who has a different cultural background than themselves. They aren't happy. They have not found inner peace. They feel that they need to spread their hatred and anger. They feel that people of other cultural backgrounds should not live... some people are so angry that, they want, or are willing to take another persons life, because they are from a different culture, or are a person of color, or whatever. That, is a mental issue... and ultimately that boils down to a mental health issue.

So, once again I'm going to mention here, my music endeavor Twitch... we are trying to raise funds for the Mental Health Research Canada charity... so if you want to support this cause, in helping better research when it comes to mental health... and finding better ways to cope... from July 10th/2020 to August 7th/2020 we will be donating all album sales on our Bandcamp here to the Mental Health Research Canada charity! You can find more info about them here! 

We hope you consider supporting this great cause, and hey... I mean you'll get some great music out of it!!

Stay safe folks!