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celtfather · 1 year ago

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Midnight Hour with RUNA #649

It's the midnight hour with RUNA and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #649.

La famille LeBlanc, Matt & Shannon Heaton, Bonhomme Setter, Hanneke Cassel, Sassenach, RUNA, Firinn, Eimear Arkins, Matt McGinn, The Byrne Brothers

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VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2024

This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2024 episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now!

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THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:02 - Intro: RUNA

0:14 - La famille LeBlanc "Suite du Cap Le Moine" from New/Nouveau - Perdrais - je mon temps...(Would I be losing my time...)

3:29 - WELCOME

5:11 - Matt & Shannon Heaton "P Joe Hayes #2/Cottage in the Grove/Mother and Child (reels)" from Whirring Wings

9:12 - Bonhomme Setter "Rocks of Bawn" from Colors of Time

14:29 - Hanneke Cassel "Eliana Grace / Dancing with Bryce" from Dot the Dragon's Eyes

19:50 - Sassenach "Star of the County Down/Bus Stop Reel" from Passages

24:10 - FEEDBACK

27:35 - RUNA INTERVIEW PART 1

37:52 - RUNA "O Dheara Sheanduine" from When The Light Gets In

42:32 - RUNA INTERVIEW PART 2

55:10 - RUNA "Midnight Hour" from When The Light Gets In

1:00:56 - RUNA INTERVIEW PART 3

1:09:17 - RUNA "La Ziguezon" from When The Light Gets In

1:13:27 - THANKS

1:15:15 - Firinn "Smelling Fresh, Aye Right" from The Long Lunch

1:19:11 - Eimear Arkins "Fair And Tender Ladies (Song)" from Here & There

1:24:39 - Matt McGinn "The Turning of the Tide" from Behind Every Door // 2023

1:35:35 - CLOSING

1:36:18 - The Byrne Brothers "P Stands for Paddy" from The Boys of Doorin

1:39:31 - CREDITS

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.

Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.

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Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn.

This podcast is here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to keep making music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their communities on Patreon.

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You are amazing. It is because of your generosity that you get to hear so much great Celtic music each and every week.

Your kindness pays for our engineer, graphic designer, Celtic Music Magazine editor, promotion of the podcast, and allows me to buy the music I play here. It also pays for my time creating the show each and every week.

As a patron, you get music - only episodes before regular listeners, vote in the Celtic Top 20, stand - alone stories, and you get a private feed to listen to the show. All that for as little as $1 per episode.

A special thanks to our new and continued Patrons of the Podcast: Bill Mandeville, Marti Meyers, Brenda, Karen DM Harris, Emma Bartholomew, Dan mcDade, Carol Baril, Miranda Nelson, Nancie Barnett, Kevin Long, Gary R Hook, Lynda MacNeil, Kelly Garrod, Annie Lorkowski, Shawn Cali

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Go to our Patreon page.

Decide how much you want to pledge every week, $1, $5, $25. Make sure to cap how much you want to spend per month.

Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music.

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com.

TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Learn more about the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/ #celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast

I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? Please email me. I’d love to see a picture of what you're doing while listening or of a band that you saw recently.

Email me at [email protected]

Ken emailed: "Marc, I enjoy listening to your downloaded podcast while baking the morning breads at our local bakery and while being the outside greeter at church. The music puts a smile on my face and spring in my step. I am especially interested in your celtic invasion trips because vacations of this type are exactly what my wife and I want to do in retirement. Have you visited a place quiet enough for senior citizens who love bicycle riding?"

Ben Q emailed: "Hi Marc, I don't think I've ever been asked a direct question on a podcast before! To answer your question about what episode and when it was that Niamh told this story, it was is in show #552: Reel Fairies, and her story starts around the 47:53 mark. It's totally worth a re - listen; she is so funny. Also wow, yep, that episode was almost two years ago. Time flies!"

Patrick Rieger sent Some More Irish Pictures: "Hello Marc, A few more photos to share.

First up, a few of Terry Griffith, the last few times he was on a stage with an in - person audience at Mullaney's Harp and Fiddle. One is from the 2020 fundraiser for the Pittsburgh Saint Patrick's Day Parade on February 13, 2020, and another is from his gig on February 28, 2020. Within a few weeks, the words Covid and Coronavirus quickly became part of our daily vocabulary, and the shows came to an end for a couple of years.

On June 4, 2022, we had a retirement party for Terry. The best part of the night is when he strapped on a guitar and led the packed pub in A Health to the Company. There were tears and cheers for him throughout the evening, but most came during that special song.

The last photo is from tonight, January 27, 2024. John McCann on acoustic guitar and Hamish on percussion packed the Harp & Fiddle. Lots of great music and an interactive audience.”

Check out this episode!

#celtic #Irish #Scottish #music #Ireland #Scotland

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shihalyfie · 4 years ago

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Some things to know about the upcoming 02-related movie

As someone who seems to be known for being a 02 metablogger now (and 02 lover in general), and who’s been closely following Kizuna’s development and is generally fond of the movie itself, I figured I’d probably need to address the elephant in the room that is the announcement of the upcoming (unnamed, as of this writing) 02-related movie. This is also especially because I’ve personally been on the record saying that I absolutely did not want a Kizuna sequel. And, well, on top of that, to be a bit blunt about it, a lot of us, especially 02 fans, have a lot of reason to be skeptical of Toei right now given some of the things they’ve done with this series in the past, and 02-related things in particular (trust me, the wound is still extremely fresh), so it says a lot about what it took for me to get even remotely positive about this prospect.

Well, here’s the good news: while I of course still think there’s good reason to be apprehensive, and while I wouldn’t say everyone should be getting their expectations up for it to be guaranteed fantastic (which is something I would say about anything, regardless of whether it even has to do with Digimon or not), I don’t think there’s too much to be panicked about with this movie. Again, it took a lot for the staff to gain my trust in this respect, so it’s not something I say lightly. But if you’re a 02 fan and you’re extremely apprehensive, here are my reasons for feeling this way, and, hopefully, they might make you feel a little better too.

The reason this movie exists to begin with

One of the most striking things about this movie’s reveal was that they’ve literally only just started production on this movie. This was to the point that, at DigiFes, where this was revealed, even the voice actors stated outright that they knew absolutely nothing more than what the audience knew from the trailer. Katayama (Daisuke) only knew anything in the sense that they had him record those few lines for it. So even though it’s been a whole year and a half since Kizuna released to the public, it had only just been decided to make a new movie like this. All of the statements between Kizuna and now stating that there was nothing particularly in the works at the time were completely accurate. Of course, there are obvious hints that they were setting up for this possibility (many, many people noticed the suspiciously favorable position the 02 group was in during Kizuna, and the press releases were carefully worded so that having a movie about “Daisuke and his friends” would allow any statement about Kizuna being “the last adventure of Taichi and his friends” to still be technically truthful), but for all intents and purposes it seems like there had been no actual commitment to making this 02 movie until now, and that they’d at least wanted to gauge the surrounding climate and fanbase reactions for what people were looking for before they decided to go ahead with this.

The obvious reasons as to why this movie exist involve the fact that Daisuke and co. are pretty much the only “out” you can have to continue the Adventure universe without constantly defaulting to Taichi’s group yet again, because at the very least it’d be something that you can’t deny hasn’t exactly had the best representation in recent years. Of course they’re trying to capitalize on this! I’m not going to pretend they aren’t! But producer Kinoshita left a very interesting comment about a particular goal they have with this movie:

This time, the core behind the movie is everyone from 02! Daisuke’s group has their own different kind of charm from Taichi’s, and we want to express that precisely because we’re in the times we’re in right now.

That comment alone has a lot to unpack. (For a frame of reference, Kizuna released in Japan in February 2020; development had already long finished by the time the pandemic first hit, and it was unfortunately one of the first victims of the initial lockdowns because of how bad the timing was.) Acknowledging directly that there’s something different about Daisuke’s group and their dynamic, which makes them especially suited for what we need in “the current times”...hmm, what could that be?

The implied answer is one that many 02 lovers will know very intimately: the 02 group’s particular specialty is in uplifting others and giving each other emotional support. While Adventure had traces of these themes, 02 was the one that went really hard on the themes of dealing with grief and loss, the existential crisis of what to do with oneself in a world placing heavy pressures on you, and how to move on from hardships with the help of others. The fact that the 02 group specializes in this more than anything else is probably one of the most distinguishing factors between them and their seniors, so there’s a very heavy implication here that they understand what distinguishes 02 from Adventure, and what it uniquely would bring to the table in this kind of movie. So this isn’t just “we’re relying on the 02 kids because they’re part of the same universe”; there’s some degree of substantial understanding of what makes 02 as a series unique, and a desire to use this to its fullest extent.

Still don’t believe me? Well, how about this...

This staff really likes 02 a lot

Seki Hiromi, the original producer of Adventure and 02, was involved as a supervisor on Kizuna’s development. Seki was personally involved in the creation of these kids and 02 itself -- she’s the one who noticed the story of the nine-year-old boy skipping grades into Columbia University, the one that formed the basis of 02 itself and eventually came back for Kizuna -- and even personally vetted Kizuna’s script to make sure everyone was in character, gave her thoughts on what the kids would be like in 2010, and was (repeatedly) commented as seeming to love the kids like her own children. As of this writing, it hasn’t been confirmed whether she’s involved on the new movie, but even if she’s not, this means that the staff on Kizuna that is returning all listened closely to those discussions about what the characters are like, straight from the mouth of one of their own creators. The new character song releases had a brief mention in Lounsbery Arthur’s interview that there were apparently extensive discussions with the staff on what the characters should be like at this time, so while Seki’s involvement with that is unknown, at the very least, a lot of conscientious thought seems to be put in at all times into maintaining these characters’ integrity.

Of course, just having an original creator alone on it doesn’t necessarily do it by itself, so here’s another interesting thing: Taguchi Tomohisa, director of both Kizuna and this movie, is also very fond of 02.

I suspect we’ll be hearing more from him as this new movie goes further into development, but Taguchi himself implied that 02 was actually the one he happened to connect with in particular, and when you really think about it, given the circumstances surrounding Kizuna, it’s not actually surprising that a movie trying to be conscientiously aware of 02′s position in the narrative would have someone with a particular fondness for it on its staff. (Reason being: a lot of Adventure fans don’t care much for 02, but you’ll almost never meet a 02 fan who doesn’t also adore Adventure.) The really fun part about this, however, is that Taguchi has repeatedly stated that 02′s first movie, Hurricane Touchdown, is his favorite Digimon movie -- in a climate where everyone else was talking about Adventure. The expected answer for the majority of Adventure fans in terms of “favorite Digimon movie” is almost always Our War Game! by knockout, but no, for Taguchi, it’s Hurricane Touchdown, and not only has he said this, he won’t shut up about it. He’s been saying this since 2019. Even Seki noticed. A whole article got made about this. He brings it up whenever he has a chance to. To top it all off, when a Kizuna event asked everyone present about their favorite characters, and everyone gave Adventure-related answers, Taguchi’s response was instead Terriermon and Daisuke. And I mean, look at Kizuna itself -- its entire plot revolves around having to move on from unhealthy nostalgia, represented by kidnapping people and turning them younger and an antagonist swallowed by their own negative emotions, which, well, is literally the plot of Hurricane Touchdown. (Yeah, that Wallace cameo is very, very likely to be sheer self-indulgence.) And considering that Taguchi said his favorite human character was Daisuke, not Wallace, it means that he understands what Hurricane Touchdown brought out of Daisuke, what his interactions with Wallace meant for both characters, and how Daisuke’s best strengths lie in his ability to support and uplift others.

And, finally, we have Yamatoya, who was responsible for penning both Kizuna’s script (and, thus, being privy to Seki’s corrections) and the bonus drama CD that came with it, on the script, and he personally said that he enjoyed writing for the 02 group because he felt they were important to lightening up the mood of the heavy story Kizuna was becoming. In fact, every comment from this staff about what the 02 group brings to the table in particular has showed a good understanding of what their appeal is -- that they have to be “fun”, that they were “healing in a heavy story”, and Taguchi himself said that he got the impression that the 02 group had more straightforward paths to their epilogue careers (which is interesting, considering that I’ve also personally pointed out that the 02 group seemed to have careers with significantly lower bars than their seniors’ due to their difference in priorities). All of these things are observations you make when you know this group and the importance of the story they came from.

Extend it even further to the rest of the staff members and you’ll find there are a lot of 02 fans on there, including the animation staff, who made some very neat observations about 02 and its finale. Miyahara Takuya is a particularly amusing case, because he seems to love Imperialdramon so much that in the thanks booklet for the deluxe edition for the Blu-ray, he drew a picture of Daisuke and Ken with Imperialdramon Dragon Mode because he didn’t get to be in the movie. (As in, he actually said, point-blank in the caption, that he loves Imperialdramon and wanted to draw him because he wasn’t in the movie.)

Of course, even if you’re trying your best, things may not always work out, so I’m not saying having love for the characters will necessarily guarantee that the product turns out for the best. However, considering that historically a lot of our fears come from the idea of them milking the name value of the characters without really caring about their integrity or understanding what the series was about (especially since a lot of people in the fanbase itself don’t tend to read 02′s nuances very well), I think, at the very least, we don’t need to worry about the staff for this movie not being conscientious, nor the idea that they’re making this movie without understanding or caring about 02.

Furthermore, one thing I appreciate is that they’re actually leading the advertisement with a premise that is distinct from Kizuna’s. Of course, it covers a similar topic of “partnerships”, and it’s very possible it’ll cover the issue of the solution to Kizuna’s problem (especially since the answer was already hinted to have a heavy relationship with 02), but nevertheless, it’s an actual premise that’s not just “Kizuna’s story, but more of it”. It’s an understanding that something 02-related should be allowed to stand on its own rather than just tacking it onto an Adventure-related thing. Beyond that, while I think it’s generally expected that a side story like this should have an original character, I think it’s actually very good this time in particular that there’s a new element/character for the 02 group to interact with; again, as with Hurricane Touchdown and Daisuke, these kids often have the best brought out of them when they’re supporting others, and honestly, because the kids suffered so much in their own narrative, I’m not particularly fond of the idea of seeing them having to go through too much more trauma themselves (it’s a big reason I don’t like the idea of a 02 reboot). So while I’m sure a lot of 02 fans feel a bit antsy that the actual group itself wasn’t advertised first, I actually consider it a positive sign that they have an understanding of what context this group performs best in, and, moreover, well...the last time they unveiled something that was so focused on advertising the return of old characters that it forgot to actually be straightforward about the premise, I don’t think that ended well. So to speak.

In general, the track record is good

It’s easy to just smile and nod at the portrayal of the 02 quartet in Kizuna, because in general everything from them is in-character, but I just want to point out how significant it is that they were portrayed so conscientiously when it is really easy to mess them up. (As I like pointing out very often: even official has not historically been very careful with Daisuke’s character.) There are so many easy pitfalls you could have fallen into and pigeonholed the kids into, but Kizuna absolutely demonstrated the quartet at their best, showing off all the nuances of their character and bringing up all the parts that were most important, especially Daisuke’s best quality being “positivity and cheerfulness” and not all of the other things about him running in circles or having a crush on Hikari-chan. This even goes down to the casting; Katayama Fukujuurou sounds terrifyingly like Kiuchi Reiko in terms of all the little nuances and pitch shifts she had in her performance, and the cast themselves spoke of all the nuances present in their characters as they were studying for their roles. These are things that even fans of the series tend to miss, but the voice actors for the quartet nailed their roles so well that it’s very easy to tell that the direction understood exactly what they were looking for and needed, and casted accordingly. Even those who didn’t care for the movie much had a very hard time disputing the voice casting for the quartet (and this is saying a lot given how much voice actor changes are often a really sore point among Japanese fans).

But while the 02 group had a limited amount of screentime in Kizuna, the staff also had a lot of opportunities to prove themselves with the drama CD and the new character song CDs, and every single aspect of these reflects something that was represented in 02 itself -- again, things that often go over the heads of people who aren’t paying as close attention. The drama CD captures a lot of the essence of the dynamics between the group in only short lines, and all of the statements about the characters in the character song interviews are accurate (and remember: Arthur said directly that there were discussions with the staff about keeping them true to character). On top of that, not only do the lyrics in said songs directly mirror each character’s development from the time of the original Best Partner series, there are also a lot of things in said songs that demonstrate a nuanced understanding of each person’s character and what they got out of the events of 02. Someone with only a surface-level understanding of Ken or Iori’s character might think that Ken should only have a soft song, or that Iori shouldn’t want to do anything ridiculous, but the series goes ahead and gives Ken one of the most passionately emotional rock songs in the batch and Iori outright rap with Armadimon, which are both fitting decisions in light of Ken actually being one of the more emotionally assertive people in this group, and Iori only being stoic because he’s strict with himself and being willing to let loose in certain circumstances (especially after the events of 02).

As of this writing, I don’t know if the new movie is going to be featuring the entire group in a major role, and I’m not sure if I even want it to; as much as I do strongly feel like the group should always work together at all times, one minor personal complaint I had about Kizuna was that it tries to do too much in too little time, and I’m personally fine with this new movie being more Daisuke-centric or something if it means it can just get a nice story on the table (after all, if I wanted something that more evenly represents the entire 02 group, I’d just go back and rewatch a very nice anime series called Digimon Adventure 02). There’s also the very thorny question of what to do about Tokumitsu Yuka, since I don’t personally really like the idea of still dragging her out of retirement like this (but I also wouldn’t want them to awkwardly write around her just for this, and I’m wondering if Sonozaki voicing Tailmon in the reboot would let people accept her as a replacement without much fighting).

Nevertheless, I think Kizuna’s staff has proven more than well enough that they understand the essence of 02 and its characters, so, again, regardless of how it turns out, I at least expect that this can be made with some degree of conscientiousness, and at this point, that’s all I can ask for. I don’t think it’s fair to expect or want this movie to be the second coming of 02, because, again, if we wanted that, I think it’d be better for us to all go back and watch that lovely little 50-episode anime called Digimon Adventure 02. But in terms of being something that can add a little nice thing to the mix, I think, so far, this movie at least has positive signs of turning out that way -- and, remember, think about what I just said about initially being very against this idea; as a diehard 02 fan who has a lot of very picky feelings about how to best represent it, it took a lot for the staff to earn my trust in this sense.

#digimon #digimon adventure 02 #digimon adventure last evolution kizuna #kizuna spoilers

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ayma-nidiot · 3 years ago

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Dawn of the Dark Chapter 24

This chapter may be found here on AO3.

Chapter 24 – The Plan

“Hah!” Goh woke up after a particularly harrowing nightmare. When he looked to the wall clock, he noticed that it was 3:00.

“Raichu?” Raichu, who hadn’t slept a wink that night, grew concerned.

“I’m okay, Raichu, I just had a nightmare.” Goh pet the Mouse Pokemon’s head. “But I think it’s a sign, though… Ash is in trouble. I know it. I feel it.”

At that moment, Chloe had gotten up to go to the loo and saw Goh getting off the bed. “Where do you think you’re going, mister?”

“Rai rai!” Raichu jumped in front of the door and started waving her arms frantically.

“I’m going to go find Ash. You’re going to call Gary and Paul so we can storm Wyndon together.”

“We’re not doing any of that shit, Goh!” Chloe put her foot down.

“Yes, we are!” Goh looked his best friend in the eye. “It’s not just about Ash or me or the babies anymore… If Team Rocket and Macro Cosmos have their way, then many people’s lives will be in danger!”

“Then what are we going to do if you go into labour in the middle of nowhere?”

“I can have Cinderace and Flygon fly me to a Pokemon Center. Besides, I think I know a way I can prevent that from happening, if only for a little while.” Goh closed his eyes, changing every cell in his body so he could transform.

“Oh, I see. So, you don’t have to worry about giving birth if you’re in Pokemon form.”

“Mew mew!” Goh floated over to the Cerise family’s telephone, holding it up for Chloe so she could make the necessary calls.

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you on how dangerous this all is.” Chloe called Gary first, receiving little protest from him. However, being a royal pain in the arse, Paul needed a bit more effort to convince. “…Phew. I’m just lucky that they agreed to meeting us there at all. Gary said he’ll meet us at the Vermilion City Airport. He volunteered to pay for the plane tickets. Now hurry and get into my car.”

“Rai rai!” Raichu wanted to come along, but due to fatigue, she could barely move forward a step.

“Mew!” Goh used Psychic to gently lower Raichu onto a couch.

Chloe rushed to her room to get a nice cushion and blanket for Raichu. “Raichu, we all love and appreciate you, but you need to take care of yourself too. I’m sure Goh would say the same thing right now if he could talk.”

“Mew mew!” Goh produced a tiny red ball of light that turned into an egg, which he offered to Raichu.

“Rai…” Raichu took a bite of the egg and loved it, finishing it quickly. “Rai rai!”

“That must be Softboiled!” Chloe deduced. “He’s taking care of you just like you’ve been doing for him all these years.”

“Rai, Raichu.” With a smile of gratitude, Raichu fell asleep on the couch.

“Mew!” Goh flew into Chloe’s car with glee.

Chloe didn’t know what to say on the drive to the airport, especially since she couldn’t wholly understand Goh right now. She popped in the music CD that Delia had bought the week previous. “Goh… I know better than anyone that once you have your mind set on something, there’s no convincing you otherwise. So, I’ll support you all the way, not just through your pregnancy, but also in helping to find Ash.”

“Mew? Mew…” Goh sat atop Chloe’s head and decided to nap there until they got to the airport. Thankfully, due to the late hour, there was almost nobody there except a few people trying to catch that early morning flight.

Before she and Goh started walking into the airport, Chloe took out a small sweater-shirt that Boltund wore when he was still a Yamper. “Here. Wear this, unless you want to stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Mew…” Goh wasn’t a big fan of this sweater-shirt, or the fact that he received many stares.

“Syl! Sylveon!” Sylveon laughed.

“Sylveon, come on, that’s not very nice,” Chloe scolded. “I think Goh looks cute in that outfit!”

“I’ll agree with you there,” spoke Gary, who had Umbreon at his side.

“Gary.” Chloe bowed from the waist. “Thank you so much for making a trip all the way out here and paying for our plane tickets on top of that.”

“Hey, I may not look like it, but I care about Ashy Boy too.” Gary looked to Goh. “So, you have the cojones to come out here too. Pretty clever of you to come in that form!”

“Mew.” Goh glared at Gary, not used to him just yet.

“I just hope you and your babies will be okay. It’s not healthy for any of you if you stay a Mew for that long, so we really need to hurry this up.” Gary led Chloe and Goh to their plane to Hammerlocke. “I spoke with Paul, and he’ll be driving us from Hammerlocke to Wyndon. Once we meet him in Hammerlocke’s airport, we will discuss our plans with him further.”

“Since it’s very early, we should be safe, right?”

“Safe-er, maybe. According to Raihan, security has been even tighter around Wyndon of late, and for a good reason. We’re still going to have to be very stealthy about this.”

“Mew mew!” Goh displayed a fist.

“I guess that means we can count on you to help us!”

No rampaging Dynamax or Shadow Pokemon could be seen in the skies, the land, or the sea. In fact, there seemed to be no activity going on in Hammerlocke, even when Paul met everyone at the airport.

Paul, however, didn’t fail to remind everyone to stay vigilant, especially Goh. “Even with that get-up, you need to be careful. Still, I trust you can fend for yourself.”

“Mew, mew mew,” Goh muttered, as if to say, “Thank you.”

“So.” Chloe spoke up when the group began their subtle drive to Wyndon, “The plan?”

“We’ll start off infiltrating their base altogether,” Paul began, “but if it gets to be too much, I’ll distract the enemies while you guys rush inside.”

“Do we know where we’re going, exactly?” Chloe wanted to know.

“Not exactly, but we do have some idea.” Gary pulled up a photo of Rose Tower on his tablet. “Since this is Macro Cosmos’ headquarters in the past, my guess is that they are camping out there – heck, maybe even underground.”

“Uh… I think it’s getting to be too much now! Look!” Chloe pointed behind her, notifying Paul of a single, fancy car following them.

“Tch,” Paul grumbled. “If it’s okay with you, I think this situation calls for a little more speed.”

“Look out!” Chloe alerted as Paul really picked up the pace. “There’s a curve ahead!”

“I know that!” Paul took a swift turn in a long underpass.

“Meeeew!” This sharp turn nearly threw Goh to the other side of the car.

“Unfortunately, whoever is driving that car is as fast as you,” worried Gary. By the time Paul’s car had gotten to the outskirts of Wyndon, Paul had spent so much gas that his car came to a screeching halt – yet their chaser’s car had plenty of gas left.

“Yikes!” Chloe wrapped her arms around Goh, prepared to flee. “S-Stay away from us!”

“Hey, hey, nobody here but us chickens!” The driver of the fancy car got out, revealing himself to be Raihan.

“So it was just you all along?” Chloe paused for a breath. “Dear Arceus, don’t scare me like that!”

“I’m so, so sorry, guys…” Lily got out of the car and bowed. “Daddy, can I go to Wyndon’s gas station and get them gas as an apology?”

“They will need to make a quick getaway later… Okay, but be careful.” Raihan waved his daughter off.

“Hmm?” Raihan had never seen Goh in his fully shifted form. “Wow! You look adorable in that form, Goh!”

“Mew…” Goh whined, letting Raihan know that everyone really needed to get going.

“Right, right…” Raihan decided that he would be leading the expedition and beckoned for everyone to follow him. “Try not to make a sound.”

You don’t have to worry about me doing that, Goh thought. Nobody understands my words, after all.

“Wait!” Raihan halted the party when they reached the garden behind Rose Tower, ordering them to duck. After a few seconds, he spoke up, “Okay the coast is clear.”

“Say, Raihan?” Chloe whispered. “It’s eerily quiet around here… Surely, getting into the enemy’s headquarters can’t be this easy.”

“I agree,” spoke Gary. “Maybe they’ve anticipated us coming and their security is all inside?”

“And that’s where you’d be wrong, young researcher of Pallet Town.” Oleana jumped from the other side of the garden.

“So this was their plan all along,” Paul spoke as more Macro Cosmos employees trickled out from the bushes. He chose his Electivire and Magmortar for this battle. “Cornering us at the entrance so that their cohorts have plenty of time to notice us. Clever bastards.”

Gary sent out Umbreon and Blastoise. “Raihan, Chloe, and Goh. You need to storm on ahead, before we all get noticed. Please don’t worry about us.”

“I don’t think we have to, bro. Let’s go!” Raihan, along with Chloe and Goh, rushed on in past the entrance, while Gary and Paul protected them. Raihan started darting around, trying to look something that look like an entrance to the underground. “Dammit! I don’t see any trap doors! Do you, Chloe?”

Chloe knew she had to act fast and, along with the fact that she could hear quickly-approaching footsteps, it stressed her out. “Eeee, I can’t find any! What are we going to do if they catch up with us?

No. I’m not going to let harm come unto my friends. Goh stood firmly, closing his eyes, trying to focus. Come on, trap door, where are you? Just then, he could smell something foul coming from the floor. “Mew! Mew, Mew!”

“Goh, did you find something?” Chloe noticed that Goh was holding his nose.

“I think he’s trying to tell us that he smells something, and that it might lead us to where Ash is.” Raihan followed Goh to a mundane tile in the ground that smelled putrid. “Eww, dear gods!”

“Mew…” Goh closed his eyes again, using Psychic to move the floor tile.

“So that pregnancy nose still comes in handy.” Raihan chuckled weekly as he ran down the ladder leading to the disgusting sewer leading to the secret labs and prisons.

“Syl…” Sylveon, being a Fairy-type Pokemon, couldn’t bear the smell.

“It’s okay, Sylveon. I’ll protect you.” Chloe returned Sylveon back to her Poke Ball. She looked up in curiosity when Raihan abruptly stopped. “Raihan, what’s wrong?”

“Great, we have to deal with this smell even longer.” Raihan stared at the keypad padlock on the side of the thick sliding doors.

“Mew mew!” Goh flew in front of the keypad, but Raihan held him back from touching it. “Mew?”

“Stand back, bro! Let the great Raihan handle this!” Raihan started haphazardly tapping away at the keypad.

“You aren’t serious.” Chloe put her hands on her hips. “You’re seriously going to leave this up to chance?”

“Bingo.” Raihan winked, and to everyone’s surprise, he cracked the code after about thirteen attempts. “Ya see?”

“I… I can’t believe it.” Chloe blinked. “Well, there’s no reason to stick around, right? Let’s get moving!”

“Aww, I’m PO’d.” Rose revealed himself almost immediately after the doors to the secret lair opened.

“What, you’re pissed off?” Raihan scoffed. “I’d be, too, if I had to camp out in a dump like this after being ostracized by all of Galar.”

“I originally meant ‘personally offended,’ but after seeing you here, I’m pissed off too.” Out of frustration, Rose halfshifted. This time, he was able to shift his legs and grow wings and a tail. “Naturally, the New Species Pokemon is my target. I don’t give an iota about the rest of you.”

“Where’s your partner, Giovanni?” Raihan remained vigilant while he held the Poke Balls of both Duraludon and Flygon in his hand, hiding it behind his back.

“Sadly, you don’t get to witness his might today. He and my employees are busy creating the ultimate Dark Ball.”

“Then after I’m through with you, I’ll pay him a visit and take my husband back.” Raihan sent out Duraludon and Flygon.

“I’m afraid that even if you did, you’d be wasting your time.” Rose walked closer to Raihan, not bothering to send out his Pokemon. “You see, your beloved Leon is a Shadow Pokemon – one so strong, that he will never, ever get purified!”

“You… You can’t be serious!” Raihan’s voice quivered.

“But I am!” Rose snapped his fingers, signaling one of his grunts to display a recording of the fight between Shadow Lugia and Eternatus a fortnight prior.

“You’re wrong!” Chloe insisted. “If anyone can help our friend Leon, it’s Ash!”

“My girl, not even that pesky Champion can save him now. His heart is too full of darkness. The only thing that might free him is his own death.”

It was the word “death” that really set Raihan off. “Fuck you, Rose! Fuck you to hell! Duraludon, use Steel Beam! Flygon, charge on in with Outrage!”

Inspired by Raihan, Chloe sent out her Togekiss and Boltund to battle. “Togekiss, use Psychic! Boltund, use Dig!”

“Bol bol!” Before Boltund could start digging, Rose swatted him out of the way, causing him to yelp in pain. “Bol!”

“Boltund! Oh no!” Chloe ran over to the Dog Pokemon. “Are you okay?”

“Bol! Boltund!” Boltund barked, standing in front of Chloe, even when he was covered in scratches.

“Oh, Boltund…” Chloe wanted to cry. “Even after all these years, you’re still so protective of me.”

“You mangy mutt!” Rose thundered, readying a Venoshock aimed at Boltund. “You’re not the one I’m after!”

“Mew!” Goh shot a Shadow Ball, stopping that Venoshock dead in its tracks.

“Why, thank you!” Rose hardened his gaze on Goh. “You could have come out a few seconds sooner to spare your friends, but again, I don’t care.”

“Mew!” Goh decided to use Ancient Power, hitting Rose full force.

“Gggh!” Rose was down, but not out for the count. “So you do have some fight in you!”

“We can’t lose, because we have the ancestor of all Pokemon on our side!” Raihan sounded like he believed in Goh, that is until he saw him flickering like a car light. “Goh! What’s wrong?”

“Mew…” Goh could feel his control over his fully shifted form slipping.

“You know what, Goh? Change of plans. I’ll take care of this slimeball Rose; you and Chloe will go to the prisons to free Ash.”

Before Goh could protest about that, Chloe already wrapped her arms around him, saying, “Good luck, broski.” She ran as far as she could away from the battle without looking back.

“Mew! Mew mew!” Goh clearly wanted to help in some way.

“You see, Goh? I knew that this was a bad idea from the start. We’re way too far from a Pokemon Center, so if you can’t hold onto your Pokemon form anymore, you’re S.O.L.”

“Mew!” Goh pointed to a dark, dank, and unguarded room – the only one in the entire building with relatively little security.

“Those must be the prisons!” Chloe perused the area carefully. “I guess that since the bad guys are all fending off our friends that there’s nobody left to guard the prisons. Lucky break, eh, Goh?”

“Mew! Goh darted off.

“Goh, wait! Don’t push yourself too hard!” Chloe chased after him and stopped when he reached a room with two large cells – one of which had a large and empty water tank in it. “I guess he’s not in this room, huh?”

“No, he isn’t,” Jessie groaned from the cell without the tank in it.

“What are you two doing here?” Chloe had just then recalled that Jessie and James had gotten abducted two weeks ago. “Oh, wait, now I remember.”

“There’s a good reason why Ash isn’t here,” James spoke up. “Last week, Ash was placed in the cell next to ours. Not long after that, hoping to force Ash to transform, Rose forced Ash to fight his Copperajah. But before any of that could happen, my Malamar and Carnivine fended them off… Now, I don’t know where Ash could be. I’m sorry for making you guys waste your time by coming out all this way.”

“No, don’t worry about it! You’ve actually been a great help to Dad, really!”

“Really?” Jessie and James were ecstatic, as this was one of the few times when they were properly praised.

“We’d like to help you two, except-” Chloe looked in her arms to see that Goh wasn’t there. “Goh! Where did you-”

“Mew!” Goh returned to the scene with twelve Poke Balls surrounding him, as well as a set of prison keys.

“You…” James began as Chloe unlocked his cell. “You would help us? But I screwed everything up!”

“Quite the contrary! If it wasn’t for you, then Ash would have been turned into a Shadow Pokemon for sure – or, at least, experimented upon by that wicked Giovanni.”

“Mew mew!” Goh used Softboiled, giving Jessie and James each a soft-boiled egg to eat.

“Many thanks, Goh!” Jessie and James exclaimed in unison.

“Unfortunately, guys, we don’t have time to exchange pleasantries. We need to run as fast as we can to the outskirts of Wyndon.”

“Eh?” Even after running after Chloe, Jessie and James still didn’t know what was going on.

Raihan was the first to notice Chloe, Jessie, and James coming out of the prisons. “Whoa, that was fast. Where’s Ash?”

“No time to explain!” Chloe insisted, running straight out of the underground with everyone else following her. “Let’s wait until we’ve gotten back to the cars!”

“All right! I trust you!”

“Damn you, get back here!” Rose aimed a Flamethrower at the fleeing group.

“Rooooo!” Flygon sent a Dragon Pulse in that direction, hitting Rose so hard that he shifted completely back into a human.

“That… Raihan…” Rose struggled to get up from his prone position; by this point, most of his employees had been taken out by the intruders.

Oleana, however, had one Pokemon left, and with her few remaining employees, she decided to give chase. “After those meddling kids!”

“Lily, get in the car!” Raihan begged.

“Uh, right!” Lily buckled her seatbelt as fast as she could while Raihan’s car took off sprinting.

Though everyone else was running around like headless chickens, Paul kept his cool. After ordering everyone back in the car and taking off swiftly, he finally spoke up while everyone was a safe distance away from Wyndon. “Say, where is Ash and-” Paul had just then noticed James and Jessie from his rearview mirror.

“Uh…” James waved nervously. “Hey.”

“Great, now I’ve got even more baggage.”

“Excuse you?” Jessie wanted to slap Paul upside the head, but even she knew that that was not the time.

“Paul, allow me,” Chloe cut in. “They’ve actually freed Ash a week ago.”

“That’s actually a good thing.” Gary looked to his tablet again. “By my calculations, if he kept a constant but brisk pace from Rose Tower to Vermilion City, he should be there by tonight.”

“Mew! Mew mew mew!” Goh twirled about excitedly.

“I’ve paid for your return tickets while we were still back at the airport,” Paul intervened. “But just so you know, this is the last time that I’m going to help you pathetic losers.”

“Aw, come on!” Chloe chuckled. “That’s what you said last time! See, you can be a cool guy if you put your mind to it!”

“Don’t push your luck, Cerise.” Paul kept his eyes fixated on the road.

Ash… My love, I’m coming. I’ll see you in less than a day, and when I do, I’ll get to hold you in my arms again.

So were Goh’s thoughts as he drifted off to the sound of Hoothoot noises, a smile plastered across his face.

#pokemon #satogou #firstfriendshipping #mpreg #fanfic #fanfiction

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kyotakumrau · 4 years ago

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2020.09.19 ROCK AND READ 091 - interview with utA - translation PART 1/2

'I'll be damned, what was that?!'

Interview: Yukinobu Hasegawa

Photos: Yosuke Komatsu (ODD JOB LTD.)

Translation: kyotaku You can buy the magazine on amazon, tower records etc ��( ̳• ·̫ • ̳ฅ)♡

After Kyo, Takumi and YUCHI from sukekiyo, it’s time for the interview with utA.

He’s experienced white collar work in his hometown Niigata, but couldn’t give up his dream of being in a band, so he moved to Tokyo, his band 9GOATS BLACK OUT attracted attention because of their fantastical music yet then disbanded, but because Kyo had listened to their music utA has started a new episode of his music life.

We ask him about the very start of his interest in music and his life until now.

And then... With many interesting stories like the one about the eerie episode when he came to Tokyo, we can show you utA’s odd music history.

utA / sukekiyo: profile & information

birthday March 26th. joined Kyo’s project sukekiyo as a guitarist in 2013. other members are Kyo (vocal), Takumi (guitar, piano), YUCHI (bass) and Mika (drums). their last release is the video compilation ‘LIQUEFACIO’ with the live footage from their show in Nakano Sunplaza in June 2019.

-- First, I’d like to ask you about the time you got into rock and playing the guitar. Were there any significant bands or guitarists for you when you were young?

utA: I think it was around elementary grade 5 or 6, it was X (-Japan). I was born in Joetsu city in Niigata, there was a CD shop stocked with v-kei and rock stuff there. It was a rural town, but at that time, there was a shop that was selling nothing but rock stuff.

-- It seems to be a quite early to start frequenting CD shops as a elementary school student.

utA: Yeah, I think it was early. I had a friend who was playing the piano, I heard him playing songs like “Silent jealousy” from X, I think that was how I got to know X and their heartrending phrases I love. After that I wanted to hear more from them so I listened to their first indies album “Vanishing Vision”. And then their first major release “BLUE BLOOD”.

-- You weren’t playing the guitar yet when you got to know X as an elementary school student?

utA: It was accidental, but my brother was playing the guitar. I think he liked ZIGGY, JACKSONS’N’JOKER, COLOR, BUCK-TICK etc when I was five. So I have seen my brother playing the guitar at home, but he didn’t influence me at all (laughing). I remember he liked to sing by himself while playing, I have this impression that he was a good singer, but didn’t play the guitar that well (laughing). But we were far apart in age, we weren't that attached, I felt if I just grabbed the guitar I could play. So I borrowed it and fumbled trying to play the songs as I listened to them.

-- But playing the guitar was then just something fun to do?

utA: It was definitely something fun, but I remember entering a music studio around junior high. I briefly started a band with friends. I guess there was no proper shape to it, but I wanted to play some songs, gathered friends and we played “Silent Jealousy”. I played the guitar, I tried really hard with the main phrases and so on. But I really couldn’t play well (laughing). My brother taught me things like A chord or E chord, in basic power chords, things like guitar solos came out very shaky. I recorded that. With a very simple cassette recorder with two buttons, play and record. I have no idea what happened with those cassette tapes, but I’d really kill to listen to them now (laughing).

-- To start a band and use a music studio in the junior high, that's quite remarkable. You were driven this much?

utA: Yeah, by X. I was also attracted by their looks and make up. It's not like all my friends were into the exactly same stuff but there were people who liked music. And there was one music instrument shop, I also went there often. The recording on the cassette tape happened at the end of junior high or start of high school. After X came LUNA SEA. It's a bit hard to explain, but in a way LUNA SEA matched my preferences better. Isn't LUNA SEA a metal band? With INORAN's clean guitar and SUGIZO's distorted guitar, this kind of separation was also novel. I got a shock running through me like 'I'll be damned, what was that?' There is such an awesome clean guitar like that? I though cleanly played super impressive phrases were amazing.

-- Your guitarist opinion was born at that time.

utA: That's right. It was a great impact, from creating sound, through phrases all the way to arrangement. I needed to know how do they get such beautiful sound. Until then I kept thinking that guitar sound should be distorted. I also learnt from music magazines etc that with a delay and chorus you will get a nice effect. And I remember listening to late night radio show "Break Out" or it was in some magazine that SUGIZO advised 'you can get our sound if you use an effector like this'. That's why the first effector I bought was the delay and chorus. My brother had the ones to create distortion, so I only had to add the delay and chorus. I also used my brother's Fender Made in Japan Strato(caster), so it was perfect for clean sounds.

-- So when you became a high school student did you get even more friends interested in music?

utA: I did. I would start talking about music right after coming back home. My home was our hanging out place, people were often surprised by the amount of CDs in my house (laughing). Listening to songs, we watched live DVDs and we all talked about the cool phrases we heard. And then I decided to buy a guitar model used by the artist I liked. So then it was exciting to talk about saving up for one (laughing).

-- You were already using a Stratocaster, but had another guitar you wanted?

utA: Now I know well that Fender’s Strato is a really good guitar, but at that time the look of the guitar was very important, it felt like strato was too simple. And that’s why I bought a guitar used by the artist I haven’t mentioned yet, so it might feel like coming out of nowhere, but it was the model used by Shin from Kuroyume. It was a Les Paul Model that came from GrassRoots, with two single coils. One of my friends was a big fan of Kuroyume so I often listened to their music and really got into Shin’s playing style. Les Paul models have nice shape and they can produce both clean and distorted/dirty sounds, so I decided to get Shin’s model. I was torn if I should get INORAN’s model instead, but it gave an impression of clean sound and because I also wanted to produce distorted sound I went with Shin’s. As a stupid kid your whole evaluation criteria is based on the sound created by the musician, right? Ah, but I just remembered that time I chose single coil. Even though for rock you’re much better off with guitars equipped with Humbucker.

-- You’re using the Fender’s Strato with sukekiyo.

utA: I am. I’m also using a Dragonfly, I’m swapping between them with a tap switch. If I had to say which is better, I like the sound of the single coil. I definitely got influenced by the clean sound created by INORAN. Even now I care a lot when creating clean sounds.

-- When JHS students get into bands and guitars, isn’t it easy for them to get easily misguided? They start to neglect their studies, join some band as a bassist, choose their high school based on the chances of starting a band there and so on.

utA: By some band you mean sukekiyo (laughing)? I don’t have an interesting story here, I really did my best studying as much as I could. My parents were so amazingly kind/supportive so I wanted to make them happy. I still feel like this. I didn’t want to give them any shock (laughing). At that time I remember I often felt they would be happy if I got good test scores. And I simply hate losing. I’m not someone for whom studying comes naturally, so I remember studying extra hard before the tests. In the past we also got ranked (depending on the test scores) so it was another motivation not to lose. But well, I ended up losing (laughing).

-- So you properly continued to high school?

(kyotaku: in Japan compulsory education ends with junior high school at the age of 16; high school is mostly for the sake of going to university.)

utA: If possible I wanted to go to the a good high school, but my teacher told me ‘it might be a close call so it’s better to go there’ (laughing). I went to the school they recommended. It wasn’t a normal high school, it was a technical school.

-- You get specific qualifications. So the course of your future was decided then?

utA: I loved music and guitar, but I didn’t see it as my dream future then. That’s why I was planning on going to university. If not I would be starting work, so I wanted to go to university. At the technical school you learn things like civil engineering or construction. So I applied for the referral to the university that had classes like that, but I was rejected. And I came to hate studying for entrance exams so I gave up on university (laughing).

-- Didn’t Takumi go to the university to study designing?

utA: He did. In this we are a bit similar. Our personalities are totally different, but we definitely share some things like our roots and some points. Takumi managed to go to university though, as I failed to get referred I had to look for another way (laughing).

-- And finally we are talking about starting a band?

utA: No, I started to work full time. At a surveying office in Niigata. I worked there for about 2 years. I hated studying for the entrance exams, but I got the national qualification for surveying. I remember I was thinking that if I have to do it then I have to get it and I was studying like crazy (laughing).

-- When you start working full time I think you shift to a totally different mode from being a student.

utA: Yeah, it was like that. But even as I was doing my best at work, after coming back home from work I was just listening to music all the time. And I spent all the money I earned going to music stores and buying up all the CDs. I had meant to enter a different mode but in the end it wasn’t possible. Most of the bands and musicians who were releasing music at the time were the same age as me, or just a bit older.

-- Did you start to feel a bit envious, feeling more that you could do that as well?

utA: Yeah. I started to write my original songs a bit from the end of HS. I was thinking that if I could make music that was my own style I could make it in music. That feeling has not changed until now.

-- If you were to describe your first original song, what was it like?

utA: Simply saying, it was very influenced by LUNA SEA (laughing). It wasn't a metal song, but it had clean and distorted sounds layered. I created 2~3 songs before I turned 20.

-- Did you do anything wanting to release those songs?

utA: So. I'd made a firm decision to quit my job at surveying office. When quitting I said honestly 'I want to pursue music, so please let me go' (laughing). And then my boss and coworkers cheerfully told me 'then do it!' I even had a farewell party with 'let us know when you release something' (laughing).

-- But for parents, there's no way they reacted like that. Like, 'my son who tried so hard, started working and even got a licence, now wants to quit to do music', there's no way a parent would be happy about that (laughing).

utA: You're right. My parents had a lot to say. It was probably the biggest nagging of my life, seriously. It was worse than puberty (laughing).

-- But you didn't change your mind?

utA: No, the need to pursue music was stronger than that. I quit my company when I was around 20, started to look for band members when I was around 21, when I actually managed to start a band I was around 22~23.

-- Did you try contacting your band mates from elementary and jhs times to network?

utA: I stayed in touch with my classmates, but they totally quit music. There was no way for a deep talk there. That's why I had to do it by myself, in a way starting from zero. First I started to look for band members through the music instrument shops. I've made posters about looking, wrote my contact information, the type of posters where you tear off the bottom bit. The shop staff let me post them in their shops.

-- A simple method. If I remember right, people used to post some self-introduction and a description what kind of band they'd like to do.

utA: I will again add another band name, but I listed X, LUNA SEA and La'cryma Christi. I was also hit hard by La'cryma Christi's worldview. Even as I heard about them quite late, I think after I graduated high school. X, LUNA SEA and La'cryma Christi had the biggest impact on me. My 3 pillars. I absolutely adore La'cryma Christi's "Henseifu". The moment you hear the song doesn't it feel like various scenes just come up?

-- Those scenes are stateless.

utA: Exactly, they are stateless, and full of sadness. When I first heard the 7/8 time signature, I was surprised like 'I'll be damned, what was that?' I was totally owned by that worldview. At that time, La'cryma Christi was my number one. For a while now I've been friends with HIRO, was able to play together with them once and even had a photo shoot together.

-- But currently TAKA is working in a jewellery industry, no? By the way, when you posted your 'looking for band members' ad, how many replies did you get?

utA: There were few, but one came from someone with whom we formed a band at the time. In 2013 my own band had disbanded, but I was most surprised when contacted by the guy who then spent all this time with this band. He asked 'please let me join', but I also asked him formally to join. I'm talking about the bassist, hati.

-- This band we're talking about is the visual kei of Niigata that has changed several times?

utA: Yeah. First it was Laypua, after that Layarch, then Rayarch. It was changing keeping the 'Lay/Ray' connection. The live performance activities were focused on Niigata city.

-- From looking for the band members to the formation of the band it took about one year, during that time were you writing original music ?

utA: I don't think we had more than 10 songs, but we had enough for one album. The band that done those songs took about one year to finally start activities. At the time, there was a music club (live house) near Niigata station called Z-1. I think now it's called CLUB RIVERST., my first live performing experience was at that club.

-- So it was the first show as a band that is the first step in following your dream. What was the response like?

utA: I think it was really terrible (laughing). At the time it was when we just decided our form/style, so we just went with 'let's hope this is cool enough' (laughing). I was looking for guitar phrases that would be very me, but I couldn't play them at all. We were trying really hard only with things to show, we also had heavy make up. For the so called artist photos, our vocalist was very skilled with creating great photos, so there was a lot of 'let's do make up more like this' etc, so at the meetings of band members the topic of the vusuals came overwhelmingly more often than music (laughing).

-- Your songs were similar style to La'cryma Christi?

utA: Nope, I loved La'cryma Christi, but our music was more like 'The Visual Kei' style. For our worldview, it felt like there's still more to come. It was quite heavy rock, could be said it was Tsutatsuta-kei (laughing). I was playing in this band in Niigata until I went to Tokyo, for about 4, 5 years.

(*Tsutatsuta-kei was a v-kei subgenre that developed in the early 2000s, as you can imagine from utA's comment it's heavy and fast; and like Nu Metal that influenced the subgenre there's a lot of shouting, and unconventional structures and variety of different styles)

-- If you continued for that long it means you had to have some fans?

utA: In Niigata we did, yeah. I felt 'I can do it' as it wasn't a band with no fans, so from the band's later time I started thinking about going to Tokyo. In Niigata what we could do was limited. So I told the band 'let's go to Tokyo, but most of members wanted to stay in Niigata. Each of them had their own life there.

-- Did other band members have proper jobs?

utA: Nah, everyone was working part-time. All of us prioritized the band. That's why I suggested we should go to Tokyo, but only me and hati, the bassist, were interested. And we left our home Niigata with guitar and bass for Tokyo having only about 40~50k yen between the two of us.

(*400~500 US dollars, 300~400 euro)

PART 2 HERE

#sukekiyo #utA #interview #rock and read #rock and read 091 #translation #9GOATS BLACK OUT

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bananaofswifts · 5 years ago

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Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’: Album Review

It’s hard to remember any contemporary pop superstar that has indulged in a more serious, or successful, act of sonic palette cleansing than Swift has with her eighth album, a highly subdued but rich affair written and recorded in quarantine conditions.

While most of us spent the last four months putting on some variation of “the quarantine 15,” Taylor Swift has been secretly working on the “Folklore” 16. Sprung Thursday night with less than a day’s notice, her eighth album is a fully rounded collection of songs that sounds like it was years in the interactive making, not the product of a quarter-year’s worth of file-sharing from splendid isolation. Mind you, the words “pandemic hero” should probably be reserved for actual frontline workers and not topline artistes. But there’s a bit of Rosie the Riveter spirit in how Swift has become the first major pop artist to deliver a first-rank album that went from germination to being completely locked down in the midst of a national lockdown.

The themes and tone of “Folklore,” though, are a little less “We can do it!” and a little more “Can we do it?” Because this new collection is Swift’s most overtly contemplative — as opposed to covertly reflective — album since the fan favorite “Red.” Actually, that’s an understatement. “Red” seems like a Chainsmokers album compared to the wholly banger-free “Folklore,” which lives up to the first half of its title by divesting itself of any lingering traces of Max Martin-ized dance-pop and presenting Swift, afresh, as your favorite new indie-electro-folk/chamber-pop balladeer. For fans that relished these undertones of Swift’s in the past, it will come as a side of her they know and love all too well. For anyone who still has last year’s “You Need to Calm Down” primarily in mind, it will come as a jolting act of manual downshifting into actually calming down. At least this one won’t require an album-length Ryan Adams remake to convince anyone that there’s songwriting there. The best comparison might be to take “Clean,” the unrepresentative denouement of “1989,” and… imagine a whole album of that. Really, it’s hard to remember any pop star in our lifetimes that has indulged in a more serious act of sonic palette cleansing.

The tone of this release won’t come as a midnight shock to anyone who took spoilers from the announcement earlier in the day that a majority of the tracks were co-written with and produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner, or that the man replacing Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie as this album’s lone duet partner is Bon Iver. No matter how much credit you may have given Swift in the past for thinking and working outside of her box, a startled laugh may have been in order for just how unexpected these names felt on the bingo card of musical dignitaries you expected to find the woman who just put out “Me!” working with next. But her creative intuition hasn’t led her into an oil-and-water collaboration yet. Dessner turns out to be an ideal partner, with as much virtuosic, multi-instrumental know-how (particularly useful in a pandemic) as the most favored writer-producer on last year’s “Lover” album, Jack Antonoff.

He, too, is present and accounted for on “Folklore,” to a slightly lesser extent, and together Antonoff and Dessner make for a surprisingly well-matched support-staff tag team. Swift’s collabs with the National’s MVP clearly set the tone for the project, with a lot of fingerpicking, real strings, mellow drum programming and Mellotrons. You can sense Antonoff, in the songs he did with Swift, working to meet the mood and style of what Dessner had done or would be doing with her, and bringing out his own lesser-known acoustic and lightly orchestrated side. As good of a mesh as the album is, though, it’s usually not too hard to figure out who worked on which song — Dessner’s contributions often feel like nearly neo-classical piano or guitar riffs that Swift toplined over, while Antonoff works a little more toward buttressing slightly more familiar sounding pop melodies of Swift’s, dressed up or down to meet the more somber-sounding occasion.

For some fans, it might take a couple of spins around the block with this very different model to become re-accustomed to how there’s still the same power under the hood here. And that’s really all Swift, whose genius for conversational melodies and knack for giving every chorus a telling new twist every time around remain unmistakable trademarks. Thematically, it’s a bit more of a hodgepodge than more clearly autobiographical albums like “Lover” and “Reputation” before it have been. Swift has always described her albums as being like diaries of a certain period of time, and a few songs here obviously fit that bill, as continuations of the newfound contentment she explored in the last album and a half. But there’s also a higher degree of fictionalization than perhaps she’s gone for in the past, including what she’s described as a trilogy of songs revolving around a high school love triangle. The fact that she refers to herself, by name, as “James” in the song “Betty” is a good indicator that not everything here is ripped from today’s headlines or diary entries.

But, hell, some of it sure is. Anyone looking for lyrical Easter eggs to confirm that Swift still draws from her own life will be particularly pleased by the song “Invisible String,” a sort of “bless the broken roads that led me to you” type song that finds fulfillment in a current partner who once wore a teal shirt while working as a young man in a yogurt shop, even as Swift was dreaming of the perfect romance hanging out in Nashville’s Centennial Park. (A quick Google search reveals that, yes, Joe Alwyn was once an essential worker in London’s fro-yo industry.) There’s also a sly bit of self-referencing as Swift follows this golden thread that fatefully linked them: “Bad was the blood of the song in the cab on your first trip to L.A.,” she sings. The “dive bar” that was first established as the scene of a meet-cute two albums ago makes a reappearance in this song, too.

As for actual bad blood? It barely features into “Folklore,” in any substantial, true-life-details way, counter to her reputation for writing lyrics that are better than revenge. But when it does, woe unto he who has crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s on a contract that Swift feels was a double-cross. At least, we can strongly suspect what or who the actual subject is of “Mad Woman,” this album’s one real moment of vituperation. “What did you think I’d say to that?” Swift sings in the opening lines. “Does a scorpion sting when fighting back? / They strike to kill / And you know I will.” Soon, she’s adding gas to the fire: “Now I breathe flames each time I talk / My cannons all firing at your yacht / They say ‘move on’ / But you know I won’t / … women like hunting witches, too.” A coup de gras is delivered: “It’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together.” It’s a message song, and the message is: Swift still really wants her masters back, in 2020. And is really still going to want them back in 2021, 2022 and 2023, too. Whether or not the neighbors of the exec or execs she is imagining really mouth the words “f— you” when these nemeses pull up in their respective driveways may be a matter of projection, but if Swift has a good time imagining it, many of her fans will too.

(A second such reference may be found in the bonus track, “The Lakes,” which will only be found on deluxe CD and vinyl editions not set to arrive for several weeks. There, she sings, “What should be over burrowed under my skin / In heart-stopping waves of hurt / I’ve come too far to watch some namedropping sleaze / Tell me what are my words worth.” The rest of “The Lakes” is a fantasy of a halcyon semi-retirement in the mountains — in which “I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet / Because I haven’t moved in years” — “and not without my muse.” She even imagines red roses growing out of a tundra, “with no one around to tweet it”; fantasies of a social media-free utopia are really pandemic-rampant.)

The other most overtly “confessional” song here is also the most third-person one, up to a telling point. In “The Last Great American Dynasty,” Swift explores the rich history of her seaside manse in Rhode Island, once famous for being home to the heir to the Standard Oil fortune and, after he died, his eccentric widow. Swift has a grand old time identifying with the women who decades before her made fellow coast-dwellers go “there goes the neighborhood”: “There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / She had a marvelous time ruining everything,” she sings of the long-gone widow, Rebekah. “Fifty years is a long time / Holiday House sat quietly on that beach / Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / Then it was bought by me… the loudest woman this town has ever seen.” (A fine madness among proud women is another recurring theme.)

But, these examples aside, the album is ultimately less obviously self-referential than most of Swift’s. The single “Cardigan,” which has a bit of a Lana Del Rey feel (even though it’s produced by Dessner, not Del Rey’s partner Antonoff) is part of Swift’s fictional high school trilogy, along with “August” and “Betty.” That sweater shows up again in the latter song, in which Swift takes on the role of a 17-year boy publicly apologizing for doing a girl wrong — and which kicks into a triumphant key change at the end that’s right out of “Love Story,” in case anyone imagines Swift has completely moved on from the spirit of early triumphs.

“Exile,” the duet with Bon Iver, recalls another early Swift song, “The Last Time,” which had her trading verses with Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol. Then, as now, she gives the guy the first word, and verse, if not the last; it has her agreeing with her partner on some aspects of their dissolution (“I couldn’t turn things around”/”You never turned things around”) and not completely on others (“Cause you never gave a warning sign,” he sings; “I gave so many signs,” she protests).

Picking two standouts — one from the contented pile, one from the tormented — leads to two choices: “Illicit Affairs” is the best cheating song since, well, “Reputation’s” hard-to-top “Getaway Car.” There’s less catharsis in this one, but just as much pungent wisdom, as Swift describes the more mundane details of maintaining an affair (“Tell your friends you’re out for a run / You’ll be flushed when you return”) with the soul-destroying ones of how “what started in beautiful rooms ends with meetings in parking lots,” as “a drug that only worked the first few hundred times” wears off in clandestine bitterness.

But does Swift have a corker of a love song to tip the scales of the album back toward sweetness. It’s not “Invisible String,” though that’s a contender. The champion romance song here is “Peace,” the title of which is slightly deceptive, as Swift promises her beau, or life partner, that that quality of tranquility is the only thing she can’t promise him. If you like your love ballads realistic, it’s a bit of candor that renders all the compensatory vows of fidelity and courage all the more credible and deeply lovely. “All these people think love’s for show / But I would die for you in secret.”

That promise of privacy to her intended is a reminder that Swift is actually quite good at keeping things close to the vest, when she’s not spilling all — qualities that she seems to value and uphold in about ironically equal measure. Perhaps it’s in deference to the sanctity of whatever she’s holding dear right now that there are more outside narratives than before in this album — including a song referring to her grandfather storming the beaches in World War II — even as she goes outside for fresh collaborators and sounds, too. But what keeps you locked in, as always, is the notion of Swift as truth-teller, barred or unbarred, in a world of pop spin. She’s celebrating the masked era by taking hers off again.

Taylor Swift “Folklore” Republic Records

#taylor swift #folklore #review

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ikenbar · 4 years ago

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A Date with Kiro: The Costume Shop

Howdy folks!

So, I’ve had the idea for dates supporting my oc, Ikamara for some time now but I wanted to go a little farther in her story before trying anything. But now we are at Chapter five so HERE WE GO!!

I also want to use the dates to show off who would be the main fella for the next chapters!! and SURPRISE!! Kiro will be the main for the next chapter!! :D So excited for this chapter you guys have no idea. And I’ll be able to show it off next week!! Stay tuned~ ;P

-Ike and Bar Productions

Setting: Right after the happenings of Chapter four. Ike has a weekend off so she spends it investigating some leads on the Montu case.

To understand some details about the Montu case, feel free to read Chapter one, part one of my fanfiction here! If you’re just here for the sake of a Kiro date, enjoy your stay! You don’t have to read the fanfiction to understand what is happening but it would make more sense! :D

Warnings: There are none. Unless you have a problem with tight clothing and/or cute gay moments.

Date with Kiro: Costume Shop

"Sorry, mam. Like I said before, we don’t sell that here.”

I pouted, dropping the mask in my hand slightly. I had made a goal to visit all of the costume shops in Loveland city, searching for the mask Montu had sent me, hoping to find one that had sold it. But the city only had three costume shops, and I had been through all them before ten on a Saturday.

Sensing my disappointment, the shop owner continued, “If it would make you feel better, you can have a look around. I don’t know. Maybe they took something apart from my store to make it.” I thought a moment, then nodded, shoving the mask into my messenger bag. I turned and looked around the shop. It was small but jam packed full of strange outfits and costumes. Some of which seemed to be vintage. This intrigued me.

I had barely taken one step into the store before a buzzing came from my pocket. I pulled it out and froze.

It was Kiro.

I still hadn’t quite accepted the fact that the Kiro was now one of my frequent connections. But there he was, calling me on a Saturday like we were actual friends… at least I hoped we were. Maybe I was just a question he was trying to answer. After all, how we met left a lot to the imagination.

Without wanting to waste anymore time, I quickly answered the call.

“Speaking.” I said, as casual as I could.

“Hey Super Stranger! How are you?”

Instantly my sour mood disappeared as Kiro’s happy voice filled my ears. Kiro had given me that nickname when I had saved him from a car accident. I had my motorcycle helmet on so he couldn’t see my face very well. He had called me his hero and had given me a nickname to commemorate it. And, though the nickname was corny, it never ceased to bring butterflies to my stomach. “I’m alright.” I mused, walking further into the store as I spoke, “How are you?”

“I’m great!” Kiro sang, “Guess what?”

“... What?” I asked, my smile faltering slightly.

“I found this amazing little stand that serves the best drinks! You’ve gotta come try it!”

“What- Now?” I scoffed.

“Yeah!” Kiro sang, “I don’t know when they are closing so it has to be now!”

“I’m a little busy with work.” I said, pulling at various costumes from their racks, “I don’t think I’d be able to leave it so easily.”

“You work on the weekends?” Kiro laughed slightly.

“Well superheroing isn’t really a part time gig!”

“But even superheroes need breaks!”

“Yeah, well, crime never rests.”

“But they make an amazing hot chocolate! They add espresso for extra flavor!”

The mention of coffee instantly changed my attitude.

“What do you say? Just one drink!” Kiro’s pleas increasingly became higher pitched, as if he was a child promising to do chores for a piece of candy.

Before I could say another word, a scream came from Kiro’s end of the phone. “Oh no.” Kiro whispered with dread on his tongue, “I’ve been spotted! I’ll text you the address and you can just meet me here!”

“Are you sure that’s a good-”

“No time to talk!” Kiro hurriedly said, “Gotta go! Later Stranger!” And with that, he hung up the phone. I looked down at the phone, shaking my head uselessly at it. Despite the disapproval I felt, a smile still crept it’s way up my lips. There was no way of saying no to that man.

With new found motivation, I searched the variety of costumes for anything pertaining to Montu. Without realizing it, I had begun looking through the superhero suits. As I scanned the clothes, I pulled out a particularly familiar looking costume. My foster brother, Sam, and I used to watch old cartoons from CDs that our foster father kept in his attic. There were a thousand collections to pick from but one cartoon in particular truly piqued our interest.

Boot Fever.

It was about a group of superheroes that fought villains who tried taking over their already crumbling city. It was a very old show with a very old premise but, man did Sam and I eat it up. From the characters to the animation to even the terrible voice acting, we watched that show late into the night. I may not have had great memories of my childhood, but those memories are ones I would take to my grave.

I thought the show had long been forgotten but there I was, holding the main protagonist’s outfit. Her name was Red Sparrow. Her super power was to be able to transform her body into anything she thought of. Sam compared her to me all the time. Though the only point he could connect us to was the fact she was strong. Because, other than that, we were complete opposites. She was very dramatic and in tune with her emotions. Not to mention her suit was extremely form fitting. And, at the time, the tightest thing in my closet was my yoga pants. Even then they would be paired with an oversized sweatshirt and a flannel around my waist.

Past all of that, I loved the fact that she wore a full face mask. It resembled the face of the bird she was named after and, though the design was simple, made her character a big hit in her time. Women's appearances in shows in that time were based solely on how revealing they were. Red sparrow seemed to take that and turn it on it’s head. Her jumpsuit completely covered her whole body, hiding her identity completely.

I plucked off the mask from the top hanger and turned it over in my hands. No one would know it was her unless they took it off. She was a mystery. I longed to be that mystery ever since I was a kid-

A loud bang came from the front door. I ducked behind the clothes rack, immediately bracing for a fight. Instead, I was met with the sound of someone panting heavily. “Welcome in, sir.” The owner of the shop said sarcastically, “Is there something I can help you find?” Curiosity overlapping my shock, I peered around the rack.

There, weakly leaning on the door, was Kiro. He had his eyes closed as he gasped for air. He was in his usual disguise of sunglasses and a black hoodie, but the hoodie’s armpits looked to be drenched in sweat as his sunglasses slid down his equally wet face.

I quickly sunk back behind the rack, frozen in fear. Kiro can’t be here! I screamed in my head, If he tried talking to me he’d know I was Super Stranger! Then I would only disappoint him by being some lowly tv show producer with no regard for feelings! Not to mention, holding a scantily clad costume of an old tv show. I have to act fast.

Looking down at the mask in my hand, a stupid plan came to mind. Not having the time to second guess it, I quickly threw the mask on and pulled the rest of the costume off of it’s hanger. I hurried to the dressing room and pulled the curtain shut, praying that Kiro didn’t notice me go in there. I quickly started stripping down, folding my clothes and shoving them into my messenger bag as I moved.

As I changed, I heard some screaming coming from outside of the small shop.

“I saw him go this way!”

“Quick! Don’t let him go too far!”

Some rustling came from inside the store as Kiro’s familiar voice traveled the air, “Sir, I need a place to hide! Please! Help me!”

I had never heard Kiro so desperate. Half of me wanted to jump out of the dressing room right then to help him. The other half would rather finish getting dressed first.

The latter won.

I pulled on the skin tight suit, regretting it instantly as it squeaked over my skin and tugged at my unshaven leg hairs.

“I don’t know, sir.” the shopkeeper droned, “That sounds rather suspicious to me.”

“I’ll give you my autograph.”

“There is a dressing room over there you can hide in.” The shopkeeper spoke quickly and excitedly. I cursed in a whisper as I picked up my pace. After a moment of pause, quick steps approached my hiding spot. With one last zip of my costume, thankfully from the front, the curtain to the room shot open. Kiro hadn’t looked at me yet, still focused on the door where the screaming had only further increased. But, once he had, his face went completely red.

“I-I’m so sorry!” Kiro stammered, eyes darting straight to the ceiling, “I didn’t know this room was occupied!” A loud bang came from the store’s door again. Without lingering on the awkwardness anymore, I grabbed Kiro’s arm and pulled him into the room. I pushed him into the corner and held a finger to the mask’s beak. Still bushing wildly, Kiro nodded, holding his eyes on my mask all too securely.

High pitched voices rang through the store as they searched the shop. Some of them were questioning the shopkeeper. Others were whining about how small the store was. The sound of metal scraping against metal chimed in the mess of sounds as the girls started searching the clothing racks for him. Soon the interrogating and complaints turned even more sour as they slowly came up with nothing.

Just as I thought we were in the clear, a shadow appeared under the dressing room curtain. “Hey!” A particularly annoying voice called, “Is there anyone in there?!” I froze. Kiro couldn’t answer. He was the person they were looking for! But I couldn’t answer either because Kiro would know I was Super Stranger!

“Hello?!” The girl impatiently called. I felt Kiro’s eyes on me.

I sighed.

“Occupied.” I resolutely boomed. The shadow flickered.

“S-sorry!” She said, obviously startled by my voice. The shadow quickly disappeared. Avoiding Kiro’s eyes, I walked over to the curtain and peered out of the room, just in time to watch all the girls leave the store. I sighed once again and straightened myself, letting the curtain fall back into place.

“You should be safe now.” I said, turning back to face Kiro. He was staring at me wide eyed and mouth agape. His face had significantly returned to it’s normal hue, if not for a slight blush on his cheeks.

“S-Super Stranger?!” He scoffed, finally letting his eyes stray from my face and to my body. I folded my arms and popped my hip.

“Eyes up here, chief.” I deadpanned, signalling for him to adjust his gaze. He did so, his blush rushing back through his face.

“Sorry!” He chuckled nervously, pulling his eyes from me completely, “I just never thought you’d have such a…”

“Yes?”

“... Such a love for such an old show! I mean, how old do you have to be to know who Red Sparrow is?!”

“Apparently not old at all.” I walked over to Kiro and tilted my head so our eyes met, “Suggesting that the twenty-three year old Kiro knows about it.” Kiro tensed. Then he laughed, releasing some of the obvious tension that rode on his shoulders. He looked at me adoringly through the mask.

“I can’t believe it, Super Stranger! You saved me again!” Kiro raised his arms. I held a hand out.

“They were just some fangirls.” I insisted, pushing Kiro backward, “No big deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal! Who knows what they would have done if they caught me! Let me make it up to you.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

“Come on it’s the least I can do! Hey! That drink stand I was telling you about isn’t too far from here! Let’s go there!”

“And how do you expect to get out of here with those girls looking for you?” I asked, folding my arms again. Kiro’s eyes flickered back to my body. Then, a strange emotion sparked in his eyes as he let them linger there.

“I just need a new disguise!” He said rubbing his hands together. I slowly looked down at my outfit.

“... If you think you’re getting this-”

“No, this shop is full of costumes! I wonder…” Kiro walked past me, being careful not to touch me. He paused at the curtain, checking that the coast was clear, then he moved out of the room. I had only been alone for a couple of minutes until Kiro had returned, costume in hand. I froze.

In his hands was the costume of Complex Cell, the sidekick to Red Sparrow. He could duplicate himself up to a thousand times and not break a sweat, easily confusing the enemy long enough to take them down. He also just so happened to be Red Sparrow’s love interest.

“What are you doing?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“What do you mean, Sparrow?!” Kiro beamed.

>>>

“I can pay, Kiro.”

“Who is this Kiro?!” Kiro boomed, handing the shop owner his card, “For I am COMPLEX CELL!!” I rolled my eyes. The moment Kiro had put on the costume it was like he had completely disappeared, only to be replaced by Complex Cell. The overly confident, motivating, annoyingly positive sidekick of a superhero… so in reality not much had changed other than how he spoke, which was cute at first but it got boring quick.

“Come, dear Sparrow!” Kiro laced his arm into mine, “Hot chocolate awAITS US!!” He took his card and skipped out of the store, pulling me closely behind him.

The moment I stepped out of the store, I immediately felt the eyes of the world on me. I may have been comfortable with my body but I had never been that exposed before. I normally would be wearing at least a jacket but now…

“Hey.” Kiro tugged on my arm, “You ok, Sparrow?”

“I’m not Red Sparrow.” I said through my teeth, “Do you realize how much we stand out?! Everyone’s staring!”

“The sidewalk is practically empty.”

“Emphasis on practically.”

“Stranger,” Kiro laughed and tapped my arm lightly, “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Remember, you’re not the only one dressed up like this! I’ve got your back! Besides, you look amazing!”

My heart leaped through my throat, “... You really think so?”

“Of course!” Kiro looked down at me. His mask only covered the top half of his face, exposing his glistening smile, “I’m disappointed more people aren’t looking! More people need to see how amazing you look!” I elbowed Kiro in the side but still felt the uneasiness lift from my shoulders. There was nothing Kiro would say that could make me hate him.

“Red Sparrow!?”

Kiro halted in his steps and spun around. A small child smiled brightly at Kiro and me. She was tugging at her father’s jacket, pointing at us excitedly. “Dad! Dad, look!! It’s Red Sparrow and Complex Cell!” Kiro released my arm and struted confidently towards the kid.

“Hello, dear child!” Kiro boomed, , smiling brightly and laughing dramatically as he knelt to the little girl’s eye level, “I see you have spotted Sparrow and I! But I am very surprised that someone as pretty as you could know about us!”

“I watched you guys win battles with my mom!” The girl giggled, blushing at Kiro’s shining face, “I really like how you guys save the day! Everyday! I especially like Red Sparrow.” The girl looked hopefully up to me, “She’s my favorite!”

“Well today is your lucky day!” Kiro turned to look at me as well, smile somehow brighter than before, “Isn’t it, Sparrow??” I looked between the two of them, frozen in place. I know what Kiro wants. He wants Red Sparrow. But I'm not Red Sparrow! I’m Ike. The horrible, cold, distant-

A sparkle flashed across the little girl’s eyes. A sparkle I was all too familiar with…

I sighed.

“My dear adventurer!!” My voice jumped to action as I threw my hands in the air and cat-walked over to the girl, “I am honored to be considered your favorite superhero! Pray tell, just how are you doing this fine day?” I knelt down next to Kiro and posed for the girl. Her face lit up beautifully, smiling brighter than even Kiro. Before I could say anymore, she ran into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck tightly and nearly tipping me over. I kept my arms out, looking to Kiro for any kind of help he could give me. He merely grinned, flashing me with adoring eyes. I frowned uselessly at him. He was no help.

I patted the little girl softly on her back, “M-My! You startled me.” I awkwardly said in Sparrow’s voice, “What’s this for?”

“Last year, my mommy died.” The little girl’s whisper stunned me even further, “She was sick and spent a lot of time in her bed. But we would still spend time together to watch you save the day! She said that she liked you because it didn’t matter what happened to you. You would always make sure the bad guys would lose. And that’s why you’re my favorite! Because you were my mom’s favorite!”

Anything I wanted to say was blocked by a lump forming in my throat. Tidal waves of emotions crashed through my heart as the girl’s grip remained tight around my neck. I may not have had that kind of experience before, nor did I want to experience it, but hearing it come from such a small voice made me feel so bad for her. Like I was next to her on that bed and watching those shows with her mom. The only person I watched those kinds of shows with was Sam and if I were to lose him…

I wrapped my arms around the little girl, pulling her closely to me as I cradled her. “You and your mother have quite an amazing taste.” I said, heroic voice faltering slightly, “But, you should know one thing. I am only a hero because you allow me to be one.” The little girl pulled away from me.

“What do you mean?” She asked, her big eyes filled with curiosity. I smiled lightly and moved my hands so I was holding her arms.

“I am only a hero to protect people like you! Without you, I would be nothing.” I tilted my head and winked at the girl through my mask. The girl shook her head and pushed my hands down.

“That’s not true.” She smiled, “You don’t need someone watching you to do the right thing! You should be able to do it because you know it’s right! That’s what my mom always said!” My finger twitched. Without a moment to waste, the girl turned to her father.

“Daddy! Daddy! Can you take a picture of us!!”

The girl and her father walked joyfully away, leaving Kiro and me in silence. A hand rubbed my back. “You alright, Stranger?” Kiro asked, finally dropping his hero facade.

“... How can a girl that young be so smart?” I asked softly, folding my arms and adjusting my posture to one that better suited me instead of Red Sparrow. Kiro laughed.

“You know, I was thinking the same thing!” He said through a chuckle, “I guess it’s true that wisdom comes from experience.” Kiro’s words left us in another meaningful silence.

“... She reminds me of my foster brother.” I said, my voice trailing slightly. Kiro’s head snapped to me in my peripherals.

“You… were a foster kid?” Kiro asked, tone shifting dramatically.

“We used to watch Boot Fever all the time when we were growing up.” I continued, ignoring Kiro’s question, “He would dress up and pop popcorn because he was so excited to watch it with me.” I turned and caught Kiro’s sparkling eyes. I rolled my own and shoved him from me.

“Don’t look at me like that.” I deadpanned.

“Stranger!” He said, closing the distance between us again with open arms, “You’re opening up!”

“Yeah, yeah.” I mused, looking round the area we were standing in, “Where is this drink stand you have been raving about?”

“Oh!” Kiro quickly grabbed my hand and pointed behind me. A cute, wooden, mobile drink stand sat on the other side of the street. Steam wafted up from a false chimney, gracing the cool air with the soft smell of caramel and cinnamon. Two people stood in line for the drinks, but other than that the street was nearly empty. “Luckily for us, those girls didn’t see me at the stand.” Kiro excitedly said into my ear, “And there is no line! Let’s go!” Kiro pushed against my back. I quickly swatted him away and started walking to the stand on my own. Kiro quickly followed, clapping his hands together like an eager child.

The couple at the stand left with their drinks, leaving room for Kiro and me to walk up. The woman manning the stand looked me up and down. A charming smile flashed on her lips. “Red Sparrow?” She asked, leaning on the counter and arching an eyebrow.

“Barista?” I asked, folding my arms again. She laughed and stood up straight.

“No need to get defensive, Red.” The barista said, “You look good!” A sharp blush struck my cheeks. Arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me backwards and into a chest.

“I know, right?!” Kiro giddily chimed, rubbing his head into my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and flicked Kiro’s forehead. He whined and pulled away from me to rub his head. The barista chuckled and turned to her drinks.

“So, what will it be, heroes?” She asked, avoiding any more eye contact with me. I looked at the menus on the side of the stand, then at Kiro.

“... I’ll have an iced caramel macchiato, subed with white chocolate mocha, coconut milk, and a mocha drizzle.”

Kiro and the barista looked at me in shocked silence. I turned calmly to Kiro. “Anything you’d like to add, Cap?” I asked Kiro casually. His look of astonishment never faltered.

“...You really drink that kind of drink?” He asked with a laugh.

“Oh not at all.” I tactlessly chimed, casually looking at the tip of my gloves, “I just told you I was a foster child. I’ve got to throw you off my scent before you figure out my secret identity.”

“Oh a drink order won’t throw me off!” Kiro laughed and casually approached me, “Just you wait! I’ll figure your identity out and we can be heroes together!... Speaking of which,” Kiro leaned forward, eyes shining beautifully, “Did you ever come up with a superhero name for me like you promised?”

I didn’t know if it was how close he was standing to me, the soft aroma of romantic scents, or the fact that he fit into that superhero costume so well, but every word I wanted to say got caught in my throat. All I could do was look him in the eyes. Eyes so gorgeously blue, I could swim in them…

“Hey, Red.”

I snapped to and looked over at the barista. She shook the iced drink in her hand. “You gonna pay for this or make me stand here holding it in the middle of fall?” She asked, tone dripping in annoyance. I cleared my throat and nodded, taking the drink from her.

“As for you, Captain.” I said, regaining my composure as I turned back to Kiro, “Your hero name is one of importance. I will tell you what it is in due time.”

“So in other words, you don’t have one yet.” Kiro sighed, pouting slightly.

“I do too!” I huffed, stepping away from the stand and gesturing to Kiro to follow, “I’m just not going to expose it in a place where everyone is listening!” Kiro laughed and pulled me into a firm side hug.

“Alright Stranger, I’ll let you off this once.” He sighed, pulling me down the street with me by his side, “So what are you up to for the rest of the day! Are you free to hang out?”

“Me?” I scoffed, brushing off Kiro’s hand from my shoulder, “What about you? Does Savin even know you’re out here?”

“Today’s my day off! Which means I’m all yours!... if you’ll have me?” Kiro’s eyes sparkled like diamonds as he awaited my answer. My hand drifted to my messenger bag where a lump graced my fingertips. I dedicated the whole day to finding anything I could about Montu… but I suppose the costume shops were a bust, and I had no other leads to follow…

“... Where to first?” I asked, adjusting the messenger bag on my shoulder. Kiro beamed and laced his arm in mine. With that, we had continued our walk down the street, starting a meaningless conversation and going nowhere in particular. And, for the first time in a while,

I was alright with having no where to go.

(Next)

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artcenterstories · 3 years ago

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Inside Job: Meet Interior Photographer Christopher Dibble

ArtCenter: What inspired your current creative project? Christopher Dibble (Photography and Imaging '05): My first book, Modern Americana was released on April 20. Written by interior designer Max Humphrey and co-written with Chase Reynolds Ewald, the book contains around 150 images that I photographed of spaces designed and styled by Max. I began photographing Max's work when we met in Portland shortly after each of us made the move from Los Angeles. Because we had worked together so often, and the majority of our work published editorially, we had discussed photographing a book project as a potential next step. About six months later, the conversation got serious and Max secured a book deal with Chase to be published by Gibbs Smith. Since I had already photographed all of his spaces, and we had a number of other projects we worked on together, we had a head start with half the book photographed. During the summer of 2020, we produced the other half. We worked for two months, producing about 75 images in spaces ranging from estates, antique shops, boutiques and backyards. It was a challenge producing so much work in such a short period of time and the pandemic didn't help. No assistants, no rentals. Just a camera, a tripod, a tiny light kit and lots of dedication.

AC: Where do you get inspiration? CD: I think we can find inspiration just about anywhere. It depends on how we look things. A lot of my inspiration comes from film, art and photography, but recently I’ve been digesting photographic inspiration in a way that I haven’t before. I've begun looking at images to see what I would do differently and think about ways that I could elevate a particular photograph. A bit of a challenge, or assignment I suppose. I think this is a way for me to shake things up a bit, and change the way I look things and get inspired. How could I make an image of a room better? How could I make a portrait more intriguing? With inspiring films, I’m often drawn to the light and color, but also the story. I love when my images can tell a story.

AC: Describe the moment in your childhood where you first identified as an artist or designer? CD: I’m not sure there was a particular moment in my childhood where I first identified as an artist, but I do recall my decision to dive deep into photography. I had been a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s for some time, and his work inspired me to learn more about cinematography. While exploring that at Pasadena City College, I read a quote from him that said, “To make a film entirely by yourself, which initially I did, you may not have to know very much about anything else, but you must know about photography.” This was what prompted me to begin formally studying photography, and eventually led me to ArtCenter.

AC: How were you exposed to great art and design as a child? Who were your favorites? CD: I’m fortunate to have come from a family of artists. My grandfather was a newspaper photographer, and my father was a photographer and artist, so there was art throughout my childhood. One piece that I remember growing up with on our wall at home was a photograph of a man in a trench coat, standing in front of a sculpture, opening his coat with a quote that said “Expose Yourself To Art.” Fittingly enough, the man “exposing” himself to art was the future mayor of Portland, where I currently reside. And, I've been exposing myself to art ever since.

AC: What is your current obsession? CD: I've always been obsessed with textiles, and currently, I’ve been weaving my own. I primarily weave hand towels and blankets on a floor loom, but also enjoy weaving knotted and woven rugs, as well as wall hangings.

AC: What’s the first site you look at when you open your computer in the morning? CD: I don’t have a particular website I look at everyday, but the first thing I do when I open my computer is dive right into emails.

AC: How would your closest friend describe you? CD: This one felt funny to answer on my own, so I paid… er… asked. "Loving, funny AF, passionate about everything and everyone in his life. Will always tell you the truth and take the time to break things down for you. A great teacher, supportive, motivates you to do better and be better. Very knowledgeable about everything, from art to crafters, and also useless stuff like 90 Day Fiancé. However, don’t rely on him to help wipe a baby worm that’s stuck to your leg while in the middle of a field in Chiang Mai."

AC: What books are on your bedside table? CD: PhotoWork: Forty Photographers on Process and Practice, and The World According To Mister Rogers.

AC: What’s the one tool you can’t do without? CD: Where there is a will, there is a way, but having to choose, I’d say my hands.

AC: Where is your happy place? CD: Home. Not a building or a specific place, but a feeling. A less esoteric answer would be Italy.

AC: What is your prized possession? CD: My education, formal and informal.

AC: What’s your best piece of advice for an ArtCenter student who’s interested in following your career path? CD: The short answer, from a photography-business perspective is, learn how to read, understand and write a contract. If you don’t know what something means, ask for clarification. Having that clarity will save you time and heartache.

The long answer is more complicated. My career path has gone from editorial celebrity portraiture, to fashion catalogues, and now interiors and architecture. It’s been a bit of a zigzag, but all land around things I have a passion for: people, fashion and design. This has allowed me to grow and apply the principals I’ve learned from one subject to the next.

Photograph what you’re passionate about. While this doesn’t always guarantee financial success, it will give you more understanding of the subject you’re photographing.

Show your work, and meet people. You have the skills, but the relationships are just as important. Find out who you should be showing your work to. Editors at magazines? Art buyers at ad agencies? Gallerists? When I graduated, I wanted to work with magazines, so I made it a point to meet, in person, with as many magazines I could. When I shifted to photographing interiors, I made an effort to authentically connect with interior designers and publications. Beyond the initial outreach and meeting, I continue to foster those relationships and connections by finding common interests and staying in touch. Through this, I’ve made real connections and friendships with people I now get to work with.

Ask questions and listen. You don’t have to take every piece of advice given, but be open to receiving advice and critique, and apply it as you see fit. Don’t blindly reject or accept it.

Also, share your knowledge.

#ArtCenter #artcentercollegeofdesign #photography #interiors #christopher dibble #modern americana #architecture #fashion #design

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doomedandstoned · 4 years ago

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Know Your Scene: Electric Valley Records

~By Peter Willmott~

Electric Valley Records is a name in the underground Stoner/Psych/Doom community that inspires enthusiastic support from every corner. Based in the small island of Sardinia Italy, founder Marco Nieddu started off releasing his own music for the band Raikinas. Now years after Raikinas has joined the great festival in the sky and the label lives on. Now Marco continues to play with 1782 and he has been making serious waves with Electric Valley Records with a stable of great bands and a growing reputation for boutique vinyl, deliciously dark art, and all round killer releases.

Started by Marco in 2014, the label grew over the first few years from a boutique Italian market to take on the world stage and by 2018 was generating serious media attention. Marco’s great art and attention to detail in his releases created a loyal stable of fans - if it was Electric Valley Records you knew it was going to be a great album.

Fast forward to 2021, as Italy slowly climbs out of the COVID-19 mess, Electric Valley Records has a great family of bands who support each other - you can’t underestimate the power of community in helping bands stay strong and keep the fire alive to produce great music. The power of vinyl and fuzz worship has never been stronger! 2021 sees Electric Valley Records take a global position with one release a month in the first half of 2021, including bands from Australia (Amammoth), Chile (Dixie Goat), Cyprus (Stonus), Italy (1782, Cancervo) and more. We can’t wait to see what’s coming next!

We spoke with Marco Nieddu about some of the label’s history.

When did you decide to start Electric Valley Records, and where did the name come from?

The label was born in 2014, with my band at the time, Raikinas, we were looking for a label, we sent tons of emails but we got just two or three replies. I couldn't stand it, so I decided to create my own label just for that band, but as you know Electric Valley has much more than just one band, plus Raikinas no longer exists. (laughs)

As for the name instead, there is no particular reason, that name had been spinning in my head for a long time, so I didn't think twice and chose it as the name of the label.

What do you love about the Italian heavy music scene?

The Italian heavy music scene is really beautiful, there are so many good bands that take out fantastic albums; bands like Ufomammut, Black Rainbows, Elepharmers, Humulus, Cancervo, Atomic Mold, just to name a few, I could spend hours writing.

Also from the point of view of labels it is not bad at all, one of the strongest labels of this genre is Heavy Psych Sounds Records, and it is from Rome, then we have Argonauta Records, GoDown Records and many others.

One thing I love about the Italian scene is the small festivals, people are very interested. In my opinion we are not at the level of other countries such as Germany, for example --but I must say that in our small way we move well -- there is a lot of interest from both the organizer and the public.

What gives you the biggest buzz running the label?

Basically everything! (laughs) The excitement starts from when the band signs through to the release of the album and beyond. This with every single release!

The coolest thing is when you realize bands are going strong, I don't mean sales, I mean, when people start talking about bands, share them on social media, include them in playlists and take record photos. For me the most important thing is that the band is doing well and growing more and more. Before being my job, it is my passion.

What is the special sauce that makes an album an “Electric Valley Records” release?

There isn't exactly a special sauce, each band has its own special sauce. When I listen to new bands, generally, if I like them I immediately realize, as I said before, each band has its own particularity and this is what strikes me, it can be a certain type of sound, a certain style of riff, the groove, the voice and any other kind of peculiarity.

What I try to do is make the listener feel the same feelings I feel when I listen to that particular band. I can't pick bands at random or without listening to them just to make a release, Electric Valley isn't that kind of label.

Marco Nieddu may be the most popular man in the underground stoner-psychedelic and doom community. We reached out to bands on the Electric Valley Records label, and boy were they ready to talk about it, there’s a whole lotta love for Marco and his work over the years!

What attracted you to Electric Valley Records?

Amammoth: We first heard of them through the band 1782 which we are huge fans of. We love their sound and they have amazing artwork. When we were looking into getting some artwork done for our band we looked at Electric Valley and we discovered Marco was the one who did it all. We were super lucky to have Marco do some art for us and it all stemmed from there. We were already fans of the label and listened to a lot of the bands on the label, as they promote a lot of the influential up and upcoming bands of our genre.

Atomic Mold: It was 2015, our first album "Atomic Mold" had just been released. Marco contacted us to find out if we would like to collaborate, we wrote a lot and we decided to make a split. He put us in touch with Mount Hush and in a short time we made a split that had good success and was sold out in a few months. In October 2016 we met with Marco in Sardegna who organized the tour with Fatso Jetson.

Stonus: Well, back in 2019 we were looking for a record label to release our debut album “Aphasia” which was our main aim at the time. The reason for seeking a label contract was to get more reach, release our music on vinyl, more gig opportunities and to learn how things work from a more business/professional perspective. We had 4 or 5 options at the time and Electric Valley Records was the most appealing as we liked the bands that were signed and they do things in a really professional way. Marco is an excellent guy although we never met in person. (laughs) He is always available for questions and he is really flexible and understanding. In a year, we had two releases on vinyl, “Aphasia” and “Séance” and they also have some cool options like tapes. I must say we are very satisfied even though the pandemic caused some delays but what can you do, fans have been patient on their side and we have to thank them for that, too.

Loose Sutures: EVR is one of the best labels in doom, stoner, fuzz rock. Beautiful roster, high accuracy in every detail, respect and personality. For us is more about a brotherhood than a simple contract sealing: we belong to the same island and share the same studio with 1782. We're friends and we all feel friendship with all EVR bands.

Hadewijch: EVR attracted us for many reasons but the first would have to be the great communication back and forth and the complete belief in our vision and Herbal Doom from day one. Marco is a professional and creates an environment where we as artists and our music feels safe and respected. It’s clear that he cares very much about the bands and the music itself and is not afraid to take risks on what he releases in line with a level of quality that has become known from the label.

High N' Heavy: What attracted us to EVR was we really dug their aesthetic, and we were already big fans of Atomic Mold and Weed Demon.

Dixie Goat: We don't know if you can put this (we can - Peter) but the last days of last year we were contacted by Paul from The Cosmic Peddler. He asked us if we had physical copies from our 2nd album (new one) so we said no. Then he asked us if we were interested in releasing the album and if we want to have a label. Our answer was Fuck Yeah! man. We don't care if they want to release our new album on tape, cd, lp, laserdisc, betamax, minidisc, whatever they want! We were just happy that someone was interested in the band and they wanted us to release our music outside our country also considering our difficult times. So that is how it starts. Kinda fairy tale. They have a great roster of bands. Also they released a split including our brothers from Chile, Arteaga. Awesome band, by the way.

Cancervo: We’ve known EVR through friends. We already listen to some bands from this label and we like their works, so we tried to send our first record, when they told us that the song was liked and that we could do something, we were so excited!

Weed Demon: When Marco approached us about signing with EVR we were completely unfamiliar with the label but it didn’t take long to realize that they were headed in the right direction. The roster of bands was killer and label branding was on point. It just felt like a perfect fit for us. They had a little bit of everything, just like our sound in Weed Demon. It also didn’t hurt that Marco is a super nice dude and has always been easy to work with.

Marmalade Knives: I found my way to Electric Valley through Heavy Psych Sounds, and I instantly really appreciated Marco and his openness to hearing new music and growing his label in different psychedelic directions. I think his attitude and demeanor find their way into all corners of the EVRverse. All of the other bands on the label I've interacted with have been super supportive and cool.

Desert Suns: We started working with Electric Valley right when we had finished our latest album Carry On. We were shopping it around to see who would want to release it. Marco was down to put it out.

Wormhog: Since we were determined to release our first LP Yellow Sea on vinyl we had made some contacts with various labels and pressing plants. Electric Valley and Marco showed us right from the start how much they wanted a collaboration between us. Of course, we knew of EVR’s existence long before our release and we were flattered to be part of such a great family with so many great bands! However, what actually attracted us, was that there was a feeling of mutual respect in our communication, right from the start, which was also depicted on our contract. Everything is straight and simple, which was the main reason we wanted to be part of the label, and we couldn’t be happier about it!

Elepharmers: We met the guys from Electric Valley before their label was even founded. Marco was the bass player of Raikinas, we met at a concert, then we shared the stage and beautiful evenings. We also did some gigs in Germany together thanks to him and his band. We appreciate their desire to grow and make space for themselves in the stoner, psych, doom music scene.

What was the most exciting part of your release with Electric Valley Records?

Amammoth: We were super stoked to be working with a label that we were already fans of, and to be on a label that gives a fuck and actually cares about the art and the artists. It was fun working with Marco to design the record cover too, as we really appreciate his art. It was exciting to work with a label that works so hard to expose their bands to people all around the world and we really appreciate them pumping our songs out for people all over to hear. Coming from Australia and being in a genre like ours it is a great honour and privilege to be on a label like Electric Valley, as our music is being heard and reaching places further than we could have ever imagined.

Atomic Mold: Surely to see our records arrive all over the world!

Stonus: Nothing can beat the excitement of releasing your debut album on vinyl and being featured by blogs and magazines all around the globe. We feel very thankful for the feedback and support we received and Electric Valley Records was a catalyst on this small success.

Loose Sutures: Being part of EVR means being part of something getting bigger every year . You realize immediately that this label cares a lot about their bands. You can see it in every step: music, promotion, merch, album covers etcetera. Now we are close to releasing the first single of our new album and we can't wait for it! So excited and proud.

Hadewijch: The most exciting was to have 100 percent freedom with the artwork and control over the release, but still feeling like this was a collective team effort with EVR behind us every step of the way.

High N' Heavy: Most exciting part about releasing through them was they did such a great job getting us out there and fully supporting our ideas. They’re great at working with you on making your release the best it can be. From the music to the art direction and everywhere in between.

Dixie Goat: As we said above, the label has great bands so being part of it's like a dream come true. Also releasing our music for the first time on a label and for the first time on vinyl woooow, we were jumping like monkeys. Pretty happy!

Cancervo: The most exciting part was planning the release and all the technical details of our first album.

Weed Demon: Our last two releases with EVR gave us way more worldwide exposure. It’s difficult for an Ohio based band to gain a following across the pond in Europe. Having a label based out of Sardinia definitely helped increase our fan base.

Marmalade Knives: As this was my band's first release ever, I have to say that each milestone -- each a first -- was very exciting for me. The signing, the selection of vinyl colors, holding a copy in my hands for the first time: it was all exciting.

Desert Suns: Electric Valley had been on our radar for a couple years so it was cool to actually have our second album released by a label from Italy. Electric Valley has been putting out some solid releases from some really rad bands! We are stoked to be on their roster.

Wormhog: Since Yellow Sea is our first physical release, the most exciting moment cannot be any other than the moment we saw our new records in the flesh! The printing and pressing quality are absolutely amazing, and that’s what anybody should expect from a label like Electric Valley Records.

Elepharmers: One thing we appreciate about Electric Valley is that it's a label run by people with so much enthusiasm, people with whom we've created a bond of friendship that goes beyond the stage and making records. Marco from EV collaborated in setting the dates for the 2020 European tour, which unfortunately was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anything else you’d like to share about Electric Valley Records?

Amammoth: We can’t thank them enough for everything they have done for us as a band. They are one of the best independent record labels in the world and we are super lucky to be working with them.

Atomic Mold: Yes, we are currently composing the new album which we will release with Electric Valley Records. Over time he has built a great relationship with us. We have a lot of trust and respect for the work he has always done for us.

Stonus: For us the whole concept of a release is important, from music to artwork, vinyl colour, special inserts and posters. We like to experiment with ideas and possibilities so we often discuss with Marco things that he has never done before and he is keen to learn and do his research, always offering a solution. We are really happy to be part of this awesome family of heavy bands, they are all amazing artists and people. We can't wait to meet them in person and connect through music!

Loose Sutures: Get Ready for the new album: it's gonna be hot and nasty! We are proud to continue being part of this great family and we are more than sure that it will continue to grow and improve more and more.

Hadewijch: Yes! I think it’s worth saying, even at the risk of sounding a bit cliché, that there is a very positive feeling environment on the label. All the bands are kind and willing to help each other, like a group of friends you know? We’re all willing to help uplift each other and it’s an awesome feeling.

High N' Heavy: And I’d like to say again that the support is real with EVR. Not just from Marco and the crew, but from the bands, too. We constantly refer to it as the EVR family, and it really feels that way. Everyone reps everyone else. It’s a great label, and they continue to grow with new awesome bands.

Dixie Goat: They have treated us awesome since day 1. Always kind and respectfully. We like that and we have just gratitude for the label. We think it's not that easy to sign a band from the end of the world. We have so much love for Marco from Electric Valley Records and Paul from The Cosmic Peddler. Thank you so much, guys!

Cancervo: We found a great family and a good vibe who pushed us to plan our second album still with them. It will come out in the first part of 2022! Stay tuned!

Weed Demon: The thing I love most about being a part of this label is the feeling of family. All of the bands are super supportive of one another. Even being spread out all across the world, it still feels like you are all buds in a local scene. Everyone working towards a shared goal of growing the Electric Valley family and pushing each other’s music and art to the next level!

Marmalade Knives: Just that I'm psyched to continue the working relationship. I'm hopeful that the second Marmalade Knives LP will be released later this year.

Desert Suns: We’ve had a little line up change over the last year so we are writing some new material we’d like to record and get out within the next year and hopefully have the privilege to keep working with Electric Valley Records.

Wormhog: We just can’t wait for our next release together!

Elepharmers: At the moment I don't have other things to tell: there would be many anecdotes related to parties and concerts, drinking beer till dawn and listening to great music.

Highlights from the Electric Valley Records Catalog

Amammoth

Amammoth - The Fire Above by Electric Valley Records

Atomic Mold

Split Atomic Mold / Arteaga by ATOMIC MOLD

Cancervo

I by CANCERVO

Desert Suns

Carry On by Desert Suns

Dixie Goat

There's No Light Without Darkness by Dixie Goat

Elepharmers

Lords of Galaxia (2019, Electric Valley Records) by Elepharmers

Hadewijch

Herbal Noise by Hadewijch

High N' Heavy

V by High n' Heavy

Loose Sutures

Loose Sutures by Loose Sutures

Marmalade Knives

Amnesia by Marmalade Knives

Stonus

Séance by Stonus

Weed Demon

Crater Maker by Weed Demon

Wormhog

Yellow Sea by Wormhog

Follow The Label

Get Their Music

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inscapeblog · 4 years ago

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Subculture in Design: Through Kpop Subculture-Deylin Patel

Introduction

The main topic hat will discussed in this essay is Subculture in design. When people think about subculture they think about what that subculture have to do with design, what impact does it have on the design world. The only way to understand why subculture in design is really needed is to see if it has been applied to a certain subculture and how it has influenced design or not. This essay with argue if Kpop subculture in design is important and the influence it has on graphic design. The essay will show his by defining what subculture is and what Kpop subculture is. The characteristics of Kpop subculture, as well as the characteristics of Kpop subculture’s style in graphic design. To support my argument the essay will cover how Kpop has influenced the graphic design in the styles of designing. The examples that will be discussed with make decide weather Kpop subculture has either helped design or not.

2. Defining Subculture in Design

To understand what Subculture in Design is we need to understand the definitions of what subculture is and design. The meaning of subculture is when ideas, art, the way of life that a group of people within society are different to other people of society.(Definition of subculture, 2021) this basically means that people are different in the way they are because of the ideals of the subculture. The meaning of design is is to have a particular purpose or intention in view of an individual or group. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2021). Understanding what subculture and design is we can know put them together we then understand that we can say that subculture can be connected through values, in the way of design we can then decide what works with the style of the subculture, thus making that different subcultures might have the same sign for something but they mean something else. This is when a designer needs to understand the context of what happens. (Design & Subculture, 2021).

To focus on the subculture of design I will be looking at Kpop as the subculture to argue if it impacts design or not. The meaning of the Kpop subculture is an international music genre that has different music styles that began in South Korea. (Spatichia & Otolorin, n.d.) Kpop has become a huge part of the music world. The thing that makes Kpop different from the normal kind of music is that they have a particular design style that they use for what they want to do.

The Characteristics of Kpop subculture

Before one goes into Subculture in Design, we must understand the characteristics of what Kpop. These characteristics include large groups which means that the music group is from four people to about 23 members, this is mainly because they want fans to have different people to look and support. They have a hybrid sound which makes use of he traditional Korean music elements with the influence of jazz, soul, hiphop and funk, this is what makes their style of music so interesting. They have a Unique style which relates to fashion design this helps in that the style of clothing that they go for will influence design in many different ways.(MasterClass, 2021)

Now knowing what the definitions are and what the characteristics are it makes it clear that Kpop can very much be an influence on graphic design in that they have different views on how they do things and they have a connection to design to make them different from other subcultures. This is shown with how they produce their music videos, it is shown that they have themes and stories that are about unrequited love and coming to age and the other things that happen in life. (Lee, 2019)

This helps me as a designer in that I can argue that Kpop subculture is something that subculture in design can help with graphic design and make a difference in the way we think about subcultures and the design style they bring.

3. The significance of Subculture in design in identifying and solving a design problem

The significance of Kpop subculture in terms of it being used in graphic design. This is made significant in that Kpop’s art is influenced by Pop Art in terms of the art and illustration. Kpop uses the idea of sleeky minimal deign work, this is shown by the work of different artists playing with photography, typography, colour, illustration. When wanting to understand the style that makes graphics important is that it has a very different take on the use of different elements to make the design stand out.

Some unique characteristics of Kpop design is the ability to tel a story, this is mainly shown in the music videos of Kpop, the idea of making something a story of something is important in that as designers we need to think about how will the subcultures influence the way the work is done and influence the way design thinking goes with everything that has been done. Kpop’s idea of making the subject matter light they have a unique way of making it look amazing in tat the viewer can be part of that journey.

Kpop also keeps in mind who the audience is and who they are advertising to and how they market themselves. This helps with social media in that when graphic designers need to look for ideas on how to promote new ideas they need to make sure that they follow the tight ideas of who will people see and what they think of them.

Kpop design is also very particular in the way they use colour. They make sure that they have captured the right amount of attention. This achieved in that they make somethings stand out in some cases but in others they make it over colourful that they make it look like a dream party filled of colour. They also make use of black and which which can also mean a lot depending on what they want to achieve.

The most important trait that stands out of Kpop and graphic design is the use of the design principles. This is because they make use of good balance, positioning, symmetrically and visual balance and unity as well as using the idea of persecutive in their work. (White, 2016)

With all this the idea of Pop art comes in, in that Kpop artists and designers think about how to make the audience feel as if they are the best and they are the ones that everyone needs to see.

This brings us back to the idea that subculture in design is important in for graphic design. Thus saying that the ideas that Kpop subculture is a strong example to show that they think in creative and unique ways that they are not just a subculture that dresses a certain way or creates music in its own style but it rather creates a place that makes them think in a designer way to make design more easy on the eye for everyone.

4. Examples of successful application of Subculture in Design through Kpop in spatial design

When looking at examples of how the techniques of subculture came into existence in the albums of Kpop albums is that they used colour, typography and photography .

Figure 1 - Poster (Lee, 2019)

When looking at this poster one gets the feeling of balance and good use of colour and harmony. This is because the use of how the idea of the subculture is still evident in the work. The application of the use of typography makes one look at the image and makes them interested in away.

Figure 2 - Flashmo Instagram (Lee, 2019)

When looking at this image we can see the idea of pop art being used. In terms of the Kpop subculture it shows that they also took inspiration form the west and took the idea of using typography and a pop art take on creating this new type of design. Which is something graphic designer would do and see how to make it fit with the idea of how things work and get made.

Figure 3- CD cover (Lee,2019)

In this CD cover we can see different elements with use of colour and photography and very little typography. The way that design is used to show the subculture for what it is and what it stands for. The colours and photography makes one want to see what is happening and what will happen next.

The application of all the examples help to create a feel that graphic design has a part to play in designing covers and ideas to make the message that Kpop artist want to show off. The whole idea that being Subculture in Design is important and it is also very important to make ideas and traits in to design.

5. Conclusion

As a whole for my argument I can agree that Subculture in design is important. Thus saying that subculture can bring about new ideas and influences in the way we work and do things as designers. The exploration of subcultures and design is that subcultures have an influence in the way we think and look at design. With going into depth of graphic design in Kpop culture shows that design is used in different ways but it can always be connected when one looks and analysis’s the fine detail in what they do. The final argument is that subcultures need to be taught on how things are and how designers can apply the thoughts and ideas of subcultures in their design work. Subculture in design is important and it makes the world of showing things in different ways can open doors for people. Graphic design might not be the core components of Kpop but it can start becoming one of the factors.

Reference List

Definition of subculture. (2021, March 10). Collinsdictionary.com; HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/subculture

Design & Subculture. (2021, March 10). Blogspot.com. http://globaldesignstudies.blogspot.com/2009/10/design-subculture.html

Lee, G. (2019, May). How to design for K-pop: the design queen for BTS on branding idol chart-killers. Digital Arts. https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/graphic-design/how-to-design-k-pop-bts/

‌MasterClass. (2021, January 14). All About K-Pop: Inside K-Pop’s History and Signature Sound. MasterClass; MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-kpop#what-are-the-characteristics-of-kpop

‌Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2021). Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/design

‌Spatichia, D., & Otolorin, M. (n.d.). K-pop Subculture International Impact K-pop Subculture International Impact. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://scholarshare.temple.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12613/472/p15037coll12_2705.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

‌White, J. Z. (2016, June 28). What k-pop can teach us about design. FreeCodeCamp.org; freeCodeCamp.org. https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/what-k-pop-can-teach-us-about-design-6253a85f469c/

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mikeyhatesit113 · 4 years ago

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forever and never: Chapter 12

My Toyota Matrix speeds down the highway, leaving the New York City skyline behind us in the rear view mirror. Janie sits in the passenger seat, admiring the engagement ring I had given to her just hours before in Times Square.

Ahead of us, the sun sinks slowly toward the horizon. Everything about that day had been perfect, and it was sending us off with a beautiful sunset. I felt proud as Janie smiled genuinely at her ring, knowing in my heart that I had treated her like a true princess that day.

“It’s beautiful,” she says. “I love you.”

I look over at her with a smile as wide as the Brooklyn Bridge itself.

“I love you too,” I say, pride swelling in my chest.

“Forever and ever,” she says.

“Plus a day,” I whisper.

2 Years Later

Janie and I step onto our front porch step, anticipation building in my chest. I had not been home in more than 3 weeks, and I had no idea what awaited me on the other side of the front door.

I had spent sleepless nights at my grandmother’s house, mental images torturing me during the night. Wicked animations produced by an imagination hell-bent on punishing me. Images that took place in the very dwelling I was about to re-enter for the first time in over 21 days.

Janie opens the door, and I take in the scene before me.

The smell hit me first. The scent was unfamiliar, as if something else had inhabited the place since my abrupt departure.

Stale cologne?

What was more, the furniture had been rearranged. The kitchen looked different, decorated with additional chairs and flat surfaced stands.

It was at that moment when I noticed that Janie was studying me, awaiting my reaction to the many changes to the place I had previously called home.

This, however, did not look like home. This was a foreign place, accented by a foreign occupant who was hiding in plain sight.

But what, or who, I could not put my finger on.

I forced a smile, hugging Janie. Though I did not recognize this environment, another part of me desperately wanted to call it home again.

Janie gave me a tour, which proved to be an orientation into her new world. A universe she had constructed in my absence, but a galaxy I was almost certain that she did not build alone.

“Wow,” I mumbled as we trudged up the stairs to the bedrooms. Brock’s room looked almost untouched, but James’ room yielded a big difference.

There was now a ball python resting in a tank beside his TV.

“Who’s snake?” I asked.

“Steppenwolf’s,” Janie said anxiously. “He brought it as a gift for the boys,” she quickly explained.

“He stayed here?” I asked, a familiar irritation arising in my chest, despite my best efforts.

“Only when the boys wanted him to, for a sleepover,” she replied.

“Oh,” I said. I immediately felt trapped again, like I was going against everything I had tried to stand for. I felt outraged. I felt like I had been violated.

I felt sick.

“And uh, where did he sleep?” I asked.

“Downstairs on the couch,” she said. “He didn’t stay here often.”

“And where did you sleep when you went to his house?” I asked.

“On his couch or in a spare room,” she replied as a matter-of-factly.

I wanted to believe her. I needed to believe her. It was the only way this could work.

“Ok...” I spoke, trying to shove her truth down my throat.

I hoped to God that he didn’t see the inside of our bedroom, which in fact, had also been transformed during my absence.

My brand new queen-size bed was long gone, currently locked up in a dark storage unit. In its place was a twin bed with a frame that creaked, and a mattress with springs that groaned. Additionally, the right side of our room was lit up with a red light that glowed from another large reptile tank which housed a lizard.

That night, I slept warily beside her in that crimson-lit room. I laid awake, wondering what I didn’t know. Wondering what she wasn’t telling me. Wondering if I was making the right decision.

I certainly didn’t have the support from my friends and family, who were incredulous that I returned to her embrace.

“I just want your support and friendship right now,” I texted my friend one day. “You got it,” he wrote back.

His response was not what I was looking for, but did he have the right words to make me feel like I was doing the right thing?

No one did, but in the effort of leaving no stone unturned, everyone’s opinion could not matter.

This was my journey, and no one else’s footsteps or words could complete the distance for me. I had to do it myself, whether it was 3 days, 3 weeks, or forever and ever, just like we had always promised eachother.

Logistically, the tricky task was moving the right amount of stuff back home to Janie and I’s place. I was not ready to empty my room at my Grandmother’s house, nor did I touch my storage unit.

They had been safe zones, and as happy as I was to be back home, I was still rather uncomfortable. I wanted to take it slow, if there was a such thing for a married couple.

Of course, there were other things returned. Janie drove with me to my grandmother’s house one Sunday afternoon to grab one of the things she had missed the most; her Lancer.

In the Lancer’s absence, her father had bought her a $300 mid-1990’s Oldsmobile that had an oil leak problem. It did not have a 6-disc CD player, but it did have a cassette player with cracked vinyl seats.

Call it vintage appeal, if you will. A time machine back to the 1990’s on 4 wheels.

I remember handing Janie the car key to the Lancer and her excitedly hopping in the driver seat. “I love this car,” she said, taking in the interior all over again as if it were the first time ever.

When the boys came home from their father’s house that evening, it was the reunion I was looking forward to most. I hugged them both, telling them both how much I had missed them. As far as I was concerned, I was back for good. And they’d never feel that pain again.

I did have unfinished business, however. I had seen enough photos of the boys sporting fedora hats, indicating that Steppenwolf had bought them their very own wacky hats. I did not appreciate these photos, so one afternoon, I found his Facebook.

I simply sent him this:

It wasn’t long before he answered me.

“Hello?” he responded.

I couldn’t resist myself.

“I want to thank you for trying to take care of a family that wasn’t yours, and I hope you kept the receipt from whatever costume shop you bought those ridiculous hats from.”

“That purple sports car will never fill the void.”

“How does it feel to be an empty old man?”

“What’s wrong, Steppenwolf? Answer me.”

Steppenwolf did not respond, and I was blocked shortly thereafter.

Janie, however, was not happy that I had attacked Steppenwolf. When I told her about what I had sent him, she told me that she already knew I had done so, and that she just wanted me to leave it alone.

Nothing had happened between them. He had been just a friend.

Upon our reunion, Janie and I agreed to participate in marriage counseling. One October evening, our pastor showed up to our home and ate a nice dinner with us. Afterwards, with the cool, Autumn air flowing through the screen door near the kitchen table, Janie and I sat across from each other as our pastor looked on from the side.

We had each written down our concerns on a piece of paper, and it didn’t take long before the dialogue spun out of control.

In my endeavor to overlook so much and ignore so many little details, I could not bring myself to believe that she hadn’t lied to me. That she hadn’t kissed one of my best friends.

That she hadn’t betrayed me.

That I wasn’t her fool.

I guess in the end, even though I felt worthless, I owed myself some semblance of the truth.

I felt the conversation turn against me, and our pastor was soon siding with Janie about my paranoia. He hadn’t lived the nights I had, and he hadn’t seen the dark shadows drift in and out of our lives for the past 2 years.

Specters of betrayal. Phantoms that she denied ever existed.

Ghosts and goblins that haunted the life I thought we’d build.

Secrets that wouldn’t stay dead. Rotting corpses that wouldn’t stay buried.

“Michael,” our pastor chuckled. “You have these...construction crews...in your head,” he spoke. “And they build things out of these thoughts you have,” he said, laughing softly. Janie sat beside him, smirking at me.

I’ll never forget the smug look on her face as she stared at me, enjoying the fact that another human being had taken her at her word.

Nothing happened. He’s angry. He’s paranoid.

I couldn’t take it. I had tried to suppress it, bury it, destroy it, even...but the rage had returned. I stood up abruptly from my chair, anger coursing through my veins.

So many friends and family had contributed to my mental health over the past weeks, and this is how I repaid them? This is how I rewarded myself?

Being mocked by my pastor and my wife during marriage counseling?

“You sit there,” I bellowed, pointing a finger at her. “Laughing at me, looking down on me from your pedestal? Trust me, hunny, I’m looking down on you. I have nothing for you.”

I went to walk away, but my pastor called me back to the table.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Ekim,” he said. “Where are you going? Get back to this table.”

I returned to the table slowly, staring at Janie. Her smirk was gone, replaced by a poisonous look of revulsion. I echoed her emotion.

We truly were toxic.

Of course, that counseling session was the start of the downward slope. More odd occurrences around the house sparked more questions and suspicions.

Like the Earl Grey Teabags on the counter, and the Syracuse hoodie I found in the wash basket one morning while I was folding clothes.

Janie was not a tea drinker, nor was she a Syracuse fan. Janie wasn’t home at that time, so I texted her a picture of the hoodie with the simple question, “What’s this?”

“Uh, a Syracuse hoodie,” she responded.

“I get that. Why do you have a Syracuse hoodie?” I texted.

“My family lived in Syracuse for a little bit when I was a little girl,” she texted back.

This was a blatant lie. Her family had never lived in Syracuse, much less another county.

Janie and I hobbled on, but our legs were giving out. The fighting soon made a vengeful comeback, and our tempers boiled over one rainy day.

I struggled with the lies. I struggled with the stories. I struggled with the person I had become. I hated him. I hated what I saw in the mirror. I hated his guts.

I hated what I did to Jay, now that I was at some capacity to understand it years later.

My mood became tense, and the suspicions only increased.

In the kitchen one day, we locked horns. Janie was making dinner when an argument started. It would be futile to try to tell you exactly regarding what, as I cannot remember due to the violent maelstrom we were trapped in. The reasons for conflict and discord were abundant and vicious. Pick one.

After a venomous word exchange, Janie slammed the casserole dish down on the stove top, cracking it. I turned away and marched out the front door into the pouring rain. I unlocked my car, sobbing as I flung open the door and sat in the driver seat.

I had not noticed Janie following me, and she came into my view as I shoved my key into the ignition.

“Where are you going?” she pleaded.

I didn’t plan to say it, and to be honest, I didn’t even know I felt it like I did.

But it came from the heart.

“I fucking hate my life,” I cried, looking her in the eyes. She stared back at me pitifully, the cold rain drops falling on both of us as we took each other in.

Who were we? What had we become?

How had our house of cards collapsed like this? We thought we were the exception.

We hobbled on.

One sunny Saturday morning before Halloween, we were ready to go to a pumpkin patch. However, before walking out the door, I noticed that James was apprehensive.

Everyone else had walked out to the car, and I seized the moment to address James alone.

“James, what’s wrong?” I asked, walking up to him and kneeling down.

“I’m afraid you’re going to leave again,” he said, looking at the ground.

I was taken aback, but I was encouraged all the same.

“James, I love you, your brother, and your mommy very much,” I said. “I love you, and I’m not going to leave you,” I assured him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“I promise, I’m here for good.”

After Halloween, we saw another November 1st arrive. Our anniversary, a day we hailed for years as the day we found eachother.

A day, 5 years earlier, that changed both of our lives forever.

A day I had progressively become more and more ashamed of.

I gave her the gift I had gotten her, a flashy trinket with the engraving, “Forever and ever”.

As soon as she opened it, I could tell she was expecting more. Another disappointing gift on another day we had no reason to celebrate.

Little did I know, that November 1st would be our last.

This is where I’m going to ask you to dig in your memory bank and pull out a date. A date I asked you to remember many chapters ago.

A date with more significance and karma than you could guess.

November 4th.

Welcome to the End.

“Passion or coincidence, Once prompted you to say, "Pride will tear us both apart". Well, now pride's gone out the window, Cross the rooftops, Run away... Left me in the vacuum of my heart.

What is happening to me? Crazy, some'd say. Where is my friend when I need you most? Gone away.”

Duran Duran “Ordinary World”

NOTE: Though this is my side of the story, including my own personal recollections and opinions, the reader should not consider this note anything other than a work of literature. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

#dating #depression #suicide #relationships #breakups #relationship advice #forever #hate #love #loyalty #taylor swift #horror #broken #papa roach #marriage #karma #marriedlife #divorce #daddysgirl

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

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National Enquirer, December 28

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Ghislaine Maxwell scandal explodes

Page 2: George Clooney was rushed to the hospital after rapidly dropping 28 pounds to play an ailing astronomer in his latest movie The Midnight Sky and the harrowing incident has infuriated worried wife Amal Clooney -- George’s scare came when he was diagnosed with life-threatening pancreatitis days before he was scheduled to start filming on a glacier in Finland -- Amal was unhappy and angry that he put his health on the line for the role and she was also furious because this wasn’t the first time the father of her twins has been in harm’s way and she’s demanding he take better care of himself so he’ll be around to care for his kids

Page 3: Lori Loughlin’s deluded daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli is clueless over the college admissions scandal that landed her parents in jail and believes her own hype according to a body language expert -- in an interview on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk Olivia claimed she had no idea posing for pictures on a rowing machine to finagle a crew scholarship to the University of Southern California despite never having practiced the sport was deceitful but body language expert Susan Constantine said Olivia doesn’t appear to have any understanding of the consequences of her actions or those of mom Lori and dad Mossimo Giannulli -- after observing Olivia’s confession Constantine said she didn’t notice any deceptive indicators such as pauses in her speech or shrugging of her shoulders however she labeled Olivia completely unequivocally oblivious which she said made it challenging to judge Olivia’s truthfulness

Page 4: Lonely Diane Keaton is longing for love and she’s turned to former flame Jack Nicholson for help in landing a new guy -- Diane is truly desperate to find a man and she knows if there’s one person who can help her navigate the dating scene after all this time it’s Jack -- the Oscar-winning actress shocked the world when she recently admitted she hasn’t been on a date in 35 years and she made a joke of it but the pandemic has made her realize how lonely she really is -- Diane would never date Jack again but knows he has a lot of eligible friends who would fit her dating profile

* Dying Olivia Newton-John worries endlessly about her daughter Chloe and made a touching final request of close pal John Travolta: Please take care of Chloe after I’m gone -- Olivia’s concerns for Chloe spiked after she blasted the COVID-19 vaccine on social media writing that natural medicine is the party she belongs to -- Olivia has been battling stage 4 breast cancer while John lost his wife Kelly Preston to the same disease and John loves and admires Olivia for the way she’s battled this disease and she’s given him the hope and encouragement he needs -- now Chloe’s ongoing issues have pushed Olivia to beg John to pledge he’ll be there for her daughter because Chloe has spent over $450,000 on multiple plastic surgeries including breast enhancements and a nose job and lip enhancements and Botox and she’s also battled anorexia and depression which led to bouts with cocaine and alcohol addiction -- Olivia has always been deeply concerned about who would look out for Chloe if she wasn’t around and now that she can see the end is near she asked John to be that person; he never blinked an eye and said of course

Page 5: Ozzy Osbourne’s frail and feeble appearance has friends fearing for the rocker but he has no plans to abandon a 2022 comeback even if it kills him -- the 72-year-old singer has battled Parkinson’s disease and crippling nerve damage but has vowed he will die onstage -- nobody disputes he has the heart of a lion and it’s great to see him out and about again recording music and talking the good talk but ultimately Ozzy is a very sickly guy who needs to protect himself and not charge around trying to delude himself by living life at a pace that doesn’t make sense anymore

Page 6: Rattled reality star Kylie Jenner is living in fear after being terrorized by two crazed fans and is now spending $350,000 a month on a 25-person security detail -- Kylie filed court documents seeking a restraining order against Justin Bergquist who allegedly broke into her $36.5 million California home last month

Page 7: Lonely Ryan Seacrest may have nearly half a billion bucks in the bank but he’d trade in his riches for another shot at love -- he was so devastated by his breakup with on-again off-again galpal Shayna Taylor last summer he fears he may never find a woman to spend the rest of his life with and he now realizes her put his career before his personal life one too many times and may suffer for it forever -- Ryan’s recent health woes have been a wake-up call and forced him to understand the price he’s paying for taking his partners for granted for so long -- Ryan now realizes life is too short to go it alone and it’s finally dawned on him he’s not invincible and not so self-sufficient after all

* Miley Cyrus’ admission that she’s had a lot of FaceTime sex has left friends and advisers fearing she may be setting herself up for some unwanted exposure -- though Miley explained she’s turned to virtual hookups to avoid physical contact during the pandemic but she’s putting herself at an entirely different kind of risk and she’s setting herself up as a potential victim of revenge porn

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Brooke Burke showed off her toned figure in Malibu, Andrew Garfield looked bored on the NYC set of Tick Tick...Boom!, Busy Philipps cleaning, Audrina Patridge and her daughter Kirra on a Beverly Hills playdate

Page 11: Guy Fieri is eating up heaps of praise for handing out $500 grants to more than 43,000 restaurant workers across the nation -- he scrambled to raise over $21.5 million in seven weeks to help legions of unemployed restaurant laborers who have suffered financially due to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis -- through his new Restaurant Employee Relief Fund Guy personally buttonholed fat cats at cash-rich corporations such as PepsiCo and Uber Eats and Moet Hennessy USA to make donations -- he shows how he did it and shines a light on the industry’s continuing challenges in Restaurant Hustle 2020 a documentary he produced for the Food Network

* Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are spreading yuletide cheer with their TV holiday special but they’re more interested in ringing cash registers than Christmas bells -- Garth and Trisha rake in $60 million a year from concert ticket sales and CD purchases and merchandising but the couple saw their cash flow slow during the pandemic -- they lost a bunch of money but they had the unique opportunity to do TV specials and grab a big chunk of it back -- while the $10 million they are pocketing for their TV specials won’t make up for what they would have netted on tour it was a sweet stocking stuffer and they both want to get back on the road and really rake it in but TV has made the wait a lot easier

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- With Beyonce and Taylor Swift facing off for Song of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards producers are scrambling to prevent another Kanye West explosion like what happened in 2009

* Killing off The Talk may be the only hope of saving Drew Barrymore’s tanking talk show

* The Real Housewives of New York are treating the first Black cast member Eboni K. Williams with kid gloves because no one wants to come across as racist

* Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts (picture)

Page 13: January Jones’ desperate bid for online attention has pals concerned she may be cracking up -- her red-hot career appears to have cooled since Mad Men ended in 2015 and January is dying to land another plum part like Betty Draper but she’s going about it the wrong way -- she’s been posting sexy bikini pictures and leggy dance numbers on Instagram but that’s not the way to catch the eye of casting directors especially with so few shows in production during the COVID-19 lockdown

* Caitlyn Jenner has reached out to trans actor Elliot Page offering to be his big sister in an opportunistic PR ploy -- while Caitlyn was one of many trans celebs including Jazz Jennings and Geena Rocero to offer Elliot congratulations and support, Caitlyn viewed the announcement as a new opportunity to leap back into the limelight and she believes that by aligning herself with Elliot she can regain her status as an activist and the symbol of transgender rights in Hollywood -- Elliot is happy to listen to Caitlyn’s advice but he’s been navigating his gender issues for years and doesn’t need guidance and he’s not going to be rude but he doesn’t need the help

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: A never-before-heard audio recording is of iconic soul singer James Brown’s wish to leave his $100 million fortune to educate poor children -- in the garbled 1999 recording the singer who died suddenly in 2006 called the creation of his I Feel Good foundation his lasting legacy but his precious foundation has not seen a dime because his fortune has remained tied up in court since his death which is the subject of an investigation by the Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney’s office after allegations surfaced that Brown might have been poisoned by someone after his money

Page 16: American Life

Page 17: What Shocked and Rocked in 2020 -- the best scoops and stories of the year

Page 25: Fired Hillsong Church pastor Carl Lentz was so starstruck by his celebrity parishioners he believed he was a star himself and his ego fueled his shocking fall from grace and now he’s getting mental health treatment after being accused of cheating on his wife and getting sacked for moral failures -- Carl tended the trendy megachurch’s New York City flock and regularly rubbed shoulders with celebs including NBA star Kevin Durant and singer Selena Gomez and even once invited Justin Bieber to live with him before being booted by bigwigs but now he’s said to be getting help at an outpatient facility specializing in depression and pastoral burnout but cunning Carl may have made the move simply to revamp his wrecked reputation

Page 26: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are heading to couples therapy in a desperate bid to stay together because their marriage is hanging by a thread -- the pair are at each other’s throats as they struggle to adjust to their new life in America -- Harry’s gone from being excited about the move to feeling tortured and it’s like he swapped his royal prison in Britain for a new hell in a $14 million California mansion and he fears he’s made a terrible mistake but Meghan’s ordering him to man up and grab this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make millions away from the monarchy’s suffocating shadow -- the fighting came to a head before the holidays when Harry was feeling especially homesick and guilty about abandoning his family especially his brother Prince William and his grandmother Queen Elizabeth -- adding to their troubles Meghan seems hellbent on staying in the public eye during the pandemic and she masterminded their personal video calls to charities in London and the U.S. and the secret deliveries of meals to the needy but then she made them public and the truth is it’s The Meghan Show now and Harry’s just the side act

Page 27: A charming Chinese spy bedded two Midwestern mayors and courted other clueless politicians to weasel her way into U.S. government circles -- Chinese national Christina Fang also known as Fang Fang, reportedly entered the U.S. as a college student in 2011

Page 31: Candice Bergen moaned that at the age of 74 she’s a wreck and that she has a wattle -- Candice admitted to having her eyes done while filming the Murphy Brown reboot because they were very hooded and as for today she knows she should have injections because she has deep lines along her lip but she can’t take the pain

* Rachael Ray lost her New York home to a blazing inferno but her holidays were salvaged by the warmth of community spirit -- following the devastating fire she and her husband moved into the property’s guesthouse and in a clip on The Rachael Ray Show the emotional host showed off her festively decorated digs and gushed she didn’t know where she’d be without friends and a community and people so dear to her that helped her bring Christmas to life even when you’re not at home

Page 32: Health Watch -- blood test predicts Alzheimer’s

Page 34: Longtime lovebirds Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are hoping to make a movie with their whole family -- the star-studded cast would include Goldie’s kids Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson and the couple’s son Wyatt Russell -- as for filming with the entire gang Goldie gushed that they have thought about it and she’d love to do something with her kids and the grandchildren too

* Hollywood Hookups -- Kristin Cavallari and Jeff Dye heating up, Malik Beasley and Larsa Pippen dating but Malik’s wife Montana Yao filed for divorce, Chrishell Stause and Keo Motsepe dating

Page 36: Infamous Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont has a storied history of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll ever since it opened its doors in 1929 and nearly a century later it hasn’t been tamed -- even during the pandemic the majestic hotel is wild with drunks, overdoses and luckily averted suicide attempts and according to 911 records the debauched celebrity haunt is filled with people having breakdowns -- the Chateau’s crazy days and nights are legendary: it’s where John Belushi died in one of the bungalows in 1982 from a deadly cocaine-heroin concoction

Page 38: One of the most iconic images from the James Bond films which is a handgun used by Sean Connery in Dr. No has sold for $256,000 at auction in Beverly Hills -- the gun is a deactivated semi-automatic Walther PP pistol -- the winning bidder who asked to remain anonymous is an American who’s seen every James Bond film with his children -- a helmet created for Tom Cruise in Top Gun also sold at the auction for $108,000 while a sword used by Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction sold for $35,200

* Dolly Parton has one major thing left on her bucket list which is she wants to see Beyonce sing Jolene one of the country star’s signature songs -- Jolene has been recorded more than any other song Dolly has ever written but that isn’t enough for her because she also wants to see it updated by one of the top female stars of a new generation -- it has been recorded worldwide over 400 times in lots of different languages but nobody’s ever had a really big hit record on it and Dolly always hoped somebody might do it someday by someone like Beyonce

* Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has wrestled his way into the alcohol market with his own tequila brand and lifted it into first place as the most successful spirit launch in history and he’s even on track to double George Clooney’s first-year launch -- Dwayne is expected to move more than 300,000 cases of small-batch Teremana Tequila in its first year of trading

Page 40: Smitten singer Rihanna has fallen hard for A$AP Rocky but friends fear the playboy rapper will leave her broken-hearted -- Rocky is a charming guy but he also has a love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation and everyone’s concerned she’s more into him than he is into her -- Rihanna’s desperate to meet a man she can see herself with for the rest of her life and she believes Rocky might be the one but everybody thinks she’s rushing into things with Rocky -- Rocky is not interested in a long-term romance and Rihanna shouldn’t be thinking of this as more than a port in the storm

* Lizzo is livin’ large and she’s showing every inch of her jiggles and folds on TikTok -- the body-positivity enthusiast wore a white bikini for an all-angles video in which she amply demonstrated the tricks models and celebs use to look slimmer -- she bared her belly and back and legs and sometimes jiggled her thighs or grabbed a hunk of herself to prove there’s more to luscious ladies than meets the eye and wrote, “Wild to see the body positive movement come so far. Proud of the big girls who gave it wings.”

Page 42: Red Carpet -- The Crown stars -- Claire Foy, Emma Corrin, Gillian Anderson, Vanessa Kirby, Erin Doherty

Page 47: Odd List -- baseball fan Darren Johnson hatched an unusual idea for his new chicken coop making it a model of Houston’s former Eighth Wonder of the World The Astrodome

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celtfather · 2 years ago

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Irish Sessions With Kinnfolk #609

Today we have a special treat, an interview with Kinnfolk! Mitchell Petersen, our engineer behind the curtain, talks with Josh & Julie Kinn about their latest adventures as they take us on a journey to the sessions of Ireland. Fun stories and insights, lessons learned, and an episode bursting with tune sets! It’s all right here this week on The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, show #609!

Kinnfolk, Arise & Go, Mary - Grace Autumn Lee, Cavort Celtic, The Tannahill Weavers, ÚLLA, The Gothard Sisters, Lilt, Wolf & Clover, Jon Pilatzke, House of Hamill, The Fire, West of Eden, Rising Gael, Marc Gunn

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VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2023

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Listen on Spotify and YouTube.

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

00:02 - Intro: Mitchell Petersen

00:06 - Arise & Go “Sheepskin and Beeswax / Le Voyageur / Roddy McDonald’s Fancy” from EP

04:05 - WELCOME / WHAT’S NEW WITH KINNFOLK

20:37 - Mary - Grace Autumn Lee “Return to Brooklyn: Muireann’s Jig/Trip to London (Jigs)” from Eyre

24:37 - Cavort Celtic “The Goat Set” from Kilted Cavort

31:17 - The Tannahill Weavers “Pipe Major George Allan Set” from Live And In Session

36:42 - ÚLLA “Fr. Kelly Set (Reels)” from Ulla

40:45 - KINNFOLK INTERVIEW: STORIES FROM THE ROAD

51:34 - The Gothard Sisters “Midsummer Jigs” from Story Girl

54:05 - Lilt “The Price of My Pig / The Coming of Spring / Paddy Fahy's” from X

57:47 - Wolf & Clover “The Columbus Set” from Twelvemonth and a Day

1:01:57 - Jon Pilatzke “The Canadian Set: Fisher's Hornpipe / Cotillon d'Avila LeBlanc / Reel du Forgeron (The Blacksmith's Reel)” from Amongst Friends

1:05:23 - KINNFOLK INTERVIEW: CELTIC MUSIC PERSPECTIVES

1:24:21 - Kinnfolk “Siúil a Rún” (live recording)

1:27:19 - House of Hamil “The Sneezing Loon” from Folk Hero

1:33:22 - The Fire “The Session Set” from Radiance

1:36:48 - West of Eden “The Scilly Set” from Safe Crossing

1:40:22 - Marc Gunn “Battle of Aughrim / Star of Muenster” From upcoming CD, Come Adventure With Me, feat. Sam Gollogily

1:43:57 - THANKS

1:48:39 - Rising Gael “The Parting Glass” from Roots

1:52:25 - CREDITS

This episode of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Mitchell Petersen, Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to subscribe to the show. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.

Todd Wiley is the editor of our Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.

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Check out this episode!

#celtic #Irish #Scottish #music #Ireland #Scotland

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thesevillereport · 4 years ago

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In Focus: GameStop

There may be no better feeling for a business owner than seeing a large demographic start to shift in your favor. For example, a company that specializes in faux fur or faux leather couches had to be excited when more of the society started to care about the treatment of animals and nature. Chipotle's market value increased as more Americans became health conscious, and began to question and analyze what they ate.

For video game companies the numbers started to look really really good in the early 2000s. At that time, a population of people who started playing video games on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 80s were beginning to graduate college and enter the "real world." A good portion of that generation, Generation X, still played video games, and now they were going to be able to financially support their own gaming habits. No more relying on mom and dad for games.

This was going to be a huge windfall of profits for gaming companies. My self for instance, by the mid 2000s, I could comfortably afford to purchase a few brand new games a month, and maybe more if I decided to cut back on something. Gaming companies were looking forward to this, and it's continued growth as more young adults stayed connected to gaming. GameStop (GME)

created a hiccup in the grand plan of the gaming companies by allowing gamers to buy and trade pre-owned games.

If you aren't aware of how it works, a customer walks into GameStop a week or two after a game is released, and asks for that game title, the GameStop employee by default sells them a pre-owned version of that game, unless the customer specifically requests a new game.

Through GameStop, brand new games were bought, played, and then sold back to GameStop. GameStop would then resell the game for a profit to another gamer, and the gaming companies only saw money from the first sale of their brand new game. To couple insult with injury, for game titles that were really in demand, GameStop would sell those used titles for only slightly less than the cost of a brand new copy.

GameStop circumvented billions of dollars from gaming manufacturers. Instead of someone like me buying two new games a month, I was often buying two used games a month, and only buying a new game when I was compelled to play a game right away, which wasn't often, because the real world left me with little time for gaming.

Operation Get Them The F*ck Out of Here

By the late 2000s and early 2010s the gaming companies had had enough of GameStop. As the Xbox One and PS4 were in the works, one of the issues both Microsoft (MSFT) and Sony (SNE) took on together was how to stop or slow the pre-owned game market.

The easy answer was to stop producing physical games, and instead just make everything digital. That ideal at the time would have mimicked the music industry, which had seen CDs all but disappear, but video games are much larger files than a full length Jay-Z album, and digital storage was getting cheaper, but it wasn't cheap at that time. Also, the internet infrastructure was still sketchy in many places around the world, and not everyone had access to high speed internet. A full game download over a bad internet connection could take hours to complete.

Microsoft flirted with an idea of a digital lock that would bound one game to one system, making it impossible for the game to be played on any other system after it was played on and matched to its host system.

Essentially, the GameStop problem was solved by gaming companies creating downloadable content or DLC. Now gaming companies sell to consumers what they say is a completed game, but then charges the consumer to make character upgrades or obtain tools that can make the game play easier or more fun. DLCs are purchased while playing the game, and have allowed game companies to get even more money out of consumers ($60 to purchase the game, and then more money spent on DLC), and it's caused gamers to keep games longer, because DLCs can extend the life of a game by adding difference levels and challenges, which again, the gamer has to pay for to access.

In addition to the DLC, the rise of smartphone gaming has been a thorn in the side of GameStop. Also, digital space is now the cheapest it's ever been, making digitally distributed games an option for gamers. Both Sony and Microsoft's newest consoles come in versions especially made for digitally distributed games. In these models, there is no CD drive to insert a physical game.

DLC, mobile gaming, and digitally distributed games together has been able severely hurt GameStop's stock price. In late 2013 the stock was trading above $55 per share, and it entered 2020 trading at under $6 per share, an 89% drop in a little over six years.

GameStop 2021

Today it appears GameStop's stock has gotten it's swagger back. The stock closed last week at $65.01, it even halted trading on Friday January 22, 2021 due to the volatility in the stock. Traders ran the stock up to as high as $77 per share on the day.

The GameStop's hype started last summer when Chewy (CHWY) co-founder Ryan Cohen's investment firm RC Ventures bought a 9% stake in GameStop. In the past week Cohen secured a board seat at GameStop, which played a big part in the week long rally in GameStop's stock.

Cohen helped build Chewy into a real player in the pet care space, which prompted PetSmart to acquire the company for over $3 billion. Investors are looking to Cohen to do it again, but this time with GameStop.

There's also a massive short squeeze that played out, that also contributed to the rocket-like rise in GameStop's stock price. The short squeeze occurred when investors who were short GameStop had to buy the stock to cover their positions as the stock price started increasing. The rapid buying of GME by short sellers to cut losses or prevent bigger losses helped to drive the stock price higher. A Barron's article suggests that GameStop short sellers have lost nearly $3 billion betting against the stock in 2021, ouch.

My Concern

My concern about the newfound love for GameStop centers around the company's problem, and what investors believe is GameStop's problem. Chewy has been applauded for its ability to survive against Amazon (AMZN)

(It's too early to say they've beaten Amazon). Because GameStop is considered a brick-and-mortar retailer, I believe investors see Amazon as the problem, which is understandable because Amazon is the problem for most brick-and-mortar retailers. Unfortunately, Amazon is not GameStop's biggest problem, and I say unfortunately because GameStop's problem is much bigger.

GameStop is disliked by the gaming industry. They're the partner none of the other partners care for. EA, Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, TakeTwo, Activision, they all win big with GameStop gone. With GameStop as we know it now gone, the plan I discussed earlier goes back into motion, and video game playing adults are back to buying new games all of the time, with a few going to eBay for pre-owned games. How does Cohen and his firm fix this issue?

Personally I'm out on this one, I'll watch it all play out from the sidelines. We won big shorting GameStop back in 2017, but I'm not ready to short it here. Investors should beware here at $65 per share. If you believe you see a solid pathway towards success for GameStop, and you believe that pathway leads to the company being worth more than $4 billion, then by all means, invest a way. To me, at this price level, it feels that the best possible plans for GameStop have already been incorporated into the stock price, not leaving much value to invest in at this time.

#stocks #Investing #GameStop #Gaming #VideoGames #Money #StockMarket #WallStreet #eSports

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suchalilyofthevalley · 5 years ago

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What kind of path do you see Camila’s career taking, outside of her connection with Shawn Mendes? How do you feel about her publicity/marketing teams? Are they doing too much or too small, based off of your own experiences?

Full disclosure – I am not a fan. Wasn’t into of 5H (which I mentioned herein the Normani ask earlier today) and really wasn’t a fan of her once she went solo. I’m approaching this solely from PR professional/music industry perspective here.

Her team first and foremost needs to understand what I call separation of churchand state. Right now, ALL you see is her and Shawn. There’s little to no separate entity of it. They played it all through from the drop of Senorita to album press to tour press to second single push. It’s all her talking points seemed to be about during anything on press. Little on the album, heavy on the relationship and the Shawn of it. They’ve had a loud social buzz from her fan base through it all, but it has not translated into transactions, sales, traction with general mass pop or anything of the like. And let’s be honest the approach they’ve been taking - it ain’t working. That’s not opinion (which of mine it is) it’s fact.

Let’s break it down for proof’s/facts sake:

Album sales were lackluster stateside for a sophomore release with the amount Sony was throwing at it. It may have somewhat ok overseas, but the US - it didn’t move the units. Yes, it was a top 5 debut on the charts coming in at 3 with 86K in equivalent units, but it only moved 50k in pure sales, 30,000 stream-equivalent sales resulting from 40.6 million on-demand streams (which I would love to know how many are Seniorita pre-album drop), and 2,000 track-equivalent sales. Sourcing/thanks to Billboard and the charting master Keith for this. It maxed out at a top 2 position before sliding off the top of the chart.

Singles really didn’t get high up (not taking into consideration Seniorita because that success came before the album dropped as much as it’s on her album) nor get a ton of spin on the radio. Streaming numbers can be shifted the same way due to the single “non-single” being included. The secondary push of My Oh My was a valiant effort, but considering it dropped so soon after the album push/press, other than Fallon, you didn’t see a lot of major outlets doubling up on the press ops or support.

Let’s not forget the tour that they couldn’t sell and fill. Scaling for it was high meaning ticket prices weren’t too forgiving I think at ON SALE the cheapest ticket was 99 upwards of 899 for platinum/VIP (give or take a few bucks on either side on both of these). It was a new promoter for this tour (went from smaller scaled/smaller venue Live Nation produced tour playing theatersand smaller GA venues to AEG/Messina Touring production in a massive haul across the globe). The first headlining tour kicked off in Spring 2018 so not too far in the distant past, something like 16 US/Canada dates but again,smaller venues. This new tour also jumped from places like Terminal 5 in NYC where she played on the first tour straight into a venue like MSG. T5′s max cap is 3,000. MSG depending on the concert setup is almost 21,000. That’s a MASSIVE JUMP in a short period of time. This new tour routing was 28 across US/Canada/Mexico in venues that are 3-5-7 times the size she was playing last. I did see they added some dynamic pricing models for some buildings, doing me + 3 ticket packs with TM and dropping some price points through their scaling. It also was super telling when Ticketmaster went from the dot map matrix for some venues that they’ve been loving to tout to fans so you can see exactly down to the minutia where you’re sitting, to the greyscale here’s the map and this is what we’re pulling for ‘best available’ for you. Last I had seen, venues were looking somewhere between a 20-45ish% capacity. Even with as far out as some of the dates were, from a building/promoter perspective, that raises some red flags.

PERSONAL OPINION ON TOURING (given I’ve worked touring and venues before): They never should have transitioned her into venues like that just yet. This should have been a summer/fall/winter outing starting in sheds/amps outside here in North America where max caps can range from 9k to 15k depending on the market and are probably more forgiving when ticket sales aren’t there - ex: PNC Bank Arts Center in NJ, their set up is seated amp then a whole back lawn for GA seating. Then, transition over to closed buildings in Europe/South America/wherever else they had her routed where you’ve got some more flex over closed building size.

She was everywhere and anywhere pimped out to the max. We all saw it. Anywhere she could have been on, she was and then some. Like it got to be well-oversaturated overkill. The partnerships they did like The 1-800-Flowers Valentine’s day promo with buy roses and here’s a pair of tickets, the CD bundles, concert ticket bundles they were throwing at it, the sheer amount of PAID radio, digital and streaming ad promo. There were entire FULL WEEK LONG takeovers of ticket giveaways for this well after the on-sale date. Like one Adult Contemporary station in New York, Fresh 102.7, it was anytime ANYONE calls in, even if it’s not a call in to win, we’ll give you tickets. There were long blocks of giveaways like that on Z100 here in NYC too, like 6 times a day we give away for a long weekend Fri-Mon. Like Sony threw everything and the damn kitchen sink at this and now we can look back and see the results.

PERSONAL OPINION: I don’t think they’ve done a good job, I think they need to work smarter and definitely more strategic. It shouldn’t be about volume and quantity and mass overload spray and pray - it should be about quality and making moves that matter. It should be about the music, and her as an artist, not who she’s seeing and sleeping with now. They need to brush up on the media prep and media training for sure before any ops or big press tour undertakings. They took a massive jump and risk this go on a sophomore release/campaign and they lost a bit. It’s in the numbers. You can’t dispute that. Coming off COVID pandemic, it’s going to be interesting to see how the industry shakes out, let alone how labels shift perspectives here. They had to have dropped massive bank on this album and tour support, and there’s not a lot of real returns. In talks of touring/rescheduling - building avails are going to be few and far between with everyone wanting to reschedule PLUS need to take into consideration there are already tours that have booked out dates for the next two years or have dates on hold with buildings that we don’t even know about yet. It’ll become do you tour even at all at this point, do you do abbreviated swings meaning fewer cities/more compact routing based off avails, do you push to 2021/2022 where there may be better avails but risk the fact it’s so far out from album release that is it even worth it/relevant at this point, do you shift from arenas to sheds/amps/outdoor spaces and you need to factor in the economic impacts of it all.

#anon #getting on my PR soapbox #cause publicists don't stop working #Anonymous

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