#especially stageworks

[icepoptroll]

Me after all the rtc productions

[doomedandstoned]

Shepherds Crook Doom the Moonlit Sky in Latest LP

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Album art based on a painting by Remedios Varo

I've been enamored SHEPHERDS CROOK from the moment I chanced upon 'Black Lake' (2018) some years gone, which inspired an impromptu review. Here is a band that should be, in my mind, every bit as familiar to aficionados of doom metal as Dopethrone, Bongzilla, and Cough. This opinion is founded on more than the strong emotional connection the music has made with me over the years. Every sludge lover I've had occasion to introduce the Trondheim duo to has taken to them immediately. Who can deny the appealing backwoods grit of "Uteseler" or the celebratory toke of "Smoke Diver"?

While their road game has yet to start, their track record in the studio is flawless with two stellar EPs and four highly regarded LPs notched around the belt already. The principal drivers of this project are multi-instrumentalist Ole Hell and vocalist Nestor. Together, they're a force to be reckoned with in the heavy underground, with Ole's penchant for composing dank rhythms and forlorn guitar leads that touch a nerve every time. Nestor completes the picture with characteristic gravelly crooning that carries more evil, hissing ire than a den of pissed off vipers.

Before us lay the latest long-player of the lot, 'Mat For Månen' (2021) -- or "Food For The Moon" -- which is such a brilliant title when you consider how suitable this music is for humid summer nights full of barbeque, beer, and self-loathing. If the dog's fabled bark at the moon could be rendered in relatable terms, it might end up sounding like Shepherds Crook.

"The Narrow" cracks the bottle on the recording with an irradiated strum. This becomes the song's central theme, with bass and drums joining in, followed by Nestor's gruff, caustic strains. This dirge of doom is unrelenting, with the riff simultaneously establishing the melodic core and rhythm. It's a tight track with no room for fat, not even for one of Ole Hell's trademark guitar solos -- though the woeful axeman does drop an ominous footnote during the song's closing seconds.

The titular "Mat For Månen" is next in queue and dons quite a downcast mood, with guest artist Stian Sumstad's basswork carrying the song to several emphatic moments that border on epic. The guitar has an opportunity to really shine on this one, with a melodic lead midway through that seems to be telling us secrets buried in the woods 'neath these mysterious moonlit skies.

Photograph by Magnus Olsen

Though I'm far from an angry drunk, "Barfight" has me feeling the rage that comes along with imbibing a bit too much and making enemies at the table before the night's all said and done. The song sets off a nasty blues vibe that makes me feel braver than I really am, inspiring a swing at my enemies -- real or (in this state likely) imagined.

Our four-song excursion grinds to a finish with "Ingen Morgenkvist" which does sad as only Shepherds Crook can. Though I'm uncertain of the precise meaning ("morgenkvist" has no English equivalent), my best detective work has me believing the song title could be approximated "No Morning Seen." This number has a certain weight to it -- and not merely because of its 16-minute runtime. Despite the familiar joshing about how long doom bands are prone to playing ("I just got here, what did I miss?" "Nothing yet, they're still on their first song!"), it takes strong songwriting and a steady hand of musicianship to pull off low and slow in a way that works convincingly for the listener. Here, the song has a balladic feel (it's based on a poem by poem by Jørgen Nygard) that builds gradually, layer upon layer, with Mr. Hell's guitar doing the kind of singing that defies words, yet somehow succeeds in rendering meaning.

Overall, Mat For Månen is a welcome addition to the Shepherds Crook oeuvre. It succeeds in delivering the unique sound of the band with a depth that gives it staying power. Perhaps it will find a welcome home in your playlist, to. Releasing July 2nd (at which point it will be available for purchase here), the record is presented in its world premiere courtesy of Doomed & Stoned.

Give ear...

LISTEN: · Shepherds Crook - Mat For Månen (2021)

Shepherds Crook: The Rundown

Interview with guitarist Ole Hell Photographs by Magnus Olsen

How did Shepherds Crook get its start?

It started out as some kind of experiment back in 2017 when I (Ole) rented this little studio room in a larger studio space of a friend of mine.

The first track we did was "Outlaw Speedking", based on a riff I made on the spot when I found my acoustic guitar after many many years of not playing. I got myself some new gear and just started to record.Nestor heard it and got hyped, wrote some lyrics and recorded the vocals in one take, first try. We knew that we had to do more songs and about a month later we released Black Lake. We did five releases from 2017 to 2019. I do everything from recording to mixing and mastering, so it's been a learning process for me as far as making heavy music sound good, with every release I think it sounds a little bit better.

Where did the name Shepherds Crook come from?

Actually I thought it was a fascination for walking sticks from hiking in the woods or whatever, but Nestor reminded me the other day that the name came from a dream I had years ago where I was going to make a band called Shepherds Crook. I can't really confirm that as I don't remember. Blame the beers.

How would you describe your "sound" to someone who hasn't yet listened to your records?

We're all over the place as far as I'm concerned. We started out with more of a stoner vibe and kind of mixed in elements of doom and sludge. The vocals might be weird for a lot of stoner rock fans, and the riffs might be too boring for everyone that is into "metal" but likes the vocals. This is our impression from people anyways. But back to the sound; it's heavy riffs, moody melodies and mean vocals. I think we kind of got our own thing going at this point, we care less and less about these "doom" and "stoner" labels these days to be honest.

Walk us through each track on 'Mat For Månen' and tell us about what the songs mean and/or how they originated.

We do like the idea that the listener can interpret and make up his own mind what the tracks mean. But, basically the general idea for the album is the moon and how it connects to organic life on earth. Mat For Månen is norwegian for "Food for the moon" and is based on the same concept laid out by the mystic G. I. Gurdjieff (and to some extent Ouspensky and others), I won't lay the whole thing out here, but if anybody is interested they could check that out.

The tracks touch on this topic in various ways like lunacy, the saturn connection, no dawn, wizards and shit, lol. The songs are also pretty varied on this one, from that stoner doom thing to a more heavy blues vibe, doom and stoner metal.

As a side note, we recorded the album at a place called "Månen" (the moon), the place of a buddy of ours. Cool thing is he joined on vocals for two of the tracks and It sounds awesome. He might be joining us on bass and co-vocals whenever we get our asses on stage.

Speaking of stagework, has Shepherds Crook had a chance to get out and tour much?

I mean, not really. In the beginning it was just me playing all the instruments as a studio project. Then after a while we had a couple of drummers come in and a bass player. We started rehearsing to play live then some of us couldn't make it due to different reasons, etc. We still have plans to make it happen at some point in the near future.

Give us an overview of your discography so far.

Black Lake (2018) Uteseiler (2018) Evil Magician (2018) Carved In Smoke (2019) Dauseiler (2019) Mat For Månen (2021)

Black Lake by Shepherds Crook

Uteseiler by Shepherds Crook

Evil Magician by Shepherds Crook

Carved In Smoke by Shepherds Crook

Dauseiler by Shepherds Crook

Are there any records or songs that you are especially proud of?

I know we're both pretty happy with Uteseiler as a whole and the last track of Dauseiler: "Serpent Ropes". Also, Mat For Månen is pretty decent I would say.

What does the future hold for Shepherds Crook?

I'm in the process of writing riffs for another album, but have no idea when it will be finished. It could take a while. We have other projects going as well.

Nestor (the singer) is now in this black metal band and I'm doing my other thing Vandrer (instrumental doom), you can check it out on vandrer.bandcamp.com.

We also got a new drummer: Trollhammer aka Jan Olav, an old childhood buddy. We were in a death metal band together in the early-mid 90's and he's been in many death metal bands since then.

He will be doing the drums on both Shepherds Crook and Vandrer from now on, bringing that extra punch to the face (and groin area).

What is your philosophy of life? How do you see the world, your place in it, etc.?

Well, we got all kinds of crazy renegade ideas. While we wait for that book, just insert any Lemmy quote of choice!

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[brothermarc7theatre]

“La Cage aux Folles” show #800

800 shows into my road to 1,000, and I’m still affected by extremely good and well-performed musical theatre. StageWorks Fresno has closed their sold out run of the Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical, La Cage aux Folles, adapted from Jean Poiret’s play of the same name. This production was, indeed, extremely good and very well-performed. Co-directors J. Daniel Herring and Josh Montgomery (who also choreographed) did this lovely score and poignant book justice with their staging, attention to scene work, and due diligence in ensuring that the words permeated the audience’s experience as much as the singing, dancing, and costumes did. This La Cage aux Folles truly sung several messages which audiences of 2019 need to hear and be reminded of.

Joel C. Abels delivered a marvelous Albin, better known as Zaza to his fans. Mr. Abels’ vocals glimmered in “(A Little More) Mascara” as the audience gets to know this man behind the wig a little more; he carried the heft of the song and comedy in a swirling title number, complete with precise punchline delivery and hip bumps to really dig into that nightclub, vaudeville style; and he brought it home with an absolutely sterling “I Am What I Am” to close out the first act in emotionally vulnerable flair. In a year where pronouns have become more and more valued and discussed, referring to oneself as what as opposed to who is all the more affecting, something I believe Jerry Herman knew when he first wrote the song, and something which Mr. Abels conveyed with excellence. Terry Lewis, playing Albin’s husband, Georges, was a pleasant, domineering host of the club, level-headed partner to the more dramatic Albin, and dedicated father to the very conservative and motivated Jean-Michel. Mr. Lewis had a great balance to his character, leaning into charming host when in the club, caring lover of Albin in a very tender, focused “Song on the Sand,” and deeply benevolent father who is simply trying to do right by his son. A point of truly moving staging was in the scene leading up to “Song in the Sand,” where Albin entered with sunglasses (even though it’s night time, pointed out sarcastically by Georges), and a big hat to fend off any attention. However, as the song began and progressed, the blockade accouterments were left on the table as Mr. Lewis and Mr. Abels headed upstage towards the moonlight, allowing them to be intimate and totally themselves in front of each other, a romantic trust that makes the inevitable bad news all the more heartbreaking when uttered.

Ryan Torres and Jared Serpa were featured standouts as Jean-Michel and “butler,” Jacob, respectively. Mr. Torres was a steadfast Jean-Michel, who made his intentions onto marry his beloved Anne so crystal clear that it made his request of Albin being absent for the meeting of the parents all the more logical, though not agreeable. Mr. Torres’ easy tenor expressed his deep-seated love in a very well-sung “With Anne on my Arm.” Mr. Serpa nailed the sitcom physicality in each of his scenes, being a source for eye-rolling laughs (that’s a good thing) and deep-belly guffaws. And then there were those glorious Cagelles, who were all fabulously costumed by Kristine Doiel and beautifully wigged/hair-designed by Eric Gomez, stealing the show with every song-and-dance. The opening “We Are What We Are” kicked the show off with splendor and fan kicks, and later the Cagelles gave us a tap and can-can delight that had you on the edge of your seat, waiting to applaud their excellent work as they executed Mr. Montgomery’s excellent choreography.

Featured standout performances came from the Renaud family, potential in-laws and betrothed of Jean-Michel. Mark Standriff delivered a fine job as the blustery politician whose agenda goes against everything Georges and Albin stand for; Karen Hansen-Smith was a wonderful wife and mother who is waiting to break out from her husband’s control and demeaning comments; and Sydney Ennis, whose polite disposition made her defiant stance in staying with Jean-Michel amidst the revealing of Georges and Albin’s homosexuality all the more affecting. Meg Clark had just enough solo and character work to make her Jacqueline an absolutely charming character to watch and hear. The technical aspects were in top form, transforming the intimate Dan Pessano Theater into an even more intimate club, thanks to Mr. Abels’ stellar, locale-specific scenic design. Ryan Dirlam’s musical direction set up the band for absolute success, whose playing of this beloved score was on fire the Saturday matinee I attended.

 If you missed seeing this show, then it is a shame; this a not-oft-done musical, and yet, it is one that should be done more, (especially when you have somebody like Mr. Herring and Mr. Montgomery at the helm with the cast they had). Try to catch the next one!

[araniaart]

Ace Comic Con Report!

@shipperhipster and I road-tripped to Arizona for Ace Comic Con in Glendale!  (Afterwards, we made a side-trip to the Grand Canyon to make it a real vacation before heading home - more photos on that later!) BUT wanted to post about the experiences at the con! I did a separate write-up about how awesome it was to meet two of the top Art Designers of the MCU (Andy Park and Ryan Meinerding) HERE There were a lot of ups and downs about the convention itself.  The SUCKIEST was that Chris Evans got sick the 2nd day of the con, which is the day we had our tickets to meet him/get photographs.  It was going to be our first chance to actualy do a photo-shoot with both us with Chris & Seb together, and we were really looking forward to that.  On top of that, Chris was only days off of filming Avengers 4, and he was actually in a rare state of clean-shavenness (which as much as I do love beardy-Steve, he still looks the most like iconic Steve Rogers to me when he’s clean-shaven.  We had planned on capitalizing on that for some photo shoot poses :/ )   That being said, we still feel like we couldn’t be that upset about that. We’ve had the chance to meet him before and took an awesome photo with him.  We had friends there who were going to be meeting him for the first time, and there were even people who had flown in from countries all over the world to meet him that may not have gotten the chance :( That being said, all in all, even with the disappointment of not getting to see Chris Evans, we still had a great time, and the things that did go well went very well.

Speaking of international visitors, right as we were heading in, an Uber pulled around and asked us if either of us spoke Japanese.  Which was absolutely coincidental since I did actually take four semesters of it in college - even though it had been a long time, I knew enough to help translate between the young woman who had flown in by herself to the convention and the Uber driver.  She was so sweet, another huge stucky fan, and we chatted as we waited in line to get into the con!  (I have a terrible memory for names, but I believe she was Kanoko!)   She was super sweet, excited to be there, and her sister had even spotted us at a different convention before and had photos of us - such a small world!  She had a great movie-accurate Bucky Backpack with her that she was going to get signed ^^

The Location of the Arena was wonderful - since the stadium is designed to deal with a LOT of people, the area was beautiful with a ton of shops and restaurants in easy-walking distance that could easily handle feeding the crowds.  There was an amazing Japanese place we went to called Kabuki after the con that only had a very short wait and some delicious sushi.  There was a movie theater, Dave & Busters, bars who had decorated to cater to the comic convention crowd, and all-around a great time :) A comic convention IN an arena, however... there were definitely some growing pains.  While the photo shoots were great, and they are run by a different company, all of the autographs were up in the top level of the arena - which meant if you had a narrow time-gap between a photo and an autograph, it could be tough.  You had to sit in the very tight (especially if you were in a costume) nose-bleed seats that were angled so as vertigo could be a thing.  It also meant that when you were waiting for your turn, since they were pulling people up a row at a time, you couldn’t watch other people interact with the guests while you were waiting.  

The con also did not allot NEARLY enough time for the autographs.  Sebastian Stan was running over an hour over his allotted time and the staff was rushing him with talking to people - we were at the end of his line, and when we came up he was talking to a handler about why they didn’t budget enough time, and feeling bad bout not getting time with visitors.  Such to the point that while he was signing something for him and we were waiting for him to finish/finish speaking with the staff so we could say hi, one of the staff was trying to rush us out “you got your signature ladies, now go!”  - I’m thankful Shipper said something - along the lines of we paid to at least get the chance to say Hi to him, and poor Seb - was very apologetic even though we weren’t directing it at him/he wasn’t the one trying to rush us out before we said anything.  BUT - My wife got the chance to compliment him on his work on I, Tonya (during the panel, the emcee had spoken to Anthony Mackie and Chris Evans about other roles they’d done, but then asked Seb about The Martian (which he was in like 5 minutes of) and asked how it was working with Ridley Scott (who Seb said was like acting in the dark - NO guidance at all) - and you could tell he was miffed that he hadn’t been asked about I, Tonya since that’s what he’s been promo’ing and the movie is up for some good awards and he has a significant role in it! He also said that he liked my costume!  Eeeee! Another down-side of the arena format was the stairs: we had brought a rolly-bag FULL of the MCU Artbooks (The bag probably weighed like 40 lbs)  for signatures but rolly bags are not convenient for stairs.  Most con floors - sure.  Thanks again to Shipper for hauling it up and down the arena stairs TWICE before we were able to get them signed and taken back to the hotel.  That being said, the upsides were good - All of the Arena staff were absolutely on-point.  They were helpful, concerned about the experience and knowledgeable.  When Chris cancelled they made sure guests had choice of alternatives (subbing-in a different op, doing partial-shoots and refunding the Chris “value” if he wasn’t there, or a full refund) - and stayed late to work on processing refunds.  When the exchange-your-printed-ticket-for a photo-op coupon line got RIDONKULOUS (across the entire arena floor, up the stairs, and around a corner in the next level, arena staff got on it to make sure that people expedited it.  And aside from the lady rushing us at Seb’s table, the rest of the con staff were nice and helpful.  which after Comicpalooza, was incredibly refreshing.  

That being said, one of my favorite things about cons - the artists’ alley where you have a lot of craftspeople selling interesting wares - was absent from the con.  They had BIG comic/pop toy/etc dealers on half of the arena floor, and then a big circle of pro artists selling almost exclusively prints (which is great, but I like a variety) all around the (rotunda?) ground floor of the arena hallway.  Then a few different vendors up around the signature area.  

Tom Holland was absolutely sweet.  I think that this was his first convention outside of SDCC - where he actually got to meet fans and interact with them.  He had his own private security team that had a second round of checks after the convention group and were more limiting props for shoots, but that’s understandable considering how young he is and how up and coming he is!  (And that this was his first con of this format I think) He was enthusiastic, friendly, and seemed genuinely excited to be there.  He had also volunteered to be a sub-in for Chris Evans with group photo shoots, staying late to help people out.  I missed most of his panel, but it looked like he was having a good time, and Ned’s actor was also thrilled to be there, taking photos of the crowd.   Tom also was having fun peeking out of the curtain of his signature area and waving at the people waiting for him.  

It was still a little weird for me to see all the girls likely half my age heart-throbbing after him XD  I had no idea how popular he was with teens, but it makes sense!   But we were thrilled to meet the MCU Spidey, get his autograph added to our shield, and I think he was an AWESOME Cast!

Signature Right in the blue in silver! Other things of note - Jon Bernthal makes me squee a little more every time I hear him talk.  He spoke in his panel about the experience that made him an actor.  He had gone to the college for sports, but wasn’t good enough for that to be a long-term career.  He had wound up taking an acting class for an elective because he thought it would be an easy class he could hang in the back of.  IT wasn’t what he expected and when he didn’t prepare for one class where he was supposed to bring a significant object and describe why it was meaningful, and seeing all his classmates breaking into tears talking about the things he brought, he felt put on the spot.  He dug out a baseball glove and made up a story about it being from his grandmother.  He had half the class in tears and felt bad - saying afterwards - no, man, this is just acting - it isn’t true.  The teacher then pulled him aside - and said that he broke the rules of acting - he wasn’t genuine - but that he had a gift.  She made him enroll in the play, and psuhed him.  She changed his life and he tattood her name on his wrist and she officiated his wife and his wedding.  

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Micro’s actor), on the other hand, obviously didn’t want to be there.  He came an hour late to his signing after a staffmember had to go retreive him, and apparently “came in with an attitude” about being rushed.  He was pleasant enough to us for the signing (and was pleased that people picked up on his character's interpretation being a Snowden analog) - but at the panel he had stank face the whole time, and when asked the same question about what got him into acting it was “it seemed like the most logical choice at the time.”  Moreover, when the emcee asked them about what their favorite role was the other actor had been in, Jon gushed about being a fan of Ebon’s work - his great role on Girls, some of his stagework, and Ebon just.... drew an uncomfortable blank - even after the fact two questions ago Jon had talked about his other roles.  The moderator had to offer him to “come back to him”.  It was kind of awkward.   Anyway!  All in all, the experience was worthwhile - and Shipper’s new iphoneX got some great photos of our cosplays :) 

[mrswearword]

In “honor” of this video’s premiere at the VMAs, let me go open season on this petty bitchfest.

The lead single from sssssssssinger/ssssssssssssssongwriter/SSSSSSSSNEK joke Taylor Swift’s upcoming album Reputation. Let’s get this out of the way right now. All of this “beef” with Katy Perry over backup dancers is some misguided PR stunt to combat the media attention in pitting female artists against one another. Or at least it better be because if “Swish Swish” was indeed a diss track against Swift and “Look What You Made Me Do” is indeed the response song, they’re both petty, childish, inept excuses for women in the music industry.

Especially ol’ SNEK Wrangler herself, Swift if the best she can do in this petty pissing contest is an immature chorus of “Look what you made me do”. Yeah, apparently at some point she was considered a sharp lyricist. Time flies when you’re so full of shit, the toilet is suing you for copyright infringement.

“Petulant utterance no one above the age of 13 should use” at least in production terms is legitimate pop ground Swift is experimenting with; having her music sound as juvenile and as near psychotic for no reason as apparently, she is over a bunch of fucking backup dancers that you can replace is weirdly fitting or “on brand”. The first few lines read as “I don’t like your little games/Don’t like your tilted stage/The role you made me play; as the fool/no I don’t like you”. She actually sings “No, I don’t like you.” Being blunt is one thing but what the hell made her think this was acceptable as a lyric? Again, she has apparently been considered as a great lyricist among her peers cough, BULLSHIT, cough cough. One line in particular which had two major fandoms in Kanye stans and Little Monsters think this song [or this line] was about Kanye or Gaga was “I don’t like your tilted stage”. Leave it to human Twitter stan, Zachary Campbell to point out that Katy [who this song is about, release date of Reputation be damned] had tilted stagework for her Superbowl Halftime performance. Reexamine the lyric video for “I don’t like your little games” and “don’t” is a knight or a black horse or in context…a “Dark Horse”. What could potentially give away the fact that this was a PR stunt gone awry or at least should give it away is the lyric “The role you had me play; of the fool” with emphasis on “The role you had me play”. It’s more than likely that Taylor is trying and failing miserably at making a larger point as a woman in the music industry, specifically with women being pitted against each other in the music industry. Perhaps, she and Katy are in on the whole thing and this manufactured beef was supposed to teach us all that pitting artist against artist over backup dancers is pointless and that blah blah look at the lyrics for these two and see if they actually had the ability to make this a larger picture about women in the industry.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Swift continues to petulantly write out “I don’t like your perfect crime/How you laugh when you lie/you said the gun was mine; isn’t cool”. To Swift, all I ask is what perfect crime did Katy commit, if all this feuding boils down to is you looking petty over expendable tour personnel? If the worst she ever did was refer to you as “the Regina George in sheep’s clothing” on Twitter, why the hell have you actively come out taking verbal swipes at her years later in a song for your upcoming release which will more than likely be a mediocre at best album? The remaining lyrics here are probably vanilla, trite and vague jabs at the court of public opinion or something of the sort.

Then, the lyrical pyrite from Swift’s amygdala controlled pen gets worse. The pre-chorus reads “But I got smarter/I got harder/in the nick of time/Honey, I rose up from the dead/I do it all the time/I got a list of names/and yours is in red, underlined/I check it once/then I check it twice…ooh” cracks knuckles oh boy, is there a lot wrong with how these lyrics present themselves from someone more pissed at some other singer for using backup dancers instead of say; Kim Kartrashian or Kanye West for the Snapchat incident no matter how much of a two-faced bitch she ended up coming across. First, let’s take a look at “I got smarter/I got harder/in the nick of time” which only makes sense when you consider her putting her catalog of 6-9 actual good songs and dozens of other middling shit back on Spotify the day Katy Perry’s album Witness was released. Yeah, Swift was smarter in releasing “Look What You Made Me Do” the same day Katy’s video for Swish Swish was released. All these moves made “in the nick of time” were apparently to spite Katy again, for using backup dancers. Hey Taylor, want to spite Katy Perry of all people with minimal effort? Show her pictures of your Grammy awards and MOVE ON.

Second, there’s the line of “Honey, I rose up from the dead/I do it all the time”. The only death she went through was well after 1989 had wrapped up and Kim Kartrashian’s Snapchat videos of Kanye calling her about the “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex” line in “Famous” and her trying to weasel her way out of saying it’s OK to use but then be all pretentious Grammy speech that means nothing given the circumstances. Coming back from that, months later after relatively keeping her mouth shut about a lot of things isn’t that frequent for her. Alas, here she is acting like a fucking phoenix from the ashes of losing out on acclaim for her album and era all because of Snapchat videos. Keep in mind, she still won the Album of the Year Grammy for 1989 in spite of SNEKgate. Third, “I got a list of names/and yours is in red, underlined”; bitch, who the fuck are you fooling acting like you’re The Bride from Kill Bill about to kill Vernita Green or O’Ren Ishii? Have several seats. The other line not dissected still sucks but what’s next is the petulant as fuck chorus.

“Look What You Made Me Do/Look What You Made Me Do/Look What You Just Made Me Do, Look What You Just Made Me…ooh” is already a poorly written chorus but probably just sanitized enough for Swift because she couldn’t sell “you got me so fucked up” or anything that could be considered well written in this mood of hers. Then, there’s the second set of lyrics which are less directed at Perry and more sounding like vague-posting on Facebook [or “vague-booking”] about someone who did her wrong. Well, at least after the contradictory lyric “I don’t like your kingdom keys/they once belonged to me”. So, if they were your keys to your kingdom, how did she get them but you still hate them…oh wait, it’s a shit lyric so who cares. Then, the vague-booking lyrics kick in; “You asked me for a place to sleep/locked me out/and threw a feast”. Two words to solve this problem; SPARE KEYS. What proceeds to be sung next is all this “My karma’s gonna run over your dogma” bumper sticker bullshit which begs the question…you’re really choosing to be this petty to someone and it’s apparently not a publicity stunt? Over backup dancers? REALLY?!

The bridge for this song further drives this manufactured tiff over the edge when she histrionically sings “I don’t trust nobody and nobody trusts me/I’ll be the actress starring in your bad dreams” four times in a row [someone please tell me where the hell the alleged lyrical genius of Taylor Swift is if she can’t deliver lyrics better than a double negative and a high fallutin’ way of saying nightmare] before delivering a spoken word declaration so wannabe teenage angst ridden, Lorde should sue her for plagiarism. “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ‘cause she’s dead.”

What else is that spoken word portion supposed to prove other than that aggression delivered by Taylor Swift reads as girl drama over nothing. Hell, the “oh, ‘cause she’s dead” bit sounds like her pulling that from her ass in the middle of recording it. “I need to explain why old Taylor isn’t coming to the phone…” “Taylor, we’re recording this” “…OH ‘CAUSE SHE’S DEAD.” “Fuck it, we’ll keep that in anyway.”

Overall, Taylor Swift’s latest stunt is a disgraceful, vindictive, bitchy effort which smears the reputation of every female songwriter past and present and upcoming if they’re dumb enough to listen to this and get songwriting inspiration. Then again, this is the same manic lunatic dumb enough to pull her catalog from Spotify when streaming was starting to count in music sales all in the name of “artist representation”. This is the same publicity craving stunt queen who once used her fans to improve upon her “can do no wrong” image in the name of Christmas present reaction videos on YouTube. This is the same person who takes after Lena Dunham’s interpretation of feminism which apparently means “anyone who doesn’t like what I do must clearly not be a feminist.”

The video itself? Empty gloss, self-deprecating humor that only worked on “Shake it Off” and Taylor acting like her videos have that many memorable looks. A 1/10 just like the song itself.

[v-is-a-cyberpunk]

E3 2017 IS DONE!!! Just wrapped up the last (and best) party and I'm so fucking thankful to be a part of this industry, especially the part that involves so many amazing people. I don't think the karaoke party I was just at could have happened anywhere in the world besides here and tonight. In other news, I got to actually work on shit in the press conference and on other channels. Plus, I had my first year of only business meetings and no staffing the PlayStation booth. I didn't have much time to check out the show floor, but I got to play: - Dragon Ball FighterZ - Far Cry - Assassin's Creed Origins - Space Junkies I also watched a hands-off demo of South Park and was at the Sony and Ubisoft press conferences. The Sony conference is sooooo amazing live and in person. So much stagework!! So yeah, again I'm left saying this was my best E3 yet. I'm super looking forward to working again on the stuff discussed in those meetings and can't wait to start on some new initiatives!

[southwrite]

Rising Demand Drives Development of Atlanta’s New Crop of Movie Studios

By Randy Southerland

Powered by a generous tax credit for film production and a film-friendly state government, Georgia has elbowed its way to the top tier of film capitals by offering a wide variety of shooting locations from mountains to shore to city streets.

It has also built an impressive infrastructure of film studios geared to all production budgets. There are currently about 37 studio and film production spaces in metro Atlanta and all of them are busy.

Craig Miller, who runs Craig Miller Productions Inc. and is chair of the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Advisory Commission, just shot his first independent feature film after decades of producing commercials and high-end corporate films.

“It was a long time coming but it was realization of something that could never have happened if the film industry had not grown and developed in the state of Georgia,” said Miller, who was among industry experts slated to discuss film infrastructure development at Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Business of Entertainment: Focus on Film event at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Dec. 8.

The growth of filming has sparked a wide variety of economic activity from film and TV production vendors such as lighting companies, caterers and lumber suppliers.

It has also created an influx of film professionals who are making the state their permanent residence.

“Certainly we are seeing a lot of producers and above-the-line people buying places in Georgia now,” said Lee Thomas, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Film, Music & Digital Entertainment office. “We have a lot of series going on here now. These are people who are putting down roots. They have got their children in school here.”

With the creation of the Georgia Film Academy, which offers film production classes and programs on 10 campuses, a new crop of professionals is being prepared to fill jobs in the industry.

“It’s a great signal to the studios and the production companies that we really are invested in this business,” said Thomas, who was slated to moderate the infrastructure panel on Dec. 8. “When we did the High Demand Career Initiative, the first one that was industry-specific was for the film industry. It’s a way to fast-track people into the industry and it really shows a support for the longevity of this industry.”

Georgia has benefited from an explosion of new TV productions. Along with the traditional networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and others are rushing to produce original programming.

These shows have sparked fierce competition for studio sound stages, prop houses, craftspeople and actors.

“Right now it’s a reflection on demand,” said Thomas. “There is no other market that has had the kind of investment we see in the film industry — especially this rapidly.”

In earlier years, most movie productions were shot on location or in warehouse space converted to sound stages. The lack of high end, purpose-built studios limited the types of productions that could come to the state.

When New York City-based EUE/Screen Gems Studios took over Atlanta’s Lakewood Fairgrounds in 2010, it became the first major studio company to locate in Georgia. The 10-stage campus, located south of downtown Atlanta, has hosted productions like “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” NBC’s “Satisfaction” and ABC’s “Devious Maids.”

“Yes, there is a huge boom in the production,” said EUE/Screen Gems Executive Vice President Kris Bagwell. “Not just because of the tax credit, but that’s the driving force. And it’s also (because Atlanta has) the biggest airport in the world and you can shoot every kind of outdoor situation except for desert and arctic. You have plains, mountains, beach, suburban, and urban.”

Studios like Screen Gems and Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, which has become the center of the Marvel film production universe, can handle big films, but they also command higher prices. Smaller films, including many TV shows, are still using repurposed warehouse space such as Atlanta-based film and television studio Mailing Avenue Stageworks. Founded by real estate investors Paul and John Raulet and Tyler Edgarton, the company has two studio spaces in Atlanta and another in Conyers, where CW productions such as “The Originals” and “The Vampire Diaries” are shot.

Unlike built-to-suit studios, the Raulet Property Partners strategy is to buy intown properties in neighborhoods that could be revitalized in coming years, so if the film industry in Georgia ever dies off, they would be able to convert their studio properties to other uses.

“We’re intown real estate investors, so we are coming from a long-term real estate play first, as well as the stage component at the same time,” said Edgarton. “The Pinewood facility is one of the best in the world and that’s why Marvel is leasing it, but there are plenty of other productions that don’t need all that infrastructure and buildings and can’t afford it. So we’re targeting maybe a more medium or smaller budget film.”

The resurgence of the commercial real estate market also took away many of the old warehouse spaces used by film companies. Landlords geared to signing tenants to 10- or 15-year leases, didn’t understand a film company that sticks around for six to nine months.

“You don’t have a normal real estate cycle or model,” said Edgarton. “You’re really as much of a cash-flow business as you are a real estate investment business.”

The large number of studios — both built and announced — has raised concerns of whether the supply of movies and TV projects will be able to fill them. The state has seen an upsurge in productions, which in the past faded away when costs rose.

“There is not this over-development of infrastructure that’s happened in Georgia,” said Miller. “What has happened is we met the growing demand for productions that are coming or being developed in Georgia to be produced.”

While the industry has grown and created a more or less permanent infrastructure of studios and support companies, keeping the film projects coming is still largely dependent on the state’s tax credit. Without it many of these projects would migrate to other locations that still offer the incentives.

“The way the industry is right now, if we got rid of the incentive it would definitely put a big ding in the kinds of business we could attract here,” said Thomas.

STUDIOS AND FILM PRODUCTION SPACES IN METRO ATLANTA

 1175 Chattahoochee

1200 White Street

166 16th Street

2302 Marietta Blvd.

2500/2510 Lantrac Court

281 Veterans Highway

Action Production Studios

ATLiER Props Office Space

Atlanta Film Studios Paulding County

Atlanta Filmworks

Atlanta Filmworks Austell

support spaces

Atlanta Media Campus aka OFS

Atlanta Metro Studios

Basecamp ATL

Corey Center

Eagle Rock Studios

East Mountain Studios

East Point Studios

EUE Screen Gems

Falcon Field

Georgia Public Television

Grant Park Cold Storage Building (former Baskin Robins Bldg.)

Lake City Crossing Sound Stage

Logan Circle

Mailing Avenue Stageworks

Maple Drive Offices

North Atlanta Studios

PC & E

Pinewood Atlanta

Pinewood Atlanta Production Office Space

POP Films Stages

PropSource Offices/Warehouse

Raleigh/Riverwood

Savannah Film Factory

Savannah Film Studios (SCAD-owned)

SFG Studios (Old Georgia Int’l Convention Center)

Starland Studios (Athens area)

Studio Space Atlanta

Third Rail Studios

Turner Studios

Upper Westside Filmworks

Valhalla Studios

Westside Stageworks

Westview Studios & Offices

Source: Georgia Film Office

Originally published in the  Dec 9, 2016 issue of The Atlanta Business Chronicle

[icepoptroll]

For the ask rtc game - 1, 17, 25?

Oooo!! Hello!!!

1- Favorite production- I think the version I gravitate towards the most is the 2016 one from the pro shot. It was the first one I ever saw and it's the best quality recording. But boy do I love a lot of other productions!! I felt that Fed's Backyard Theater went in a lot of unique directions, I especially loved their ending with Jane/Penny getting to say good bye to everyone individually and Virgil taking her hand and leading her into the other side. Also, I live in New Jersey and I'm lucky enough to live only a couple of hours away from Stageworks Theater Group. Their production, while very small and obscure, was amazing and I am so excited to be going back to see their round 2 this July!

17- Favorite vocal performance- I know I'm definitely not the first to say this but hands down gotta give it to Emily Rohm as Jane Doe, those operatic high notes while spinning all around and upside down is easily one of the most impressive things I've seen and heard in my entire life

25- Something you haven't seen in a production that you want to- oh, definitely a glitchy Karnak and not just at the very end of the show. There's a rat chewing through his power cable, guys. I feel like he should be glitching from the beginning and it gets worse and worse til he dies at the end. Most Karnaks speak very smoothly and that's a perfectly good portrayal to do but I'd also love to see frequent skipping and stuttering and twitching, sort of like a malfunctioning Disney park animatronic lol. Show me a psychic robot man who is clearly slowly dying!! I'm sure there are ways to make that blend fittingly with the dialogue.