#since there's no cast recording yet i had to use a tracked audio from the most recent previews to make this

[ashleyslorens]

BRITNEY on BROADWAY

[daydreamgoddess14]

Landslide pt. 3

MASTERLIST

Songs used in Chapter 3:

Taylor Swift - … Ready For It?

Warning: C-bomb is dropped 😅

Chapter 3

You watched that gif numerous times, and you're not ashamed to admit it. In fact, you even told Jason as much, which he'd thought was hilarious. You were now caught up in watching footage from the cast appearance at the White House. The actual White House with the actual President and First Lady. You couldn't fathom how that must feel. Fame had a weird scale with Tik Tok stars and Reality TV personalities often ranked much higher than those with real-life influence and talent. In a way, you felt that you owed those seemingly Z list stars a debt of gratitude - they sought out fame and photographers in a way that you definitely didn't. As long as they were happy to fill tabloid pages with pictures of their dogs or vacation homes, you could fly under the radar and largely away from scrutiny. You'd reached the point where your fame could be on your own terms. While you knew Jason and his castmates knew they had to be everywhere and everything for at least the next couple of months, they also knew that they could pretty much disappear again afterwards. 

It was another couple of days before you got to see Jason again, the craziness of his schedule was a stark contrast to your own for once. It meant you were able to concentrate on the song. You'd finally caved in on sending him a snapshot of what you had so far. A single, very short voice note you'd recorded in the kitchen while you waited for your coffee to brew. You were a little stuck on the first couple of lines, but Tom was working on something. You knew what you had planned for the chorus but you wanted it to be a surprise, so all Jason was getting at the moment was a handful of lines out of place, out of context and with no backing track. You'd also had a flurry of inspiration for your next album so you were certainly keeping busy. You sat at the piano working on a new earworm which hadn't left you alone since the basketball game. Jason was on his way over, he'd offered to bring lunch.

In the middle of the night, in my dreams

You should see the things we do, baby

In the middle of the night, in my dreams

I know I'm gonna be with you

So I'll take my time

Are you ready for it?

"When'd you write that one? I haven't heard it before." You spin around on the seat to find Jason putting a large bag on your kitchen counter. 

"How did you get in?"

"Your housekeeper let me in on her way out." You visibly relax. "Security issues?"

"There have been. Only while I've not been here."

"I'm sorry, I should have called through."

"No, it's fine, I knew you were coming. So how was the White House?"

"It was good, we had fun. How have you been?" 

"I'm OK, it's been a quiet few days actually. I've done plenty of writing, nearly ready to show you what I've got so far." He comes to sit on the bench next to you. You're not sure if he'd go straight for a kiss, but he seems content to just sit next to you. You'd stopped playing in order to talk to him, but continued once he was settled in the seat. You played the same few lines a few times at different speeds and with varying emphasis on different sections. "Do you have your phone? Or could you grab mine and just record this a sec please before I forget it?" He slides his out of his pocket but rather than a voice note or audio recording, he begins videoing you. You roll your eyes, "Really smooth."

"Hey you asked."

"For audio."

"Ahh well then you weren't specific enough. Again. C'mon, let's go." He motions for you to get back to playing, so you do. Once you finish the bit you need, he stops recording and pockets the phone again. 

"You'd better send me that. I don't want to see that as your first tweet."

"I'll send it to you, but otherwise that's just for me. So when did you write it?"

"I haven't yet. I've started, but only just-" your stomach decides to interrupt with a rumble, "and now I'm starving."

"Good job I came with food then."

"Sure is, or this would be yet another non-date."

"Dates don't have to involve food."

"They usually do. They should."

"They should." He agreed, getting out plates from the drawer you pointed out, while you got sodas from the fridge.

"So how's the reception been for the show?"

"So far so good."

"It's torture waiting for it weekly. You couldn't do a Netflix and drop it in one go?"

"That would require it actually being finished, which it is far from. You're enjoying it?"

"Absolutely. The last one, with the ex and the therapist? I had no idea soft, drunk Ted could look so cute." 

"Ohh, is this a me crush or a Ted crush?" He gestured between you both. 

"Well you see, you emailed me? And I basically jumped on a plane just so I could meet you. So…" You trailed off with an embarrassed shrug. He's sat up on one of the barstools while you're still pottering around. He reaches out and wraps his hand around your wrist, pulling you closer. 

"If you're wanting super honesty like that, then I should probably tell you that I refreshed my email every couple hours for nearly a week waiting for your reply. And I was trying to play it very cool when I wrote back, but if you'd said no, I would have gone to New York to change your mind." 

"Ohh, so this is a you crush and a me crush?" You lightly tease, mimicking his phrasing and the gesture between you both. With no distance between you now, your jab his chest gently.

"Looks like it, I mean, at least I'm not alone."

"That would be pretty awkward." You step closer between his knees, taking away the remaining space.

"No pressure but it would also be a little awkward if you didn't kiss me now? Just, y'know, so you know."

"Thanks for the warning. Hey, why is it on me to kiss you? Shouldn't you kiss me?"

"Nope, I want this to be up to you." You stop to look at him, really look at him, and those eyes once again are crying out for you to trust him. There doesn't seem to be anything false or untoward about him in any of the meetings or conversations you've had with him. The sincerity is utterly new to you. Previously, conversations like this would have been laced with underhanded, derogatory and calculating comments which left you treading on eggshells. To be actually enjoying the back and forth, the carefree teasing, was refreshing. As if he could see the past re-living itself in your mind through your hesitation, he squeezed your hand. "We should eat. You were hungry?" Another thing you'd previously have been berated for. You nod, shaking the old thoughts away and reaching for some food. 

As unplanned first dates went, you had a great time. You'd watched a movie after lunch and then proceeded to talk each other's ear off for most of the afternoon. Given the mark your last relationship had left on you, you'd wanted to continue the honesty policy and by the time you'd opened a bottle of wine late afternoon, Jason had pretty much an overview of the important things there was to know. Aside from a couple of the harder topics and the finer details of everything, he'd taken everything in and was still angling to stick around for dinner. 

“I must say, I’m amazed you haven’t been scared off.”

“I’m not easily scared. I’ve had my fair share of bad press the last year or so.”

“Difference is, you actually stayed quiet. I don’t see why I should sit around and let these rumours ruin my reputation.”

“I stayed quiet because I don’t want the kids to read it all when they grow up. I want them to judge me by my actions, not whether or not I defended myself in the press.”

“That’s fair.”

“Anyway, you haven’t said anything specifically. Nothing outright anyway, it’s not like you're going on camera doing an interview. And no one would blame you if you did.”

“Tell that to the tour promoter, the record label, everyone else who has a financial interest in me. Next time they come around, I’ll let you speak to them for me.” Noise at the front door stopped your conversation. “Hello?” You call out. 

“Hey, just me!” 

“Jason, this is Lily, my assistant. Lil, this is Jason.” Your tiny, barely out of college assistant looked dumbstruck first at Jason, then at you.

���Dude, you haven’t had anyone visit here for months! Proud of you babe!” While she’s right, it’s also a bit embarrassing.

“... Thanks for that. All ok?”

“Do you want the good news or the bad?”

“Good.”

“Sure? I kinda want to tell you the bad so that I can pump you back up again with the good?” 

“Why, how bad is the bad?” You frown, all bad news has been bad lately. You’re not sure why you’d even hope for not-so-bad anymore. She hands you her phone with a youtube video loaded. You hit play and your ex’s voice fills the room, making you grimace.

Oh man, she was just so high maintenance you know? And so rude to everyone, all the time! Like her assistant was so scared of her, it was ridiculous the way she treated people. And the shit she said about her fans? Not cool, those kids like fawn over her and she couldn’t give a crap about them at all. Everything she does is for show. She was totally cold and clinical about everything - if you know what I mean. Hated being touched or hugged, she was just completely closed off emotionally and it made her so manipulative.

Your reaction is not that of an emotionally closed off person. Tears streamed down your face as soon as he started speaking, the phone in your hands shook so much you thought you might drop it. Lily, having seen this reaction before, took it carefully from you and wrapped herself around you. You weren’t particularly tall but she was barely 5’3”. You fold yourself in towards her, your whole body trembling.

“Shhh, I know. It’s not true. None of it is true. It’s ok. It’s gonna be ok.” She rubbed your back and looked around you to Jason. “Would not blame you if you wanted to bail. She’ll understand, I can tell her to call you later?” Jason shook his head. 

"As long as she wants me to, I'll stick around. If I head out now, it just reinforces this belief that he's right." Lily nods. Your heart rate is starting to settle and the main feeling you're left with is embarrassment that you still feel so emotionally ravaged by your ex. You perch on the barstool next to Jason feeling drained.

"I'm sorry-" you start to mumble but he cuts you off. 

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. Nothing."

"Why don't I get us some dinner? I'll give you guys some space. I'll collect Italian from that restaurant you like. You want carbonara? Jason?"

"That sounds great Lily, thanks. Here, take my card. Get dessert too."

"Yes! They do an amazing tiramisu. You won't regret it. Thanks!" She's gone before you can really shake yourself out of your stupor.

"What can I do?" He asks quietly. 

"Know any hitmen?" Your voice muffled by your hands. 

"I wish. None of this is your fault, you know?" You nod, you do know. 6 months of therapy has been painful but revealing.

"I just wish I didn't let it get to me so much. No matter what I say, or do, or how I'm perceived in the future, he'll never stop rolling out these lies over and over, and each time I have to pull myself together, keep quiet and not stand up for myself and all I want to do is-" You growl, pacing. Distress and upset turning to anger. A rage you feel deep within your chest. "God he makes me so fucking angry all the time!" Your fists are balled at your sides, boxercise will be productive in the morning. Jason sits back on the barstool, letting you rant. Eventually you run out of steam and go back to the wine you'd long abandoned. 

"Feel better?" He asks. You sigh, rolling your shoulders. 

"Yeah, I actually do. Thank you. I don't get to just let it all out without interruption. Lily's been amazing, but she's all solutions, all the time. I feel like half my problems would really be solved if someone asked "do you want to run your mouth or do you want solutions" before I got going." 

"I'll bear that in mind. And thank you, I learnt some very colourful language there, and I thought I was like a pro at cursing." You laugh, at last - it felt like it had been hours since you'd raised a smile. In fact, Jason being around had pulled you out of your slump a lot quicker than usual. When Lily returned, she expected you to still be feeling the effects of seeing the video, but you were chatting happily with Jason, the only lingering sign were your eyes still red from crying. 

"Hey! You look good, feeling OK?"

"Yeah I said the word cunt a lot and it really helped."

"I mean, that's absolutely the right word. I'm glad you're doing better, you'll be ready for your good news now?" She started getting plates and cutlery for them all while Jason picked out an additional wine glass for her. 

"Yess, I want good news please!"

"The lineup for Glastonbury has been finalised." You suddenly felt super nervous. You'd cleared your diary in anticipation, had your staging team brainstorming ideas and you had the basis of a set list planned, but nothing had been confirmed or announced. 

"And?"

"How does the Pyramid stage at 7.30pm for 90 minutes sound on Saturday night? You're the build up for Guns n Roses." Your jaw drops. 

"Seriously?"

"Rumour is it's the Foo Fighters on before you."

"Are you fucking for real? Lily! Oh my god!" She comes round to hug you, both of you jumping around squealing with joy. This was the dream. All the albums and tours in the world couldn't prepare you for this, it had been an achievement which, to you, would lead to the next step up. Jason got caught up in your infectious happiness and enveloped you into a big hug. His proximity was intoxicating, your hands felt small on his broad shoulders and you giggled breathlessly as he circled your waist and spun you around. You popped a small chaste kiss to his lips, the lingering look in your eye a promise for later. Lily passed you your glass, 

"A toast! To fucking Glastonbury!"

"Fucking Glastonbury!" You all talked incessantly throughout dinner, Jason wanted to know which songs you'd already decided on, Lily couldn't wait to call your styling team and you could finally let the staging guys go wild. The news had broken in the media so Twitter was steadily replacing the video of your ex with videos of your previous festival appearances.

"I think I want to confront this before the summer. I don't want it to linger over me." You admit. "I need to get the record company on board, but I think it's time to publicly and properly deny his bullshit and speak out about what he did." Lily raised her eyebrows. 

"You're sure you're ready for that?"

"No. But I've got all the evidence. Audio and video files, pictures. I don't want the world to see them, but I've got them and if I need to prove that he's a dickhead, then I'll do it."

"Maybe worth getting in touch with the other exes. If there's enough between you, hopefully we could get away with just an image or two. I don't want you to have to release the video." Lily suggested. 

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but can I ask what the video is of?" Jason asked topping up the wine. 

"I went to hide in a bathroom. I was trying to record audio of his shouting and screaming at me but I ended up getting a bloody Blair Witch video of me. You can still hear him, we could release the audio only."

"Babe, I've seen it. If you want to expose him for everything he is, that's what you should release, but I don't want you to have that video out there for everyone in the world to watch."

"Having the video out there" Jason countered, "makes it less about his actions and more about the impact of them." You nod in agreement, 

"Exactly-" pointing a fork full of tiramisu, "I need to show what a prick he is, not that I'm a victim - that much is obvious. He will always be a prick, he'll never change. I might always be a victim but at least I'll recover, at least I can move on from what he did to me. I care about the lies he's told about me, but ultimately people will believe what they want. This is about them seeing him for what he really is." It felt so good to have someone in your corner, who understood that this wasn't about you specifically. Lily pondered, wise beyond her years. 

"OK, I hear you. I'll make calls in the morning and get you in with the team to make a plan."

"Better get the therapist on standby as well." You half joke. 

"For sure. I'll come over in the morning and make some plans. When are you booked to record the song for Tom and Jason?" Jason eyes you curiously, Tom had also been a bit cagey so he wondered what you'd say. 

"It's going to be recorded in London in April."

"I'm in London in April. I wanna be there." He said, half firmly, half pleading.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. You are the boss after all." You tease. "I'm recording other stuff too, but you're more than welcome."

"I'll make sure I'm available. You must be nearly done then?"

"We're not far off. I've got a session with Tom tomorrow afternoon, I think by then we'll have it nailed."

"Good, I can't wait to hear it. And the other stuff too."

"I don't think I've ever written so many songs so quickly. It feels like all I've done since I arrived here is write. I've got a good 3 songs done, plus the one I started when you got here."

"Sounds like inspiration has struck." Lily rolled her eyes as she gathered her things. "I'm going now that I've been the bearer of both bad and good news. See you tomorrow." She gave you both a wave. Two minutes later, you had a message. 

Press outside, warn Jason.

"Ahh shit," You hold up your phone to show him. "Looks like we need to sneak you out… unless-, no. Nope. Nevermind."

"No, nope, Nevermind? Wow, that is a lot of rejection in one sentence. I'm almost as impressed as I was with your creative use of the C bomb."

"Oh god, no, I didn't mean -"

"I know, I'm kidding, I promise, I'm kidding."

"God, as if I'd ever be that stupid."

"Nah, see, now you're kidding. Gorgeous Glastonbury headliner who's about to go Beyonce huge? I'm pretty sure that rejection would be an honour." You step into his personal space just close enough for you to both mull over what to do next. 

"So we're crystal clear, I'm not rejecting you. Flew out here especially to meet you, remember?" You tilt your head with a smile. 

"I recall. Bold move."

"I've got a few of those lined up."

"I look forward to seeing them all play out." He reached out to tuck some stray hair behind your ear. 

"You get a front row seat."

"That so?"

"Yours if you want it. You might be a bit of a sitting duck though." He brushed off the warning with a pfft.

"Ohh I'll survive. I've got to - did you know I'm going to Glastonbury this year?" You laughed.

"I think it's sold out?"

"I know someone."

"You do?" You feigned ignorance.

"Beautiful, amazing singer, pretty funny, about to stage one hell of a takedown…" You cut him off with a kiss, looping your arms around his neck and pressing your body flush with his. His hands splay across your back and down to your hips. You pull apart just long enough to take a breath, 

"By the way, that's twice I've kissed you now if you still need an indication of where I am with this."

"Noted." He smirked, leaning back into you.

--------

[path-of-my-childhood]

The Old Taylor Swift Never Left

The Atlantic // February 13th 2021 // by Shirley Li

The artist’s first release from her re-recording project is much more than a nostalgia play. It’s a love letter.

When Taylor Swift, the pandemic’s most productive pop star, announced that she’d be re-recording her albums in a push for ownership over her work, the venture sounded risky. Swift cast her decision as both a personal vendetta against the music executive Scooter Braun and a moralistic stand against the industry’s treatment of artists. But at face value, re-recordings seem to offer little to look forward to for listeners. Ostensibly, these tracks are near-identical to the masters, with the same lyrics and production.

Yet “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” her first re-recorded track, is no mere copy of the 2008 single that helped launch her to her first Album of the Year Grammy. Swift’s voice at 31 is much richer. Her tone is more controlled, her staccato more precise. She sings the name “Romeo” at one point with a cheeky clip - “Rome-ee-oh” - that suggests the “involuntary smile” on her face that she described in her note announcing the release of the new version of Fearless. Made with the same collaborators she used on the first Fearless, the song works in conversation with Swift’s original recording. If 19-year-old Swift’s eager, breathless vocals captured that thoroughly teenage sensation of fantasizing over a new crush, the older Swift conjures a mature, amused wistfulness. It’s as if the artist is reminiscing about writing the song with a fondness for her younger self’s melodramatic tendencies. She’s not making a passionate plea; she’s warmly recalling a memory.

The re-recording, which has already topped the U.S. iTunes chart, certainly marks another instance of pop culture’s obsession with nostalgia paying off. Many similar industry efforts - TV reboots, extensions of film franchises, covers of childhood favorites - service fans through cameos and casual references without meaningfully considering the original work’s impact. But Swift, through her stronger vocals, engages with her younger self, scrutinizing her lyrics. She joins in on the act of being a Taylor Swift fan.

And Swift, after all, is a master at knowing her fans. She lurks on social media, sends them holiday gifts, and rewards them on tour by playing deep cuts and mashups, reinterpreting the songs she wrote years earlier as codas to the diaristic lyrics she’s written since. She’s carried that intimacy into the rollout of her re-recordings: In packaging the new tracks not only as a business decision, but also as a chance to right a moral wrong, she mobilized her fans. In transparently describing her desperation, she made them feel like they could help.

These moves have culminated in the reframing of “Love Story,” which is now a love letter to her fans. The lyric video features her old photos with meet-and-greet attendees and candid vlog footage from the time of Fearless’ release. The new album art mimics the original cover, Swift with her eyes closed and hair whipping across the frame. The announcement letter included a secret message in capitalized letters, just like the ones she hid in the liner notes of early albums. This re-recording, she’s making vehemently clear, is not a simple throwback. It’s a shared appreciation: You know that old Taylor she once declared dead? She misses her too.

Swift’s next albums on deck for re-recording may be harder to reimagine through her new, grown-up gaze. After 2008 come trickier narratives - those she didn’t want to be a part of and those she created - that are perhaps more resistant to redefinition. But in the updated “Love Story,” she has successfully deployed a potent nostalgia that, like the lyrics to her best songs, reshapes time. The sentimentality of her re-recorded version comes not only from remembering a specific moment, but also from reflecting on the distance between that one moment and, well, now.

Indeed, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” surprised me with its ability to extract a memory I’d long forgotten. As the chorus played, I recalled a friend in high school who had painstakingly held an audio recorder to the radio, waiting to commit to tape the line from the original “Love Story” where Swift pleads, “It’s a love story, baby, just say yes.” He planned to use the recording to ask his crush to prom, and I remember thinking this was the pinnacle of romance. (It worked, by the way.) Listening to the new version, with its sage, winking tone, made me feel an affection for my younger, more naive self, and a gratitude for the growth since. Any cheap nostalgia play can conjure a fuzzy burst of pleasant memories. But Swift, in this re-recording, merges those memories with the present.

[the11tailed]

Fandom: The Magnus Archives, Star Wars The Clone Wars (2008), vague Dead by Daylight

Tags: @crc-general-orin, @crc-commodore-sana9

Reblogs are love ^-^

-

[Recorder click]

Statement of Tup Fett regarding an incident that occurred in a Junkyard when he was a child.

Audio recording by Tech Fett, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institution, London.

Statement begins

I never blamed my brothers for what happened, it was my fault in a way. I never should have gone to that junkyard. It was a dare. Just a dare. It was harmless. 

I was 7 at the time. My brother’s Fives and Echo had dared me to go into the weird junkyard out by our old house. It's not a bad junkyard. It's just a dump a few meters back of the houses. Someone started a rumor that dead bodies were found there, but many members of my family is in law enforcement and they stated that no bodies were ever found, so I never believed those tales. Fives and Echo had been charged with taking care of myself and my twin, Dogma as all other members of my family were busy. Fives and Echo are good brothers, don't misread this, but they were not babysitters.

It was obvious early on they did not know what they were doing. They took us to the Junkyard, as they went there for fun a lot. It was a short walk, and sooner than I'd like, we were at the entrance. I was a bit scared, but Dogma was petrified. He clung to Echo and refused to go in. He said the "shadow people" didn't like this place. The shadow people were Dogma's imaginary friends (yet on some days I wondered if they were really imaginary) and he had them since, well, he was four after our uncle...did some disgusting things to him. I won't go into detail, but you can guess what our uncle did. He started seeing these "shadow people" everywhere. Anyway, I'm getting off track.

Fives only laughed when Dogma mentioned the shadow people. He dared us to go in

"It'll be fun!" he had said this with such glee.

I wanted to prove to my big brother that I was brave. So I went in. It was like any junkyard I've ever seen. It was just stuff piled high with no real order to it. I wandered for a bit, not long. It was when I turned a corner did I see the gate. At first, I couldn't figure out why it put me on edge. It was pitch black, with vines from some plant coiling around it so tight it warped the metal. I could see strange flowers bloomed on various and random places on the gate. I was curious so I got closer. I wish I hadn't. I wished I had turned and walked back to Fives and Echo and didn't go through the gate. But I did.

I stepped through the gate and the world around me warped. I don't really know how to describe it. The world almost folded around me and I felt really hot and really cold at the same time. Then it unfolded and refolding again and again. When it stopped I was standing in a junkyard but it was different from the one I had been in. This one had broken down cars everywhere. The next thing I realized was that the sky had taken a red tint, casting the whole area in a red glow that sent shivers down my spine. I turned, wanting to go back, only to find the gate slammed shut. I ran to it, but it had no handle. I saw a lever, but when I pulled it, nothing happened. I was scared and so utterly alone. I reached into my pocket for my phone, I need to call for help, but found my pocket empty of any phone, lost I looked around. I spotted the generator. It was an old thing, just sitting there. It wasn't on and I got the odd feeling that I needed to fix it. I walked over to it. I didn't know what I hoped to do, I was 7 and sure as hell didn't know how to fix a generator, and yet I did. I worked on it for 2 and a half minutes and fixed it. I still have no idea how. When it clicked on I got this odd sense of dread. I got up and walked to one of the red lockers that was sitting near the generator as the sense of dread grew into terror. I opened it and climbed in, closing the door. The terror I felt made my heart hammer in my chest. And then I heard it. The thump thump of something heavy walking near. The smell of rotting flesh was so strong I nearly gagged. I knew the smell of rotting flesh anywhere. My Grandpappy Jaster owned a farm, and one time I had found a dead cow that had been missing for days. She had wandered up into a wooded area and died. I found her and vaguely remember losing my lunch and crying into my older brother, Fox's, shoulder. Grandpappy did feel real bad about that, even though it was not his fault.

I heard a snarl of rage before the heavy footfalls got quieter and quieter. The sense of fear and dread went with it. Once I could no longer feel the dread, I climbed out of the locker and hurried off in the opposite direction of the footfalls.

I have no idea how long I ran. It was a while before I ran into anyone. I mean literally, I ran right into someone. A man in his 20's wearing a suit, now torn, ripped, muddy, and bloody. He had black hair and green eyes and I would later learn his name was Anthony. Anthony looked horrified to see me. I was confused back then, but I know why now. He was scared because I was a seven-year-old kid put in a demented game with a ruthless killer, but I'm getting ahead of my self. Anthony helped me up and hurried me along. I was went with him, too scared not to. He led me to another generator.

"I'm guessing you got the 3rd generator," he said and I just nodded.

"We just need two more and then we are free," he said that with such a hopeful tone.

There was another person with us, a young woman named Sarah. She was a young woman, maybe 19 or 20 with short, dyed pink hair and a few piercings. Her clothes were tattered and bloody and I noted she had a bandaged wrapped around her shoulder, yet I could see no wound. She was already working on the gen. Myself and Anthony knelt and helped her. Soon, with a rumbling click, the gen turned on. Then the dread crept in. I looked around desperately for a locker, but found none. Anthony grabbed me and dragged me behind a stone wall. There was a tree near us and I had to hold in a gag at the scent of rotten meat wafted from the crow slung up on the bark of the tree, stomach open. Anthony put his finger to his lips and we sat there crouched. The dread turned into terror and I heard the footsteps. thump thump. Loud and commanding. I was scared, far more scared than I had ever been in my life. I was shaking and Anthony knew that. He placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to console me. Then I saw Sarah run and I got the first look at the monster. It was humanoid, an arm covered in strange, boil like spots. I think the most horrifying part was it's face. It's flesh there was pulled, I have no idea how else to explain it. There were staples on various parts of it's body. It was terrifying. It held a chainsaw in one hand and a hammer in the other and it ran after Sarah. It activated it's chainsaw and I heard it whir and then the squelch of it hitting flesh. I heard Sarah scream, a sound so raw and so painful I wanted to cry. I think I was. I watched as it threw Sarah over it's shoulder. It carried her to a hook standing in the field. It was nothing special, but I found it odd that the hook was just there, swaying ever so slightly in the wind. Then, it threw Sarah onto the hook and she screamed again. He watched her gag for a second before limping off and vanishing into the tall grass. I tugged at Anthony's sleeve

"Shouldn't we help her?" I had asked through tears but Anthony shook his head

"Death hook" was all he said

Sure enough, long spider like limps emerged from the hook and impaled her. I watched in horror as they lifted Sarah's body up as more spider-like limbs descended down and grabbed her body and lifted her up into the void above. Once her body was gone, the limbs emerging from the hook, knocked the hook off and onto the ground. I let out a chocked sob as the realization hit me. I had just watched a person die.

"C'mon kid," Anthony had said and ushered me along.

I followed numbly, I was in shock, but the gravity of our situation shook me out of it quick. We found the last gen quick. We worked on it fast, but slow enough as to not make mistakes.

"I have a kid around your age," said Anthony, smiling at me, "Once I get out of here I plan to hug them and remind them how much I love them. You got any family,"

I nodded,

"Lot's of big brothers, a dad," I sniffled, "How does time pass?"

"I've been here a few minutes, what's the date,"

"the first of august, 2009," I responded and he looked pale

"No, it's-it's the second of January," I shook my head at that and we lapsed into silence. The dread came just as the gen clicked on. We both shot up, but by that time the dread was terror. It was here. Anthony ran at it and tried to draw it away from me, but it didn't work. I ran as it chased me, fear surging through my limbs, but I was seven, I wasn't fast enough. Do you know what it feels like to be slammed in the back with a chainsaw? I can't even begin to describe the pain. It hurt worse than any injury I had ever gotten and I screamed. Next thing I knew, I was being carried over it's shoulder. It was taking me to an open field. There were two hooks. Both faced each other. He threw me on one. The pain from that was worse than the chainsaw as the metal hook ripped through soft flesh and muscles and threw bone and I screamed a blood curdling scream. I was only there for a moment when I heard a strange noise. The gate had been opened. A sense of panic hit me. Had Anthony left me to die. But then I heard the whir of a chainsaw and a cry. It hooked Anthony right in front of me. He gave me a small smile as the creature ambled off.

"Listen," he had said, "Gates open, straight ahead, hurl yourself off the hook and run, don't stop, don't try to get me, I'm on death hook, Just run,"

"How?" I cried in desperation.

"Throw yourself off the hook," he said before the limbs stabbed him and dragged him away.

I wanted to cry, but it would have to wait. I took a deep breath and threw myself forward and off the hook. There was an explosion of pain, but I didn't register it. I ran. Ran as fast as I could. I saw the gate, wide open and tore forward. The whir of the chainsaw came from behind me and I got the idea to bob and weave. I did and it worked. I knocked over a pallet with strength I didn't even know I had and tore to the gate. I ran threw the gate out without stopping. Like before, the world folded in on me and repeated until, it stopped. I was back in the junkyard, no broken cars in sight and a soft blue of the sky almost made me sob. Warm blood trickled down and, to my horror, I realized I was still hurt. I reached into my pocket and was greeted with my phone. I called the first number I could think of. 911. I just said I was hurt in the Junkyard, fell and hurt my shoulder and that I need help and fast. The operator was a nice lady, helped keep me calm. The fire and rescue arrived fast and I felt happiness when the words 212 came into view along with squad car 1010. I wanted to cry as I ran towards them. I watched Helix run and catch me and I collapsed into my cousin's arms.

"Tup?" he had sounded so horrified and I guess he had the right to.

Fox rushed over and froze when he saw me. Helix was treating me as fast as he could as Fox knelt beside me and cupped by face with his hand. He told me it was all okay now, and that I was safe. I knew I was.

I woke up in the hospital three days later. I learned that I had been missing for almost an entire month. Fives and Echo felt so guilty, blamed themselves, but I could never blame them. Never.

-

Statement ends.

Another victim of the Entity's twisted games, and my own cousin. I remember the scramble for search parties when Tup went missing, but I still lived with my abusive mom, so my brother's and I were unable to search for Tup, who had been a close friend in high school for me. After this, Tup went through a lot of therapy, but he still struggles. He informed me one day, years ago, that he too now sees the shadow people. I've seen the shadow people too. All my brother's have. They are always there, just watching us.

As for follow up, there is not much we can do. The entity exists in a realm outside of ours and we have no way of stopping it or telling who it's next victim will be.

So another dead end, but not matter. Unfortunately, most of the files in the archives have statements made by members of my family. A lot mention a horrible tragedy and the sudden appearance of these shadow people. I wish to look into them, but my own shadow people have grow restless, usually that means-

[Static on recorder]

Yes, I know

[Static]

Yes

[Static]

Fine

End recording

[Recorder click]

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 21

‘Tis the season to beat the heat at the always-cold theatres and next to fans set at turbo speed. While my movie watching slowed a bit with the launch of the Summer Olympics on July 23rd, I’ve still got plenty of popcorn-ready and artsy recommendations for you. A few themes in the new-to-me pop culture I’m recommending this month:

Casts oozing with embarrassing levels of talent (sometimes overqualified for the movies they’re in)

Pop culture that is responding or reinterpreting past pop culture

Stories that get weEeEeird

Keep on-a-scrollin’ to see which is which!

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Double Feature – ‘90s Rom-Coms feat. Lots of Lies: Mystery Date (1991) + The Pallbearer (1996)

In Mystery Date (Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 6/10), Ethan Hawke and Teri Polo get set up on a blind date that gets so bizarre and crime-y I’m not sure how this didn’t come out in the ‘80s. In The Pallbearer (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10), David Schwimmer and Gwyneth Paltrow try to combine The Graduate with Four Weddings and a Funeral in a story about lost twentysomethings. If you don’t like rom-coms in which circumstances depend on lots of lies and misunderstandings, these won’t be your jam, but if you’re like me and don’t mind these somewhat-cliché devices, you’ll be hooked by likeable casts and plenty of rom and com.

2. The Tomorrow War (2021)

I thought of no fewer movies than this list while watching: Alien, Aliens, Angel Has Fallen, Cloverfield, Interstellar, Kong: Skull Island, Prometheus, A Quiet Place: Part II, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith, The Silence of the Lambs, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and World War Z. And you know what? I like all those movies! (Okay, maybe I just have a healthy respect/fear of The Silence of the Lambs.) The Tomorrow War may not be original, but it borrows some of the best tropes and beats from the sci-fi and action genres, so much so I wish I could’ve seen Chris Pratt and Co. fight those gross monsters on a big screen. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6/10

3. Dream a Little Dream (1989)

My July pick for the Dumb Rom-Com I Nevertheless Enjoyed! I CANNOT explain the mechanics of this body switch comedy to you—nor can the back of the DVD case above—but, boy, what an ‘80s MOOD. I did not know I needed to see a choreographed dance routine starring Jason Robards and Corey Feldman, but I DID. All I know is some movies are made for me and that I’m now a card-carrying member of the Two Coreys fan club. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

4. Black Widow (2021)

The braids! The Pugh! Black Widow worked for me both as an exciting action adventure and as a respite from the Marvel adventures dependent on a long memory of the franchise. (Well, mostly—keep reading for a second MCU rec much more dependent on the gobs of previous releases.) Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

5. Liar Liar (1997)

Guys, Jim Carrey is hilarious. That’s it—that’s the review. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

6. Sob Rock by John Mayer (2021)

It’s very possible I’ve already listened to this record more than all other John Mayer records. It doesn’t surpass the capital-G Greatness of Continuum, but it’s a little bit of old school Mayer, a little bit ‘80s soft rock/pop, and I’ve had it on repeat most of the two weeks since it’s been out. Featuring the boppiest bop that ever bopped, at least one lyrical gem in every track, and an ad campaign focused on Walkmans, this record skirts the line between Crowd faves and Critic-worthy musicianship.

7. Double Feature – ‘00s Ben Affleck Political Thrillers: The Sum of All Fears (2002) + State of Play (2009)

In The Sum of All Fears (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), Ben Affleck is Jack Ryan caught up in yet another international incident. In State of Play (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10), he’s a hotshot Congressman caught up in a scandal. Both are full of plot twists and unexpected turns, and in both, Affleck is accompanied by actors you’re always happy to see, like Jason Bateman, James Cromwell, Russell Crowe, Jeff Daniels, Viola Davis, Morgan Freeman, Philip Baker Hall, David Harbour, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Wright—yes, I swear all of those people are in just those two movies.

8. Loki (2021-)

Unlike Black Widow, you can’t go into Loki with no MCU experience. The show finds clever ways to nudge us with reminders (and did better at it than Falcon and the Winter Soldier), but be forewarned that at some point, you’re just going to have to let go and accept wherever this timeline-hopper is taking you. An ever-charismatic cast keeps us grounded (Owen Wilson, Jonathan Majors, and an alligator almost steal the show from Tom Hiddleston in some eps), but while Falcon lasted an episode or two too long, Loki could’ve used a few more to flesh out its complicated plot and develop its characters. Thankfully, the jokes matter almost as much as the sci-fi, so you can still have fun even if you have no idea what’s going on.

9. Double Feature – Bruce Willis: Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995) + The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Before Bruce Willis began starring in many random direct-to-DVD movies I only ever hear about in my Redbox emails, he was a Movie Star smirking his way up the box office charts. In the third Die Hard (Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), he teams up with Samuel L. Jackson to decipher the riddles of a terrorist madman (Jeremy Irons), and it’s a thrill ride. In The Whole Nine Yards (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), he’s hitman that screws up dentist Matthew Perry’s boring life in Canada, and—aside from one frustrating scene of let’s-objectify-women-style nudity—it’s hilarious.

10. This Is the End (2013)

On paper, this is not a movie for me. An irreverent stoner comedy about a bunch of bros partying it up before the end of the world? None of things are for Taylors. But with a little help of a TV edit to pare down the raunchy and crude bits, I laughed my way through and spent the next several days thinking through its exploration of what makes a good person. While little of the plot is accurate to Christian Gospel and theology, some of its big ideas are consistent enough with the themes of the book of Revelation I found myself thinking about it again in church this morning. (Would love to know if Seth Rogen ever expected that.) Plus, I love a good self-aware celebrity spoof—can’t tell you how many times I’ve just laughed remembering the line, “It’s me, Jonah Hill, from Moneyball”—and an homage to horror classics. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10

July Critic Picks

1. Summer of Soul (…or, When the Television Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Even director Questlove didn’t know about the Harlem Cultural Festival, but now he’s compiled the footage so we can all enjoy one of the coolest music fest lineups ever, including The 5th Dimension, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder, who made my friend’s baby dance more than once in the womb. See it on the big screen for top-notch audio. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Robin Williams takes on the bureaucracy, disillusionment, and malaise of the Vietnam War with comedy. Williams was a one-of-a-kind talent, and here it’s on display at a level on par with Aladdin. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

3. Against the Rules Season 2 (2020-21)

Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball, adapted into a film starring Jonah Hill), is interested in how we talk about fairness. This season he looks at how coaches impact fairness in areas like college admissions, credit cards, and youth sports. 

4. Bugsy Malone (1976)

A gangster musical starring only children? It’s a little like someone just picked ideas out of a hat, but somehow it works. You can hear why in the Bugsy Malone episode Kyla and I released this month on SO IT’S A SHOW?, plus how this weird artifact of a film connects with Gilmore Girls.

5. The Queen (2006)

Before The Crown, Peter Morgan wrote The Queen, focusing on Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) in the days following the death of Princess Diana. It’s a complex and compassionate drama, both for the Queen and for Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen, who has snuck up on me to become a favorite character actor). Maybe I’ve got a problem, but I’ll never tire of the analysis of this famous family. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

6. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)

This month at ZekeFilm, we took a closer look at Revisionist Westerns we’ve missed. I fell hard for Roy Bean, and I think you will, too, if for no other reason than you might like a story starring Jacqueline Bisset, Ava Gardner, John Huston, Paul Newman, and Anthony Perkins. Oh, and a bear! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

7. New Trailer Round Up

Naked Singularity (Aug. 6) – John Boyega in a crime thriller!

Queenpins (Aug. 10) – A crime comedy about extreme coupon-ing!

Dune (Oct. 1) – I’ve been cooler on the anticipation for this film, but this new look has me cautiously intrigued thanks to the Bardem + Bautista + Brolin + Chalamet + Ferguson + Isaac + Momoa + Zendaya of it all.

The Last Duel (Oct. 15) – Affleck! Damon! Driver!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Nov. 11) - I’m not sure why we need this, but I’m down for the Paul Rudd + Finn Wolfhard combo

King Richard (Nov. 19) - Will Smith as Venus and Serena’s father!

Encanto (Nov. 24) – Disney and Lin-Manuel Miranda making more magic together!

House of Gucci (Nov. 24) - Gaga! Pacino! Driver! 

Also in July…

Kyla and I took a look at the classic supernatural soap Dark Shadows and why Sookie might be obsessed with it on Gilmore Girls.

I revisited a so-bad-it’s-good masterpiece that’s a surrealist dream even Fellini couldn’t have cooked up. Yes, for ZekeFilm I wrote about the Vanilla Ice movie, Cool as Ice, which is now a part of my Blu-ray collection.

Photo credits: Against the Rules. All others IMDb.com.

[rapturerecords]

Song: Slave to the Blues / Oh My Babe Blues

Artist: Ma Rainey and her Georgia Band

Record Label: Paramount 12332

Recorded: ca. December 1925

Location: Project V13 teaser

A rare song from a rare label. Here’s “Slave to the Blues” presented by the infamous Paramount Records label. Regrettably due to both its age and the somewhat non-standard practices of recording and pressing at the label, the audio quality leaves something to be desired, but I have tried to clear up some of the noise.

This year is rather auspicious as it is the 10 year anniversary of the 2010 teaser for Project V13 on the Fallout website and also the recent release of a new film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix. This record happens to have been made two years before the recording session depicted in the film.

When logging into the now-defunct Fallout Online website, players were greeted with a series of Polaroid photographs being tossed onto the table offering shots of buildings and concept art while this song emanates from the glowing record player and radio combination console on the right.

Recorded in late 1925 in the winter, this song is one of the few songs from the 1920s used in Fallout and would have been the oldest recording used in the series.

A period Chicago Defender print ad for Ma Rainey’s “Bessemer Bound Blues”, recorded during the same session. Also listed are other Paramount Record titles.

Born Gertrude Pridgett, though otherwise known as Ma Rainey, she lived a fairly colorful life rife with intrigue and rumor. Even her birthplace is uncertain with various sources giving credit to Alabama or Georgia.

As her named suggests, she is dubbed the “Mother of the Blues”, combining elements of vaudeville and early “jass” (later spelled as jazz). She and her husband William “Pa” Rainey toured extensively throughout the South in the 1900s and 1910s with live performances in minstrel shows and vaudeville. It’s around this time she coined the term “blues” to describe her music as well as developing a relationship with Bessie Smith, also up and coming.

Though demand for recordings by black musicians was high, the color barrier meant that Rainey was not able to be shellacked until 1923 by signing with Paramount.

While she recorded with many jazz stars of the day and made over one hundred recordings with Paramount, the film focuses on her last years with the label which would also go bankrupt by the 1930s.

Regrettably, there are comparatively few photos of Ma Rainey, but her voice still echoes from the grooves.

Left: A still of the 1984 Broadway cast, Center: A Playbill for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, Right: A reverse shot of the same scene from inside the recording room from the 2020 film

Strictly speaking, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is not an biographical film, but rather a restaging of the 1984 August Wilson play of the same name which dramatizes a 1927 recording session in Chicago. Many of the scenes take place outside of the recording room and focuses on conversations between the band members. With the exception of Ma Rainey herself, while the roles of the musicians, the recording engineer and so on undoubtedly existed, the characters are largely fictional.

The title refers to a song and dance of the same name, and of course Ma Rainey’s version of it as yet to be recorded until near the end of the story. The above record label represents the central MacGuffin which is never directly seen in the film, but drives the plot forward. While much has been said about the characters portrayed in the film including the last film role of Chadwick Boseman, here’s a closer look at one of the more muted mechanical stars of the 1920s recording process documented in the film.

Triptych of a heat wave: an electric fan, an ice-cold 5¢ bottle of Coca-Cola, and a box of discarded lacquer discs.

A slight change to the script of the play is the changing of the setting from winter to summer as foreheads glisten with perspiration. While dialing up the oppressive heat brings more prominence to the electric fan and Coca-Cola scenes (the character Levee also attempts to repeatedly open a door for ventilation), the original recording session for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was in the winter of 1927. Perhaps the winter release of the Netflix film was meant to be a reminder.

This also has an impact on the recording session itself. The film depicts the recording session using smooth black lacquer discs (sometimes called acetate discs though they do not contain that material). As the recording engineer tosses the bad takes into the bin, it shows they are thin metal discs covered with a thin layer of nitrocellulose lacquer.

Industry films showing wax blanks used to make the initial recording before heading to the plating process. Note how the wax is polished to a shine, the disc is thicker, and of a lighter color than lacquer. The text intertitles indicate silent film footage. The first three rows date to the 1920s with the third for a Columbia Records pressing plant. The last row is a film from the 1940s showing RCA Victor still using wax recording blanks. All are for shellac 78 rpm records as the vinyl LP would be introduced in 1948.

Industry films showing lacquer covered blanks used to make the initial recording before heading to the plating process. Note how the blanks are glossy black and much thinner. The first row is from the late 1930s showing lacquer discs being used to eventually cut shellac 78s for Variety Records. 1948 would bring the invention of the vinyl LP and more common color footage. The second row shows updated footage from RCA Victor in the 1950s now using lacquer discs to press newly invented vinyl LPs. The last row also shows lacquer blanks for Capitol Records. If you don’t recognize Mel Blanc’s face, you may recognize his voice from innumerable Looney Tunes cartoons. 

Contemporary film footage from record pressing plants during the 1920s more commonly show thicker one-inch discs made of wax being used in the record lathe. Lacquer discs were more commonly used in the decades following.

A wax disc would have melted in the sultry summer of Chicago which gets as hot as it does cold in the winter. While it was easy to keep a wax disc warm, cooling technology had not progressed so far during that period. Many of Ma Rainey’s recording sessions appear to have been made in the winter or at least the cooler months in Chicago and New York. A humorous anecdote about a 1930s Bob Wills recording session details packing the wax master recordings on couple hundred pounds of ice to beat the Texas heat.

Though phonograph cylinders were made of wax a few decades prior, these wax discs made during the recording process was the origin of the term “spinning wax” popularized by disc-jockeys.

Regardless of wax or lacquer, this recording is extremely fragile and unable to be played very much. Similar to today, the process still continues to metal plating where multiple more durable metal copies are mirrored before eventually stamping out the right side up grooves into a vinyl slab, or more appropriate for the era depicted in this film, a shellac record.

Production designer Mark Ricker called the record lathe the “fifth star of the movie”. There are scant details about where they obtained the record lathe except it was from a recreator in the Los Angeles area. It is possibly related to the work of Nicholas Bergh who had restored a working 1920s record lathe which was featured in the documentary film series American Epic. The series explores this period of early recorded music and the people in front of and behind the microphone including Ma Rainey. In addition, contemporary artists attempt to adapt their music to the rigors, quirks, and restrictions of a 1920s recording studio. Jack White also produced on the film as well as producing the extensive Rise and Fall of Paramount Records box sets. Admittedly, the two machines aren’t a perfect match, but there is a very similar brass weight driving the entire mechanism which spectacularly snaps and crashes to the floor in a recording session.

With lacquer discs being used to preserve radio broadcasts by the late 1930s, it is likely the record lathe was adapted to work with lacquer discs since they are still in use today and more common to come by than wax discs.

Also notable during the session is that all the instruments and the vocalist share one microphone. The request for a second microphone was likely for dramatic effect. Similar to the acoustic era, the early electric microphone era were still experimenting with proper placement. It is a testament to the power of Ma Rainey’s voice that it can be picked out amongst the surface noise as the instruments and vocals move in and out of focus.

These were the days before the invention of magnetic tape and a substantially reduced recording booth without hulking amplifiers, control boards, and tape machines reflects that. Multi-track recording, overdubbing, or even audio editing was very difficult to accomplish in the pre-tape era. One microphone, one take, and direct to disc, otherwise the recording had to be done over.

While wax could be remelted or perhaps shaved, a flubbed take on a lacquer disc could not. Despite what some of the characters say, 6, 7, 8, 9 takes for the first song of a set-list would be expensive. Paramount would go bankrupt in the following years.

Paramount Records had a storied history nearly rivaling Ma Rainey herself though the record itself largely serves as the MacGuffin in the story. While the name of the record label was never directly mentioned in the film, there are some loose references. The advertising placards around the door mention offerings from a chair factory which Paramount originated. The Wisconsin Chair Company added making phonograph cabinets to its list of operations before delving into making their own phonographs and a record label in 1918.

Like Ma Rainey’s manager, the roles of the recording engineer and the record producer were likely combined into one character, Sturdyvant of Hot Rhythm Recordings, as the sign outside says.

Due to the popularity of the “race records”, Paramount had actually rented or owned recording studios in New York, Chicago, and in Wisconsin. Jay Mayo Williams or “Ink” Williams served as an unofficial liaison between Paramount and the African-American community, even convincing Ma Rainey to record for the label.

However, the label was plagued by low-quality pressings and inconsistent recording practices. Some records even have other songs heard in neighboring rooms. Williams would leave to produce his own record label Black Patti and later was head of the race records department at Decca.

The coming of the 1930s and the Great Depression spelled the end for Paramount Records. Employees were let go or reportedly paid in the metal record masters. Though many were sold for scrap metal, local rumor has the disgruntled employees throwing the masters into the Milwaukee River.

As a result, much of the Paramount Records catalog has become exceedingly rare or outright lost to the ages.

As a coda, a final scene was added to the film which was not present in the original play. A white orchestra plays a restrained version of a composition heard earlier by the Levee character. The bandleader is not named, but strongly resembles Paul Whiteman, one of the most recorded of the dance bands of the day. His trademark mustache and oval head were frequently caricatured even on his own record labels. Though he never recorded for Paramount, he was at the Victor and Columbia labels at the time, in addition to the circumstances of the recording session in the film there is an added layer referring to the background of his controversial self-styled moniker “The King of Jazz”.

Listen to the flip side “Oh My Babe Blues” here.

[doomedandstoned]

Spelljammer Reveal Trippy New Vid, Talk ‘Abyssal Trip’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Interview by Billy Goate

Cover Art by Aaron Cahill

Our week of big interviews continues as we meet up with the ethereal doom outfit from Stockholm SPELLJAMMER and premiere a new music video, from their just released second LP, dropped only weeks ago on RidingEasy Records and now the number one album on the Doom Charts.

'Abyssal Trip' (2021) is an enthralling listen from edge to center, with lavish textures, deep thematic content, and unforgettably emotive atmosphere that will stick with you for life. Enjoy it as you read the revealing conversation with Niklas Olsson (guitar, vox) and Robert Sörling (guitar) that follows as we unpack their steller new spin, talk nerdy gear shit, and contemplate humanity's fate.

And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you the world premiere of the brand new video for that epic third track, "Among The Holy."

Give ear...

Spelljammer - Among The Holy (music video)

You guys have been a band now for damn near 15 years, maybe longer. Most bands don't make it past two years! What is the "key" to the band staying together for so long and continuing to find inspiration for creating new music?

Rob: I don’t think it’s been 15 years just yet but we are getting there, haha. None the less - that’s a really interesting question! Nik and I started the band much because we share the same taste in music, film and, well, art in general. I think that's the core keeping it all together. Also, there have been a few constellations of band members over the years, all with their own dynamic. I think these kinds of changes, and the new directions of the music because of that, is part of the inspiration. Maybe another reason is that we all live in different cities and because of that sometimes a lot of time passes between rehearsals, writing sessions and such, making us always craving for new Spelljammer jams and songs.

Nik: The craving yes. And another reason I think is the fact that we’ve never really been in a rush to get anywhere. Anything Spelljammer, the music included, takes time. If we had been set on making it, this thing probably would have fallen apart a long time ago.

Abyssal Trip by Spelljammer

How did the theme for Abyssal Trip originate?

Nik: I have always been more drawn to the feelings or emotions you get from a riff or piece of music than to any theme of a lyric. But I would say that any themes came in at the lyrics state, which is at the end of the process. But the themes aren’t that specific to any of the albums. I think I cast a pretty wide net in the beginning and stuck to it. For the next album perhaps we will venture more into unchartered waters. We’ll see.

What fascinates you about the Great Abyss of the ocean?

Nik: I totally get that the word abyss conjures up images of ocean trenches and, yes, the ocean is a fascinating and to a large extent undiscovered place. However, when I wrote that I wasn’t necessarily thinking of the ocean but more the abyss of our own minds. But I think it’s a word that evokes many things, like despair and doom, and it is of course totally open to interpretation.

Is mankind doomed or do we have time to correct our course?

Nik: I’m not as pessimistic of a person as the lyrics may suggest. I think we will be here on earth for a long time. Mankind is clever (perhaps too clever for her own good) even if there are a lot of people hell-bent on trying to screw up everything for everybody else.

Rob: Yes, and considering how ignorant and careless (some) people are acting during this pandemic, at least over here, makes you wonder if there’s any hope at all.

Nik: People are the worst. Ultimately, though, none of it matters because we’re all doomed.

Have you guys seen any good movies/documentaries or read any good books lately that inspired you or otherwise challenged your thinking about life, the present, or the future?

Rob: I can’t say that I’ve seen or read anything recently that challenged me significantly, I guess I’m getting too old to be that overwhelmed haha. The film A Ghost Story though was kind of cool though because it was different, slow and weird (in a good way), and for me it’s always inspiring to read/see/hear something that makes you think, "Man, I wish I had come up with that idea”.

Nik: Absolutely! Punch Drunk Love, Moon, and Office Space are definitely movies like that. I have watched so many movies and series through this pandemic and I can’t remember any of them right now. But I did just notice that there is a season 3 of Loudermilk on HBO! If you haven’t already, see it! I’m currently reading "Homeward Bound, The Life of Paul Simon” by Peter Ames Carlin. It’s a good read about one of my favorite musicians.

For recording this album, what kind of gear did you use and what production/engineering considerations did you have to take into account?

Rob: Since we did a remote recording in the countryside we had to use whatever stuff that we could fit into a couple of cars. I have a couple of old audio interfaces that I linked for a total of 16 channels. I also have a small collection of mics (nothing fancy) and we used them all and the rest was borrowed. We set up the drums in the living room and put the guitar and bass rigs as far away as we could (the adjacent rooms) to avoid bleed and just focused on getting the rhythm tracks done. The goal was to get us all in the same room and to catch the vibe from a relaxed rehearsal kind of situation. The bass rig used was a Orange Terror Bass and an Ampeg SVT 810 and the guitar was tracked through a Reval Mark I and/or Orange TH-100 and a Orange PPC 412. Of course there’s always some unforeseen problem lurking and this time it was the electricity in the old country house.

Nik: I don’t use many effects, just a fuzz. For this one I used a Supercollider from Earthbound Audio. It is exactly what the name suggests. That’s all you need really.

The album cover is amazing! It reminds me, in some strange way, of the creature in the old B-movie Robot Monster (1953). What's the story behind the artwork?

Nik: It definitely has a B-movie vibe that I really like. I’m afraid I can’t really tell you much about it other than the artist name is Aaron Cahill and you can find his stuff on Instagram under the name nghbrs.

I filmed your first US appearance at Psycho Las Vegas in 2016. Fans want to know: do you have ambitions of returning to North America once the world sorts out this pandemic?

Rob: Yes, that’s our first and only US appearance so far and we wouldn’t mind at all returning to Vegas or any other part of the US. For now it’s really hard making any plans at all. In fact, you would think that this kind of isolation would enhance creativity, and maybe for some it does, but for us it’s actually been the most unproductive period so far for Spelljammer. So I’m hoping that by the time this thing blows over we get the inspiration back both for writing/recording new music, and in time hopefully revisiting the US!

Nik: I agree, playing at Psycho Las Vegas was a blast. I hope we get another opportunity to come back some day.

Spelljammer at Psycho Las Vegas/a>

Some Buzz

“The vastness of everything is something that I think about a lot,” says Spelljammer bassist/vocalist Niklas Olsson. And it certainly shows in both the expansive, sludgy sounds and contemplative lyrics of the Stockholm, Sweden based trio. Following a 5-year break between their previous album, Ancient of Days — perhaps fittingly spent pondering said vastness — Spelljammer is back with an album that perfectly bridges the band’s earlier desert rock leanings and their later massive, slow-burning riffs.

'Abyssal Trip' (note: carefully reread that album title) takes its moniker from the perpetually dark, cold, oxygen-free zone at the bottom of the ocean. The 6-song, 44-minute album fittingly embodies that bleak realm with rumbling, oozing guitars intercut with dramatic melodic interludes. The songs take their time to unfurl, making them even more hypnotic. Likewise, the lyrics take a poetic approach to establishing the sonic scenery.

“The lyrical themes we address, like the ultimate doom of man, and the search and longing for new and better worlds, are still there,” Olsson says. “The concept of something undiscovered out there in vast emptiness is pretty much always present.”

The recording process for Abyssal Trip differs from previous releases in that the band — guitarist Robert Sörling, drummer Jonatan Rimsbo and Olsson — opted to capture the performances while holed up in the mental bathysphere of a house in the countryside near Stockholm. “The songs benefitted from the relaxed environment of being away from everything,” Olsson explains. Indeed, the album sounds confident and meticulously arranged, afforded by the band’s isolation. Sörling mixed the album and it was mastered by Monolord drummer Esben Willems at Berserk Audio.

Album opener “Bellwether” begins dramatically with a very slow, nearly minute-long fade in of rumbling distortion setting the stage for heavily distorted bass and guitar plucking out the lugubrious riff for another minute and a half before the drums begin, and likewise equally as long before vocals gurgle to the surface. “Lake” abruptly shifts gears, opening with an unusually fast gallop before rupturing into thundering doom that soon drops into a clean-tone Middle Eastern melodic breakdown.

The title track serves as the album centerpiece, opening with ominous film dialogue about blood sacrifice that launches into pummeling, detuned guitars rumbling over gut-punching drums and howling vocals hearkening to the proto-sludge of Pink Floyd’s “The Nile Song.” The dynamic relents briefly for a slow building clean guitar melody before all instruments lock into a jerking riff topped off by a trilling Iommi style lead. Throughout, Abyssal Trip is, just like its title suggests, an epic tour through desolate zones which yields much to discover.

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[kob131]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4l1pL3ATN0

Let’s break down Vexed’s Weiss video, shall we?

“You know how i feel about Weiss, she’s my favorite character.”

Vexed, what does that even mean? Considering how invested you are at this point in the show’s failure, I don’t know if “favorite character” means “character I like” or “My go to shield to deflect accusations that I hate the show.”

“Weiss worked because they had a plan for her-”

They also had a plan for Blake and you proclaim her as the worst so clearly that doesn’t mean anything.

“Weiss could have been selfless and traveled with Qrow and Maria to hand over the relic-”

*slams down a huge stack of papers*

1. Cordovon SPECIFICALLY said WEISS could come home. She never said anyone else could come as well. And considering her attitude, there is a good reason to assume she WOULDN’T let anyone else with her. 

2. Weiss coming home would likely result in the Relic landing in Jacques’ hands. Even if we didn’t know already that Watts was going to meet with Jacques (which would end with him getting the Relic), Jacques is shown to be self serving and pretty damn weak. Meaning if someone threatened his life for the relic (say, a psychotic scorpion Fanaus?), he’d probably hand it over. And Weiss would logically have no way of stopping this. After all, she escaped in part thanks to her weapon (which Jacques would take from her) and Klein (fired). If either DID happen, you’d screech ‘Stupid for the sake of the plot!’

3. There is no way for anyone to sneak with her. You can’t hide anyone away in the ships for that long, they can’t take Qrow because why would Cordovon let Weiss take back a suspicious bird and she’d be powerless on her own.

4. You screeched for two years that spiliting up the main cast was a terrible idea and now you demand that they should have done just that? Way to flip flop.

5. You’d bitch about the others letting her go as ‘letting their friend be kidnapped and shipped back to her abusive household.’ You already twist so much to benefit your agenda so I know this for certain.

This shit was pointed out a year ago. Get with the program.

“Why didn’t Weiss go back?”

*jabs above* In your own words: it’d be ‘stupid for the sake of the plot.’

“Let’s play a quick game-”

Yes lets.

“5 seconds to answer: Why did Weiss escape to Mistral?”

Because she was being coped up in a room by her father, thought her sister was in Mistral and escaped to go find her..and she didn’t know where Team RWBY was and the source of her escaping was Jacques’ abuse.

That took me a nanosecond. It took you several months to ask it. Speed up.

“If you answered: ‘to escape her father’ You are wrong. If you said “To meet up with team RWBY, you are wrong. She did it to find Winter-”

Yeah huh, smug asshole?

Mind sating WHY she went to find Winter?

... No? Strange. One would think explaining a character’s actions would be your priority here to show it doesn’t make sense.

Oh right. You didn’t explain because the explanation was exactly what I said: She didn’t know were Team RWBY was and she was escaping her father. Both of which DO NOT APPLY in this situation. Gee, it’s almost like context and truth is your fucking Kryptonite.

“Why didn’t she offer to take the relic to Ironwood?”

Because it’s stupid, forces her back into the same situation she was in before and goes against the thing you screeched for years about.

“Weiss thinks she’ll be taken back to her-”

She KNOWS she’ll be taken back to her father. Cordovon specifically said “I’ll take you HOME”. You played the fucking clip were she said that Vexed, is your short term memory shot?

No wait, he had to write out the script, record the audio, find the clip and download it, edit this all together and post it. AT least because I would assume he would do the bare minimum of research to make sure he wasn't spouting shit. So either he is so assured that he’s right he didn’t even pay attention to this VERY OBVIOUS detail or he’s relying on the audience’s negative perception of RWBY to cover his tracks. This is why I do not accept the idea of Vexed Viewer making mistakes like this: he spends weeks making these videos. I can catch myself making stupid claims with posts that take an hour to type up. Clearly he should know better.

“Oh wait, they didn’t take her back to Ironwood-”

Which is noted by the characters to be something unusual and unexpected. So to present this as a rebuttal to Weiss not wanting to go back to Atlas is to expect the characters to know the plot and script instead acting on known information (like, you know, human beings?).

“Oh look at all these times Jacques should have been able to be taken back to her father because you claim she’s a minor!”

No one has ever argued that Vexed. As I have shown, she KNEW she would be handed over back to her father because that was the offer CORDOVON GAVE HER.

This is blatant strawmanning to avoid the fact that the actual argument against you can’t be denied. And since you refuse to not bitch like a self entitled brat, you won’t admit you were wrong. 

“There is no downside to Weiss return-”

“Cordovin: (sighs) If Miss Schnee has truly come to her senses and wishes to return to her family, then, of course, the Atlas military will escort her home. But the kingdom will not be responsible for her "friends" of... questionable character. (glances at Blake specifically upon saying her last statement) “

Reminder we have just passed the five minute mark. Of a twenty two minute video. And Vexed has made, being abnormally generous to an unwarrented degree, two demonstrably false to the point of lying arguments. 

Starting to realize the sheer volume of his failures?

“I had to believe that a protector of the world would rather be with her friends than save the world”

*glares up at everything said previously*

No, you WANTED to believe that. You CHOOSE to believe that. You ACCEPTED it over far more rational, simple and according to you, convenient explanations.

Unless of course, you’re looking for anything and everything to bitch about in RWBY and this is your confirmation bias.

“The writers decided for Weiss to be annoying in Volume 6′s Brunswick part.”

Oh? So these parts should be so bad that they override your supposed ‘favorite character’ right? You aren’t just bitching and completely contradicting that criticism shield your dredged up right?

“Weiss screams loudly and starts hyper ventilating-”

Funny thing is he uses Keiven from Home Alone putting on after shave to say Weiss Screamed louder...even though they sound about the same (Weiss just has a higher pitch from being a woman) and Keiven screamed longer. 

Not to mention that in the original scene, it was being played like a horror scene. Same music, same angles, same pacing: it’s to sell how disturbing and unsettling the sight of these bodies are. Of course, if you were just going off memory and Vexed’s footage, you wouldn’t know that. 

“Weiss is a trained warrior and fought at the Fall of Beacon were people were dying left and right-”

A. Weiss isn’t fully trained yet. She was a first year at Beacon and had two more years at least.

B. Huntsmen are not warriors. Their training is not built to break them like a soldier or warrior. Not to mention Weiss grew up in a relatively peaceful time so it’s not like death was a close up constant like this (unless you count the WF which is different.)

C. Number of times Weiss has seen a dead body on screen before now? ... Zero? Hm, guess Vexed ‘convienently’ forgot that.

D. Any off-screen deaths Weiss would have seen at the Fall of Beacon you would have bitched about as not being shown. You bitch about stuff on a lower level (he’s bitched about the phrase ‘Oh God’ before) so there’s a perecedent for this/

And E. These bodies are in a different situation than any in the Fall of Beacon. Those are freshly killed bodies on a battlefield. Weiss would be expecting those. These are mummified bodies in a civilian setting, with the killer nowhere in site and out of nowhere. No shit she’d be shocked: Yang (someone who lost an arm) is also acting the same and Qrow (a seasoned warrior who actually DOES fit your description) is shocked too.

Once again though, this stuff wouldn’t come up in your mind because Vexed doesn’t acknowledge it or consider it. Thus you’re being guided away from these issues. 

Starting to see how sneaky Vexed is?

“Weiss is being dumb and could break through the cellar door!”

Once again, he’s being sneaky, splicing this next to the body discovery point, trying to make them seem like similar situation...even though the moment he is talking about is them running from the Apathy. Grimm that have been shown to be immune to regular weaponry. AND is making them sluggish AND is advancing on them. She’s panicked and all the shit Vexed is pointing to takes time and concentration: stuff their situation is ROBBED of. And yet again, you wouldn’t know that because Vexed NEVER GIVES CONTEXT HERE. Only after this is stated.

“I know you guys are saying in the comments-”

Just another strawman.  Vexed is pretending to addressing points by making up weaker ones. Even then, his bullshit counterargument “The Apathy drain your will, not make you a damsel in distress” kills his OWN argument as a lack of will would cause Weiss to lose concentration and fail.

For Vexed’s argument to work, Weiss would have to either not be panicking (stupid and unrealistic) or ignore her own powers’ limitations (bad writing).

“Thank God Yang was down there-”

Ruby had just disintergrated the Grimm. They were given a reprieve. Once again, Vexed doesn’t show this.

“You can’t have her be fearless now-”

She’s neither trapped nor panicking nor being affected by the Apathy. The fear bullshit is on you.

“*Vexed cringes*”

Oh look, that thing I was doing about ten minutes ago. Catch up Vexed- Oh wait, you’re too busy gutting your own eyeballs.

“We don't see Weiss in Atlas-”

Gee, not like we have to set up the Ace Ops, set up Ironwood, Winter and Penny again, set up Watts and Tyrian’s threat, set up Robyn, work through all of this and much more and end it all. It’s almost like that’s fucking SECONDARY to telling the story and as you showed, Weiss already has moments in Volume 7.

So I guess Vexed is basically saying “Volumes 4 and 5 weren’t THAT bad” since he’s been begging the CRWBY to go back and overstuff the Volumes AGAIN.

Next part has him actually praising the moment between Weiss and her mom. Sounds good right? It would...if it actually matched Vexed’s standards. 

How many times has he ignored things like distance, positioning and the such in things like the Adam Vs. Yang and Blake fight just to push his bullshit through to the audience? Just how many moments that would qualify for, in his own words ‘well written, well directed moments’ just so he can prove a point?

At the very least before, I could give a bare minimum level of respect for Vexed for sticking by his principles, as stupid as they are. But no, he just praises a scene because he likes what happened in it even though stuff of similar quality he overlooked or bashed. 

“Weiss just gets handed her proof about her dad and doesn’t have to do anything!”

Except endure being shot at by her mother and there’s nothing that's been shown before that could be used as proof besides this. What do you want, proof to magically appear in Jacques’ office? To have Weiss gain fingerprint scanning tech despite never showing that before? To have Jacques be excepetionally dumb? At least we get something respectable out of Weiss’ mother here and it isn’t a huge leap in logic like the others.

“I’d have more of a problem if this scene wasn’t so good and I’d have less of a problem if this made sense for Willow. It doesn’t but this isn’t her video-”

No no no no no.

No.

After all the tangents and bullshit you’ve pulled in other videos AND THIS VIDEO, you denying proof for something you call ‘a point of contention’ is pretty fucking rich of you. Just because you like a scene doesn’t mean you can just ignore the problems with it, same with the inverse too. How is this any better than a Yang fanboy ignoring issues with scenes involving Yang because they like it?

Literally all you had left was your own daman principles, Vexed. Now you’re burning them.

“One thing the writers have made very clear is Weiss really enjoys dunking on her father-”

Using her ignoring her father’s call in Volume 3, her breakdown at the Atlas Elite and her talk back to Jacques in Volume 4? One of which is not ‘dunking’ (or extreme humiliation) and the other is only partially about her father and mostly about how detached the elite of Atlas are.

“-SO I shouldn’t be surpised she came in like a-”

Not even gonna let you finish that shitty reference. That was just unnecessary and not even funny. It feels more like a combination of a Family Guy cutaway for it’s abruptness and a fanboy cheering for it’s framing.

“The Jacques being taken down scene was bad because it was matter of fact and silly instead of emotionally driven-”

Vexed, the issues Weiss has with Jacques is rooted in his abuse of her and her family, his entitlement to the family business and his business practices harming her family name. This takedown has nothing to do with any of these. She is not confronting him about the damage he has done to her and her family nor the damage he has done in his pursuit of growing the business. She is confronting him about the election fraud, a story point.

No shit this isn’t emotional- Weiss’ emotional ties here are SHALLOW. It would ring hollow to the audience for her to make this emotional because she has no emotional attachment to the actions he performed. All she would have is it being her dad, which isn’t enough. 

Then again, from the perspective of a Weiss fanboy, this would look bad because that moment you’ve been writing in your head didn’t happen. I should know.

“*Vexed bitches about a joke about Weiss not knowing if she can arrest Weiss because ‘hur dur book smart!’*”

She’s not an officer, she’s a Huntress. I don’t think they can actually arrest people.

“This should have been between father and daughter in an epic moment-”

*rolls eyes*

Vexed, look at this scene. Look at all the other shit happening here. Then remember the people dying to the cold in Mantle.

What makes you THINK it was meant to be that way? Hell, what makes you think that would be a GOOD IDEA?

.. Yeah, that’s what I thought.

“I wanted to see the sister dynamic that has been missing from RUby and Yang-”

You had your chance in Volume 6. You ignored for Bumbleby bashing. You don’t get a say.

“Hur dur, characters ssay things we know already!”

Gee, it’s almost like Weiss and Winter talking about this was to restablish were they were because a certain group of people made it certain that they needed everything spoonfed to them or else they throw a tantrum.

“Ironwood done nothin’ wrong!”

There’s Vexed’s pandering again.

The man made no attempt to talk anything through until he was forced to with Mantle. He lied to Team RWBY about Amity and made them operate under false information. And I have made the fuck ups in Ironwood’s plan in Episode 11 VERY clear.

Stop pandering to the RWBY hate crowd and have some fucking principles.

“Oh, Weiss lied to Ironwood! How hypocritical”

*holds up a piece of paper saying ‘That’s the point’*

“Why would it bother Winter that she’s chosen as the Winter Maiden? ANd why does she say that she wasn’t given a choice when she said she was ‘proposed’?”

gee, wasn’t it you guys who claimed Ozpin proposing to Pyrrha wasn’t giving her an actual choice? Hm, I guess things change...when they benefit you.

“Wow, Weiss is so bad for not telling Winter about the Relic!-”

COnversation wasn’t about that and it wouldn’t come up, nor is it a particularly serious thing. But nice try Vexed.

“Weiss runs away because she pains to carve out her-”

Wait a minute, didn’t you say that Weiss was going to Msitral to find Winter? Hmmm, awfully inconsistent of you vexed. Almost you lie constantly for your own benefit.

“HOW MANY TIMES WILL YOU TALK ABOUT FINDING YOUR OWN WAY?!”

Gee, didn’t know that, by your own admission, three times in four Volumes was SOOO awful.

“This is how they treated their relationship?”

As a narrative tool to emphasize a theme of the Volume? Good on them.

“You know, everyone still thinks Weiss is this pampered heiress-”

One guy said that. In the entire Volume. About self reliance and finding your own path.

“Weiss never said a word to Robyn and didn’t support her-”

You know Vexed, what’s the difference between you and a whiny Bumbleby shipper bitching about them not kissing yet? You sound so entitled and so whiny about you not getting your way. Your arguments are breaking down into disjointed bitching, just like an entitled brat.

It’s fucking pathetic.

“Maybe she’ll try her luck doging the coronavirus at RTX! Maybe she was too busy watching Gen:LOCK.”

Aw, what’s wrong? baby didn’t get his undeserved baba?

I can’t believe how much has changed Vexed. You’ve pretty much outed yourself as an entitled fan perpetually whining about the show not being the way you want it. You have no respect earned. You have no principles. You have no standards. You don’t even have an end goal: all you have is your whims.

Pathetic.

[dustedmagazine]

Derek Taylor 2019: Keep Going

Two words coupled by Harriet Tubman and coined into a credo essential for negotiating the human condition. It's also the title of and invocation to a sublime duo album by Joe McPhee and Hamid Drake released this year as rejoinder to their first recorded ten-years earlier. Taking stock of that decade is something we at Dusted did recently and as the New Year arrives it’s an exercise that feels all the more important, particularly in the extra-musical sense of recognizing the folly of where we’ve been as a world and where we really want to go moving forward. As always, music is both balm and adhesive in remembering that no matter how divisive and discouraging everything seems, we’re still all in it together.

Joe McPhee

Seventy-nine-years young and still a human dynamo of energy, empathy, and optimism, the Powerhouse from Poughkeepsie’s been a constant of these retrospective essays for as long as I’ve been writing them. I haven’t done a hard count, but his horns grace at least a dozen releases this year. Duos with Mats Gustaffson (Brace for Impact), Fred Lonberg-Holm (No Time Left for Sadness), and Paal Nilssen-Love (Song for the Big Chief) join the dyad denoted above in delivering dialogues as personal as they are potent. Tree Dancing assembles the super-group of Lol Coxhill, Evan Parker, Chris Corsano, and McPhee collectively and in component combinations with bassist John Edwards on board for a culminating cut, while Six Situations realizes a dream of bassist Damon Smith in teaming him with McPhee’s tenor and now dearly departed drummer Alvin Fielder. The Fire Each Time bundles six concerts of McPhee in the company of the DKV Trio from a 2017 tour that took James Baldwin and John Coltrane as lodestones. Saving perhaps the best for last, Invitation to a Dream comingles McPhee’s pocket trumpet and soprano with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn and old confrere Ken Vandermark in a tripart colloquy delivered in crystal clear sound.

 Peter Brötzmann

A year younger and another fixture in my yearly firmament, Herr Brötz has always had ears attuned to the early pioneers of improvised music through the unabashed embrace of Sidney Bechet, Coleman Hawkins, and others. Those unerring affections erode some of the surprise from I Surrender Dear, an album of tenor-rendered jazz standards and originals, but also enhance the overall experience in how literally he makes good on the debt. It’s arguably his best solo album since 14 Love Poems and bolstered further by the focus on a single central member of his reed arsenal. Also of note, Fifty Years After commemorating the golden anniversary of Machine Gun with longtime confreres German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and Dutch drummer Han Bennink,

 Rob Franken Electrification — Functional Stereo Music (678 Records)

Four-hours of Fender Rhodes heaven recorded in elite Dutch studios between 1972 and 1981 that puzzlingly never found commercial circulation until last year as a six-LP series. The 2019 edition transfers the archive to three-CDs and only rarely flags as Franken’s fonky keys front guitar, bass, drums and a revolving cast of fellow aces fielding other instruments. Economy is the informal edict as morsel-sized originals alternate with covers of tunes by Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Atilla Zoller, and even Steely Dan. The utilitarian intimations of the title aren’t just lip service. Franken originally envisioned the music as an homage to the muzak strains common to “shopping malls, hotels, elevators, department stores, and airports.” Much of it sounds far better aligned with the kinetic cop and detective pot-boilers that populated television and cinema of the decade.

 Brian Groder Trio – Luminous Arcs (Latham)

Keeping a working improvising ensemble together is no minor accomplishment, yet Groder’s been able to maintain one in his name with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Jay Rosen. This disc joins two previous albums in demonstrating both the depth of the musicians’ bonds and their shared zeal in exploring and capitalizing on them. Any novelty surrounding the particulars of a trumpet-led piano-less trio is fortunately long since lapsed. The precedence allows them to marshal their attention to shaping music that is simultaneously the sum and multiplication of the substantial parts.

 V/A — Pakistan: Folk and Pop Instrumentals 1966-1976 (Sublime Frequencies)

Seattle-based Sublime Frequencies weathered a stretch where the “weirdness” quotient of their audio excavations appeared to outweigh accompanying scholarship and attention to edifying annotations. This scintillating compilation suffers no such skew in the balance of carefully sourced sounds and accompanying copy to shore up the context. Sixties rock, specifically surf, is a through-line in the preponderance of reverb-riddled guitars and buzzing Farfisa organ on many of the tracks, but indigenous melodies and rhythms are also frequent fodder for enthusiastic appropriation. Best of all, there’s a pervasive sense of fun to the sequencing that makes it a handy soundtrack for soirees of all sorts.

 Jaimie Branch — Fly or Die II (International Anthem)

If her ascendant flight pattern is any indication, death, artistic or otherwise, isn’t even an option for Jaimie Branch. This follow-up to her meteoric (and long overdue) 2017 debut builds organically on previous cosmetic aspects (core quartet, cover art, etc.) while making progressive-pronged politics even more prominent. “Prayer for Amerikkka” doesn’t mince words in proffering a platform of resistance and the musical propellant to keep it confidently airborne. A robust touring schedule and well-earned media attention are only furthering Branch’s designs at getting the sounds into as many ears as possible.

 Sam Rivers

The Sam Rivers Archive Series is the brainchild of producers Danas Mikailionis and Ed Hazell. A projected eight-volume celebration of the music of the eponymous composer/improviser/educator/doyen curated from a vast trove left in the care of Rivers’ daughter after his passing in 2011, it’s also probably the jazz news that most set my heart aflutter with anticipation this year. The initial pair of entries, Emanation and Zenith, certainly live up to the promise in presenting clean fidelity concerts by a high profile trio with bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Norman Conners (pre-disco) and a workshop quintet involving tubaist Joe Daley, bassist Dave Holland and the eight-limbed drums juggernaut of Barry Altschul and Charlie Persip. Both discs are essential.

 Jimi Hendrix — Songs for Groovy Children (Experience Hendrix)

Not a long-lost Hendrix kids’ album despite what the jejune title might suggest. Instead, it’s four nearly complete concerts from the guitar deity’s iconic New Year’s Band of Gypsies engagement at the Fillmore East in 1969/70. Producer Eddie Kramer largely quashes his invasive impulses in mastering the tapes, leaving the only real minuses to manifest in the occasionally extra-loose interplay and Jimi’s decision to indulge Buddy Miles’ mic access to a regrettably arguable fault. Math done, there’s nothing stopping an instant trigger-pull for true believers, even folks who have it all already in bootleg form.

 Ezz-thetics

Fingers remain collectively-crossed that Werner X. Uehlingher will one day decide to write an autobiography of his countless adventures as a stalwart producer of improvised music. Ezz-thetics is just the latest chapter in the future tome’s story arc that started with the founding of the Hat Hut label back in 1974. The new imprint, named after a classic George Russell composition, balances reissue and archival releases with new ones, packing them with branding that memorializes the old while consecrating the new. Discs by Jimmy Giuffre (Graz Live 1961), John Coltrane (Impressions Graz 1962), and Albert Ayler (Quartets 1964 Spirits to Ghosts Revisted) are the marquee name highlights, but the entirety of the imprint’s releases to-date have had their merits.

 Stephen Riley

The tenorist is no longer my favorite under-forty plier on the instrument simply because he’s aged out of the bracket. Oleo builds on last year’s transparently veiled Sonny Rollins’ tribute Hold ‘Em Joe by adding the sturdy trumpet of Joe Magnarelli to the equation and turning the referential calendar forward to the saxophone colossus’ collaborations with Don Cherry. It’s a beaut from a brisk beginning sortie on “Ornithology” to lengthy slalom on the Ducal “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” Tangerine Rhapsody is technically under Dutch drummer Snorre Kirk’s leadership, but it wouldn’t be nearly the album it is absent Riley’s supple and sagacious involvement.

 Milt Buckner & Jo Jones — Buck & Jo (Fremeaux & Associates)

Curious about what makes an individual improviser tick? Duo contexts are arguably the best aperture to gain edification and insight. Even better than solo or ensemble configurations, the dyad distills things down to solo and dialogue. This four-disc, four-hour-plus collection is a remarkable case in point and surprise that it even exists at all given its vintage let alone its scope. Thank French impresarios the Panassie Brothers who invited ur swing organist and ur swing drummer to indulge themselves with only the gentlest of producer-dictated strictures. The results are fascinating, whimsical, bombastic, and above all, endlessly entertaining. An epitome of intimately undertaken jazz tête-��-tête before it was anything resembling a regular thing.

 Del Shannon — Two Silhouettes (Bear Family)

Preconceptions can prove obdurate edifices. Prior to my forty-eighth birthday this year I dismissed Del Shannon as one of the disposable princes of bubble gum pop on the rare occasions he entered my consciousness at all. “Runaway” remains an influential song, particularly in its use of musitron organ, but it’s hardly the makings of unassailable genius. Bear Family’s exhaustive single-disc survey levies a much more convincing appeal for the crooner’s embodiment of a nexus of odd congruencies as moonlighting jazzmen conspire with duck-tailed rockers and barbershop harmonists. Dennis Coffey and Hargus “Pig” Robbins show up as sidemen and there’s even an S&M-tinged canticle called “Torture” replete with whip cracks and a Greek chorus of moans, leaving one to wonder what Ward and June Cleaver made of it all?

 Sun Ra

Cosmic Myth and Modern Harmonic continue to advance the mantle apparently abandoned by the Art Yard label in keeping Ra-related albums in circulation. The erstwhile Mr. Mystery employed numerous vocalists throughout his career, even contributing his own less-than-stellar (pun intended) pipes to the cause on occasion. None among that eclectic number could match June Tyson, who brought joie de vivre to the lyrical manifestations of Ra’s cosmic-afro-centrism that was at once wholly believable and infectious. Saturnian Queen of the Sun Ra Arkestra does right by her memory by culling an hour’s worth of highlights from a vast and varied recorded archive. Monorails & Satellites (now in three volumes!) and newly minted editions of Pathways to Unknown Worlds and When Angels Speak of Love were also welcome arrivals.

 Derek Bailey/Han Bennink/Evan Parker — Topographie Parisienne: Dunois, April 3rd, 1981 (Fou)

The Topography of the Lungs trio in concert and at length with decent sound eleven-years after their initial seismic contributions to free improv. Bailey and Parker weren’t yet at irreconcilable loggerheads but there’s still a galvanizing and palpable tension that suffuses their interplay. Bennink can’t help being anything but Bennink, bashing away one moment and pattering at barely a whisper the next while keeping ears cocked with split-second focus to the contributions his compatriots. Duos combine with solos from Parker sweeten and season an already delicious aural pot.

 Fred Anderson Quartet — Live at the Velvet Lounge Volume V (FPE)

Leftfield guest Toshinori Kondo and drummer Hamid Drake were one half of Peter Brötzmann’s Die Like a Dog outfit when this 1994 concert was committed to tape. That take-no-prisoners context allowed his plangent, frenetic, effects-saturated brass free and ferocious rein. Anderson’s outlets didn’t usually involve electronics and its instructive hearing the adaptations to the roiling controlled-chaos within his customary cerulean-hued improvisations. Drake and bassist Tastu Aoki maintain a stout terrestrial tether enlivened by a revolving array of undulating grooves. Extra points earned for incorporating the original Velvet Lounge wallpaper scheme into the production design. Bottom line: I miss Fred.

 V/A — Hillbillies in Hell: Tribulations: Country Music’s Tormented Testament (1952-1974) (The Omni Recording Corporation)

Amusing alliterative appellation aside, this series has managed the no-meager-feat of avoiding diminishing returns while mining the same expanse of time over successive volumes. The fifth entry tilts the lens even more sharply toward the sort of fervent tent show revival circuit favored by fictional religious reprobates like Rev. Harry Powell and Elmer Gantry and comes up with a bonanza off-kilter cuts from names both famous (Hank Williams, Louvin Bros., Tex Ritter) and arcane (The Burton Family, Durwood Daily, The Sunshine Boys Quartet). Ernest Tubb’s “Saturday Satan, Sunday Saint” persuasively sums up the ecumenical ethos, but every song exudes its share of sinful charms.

  V/A — Sacred Sounds: Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel (Ace)

As a both prolific and preternaturally talented producer, Dave Hamilton’s usual purview was left-of-center soul and funk. Urban (but not urbane) gospel offered a less-publicized commercial side outlet and he brought comparable emphasis on authenticity and creativity to the various acts he championed. This compilation comprises all-killer-no-filler assemblage that lives up to the unvarnished signifier in the title. It’s nearly eighty-minutes of jangly guitars, tambourines, and impassioned sanctifying and proselytizing of all sorts, as suited for Sunday morning as Friday or Saturday night depending on the preferred mood of your personal household. I’ve enjoyed equal fun plying it in both.

 Art Pepper — Promise Kept

Laurie Pepper, like Sue Mingus and other jazz widows before her, remains a passionate arbiter and steward of her late husband’s recorded legacy. The title of this box set collecting a singular tributary of Art Pepper’s later career aspirations could just as easily serve as a signifier of that bond. In truth, it’s reflective of a pact the couple made with producer John Snyder and a string of studio sessions largely left unissued during the Pepper’s lifetime. Rivalries real and imagined are revealed across the recordings as the altoist wrestles with his insecurities and the realities of choices made and paid for as a consequence of his addictions and fictions. Straightforward and vital, the music avoids gestalt in remaining consistently strong and emotionally true.

 Paul Bley/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian — When Will the Blues Leave (ECM)

The prevailing mystery behind this twenty-year-old concert rests on the reason(s) why the fine folks at ECM left it in the can for so long. I don’t have an answer but rather a simple expression of gratitude that they finally decided to rectify the error and get the sounds out into the world. Bley, Peacock and Motian were already three-decades deep in the periodic associations that quietly helped open chamber jazz to free improvisation when they took to the Swiss stage. The ensuing masterful performance manages to feel simultaneously like three old friends shooting the shit and a trio of improvisatory experts operating at peak collective capacity.

 Prince — 1999 (Warner)

Residency in the Twin Cities for the better part of two decades has resulted in many boons, personal and vocational for this writer. As with any life lived, the red side of the ledger has entries, too. Folded among them is the frictional, frayed listening relationship I harbor with the region’s most famous musical export. Nearly three years after his premature passing Prince is still everywhere and everything here. That perpetual, and perpetually irksome, ubiquity is what makes this five-disc+DVD beyond-exhaustive box so refreshing to my patience-tested purview. It contains lots of impressive material from arguably his most creative and questing period. It also has plenty of songs that feel competent but quotidian by comparison. That blend of bliss and banality is as effective a corrective as I can think of to the cult of purple sainthood that persists around these parts.  

 And as is my habitual wont, 25 more in no hierarchical order… thank you for reading and Feliz Año Nuevo!  

Josh Abrams Natural Information Society (Eremite)

Michael Formanek’s Very Practical Trio – Even Better (Intakt)

Charles Gayle/John Edwards/Mark Sanders – Seasons Changing (Otokroku)

Dudu Pukwana/Han Bennink/Misha Mengelberg – Yi Yole (ICP/Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Nat King Cole – Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1945) (Resonance)

Willem Breuker & Han Bennink – New Acoustic Swing Duo (ICP/Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Whit Dickey & Kirk Knuffke – Drone Dream (No Business)

Mark Turner & Gary Foster – Mark Turner Meets Gary Foster (Capri)

J.C. Heard & Bill Perkins Quintet – Live at the Lighthouse 1964 (Fresh Sound)

Stan Getz – Getz at the Gate: November 26, 1961 (Verve)

Rita Moss - Queen Moss 1951-1959 (Fresh Sound)

Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan – Epistrophy (ECM)

Marion Brown & Dave Burrell – Live at the Black Musicians’ Conference, 1981 (No Business)

Jon Irabagon – Invisible Horizon (Irrabagast)

Tom Rainey Trio – Combobulated (Intakt)

Joe Lovano & Enrico Rava Quintet – Roma (ECM)

Tomeka Reid Quartet – Old New (Cuneiform)

Johnny Griffin & Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis – Ow: Live at the Penthouse (Reel to Reel)

Takahashi Miyasaka – Animals Garden (Kojima/BBE)

Tiger Trio (Joelle Leandre/Myra Melford/Nicole Mitchell) – Map of Liberation (Rogue Art)

V/A – Jambu: E Os Miticos Sons da Amazonia (Analog Africa)

V/A – Put the Whole Armour On: Female Black Gospel 1940s/1950s (Gospel Friend)

V/A –Alefa Madagascar: Salegy, Soukous, & Soul from the Red Island (Strut)

Horace Tapscott with the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and the Great Voice of UGMAA - Why Don’t You Listen? Live at LACMA 1998 (Dark Tree)

Duster – Capsule Losing Contact (Numero)

[dailytechnologynews]

The Coming Age of Imaginative Machines: If you aren't following the rise of synthetic media, the 2020s will hit you like a digital blitzkrieg

The faces on the left were created by a GAN in 2014; on the right are ones made in 2018.

Ian Goodfellow and his colleagues gave the world generative adversarial networks (GANs) five years ago, way back in 2014. They did so with fuzzy and ethereal black & white images of human faces, all generated by computers. This wasn't the start of synthetic media by far, but it did supercharge the field. Ever since, the realm of neural network-powered AI creativity has repeatedly kissed mainstream attention. Yet synthetic media is still largely unknown. Certain memetic-boosted applications such as deepfakes and This Person Does Not Exist notwithstanding, it's safe to assume the average person is unaware that contemporary artificial intelligence is capable of some fleeting level of "imagination."

Media synthesis is an inevitable development in our progress towards artificial general intelligence, the first and truest sign of symbolic understanding in machines (though by far not the thing itself--- rather the organization of proteins and sugars to create the rudimentary structure of what will someday become the cells of AGI). This is due to the rise of artificial neural networks (ANNs). Popular misconceptions presume synthetic media present no new developments we've not had since the 1990s, yet what separates media synthesis from mere manipulation, retouching, and scripts is the modicum of intelligence required to accomplish these tasks. The difference between Photoshop and neural network-based deepfakes is the equivalent to the difference between building a house with power tools and employing a utility robot to use those power tools to build the house for you.

Succinctly, media synthesis is the first tangible sign of automation that most people will experience.

Public perception of synthetic media shall steadily grow and likely degenerate into a nadir of acceptance as more people become aware of the power of these artificial neural networks without being offered realistic debate or solutions as to how to deal with them. They've simply come too quickly for us to prepare for, hence the seemingly hasty reaction of certain groups like OpenAI in regards to releasing new AI models.

Already, we see frightened reactions to the likes of DeepNudes, an app which was made solely to strip women in images down to their bare bodies without their consent. The potential for abuse (especially for pedophilic purposes) is self-evident. We are plunging headlong into a new era so quickly that we are unaware of just what we are getting ourselves into. But just what are we getting into?

Well, I have some thoughts.

I want to start with the field most people are at least somewhat aware of: deepfakes. We all have an idea of what deepfakes can do: the "purest" definition is taking one's face replacing it with another, presumably in a video. The less exact definition is to take some aspect of a person in a video and edit it to be different. There's even deepfakes for audio, such as changing one's voice or putting words in their mouth. Most famously, this was done to Joe Rogan.

I, like most others, first discovered deepfakes in late 2017 around the time I had an "epiphany" on media synthesis as a whole. Just in those two years, the entire field has seen extraordinary progress. I realized then that we were on the cusp of an extreme flourishing of art, except that art would be largely-to-almost entirely machine generated. But along with it would come a flourishing of distrust, fake news, fake reality bubbles, and "ultracultural memes". Ever since, I've felt the need to evangelize media synthesis, whether to tell others of a coming renaissance or to warn them to be wary of what they see.

This is because, over the past two years, I realized that many people's idea of what media synthesis is really stops at deepfakes, or they only view new development through the lens of deepfakes. The reason why I came up with "media" synthesis is because I genuinely couldn't pin down any one creative/data-based field AI wasn't going to affect. It wasn't just faces. It wasn't just bodies. It wasn't just voice. It wasn't just pictures of ethereal swirling dogs. It wasn't just transferring day to night. It wasn't just turning a piano into a harpsichord. It wasn't just generating short stories and fake news. It wasn't just procedurally generated gameplay. It was all of the above and much more. And it's coming so fast that I fear we aren't prepared, both for the tech and the consequences.

Indeed, in many discussions I've seen (and engaged in) since then, there's always several people who have a virulent reaction against the prospect neural networks can do any of this at all, or at least that it'll get better enough to the point it will affect artists, creators, and laborers. Even though we're already seeing the effects in the modeling industry alone.

Look at this gif. Looks like a bunch of models bleeding into and out of each other, right? Actually, no one here is real. They're all neural network-generated people.

Neural networks can generate full human figures, and altering their appearance and clothing is a matter of changing a few parameters or feeding an image into the data set. Changing the clothes of someone in a picture is as easy as clicking on the piece you wish you change and swapping it with any of your choice (or result in the personal wearing no clothes at all). A similar scenario applies for make-up. This is not like an old online dress-up flash game where the models must be meticulously crafted by an art designer or programmer— simply give the ANN something to work with, and it will figure out all the rest. You needn't even show it every angle or every lighting condition, for it will use commonsense to figure these out as well. Such has been possible since at least 2017, though only with recent GPU advancements has it become possible for someone to run such programs in real time.

The unfortunate side effect is that the amateur modeling industry will be vaporized. Extremely little will be left, and the few who do remain are promoted entirely because they are fleshy & real human beings. Professional models will survive for longer, but there will be little new blood joining their ranks. As such, it remains to be seen whether news and blogs speak loudly of the sudden, unexpected automation of what was once seen as a safe and human-centric industry or if this goes ignored and under-reported— after all, the news used to speak of automation in terms of physical, humanoid robots taking the jobs of factory workers, fast-food burger flippers, and truck drivers, occupations that are still in existence en masse due to slower-than-expected roll outs of robotics and a continued lack of general AI.

We needn't have general AI to replace those jobs that can be replicated by disembodied digital agents. And the sudden decline & disappearance of models will be the first widespread sign of this.

Actually, I have an hypothesis for this: media synthesis is one of the first signs that we're making progress towards artificial general intelligence.

Now don't misunderstand me. No neural network that can generate media is AGI or anything close. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that what we can see as being media synthesis is evidence that we've put ourselves on the right track. We never should've thought that we could get to AGI without also developing synthetic media technology.

What do you know about imagination?

As recently as five years ago, the concept of "creative machines" was cast off as impossible— or at the very least, improbable for decades. Indeed, the phrase remains an oxymoron in the minds of most. Perhaps they are right. Creativity implies agency and desire to create. All machines today lack their own agency. Yet we bear witness to the rise of computer programs that imagine and "dream" in ways not dissimilar to humankind.

Though lacking agency, this still meets the definition of imagination.

To reduce it to its most fundamental ingredients: Imagination = experience + abstraction + prediction. To get creativity, you need only add "drive". Presuming that we fail to create artificial general intelligence in the next ten years (an easy thing to assume because it's unlikely we will achieve fully generalized AI even in the next thirty), we still possess computers capable of the former three ingredients.

Someone who lives on a flat island and who has never seen a mountain before can learn to picture what one might be by using what they know of rocks and cumulonimbus clouds, making an abstract guess to cross the two, and then predicting what such a "rock cloud" might look like. This is the root of imagination.

As Descartes noted, even the strongest of imagined sensations is duller than the dullest physical one, so this image in the person's head is only clear to them in a fleeting way. Nevertheless, it's still there. Through great artistic skills, the person can learn to express this mental image through artistic means. In all but the most skilled, it will not be a pure 1-to-1 realization due to the fuzziness of our minds, but in the case of expressive art, it doesn't need to be.

Computers lack this fleeting ethereality of imagination completely. Once one creates something, it can give you the uncorrupted output.

Right now, this makes for wonderful tools and apps that many play around with online and on our phones.

But extrapolating this to the near future results in us coming face to face many heavy questions, and not just of the "can't trust what you see variety."

Because think about it.

If I'm a musical artist and I release an album, what if I accidentally recorded a song that's too close to an AI-generated track (all because AI generated literally every combination of notes?) Or, conversely, what if I have to watch as people take my music and alter it? I may feel strongly about it, but yet the music has its notes changed, its lyrics changed, my own voice changed, until it might as well be an entirely different artist making that music. Many won't mind, but many will.

I trust my mother's voice, as many do. So imagine a phisher managing to steal her voice, running it through a speech synthesis network, and then calling me asking me for my social security number. Or maybe I work at a big corporation, and while we're secure, we still recognize each other's voice, only to learn that someone stole millions of dollars from us because they stole the CEO's voice and used to to wire cash to a pirate's account.

Imagine going online and at least 70% of the "people" you encounter are bots. They're extremely coherent, and they have profile images of what looks to be real people. And who knows, you may even forge an e-friendship with some of them because they seem to share your interests. Then it turns out they're just bundles of code.

Oh, and those bot-people are also infesting social media and forums in the millions, creating and destroying trends and memes without much human input. Even if the mainstream news sites don't latch on at first, bot-created and bot-run news sites will happily kick it off for them. The news is supposed to report on major events, global and local. Even if the news is honest and telling the truth, how can they truly verify something like this, especially when it seems to be gaining so much traction and humans inevitably do get involved? Remember "Bowsette" from last year? Imagine if that was actually pushed entirely by bots until humans saw what looked like a happenin' kind of meme and joined in? That could be every year or perhaps even every month in the 2020s onwards.

Likewise, imagine you're listening to a pop song in one country, but then you go to another country and it's the exact same song but most of the lyrics have changed to be more suitable for their culture. That sort of cultural spread could stop... or it could be supercharged if audiences don't take to it and pirate songs/change them and share them at their own leisure.

Or maybe it's a good time to mention how commissioned artists are screwed? Commission work boards are already a race to the bottom— if a job says it pays three cents per word to write an article, you'd better list your going rate as 2 cents per word, and then inevitably the asking rate in general becomes 2 cents per word, and so on and so forth. That whole business might be over within five to ten years if you aren't already extremely established. Because if machines can mimic any art style or writing style (and then exaggerate & alter it to find some better version people like more), you'd have to really be tech-illiterate or very pro-human to want non-machine commissions.

And to go back to deepfakes and deep nudes, imagine the paratypical creep who takes children and puts them into sexual situations, any sexual situation they desire thanks to AI-generated images and video. It doesn't matter who, and it doesn't have to be real children either. It could even be themselves as a child if they still have the reference or use a de-aging algorithm on their face. It's squicky and disgusting to think about, but it's also inevitable and probably has already happened.

And my god, it just keeps going on and on. I can't do this justice, even with 40,000 characters to work with. The future we're about to enter is so wild, so extreme that I almost feel scared for humanity. It's not some far off date in the 22nd century. It's literally going to start happening within the next five years. We're going to see it emerge before our very eyes on this and other subreddits.

I'll end this post with some more examples.

Nvidia's new AI can turn any primitive sketch into a photorealistic masterpiece. You can even play with this yourself here.

Waifu Synthesis- real time generative anime, because obviously.

Few-Shot Adversarial Learning of Realistic Neural Talking Head Models | This GAN can animate any face GIF, supercharging deepfakes & media synthesis

Talk to Transformer | Feed a prompt into GPT-2 and receive some text. As of 9/29/2019, this uses the 774M parameter version of GPT-2, which is still weaker than the 1.5B parameter "full" version."

Text samples generated by Nvidia's Megatron-LM (GPT-2-8.3b). Vastly superior to what you see in Talk to Transformer, even if it had the "full" model.

Facebook's AI can convert one singer's voice into another | The team claims that their model was able to learn to convert between singers from just 5-30 minutes of their singing voices, thanks in part to an innovative training scheme and data augmentation technique. as a prototype for shifting vocalists or vocalist genders or anything of that sort.

TimbreTron for changing instrumentation in music. Here, you can see a neural network shift entire instruments and pitches of those new instruments. It might only be a couple more years until you could run The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" through, say, Slayer and get an actual song out of it.

AI generated album covers for when you want to give the result of that change its own album.

Neural Color Transfer Between Images [From 2017], showing how we might alter photographs to create entirely different moods and textures.

Scammer Successfully Deepfaked CEO's Voice To Fool Underling Into Transferring $243,000

"Experts: Spy used AI-generated face to connect with targets" [GAN faces for fake LinkedIn profiles]

This Marketing Blog Does Not Exist | This blog written entirely by AI is fully in the uncanny valley.

Chinese Gaming Giant NetEase Leverages AI to Create 3D Game Characters from Selfies | This method has already been used over one million times by Chinese gamers.

"Deep learning based super resolution, without using a GAN" [perceptual loss-based upscaling with transfer learning & progressive scaling], or in other words, "ENHANCE!"

Expert: AI-generated music is a "total legal clusterf*ck" | I've thought about this. Future music generation means that all IPs are open, any new music can be created from any old band no matter what those estates may want, and AI-generated music exists in a legal tesseract of answerless questions

And there's just a ridiculous amount more.

My subreddit, /r/MediaSynthesis, is filled with these sorts of stories going back to January of 2018. I've definitely heard of people come away in shock, dazed and confused, after reading through it. And no wonder.

[dailyaudiobible]

02/23/2020 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 14:1-57, Mark 6:30-56, Psalms 40:1-10, Proverbs 10:11-12

Today is the 23rd day of February I'm Brian it's great to be here with you. This is the Daily Audio Bible by the way. I just had like a complete brain freeze. There's a lot to keep my brain right now. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible coming to you from the shores of the Sea of Galilee as we continue our pilgrimage through the land of the Bible for this year. It is wonderful to be here with you as we greet a brand-new shiny, sparkly week and walk into it together. And lots of times at the beginnings of the week I remind us, hey, the week is in front of us. It's not been lived yet. Like all of the choices that we make are gonna make up the story of this week and we’re out in front of it. We can set our hearts in the right direction to make the right choices and follow the voice of wisdom this week. So, let's…let's live into that. And let's also do what we have come around the Global Campfire today to do, let’s allow God's word to speak into our lives. So, it's a brand-new week. We'll read from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Leviticus chapter 14.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for bringing us safely into this brand-new week. And we were mentioning that we mark this time most every week and just pay attention to the fact that this is a reset and restart no matter how off-track last week may have gotten or for that matter, no matter how perfectly it may have been for us. This a new week and if we walk with You into this week, if we listen to Your word and pay attention to what You're bringing up in it, if we meditate on what You're saying to us, and we live into these things we will slow down enough to hear the voice of wisdom at every crossroads. And that's what we want because we don't want it to just be one week. We want it to start stacking up week after week after week after week walking in wisdom and…and be…be transformed by it in the process. And, so, we’re thankful that we get a reset, just a moment to reflect on where we are where we’re going. And Father, for those of us here in the land of Israel as we spend the next few days around the Galilee here walking in Your footsteps like we’re reading out of the Bible places like Bethsaida today knowing that before we leave the Galilea we’re going there. And, so, thank You for…for letting us find ourselves all of the sudden in the Bible. We thank You for that. We thank You for…that we live at a time that we can share that, we can share these experiences and allow everyone in the community who wants to kind of see and go deeper and understand deeper…more…deeper…what these places look like, what it was like when You ministered on earth because these hills are the same hills and this Sea of Galilee is huge. Like this is the same one. And, so, it's…it's riveting, and we thank You for this. Come Holy Spirit into this week, into all of our decisions, into all of our thoughts that are gonna form those decisions and from all the things that come out of our mouth, all the conversations that we’re gonna have that are also gonna inform those decisions. Come into every aspect of our lives. We invite You fully. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

Okay. So, here in the land of Israel we are…we are well underway on our pilgrimage and we’re here in the Galilee and we had our first day kind of in the Galilea although we…we haven’t been centered around the Sea of Galilee yet. We have seen plenty of the have the Galilee region and its very, very, very, very different than the wilderness and we ran into some rain today but not…not too bad, a little mud today, which is always a good time. And…but…but we did have a wonderful, wonderful day.

We began our day at the valley of the doves. This is part of the ancient road system, part of the…the trail way that would've led from places like Nazareth down to the Sea of Galilee and it’s a beautiful place to just kind of find some serenity. It…it can be challenging to find it. And, so, we found it and we centered ourselves into it and made it kind of like a little oasis in our mind and heart, a place we can go back to.

And we just invited Jesus into the day before making our way then further westward to Cana, where there is a church that's been there for a very very long time since a Byzantine era and commemorating the spot of Jesus first miracle, which happened to take place at a wedding. And, so, many of the couples that are on this trip participated in renewing…in a vow renewal ceremony there at Cana of Galilee. It's always a moving thing. It's always an honor. It's always a beautiful thing to just look out over all of the couples and realize how many years of marriage that we’re talking about, how many years of just staying faithful that we’re talking about and adding it up and realizing probably centuries are involved. And just seeing God's goodness through the highs and the lows and the rocky times and the dark times and the in the wonderful times. And, you know, just all that marriage is. So, just commemorating the moment there where Jesus turned water into wine and just realizing that it's a miracle that…that we can stay together, that we can do life together in the highs and the lows and just honoring God in all of it is beautiful. And, so, we did…we did that, and it was that, it was beautiful.

And then we moved on to Nazareth and Mount Precipice, which is a fantastic view…like you look out over that view and it's like all Bible related, Like you look in so many stories of the Bible from there, like Mount Tabor where…where it is believed the Transfiguration of Jesus happened and Mount Gilboa where Saul lost his life and with his sons in the battle with the Philistines. And then down just below Mount Gilboa the story of Gideon. And it’s a huge valley. So, it's the Jezreel Valley. And the city of Jezreel is down there with its ruins. The story of Jezebel. And then way across the valley you can see all the way to Mount Carmel today. So, there’s so many biblical stories. And standing there on Mount Precipice in Nazareth, this is believed to be the place where Jesus was…where He came out of the wilderness after being tempted, He came back to Nazareth and opened the scroll from Isaiah and essentially announced what He intended to do, that a prophecy was being fulfilled. And as it turns out this is His hometown and in the end there gonna throw Him off a cliff and He just passes right through them and moves on His way and we talked about that a little bit in our own lives before grabbing a little bit of lunch before moving back toward the…the Sea of Galilee for baptism.

And, so, we all got ready to be baptized in the Jordan River. We couldn't…we normally do it outside of Jericho. It's just…the Jordan River is flooded. This has been a very, very wet rainy winter for them. Apparently one of the biggest if not the largest on record which is…which is a good thing. Like the Sea of Galilee, we’ve been coming here for many, many years now and I haven't seen it is this full, like it's been receding and now it’s filling back up. So, that's a wonderful thing that the countryside has the blessing of rain. And it's green and it's lush and it's beautiful and it's coming alive with blossoms and wildflowers and it's gorgeous. So, we talked about baptism and then we got into the cold water and baptized many and what an honor. That’s one of the greatest honors that I get to feel as a minister, just to…to share that moment of transformation and what it represents in our lives. It's something that we don't ever forget. And I don't forget it either. It's just an amazing, reverent, holy moment.

And then from there we moved up onto the Golan Heights and looked out at over…over one of the Decapolis cities, the ruins of the Decapolis city called Hippos-Sussita, it’s on the side of the lake where the Gerasene’s lived. So, Jesus came over and three are stories here like casting the evil spirits into the swine and we’ll…we’ll get more into that story a little bit later in this trip, but it's also just a pretty breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilea…very unique view of the Sea of Galilee from way up above.

So, we took some pictures there and then made our way down to dinner and then…then our live broadcast last night which is…which is always a wonderful time went. I mean by this point we’re pretty tired but it's just good to be able to give voice, to hear other stories, to give voice, to like let some of it out because we’ve been at it for several days now and each day is very full. And, so, it's nice to just kind of exhale and release some of that and get some sleep. So, it was a wonderful first day in the galley.

And today we’ll be going up into the Golan Heights, spending our day up in that region, making our way all the way as far north as we can go and as far east as we can go. So, indeed looking for that but it hasn't happened yet, so I’ll have to tell you about it after it does which will be tomorrow.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us. We feel it, we sense it, we appreciate it, we love you for it. We love being involved in this together. We just love posting all the pictures and the different things that we’re doing and just and being involved in this as a community as the Bible really begins to come to life for us as we see the places where these stories that we’re reading about in the Scriptures where they happened and rooting ourselves there. And, so, we thank you for your continued prayers

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. Thank you humbly, thank you profoundly for your partnership. We wouldn’t be here if we didn't do this together. And, so, it's awe inspiring thing that we are doing this together and that it's such a rich community that we share as we go through the Scriptures. So, thank you for your partnership.

Also reminding you that the pilgrimage that is planned for 2021 is open for registration. You can check out all of the details about it dailyaudiobible.com in the initiatives section. Just look for Israel 2021 and you can read all about it there.

And I guess that's about it for today.

If you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit that Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey DABbers this is Mike in Awe in the Kansas City Missouri area. Today while I was listening to Victoria Soldier, her pray for others, I thought to myself how important prayer is in the eyes of God. Like, any of us that are actively engaging in prayer are of so much more importance and significance in the eyes of God than like the wealthiest CEO running the biggest corporation that isn’t engaging in prayer. It’s the most important thing on earth like, maybe next to just like making disciples, but prayer is like involved in that even. So, I just want to encourage all of you who practice prayer or those of you that don’t really but could, prayer is like the highest vocation, the highest art that you can perform on earth in the eyes of God. And the eyes of God are the only thing we should be concerned with, like what He thinks. So, anyway, Lisa I heard your pray for your mom. I’m praying for your mom’s recovery from back pain and good health. And Beth in Auburn, boldness and faithfulness to you to share your faith with you brother. Samuel, protection and strength in front of the judge. I want you to be able to be…I’m praying for you to overcome addiction and healing from your social anxiety. Pink Paint, we share February 10th birthdays and I heard the pain in your voice and I just want hope and joy for you. I’m praying for hope and joy. Laura in South Florida and Victoria Soldier you’re vocational prayer warriors and you’re of the highest order and I thank you and honor you today. Bless you all and have a great day. I love you all.

Thank you God for love and grace and for this great big smile that’s on my face and all this love within my heart that sanctifies and sets apart and there’s that sparkle in my eye and that’s love for you that just won’t die thank you for the Sabbath day a time to read your word and pray a time to stop and introspect and on your goodness to reflect thank you God for everything foods to eat birds that sing a place that I can lay my head a mattress I can call my bed children family friends and foes good times bad times trouble woes through it all you’ve walked with me you’ve loved me as you’ve talked to me from this world you’ve set me free and I owe my all dear God to thee so here upon this Sabbath day I lift my hands and heart to pray I acknowledge you in all my ways and I come to you in total praise

blindtony1016@gmail.com. Like to give a shout out to Michelle from LA and Drew from the bay area. Love you both and know you’re in my prayers daily. And once again Brian and the Hardin family thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep flowin’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family it’s Michael Davis again. Just wanted to give another update on my mom and my brother and I. And, so, my mom did end up passing away unfortunately on February 5th at around 10:05 PM but I’m not distressed about it or anything like that because I know she’s in a much better place now, that place being heaven. And, so, as far as my brother and I go, thankfully we’re not separated and my…one of my cousins and aunts are taking care of us and they have been since my mom had been going through cancer basically. And, so, it’s basically like a whole new family right now. But my mom will always be part of my family and I really do miss her. And, so, thank you all so much for your prayers. And speaking of prayers, I listened to the Daily Audio Bible prayer line for February 15th, the weekend prayer line where all the prayers come in. And, so, just thank you all so much for your prayers for my mom especially JoAnn from Happy Valley. Thank you so much for your input as well and I agree 100% with you with everything you said there. And then Michael thank you so much for your prayers well. And just to relay his message, anyone that feels alone and just wants to know that their prayers are being reached out for, just listen to the weekend prayer line. And, so, it’s just very satisfying because, you know, we get to hear each other’s walks of life, what we’re all going through and how we all just need help sometimes. You know, we just need some prayer answered from the Lord. And, so, hallelujah you in Jesus’ name. Thank you all so much. And just continue to pray for my family and I. Just pray that my aunt and cousin will continue to take great care of us that my brother and I won’t be separated, and I will definitely want to update you all on that. Thank you all and have a wonderful blessed day.

Good morning, afternoon, or evening my fellow DABbers this is Cindy from Georgetown. And two years ago, I was so blessed to be one of the pilgrims on the 2018 trip to Israel. That experience was heart changing and I know it will be for those so fortunate to be with Brian and his incredible team. Let us pray. Just Lord we lift up the pilgrims, Brian his family and his team, the tour guides, hotel and travel coordinators, leaders and bus drivers for health, safety, for good weather, for little jetlag - get some sleep Brian - for fellowship and an open heart. You will walk in Christ’s footsteps and hear His voice on the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes and in Brian’s challenging messages. We are with you and we love you. God is with you.

Hi family this is Mary Jo in St. Louis. This message is for Christie in Ohio. I’m so sorry for the loss of your sister. I’ve been praying for you and your family and I wanted to tell you that when you first called in under the name of anonymous to tell us about your sister’s suicide you weren’t anonymous to me. I don’t know you personally, but I heard your voice and I knew you instantly. I said that is Christie. So, I’ve been praying for you. And when you called back in to tell us that that anonymous person was you, I was like, “yes! I knew it was Christie.” Well, it was kind of a revelation to me because a lot of times we feel kind of anonymous in this world. We feel like people might not know us or recognize us, but God knows us. Just as I knew that was Christie’s voice, God knows us, God sees us even when we feel unseen or unknown. I think that was a little reminder to me that God sees, and God knows, and God cares, and God loves us. And it also reminds me of this community, how awesome it is that we know each other just by our voices. And let me tell you, if you ever get an opportunity to meet your fellow DABbers in person it is the coolest thing. Some people look completely different than what you imagine. Like, I always somehow picture Pelham as a blonde and he’s actually a brunette, you look totally different. Some people I’m like, “yeah”. But when you meet them in person and you hear their voices it’s that instant connection, that DAB family connection. It’s so awesome. But even if…there’s no way we could possibly all meet each other on this earth but in heaven someday and Brian will be standing there in the corner with a big DAB sign and we can all connect and see each other and rejoice in the Lord. All right. God bless you everyone.

Hey DAB family this is Tony the Narrator here in England. I want to tell you what my DAB word of the year is. I’ve decided on it and I hope you pray…I hope you get on board with it a little bit. It’s “mine”. So, my word for the year is “mine”. And let me explain. I’ve been listening, I’ve just realized this year for six years to the Daily Audio Bible. This Daily Audio Bible family is mine. You are all mine. When I hear your pain and your suffering, that pain-and-suffering is mine. When I hear your joy and your happiness, that’s mine. So, whether you’re Blind Tony or you’re Brian Hardin or your Toni in Germany or any of you, you’re all mine. And that is such a precious, precious wonderful gift that…that only we get to share because we’re part of the DAB family. I’ve also taken it to my church, and I’ve sent to parents, “you know your kids, their mine. And you know your parents, their mine. And, you know, you too, your mine.” And I’ve actually received a couple of hugs for that. But, yeah, so my word for this year is “mine”.

Good morning DABber family this is Walta the Burning Bush that will not be Devoured for the Glory Our God and King. I’m praying for Mark today. Mark you called in that you have been a listener since 2019 summer and you’ve been diagnosed with COPD and I heard your prayer request and it broke my heart, especially when you mentioned that part of your treatment required that you have a friend or family to take care of you and you stated that you had no one. I can tell in your voice that Mark, I don’t know you but I can feel that you are a man who has always been independent, a hard-working man, somebody who stands on his own 2 feet. And, so, I know that this situation is more humbling for you than just…just the fact that you’re sick. But I want you to know that just as Jesus told the man who was laying near the pool when He asked him, “do you want to be made whole? Do you want to be healed?” And the guy says to Jesus, “I have no man to put me in that pool”, well, Jesus healed him anyway. And, so, I want you to know that even though you may have no one standing up right now saying, “you know what Mark, go ahead and do the treatment. I got you”, Jesus is your man. He’s got you and He can do above and beyond our expectations and our understanding. So, even though you think you may have one or two or three different choices, you know, options A, B, and C, Jesus is your option C. Christ is your option and He can do exceedingly abundantly above your expectations. So, I just want you to know you’re not alone. I’m praying for you. I’m praying against the spirit of fear in Jesus’ name. I’m praying that God will increase your faith in Jesus’ name. I’m praying for healing over your body and your soul and spirit in Jesus’ name. And I’m even praying that God will wake up those relationships around you so that you know you’re not alone. I will keep praying for you. Love you so much and God bless. Keep us posted. Bye.

[accio-spaceman]

VORTEX Magazine - Issue 122

(April 2019)

Download PDF version for FREE on the Big Finish website

Partners In Time

At last! The Doctor and Donna are back!

[Above Cover for “The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume Three”, featuring (l-r, top-bottom) Catherine Tate, David Tennant, Jacqueline King, Bernard Cribbins, and two Judoon.]

The Doctor and Donna Noble are arguably one of the most popular Doctor and companion pairings ever, and their adventures in space and time continue in The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume Three. David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprise their TV roles for a second run of audio adventures from Big Finish.

(Full Article Under Cut)

Producer David Richardson says: “I actually got very nervous in the weeks before recording, as I did on their previous box set. You are just so aware that you are going to be working with two of the biggest stars in this country, and you want them to have a brilliant time and for the whole thing to run smoothly.

“The night before recording I just told myself, forget the nerves, treat it like any other production and it will be great. And actually by the time David and Catherine arrived at Moat Studios, the nerves had totally evaporated.

“David and Catherine don’t behave like stars – they walked in as two normal people who get on with everyone. When you’re sitting having a cup of tea with David Tennant talking about The Avengers or whatever, you’re really just chatting to a lovely human being.”

It was director Ken Bentley’s first time directing David and Catherine, and before recording began he admitted to Vortex: “I’ve not had much time to think about it as we’ve been extremely busy through August and September. I only just managed to squeeze in the time to schedule it!

[Above (l-r) David Tennant and Catherine Tate]

“I’m like any fan, dying to hear what the Nobles, Wilf and The Doctor get up to. What a dream cast!” 

– Russell T Davies

“I always get excited about working on a new range. The bit I love the most about directing is working with actors, and to work with actors new to me is always something I look forward to.

“In my line of work it’s the rehearsal room and the recording studio where the magic happens, and it’s always a treat to watch professionals bringing roles to life.

“All actors work and respond differently. Part of my job is to quickly figure out how an actor likes to work so I can help make the recording go as smoothly as possible for them – and for everybody else. It’s a challenge I enjoy and I like to get it right. So it’s exciting for me to work with an entirely new team and to figure out what makes them tick.”

[Above Cover for “No Place” by James Goss, featuring (l-r) Bernard Cribbins, Catherine Tate, David Tennant, and Jacqueline King.]

The first story in the set is No Place by James Goss. Script editor Matt Fitton says: “We knew straightaway we could bring the wider Noble family into it by having Donna and Sylvia together, so we gave James that brief. It meant it had to be set on Donna’s contemporary Earth, since her mum isn’t aware of her space and time travel yet.”

Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, creator of Donna, Sylvia and Wilf, tells Vortex: “I’m so excited about the return of the Noble family. I put in a request to Big Finish never thinking they’d actually pull it off. But, I might have known, they’re unstoppable! Marvellously, I haven’t heard the adventure myself yet, so I’m like any fan, dying to hear what the Nobles, Wilf and the Doctor get up to. What a dream cast!”

Jacqueline King was delighted to be back as Sylvia.

She says: “Since we finished on TV I’ve seen David a couple of times, and I keep in touch with Bernard because he’s so gorgeous! He and I did the quiz show Pointless. And Catherine was in a play which Bernard and I went to see together, so that was lovely. We’ve just not been all together so there was so much to catch up on. I felt desperately maternal towards Catherine, wanting to know how she was!

“I was very jealous that David and Catherine were going on to do more stories over the next couple of days without Bernard and myself. Bernard and I were joking, asking, How can you do that? That’s just disloyal!

“It was lovely, and if we could have carried on I would have but it was just one day. It would be heaven if we could do more!”

Matt continues: “James came back with this ‘haunted makeovers’ idea which was great, and as it was being developed we asked James to keep in mind a role for Wilf in case we were able to get Bernard Cribbins – perhaps just a cameo role. As it turned out we learned fairly early on that we could have Bernard for the whole day, so it all worked out perfectly and Wilf was fully included in the episode at the storyline stage.”

In a similar vein to what the TV show did at the time, No Place taps into the zeitgeist of what is currently popular on TV, which in this case brings in the feed of ghost and home makeover reality TV shows.

“If you’re a fan of either Buzzfeed Unsolved or Homes Under The Hammer you’ll find lots to love in this.” 

– James Goss

James explains: “Honestly, when you think about it most horror films are home makeover shows! Family moves into house on haunted graveyard. Tries to do it up. Ends up running away screaming/being dead/finds out they were always dead so probably shouldn’t have bothered wallpapering the downstairs bathroom. This was inspired by that. Imagining a horror film but with Kirsty Allsop following our screaming family about. And making the screaming family the Doctor, Donna, Sylvia and Wilf.

“If you’re a fan of either Buzzfeed Unsolved or Homes Under the Hammer you’ll find lots to love in this. We’ve got a ghostbox, we’ve got replacement light fittings, we’ve mysterious voices, we’ve endless discussions about plumbing. The one thing we couldn’t do was Hammer’s endless, appalling punning music track. (Presenter: ‘They really do love this hopeless place.’ Music: ‘We Found Love in a Hopeless Place’)!”

Producer David Richardson adds: “I’m struck by how creepy it all sounds. Some of the sequences in the old house are really unsettling even without any effects or music, which is a sure sign of how great the writing, performances and direction are.”

[Above Cover for “One Mile Down” by Jenny T Colgan, featuring (l-r) David Tennant, a Judoon, and Catherine Tate.]

One Mile Down by Jenny T Colgan continues the Doctor and Donna’s adventures when they find themselves in an underwater city and encounter the Judoon.

Matt continues: “In terms of using new series monsters, the Judoon are one of the most recognisable and the Tenth Doctor has some history with them, meeting them several times during his era.

“Because of what’s been established on screen there are certain monsters he’s meeting for the first time, but with the Judoon he knows what they’re about and how they work. They are not power-crazed evil monsters, they are mercenaries working for other people, and their agenda isn’t always immediately clear. It’s nice to have that bit of potential uncertainty – are they an ally? Are they a threat? We get to play with that in this story.”

“We have individuals in the Judoon ranks which we’ve touched on before. There’s the trainee, Klo, who starts to side with the Doctor and Donna, realising they can do some good during the story, which is a fun thing to play with.” The story’s setting lends itself to a good soundscape, with a city beneath the waves.

Matt explains: “In the TV episode Smith and Jones, the first thing we see the Judoon do is control the rain and send it upwards with their H2O scoop.

“That means we can make use of their technology which lends itself perfectly to an audio story.”

Of course, Donna has also encountered the Judoon on TV, and Matt adds: “Watching Donna in The Stolen Earth, we get a reaction from her to the Judoon, but when we checked with Russell he watched it back and felt there was no reason why Donna couldn’t have met them before.

“What’s clearly a surprise to her is the Doctor speaking Judoon, so we were very careful not to have him doing that in front of her.”

[Above Cover for “The Creeping Death” by Roy Gill, featuring (l-r) David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Lauren Cornelius dressed in 1952 London period-costume, holding a torch.]

Concluding this series is The Creeping Death by Roy Gill.

David explains: “We asked the writers for short pitches – I think they might have sent in three ideas each. I’ve actually been keeping a list of things I want to see in a Doctor Who story, one of which was ‘The London Fog of 1952’, so it was a no-brainer when Roy pitched that one!”

Roy was delighted to be able to write for David Tennant, a fellow Scotsman, as well as Donna.

He admits it was: “Hugely exciting. They’re one of my Doctor Who dream teams, really. The Doctor and Donna are best friends, they’re fast and funny, they wind each other up but most importantly they make each other stronger and better. Their dialogue was a joy to write – and yes please, if the opportunity ever comes up, I absolutely want to do more!”

Roy travelled from his Edinburgh home to attend the recording at Moat Studios in London, and has plenty of happy memories from the sessions.

Roy adds: “Oh, loads! David asking, ‘Is that a Scottish accent?’ as soon as he met me – and then me kind of over-explaining where I’m from (sorry, David...). Catherine cracking up over her lines about ‘bad air’ and cheese and onion crisps… How quickly all the big, exciting scenes flew by in the recording booths.

“Stephen Critchlow talking over lunch about the classic Who he’d been watching with his daughter. Lauren Cornelius telling me she’d loved her character and the story so much that when she got the script she read it from cover to cover then immediately turned it over and read it again! Theo Stevenson saying he’d watched David Tennant’s Doctor when he was about 10 or 12. He was thrilled to be in a Doctor Who – making us all feel ancient!”

Producer David adds: “This story is brilliant! Just a character piece about a group of people lost in the fog and there’s something really nasty out there… David has some terrific speeches, Catherine gets to play out some lovely relationships with the guest characters, and the whole thing feels like it was on TV back in 2008.”

Director Ken Bentley was relieved when recording was complete after three successive days in studio – which Big Finish rarely do.

He explains: “It’s great to know we have a complete box set in the bag! These days availabilities are such that we’re squeezing in recordings as and when we can, sometimes over quite long periods of time. It’s rare to record three days straight and know you’ve got it all, but given the schedule we’re all on it’s a huge relief!”

“The whole thing feels like it was on TV back in 2008.” 

– David Richardson

Responsible for music and sound design is Howard Carter, who says: “I’ll usually go through and work out if there are any background or atmosphere tracks that reappear throughout the play, or any individual recurring effects (specific vehicles or weapons, for example). If so I will create these in advance and add them to the project library so they are ready to drag and drop in when I’m working. I’ll record the foley sound as I go and layer up all the relevant backgrounds and effects scene by scene. Once the full play is assembled I’ll send a draft off to the director and move on to the score.

“I will usually spend a couple of days scoring a play although if there’s more time I will always spend longer (I’m a composer by trade!). At this point I know the play well so will have a sense of the mood, style and pacing.

“If I’m working on a completely new play I’ll create a template and start adding instruments and sounds as I see fit in order to start with a completely fresh palette. Every play is different so I don’t have one fixed approach. There are scene breaks which usually need a cue, and there are sometimes musical directions in the script, but otherwise a lot of the process is instinctive. A play may need a lot of music to keep energy levels up and maintain a sense of pace, or it may need the music to really take a background role and just glue certain elements together. Each one is unique.”

– VORTEX Magazine, Issue 122, Pages 4-8

THE TENTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES VOLUME THREE IS OUT IN MAY ON CD AND DOWNLOAD.

The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume Three is out in May on CD and Download.

The special edition release comes complete with exclusive production notes, storyboards from Mike Tucker and costume designs from June Hudson.

For full details visit www.bigfinish.com .

(Edited to include Lauren Cornelius’ name in the image description of “The Creeping Death” cover.)

[onestowatch]

How Los Retros Turned ‘70s Jazz Into Your New DIY Indie Obsession [Q&A]

Photo: Ross Harris

Los Retros is proof that the only thing you need to make a great record in the modern age is a living room, some instruments, and a fire under your ass. Mauri Tapia, the mastermind behind Los Retros, writes and records all of his music from his parents’ home in Oxnard, California (a city that has also served as an incubator for artists like Madlib and Anderson .Paak.) Despite the barebones setup, Tapia manages to create recordings that paint a vast expanse of sound and color.

For the last few years, Tapia has been touring with a recurring cast of individuals around Southern California, spreading the gospel of his music and recording yet more songs from Oxnard in between shows. With the release of Los Retros’ debut EP, Retrospect, on June 21 via Stones Throw Records, the public outside of the Golden State gets to experience Los Retros’ unique sound for the first time. 

It was Ones to Watch’s distinct pleasure to sit down with Mauri Tapia to talk DIY recording, sources of inspiration, and turning a ride to a show into a marriage.

OTW: When did you start writing music, and how did that evolve into Los Retros?

MT: Well, uh, I don’t actually write most of it down; I just kind of form it and do it, it’s all memorized. I didn’t have access to any recording software until I was about 15, and that’s when I started really recording audio for the first time. At first, I just tracked guitar, then eventually drums, and yeah it kind of developed from there.

OTW: Your music has a very distinct feel that blends American indie/pop with Latin elements. Who are some artists that influenced the development of your sound?

MT: My parents for a long time when I was a little kid would play a lot of Spanish rock bands, some of those were, like, Los Freddys, Los Terricolas, Los Ángeles Negros, and so on. I never really cared for the sound until I got older. You know, maturity. I think a lot of those songs were in my head, just thinking about them and remembering all those moments, and I was like, “Hey that sounds like something cool that I’d like to make.” So I took some of those songs as a sort of reference to what I started making. Some of the others, like two on the album are kind of influenced by this dude named Tonetta. The whole album is actually a twist on a lot of stuff I listen to – it is original, but definitely reflects what I was listening to at the time. I recorded the album two years ago, actually, and I just finally decided to release it.

OTW: You took the inspiration for your moniker from a Chilean band called Los Ángeles Negros that has been active since the 70s – can you dig into this connection a little deeper?

MT: Yeah. So our project actually used to be called what the album is called, Retrospect. That was the original name, but there was already a band with that name, and we didn’t want to get sued, you know? We thought, “Alright, let’s switch it up.” I wanted to keep Retro in there because that’s just something that, like, maintains with our whole reality. And I thought, I lot of those bands I grew up with have “Los” in their name, and in English the same for bands like The Strokes. Actually, somebody on my live channel mentioned the name Los Retros and I was like “You know what, that’s a pretty cool name,” so I just kept it and here we are.

OTW: With the DIY approach you take to recording your music, do you face any interesting challenges translating the pieces to a live show? How do you adapt your music for a live setting where you can’t play drums, guitar, and bass all at once?

MT: Well, like I mentioned I write – well, not write down but you know what I mean – come up with the tunes, you know, record them, mix them. When we perform I have several friends that play with me. My little brother plays with me now and my wife does too, actually. And my friend who’s been there since the beginning playing bass. I guess that’s what makes it Los Retros.

OTW: I want to congratulate you on your debut EP that just dropped last month, Retrospect. How did you choose the six songs that would be featured on the project? Did you take anything in particular into consideration when choosing the play order?

MT: Kinda. So me and Wolf, the founder of Stones Throw, we hang out every now and then and we would always change it up. We had a bunch of other songs that we thought about putting on the album but we just thought these ones were better. We never really talked much about the order, we sat down and picked it in maybe, I dunno, four or five minutes. We thought, well, let’s put “Last Day On Earth” at the end, because you know the “last day” implies the end. The first couple songs are all about my wife. But the truth is, I don’t think it really matters what order its in. We just kind of threw it together.

OTW: A lot of your songs involve complex chord structures, and I’m told that you play every instrument featured on each track. How did you go about learning all these instruments?

MT: I started playing guitar when I was eight. I eventually got my own guitar at 11, and really started getting better at it. My school had this after school program called Rock Band, and me and a friend would go there, and I just had access to so many more instruments there than I had at home. So I just played around with anything I could get my hands on. I picked up a bass and tried some bass lines, which is actually pretty similar to guitar. I eventually got on the drums around 8th grade. I didn’t get my own drum set ‘til about a year and a half ago, actually, but I’d always play whenever I was at school. Then three and a half years ago I got my first keyboard, some people on YouTube started sharing my music and all that. Around that time I started getting into a lot of old bands from the 70s, kinda started playing around with the chords they were using, and it all developed from there as I found my own sound.

OTW: What is your favorite story behind one of the tracks on Retrospect?

MT: Yeah, the song “Friends.” It’s about my wife. So long story short, I didn’t have a ride to show one day. I was kind of acquaintances with this girl, we had talked a little bit in the past, nothing too special. Then I invited her to one of my shows, and *laughs* I didn’t necessarily lie, but I said I didn’t really have a ride, since the car my drummer was taking was too packed with gear for me to fit. So she gave me a ride, and we ended up becoming friends for a pretty good while, you know, and there was definitely something there. So I wrote this song and figured I’d show it to her, and she’d have to do something about it, so… yeah, now we’re married.

Photo: Ross Harris

OTW: You’ve developed a devoted following in your native Southern California and have played shows all around the region. As your career continues to develop, where are some areas that you want to tour? Do you have any bucket list venues?

MT: Hmm, I don’t know, I haven’t really though about it. I just wanna go play places where people will watch me. If I had my choice I guess I’d like to play in Japan, I’ve always been interested in Japanese 70s funk stuff. Honestly, New York sounds cool, too. I’ve only left California once when I was about two years old. I went to Mexico. But now the laws are a little different regarding specific people and my parents can’t go back, and for me I’d rather visit with my parents than go by myself. I don’t really have any bucket list venues. Maybe some cool back yards – I like intimate shows, haha.

OTW: Assume next year you could support any artist on an international arena tour – who would you want to support and why?

MT: Well, if he could even still play, I’d say this dude Alain Mion. He was a composer for this soul-jazz band called Cortex from the 70s. He’s probably almost 80 though. Roy Ayers too, but I know he was just hospitalized, so that would be tough. Really any of those old funk guys, because that’s the sort of music I wanna be making. It’s a long shot but maybe George Clinton, though I know he’s retiring pretty soon.

OTW: Clearly you have the chops to do great things on your own – but if you had the opportunity to collaborate with any active artist, writer, or producer on a project, who would it be and what sort of project would you undertake?

MT: Well actually, I’m collaborating with one of the best right now, Steve Arrington. I wish I could give you more details on that project right now, but I can’t.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

MT: Huh, I don’t know, I listen to a lot of old music, haha. He’s not new, but I think people should know about Alan Hawkshaw. Brian Bennett, too. Oh, and Bill Evans. There you go.

[paralleljulieverse]

Silver Silver STAR! or, the 25th Anniversary of the 25th Anniversary!

Twenty five years ago this week, the 1968 Julie Andrews musical Star! made its long overdue return to the screens of the world –– at least, the small screens –– when the film was finally released to home video on 17 November 1993. Billed as “the return of a lost classic,” the heavily-promoted 25th Anniversary release was the first time in decades that the complete version of Star! had been widely available and it marked a watershed in the film’s latter-day recuperation (Edwards, 1993). 

Director Robert Wise long remained haunted by the commercial and critical failure of Star!. "I’ve had films that haven’t paid off,” he lamented, “but Star! was my biggest disappointment because I think it’s a better film and more of an achievement than was acknowledged by the mass audience” (Leeman: 195). The film had cultivated a small but devoted band of fans over the years, many of whom sent appreciative letters to the director, but Wise continued to hope that Star! might yet find broader vindication and shake off its unjust reputation as “the H-bomb of musicals” (Kanfer: 78).

In 1984, amidst a growth in popularity of classic film revivals, Twentieth Century-Fox struck a new print of Star! for release to the repertory house circuit (Edwards 1990). It was the first time the full roadshow version of Star! had been seen in North America since 1968 and, while it mainly screened in niche metropolitan revival houses, it played to hugely enthusiastic audiences. Attending a New York screening in August 1990, Robert Wise recalled that Star! “went over like gangbusters...The audience applauded after every number and gave me and the film such a hand” (Thompson: 96). Meanwhile, general interest in Star! continued to grow. In 1990, an article on the history of the film appeared in Movie Collector’s World (Edwards 1990). And in May 1992, Premiere magazine nominated Star! as its “most wanted” title on home video (”Widescreen”: 85). 

Emboldened by the groundswell of support, Robert Wise approached Fox about remastering a version of Star! for home video and all agreed the time was ripe. The director personally supervised a new transfer from the original 65mm negative and six-track magnetic soundtrack source materials which had happily remained intact in the Fox vaults. The remastered version of Star! screened for the first time on the respected cable network, American Movie Classics in early-1993 (Edwards 1993). Reviewing the AMC broadcast for the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Thomas called Star! “one of the most under appreciated of all Hollywood major productions,” praising the film as "engrossing...and played stunningly by Julie Andrews” (6).

Throughout 1993, Wise and Fox continued to finalise preparations for the film’s video release. The deluxe two-tape set was officially launched on 16 November 1993 (’street date’: 17 November) with a special Silver Anniversary screening of Star! at the DGA Theatre in Hollywood. Attended by many of the original cast and crew –– including Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna, Robert Wise, Saul Chaplin, and Michael Kidd –– the screening was a happy reunion cum symbolic homecoming for the film. Star! is “finally back where it belongs” said Julie in a warm interview at the event (“Silver Star!”).

The film’s soundtrack, which had also been long out of print, was given a companion release to CD and cassette by Fox Records on 23 November. With the inclusion of two previously unreleased tracks –– the extended version of the title song  by Julie and Daniel Massey’s “Forbidden Fruit” –– and featuring a handsome booklet with liner notes by T.J. Edwards –– a veritable one-man cheer squad for Star! during these years –– the CD soundtrack re-release further cemented the aura of rediscovery around the film and the sense that, after decades of neglect, Star! could finally be seen and heard in its original splendour (Sanello: D5; Thomas, B: 14). 

And this time round US critics were much more receptive than most had been back in 1968. Reviewing the video release for the Los Angeles Times, Sue Martin called it “a handsome period production [that] holds up with Andrews in a tour de force portrayal as the earthy, tenacious Lawrence” (44). Martie Zad of The Washington Post dubbed it “one of filmdom’s grandest musicals”, saying “[i]t is a treat to watch and listen to Andrews whose voice at this point in her career was simply pure and magical” (N5). Dave Staten of the Daily News enthused:

“Star! is bouncy and fast-paced and much better that I expected. You see, I was one of this people who was scared away in 1968 by the bad notices. This grand movie deserves a new life on video” (26).

In response to the fulsome reception, Fox green-lighted an even more ambitious ‘special edition’ release of Star! on laserdisc, a kind of top-end precursor to DVD and the home cinephile’s medium of choice in the 90s. An impressively weighty package –– literally, as those big old discs were heavy as rocks –– the laserdisc edition was spread over two discs presented in a lavish gatefold album. It was jam-packed with special features, including a detailed production history, rare behind-the scenes images, a lively audio commentary by Wise and other members of the production team, and a charming featurette about the film’s 25th anniversary screening at the DGA. Indeed, the compilation of supplementals was so dense and involved that it delayed the disc’s release by many months. The Star! laserdisc finally hit the shelves on August 16, 1995 with a USD$80.00 price tag, not exactly cheap today let alone 25 years ago, and it quickly established a new benchmark for special edition film releases to the home video market (“Be Glad”: 2; “Widescreen Special Edition”: 85)

Now, if only we could get Fox to play ball again 25 years later and authorise that long-awaited BluRay release of Star! for the 50th anniversary! 

Sources:

“Be Glad They Still Make Discs Like This.” The Laser Disc Newsletter. 133, September 1995: 2.

Edwards, T.J. “The Saga of ‘Star!’”. Movie Collector’s World. 357, 7 December 1990: 60-75.

Edwards, T.J. “Rare Julie: After 25 Years, A Lost Classic Returns.” American Movie Classics, 6: 7, July 1993: 4-5.

Kanfer, Stefan. “Cinema: Quarter Chance.” Time. 96: 4. 27 July 1970: 78.

Leeman, Sergio. Robert Wise on His Films: From Editing Room to Director’s Chair. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, 1995.

Martin, Sue. “New on Video.” Los Angeles Times Calendar. 3 November 1993: 44.

Saltzmann, Barbara. “‘Star!’ Gets Back Original Luster on Laser.” Los Angeles Times. 16 January 1994: F25.

Sanello, Frank. “The Hills are Alive Again with the Songs of Julie Andrews.” The Sun. 15 December 1993: D5.

Thompson, Frank T. Robert Wise: A Bio-bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1995.

Silver Star 25th Anniversary Featurette. Film produced by T.J. Edwards. Los Angeles: FoxVideo, 1994.

Staten, Vince. “Hollywood Rolls Out Its ‘Classics’”. Daily News. 21 November 1993: 26.

Thomas, Bob. “1968 Flop ‘Star!’ Reborn on Video.” News Press. 17 December 1993: 14.

Thomas, Kevin. “Movies to Tape.” Los Angeles Times - TV Times. 7 February 1993: 6.

“Widescreen Special Edition Laserdisc of Julie Andrews Lost Classic Musical.” Movie Collector’s World. 483, 6 October 1995: 85.

Zad, Martie. “Andrews's 'Star!' Revives Hit Songs Of Lost Musical.” Washington Post. 21 November 1993: N5.

Copyright © Brett Farmer 2018

[the-energon-hole]

HC - the kids (Raf, Miko, Jack) finding their 'Bot Partners - who dissapead from a busy battle - just to see that they hid away with their 'Con 'Nemesis' to rather have some fun than fight...

((A/N So let me say, in no uncertain words-

I WILL NEVER WRITE NSFW THAT INVOLVES CHILDREN-EVER.

Don’t ask me to.

I will write “kids ask about birds n’ Bees and Bots don’t know how to handle it”, or “Kids catch Bots smooching”- cute things, but never kids interacting/seeing/engaging with any NSFW scenario.

I also thought this was a little too OOC for them to leave a battle where their friends could potentially die just to have some “fun” so I tweaked this ask a little.

I changed this- it is now about the bots running into an old enemy who is unsure of the Decepticon’s intentions and decides after being hurt and discovered by the bot and their partner that maybe this was the wake up call they needed to see the light and change their alliances in order to be happy and fight to end this conflict for good.

I am also a little upset at how long it ended up being, so sorry for that- I though halfway through this would be better as a drabble and not a headcanon but it was to late to redo it at that point. Also sorry for hostility, I’m a little tired from trying to get my foot in the door at a new job opportunity.))

Bumblebee

-You were an Archivist for the Decepticon forces, a history and bookkeeper to write about the glory and wonder of the reign of the great and powerful Megatron, while also making sure you keep track of every and any possession aboard The Nemesis ship. You enjoyed your job, and since you were so good at it, Megatron has given you safety and shelter since the war first began as you never went hungry and you never went without medical care- you were young as well, so he might have also felt a little bad for you in the time he took you in and gave you important work to do. He wasn’t always the hardcore tyrant that everyone knows him to be today, he used to be a courageous and sympathetic leader that was seeking to represent the underprivileged and those abused and take advantage of by the political systems, but all that power has gone to his head in the most recent years and he has become the hardcore and unforgiving bot you all know today. This was why you continued to stay and stand by his side, he saved your life once, and you owed it to him to continue to do his work until it comes to pass he is no longer around for you to have to keep records for. You loved spending time with Bumblebee, but you had a sense of duty and purpose with the Decepticons that you were programmed to follow through with, as it is not in you to just stop working and you cannot just leave halfway through a job and abandon those who rely on you to keep everything organized- even if you are known for being the kind to be peddling and  pushing propaganda on behalf of Megatron, you believed you were doing the right thing for all of those Cybertronians who knew the system was messed up and against them. A little fudging of the truth never hurt anyone anyways, except for maybe the Autobots and their misguided cause to keep corruption in power, but they have their place in history just like everyone else. Even if the Decepticons lose, nothing on Cybertron will ever be the same, and in the end that was the whole goal of the Decepticons to begin with- so you are and will be proud of the time you have served with them.

-You and Bee have been a thing for a long time, you were even friends since before the uprising in the youth sectors back in Kaon happened, but this war has torn and separated you just as it has everyone else who has had a loved one in the past. You personally blame the council for this war, not Megatron, but Bee insists you come wo stay with him and the others with the Autobots despite your unwavering views and loyalties. He has always been a sweet optimist little mech, someone who is friendly and fun to be around when one needed comfort and companionship, but you were a realist and you knew that they did not have the resources or the manpower to win against the Decepticons any longer and have been faltering even since before Cybertron had fallen. Even if they did win, you will stand by your views and ideals on how the political system functions and operates, you will not let the council come to power again so long as you were still standing and functioning. Once this is over you will advocate for him should the decepticons win however, you owed him that much, but he just doesn’t get your stance politically and isn’t as aware of what was really going on around him at the time. You can’t blame him, he hasn’t read or had access to the records like you have and he hasn’t seen the abuse and manipulation that went on right under everyone’s face plates, but you were grateful you have someone on the other side to vouch for you as well should that time comes to pass. You genuinely loved him- but war has a funny way of keeping you friends and families apart, you just hope that when this is all over he can forgive you for your transgressions against the few you have had to betray and hurt to get what you needed for the rebellious cause. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, even if the few happens to be the love of your life serving under the wrong master. It was your secret with too maybe one day just run away and forget this whole political turmoil and just set up roots somewhere on some small planet rich in energon and live out your days as an old hermit with no one but Bumblebee by your side to forever love and comfort you, but that was selfish- and to much is going on for you to be having such illogical and useless fantasies when you could be busy rallying and working for the masses to gain sympathy to the troops that seem to be falling at an alarming rate to the autobots.

-You were the farthest thing from a warrior Megatron had, yet he tries to drag you to every confrontation with the Autobots- as a way to garner sympathy from the Autobots probably, that’s how you ended up like this as you crawled to the safety of cover behind a rock while clutching at your wounds to try and stop the energon from flowing out to quickly. A fire fight had gone wrong unsurprisingly, and you noticed no one was really  aiming to hit you, but blasters have a bad problem with richotte ammo so it were just unlucky timing that you were stuck in the abdomen by a stray blast. You were just lying in wait for the explosions to stop and the commotions to cease so you may signal an sos to The Nemesis to come pick you up, and you weren’t expecting Bumblebee to come and comfort you while you hid from the battle. He shushed you as he held you close trying to stop you from leaking out too badly and you couldn’t help but smile at his misguided affections- you asked if he was going to be missed in the battle as his team needed him to win against yours, he said no and stayed by your side for such a long time, but you couldn’t really tell as it seems your chronometer must have been off as your processor began to feel cloudy and hazy. You were losing consciousness fast as your frame attempted to protect and keep major functioning internal systems online to keep your spark from being snuffed out prematurely. You hear a tiny gasp as you turn your head to look behind you to see three young humans watching Bee dote on you as you try to keep conscious for as long as possible- looks like the sabercat is out of the bag now, there is no way those humans can keep a secret from their Autobot saviors, and there was no way they would leave you behind to be picked up by the Decepticons lafer. Well- the autobots were not the type to use you as a bargaining chip against Megatron, and you figured Bumblebee wouldn’t let them- but they won’t just let you go running back to Megatron either. A prisoner or war wasn’t an outcome you were expecting to have, but at least you will have good company to keep while you awaited for this time to pass, and when you can just run away and disappear on some planet and wait for Bee to join you with open arms and a warm smile. You could hear the a particular child screaming in your audio receptors before dropping into forced sleep mode- it was something about how Bee lied and how he is going to have a lot to explain when they made it back safely to the base.

Arcee

-You were apart of one of the underprivileged castes on Cybertron as you were left with the wonderful duty of energon mining and processing- a job only given to vehicons who don’t even have a spark, and that was just how the rest of the world saw you. A useless waste of a frame that was lucky enough to even be blessed with a spark to begin with, and as they always told you that you should be grateful for even having work ands to stop being so lazy you felt empty on the inside- you’ve heard it all from “you are ungrateful” to “be happy you even exist you waste of space” and you are still underwhelmed about it those words to this day. Aligning yourself with Megatron just made sense at the time, and if you were loyal to him you were granted a great deal of power and respect, so you worked hard to claw your way to the upper ranks of his court and gain his favor. You were one of the top warriors at the time you met the lovely Arcee, to say you were taken aback by her beauty was an understatement, as it was almost enough to distract you from their transgressions against you. Almost. You managed to capture her and a few other Autobot strike team members who tried to storm a weak point in your border security that spanned across Kaon’s territory lines. You were interrogating the prisoners one by one to try and collect all the intelligence they had, and once you got to the little spitfire of a femme, well she was just as tight lipped as all the others. You asked her why such a pretty thing would fight for the tyrannical injustice that the Autobot’s represented, she argued back how could someone as talented and attractive work for the slaughterhouse that is the Decepticons. She had you there, truth the Decepticons ways of dealing with things were a bit harsh, but it did get the job done in the end. You remember an explosion rung out in your base at that point, and in one act of kindness that ignited a lifelong friendship, you let Arcee and a few of her soldiers go as you tried to figure out who the rat in your ranks were- spies were worse than Autobot foot soldiers, and they won’t get away with infiltrating your ranks. You couldn’t stop thinking about that spunky Arcee though, now there was a femme, she was definitely going places in this world- even if those places are amongst the treacherous Autobots who couldn’t care less about bots like you.

-You found yourself on this floating rock when you obtained a transmission that said there was still Autobots in this quadrant of the universe. You wanted to know how many and what they were up to- you had enough on your plate trying to stop the rise of a new council and stopping some bots from having absolute power over the others. Ever since the influence of Megatron that brought about a bright light on the injustice of the world it’s sad to see a lot of his work has subsided, most bots just want to go back to the way things were, which was why you were here to see if you can work out some kind of deal with the remaining Autobot forces to change minds into creating a more fair political system. You’ve come so far from the clawing and angry soldier you were during the war, and all you wanted was to live in a world that allowed for misfortunate bots like you to be able to choose and forge their own paths in a world that would see you as an equal and not some tool to progress some fake agenda. You have heard rumors that the last Prime might be here as well, as he has not been killed in the war according to public records, but no one has seen him in so many cycles that many lost hope that he will return to lead them. This planet was teeming with organic life, and it was weird seeing so many of them running around, but you took notice that at least most of them can make their own choices- that was pretty cool, for  planet with so many indigenous species civilized life manages to thrive and survive. Civilized life here also seemed to be unfair, but that was their problem to deal with, you can only fight in so many rebellions. You ran into a red car that was all too familiar to you in one of these towns you were exploring trying to see if you could hear word or get transmissions from the Autobots- and when you reunited with the Decepticons you thought were long gone you felt reinvigorated to continue fighting the good fight. Megatron was there, and you pledge your allegiance to him without any waivering fears or regrets, his presence at the colonies will set them all back onto a straight path. He made the decree that once his missions on Earth were complete, he will follow you to the last remaining pockets of resistance and reunite everyone under a new banner of law that allows everyone to choose whatever work they pleased under his regime. That sounded tyrannical, but hey, at least you would be able to choose.

-You and Arcee were reunited when you bumped into her out and about by herself in some small town in the desert, and it was a little awkward, but you both were happy to see each other. There were no hard feelings about the kidnapping thing, in fact, she told you that you helped her see that not all Decepticons were ruthless killers- and that maybe some of you were ok, just misguided. You laughed at that as one thing seemingly led to another and the loneliness that was experienced between the two of you was subsided for a little while- Megatron and The Prime be damned, this was about companionship more than it was about this war. You’ve grown a lot since you were ejected from Cybertron, and Arcee just reminds you that there is more to life than just overtaking your enemies and fighting for your rights to be seen as am equal. You both thought it best to keep your newly budding relationship a secret from the others, as everything was far to sensitive right now to share, besides the privacy makes it a little more thrilling on your twisted mind. Though all that flew out the window when you were hit in the middle of a battle by the big breen bot the Autobots have, as he managed to smack you with his wrecking ball so hard you were flung far away and slammed into the rock walls of the desert. You can feel all the warnings pinging in your processor as you couldn’t find the strength to stand up or move- your cables and sockets refused to bend or waiver as you groaned in pain and you laughed at the irony of the situation as that was some big mech they have and he sure packs a punch. You felt hands on your back and heard worried huffs as it must have been Arcee checking you over for life threatening wounds, to which you tried to brush her off and reminded her this was a battle and they would miss her if she stayed to dote on you that the Autobots will lose this battle. She just told you to shut up and let her do this as she tried to administer small patch fixes to keep the leaks you had at bay- huh, you had no idea she had first aid training. You heard a small voice asking her harshly what was going on- she wrote the small voice off as she pulled you in some direction probably to keep you away from the battle and into a little safety of cover. The little voice revealed itself to you as a small human boy, which you remember Arcee telling you her new “partner” was a human male who made bad decisions. She was right, what kid thinks its a good idea to tag along to see a fire fight between giant alien robots, he was more curious about you than you were of him it seems- and you knew then and there that you were going to be an Autobot captive. Oh, Megatron will be angry about this, he will also blame you for being weak and helpless in the face of danger. He wasn’t the same rebellious leader you remember- he was cold and angry now, so maybe it’s a good thing this happened, it’s an excuse to get away from that psycho and be with Arcee the way you wanted to be. It felt out of character for you to want domestication like this, but with everything going on around you, maybe some slow and steady lifestyle changes can be good for you. Hell, if the Autobots will take you, maybe it was time to fight for your cause on the winning side.

Bulkhead

-You were a small things created for no other purpose than to bring pleasure to the bots that were in castes above you. Your life was alright, you never really dreamed or wanted anything more than what you have, but you were given the opportunity to dream when you were liberated from your caste when the Decepticons begana to grow their rebellion. It was invigorating- all of the sudden you were thrust into a world full of warriors and fighters, and before you even knew it yourself you were fighting the good fight alongside so many others like you who never had the opportunity to dream. You would fight till the end for the family you have come to know in the Decepticons, even if some of them were a little sketchy and strange, but your loyalty didn’t go unnoticed as you were rewarded time and again for doing simple things like keeping your men alive in large fire fights and making sure no bot was left behind when the situation got sticky- the rewards were nice, but it felt good just to have people who actually cared about you and how you felt for once in your life. Over the course of the war though, so many ended up dead or ran away that your numbers were no match for the Autobots anymore- so when you were face to face with a band of Wreckers all of your troops ran and left you to fight for yourself. You did about as well as one would expect, beaten with holes the size of their fists on your frame that were leaking so much that you were going to lose consciousness very soon, but you refused to give up. You held this mech’s wrecking ball at bay as he leaned above you ready to end your life, you don’t know why you said it- but the words that pours out of your mouth made you both stop fighting and feel a shock run through your body. You told him that you were ok with dying, that you finally knew what it was like to feel loved truly for once in your life and not artificially as your job dictated before MEgatron rose you from the ashes of this dying world. You passed out after that and woke up in a Decepticon medical unit, and you found out later that the Mech that decided to spare you was calle Bulkhead- and he was the same as you. Not thinking, not feeling, and not with attachments until the war really began. Maybe you will run into him again, you hope so, maybe you can convince him to fight for his freedom with you alongside Megatron. 

-Long since has passed the war in your eyes, and you were back to being alone, as once everyone who remained fled the planet you had nowhere to go and no real family to call your own. You found yourself being a slave once again on a planet full of organics, only this time, you were a vehicle they used to get to and from different places. Hiding amongst humans who seemed so free and loving, you were jealous of it all, but to survive you had to stay hidden and scrounge for whatever energon you could find once you were able to sneak away and go digging. It wasn’t until you were bought by a small family in this small desert town that you noticed strange transmission in the air- they were Cybertronian and hidden in the white noise of the radio signals, but they were there- but were they an ally or an enemy? You snuck out to for your driveway to investigate, driving into the wee hours of the morning only to almost give up hope, until you drove into view of a battle between a few Vehicons and some Autobots. There was a yellow little scout, a blue and pink warrior femme, and… Bulkhead? Autobots, then, but the Vehicons mean that there are Decepticons nearby- so, you weren’t really alone after all. You waited for the battle to complete until you were finally able to get a grip on the Decepticon signal, to which you raced to find the pinging location until it ceased and was cloaked. The Nemesis was a sight for sore eyes, and you were so close to becoming emotional when you saw Megatron and a few other high ranking officers- you were home and amongst family again.

-This was a fight too similar to the last one, as Vehicons lay scattered around you while other were engaged with other Autobots, you were left to fight the scout. Bumblebeee, that mech was stronger than he seemed, and managed to hit you square in the spark chamber. You fled for cover and hoped no one saw you as another Vehicon stepped in to keep the scout busy with engaged him. Megatron, who was no longer the family you remember and threatened you with death should you return empty handed, was very clear that if the Decepticons couldn’t have this relic than no one else shall. You took aim from your position in cover to blow up whatever it was that this stupid thing was, but you were unable to fire as someone grabbed your arm and lifted you off the ground with ease- that was Bulkhead, the only bot big enough to do that. You struggled, but his grip was to much for you. You wailed that if he didn’t let you complete your mission Megatron would kill you for being weak, and you will be alone again in the cvopid of death. He sighed and sat in your cover next to you while the battle behind raged on, he said in  so few words that his family wasn’t worth being apart of if he was going to just kill you- and you rebutted that he made you understand your worth, and that you were more than just some pretty frame for other to use. He said he learned that lesson too, that he was more than just some big mech that is only good for labor and construction- he wanted you to join them, and before you could answer you heard a loud female voice screaming at the big bot for sitting around when there was a battle to be won. Bulkhead was frustrated as he told this Miko she shouldn’t be here- and you agreed, this battle was no place for a small human girl. It was in that moment that you noticed the bond between this wrecker and his small human, and it was the answer you were seeking. You wouldn’t be alone if you made real connections, so you will fight for the Autobots, fight for a real family that clearly loves one another and will not allow their allies to fall and be killed for failing their missions.

(05/03/18)

[doomedandstoned]

Nicolas Perrault from Rage of Samedi Taps Deep Emotion in New Solo Effort

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By MelLie

NICOLAS "SCRIOS" PERRAULT -- some of you may have heard this name in the course of the German monster sludgers RAGE OF SAMEDI. German multi-instrumentalist, producer, live audio engineer, creative head in general, and bad-ass bassist of the aforementioned band. Often these artists are mostly referred to us in connection with the bands in which they play and we often know too little about their individual personalities and the solo projects they have to offer. Ashes on our heads!

After six years of walking the path of self-discovery and working on his authenticity as a solo artist, Nicolas has now announced the release of his first full-length album 'Shadows Cast At Dawn' (2020) on May 20th. That's why we should jump at this perfect opportunity to get a foretaste of the new album and take a closer look at Nick Perrault as "singer/songwriter" (a term that somehow doesn't entirely fit him).

With the song "Fires Within," Nick not only offers us a gloomy soul plough, but also a glance into his own soul. It is a gritty absolution punch, with abysmal soundscapes that deal with depression and anxiety. Emotional, melancholic, but in no way melodramatic -- a puristic and minimalistic-looking audio-active encounter with the emotionally frozen world and the breakout of those soul-damaging shackles. Like the Last Judgement runs Nick‘s throaty, heavy, powerful voice through the song and manifests itself like a memorial at the edge of the abyss into which the listener seems to look. This musical work is further underpinned by the impressive video-artwork, which was also created by Nick's own artistic hand.

I hope I have made you a little curious about the excursion into a border area of this heavy genre, which generally receives less attention here, and about the artistic work of Nicolas Perrault. Enjoy the ride through the abyss.

'Fires Within' music video

An Interview with Nicolas Perrault

By MelLie (Doomed & Stoned & Sunday's Heavy Tunes)

First of all, a warm "welcome", on behalf of Doomed & Stoned and our audience, Nick. It's only been a few months since you answered my questions as part of the gang of Rage Of Samedi! But this time, you are in the spotlight with your solo project! It‘s nice to have you here again!

It's an absolute honor to get to do this twice in a single year, so thanks for having me!

Nick, of course I have created my own impression of you in the process of preparing for this interview - at the latest now you still have the chance to escape! (laughs) How would you describe yourself? Who is this guy Nicolas Perrault?

I'm a multi-instrumentalist, tattooer, live audio engineer and producer and slightly sociophobic. So pretty much your average vegan straightedge dude who refuses to get a real job.

What made you decide to sell your soul to the "Devil Of Music"? In other words, how and when did you realize that you were burning with heart and soul to dedicate your life to music?

I've always played instruments, starting with the recorder, then organ and piano, bass, drums, guitar, bagpipes, and everything else. Way back when I joined my first band (a grunge/punk three-piece) and first picked up a bass, I realized I had a lot to say and music quickly became my outlet of choice. So about 18 years ago, but I didn't think of it in terms of a career yet, that only happened roughly six years ago, so I dropped out of university and started to work on my solo project.

You have left some very manifold and genre crossing footsteps on the pilgrimage through your personal music history: PTAH (doom), MOONSAIL (depressive pop-blues), and THRENODIA (black-metal) in former times are on my mind, current side projects are WILLE ZUR MACHT (avangarde) and you are the bass-riffer of Germany's blackened sludge doom monster RAGE OF SAMEDI! To what extent were these different musical influences and band experiences important for your progress as solo-artist?

I've spent a decade and a half working in bands, which would usually split up after a while, when the band became more serious and the others decided they'd rather pursue "real" jobs. So after a couple of those, I grew tired of waiting on the right people and just started working on my own. But every now and then I'd want to experiment with different genres, so I'd start a new project. The reason I'm now releasing under my actual name is that I didn't want to be stuck in one genre. I don't regret any of it, as they shaped who I am and the music I play now.

At the mention of your solo project, I could see the glint in your eyes. May 20th is the day! Let's light a sparkler for a minute! After three released EPs and six years of working as a solo artist, 'Shadows Cast At Dawn' will sail into the world as your first full-length album, which you even produced under the name of your own label Yew & Holly, right? What thoughts shoot spontaneously through your head right now?

Yup. I'm just incredibly excited to finally release this thing! It's been nearly six years and about eight different entire recordings, several changes to the track listing, heck- there are two tracks on the album that I only wrote this year! It's been a long, tedious journey and I'm glad for everything that happened along the way, because it made the final version of the album so much better!

Nick, let's turn the spotlight on the background information for your new album now. How would you describe your it to someone who has never heard your music before and which instruments play a major role?

A genre defying journey through post-modern life in a capitalist reality, focussing on depression and anxiety. Almost all of the songs are two sets of drums, a minute string section of violin and cello plus baritone guitar and vocals, that together create soundscapes so vast you might mistake them for an assassin's creed map.

Listening a little deeper into your work, one does not miss your natural fondness for philosophical thinking -- correct me if I am wrong with my assumption. Where do you get your inspirations from? And is there a message you want to convey to the listeners?

Well, I did study philosophy way back when. I tend to use naval imagery to paint a lyrical picture of depression and bipolar disorder, as a means of sharing the way I experience the world. It's likely not the most accessible thing you will ever hear, but it's a sincere expression of myself and that's really all I can offer.

"Fires Within," btw. Also one of my personal favorites of your album - is the amuse-gueule for our listeners What is the meaning behind this song and what moved you, writing the lyrics for this song?

"Fires" is all about setting boundaries and tearing down unhealthy relationships. If you have people in your life that hold you back instead of supporting you, ditch their ass! They're not worth the time and will poison any creative endeavor. Everyone knows at least a handful of these negative feckers and so did I. I spent years trying to help them get through their shit, but whenever I needed them they'd be more interested in getting drunk.

It's an unburdening from dead weight we carry, a cleansing, if you will. The chorus says "look not towards time, it brings only decay and destruction " and I think this is key to ridding yourself from negativity. Focus on your ultimate goal, that transcends trends and mood swings, that lives beyond time, and let it guide you. Don't stray too much from the path, or these negative influences will be right there waiting to cut you down.

"Fires Within"

Call upon the wind To wipe the surface clean He brings the rain and with it Absolution To carry with it the dust And bittersweet memories lost

Look not towards time To save your soul from fires It brings only decay and with it Destruction The fires burn from within Feast on the sand and it's running thin

Turn away from everything you hold dear To keep yourself safe from despair Cause all they bring is but loss All that remains is darkness when they are all gone Darkness that stretches like shadows cast from a new dawn

I would like to make a short swerve to the album cover. It is the wonderful artwork of Maryland based illustrator Luke Martin (Suburban Avenger Studios) who counts some famous musicians among his clients (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chili Pepper and others). How does the artwork relate to "Shadows Cast To Dawn"?

I've been a huge fan of Luke's work for years and a while ago he posted this picture to his Instagram. I was looking for something very specific to use as an album cover at the time. I needed it to evoke claustrophobia and a feeling of being safe inside whilst at the same time showing an outside, detached from the rest, just out of reach.

So imagine my jaw dropping as I saw this picture for the first time. It just struck me. So I wrote Luke, if he'd sell it. He had never sold a photograph before (plenty of awesome illustrations, though) so needless to say, I was very happy he did. He basically captured exactly what I had conceptualized -- that it's an actual photograph just makes it even better, as the concept is very much abstract but now has an actual physical representation.

The title "Shadows Cast At Dawn" was something that I had floating around in my head for ever. So when I began to work on the album that became the working title. Since I've worked on it for so long, that title has- in a way- effected everything I wrote, so it seemed to fit perfectly by the end.

Is there a special favourite place where you prefer to let your ideas mature? - a kind of soul-flyer place? I know you live in a small, rather idyllic place and not in a vibrant artists' metropolis! Whereby this way of living has advantages as well as disadvantages for an artist, right?

I love forests, oceans and mountains, so I'm pretty much alright with any surroundings, as long as I can escape civilization from time to time. Living out in the countryside allows me to focus, as you pretty much know where to find people, if you're looking for company but at the same time, you know where you are less likely to be found.

Sure, I need to travel a lot more to get anywhere and there aren't as many connections to be made face to face, but digitalization has granted us loners access to that aspect of life from the comfort of our homes, so I'd say it really depends on what you need to stay sane.

With the release of this album, you could now realize one of your dreams. Do we have another sparkler to light? What else do you have in the works? Are there any future plans that float in space? Or do you still carry around another big dream in your head?

I've already started recording for the next album, so fingers crossed that this time it won't take as long. Apart from that, I really want to tour the world, but circumstances aren't exactly ideal for that, at the moment. Apart from the music, I also tattoo and paint and hope to be doing more of that alongside music in the future. So if y'all wanna get some ink, hit me up!

Thanks a lot Nick, for giving us a deeper insight into your solo project and the things that move you! It's been very entertaining having this conversation with you here. We all will keep our eyes upon Nicolas "Scrios" Perrault in anticipation of your success!

Thank you very much, Mel, it's been my pleasure!

Leave Me To The Waves by Nicolas Perrault

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