Writing is Fighting

EMP Conference in NYC

 I just got back from NYC to speak at the Experience Music Project / IASPM conference (EMP) which was awesome I presented Saturday afternoon, we got a decent turnout and it went well. Did it, at times, resemble a comedy act? Yes.........

As my fellow panelists were working on our presentation until the last minute, I didn't have the chance to see some of the panels I wanted to, but there has been a plethora of 'stars' at the NYU Kimmel centre.  Here were some of the people there:

• Chuck D
• Spike Lee
• ?uestlove
• Jay Smooth (Cute! and nice dude)
• Esperanza Spalding (meh)
• Santigold (interesting)
• Heen (from Das Racist)
• Angélique Kidjo (very interesting woman)
• Lots of 'rock star' journalists, authors and academics - Eric Lott, Robert Christigau, Jeremy Wallach, Greil Marcus, Scott Steward, Ned Ragget, Phil Freeman, Daphne Brooks, Devon Powers, and of course, Ann Powers and Eric Weisbard, etc.

And....I'm Back!

Sorry for the delay in posting. Life has been hectic and this winter weather has not compelled me to do much outside of some book administrative stuff........

Actually I shouldn't complain. Thanks to global warming, winter in Canada ( or at least in Toronto) has been awesome this year. Little snow, the temperature has been bearable, so I really can't bitch. Sure, Earth might implode soon, but at least I don't have to wear my bulky winter coat! 

Anyhoo, Happy New Year....so far it's been interesting. So many news stories that make my blood boil, but let's stick to music ( and self-promotion), shall we?

Maryland Deathfest IX: A Recap

Whoa, what a week. I just got back from Baltimore, Maryland a couple of days ago from Maryland Deathfest, and my head is still reeling.

Where to start? 

For the second year in a row, I drove down with my friend David Hall, who runs Handshake Inc., a film company that produces the Maryland Deathfest: The Movie. For the third year in a row, Dave and his crew went down to film the 45+ bands that performed during the 4-day festival.

NYC Trip and an ode to Neurosis

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Last week I made a short trip to the best fucking city in the world, New York. I went for two reasons: my friend / writing colleague Daphne Carr  invited me to do a reading and participate in a panel at Housingworks Cafe in Soho/Chelsea, and to attend a one-day symposium on the writings of Ellen Willis, a noted feminist journalist / rock critic who passed away from cancer in 2006. 

Both events went well, and sandwiched between the two events was a party for Anne Powers hosted by NPR, celebrating her new position as Pop Music Critic for the station. Overall, it seemed to be a weekend of music criticism and seeing music journo rockstars, like Robert Christagau, Powers, Daphne Brooks, Joe Levy, Donna Gaines, my homegirl, Decibel's Jeanne Fury, Kandia Crazy Horse.... so much that by the time Saturday afternoon came about, I thought my head was going to explode. One of the highlights was not only meeting new people / contacts, but also seeing the elusive Ian Christe, my soon-to-be publisher (Bazillion Points) and metal journalist extraordinare. 

Random Thoughts and Musings - "Hit and Run" post, Pt. 2

Are you going to be in NYC this Thursday, April 28th?

If you are, come see me speak! I'll be at HousingWorks Cafe  (119 Chambers Street in Chelsea) with Daphne Carr, who is on a book tour for her awesome new book on Nine Inch Nails , Maura Johnson, who is the music editor at the Village Voice, and Raquel Cepeda at 7:00pm. There will be some readings and a discussion on music fandom. I think I'm going to read an early draft of a chapter from my book (without the parts that could get me sued, that is). But it should be cool. I'm really honoured to be included in this panel, and be with such talented people. I'm excited, but nervous as hell, as I tend to swear alot when I get nervous..........

SXSW Pictures and Audio for "Are Metalheads Smart Enough to be Online?"

I didn't go crazy with  shooting this year. I just didn't feel like fighting the crowds on this trip. Also, still struggling with my new lens, for some strange reason.........

Also, here is the audio recording of  the Panel. Enjoy! 

 

Interesting (and disturbing) Trends in 2010 - Thank Goodness This Year is Ovah!

About a month ago, one of my 'Facebook Friends' wrote, "it seems as though people are only using Facebook to bitch and moan. Enough already!" And he was right - and I was complicit in his reasoning to post such a statement.

2010 was tough. Not entirely horrific, as there were some pretty good things I experienced, but overall it was difficult. I have been an Internet freak since the mid-90's but this year, I found myself not seeking out and reading a ton of new blogs, as it seemed like not only were people focusing on negativity, usually on some serious fuckery brought on by humankind, the same issues that have been discussed to death arose from their ashes, once again. I have said to a number of friends that 2010 seemed like the year we reverted back into the social dysfunctions that we had worked so hard to overcome. 

Top Concerts and Photos of 2010

 (Okay I popped in a few pics from late 2009, too). The above pics are representative of some of the best shows I attended this year. The first pic is Gus G from Ozzy Osbourne's band, and I took it while reviewing the show for Exclaim in late November. Great show and what was cool about shooting this show was the huge back screen for the thousands of fans who were sitting up in the 'cheap seats' - the ACC is huge. Ozzy played the 'greats' from his solo career and from Black Sabbath, so even if you were not a huge fan, most likely you would be familiar with the majority of the set list. 

Great Albums I listened To In 2010 That Won't Be On My Top Album Lists

So far I have completed my "Top Albums for 2010" for two publications, Hellbound ( which as of this post has yet to be published) and Exclaim! I have yet to do the Village Voice poll (which I should really do this weekend), so I'll hold off on posting it here until I complete that one, which is always a bit more tricky.

Actually, this year, in terms of metal albums, has been a bit tricky. There were only a few albums that I reviewed - primarily for Exclaim this year, that stayed with me. I ran behind reviewing music this year, as my day job, practicing my photography skills, the book and health issues deterred me from really keeping in touch with what was going on. Because of that I feel like a bit of a fraud listing albums that I didn't get around to properly listening to.

Why am I not a Feminist?

Because I do not know the meaning of the word.

I have been thinking about writing this post for a few weeks, but was a bit concerned about writing a rambling post that didn't make any sense. I have experienced a myriad of things these past few weeks - most of them bad ( 2010 has really been a difficult year) and I didn't want to spew useless nonsense about a subject that means a whole lot to many men and women out there. 

But I have to write what I feel.