So I'm still job hunting after nearly 2 months of it out here...
Ever notice that the living in city life, being docile and remaining inactive, it takes the spirit out of you?
Active bodies make happy minds.
Dan Tait and his words... Bodhi Records.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Teleradio.
Turned on the old amp with a click.
A low, droning buzz fills the room.
Ah, so familiar.
Hear the shuffle of my bare feet on the cold concrete floor.
Remember the times we had with this here amp,
and guitar, lo - how the sounds tore,
from our hearts out - taming poets and beasts.
We wrote the songs we knew would change the world,
And changed the songs we knew that sullied.
But what got into the water?
What took it all away?
Why is it that 100 miles away such a light,
Doesn't fade - but... beacons. Beckons.
The first few rings of strings sail through my mind,
And the memories crash into me with a screeching halt.
And after the dust settles - my vision is clear.
My vision ain't clear.
A low, droning buzz fills the room.
Ah, so familiar.
Hear the shuffle of my bare feet on the cold concrete floor.
Remember the times we had with this here amp,
and guitar, lo - how the sounds tore,
from our hearts out - taming poets and beasts.
We wrote the songs we knew would change the world,
And changed the songs we knew that sullied.
But what got into the water?
What took it all away?
Why is it that 100 miles away such a light,
Doesn't fade - but... beacons. Beckons.
The first few rings of strings sail through my mind,
And the memories crash into me with a screeching halt.
And after the dust settles - my vision is clear.
My vision ain't clear.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Empty Stomach.
In a monumental struggle through the masses to stand-out in the lime-light, each and every one of us put our hunger aside for recognition.
Like a tiny vehicle buried in the hours of traffic following her, her engine hums, putts and roars - cyclical - and her goal is to pass through, pry through on her own; before the rest.
We are creatures of habit, no longer instinct.
We are children, and learn.
We are adolescents, and apply.
We are young adults, and mistake.
We are 'mature', and habitually react.
break away.
Like a tiny vehicle buried in the hours of traffic following her, her engine hums, putts and roars - cyclical - and her goal is to pass through, pry through on her own; before the rest.
We are creatures of habit, no longer instinct.
We are children, and learn.
We are adolescents, and apply.
We are young adults, and mistake.
We are 'mature', and habitually react.
break away.
Friday, October 2, 2009
GO. DO. BE.
The weather's getting colder - perfect sweater weather. Perfect outside weather.
The words on my travel mug have been repeating in my head over and over and over again... Go. Do. Be. Something feels like it's missing when I'm not going to school, not working, and not out on the road. Go. Do. Be.
First... GO. Go where you want, and when you want... I want to go hiking, or on a canoe trip. Perhaps down the the Black, or the Bonnechere, or the Dumoine. Or perhaps a hike through the Adirondacks. To discover a Hidden Lake, or an ascent to many of the peaks of the Adirondack Mountains.
A wise friend of mine once told me 'Not to think about things. Just Go.' Immediately following that conversation, we embarked on a journey all through Ontario - using solely our thumbs, and our feet to get where we wanted. That journey I'll never forget - in fact, I've been meaning to go steal the map that we used from his old place.
DO. Do what you must, what you want. Do something - anything. It's what keeps us going, does it not? Without something to do, the soul pales, and begins to flake in the dry, still air of inaction.
I want to change the way the world thinks - I want to do something to change
global consciousness. I want to do what no musician has done for at least the last 3 decades - unite the earth. I want to sing the stories of battles won and lost, and what we gain from them. I want to tear into the wrongdoings in the earth, and mercilessly turn the tables, so they can at once feel as defenseless and futile as we often do. Like I mentioned in my last post, I am finding the sound. The Sound.
BE. Be what you can be. Be for someone - for something. Be who and what you want to be. To continue being who you are, no matter what the hardships are holding you up. I want to be happy. I want to be strong. And I want to be the reason why others desire strength. I want to be a crutch when I'm needed. I want to be a role model. I want to be as important to friends as they are to me.
Being is something that you cannot stop - because regardless of who you are, you will always exist in peoples hearts and minds. The effects of every thing you do reverberate in the global consciousness - even if it's only on a tiny scale. The effects are registered in every mind that experiences it. So be. Be with all of your soul.
It is the essence of GO. DO. BE. that captures the essential elements of Canadian Spirit. When Canada was young, and true Canadiana existed - folklore, legends, true history - in the days of aboriginals, patriots, La Nouvelle France, and Les Couriers du Bois.
The Couriers du Bois (Runners of the Woods) were men who facilitated the trading of furs between the natives and the French - mostly beaver pelts. The pelts were quickly becoming fashionable in Europe, and a sign of status - it was a new, beautiful thing from the new, barren lands across the world. This demand was the catalyst to the kick-starting of Canadian Economy. These men travelled long distances in harsh conditions to trade for these pelts. They travelled by canoe - massive, crude, heavy boats in comparison to the modern canoe. They had no 'adventure gear' like we do today - it was all canvas, furs, and eventually cotton.
You can imagine that when these men travelled one way, they would have
to follow the same way back. They were paddling up and down river in one round trip. When they came upon a rapid, The Couriers du Bois did not stop and decide to return the way they had come. They simply emptied all of their gear, lifted their canoes, and ran it all up the riverbank. They portaged. They just went. They kept on keepin' on. Of course, this was a time when if they stopped they would either be left to fend for themselves with only limited supplies, tools and weapons, or they would be simply dropped from the company's ranks. But that is not the point - they took the hardship, and dealt with it in a truly Canadian Way.
Had these men not GOne, DOne, and BEen, then Canada would not look the same as it does now. Canada has a lush history of beauty, strength, and courage - dating up to even the days of Pierre Trudeau and the officialization of the Charter of Canadian Rights.
The logging industries, the perserverance through Black Tuesday and the great depression, the mining days, the days of the klondike, the aboriginal histories that date back for milennia (crossing the bering Strait), our presence in the Boer War, The First World War, The Second World War, The Korean War, our peacekeeping efforts worldwide, our humanitarian efforts worldwide, our stalwart defence of our way of life in 1812...
Canada is alive. It's heart beats. All of our ancestors faced hardship like we have never ever known...
When our time comes, will you step up?
Don't just say it. Think about it.
Lots of love,
-Dano
May be tripping to Alberta for the month of November - I'll keep you updated.
The words on my travel mug have been repeating in my head over and over and over again... Go. Do. Be. Something feels like it's missing when I'm not going to school, not working, and not out on the road. Go. Do. Be.
First... GO. Go where you want, and when you want... I want to go hiking, or on a canoe trip. Perhaps down the the Black, or the Bonnechere, or the Dumoine. Or perhaps a hike through the Adirondacks. To discover a Hidden Lake, or an ascent to many of the peaks of the Adirondack Mountains.
A wise friend of mine once told me 'Not to think about things. Just Go.' Immediately following that conversation, we embarked on a journey all through Ontario - using solely our thumbs, and our feet to get where we wanted. That journey I'll never forget - in fact, I've been meaning to go steal the map that we used from his old place.
DO. Do what you must, what you want. Do something - anything. It's what keeps us going, does it not? Without something to do, the soul pales, and begins to flake in the dry, still air of inaction.
I want to change the way the world thinks - I want to do something to change
global consciousness. I want to do what no musician has done for at least the last 3 decades - unite the earth. I want to sing the stories of battles won and lost, and what we gain from them. I want to tear into the wrongdoings in the earth, and mercilessly turn the tables, so they can at once feel as defenseless and futile as we often do. Like I mentioned in my last post, I am finding the sound. The Sound.
BE. Be what you can be. Be for someone - for something. Be who and what you want to be. To continue being who you are, no matter what the hardships are holding you up. I want to be happy. I want to be strong. And I want to be the reason why others desire strength. I want to be a crutch when I'm needed. I want to be a role model. I want to be as important to friends as they are to me.
Being is something that you cannot stop - because regardless of who you are, you will always exist in peoples hearts and minds. The effects of every thing you do reverberate in the global consciousness - even if it's only on a tiny scale. The effects are registered in every mind that experiences it. So be. Be with all of your soul.
A little bit of Canadiana for you...
It is the essence of GO. DO. BE. that captures the essential elements of Canadian Spirit. When Canada was young, and true Canadiana existed - folklore, legends, true history - in the days of aboriginals, patriots, La Nouvelle France, and Les Couriers du Bois.
The Couriers du Bois (Runners of the Woods) were men who facilitated the trading of furs between the natives and the French - mostly beaver pelts. The pelts were quickly becoming fashionable in Europe, and a sign of status - it was a new, beautiful thing from the new, barren lands across the world. This demand was the catalyst to the kick-starting of Canadian Economy. These men travelled long distances in harsh conditions to trade for these pelts. They travelled by canoe - massive, crude, heavy boats in comparison to the modern canoe. They had no 'adventure gear' like we do today - it was all canvas, furs, and eventually cotton.
You can imagine that when these men travelled one way, they would have
to follow the same way back. They were paddling up and down river in one round trip. When they came upon a rapid, The Couriers du Bois did not stop and decide to return the way they had come. They simply emptied all of their gear, lifted their canoes, and ran it all up the riverbank. They portaged. They just went. They kept on keepin' on. Of course, this was a time when if they stopped they would either be left to fend for themselves with only limited supplies, tools and weapons, or they would be simply dropped from the company's ranks. But that is not the point - they took the hardship, and dealt with it in a truly Canadian Way.
Had these men not GOne, DOne, and BEen, then Canada would not look the same as it does now. Canada has a lush history of beauty, strength, and courage - dating up to even the days of Pierre Trudeau and the officialization of the Charter of Canadian Rights.
The logging industries, the perserverance through Black Tuesday and the great depression, the mining days, the days of the klondike, the aboriginal histories that date back for milennia (crossing the bering Strait), our presence in the Boer War, The First World War, The Second World War, The Korean War, our peacekeeping efforts worldwide, our humanitarian efforts worldwide, our stalwart defence of our way of life in 1812...
Canada is alive. It's heart beats. All of our ancestors faced hardship like we have never ever known...
When our time comes, will you step up?
Don't just say it. Think about it.
Lots of love,
-Dano
May be tripping to Alberta for the month of November - I'll keep you updated.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The sound...
The sound... the sound.
I need to get the sound. The sound that unites, empowers, burns to the ground all that's holding us back. The youth. The youth is the key to humanity's own real power... but where is their spirit?
Is it buried underneath the dials of their iPods as they sedate themselves on their regular commute?
Is it hidden behind the wall of media abuse they take each and every day?
Is it burning away like the records of old, and the legends, and the books, and the stories of the past?
Is it not obvious that things need to be done - things must be changed before it's too late? Nobody believes this 'too late' business anymore. What if it's already too late... and like a pool of stagnant water we're just waiting to be dispersed - an impact; scattered to tiny fractions of what we once were.
... I can assure you not everyone will survive. In fact... you likely won't. I likely won't.
Why not get back to basics. Why not rediscover who we once were - fill our WHOLE beings this time with meaning. Why let convenience, simplicity, and consumerism take it's toll and claim our soul. Get away from it. Rediscover mother nature. Rediscover what your body, mind, and spirit can accomplish on it's own - without the help of the feeble technology.
Together.
We.
Are.
The.
Most.
Powerful.
Being.
In.
Existence.
...But why must we act like children about the issue and take it for granted... maybe it's human instinct, and in our success we doom ourselves to perish.
I choose not to accept that reasoning. I choose to continue to search for the sound - the sound that will unite us all, the sound that we all search for in our dreams at night... That connection to our brothers and sisters that we have lost through the impersonal, and impossible connections by vehicle of CYBERSPACE, telephony...
But don't take my fictioned, blank, internet-dumbed words for it. Go and search yourself. Come find me and have a conversation. That is the first step to discovery of real human instinct - interaction. Talk. Not on the phone. Not on the internet. In person. That shouldn't ever be a question - you don't TALK on the internet. You don't 'TALK' on the phone.
... they are methodically destroying human connection, proximity, and in extremity, being through simplifying every single aspect of life. Especially communication.
Think about it - success as a result of effort, hardship, and determination feels 100% better than regular, casual success. Write a letter - only a minute example of effort - and send it to a friend. When (*and if!) you receive a response, it will feel 100% better than any text, any phone conversation, instant message, or social networking connection.
Be free. The international superbeing that is social networking has us all enslaved... The worst kind of slavery is the kind that can sedate, and can sneak up on all of us, and can exist in plain site without us noticing.
Be free...
Humans are a species that depend on community, interaction, and emotional motivation. We are hatcheting away at it every day we avoid personal contact and emoting.
... And I promise, I will never stop searching for the sound.
-A Shamed Hypocrite
I need to get the sound. The sound that unites, empowers, burns to the ground all that's holding us back. The youth. The youth is the key to humanity's own real power... but where is their spirit?
Is it buried underneath the dials of their iPods as they sedate themselves on their regular commute?
Is it hidden behind the wall of media abuse they take each and every day?
Is it burning away like the records of old, and the legends, and the books, and the stories of the past?
Is it not obvious that things need to be done - things must be changed before it's too late? Nobody believes this 'too late' business anymore. What if it's already too late... and like a pool of stagnant water we're just waiting to be dispersed - an impact; scattered to tiny fractions of what we once were.
... I can assure you not everyone will survive. In fact... you likely won't. I likely won't.
Why not get back to basics. Why not rediscover who we once were - fill our WHOLE beings this time with meaning. Why let convenience, simplicity, and consumerism take it's toll and claim our soul. Get away from it. Rediscover mother nature. Rediscover what your body, mind, and spirit can accomplish on it's own - without the help of the feeble technology.
Together.
We.
Are.
The.
Most.
Powerful.
Being.
In.
Existence.
...But why must we act like children about the issue and take it for granted... maybe it's human instinct, and in our success we doom ourselves to perish.
I choose not to accept that reasoning. I choose to continue to search for the sound - the sound that will unite us all, the sound that we all search for in our dreams at night... That connection to our brothers and sisters that we have lost through the impersonal, and impossible connections by vehicle of CYBERSPACE, telephony...
But don't take my fictioned, blank, internet-dumbed words for it. Go and search yourself. Come find me and have a conversation. That is the first step to discovery of real human instinct - interaction. Talk. Not on the phone. Not on the internet. In person. That shouldn't ever be a question - you don't TALK on the internet. You don't 'TALK' on the phone.
... they are methodically destroying human connection, proximity, and in extremity, being through simplifying every single aspect of life. Especially communication.
Think about it - success as a result of effort, hardship, and determination feels 100% better than regular, casual success. Write a letter - only a minute example of effort - and send it to a friend. When (*and if!) you receive a response, it will feel 100% better than any text, any phone conversation, instant message, or social networking connection.
Be free. The international superbeing that is social networking has us all enslaved... The worst kind of slavery is the kind that can sedate, and can sneak up on all of us, and can exist in plain site without us noticing.
Be free...
Humans are a species that depend on community, interaction, and emotional motivation. We are hatcheting away at it every day we avoid personal contact and emoting.
... And I promise, I will never stop searching for the sound.
-A Shamed Hypocrite
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