DANTAIT Music

Problems Across The World

2011-03-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

Ugh.

I HAVE to go to school. My battery's dead. My hair's too long. My tea's too hot. I'm too thin. I'm fat. His music is too loud. I can't sit down here. I need my sunglasses. My sister complains too much. My car is broken down. My phone bill costs too much. Her nails are too long. There's too many people here. It smells like fish. I'm like, allergic to bad coffee. This yogourt is warm. This doughnut is hard. There's no deals. I can't walk in these heels. Fleet Foxes are too, like, old.

I'm an environmentalist... I like, hate wearing fur and shit like that, y'know?

Shut up.

These are problems people across the world are desperate to have you self-centered loathesome ghouls.

Sincerely,

-Dan Tait

Thoughtpuke.

2011-02-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

This is all I wanna know.

New York City is evil.

I can't ever do that.

It's all right here.

I've never been so alive... as then.

But it's all right here. All that matters - not the fingers of electricity that has this planet in a cold death grip, heartless - yet pounding...

Like a hammer on steel. Malleating.

The soulless and narcoleptic voice... Catches you everywhere - In the city, in the sprawl, on the rain and at home...

Feel it touch you, moan and sing...

Desperate no more - strong... It's you - desperate to keep up and live.

I can't let this narcolepsy slide.

I can't let this narcolepsy slide.

I can't let this negativity slide.

I dream that I'm awake.

F*CK.

HEY BLOG!

2011-02-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

NOG DATES! NOG DATES! NOG DATES! Dan Tait is back in action at the Nog twice this month - February 4th, and February 25th! Come Early - Dan's bringin' friends! :)

Money Money Money

2011-01-31T06:13:00.001-08:00

$325 - Damn ticket.

$795 - The rent is due.

$67 - Cogeco is collecting.

$250 - Car payments.

$150 - Insurance.

$140 - Car broke.
_____

$Too much god damn money.00

Technology... 2 Choices.

2011-01-30T21:44:00.000-08:00

Some great thoughts to reflect upon thanks to the late Carl Sagan.

Dano - Live Concert At Cafe Ole - Recording

2011-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

1st Set List...

2:50 Music Start

Grasstock Way
The Seagull
Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
The Road Is My Home
Song Of The Guides

Break....

The Connection Conundrum

2011-01-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

So a couple of good friends and I got together for some pints, risk, cookies, and all round debauchery, and got into talking... The world claims to be a better place because everyone is so much more connected to people - they can access their friends' News Feeds on Facebook in seconds, they can text their parents across the country, they can send a christmas card out to hundreds of their friends with a click of a button...

But are we really more connected than we were before?

I know, this question has become a cliche - but really, it's only become a cliche cause we've decided it is - we don't want to face any sort of fact that suggests we're doing something wrong. Why? Cause it feels good. It's addictive. It keeps us from one of the scariest things imaginable - our own thoughts.

That is besides the fact though - what I'm trying to demostrate is that it is a moot argument that we're now more connected than ever. I resolve that although we are about to reach out and access a huge quantity of people, we are not in fact directly connected with them anymore.

Texting has turned from what started as short, efficient exchanges of update-type messages into empty meaningless garbage for the most part. People are texting "ummm" and "uhhhhh", and their text conversations span huge amounts of messages, when a simple phone call would have gotten the information across, been much more efficient, and would have an element of much more direct contact with a human being.

Texting is now an inefficient crutch - it's cheap, and that's what phone companies want; We can text on their systems for much cheaper than talking so they'll mark everything up. Now, even after the markup, texting packages look cheap so you buy it.

How many times have you read on a text the following...

"OK be there in an hour"

"Be about 20 mins"

"Just on your street"

"Here"

... Was it really necessary for that person to send me those updates on exactly where they are? I mean, if they're late, yes, but just a simple 'gonna be late' would be fine. I don't want updates on where you are, I just want you to BE THERE.

It's a popular thing to do, but it's jumbled globs of useless information. You can't have a meaningful, connected conversation over texts. Texting allows you access, not connection.

With immediate direct access, there is no more yearning for intimate contact. We're sedated with thousands of tiny, meaningless interactions that plague our mind and veil the true connections; true connections waiting to be made through opportunities presented every minute of every day.

Imagine living in 1890... you've just finished bringing in the last crop of the season. Every year near thanksgiving the family has a big party to celebrate the end of the growing season, and your favourite Uncle Peter generally shows up from Northern Quebec to visit. Peter missed this seasons party - so of course, you're concerned.

But it's true concern. You only see Peter once a year, and maybe get 2 or 3 pieces of mail from him - depending on what makes it through the weather - but regardless, every time there is an interaction with him it's all meaningful, important interactions. You talk about your families, the growing season, plans for the future - never about what colour you painted your toenails, what smells you smell, or how you've got a crush on your teacher.

You're concerned, but you are also patient - after all, it's Uncle Peter - he's coming from a long way away. Maybe he's running a bit late, got hung up some where, or just couldn't make it down. There's no use in fretting the unknown - the house has to be prepared for winter again, and the firewood isn't gonna split itself - if you waste your time trying to track down Ol' Peter, you may never find him, or you may end up finding out that he's on his way, just a little late. How many times do you get the texts saying...

"Where R U?"

"R U still coming?"

"U shud tell me if ur gona b late"

... My philosophy is that I'm gonna be there. If I'm not, the person in question would probably know when they should be worried. I'm a big boy, I do fine on my own - and so should they. They don't need me to coddle them with reassurances that I'm STILL on my way, and I don't need them to tell me I'm late - cause chances are, I know.

I work in a coffee shop, and I work as an adventure guide - and as a people person I thrive on human interaction. I love working the till and meeting new people every day. Meeting 12 new friends on a raft and teaching them the fun in the whitewater is how I keep my head on straight. But when your face is buried in your phone, not only do you look stupid, but you can't share a human interaction. When your mind is concerned about the drama you're missing on facebook, your letting the world slip past your eyes as you stare blindly, not fully taking in the beauty of a word, a person, the trees around you - or whatever it may be. I know it's not that special - getting coffee from that blonde guy at the same coffeeshop you go to every day - but it's more than "OMG I just saw the cutest bus driverr!!!", and it's therapeutic. Talking to people vents. Talking to people inspires emotion.

Texts are cold. Heartless. Empty. You can't get much out of them. But even in the tiniest exchange of a few words whether ordering coffee or not, you subconciously take in so much more, and you'll feel better about it. You'll be better after it.

So why do we do it?

It's quicker. (In some cases.)

It's easier. (Occasionally.)

It passes the time. (Definetly.)

It's sometimes quicker, sometimes easier, and always passes the time. But it's never as efficient, and it's never as meaningful. It's a distraction from the real world... it's like a hook, pulling us away from the humble abode of reality. And we're not fighting too hard.

I'm personally a big fan of this thing called The Real World. I'm a believer in patience, and human beings connecting.

What about you?

Peter McKay, Stephen Harper - Your Severance Is In The Mail.

2010-11-20T08:28:00.001-08:00

We're proud of our troops up here in Canada - ambassadors, warriors, mothers, fathers, family...

But when something slides under the radar like Stephen Harper autonomously extending the stay of troops in Afghanistan to 2014, he's smearing mud in the face of our tired soldiers as it is.

Soldiers are tired... families are tired... and the populace is tired. Let's get something straight here boys - if you don't have family in the military, I don't think you have the authority to makes those sole decisions.

Sign up your sons and daughters, and I'm sure it'll be another issue.

This is a haunting snippet of a radio interview with one of the family members of our beloved troops...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4KCBpQ5x_g

-Dantait

Afterthought: Ever wonder how Politician Christmases go? They always just throw money at these issues - I feel like it would be like robots exchanging bigger and bigger boxes, rather than a real, intimate and traditional Christmas...

So it's come to my attention...

2010-11-15T15:36:00.002-08:00

... That I haven't yet achieved what I feel I was meant to.

Rock Needs A Revolution.

The Youth Need Something to Stand Behind.

... I just want noone to get hurt.

I know how to do it, and I know now's the time to do it... but, can it be done?

... can I do it?

Thoughts This Past Remembrance Day...

2010-11-15T15:36:00.001-08:00

It is my true belief that Remembrance Day was originally meant to be more than a day to remember those fallen in battle... We do our honorable veterans little justice in simply remembering their sacrifice for a day and then moving on "to the next holiday" in our lives, ignoring the deeper meaning and symbolism behind the day.

Sure, you put on a Poppy for a couple weeks prior to the day, and you fall silent at 11 o'clock - much like the guns fell silent oh so long ago, and you wear your red for the troops on Fridays, and you watch History Television's Week of Remembrance Specials, and so on... We all do that; you, me, and many of the veterans themselves. But what most of us are missing in the hurrah of things is hidden even deeper. It's the black beneath the surface of the water...

Let me try and explain... They have said in the past "The Great War was the war to end all wars...", and for a time it looked like it for the most part; Pacts and Treaties and Armistices were made, agreements, restrictions, and laws were passed to restrict wars and to properly punish war crimes. It looked like problems were solved, until problems arose again in the late 1930s, and then the world was back at it - another Global War.

Again, an unprecedented amount of blood was shed as the stakes grew higher - technology was improving, war machines were deadlier and more effective, the race for nuclear supremacy was just beginning, battles were fought over larger fronts and areas; it seemed that already the tragedies of the First Great War had taken a back seat to an Arms Race... Throughout all of this, the main goal of these countries was to be on top - it was well known that whoever was to be victorious at the end of this Second Great War was destined to lead the world into Nuclear, Space Travel, and maybe more... The stakes were high indeed - worth more than the lives of a country's citizens. Again, thousands upon thousands of men and women crossed the seas, took to the skies, fought bloody battles, and ultimately made the great sacrifice. At the end of it all - another set of treaties, pacts, laws, armistices...

It was a short time of peace, for the Korean War followed, and the Vietnam War, The Gulf War, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and so many more...

The war to end all wars... The war to end all wars...

It's a dream, for sure - And you could make a case for naivete at the time... But we must be reminded more than once a year that war is not the answer. No coalition, no government agenda, no arms race, and no sense of superiority gives us the right to go and destroy the lives of other people - and none of these reasons are worth the lives of bright and strong young men and women.

Fighting siblings rarely figure out the right answer when they come to blows - so why do we think that we'll find the answer through battle? Besides, when the battles involve communities, provinces, states, countries, continents - it's no longer coming to blows... it's massacre.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

We're pretty lucky here in Canada because of the sacrifice that our soldiers have made for us - and believe me, we really are. We don't have to be personally reminded every day of the atrocities of war. We see it through an emotionless box mounted on our walls as we lean back in a chesterfield with our families around us... We "know" that we're lucky, but since the majority of us haven't personally felt the pain of war, we're actually quite unaware as to how lucky we really are.

I am grateful for all of the men and women who have served in the forces in the past, and serve now - for they were/are willing to put their life on the line for me and my family, and that means a lot to me. If I ever have the chance to defend their freedom as they defend mine, I would take it in a heartbeat...

But my point remains...

They say "On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month... the guns ceased to fire."

But really... have they?

-Dantait

Pearl Jam - Amongst The Waves... A little bit of lyrical beauty for ya.

2010-09-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

What used to be a house of cards
Has turned into a reservoir
Saved the tears that were waterfalling
Let’s go swim tonight, darling

and Once outside the undertow
Just you and me and nothing more
If not for love I would be drowning
I’ve seen it work both ways, but I am up

Riding high amongst the waves
I can feel Like I
Have a soul that has been saved
I can feel like I
Put away my early grave

Gotta say it now
Better loud
Than too late

Remember back the early days
When you were young and thus amazed

Suddenly the channel changed
The first time you saw blood

Cut to later, now you’re strong
You’ve bled yourself, the wounds are gone
It’s rare then where is nothing wrong
Survived and you’re amongst the fittest

Love ain’t love until you give it up

Riding high amongst the waves
I can feel like I
Have a soul that has been saved
I can see the light
Coming through the clouds in rays

Gotta say it now
Better loud
than too late...

Y'Know What Really Groinds Moy Geahs?

2010-09-17T08:48:00.001-07:00

Y'know what I love?

Those commercials on tv, the radio, the internet - whatever - that say...

"'ONE TIME ONLY! Customer appreciation sale! We are so greateful for all of (insert city name here)'s business that we're dropping our prices EVEN MORE in appreciation! Come this weekend, cause the sale won't last long!"

...And they really mean...

"You haven't bought enough yet. Come back."

Cause really, you know that the sale isn't going to be THAT good... I mean, there might be the odd good deal, but it's not like you're going to see a sale price and lose your mind at "HOW GREAT THAT DEAL IS!" or "HOW CAN THEY JUSTIFY SELLING IT FOR THIS!?"

There's always a time limit too - notice how it always says "One time only!", or "This weekend only! The sales won't last long!" I mean, I undersdtand the basics of business - you can't sell for super cheap all the time, cause you won't make money. Obviously. But my problem here is that if it were really a customer appreciation sale, why funnell all of your regular customers through your store on two days - It stresses people out. Wait... no, I guess that's the theory behind it, isn't it. When you're stressed out, you get in, buy your stuff, and get out... there's no thought process about the deals and whether they're good or bad...Wouldn't it be nice to have a real customer appreciation day where you got to pick one item free, and they just ticked you off that list they have? (You know the list... the one where they take your phone number everytime you buy something? Yeah. That one.)

Oh well.

Big Business Sucks. Burn it to the ground.

-Dan

Do what you feel now - Electric feel now...

2010-04-07T16:10:00.001-07:00

ON OUR FRONT

2010-03-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

LYIN' DOWN
ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR
WHILE THE GAZE
OF A CANDLE DRIFTS OVER

AND OUTSIDE
THROUGH THE DARK METAL DOOR
THE BOMB BLASTS
GIVE IT ALL AWAY...

THE WAR IS COME...
THE WAR HAS COME...
THE WAR IS COME...
..TO OUR FRONT.

IT ALL STARTS
WITH A NEWS REPORT
ISOLATE
AND QUELL THE STORM

INFURIATE
AND DISTRUB THE NORM
NOW WE'RE HERE
JUST GIVIN' IT ALL AWAY...

THE WAR IS COME...
THE WAR HAS COME...
THE WAR IS COME...
..TO OUR FRONT.

SO NOW WHAT?
ARE WE LOCKED IN HOUR HOMES?
UNDERGROUND?
THERE'RE SO MANY UNKNOWNS

TESTIFY
IF IT'S ALL THAT YOU KNOW
CAUSE WE'LL DIE
IF WE'RE LOCKED IN OUR HOMES
WHEN THEY COME
TO CLEAN THE MESS THEY MADE
SO NOW'S THE TIME
REPENT FOR OUR SINS OVERSEAS
CAUSE IT'S OUR FAULT
YES - IT'S US, THE DISEASE
IT'S OUR FAULT
GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES
IT'S THEIR FAULT?
IT ALWAYS COMES IN THREES...

This is where it's at...

2010-03-29T13:43:00.001-07:00

Do you know what it's like to fall on the floor
And cry your guts out 'til you got no more
Hey man now you're really living

Have you ever made love to a beautiful girl
Made you feel like it's not such a bad world
Hey man now you're really living

Now you're really giving everything
And you're really getting all you gave
Now you're really living what
This life is all about

Well i just saw the sun rise over the hill
Never used to give me much of a thrill
But hey man now you're really living

Do you know what it's like to care too much
'bout someone that you're never gonna get to touch
Hey man now you're really living

Have you ever sat down in the fresh cut grass
And thought about the moment and when it will pass
Hey man now you're really living

Now you're really giving everything
And you're really getting all you gave
Now you're really living what
This life is all about

Now what would you say if i told you that
Everyone thinks you're a crazy old cat
Hey man now you're really living

Do you know what it's like to fall on the floor
And cry your guts out 'til you got no more
Hey man now you're really living

Have you ever made love to a beautiful girl
Made you feel like it's not such a bad world
Hey man now you're really living

People sing
Do you know what it's like to fall on the floor
And cry your guts out 'til you got no more
Hey man now you're really living

Just saw the sun rise over the hill
Never used to give me much of a thrill
But hey man now i'm really living

Will I Breathe Tomorrow?

2010-03-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

I'm happy living life in the moment.

I'll make considerations for what happens in the future - but to me, the future is all arbitrary.

Some of my decisions have burned me, just like anything.

Some of my decisions have been life-changing. I feel like I'm one of the only people in the world who can truly say "I don't regret anything."

I'm not saying 'don't think'

I'm saying don't spend unneccessary time stressing. Overthinking. Dwelling.

...It kills you faster than you realize...

In the end, if you make the wrong decision, you learn - and keep your head up.

I know it sounds childish, and stupid because it's so basic.

But we aren't complicated beings. We're just arrogant in thinking we are able to control every variable in our life. We're naive in "knowing" we aren't naive.

Humans weren't meant to think about 'WHERE WILL YOU BE IN 5 YEARS!?'

And if you really ask yourself - do you know anything?

Hell I don't know...

I don't even know if I'll be smiling, blinking, or breathing tomorrow.

There's no point in overthinking anything. It wastes valuable living time.

...in wake of the coming shitshow

2010-03-09T05:34:00.000-08:00

So coming up in the next while, I've got a bunch of music to play, and a bunch of drunks to play to... Come see all the hilarity unfold as I figure out how to deal with 700 - 1200 hammered Irish on St. Patty's Day!

Thursday March 11 - 6pm to 9pm
This is the dinner show, so if you wanna bring yer granny out for some tunes, we'd love to have her! (Plus, cheap Keiths - and get there BEFORE the rush for Karaoke!)

Friday March 12 - 10pm to 2am
This is it kids! Flannel Fridays have been getting more and more packed! It's getting better and better, so lets see if we can top it this week!

Wednesday March 17 - 6pm to ???
St. Patrick's Day. Oh good god.

Thursday March 18 - 6pm to 9pm
Granny Day! (Green Hangovers for EVERYONE!)

Friday March 19 - 10pm to 2am
Flannel Fridays!

Hope to see ya in the next week or so! Thanks for reading guys! Much love!

-Dano

A work of brilliance by OK GO...

2010-03-04T15:19:00.001-08:00

Ernest Gonzales...

2010-02-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

Dancing In The Snow is ridiculously good. Chekit - especially YOU. http://hypem.com/track/1045083/Ernest+Gonzales+-++Dancing+In+The+Snow

Record Label

2010-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Bodhi (Sanskrit: बोधि) is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated as "enlightenment", but frequently (and more accurately) translated as "awakening" or "to Know".

-Wikipedia

Oh, and by the way - check out my tunes online. Video action.

Don't give a FUCK about your status...

2010-02-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen it yet - here's my new promo page... The fucker won't fit into the blog itself, so here's the link. If you wanna repost, see me for the html and you can pasteroo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/Tornjeantragedy/pressfeb10.jpg

Much love everyone,

-Dano

Grasstock Way

2010-02-15T16:40:00.001-08:00

This little town's blood runs hot,
With all the soul that it's got.
Whatever it is that you been told,
Ain't a story, yer just gettin' old...

Head on down to Grasstock Way,
Feelin' like some beers today.
Maybe some green, maybe not,
Don't look like much but it's a lot.

Hey... Ho...

Start a fire out in the snow,
(Cause you) Know someone else' got nowhere to go.
Taste the fresh air o' the spring,
This hidden place's got everything...

Dunrobin-town is the place,
Where I take off the mask I call my face.
In the trees and fields we call our own,
It's the one place we're really home...

By the waterfall we'll smoke that joint,
And laugh all day till we've missed the point.
And later on when the coyotes call,
We'll call right back and confuse 'em all...

So call us up you'll find us quick,
And lay yer feet down on the brick.
It's time now c'mon out here,
Have a seat and crack a beer.

I Faithfully Remain...

2010-02-02T20:23:00.001-08:00

I am going to poop on Justin Bieber.

Sincerely,

Justin Bieber's Arch Nemesis.

Leo's The Leader.

2010-01-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

Play. Think. Work. PLAY think work? play THINK WORK. Play Think WORK. PLAY THINK work? PLAY. THINK? Work. Play THINK. Work. Playthinkwork. play think WORK. play think Work. play think work. play think work play thinkwork playthinkworkplaythinkworkplaythinkwork...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYGGGHHHHER!

Did the Ninja Turtles ever ______ this much?

NEWS.

2010-01-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

So, coming up...

On the Radio Satarrrday Night (Jan 19th)
- cheKit at www.989.fm between 7:30 and 8:00pm.

Playing Tir Na n'Og FRIDAY NIGHTS for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks...

10 - 2, every friday. Plus, it's 'Guinness 2 Pint Fridays' = 2 pints for $9.99.

Also...
Coming soon to Rogers Daytime Television, Ottawa!

Thanks for listening, and stay free...

Love,
Dano

Stage I...

2010-01-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

-Hear music.
-REALLY Hear music.
-Feel music.
-Learn music.
-Play music.
-Write music.
-Perform music.
-Be music.

... Stage II? Where do I start?

Thank you. Finally.

2010-01-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

Terrorism has killed fewer people in the last 30 years than Americans with handguns in the last eight months. Meanwhile: More people will die in Haiti this week than Hiroshima. Our perspective of events is warped.

www.reddit.com

Poetry

2010-01-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hear it.
Hear the whistling.
Hear it through the trees so still, and stoic.
Do you hear it? Listen closer...

You're still.
You aren't blinking.
Your arms at your sides and it comes with chills.
...Now you've got it.

Look out.
Across the land.
Feel the winter song, let your hearth burn bright,
Inside your breast.

Untouched.
Raw - Primal.
Impervious strength, and yet... delicate.
You can feel her.

-A Moment's Reflect.
Dan Tait

Did you know that...

2010-01-18T08:40:00.000-08:00

... Multitasking costs the economy $650 Billion a year, according to the Institue of Pulling Numbers Out of It's Ass.

The Bard.

2010-01-15T17:02:00.001-08:00

I'm off to blow peoples minds with tales of the terrific, and the tragic, the real, and the psychadelic.

I am the bard - fall under my spell.

Ponder.

2010-01-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

Is this it?

2010-01-14T07:59:00.001-08:00

_____ The Barbarian!

2010-01-14T07:45:00.001-08:00

Hey Nostradamus...

2010-01-13T11:00:00.001-08:00

I know why you're lookin' at me that way...
I know exactly what it is you're tryin' to say...
I ain't got no answers man, I never did before,
But your wet eyes tell me that you want more...

So I think about it and now I want to know,
Who the fuck it is telling us to go.
Ney Nostradamus, what've you got against us,
Hey Nostradamus, you didn't even know us...

We look for the answers in each others eyes,
But all we can find are the dripping knives,
Of stabbings, of murders, of suicide,
We're buried below the bodies without a light...

So I think about it and now I want to know,
Who the fuck it is telling us to go.
Ney Nostradamus, what've you got against us,
Hey Nostradamus, you didn't even know us...

If you look real deep you see it deep inside,
This aint the first time the real parish has lied,
But you know I found out who's gonna survive,
Those who can go back, rediscover how to be alive...

Food.

2010-01-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

**Note the wicked misspell on the URL. And these are all over Kingston. Dan, you're a genius.

2nd post of 2010 - 2 in a day. Sweet.

Road Tripped.

2010-01-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I came upon a hat - a Quicksilver Fedora. My friend Dustin had given it to me, cause he was moving away and didn't want it. I wrote his name in it. I threw some pins on it**. I wore it. My buddy Alan & I threw it back and forth. We penned our names in it.

And then I was moving - so I passed my hat on to my friend Omar who traveled out to Canmore, Alberta wearing it. He said he'd passed it on from there...

Where the hat is, who knows?

I long for the freedom of the hat - to be able to road trip all of its life - see a million things, experience a million more.

Dustin Hermiston
Dan Tait
Alan Weir
Omar Sadoon
...?

**The Pins: Canadian Indie Groups Hey Rosetta & The Golden Dogs, and The Wu-Tang Clan

Warning - Disturbing

2009-12-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

This needs to be seen.

This is pretty eye-opening - but it's quite disturbing.

"Fair warning: Extremely disturbing, even if you're used to watching police brutality videos. Please disseminate widely, as it's the only way these types of things get seen. All those articles where you read "police arrest 63, clash with protestors"...well this is the clash they're talking about. And those young kids getting dragged off one by one from the sides and beaten are the people they're "clashing with" and need to be arrested. Oh, and in case it isn't clear why the police are so iron-fisted, they're trying to get a busload of politicians down the street. So now you tell me, who do the police protect?"

Thanks to Nick Lobe for sending me this. Please, look it up. Read on it. If nothing else, it gives you new light on those 'Protesters Clashing With Police'. These kids weren't a militia group - it was a peaceful protest.

Our freedom as humans has been comprimised - maybe we don't feel it individually, but it's things like this going on all over the world that stifle our growth and our freedom.

The wind in your sails...

2009-12-02T02:02:00.000-08:00

The wind in your sails
Won't take us much further.
All the scuppers and tags,
Only end up to hurt hurt.

All the bear's insides
Have fallen to pieces.
And the engine ride,
Slowly decreases....

And as the sun comes up over frosted trees,
Alon I breath strength - you are with me.
Count the cars going by - hear my feet cruch,
Time is running out for me, I been passed the conch...

Another Promo Photo...

2009-11-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

2009-11-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

On a day when the sky screams to the earth,
In colour's infra-red glow.

The tiny monsters go here and all over,
Scarring in each single step.

The fires below bellow in harmony,
With it's enlightened sister.

And all the innocents can't understand,
As their world is torn apart.

And the medicine they sedate it with,
Grinds - piercing into the soul.

Extract the necessary resources,
For selfish need is what drives.

One day the fires will engulf all of us,
And our shield laid 'front our feet.

In a hazy scream which we couldn't catch,
Though we had the pow'r to.

She is awake and full of vengeful zeal,
Slumber disturbed by so many.

How I Wish I Was In Pembroke Now...

2009-11-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

Oh the year was twenty-zero nine,
How I wish I was in Pembroke now...
A letter goodwill came from the folks,
To the solemnest soul that ever spoke -

God damn them all, I was free,
We'd cruise the world climbing trees,
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears,
But I'm a broken man on Kingston beers,
The displaced Pembroke Privateer...

I toast 'em all.

Another shameless video pimping... BBC, biatch.

2009-11-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

Bottle of glee.

2009-11-19T11:11:00.001-08:00

Checkers Chess Backgammon.

Listen to this, gonad nomad.

Blitzen Trapper Rocks Shit. http://www.myspace.com/blitzentrapper

Have YOU got the balls?

Chek eeet...

2009-11-18T09:05:00.001-08:00

Amnesia.

2009-11-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we forget that the world itself is a paradise, and there has been much of late to encourage that amnesia...

-Douglas Coupland

Nose Bleed

2009-11-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

Pick it.
Like a scab.
Like the walls inside your nose.

Feel it.
As it stabs.
As the feeling builds and grows.

Taste it.
Just a dab.
Just what dribbles from the holes.

See it.
Trav'ling Scab.
Trav'ling down beneath your clothes.

Viscera.

White Winter Hymnal

2009-11-03T09:41:00.003-08:00

Come faster, winter!

White Winter Hymnal from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

"Microserf."

2009-11-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

A little passage I found interesting, taken from a book called Microserfs. Written by great Canadian Author/Artist Douglas Coupland, the book follows a group of Microsoft Employees in the early glory days of PC - when growth was big, and Bill reigned supreme. Check out some of his titles - anyone in Gen X, or afterwards would, I'm sure, really enjoy them and appreciate them for their satirical POVs and ... stuff.

"Karla came into the room at this point. She turned off the TV set and looked at Todd square in the eyes and said, 'Todd: you exist not only as a member of a family or a company or a country, but as a member of a species - you are human. You are part of humanity. Our species currently has major problems and we're trying to dream our way out of these problems and we're using computers to do it. The construction of hardware and software is where the species is investing its very survival, and this construction requires zones of peace, children born of peace, and the absence of code-interfering distractions. We may not achieve transcendence through computation, but we will keep ourselves out of the gutter with them. What you perceive of as a vacuum is an earthly paradise - the freedom to, quite literally, line-by-line, prevent humanity from going non-linear.'"

Microserfs, Douglas Coupland.

Ziggy played guitar...

2009-10-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Teleradio.

2009-10-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Empty Stomach.

2009-10-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

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.

GO. DO. BE.

2009-10-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

The sound...

2009-10-01T10:04:00.001-07:00

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

Road Diaries.

2009-05-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from a wandering hippy in Southern Ontario.

Busking. Travelling. Hitching. Exploring. Forgetting What I Know.

Missing Family.

Not Missing Out On Life. Mogwai. T-Dot. Getting The Sound. Getting back To Basics.

It's a good life...

Broken Words of a Hypocrite

2009-05-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

These are the broken words of a hypocrite...

...shared with a wise man beyond his years, another has seen the light.

This minstrel's jaw, fractured from might,
Drops for the orchestra to follow.
The conductor below beats and repeats,
Yet readies for his greatest bellow.

For the soul that is wrought with the burden of loved,
But cannot carry itself the torch of love.

And when the burden can build,
And blind this man's eyes,
And when he cannot love,
More than get warm in his thighs,

One asks oneself, 'What, therefore, is the point?'

One tells the man; 'Grow, or die.'

For the purpose of love is to love and be loved.

And without one of these...

One must fly...

Away.

Rusty Heart.

2009-05-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

All the cynics are out while the trees sing with doves,
And all the wreckage shouts of all the forgotten love...

... And as the clock hits noon,
I know it's you,
That makes me feel this way,
So pure - so new,
So it's today,
That I choose to ice this bruise,
And I'll take this day,
To reflect and softly say -
That somethin's gonna change,
And it's not outta range.

She's waitin' for the ball to hit the floor,
Or to up and sail the coast,
With the boy she loves the most,
Who's been in a bad space,
Brought back up by the light in her face,
So for all the trouble he caused,
And the love that he's lost,
He'll redeem and rediscover,
With this wonderful new lover.

And all the cynics are out while the trees hang above,
And I just want to shout that I can (finally) feel a taste of love...

...And that night - her voice is so soft,
Just her words alone bring his heart aloft,
So light, and so unfamiliar,
So fresh and so much fitter,
For this rusty heart,
So stalwart and so smart,
But new to this foreign energy,
Inexperienced as he could ever be.

But the numb has gone,
And perhaps he can move on,
And take his place beside her,
As the bard with eyes wider,
Than the orchards growing cider,
No longer narrow,
Like his sweeping fingers' marrow,
It's this beacon shining down south,
That opened wide his mouth,

So he could sing...
This little thing...

'Bout his baby from Barrie.

Radar

2009-05-01T06:02:00.001-07:00

Beep... Beep... Beep...

The radar calls out but does anyone answer?
The sailor falls off, but does the crew go after?
The wayward ship finds itself in a rock and a hard place,
While the rest of the fleet find solace in a sheltered face.
The radar calls out. But does anyone answer?

Tired souls sing out, but will their lungs last much longer?
Like weeds in the sea, is the muffled hum stronger?
The wandering rabble live their days in a daze,
While the rest of the world like their world ablaze.
The radar calls. Out. But does anyone answer?

The heat can't escape, but does anyone help it?
The lungs fill with mist, do they take the chit?
The musty dark blanket drapes itself on this city,
While the cool air's gone away for ever and fifty.
The radar calls out. But. Does. Any. One. Answer?

A fantastic idea. . .

2009-04-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

"...It is clear that (the number of Canadians travelling to the backcountry) is growing rapidly," said Ross Cloutier, a mountain guide who chairs the adventure programs department at University College of the Caribou in Kamloops, B.C.

"It is what this generation wants to do."

What a fantastic idea.

Who wants to get lost somewhere with me?

Quote retrieved from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/siadventure/24/avalanche/