Lateralus' Musical Meanderings

Antonio · 10-13-2009, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojopinuk

I used to try to go to two festivals a year too, i havent been to one in a couple of years now for various reasons. Festivals were my holidays really and were always my priority if i had to choose between the two.

I would add a few things to your list. Two come to mind straight away.

Sleep in your clothes. I know a few people who have taken their jeans off in their tent and had them nicked alongwith their wallet, keys, money and pretty much everything they need to get home. There really isnt any point in being at all careful about keeping all of your valuables on you the entire weekend and then taking your clothes off to sleep.

Don't sleep with strangers. Why do people do this at festivals? No one has had a wash for 5 days!

Theres a few things that you do that i never have. Mainly i have never taken any food, it always just seems like too much hassle and leaves less room for the more important things like the beer. I dont eat much at festivals so one overpriced, sweaty, horrible generic example of take away food a day tends to be enough and we load the car up with as much beer as possible if thats how were getting there. I know which one i would rather come prepared with when it's £5 for a baguette, £4 for a burger or whatever and £35-40 for 24 cans of piss weak lager and £4ish a pint.

Mojo · 10-13-2009, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lateralus

A lot of the festivals I've been to you're not allowed to bring alcohol (unless it's a really indie kind-of one where they don't really care) which sucks (I think it's because they don't want glass everywhere?) so we usually bring food and keep our money for booze.

You cant take it in at all? Not even into the campsites? Over here you generally cant take alcohol inside during the day for while you're watching the bands but you can take as much of it as you want into the campsites.

Of course that does mean that sometimes it gets nicked but thankfully its never happened to us. Also if its sunny and the beer is zipped inside your tent all day...well, it's not exactly perfect!

Molecules · 10-13-2009, 08:10 AM

i am enjoying this infojournal/infernal, some great videos, River Phoenix getting him to play Skinny Sweaty Man, you can't go wrong

Astronomer · 10-13-2009, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojopinuk

You cant take it in at all? Not even into the campsites? Over here you generally cant take alcohol inside during the day for while you're watching the bands but you can take as much of it as you want into the campsites.

Of course that does mean that sometimes it gets nicked but thankfully its never happened to us. Also if its sunny and the beer is zipped inside your tent all day...well, it's not exactly perfect!

No not into the campsites even! It only really applies to the bigger, mainstream festivals but it's still pretty ridiculous IMO. They say it's for 'safety' but there's no doubt that it's a money-making ploy. But like I said, most people find inventive ways to bring it in anyway :P

Astronomer · 11-24-2009, 05:14 PM

Anyone who knows me knows that I really love to celebrate all things Australian, especially...

Australian Music

And so I thought I'd share some of my favourite Australian musicians.

1. Karnivool
Karnivool is a five-piece alternative rock/progressive rock group from Perth. They are a band who have become pretty massive in Australia, and it has been an amazing journey watching them grow. It was not many years ago that they had only released an unnoticed EP and playing at tiny little pubs with scanty audiences. Now, Karnivool have two massively popular albums and have cleaned up a huge number of awards over the years including 'Most Popular Live Act.' I have been lucky enough to have seen Karnivool live a number of times and I am yet to see any band, local or international, who can top Karnivool's amazing live performances.

2. Midnight Oil
Commonly known as 'The Oil' over here, Midnight Oil are best known for their driving hard-rock sound, intense live performances and political activism. Lead singer Peter Garrett is especially known for his unconventional stage presence and his move into politics, becoming the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. Although Midnight Oil ended as a band in 2002, due to Garrett's desire to focus on his political career, The Oil reunited in 2009 for the Sound Relief concert, where they played alongside Coldplay, Kings of Leon, and others to raise money for the victims of the Victorian bushfires which claimed the lives of over 200 people.

To be continued.... more to come!

Bulldog · 11-25-2009, 10:32 AM

I love me some Australian music. As a nation of music though, you do kinda get the feeling (if you're an English gent like my good self) that they're very much overlooked in favour of what comes out of England and the US. It's hardly right really, as there are tons of favourites of mine from down under. The aforementioned Oils, Dead Can Dance, Nick Cave, the Infidels, and a whole lot of others.

A few of favourite tunes of mine;

Anyway, good post, sorry for hijacking it! Looking forward to any other mentions you give.

jackhammer · 11-30-2009, 04:43 PM

I want to see a write up on The Church in here please!

Astronomer · 12-09-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bulldog

I love me some Australian music. As a nation of music though, you do kinda get the feeling (if you're an English gent like my good self) that they're very much overlooked in favour of what comes out of England and the US. It's hardly right really, as there are tons of favourites of mine from down under. The aforementioned Oils, Dead Can Dance, Nick Cave, the Infidels, and a whole lot of others.

Anyway, good post, sorry for hijacking it! Looking forward to any other mentions you give.

Yeah, it's true, a lot of music from Australia certainly gets overlooked and it's extremely difficult for Australian artists to become successful - most of them end up moving to either the US or the UK to do so.

But yay, it makes me happy that you have so many favourite Australian artists - very good taste indeed

And please, keep hijacking as much as you like!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I want to see a write up on The Church in here please!

The Church are one of my favourite bands so I promise to do something on them in the not too distant future! I just have so many things I want to put in here, plus I'm lazy, and have a habit of starting things and not finishing them...

Astronomer · 12-09-2009, 08:13 PM

I know I've promised to include a few things in here, which I will eventually, but I just wanted to dedicate this journal post to a topic which I am continually frustrated about. This post is going to be a brief little vent of frustration from a musician's point of view.

If only music lessons and learning new instruments could be a peaceful as Johannes Vermeer's famous painting, The Music Lesson. Even from when I was a child attending weekly piano lessons I will always remember them as being painful, tedious and exhausting... plucking the notes from the stave and engineering them into sounds from the piano was like pulling teeth.

When I turned sixteen and bought myself a guitar and decided to teach myself the basics I went through the same frustrations of trying to 'get' something, and the same derailment when I couldn't conquer a song or technique.

And now I'm going through the same thing again as I've acquired a bass guitar.

So I want to ask other people, do you experience the same frustration as a musician? And the same disappointment when you can't do something? Do you have any stories to share about becoming a musician and learning new things?

Because as painstakingly frustrating as I have described these moments, I think that when you finally do 'get' it - when you learn a new song, conquer a new technique, make up a killer riff - it is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.

What do you guys think? At the moment I'm just so frustrated with learning bass that it is driving me crazy. I don't know if it's a self-confidence thing or if I'm just rubbish. It's driving me crazy but I'm just so determined to do it!

NumberNineDream · 12-09-2009, 09:01 PM

As you already passed through it twice, first with piano and then with guitar, I guess you should know what will happen next.

Now I tried learning the piano for 2 years, and stopped cause I was a dumb kid and I had an even dumber teacher, that was acting more like a sadistic dictator.
Then this year, I bought my own acoustic guitar, and tried to teach myself. It wasn't very hard at the beginning. I liked that my fingers are getting rougher on the edges, and like everything just evolving under my eyes. Then, there was that ugly F major chord, and everything turned to a nightmare! So I quit, after trying unsuccessfully to play that bar chord.

Well not really, that wasn't it, but I have to put a reason for quitting, other than me being so lazy. I guess it was frustrating at times, when you know that you can't get "good" in just 2 days or probably 2 weeks time. When you know that there is a long process that you can't just cut down, it can be very much frustrating.

** But as you said, you are determined. So I'm pretty much sure that you are gonna do it
eventually, and in a shorter time than most of us.

10-13-2009, 08:10 AM	#33 (permalink)
Molecules daddy don't Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: the Wastes Posts: 2,577	i am enjoying this infojournal/infernal, some great videos, River Phoenix getting him to play Skinny Sweaty Man, you can't go wrong __________________ [SIZE="1"]Eff em tumble her

11-24-2009, 05:14 PM	#35 (permalink)
Astronomer we are stardust Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,894	Anyone who knows me knows that I really love to celebrate all things Australian, especially... Australian Music And so I thought I'd share some of my favourite Australian musicians. 1. Karnivool Karnivool is a five-piece alternative rock/progressive rock group from Perth. They are a band who have become pretty massive in Australia, and it has been an amazing journey watching them grow. It was not many years ago that they had only released an unnoticed EP and playing at tiny little pubs with scanty audiences. Now, Karnivool have two massively popular albums and have cleaned up a huge number of awards over the years including 'Most Popular Live Act.' I have been lucky enough to have seen Karnivool live a number of times and I am yet to see any band, local or international, who can top Karnivool's amazing live performances. 2. Midnight Oil Commonly known as 'The Oil' over here, Midnight Oil are best known for their driving hard-rock sound, intense live performances and political activism. Lead singer Peter Garrett is especially known for his unconventional stage presence and his move into politics, becoming the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. Although Midnight Oil ended as a band in 2002, due to Garrett's desire to focus on his political career, The Oil reunited in 2009 for the Sound Relief concert, where they played alongside Coldplay, Kings of Leon, and others to raise money for the victims of the Victorian bushfires which claimed the lives of over 200 people. To be continued.... more to come! __________________

11-30-2009, 04:43 PM	#37 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I want to see a write up on The Church in here please! __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-09-2009, 08:13 PM	#39 (permalink)
Astronomer we are stardust Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,894	I know I've promised to include a few things in here, which I will eventually, but I just wanted to dedicate this journal post to a topic which I am continually frustrated about. This post is going to be a brief little vent of frustration from a musician's point of view. If only music lessons and learning new instruments could be a peaceful as Johannes Vermeer's famous painting, The Music Lesson. Even from when I was a child attending weekly piano lessons I will always remember them as being painful, tedious and exhausting... plucking the notes from the stave and engineering them into sounds from the piano was like pulling teeth. When I turned sixteen and bought myself a guitar and decided to teach myself the basics I went through the same frustrations of trying to 'get' something, and the same derailment when I couldn't conquer a song or technique. And now I'm going through the same thing again as I've acquired a bass guitar. So I want to ask other people, do you experience the same frustration as a musician? And the same disappointment when you can't do something? Do you have any stories to share about becoming a musician and learning new things? Because as painstakingly frustrating as I have described these moments, I think that when you finally do 'get' it - when you learn a new song, conquer a new technique, make up a killer riff - it is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. What do you guys think? At the moment I'm just so frustrated with learning bass that it is driving me crazy. I don't know if it's a self-confidence thing or if I'm just rubbish. It's driving me crazy but I'm just so determined to do it! __________________

12-09-2009, 09:01 PM	#40 (permalink)
NumberNineDream Blue Bleezin' Blind Drunk Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The land of the largest wine glass (aka Lebanon) Posts: 2,200	As you already passed through it twice, first with piano and then with guitar, I guess you should know what will happen next. Now I tried learning the piano for 2 years, and stopped cause I was a dumb kid and I had an even dumber teacher, that was acting more like a sadistic dictator. Then this year, I bought my own acoustic guitar, and tried to teach myself. It wasn't very hard at the beginning. I liked that my fingers are getting rougher on the edges, and like everything just evolving under my eyes. Then, there was that ugly F major chord, and everything turned to a nightmare! So I quit, after trying unsuccessfully to play that bar chord. Well not really, that wasn't it, but I have to put a reason for quitting, other than me being so lazy. I guess it was frustrating at times, when you know that you can't get "good" in just 2 days or probably 2 weeks time. When you know that there is a long process that you can't just cut down, it can be very much frustrating. ** But as you said, you are determined. So I'm pretty much sure that you are gonna do it eventually, and in a shorter time than most of us. __________________ Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Welcome to the Black Lodge

11-25-2009, 10:32 AM	#36 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	I love me some Australian music. As a nation of music though, you do kinda get the feeling (if you're an English gent like my good self) that they're very much overlooked in favour of what comes out of England and the US. It's hardly right really, as there are tons of favourites of mine from down under. The aforementioned Oils, Dead Can Dance, Nick Cave, the Infidels, and a whole lot of others. A few of favourite tunes of mine; Anyway, good post, sorry for hijacking it! Looking forward to any other mentions you give.