Madonna - Forever A Rebel

I saw Madonna's concert at Rogers Arena and while I was going to write a review of the tour, I decided to leave that to all the other bloggers, critics and concert reviewers across the globe. If you want to know what the concert was like, there are plenty of reviews online to get a sense of what "The MDNA Tour" is all about. Besides, if you really want to see it, just look it up on YouTube.

I want to focus on one particular part of the show that has generated a lot of headlines since the tour kicked off in May. I am referring to the section of the show where Madonna performs a strip-tease right down to her bra and panties and stands for a full minute, centre-stage, showing off her ass, with a tattoo emblazoned across her back.

Most people would not be blamed for harshly criticizing Madonna for her peeling-and-dancing routine halfway through the show. After the show, most agreed that it came off as tacky and desperate. At first glance, it did seem like a pathetic bid for sexual titillation and reeked of an aging pop-star trying to prove that she is still relevant and sexy while the sad truth is that her days of cultural and contemporary relevance have long past. At fifty-five years old, Madonna should not be showing off her bra and it seems many people out there would be quite happy to see her disappear. The resounding statement seems to be; act your age Madonna!

I could not disagree more. The fact that she did what she did and continues to do so is the exact reason why I love Madonna.

Whether it is donning a bullet-bra, singing a ballad perched on a cross or the many onstage antics that have gotten her into trouble, Madonna has made a career out of being a rebellious, shit-starter. This is a woman who steadfastly refuses to be told what to do. As a live act, she has never bowed down to what is expected of her and does everything on her own terms. No one tells her what to do or how to conduct herself. If she wants something, she goes for it. She always asks questions, examines societal norms and explores topics that are considered risqué or taboo. Personally, I have always admired this trait in her and it shows that the woman has got balls.

Madonna has always had her fair share of critics and detractors. Her loudest consider her to be washed-up, past her prime and an old, wrinkly pop-star that should bow out of the limelight and disappear. Over her thirty-year career, she has dealt with being written off, yet at every turn, she always sends a bold message of defiance to all the detractors that are waiting for the day that she runs out of steam. Rather than running from her critics, she faces them head-on and has never backed down. 

When she stood in the middle of Rogers Arena, half-naked and her pants dropped to her thighs showing off a tight and toned body, it was defiant! Sure, she was showing off her ass, but beyond the brazen sexual titillation was an under-lying rebelliousness. Rather than appearing desperate and trying to prove to the world that she is still sexy, she was sticking a proverbial middle finger to all her detractors that have written her off because of her age. With the crowd screaming and a lone spotlight highlighting her body, was she desperately screaming for attention? Absolutely! But was it to prove her sex appeal? Certainly not! If anything, the giant tattoo on her back saying "Free Pussy Riot" commanded and rightfully deserved most of the attention. But her half-naked display spoke directly to her haters sending the following messages:

"I know what you think of me and I don't care". 
"I will not back down" 
"You will never tell me what to do"
"You don't scare me"

Is it any surprise that the tattoo inked on her back says "No Fear" at certain dates of the tour? What is the message she is trying to convey here? Well, in her own way, she is reminding her fans to ‘never back down’ and ‘never let others dictate what you do’.

As always, Madonna was using her live shows to push buttons and ask questions that challenge the status quo; in this case, the question being - who says that a fifty-five year old woman cannot be proud of showing off her body?

This is what makes Madonna so compelling. Putting aside the high-energy dance choreography, the over-the-top production and sheer spectacle of the show, the most arresting aspect of Madonna, as a live act, are the visual interpretations of her music and the themes she addresses. It is one thing to hear her song "Girl Gone Wild", but another to see it as a rebellious confessional amidst Gregorian chants and a cathedral-like setting. Watching her sing "Papa Don't Preach" after she goes on a gun-shooting spree feels like a cathartic experience and watching her perform "Hung Up" with a gun to her head adds a dramatic undertow to the performance. 

Madonna's biggest strength as a live act has always been her talent for combining dramatics in the interpretation of her songs. No one does this better than her, especially when it comes to double-entendres such as rebellion and confession, strength and vulnerability, masculine and feminine, etc. These universal themes permeate through all of Madonna's live shows and provide a heightened sense of irony and symbolism to each performance. 

Going back to the section of her defiance in stripping to her bra, she immediately follows that with a emotional and soul-bearing performance of "Love Spent" where she is fitted into a corset by a male dancer who tightens it until she is out of breathe. Where, just a few minutes prior, she was standing alone onstage ablaze with rebelliousness, defiance and emanating strength, she is now vulnerable and completely at the mercy of her male counterpart.

Regardless of whether you love her or cannot stand her, there is something to be admired in the gravity of the moment where she shucked off her shirt and posed for the crowd to see. It was another demonstration of a woman doing things on her own terms and not letting anyone dictate how she will present herself to the world. In her own way, Madonna demonstrated strength and empowerment by daring to challenge the conventionally-held view that once a woman hits a certain age, she needs to act a certain way. As someone who recently divorced Guy Ritchie and is in the process of purging herself from the ghosts of two failed marriages, she has every right to blaze in defiance and do things her own way. Like all of us, she is trying to figure herself out and find her place in the world while holding true to herself. For maintaining this warrior and rebellion spirit and not buckling under pressure, Madonna embodies traits of strength, feminism and empowerment that all of us can learn and take something from.

OFC Review: Experiment In Terror Series

                         OFC REVIEW - EXPERIMENT IN TERROR SERIES
                                  

Hi everyone.

I wanted to devote this blog to promote and review the "Experiment In Terror" series by Karina Halle. If you haven't been introduced to this series yet, then you need to stop reading this blog and download the first book "Darkhouse" right now. Don't ask questions, just do it. You can thank me afterwards.

In the meantime, please see below for my review/thoughts on the series (but seriously, if you haven't read the books yet....do that instead!)

I've known Karina Halle personally for about six years. I've partied with her on occasions, been introduced to her group of friends and, coincidentally, we both share a mutual bestie from New Zealand (who coinicidentally is the levitating girl on the cover of "On Demon Wings"). When I heard she had self-published her first novel titled "Darkhouse" over a year ago, I purchased a copy in the interest of supporting the creative endeavours of a friend. I had read some of her blogs, knew she was a music journalist and that she is an exceptional writer.

When I finally cracked open my copy of "Darkhouse", which was shipped from Barnes & Noble along with "Red Fox", the second installment in the EIT series, I did have a bias. I thought to myself, I'm going to read this to support Karina and help spread the word about her new book series, regardless of whether I liked the story or not. Well, I can confidently say it wasn't much of an obligation because, simply put, "Experiment In Terror" is brilliant.

Since "Darkhouse" was published, Karina has churned out an additional seven publications (four novels and three novellas) that have continued the story of main characters Perry Palomino and Dex Foray in the EIT series. In that time, Halle has gone from an unknown self-published author to earning widespread acclaim and a devoted fanbase through the online community.

The next installment of EIT "Into The Hollow" is set to be released in approximately one month. As a fan of the series, I am dying to find out what happens to Perry and Dex after the cliff-hanger ending in the previous book "On Demon Wings". The very fact that I simply cannot wait is a testament to how enraptured I am with these books. They have been nothing short of a great/keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat/roller-coaster ride of an experience. It has been a long time since I have become so engrossed in a series such as this one and with every novel that Halle puts out, the plot gets more scary, twisted and intense.

Much of the credit has to go to Karina's writing style. She is one of the only authors that I know who can create such a believable Gen-Y character in Perry Palomino. The vulnerability, sardonic wit, humour and sheer crazy that she packs into this character make her instantly likeable, relatable and intriguing all at once. And that is nothing compared to the enigma/storm-system of a character she creates in Mr. Declan "Dex" Foray. Through the dialogue and plot-line, Karina infuses so much life into these characters that you feel as if you know them like a good friend. The plot moves at a brisk pace as Perry and Dex travel to different parts of North America trying to capture footage for their web series titled "Experiment In Terror". Along the way, they face ghoulish opponents and get themselves into one terrifying situations after another. Interestingly enough, as the plot intertwines these two characters together, we learn more about Dex and Perry's past. Amidst all of this, there is the primal and heated sexual chemistry between the both of them that threatens to spill over at any second throughout the series.

It all makes for an exciting, scary and undeniable reading experience that will leave you scared, intrigued, begging for more and on some occasions, thoroughly spent.

Overall, EIT is a must-read. 

For more information on the Experiment In Terror series and the author, please see the link below and if you haven't started EIT yet, download "Darkhouse" and get started on all the spookiness and crazy that awaits:

 

http://experimentinterror.com/author/expe9322/

 

OFC Opinion - Keeping It Real in Music

At this year's Grammy Awards, when Dave Grohl accepted the award for Best Rock Album, he made a statement that caught the attention of many people. It went something like this:

"To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of music is what's important,” Grohl said. “Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that's the most important thing for people to do... It's not about being perfect, it's not about sounding absolutely correct, it's not about what goes on in a computer. It's about what goes on in here [your heart] and what goes on in here [your head]."

See for yourself through the link below:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuAo7aFiQEI

Now this divided many people and while many were quick to applaud the sentiments behind this statement, an equal amount were just as quick to criticize Grohl as being pro-analog and anti-technology. Needless to say the electronic music-making community was up in arms over this one.

Since the Grammy's, Dave Grohl has provided some further explanation and clarified that he "loves ALL kinds of music" and never intended to blast anyone that relies on electronics or technology to create music.

Regardless of where Dave Grohl stands on this topic, it has prompted a resurgence in an ongoing discussion within the music-loving community about the whole idea of 'keeping it real' in music.

Personally, I know lots of people that listen strictly to electronic acts such as Skrillexx and Deadmau5 and on the opposite end of the spectrum, I know people who would denounce any type of music it that lacks traditional instrumentation.

Dave Grohl, himself, stated that I try really fucking hard so that I don't have to rely on anything but my hands and my heart to play a song and that the 'human' element in music-making is lost with recent technological advances that allows for pitch, tuning and instrumentation to be altered and corrected electronically. He also stated that he loves electronic acts like Skrillexx because they sound unique. I guess that is the human element he is referring to.

Interesting viewpoint and a noble one. It seems that Dave Grohl pictures himself as a lone warrior that is one of the last bastions of good old, guitar-playing rock and roll music standing atop a mountain, honourably trying to stand up against the relentless onslaught of electronic music, pitch correction and auto-tuning that is so rampant in today's popular music scene.

To be fair, I've been quite vocal on this blog page regarding my dislike for artists that rely too much on studio wizardry for a clean and polished sound. I'm always a huge fan of raw talent and nothing will ever really replace that.

But one thing I have realized is music, on an individual level, is a personal relationship between a listener and a song. Similar to how everyone has a personal relationship with God, the type of relationship one has to the music they enjoy is a deeply personal one and dependant on many factors. Lately, I am starting to notice how so many people feel a need to juxtapose their own set of rules and values upon what constitutes 'real' music and what is considered crap. Whatever happened to the idea that music is an art-form or a form of expressionism? Doesn't that make the interpretation of a song subjective? What moves one person may not necessarily be someone else's cup of tea, but that does make it wrong for said person to enjoy, connect or identify with that music?

After watching the Grammy awards and reflecting back on the awards show on the way back home with some friends, we were talking about some of the performances. I immediately was quite vocal about my dislike towards Rihanna's sub-par vocal performance, while my other friends found her quite entertaining. I replied by saying 'there is no place for someone like her because she can't sing.'

In that moment, I realized 'Wow, since when did I become so judgmental?'

Whether it is Rihanna or Britney (or the many other singers/artists that I have railed against on my blog page), the one thing that I have failed to realize is that I am no one to judge and condemn these artists. As much as their style/brand of music does not relate to me, there are millions of others that love and connect with these artists. Whatever their reasons may be, I am no one to judge. This goes back to the whole idea that music is a personal relationship between a song and a listener. Outside of that relationship, everything else is irrelevant. Music and song should speak to something within the listener and connect with the listener's soul; whether that is done through old-fashioned guitars, drums and singing into a mic, or through electronically enhanced beats with pitch correction and Auto-Tune, I wonder, is that necessarily a bad thing?

Well of course it is, all the critical die-hards from rock music's pantheon would say. These people feel that anyone who doesn't know how to play an instrument should not be allowed anywhere a record deal, stage or a studio.

While I would agree that understanding the composition, structure and theory of music is necessary in creating music, do I think that taking the route of learning a traditional instrument is an essential requirement?

No, I don't.

Music is first and foremost an art form and beyond mastering an instrument, it is inspiration and an idea that needs to come to life. Whether that is accomplished through hammering out chords on a guitar or twiddling knobs in a studio or a MacBook is irrelevant. When interviewing an indie, Australian band on their stop to Vancouver last summer, the single greatest quote I heard was 'you don't have to know what you are doing, but you have to believe in your ideas'.

If anything, the ability to make music without the constraints of relying on an instrument opens up an entire dimension of music-making. All of a sudden, kids that have access to a laptop can now experiment with different sounds and create something altogether unique and original. In other words, the transfer of a musical idea from the mind to an actual recording does not need to be fulfilled by, often, arduous and pain-staking task of learning an instrument or hiring expensive musicians to do it for you. Now, with the advancements in technology, it is accessible to anybody. In his speech, Dave Grohl lamented: "if it were that easy, anyone could do it, right? ". I completely agree, but question whether it is a bad thing.

As much as I marvel and admire someone's ability to move me through voice and an instrument, I could say the same for a number of acts that favour technology in getting their musical ideas across. As our society is becoming more and more reliant on technology, I say that applying that to the art of music-making is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it makes it far easier and convenient for anyone to bring their musical ideas to fruition, while on the other hand it dilutes the need for actual musical understanding.

What would be cool to see is a meeting of both elements; where music is sonically innovative enough to break new ground in pushing how technology can enhance the listening experience, while retaining the classical qualities and elements behind what makes a great song and retaining the 'human' element of music-making.

Maybe that's the point Dave Grohl was trying to make.

My First Time Sky-Diving

MY FIRST TIME SKY-DIVING

A Lesson in Faith, Courage and Endurance

By: Aman S. Dhesi

I had wanted to do it since I was sixteen, but could never bring myself to.

But this past weekend, I bit the bullet and sky-dived for the first time in my life. It was the single most terrifying, exciting and exhilarating experience of my twenty-nine years on this planet, so far.

For those of you that don’t know much about sky-diving, here is a quick overview:

Simply put, you jump out of a plane at an altitude of ten-thousand feet (thirteen-thousand-five-hundred, in my case) and free-fall for about sixty seconds before opening a parachute strapped to your back and slowly descend back to Earth. It sounds pretty straight-forward on paper but, as I’m sure you can imagine, actually going through with it is a completely different story and one that I want to tell here.

While this is mainly about my experience sky-diving, it is also about conquering your fears and realizing the three most important things you will ever need in life:

Faith, courage and endurance.

For most first-time sky-divers, such as myself, it is recommended to jump tandem. This means being strapped to a professional who jumps with you and is responsible for pulling and maneuvering the parachute during the descent.

We decided to do our jump at Harvey Air-field in Snohomich, Washington. It is approximately an hour-and-a-half drive past the U.S border and about fifteen minutes north of Seattle on the I-5.

The weather had been very cloudy earlier in the morning, but by mid-day, most of the clouds had burned off and the sun was shining bright in the blue sky. Perfect sky-diving weather.

After signing a five-page waiver (which I only partly read for fear of backing out at the last minute), we immediately went into training. Training consisted of watching a twenty-minute orientation DVD that showed in alarming detail all the steps involved in sky-diving. I had been pretty calm for most of the day until watching that DVD, especially when they described the part where you have to position yourself in the plane moments before you jump. Watching those people in the DVD, leaning out a plane thousands of feet in the air made my blood run cold.

Oh. My. God.  I have to do THAT?!

 It was at this point that the enormity of what I was about to do started kicking in. My friend could tell I was visibly rattled and asked if I still wanted to go through with it. I insisted that I would not back out, but I was so scared that I was ready to vomit.

After the DVD, we spent a few minutes practicing the arch position we would need to maintain during the free-fall and went over proper landing techniques. From there, we were sent outside to the loading zone and suited into jump-suits, helmets, goggles and met the professional jumpers that would be accompanying us.  I would be jumping with a guy named David, who has been jumping for the past fifteen years. Knowing that I was in the hands of such an experienced sky-diver helped to calm my nerves a bit and temporarily kept panic and fear from over-whelming me. I just tried to focus on the weather rather than thinking too much about what was to happen.

My reprieve from freaking out was short-lived because within a few minutes, they announced that our plane had arrived and that we would need to start boarding. In single-file fashion, we walked to the plane and climbed the steps to board.

The plane was a tiny Cessna that could hold a total of six people sitting on the floor. We got settled in and I tried my hardest to avoid looking out the windows too much. It was then that David announced that we would be the first pair to jump.

Gulp!

As the plane lifted off the run-way from Harvey Field and gained altitude, there was only one resounding thought that looped in my head:

Holy fucking shit, holy FUCKING SHIT!!!!!

I went from panic and terror to on the verge of suffering a meltdown. I looked through the rows of windows along the side of the plane and saw the Earth moving farther and farther away from us. Oh my god, this was actually happening! I was ACTUALLY about to throw myself out of a plane.

It is worth mentioning that for most of my life, I have suffered from an insane fear of heights. I'm the person that gets light-headed just standing on a chair. I'm too chicken-shit to go on most roller-coaster rides and when I do, I keep my eyes tightly closed.  And here I was about to voluntarily jump out of a plane and, likely, plummet to my death. What exactly was I trying to prove here aside from being completely and utterly insane?!  At some point, I remember David yelling advice and instructions to me as he fastened and secured the straps that would connect us during our jump. But I wasn't listening. My brain was not able to process anything that he said to me. All I kept thinking was:

Holy fucking shit! What the hell am I doing?!

I thought about the multi-paged waiver and the bold writing clearly stating that sky-diving is not a safe sport and the likelihood of being killed, sustaining major injuries and permanent paralysis are VERY high. My brain was not responding well to this situation and I started going into fight-or-flight mode.

Nuh-uh, I thought. Sorry, I don't think so. This is not what I do! I need to get off this plane. I am not jumping! It isn’t safe!

As I was about to turn around and explain to David that I wasn’t going to jump, I looked out the window again. We had just broken past cloud level and it was at this exact moment, a strange sense of calm overtook me. I was still scared to the point where I was about to cry, urinate and shit my pants all at once, but something else was resonating from within. Something that gently silenced the mind-numbing terror that I was feeling with a calm voice.

"Aman, you are going to do this" It said.

In my head, my crazy and scared self replied:

"I can’t. I’m scared."

The calm voice answered back:

"It’s okay to be scared, but you are still going to do this."

“But what if I die?” My scared self asked.

“Then you are going to die. Just have faith, courage and endurance.” The calm voice replied back.

Believe it or not, this, actually, made me feel calmer. I was still scared, but the simplicity that I was going to go through with this and it could result in me being killed was, oddly enough, calming. It’s not like I wanted to die or anything, but I also knew that I wouldn't find out what would happen unless I tried. This instilled some surety within me that I was going to do this. All I needed was faith in myself, the courage to act and the endurance to follow through.

Faith, courage, endurance, I said to myself and kept repeating it.

I was scared, but I kept repeating this line in my head and it helped calm me. It became my mantra for the remainder of our ascent into the sky.

I looked outside the window and instead of panicking, all I thought was:

Wow, this is really high and so scenic and pretty.

A few moments later, I was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. It was David.

"It's time." He said.

Instantly, some internal remote control switched off my brain. I was no longer thinking, just moving. David told me to move forward. I moved forward. He told me sit parallel to the jump door. I sat parallel to the jump door. I was like a robot operating on command. David reached over and released the handle to the door that would we would be jumping from. The door rolled up, I looked out and felt my heart sink as the calmness quickly left me.

A strong and powerful wind filled the plane and the sound of the engine was so loud that I could not hear a thing. Small clouds dotted the sky below us and far (and I mean, FAR) below that, I could just make out the faint outlines of the ground.

"Okay!" David yelled over the wind and the engine. "Swing your feet out."

With some sense of indomitable will-power, I managed to silence the terror that was stirring inside of me again and forced myself to pivot so that my feet were dangling outside of the plane. The wind was so powerful and strong that it caused them to sway wildly in the sky.

"Grab on to your straps!" David yelled.

Dutifully, I placed my hands on my shoulder straps in a criss-cross fashion. I looked down and saw nothing but my feet dangling over the edge and beyond that the never-ending sky. David started pushing me forward so that only my tailbone was still on the floor of the plane. My feet were now perched on a tiny step on the exterior of the plane. The wind and the engine were so deafeningly loud that it silenced my ability to hear and, gratefully, to think.

"Tuck your head into my shoulder!" He screamed over the engine. The force of the wind was growing ever stronger. I tilted my head to the side and tucked it into his shoulder savouring the teeny-tiny sense of security this gave me.

"Stand on your feet!" He yelled.

The wind was so strong it threatened to pull me from my dangerous perch. I could feel it zapping me of any courage I had left. The monstrously loud engine made me want to re-coil back into the plane. But I commanded myself:

Stand on your feet Aman, stand on your fucking feet!

I stood to my feet, the wind took me and I fell.

The first few moments were a dizzying blur of wind, somersaulting and being tossed and turned by mercilessly in the sky. When I opened my eyes, I was falling head-first towards the Earth. From my vantage point, looking at the ground was similar to looking through a camera that was spinning and jerking left-and-right. Everything was out of control, coupled with a strong wind that was ripping through me, screaming through my ears, flapping past my flailing limbs and sending me spiraling in every direction.

"Arch!" David screamed. He sounded so tiny and far-away even though he was strapped right behind me, thrashing amidst the power of the wind just as wildly as I was. Amidst the chaos, disorientation and noise of free-fall, my cognitive senses picked up his voice and sent it firing through the synapses in my brain which sent out the following command to my body:

Arch Aman, fucking arch now!

As I was trained to do, I spread my arms, raised my legs and as gracefully as possible, arched my back. My head lifted and I could see nothing but clear blue sky and a vast horizon in front of me.

Don't you dare close your eyes, I thought to myself.

The actual sensation of the free-fall did not feel like I was falling. Rather, it felt like I was floating and being carried by the wind. Being that high up, the sensation of gravity must be different because I didn’t realize I was falling until I noticed a small cloud far below that was getting closer very fast. It was at that moment that my brain comprehended that I was, in fact, falling thousands of feet in the air (at a speed of approximately 180 km/hour). We were losing altitude very quickly, the Earth was getting scarily close and that damn cloud was rising up to meet us far more quickly than I wanted it to.

All of a sudden, I felt a violent jerk that pulled me upwards. The parachute had opened causing us to go flying up about eight metres. The sudden movement upwards felt like being thrown out of a giant slingshot. This was scarier than the free-fall because the jerking sensation from the parachute opening caused a feeling of weightlessness which made me feel like I was falling even faster. I gasped in fright, broke my arch position and hold onto my straps for dear life. The powerful wind stopped and everything slowed down.

 "Are you ok? Can I do anything?" David asked urgently. He was aware this was my first time jumping.

I didn’t reply, only gasped and mumbled incoherently trying to catch my breath. I was dangling from a pair of straps with nothing but a parachute ten thousand feet in the air.

"You ok? Can I do anything?" He asked again.

Being this high up, I wasn’t too sure what exactly David could do for me. I looked down and saw the Earth getting closer, but still thousands of feet away.  I answered with the first thing I could think of.

"Tell me a joke." I replied breathlessly.

We both started laughing, more out of adrenaline and fright than anything else. He told me some lame joke that I don't remember and from there, I allowed myself to relax (as much as I could) and let go of my straps and held out my arms. Because we were now descending slowly, the wind had slowed to a light breeze. I could feel it moving past me, calming me and allowing me to actually enjoy my surroundings. I could see the entire expanse of Snohomich County, Seattle and beyond. The sun shone above us, the sky was a magnificent blue and all below me, I could see the vast stretches of valleys and mountains of the Pacific Northwest. It was breath-taking, stunning and awe-inspiring all at once.

Wow, I thought.

I didn't say much. Just took in the scenery as we descended and within seven minutes, I was lifting my legs up into landing position as the parachute lowered us back onto the sprawling grass of Harvey Field. Next thing I knew, I was sitting in the middle of the field with a giant parachute falling in front of me and being unstrapped from David.

When I stood up, I was a bit shaky. Within minutes, the realization of what I had JUST done started dawning on me causing me to cart-wheel, cheer and whoop in celebration. I felt so much adrenaline and was shaking so much out of joy.

I just jumped out of a plane! Holy fucking shit!

After that, I shook hands with David and given a certificate that indicated I had jumped from an altitude of 13,500 feet. Wow! With that, we said goodbye to our fellow jumpers, returned to our car and drove back home.

On the drive home, I didn't talk much because I was pretty contemplative.

It wasn't the fact that I had just sky-dived, it was the fact that I had just faced one of my worst fears and didn't break or suffer a meltdown the way I thought I would. Like I mentioned earlier, an eerie sense of calm came over me in those last few moments leading up to the jump.

It made me realize, for the first time in my life, that I am far more courageous and gutsy than I have ever given myself credit for. It also opened my eyes to the fact that I need to trust my instincts, follow my gut and have more faith in myself. I now know that I can handle myself if ever in a stressful situation and that I can rely on my instincts. But most importantly, I didn't let fear dictate my actions.

Now, I compare what I did this past weekend to the many things that I fear in my life and it makes me laugh because they all seem so trivial. If I can throw myself out of a plane from thousands of feet in the air and survive that, I can survive anything.

Furthermore, I also learned that my emotions do not dictate my actions, so there is no need to let myself get overwhelmed when shit hits the fan in my life. All I need is faith in myself, the courage to act and the endurance to follow through.  And in the end, that is all we will ever need in life:

Faith, courage and endurance. 

The New Music Hater

Dear New Music Hater,

You know who you are, we all do.

You are that person that sits in the corner at a party, thumbing your nose towards anyone who enjoys chart-topping pop songs. You are that annoying talker that constantly gripes about pop-stars being 'sell-outs' or 'lacking talent'. You are that person who gets so offended by popular music that you spew your non-stop haterade towards the tunes that millions enjoy.

You seem to fancy yourself as someone who is smarter than the rest of us.

Well, I've got news for you. You are nothing but a new music hater.

A what? You ask.

Allow me to explain:

A new music hater is a breed of music critic that snobbishly considers themselves superior to all other pop-music lovers. Your kind has been around for a long time and very tiresome to argue with. You lament about music 'not being the way it used to' and make a point that others feel inferior because of their love of mainstream pop music. You seem to think you are so self righteous when you argue your musical tastes.

Well I'm here to say that I can see right through you.

The truth is that the only reason you indulge in this non-stop hating is to let your smug, superiority complex shine. In other words, you like to hate on the music others love because it makes you feel better about yourself. You would never, in your wildest dreams, let loose to a Britney, Gaga or Ke$ha track and always have to roll your eyes at any electronics or digitization in a song. You make a point to air out your noisy, whiny complaints by proclaiming that most popular music is not 'real music'.

You have a constant need to seperate yourself from the rest of us that openly and genuinely enjoy chart-topping, pop music. You stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that today's popular music is the soundtrack and the backdrop of our lives. You resist the fact that the breezy, catchy and happy anthems that permeate today's pop music are a reflection of our times - and that is not a bad thing. According to you, anything that is played on the radio should be avoided like H1N1.

And the irony of it is that you secretly enjoy much of today's popular music. You will occasionally confess your liking of a pop song, but are quick to explain that you '...only like this song' or 'I have to be in the right mood' or my personal favorite, 'I like this song, but I don't like her as an artist.'

Please, new music hater, enough already. Stop with the hating! It must be exhausting.

Why must you hate on pop stars? Why can't you see that the music industry has changed and it takes new skills and talents to make it? You refuse to see successful acts like Ke$ha, Gaga and Rihanna as viable recording artists because, according to you, they make formulaic and generic music.

Since when was creating music that is catchy and taps into a huge, lucrative market such a crime? Why do you insist that all music needs to be serious, soul-bearing, angsty with deep lyrics? Whatever happened to enjoying happy, up-beat and light music that evokes good times and makes you want to dance? Remember dancing? No of course you don't!

Because you are a new music hater.

Why can't you accept that today's pop-stars are, in fact, very smart, shrewd individuals with a strong business savvy. They understand how today's music industry works and are playing it to their advantage. You can deny it all you want, but today's music industry is all about sound and image and mark my words, no artist is immune to this fact. I wonder if you can see this.

No, of course you can't, because once again, you are a new music hater.

You are no different than the fossils that railed against the emergence of disco music in the seventies, or the relics that scorned the popularity of MTV in the eighties or the staunch Republicans that shunned hip-hop and rap music in its infancy. You can't see the exciting new frontiers that today's music is crossing and refuse to acknowledge the relevance of today's artists.

You, new music hater, will never acknowledge electronic music as a viable artform. According to you, real music can only ever consist of loud drums, guitars and a screaming, angsty singing voice. Maybe that was the case in 1991, but unfortunately, the grunge era is a thing of the past. You have forgotten that music is, first and foremost, an artistic expression of self. Does the method of how that expression is achieved really matter? Ask yourself, since when was the term 'musical instruments' reduced only to drums, strings and voice? You have forgotten that music is about innovation, exploring new sonic territory and pushing the boundaries of what music can/should do.

Rather than sitting in your sullen corner griping about how the music industry has gone to shit, perhaps you should recognize that the only problem is your perception and attitude.

Let's use some examples to illustrate my point:

Justin Bieber. Very young, successful and marketed. I can already hear all you haters voicing your chorus of derision towards the name Bieber. But, the kid is a multi-instrumentalist and has written a handful of his own songs. Sure he is being promoted and singing commerical and marketable music now, but he is also developing himself as an artist. Who knows what he will branch off and do once he matures. I'm actually quite excited to see what he will be capable of in a few years.

Ke$ha is another great example. Here is a woman who understands that she is in the BUSINESS of making records and is shrewd enough to know how to build her brand thereby ensuring she stays in the industry. Along with recording catchy, rowdy anthems like "Tik Tok" and "Blow", she is hitting a huge market by developing her unique garbage chic image and presenting a self-deprecating, humorous version of herself. Great artist, unique vision and a very smart businesswoman.

New music hater, you would be surprised to know that Katy Perry is actually a fantastic live vocalist, plays guitar and writes many of her own songs. I saw her in concert last year and she blew me away.

I can already hear your groans of disgust. Trust me, I've been hearing them for the better part of my life.

Most importantly, you have forgotten that everyone is entitled to their own preference when it comes to music. If you prefer music outside of the pop-music sphere, that is your prerogative. But drop the I'm-better-than-you-because-I-would-never-listen-to-Gaga attitude. It is tacky, annoying and, honestly, the highest form of arrogance and ignorance possible.

Me thinks it's time you got a swift and much-needed kick in your out-dated arse.

New music hater, who are you to denounce a Britney song as a 'piece of crap' when it is someone else's soundtrack to an amazing summer? What audacity do you have to diss a mega-star like Rihanna when millions love and enjoy her music? Where, exactly, do you get off trashing David Guetta when his music packs dance floors all over the world? Dare I say it, new music hater, the problem is not the music, it is simply that you just don't get it.

So keep this in mind the next time you decide to open your mouth and spew your haterade against talented and hard-working pop singers like Rihanna, Katy Perry, Britney and the like. The problem isn't the pop music landscape, it is entirely your own distorted perception of today's music.

And really, you're not fooling anybody with this tiresome facade. Only yourself.

I'm just sayin

Whitney Houston - The Voice (1963 - 2012)

Whitney Houston was The Voice.

In her 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Oprah cited an article that likened Houston's mistreatment of her voice from drug use as mistreating and abusing 'a national treasure'.

No statement rings more true about the voice of Whitney Houston.

In no other moment did that statement resonate more than last Saturday.

The day the Voice died.

On February 11th at approximately 3:00pm (Pacific time), news spread across the globe that Whitney Houston - one of the most successful and influential female vocalists in music history - had died. She was forty-eight years old.

It triggered a wave of grief and mourning. Everyone around the world stopped what they were doing to absorb the jarring knowledge.

Whitney was gone. The Voice had been silenced.

If you are reading this post, hoping for gossip or details regarding her death or her music career, you've come to the wrong blog-site. This post is not meant to regurgitate facts on her career, drug addiction and recent passing. It is to pay tribute to and acknowledge one simple truth:

That Whitney Houston was The Voice.

That Voice was an instrument steeped in soul and gospel music. A pristine and powerful musical weapon that was forged in the church and refined through singing back-up for her mother; gospel singer Cissy Houston. A voice that captured the intonations of her god-mother Aretha Franklin, yet displayed a rare sense of discipline and confidence.

Houston's singing style and vocal mannerisms not only set the bar, but laid the blueprint for every female singer that would follow her. There is an almost regal quality in the way she spread out her vocals over her recordings. She was able to sing in glorious falsettos, deep registers and a booming mid-range tone with such ease that it felt like watching an athlete perform.

And none of this speaks to her ability as a live performer. When The Voice was on-stage with a microphone in hand, her vocal virtuosity was (and still is) unbeatable.

As a live singer, Whitney exhibited intensity and dramatics through her vocal stylings. Even when she inflected tenderness in her singing, you always knew there was something epic simmering underneath her softest and breathiest notes. And when she reared back, like a lioness, and unleashed The Voice; it was like being punched in the face and the heart with something that can only be described as divine and majestic.

The Voice when heard through a microphone sounded like a melismatic roar of powerful, prolonged notes executed with pipes sturdy as iron. Whether in an arena or out-door stadium, her voice commanded attention with such force and power that it sounded like a choir singing into a thousand microphones.

Don't take my word for it, look up her many legendary performances on You Tube and see for yourself. My personal favourite is her performance of "One Moment In Time" at the 1989 Grammy Awards. It encapsulates everything that made her shines and re-enforces why she will be so sorely missed.

My deepest condolences go out to Whitney's family and close friends who, like many others, are mourning the loss of an extraordinarily talented woman and exceptional human being. Unlike the rest of the world, they are also mourning the loss of a family member mother and good friend.

And as for Whitney? Well, I like to think she left the world with these final words:

"I hope life treats you kind

And I hope you have all you dream of

And I wish you joy and happiness

But above all this,

I wish you love"

Rest in peace Whitney.

Madonna: Most Memorable Live Performances

In honour of Madonna's recent performance at the 2012 Superbowl half-time show and to celebrate the recent announcement of her upcoming ninth world tour, I thought it would be great to pay tribute to some of her most memorable live performances throughout her career. So, in no particular order, take a look at some of the performances that made Madonna into the icon she is today.

"Express Yourself" (1989 MTV Video Music Awards)
A preview to her then-upcoming Blonde Ambition world tour. This performance was a stand-out in its simplicity. The image of Madonna with her two back-up singers nicely echoed the feminist-empowerment sentiment behind the song.

"Like A Virgin" (1990 Blonde Amibition World Tour)

The performance that almost landed her in jail during the Toronto stop for the tour. Re-styling her song with an Egyptian theme, Madonna re-imagined the song with a performance that simulated onstage masturbation to the point of climax while being fondled and caressed by cone-bra-wearing male dancers.

"Music" (2005 Live 8 Concert-London)

Madonna performed a medley of her classics and ended her set with a rousing rendition of "Music" where she led the audience for nearly ten minutes in repeating the lines "music makes the people come together, music makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel". She refused to stop and insisted that everyone in attendance participate, even singling-out a member of the paparazzi to put his camera down and start singing.

"Like A Virgin" (1984 MTV Video Music Awards)

The performance that started it all. Decked out in a virgin-white wedding dress with a "Boy Toy" belt, Madonna writhed and crawled seductively across the stage while she performed her then-new song. Many in the crowd feared she had committed career suicide. Little did they know that a star was born.

"Sky Fits Heaven" (2001 Drowned World Tour)

This was the centre-piece of Madonna's 2001 world tour. Inspired by "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", she performed this song while flying on cables with her backup dancers impressively executing acrobatic and martial arts moves. This live rendition matched the urgency and intensity of the track effectively.

"Vogue" (1990 MTV Video Music Awards)

This Marie-Antoinette inspired performance of "Vogue" was during the pinnacle of Madonna's career. At the turn of the decade, Madonna was not only a music star but a cultural force to be reckoned with. Coming hot off the heels of her "Blonde Ambition Tour", this performance only furthered her reputation as an innovative and iconic live performer.

"Hollywood" (2003 MTV Video Music Awards)

The performance otherwise known as "The Kiss". Starting the awards show off with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera paying homage to Madonna's 1984 performance, the two where joined by Madge and generated heated headlines as they locked lips with the Queen of Pop. Further proof that despite competing with younger music artists, Madonna still knew how to steal the show.

"Music" (2001 Grammy Awards)

The performance that marked Madonna's return to live performing. Kicking off the Grammys with a remixed version of the song accompanied by L'il Bow Wow, Madonna's performance re-established her onstage star-power and launched her into a full decade of performing and touring the globe.

"Hung Up" (2006 Grammy Awards)

Madonna was on a roll when she released 2005's "Confessions On A Dancefloor" and scored a monster-hit with this song when it charted at number one in over forty different countries. This performance fused her song with The Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc" making for an eclectic offering.

"Nothing Really Matters" (1999 Grammy Awards)

I'm starting to notice a trend. Anytime Madonna has performed at an award's show, she usually likes to kick off the evening with her performance. I'm assuming she does this to set the bar so high that the other performances will pale in comparision. This geisha inspired rendition of "Nothing Really Matters" was no exception to this rule.

"The Power of Goodbye" (1998 MTV Europe Music Awards)

As much as she is a legend for her live performances, Madonna is not infallible. This awkward and cringe-worthy performance of her ballad from "Ray Of Light" is a perfect example. Clearly nervous right from the beginning of the performance, Madonna rigidly and pain-stakingly tries to sing the song and struggles hilariously with the high notes. I guess memorable doesn't always mean good.

Foster The People: The Indie Cross-over Curse

AUDIO AWESOMENESS

Foster The People "Torches"
Released: May 23rd, 2011

The Indie Cross-over Curse

Foster The People may seem like a rarity in today's mainstream music market, but the formula and trend they are following is tried, tested and true. Other indie-pop acts have used it for cross-over success with some notables examples being MGMT with their mega-hit "Kids", Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks" and M.I.A's "Paper Planes". I call this formula the indie cross-over curse and it looks something like this:

Indie band writes undeniably brilliant pop song, makes it catchy enough to whet the mainstream appetite but keeping it quirky enough for the 'cool kids' and 'hipsters'. Band gets some major plugging from all veritable sources of hype (commercial licensing, radio, YouTube, etc.) and gets signed to a multi-album deal. Band is then expected to re-write the winning formula a few more times to cash in on the initial success. Next thing you know, band becomes the current day version of MGMT in that they are still out there making music, but have not been able to generate enough buzz or success as that one cross-over song did and eventually fade into obscurity.

Foster The People are the current incarnation of this formula. Their brilliant indie-pop song is the heard-around-the-world anthem "Pumped Up Kicks" and don't even try saying you haven't heard the song, trust me you have. It was played in nearly every season finale on television last year and is probably being blasted on the radio, or on somebody's playlist or being hummed by someone at work as you are reading this. Basically, it has become that inescapable song.

Now to be fair, Foster The People have not faded back into indie-pop obscurity like their predecessors have. They are still riding the wave of "Pumped Up Kicks", at least for the next little while. The question with FTP, is whether they can maintain the hype and turn it into longevity, bringing us to the topic of their debut album "Torches".

There is no denying it, "Torches" is a brilliant pop record. The elements that the band have blended into the album make for an undeniable and exhilierating audio experience and FTP make sure they use every hand-clap and vocal enhancement for maximum effect.

What lends credence to the band is that while they are identified as an indie-pop band, the majority of their music is rhythmic, danceable and beat-driven with an under-lying groove allowing them to cross-over into different music genres. They are not loud and angry with noisy guitars. Instead, they have put together a hodge-podge of songs that boasts incredibly catchy hooks with effect-laden vocals that sounds like hundreds of play-ground kids singing in unison. This contributes to the band's whimsical, happy, quirky sound without compromising a single iota of melody. Putting aside "Pumped Up Kicks", the album contains a handful of other potentially massive singles in "Helena Beat", "Houdini" and "Call It What You Want".

The problem for FTP is that while they are the current "it" band, the impending indie cross-over curse is inevitable. Once the initial hype dies out for "Pumped Up Kicks" (and for many, it already has), it will be difficult to repeat the formula with another song. Just ask Peter Bjorn & John who enjoyed a massive, trans-atlantic hit with "Young Folks" in 2006. The song was featured on everything from "Grey's Anatomy" to achieving viral status on YouTube during that year. Fast forward to the current day and the only time their name is mentioned is at the end of the sentence "whatever happened to....".

So while "Torches" is a fantastic indie-pop album and the band are currently experiencing a taste of bona-fide success, it will be interesting to see how they will try to maeuver their way around the indie cross-over curse.