THE TEN ESSENTIAL ITEMS YOU WILL NEED FOR A FLAWLESS 2014

1 - COFFEE. 

Can't start my day without it and it comprises 99% of what gets me out of bed.


2 - WINE

It helps to get the creative juices flowing.


3-CHOCOLATE

If I need to explain this one then I don't even know what to say to you. Seriously just leave.


4-CARBS

Because they are our friends and we need to stop treating them like the enemy. Carbs are not the enemy. The real enemy is Justin Bieber. Remember that.


5-SLEEP

We all need more of it and honestly, what is better than an epic sleep-in session?


6 - BINGE TV-WATCHING

Combine with items 2 and 3 and it will make for a fabulous evening.


7 - DANCING

Whether you are alone or in public. Drop a Miley to a beat and twerk the shit outta' the floor beneath you. Revel in the embarrassing looks from those around you  and the fact that it doesn't faze you in the slightest.


8-SINGING

Because everyone at some point in life has to butcher "Living On A Prayer" in front of a group of strangers. Consider it a rite of passage.


9 - FRIENDS THAT WILL ENCOURAGE ALL OF THE ABOVE

These are the people you will want to keep around for the long haul. Oh and those that are willing to play "Drunk American". 


10 - LAUGHTER

For anything and everything (and everyone) in between.

HAPPY NYE!!!

Top-10 Career Lessons from Beyonce

It was announced earlier today that Beyonce's latest self-titled album will debut at number one on the North American music charts with over 600,000 copies sold in just over three days with worldwide sales placing the album at just over 800,000 copies.  Since the album's release on Friday, December 13th, the entire industry has been buzzing about this unprecedented feat from the Houston native. 

Not since the release of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" has one artist so thoroughly defied and shook the foundations of the music industry. While many insiders and analysts will be speaking to how Beyonce's bold release strategy will re-write the rules on marketing and promotion, one fact remains blatantly and obviously clear: 

Beyonce dominates the music industry.

Katy Perry may sell more albums and have more successful singles, Gaga may get more hits on YouTube, Britney may have a legion of fans but nobody commands as much respect, power and clout than Beyonce Knowles-Carter. Her career has been unparalleled in the music industry and built on talent, a ferocious work ethic and an unwavering sense of focus and discipline. Simply put, her music career is flawless.

Rather than focus on why Beyonce is awesome (I'll let the rest of the internet focus on that), I wanted to shine the spotlight on the career of Mrs. Carter to identify what lessons one can glean from the superstar's career trajectory and apply to one's own career aspirations. While there are many examples to draw from through Beyonce's career, I have identified the ten most important observations on how to enjoy a flawless career taken straight from the playbook of Mrs. Carter.

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1 - PAY YOUR DUES

Beyonce's career is an example of starting from the bottom and working your way up. Back in the mid nineties, Beyonce and her bandmates were still making the rounds on the Houston live-show circuit. At the time, they were an all-female group of nine tweens named Girls Tyme that were building up a reputation as live performers. They were showcased on Star Search and lost, signed to a record label and got dropped and performed for free with local radio stations to break into the industry. It took a tremendous amount of work, sacrifice and dedication before they were finally signed by Columbia Records in 1997.  

Whether you are a fresh-faced graduate or starting your first day in an entry-level job, there is no way around it - you have to pay your dues. Whatever career you choose to head into, make peace with the fact that your first job is likely going to be an unpaid internship or working as an assistant. In other words, you will be doing the grunt work. Rather than get frustrated at some of the thank-less tasks you will have to face in the early days, keep the big picture in mind and remember that you are working up to something.

2 - PLAY UP TO YOUR STRENGTHS

The faster you can identify your strengths, the easier you can start wielding them to your advantage when it comes time to truly make some waves in your career. The most successful people of our times, regardless of what they do, not only know what makes them shine, but they focus in those qualities to help set them apart.

Beyonce has always played up to her strengths. With Destiny's Child, the group identified that their strength relied on funky beats with staccato, fast singing. Listen back to DC's earlier hits like "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "No, No, No" -each one of them showcases fast-sung lyrics with catchy choruses and big beats. As a solo pop star, Beyonce knew that she shined as a versatile vocalist with sultry dance moves. By focusing on those two qualities, she has produced some of the most anthemic pop songs of the past decade with catchy refrains and memorable dance moves. 

3 - REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING

I don't care what your career aspirations are, people are always watching you. Your reputation and credibility are your most valuable forms of currency as you navigate your way to the top. One slip-up and it can destroy it all in the blink of an eye. Use this knowledge to your advantage and always remember to align all your efforts towards building a flawless image and reputation in your field.

Beyonce has always maintained a solid reputation in the music industry. Look no further than how she handled herself at the 2009 MTV Awards when Kanye West stormed Taylor Swift's acceptance speech and declared that Beyonce should have won. After winning the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies", she decided to call Taylor back onstage to finish her acceptance speech. In other words, the woman is a total class-act. Aside from that, you will never hear about Beyonce in the tabloids or caught up in controversy like many other celebrities because she knows how it can cheapen her reputation. Instead, she chooses to keep the focus on her music and image as an entertainer.

4 - ALIGN WITH A MENTOR

Beyonce has had two mentors in her career; mainly her father and former manager Matthew Knowles. She had an advantage over the rest of us trying to carve out our dream job in that her father played a guiding role in helping her realize her destiny - most of us are not that fortunate. But as you make your way through your career, you will likely meet people that you can learn a few things from. Make it your business to seek out these individuals and align yourself with them. You are only as successful as the company you keep, so make a point to rub shoulders with the right people and watch how many doors will open.

On that note, make sure you know when it is time to let people go. It sounds harsh, but only surround yourself with those that add value to your life. Your time is precious and you only have a finite amount of it so use it wisely. This also includes letting people go when necessary. Beyonce demonstrated this when she fired her father Matthew Knowles as her manager and assumed control over her own career.

5 - WORK HARDER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE

Beyonce has always asserted that nobody else in the industry works harder than she does. This fact is backed by those that have collaborated with her in the studio and on tour. The woman is a work machine with an insane attention for detail when it comes to her career. It is no small feat that she has churned out as many albums, tours, singles and videos in the past ten years - and none of that includes her work with Destiny's Child.

God-given talent and, depending on your industry. looks will get you noticed, but it means nothing if you are not willing to work hard. That means putting your nose to the grindstone and working like you have never worked before. It means that you are the first to show up to work, the last to leave and becoming a perfectionist in everything you do. It means that you pay attention to details and set a standard that anything and everything you produce will be high quality. Trust me, this will speak volumes to your reputation and play a huge role in determining your future career prospects.

6 - DON'T BE AFRAID TO TAKE RISKS

Beyonce demonstrates that successful people are not afraid of taking risks. As you move up in your career, you will be forced to stretch and grow beyond what you think you are capable of. Embrace these challenges and set a standard for yourself that you will always step up to the plate to achieve what others only dream of. Beyonce demonstrated this by boldly releasing her new album without any marketing or promotion. As a result,  "Beyonce" shattered iTunes records for most digital albums sold, it debuted at number one in over 100 countries and sold well over 800,000 copies in three days. 

7 - KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY

Before releasing her new album, Beyonce's team knew that the traditional approach towards creating and marketing an album was on the decline. They also recognized that digital sales were on the rise along with illegally downloaded music. They also saw the value in using social media is a more powerful platform to create buzz. With all this in mind, her team created a strategic plan that would not only maximize where the industry was heading,  but defied all preconceived ideas about how an album can and should be released and marketed. 

The above example goes to show that any major career decisions must be informed. Pay attention to what is going on in your field, get a sense of what trends are taking place and start projecting where the industry is heading for the next five to ten years. Having this type of knowledge will ensure every move you make will be well-informed and could lead to something fresh and innovative that will set you apart from your industry peers.

8 - THINK BIG AND HAVE A VISION

From day one, Beyonce never shied away from thinking big. She knew that she wanted to be a superstar on par with Michael Jackson and her career has seen her take incremental steps towards slowly meeting that big, ambitious dream. This past year was a milestone that reflected her years of hard work. She gained rave reviews for her half-time performance at the Super-Bowl, signed a lucrative deal with Pepsi, set out on a successful, sold out world tour and most recently, shattered sales records with the release of her latest album.

You don't have to know every detail of your career trajectory, but it never hurts to have an over-arching vision of where you want to be in your career and setting realistic, achievable goals that will help you get there. Never be afraid to think big and envision where you see yourself and continuously work towards that vision.

9 - KNOW HOW TO DAMAGE CONTROL

Nobody is immune to mistakes and slip-ups and Beyonce proved that earlier this year when she chose to lip-sync the U.S national anthem at President Obama's inauguration ceremony. What could have been a crippling blow to her reputation as a talented live performer was smoothly handled when she later gave a stirring and impromptu rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" at a press conference effectively silencing any critics on her abilities as a live performer. She followed that with a highly-acclaimed performance at the Super-Bowl half-time show that cemented her ability as a live entertainer.

10 - OWN YOUR BRAND

In these times of economic uncertainty with job stability becoming a thing of the past, it is imperative to know what sets you apart. Personal branding is crucial in order to stand out from the competition.  So take some time to identify what makes your combination of skills, qualifications and talents unique from the rest. What can you offer that makes employers take notice? What skills do you have that are highly sought after in your industry? Knowing this and utilizing it will likely result in great opportunities coming your way.

Over the span of Beyonce's career, many other female acts have come and gone. What has given her staying power is that she knows her brand. Right from the onset, she focused her music and image towards women and became known for creating catchy, pop-R&B music that spoke to female empowerment. She set herself apart from her competition by being the only pop star that could shine both as a singer and dancer onstage and diversified her image by signing lucrative deals with L'Oreal, Pepsi and Target and branched out into acting. Today, she has turned her brand into a multi-million dollar empire and fully manages her own career by founding Parkwood Entertainment - her own entertainment production company.

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While there are certainly many more variables that come into play to enjoy a successful career, the above steps demonstrated by Beyonce's career will certainly make waves for you as you build your reputation in your own respective career. By following these steps demonstrated by Mrs. Carter, this could very well be you one day (see below):

Album Review: Beyonce

To any female pop star that is not Beyonce, y'all might as well head on back home and unwrap gifts and munch on sugar cookies under the Christmas tree because the woman has arrived and completely obliterated the competition. 

Ever since the surprise drop of her fifth studio, and first visual, album "Beyonce" the internet has all but collapsed with everyone and their dog tweeting and reacting to it. This ain't just an album release people, this is an event. An unprecedented event that only one woman in music is able to execute so flawlessly. Its no small feat that an artist as big as Beyonce was able to quietly release an album with seventeen videos and not let it leak out to the public. This speaks volumes to her power, control of her image and music and the clout she asserts when going about her business. But that is the whole point behind her brilliant marketing strategy and the new album itself; Beyonce is an artist that plays by no one else's rules but her own and basically does whatever-the-hell she wants. As unorthodox as her strategy has been over 2013, who else in pop music has the balls and bravado to head out on a global trek without any new material and still sell-out stadiums across the world? Who else releases an album without any marketing or promotion? Further proof, that Beyonce is one of the boldest and bad-ass pop stars in the game. 

And the result? 80,000 copies bought in 3 hours? Sales projected upwards of 200,000 units in a three-day period? In an era where illegally downloading music is the norm, those numbers are just stupid. Hell, Britney's last album couldn't even crack 180,000 over a seven-week period. That's called 'showin' em how its done' and Beyonce is showing that she owns the pop music arena. This is her turf and anyone stepping in better bow down. 

"Beyonce" the album has, so far, received critical acclaim, save for one publication that deemed it too similar to other mainstream R&B acts (please child, go back and do your homework). Boasting top-notch production from the likes of Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Boots and collaborations with superstars Drake, Miguel and of course, Jay-Z, the album is a slice of minimalist, futuristic, electro R&B that is a true departure from anything else on pop music's current frontier. It is a weird album, but not wierd-eccentric like Gaga, but subtle, creepy, ambient and walking a fine line between pop, hip hop and trance beats. It is certainly Beyonce's most sexually overt album, but nowhere near as skanky as Rihanna mainly because the X-rated tracks all speak to the unabashed joy of having sex in a loving marriage. There is enough pop on the album to make it palatable for mainstream affair, check the opening ballad "Pretty Hurts" and sure-to-be-singles "Blow" and "XO". But the real highlights of the album are when things get grimy, dark-and-funky-like-your-about-to-let-loose-in-a-basement-party on tracks like "Ghost/Haunted" and the almost nuclear chemistry on "Drunk In Love" with Jay-Z (can anyone else NOT get over how she repeats "surf board" on the track?)

Beyonce is no longer interested in being a pop star. As she spits on "Ghost" she's bored with the game, bored with record labels and trusts nobody with her work. She ups the ante by adopting a thug moniker on the track "Yonce" and spits and growls verses half-rapping and half-singing on many of the tracks. She asserts her focus on artistic integrity when admitting that "…I probably won't make no money off this, oh well." And just when things get too alien and grimy, she flips the script and showcases her glorious vocals on the haunting tracks "Heaven", "Rocket" and "Jealous". "

And we haven't even gotten to the accompanying videos. Beautifully shot across many international locations, with help from the likes of Jonas Ackerland and Francesco Carrezini, each clip is a continuation of the themes Beyonce has consistently explored throughout her music such as feminism, love, empowerment and strength. This time around, the only caveat is that there is a blatant and obvious demonstration of power and supremacy. The under-lying message behind the videos to "Partition", "Haunted" and "Jealous" are clear, Beyonce lives her life and struggles in a lavish, rich, jet-setting life that reinforces her desire to be seen as a music industry power-house, one-half of pop music's only billion dollar earning couple. Visually, she plays up to the self-created myth that she is pop music royalty. The standout clips would have to be "Haunted" and "Partition" because both explode with imagery that speaks to feminist, racial and sexual politics in a manner that has not been explored since Madonna was still relevant.

There is no disputing that this album is a game-changer for not only Beyonce, but for all other female pops stars in terms of how music can and should be presented. "Beyonce" represents the point where her career has inevitably been heading all along. She is the logical intersection where pop music royalty, namely Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Prince and Madonna, intersect. Every decade has one artist that defines that era and while it is too early to determine whether Beyonce will be remembered as such, the new album certainly makes a more-than viable and legitimate bid for that title.

It is Beyonce's world, the rest of us just live in it.

Never Again - A Dramatic Narrative on Dexter

This post is for anyone and everyone still reeling from the series finale of "Dexter". As we try to move on and forget, let us remember the series for what it once was, rather than what it turned out to be.

Dexter is over.

When the credits rolled onto the screen, it hit me. This was it. No more Dexter, no more Deb, no more Batista or Quinn, etc. One of my favorite shows on television had come to an end.

It was hard, in that moment, to discern all the emotions that I was feeling. The end of a series, especially one as good as "Dexter" should feel like saying goodbye to an old friend. The end of an era. Once the credits started rolling signalling the end of the last episode, one should feel a sense of satisfaction. One might even say - closure.

In the case of "Dexter", I felt nothing but shafted!

Nothing made sense anymore, kinda' like how the final season made absolutely no sense. Why did he kill Deb? Why did he dump her body in the ocean like his other victims? Why didn't he go and meet Hannah and why did he leave Harrison with her? How did Batista and Quinn let him get away with murder? So many questions - why Dexter, why?!

I looked around my place. In the initial moments of a post Dexter world, it felt foreign and alien. I needed to get mind off this horribly unsatisfying series finale. The trailers had used the terms "explosive" to describe it. The series didn't end with an explosion, it limped to finish and fizzled out.

It was too much to take.

I went outside for some fresh air hoping to shake myself of "Dexter". I felt like I had just been stood up by someone that I had built such a long connection with. All the time and energy I had invested towards watching the show, getting to know the characters intimately, inviting them into my life - and for what? A final shot of Dexter with a beard! Working as a logger?! A speedy and forced finale with more plot holes than an episode of "Glee"? I couldn't take it!

I walked out onto the street and rather than immersing myself in the hustle-and-bustle of my neighborhood, all I could see were people walking past me in a similar state of confusion. Clearly, they were just as shell-shocked by the finale as I was. Everything felt so distorted. I had to sit on a nearby bench to process. A stranger came over and asked if I was okay, but I dared not give an answer. Dexter had shafted me, I would not allow myself to be shafted any further regardless of whether it was a fictional TV character or a real, living, breathing person.

Never again! I silently declared.

I hissed at the stranger. Onlookers stared at me confused by my bizarre outburst, some looked sympathetic because they understood what I was going through. Dexter had robbed me of a satisfying series finale. I was angry and now I was going to take out my vengeance on the world. With fire in my eyes, I ran down the streets roaring in frustration.

Damn you Dexter! Damn you!

I did not know where I was going, nor did I care. All I knew was that I needed to get away! I kept running until I hit a vast highway. It was dark and there was nothing but trees and bushes on all sides. I looked back and saw the lights of the city. So far away. A trucker passed by and the driver offered to give me a ride back to civilization, however when I saw his name-badge that read "Dexter", I screamed like a shrill beast and ran into the wild.

Never again!

That was all one week ago. I haven't returned to the city. Instead, I choose to remain hidden in the wild. This is my new home tucked away amidst the trees, bushes and greenery. I have made a new place for myself. My friends are now the roots of the trees, the prick of the leaves, the snapping of twigs and the worms and insects that surround me. I have now become one with them. I feel safe and protected from any further unsatisfying finales. Most of my nights are sleepless as I try to overcome the trauma of  that final episode. At night, I lie awake and feel haunted with a single name reverberating through my psyche:

It calls out Dexter, Dexter, Dexter. It never stops.

On these nights, I will cautiously leave my new dwellings in the bushes and tentatively stare out at the city that was once my home. It feels so long ago now. I used to be one of those people that had an existence of city-life with a job, friends and the companionship of a great series revolving around an intriguing, complex and flawed main character.

Oh Dexter, how I miss what you used to be. At this point, I am forced to silence my thoughts. It is still too much to bear. Nothing matters anymore, not even my appearance. I have let my hair grow out and my beard now falls in a tangled mess past my chest. My clothes are in tatters, but I care not. I have become a savage which suits me just fine. What is the point of going back to my life, there will only be more disappointments. Sure, there are other shows like "Sons of Anarchy" and "Homeland", but the thought of being shafted by those series makes me want to cower back in my bush-hole.

Perhaps one day, I will return. But for now, the world is too cruel and disappointing for me to venture beyond the wild. In time, I will completely vanish from existence and memory with only hints of the man I once was. In my place, a new creature will emerge - one that is immune to all the disappointing series finales' the cruel world can hurl at me. One day I will have the armour to withstand such assaults to my expectations.

But for now, I remain in the wild. 

Shielded. Hidden. Guarded, but safe.

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.