mark tonin

I agree Velvet. The problem I see with gangsta rap is that it's convincing young black people that's there's no hope of ever changing anything. For all its bravado and machissimo, it's very much a message of defeat, of powerlessness.

Is 50 cent gangsta rap? Sorry if I seem naive, but rap and hip hop are genres of music that I don't know very much about.

I had an interesting conversation with my class about the proposal to keep him out of the country. Lots of good discussion and different viewpoints. There was one student in the class that has seen the movie. When I asked him what he took away from the movie, to him it was a message to chose a mic over a gun, that violence isn't the answer. Different people get different messages from songs, videos, shows, etc., but that message certainly doesn't sound like a bad one to me. And it doesn't seem to fit with the definition of gangsta rap, which is why I asked the question above. Then again, maybe the student was just saying what he thought I wanted to hear ... but I don't think so.

I haven't seen the movie, I haven't heard the songs, and I don't know much about him, so I don't feel very qualified to give an opinion on this case. But it is an interesting discussion, as are many discussions about music, censorship, gang violence, and related issues.

Peace, Mark

i try my damndest to Buy Nothing each year...while i'm struck by the futility of buying twice as much the day before, i've always sort of hoped that this would catch on in a big way. if the only vote we have is with our dollars, a whole day of people not buying a damn thing would get on the radar of big business. as far as that goes, i don't think i've ever seen Buy Nothing Day talked about in the Globe and Mail...

i was very pleased to hear the CBC hyping Buy Nothing. I think that they had Kapatalist Klowns in the studio with them, i tuned in to hear people singing a seriously modified version of the 12 days of christmas...

I try as well, and hope that this day does make some people more aware of how much we consume and related issues. I hope that it gets on the radar of big business, but also on the radar of working people who don't really think about what they consume and it's impact on the planet.

I also think that AdBusters has in a lot of ways become what it busts, but I still think that as an awareness campaign, this day has lots of potential.

Peace, Mark

Marco

I nominate that as Letter to Editor, MP, McTeague etc material

AD

I support this nomination.

We were discussing this issue in one of my classes yesterday. I'm going to show the class this letter today.

Peace, Mark

Great news SK ... congrats!

Peace, Mark

Instead of joining the debate I thought I'd lighten things up with a Fark photoshop of the same subject...

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1770494

Thanks for the link Tungsten ... lots of belly-laughs as I scrolled down the page ... hilarious!

Peace, Mark

I was also going to bring up another point that I think that fatigue can be as much as an impairment as anything else

I agree with this 100%. I remember once a long time ago falling asleep at the wheel and waking up in the other lane. I was so freaked out that I had to pull over. I'm glad that both of us (and many others) are still around to tell stories like these ones.

But people don't get pulled out of vehicles and asked how many hours they slept last night?

I agree, but I think that there are rules that regulate how many hours a truck driver can drive in a day or a week. Self-regulation doesn't always work, especially in many business situations when there is money to be made. This isn't a criticism about business or people trying to make money, just human nature for many people I think.

Peace, Mark

A difficult thread to stay away from ... lots of different things to think about. I wish I had more time to express my thoughts right now, but here goes in a somewhat random fashion.

People who smoke pot don't scare me.

In many cases, people who smoke pot and drive don't scare me. I know a number of people that do it, and I wouldn't hesitate to accept a ride from many of them. If they say they are not too impaired to drive, I trust their judgement.

Thorgnor doesn't scare me.

I have been in a car on a few occasions with a person that said he wasn't too impaired to drive, but ended up being so ... at least I thought he was. That scared me.

I have driven when I shouldn't have, and that scares me when I think about it. I feel fortunate that I never hurt or killed anybody. And I'm not necessarily talking about smoking pot and driving.

I know people, especially young people, that don't seem to give much thought to the possible dangers of being too high to drive. Their attitude is that it is better to toke and drive than drink and drive because the cops can't catch you as easily if you toke and drive. Their driving ability while under the influence of either drug doesn't seem to enter into the equation. That scares me.

I don't know if there is a scientific way to determine if somebody is too high to drive. Until there is one, in most cases it should continue to be up to the driver to make the decision, and in certain extreme cases of impairment, the police will have to use other evidence (e.g. driving behaviour and other behaviour of the accused) to prove impairment. But without a test (such as a blood alcohol test with limits) it will be difficult to prove that somebody is too impaired to drive because they smoked pot.

If the "Pot and Driving" campaign causes pot smokers and drivers to think about these issues and hopefully make better decisions as to when they should or shouldn't be driving, that's a good thing.

Peace, Mark

A question for pot smokers:

Is it ever possible for you to become too impaired to drive by smoking pot? I can accept that certain people are able to smoke a small amount of pot and not become driving impaired. But my sense is that everybody, even experienced pot smokers, can in certain situations smoke so much pot that that they would become too impaired to drive. Or am I wrong? Can some people really smoke huge amounts of the best bud and not become impaired in a way that negatively affects their driving?

If we can accept that it is in theory possible for any person to become driving impaired by smoking pot, then my concern about people trying to self-regulate their pot-smoking and driving is that impaired people don't readily admit that they are impaired. A person that is impaired sometimes cannot make a good decision about whether or not they are impaired.

I hope that everybody in theory agrees with the statement "If your ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired by alcohol, or a drug, or a cell phone, or food, or by reading a newspaper, then you shouldn't drive." Disagreeing with that statement seems foolish to me. The difficult issue is determining whether or not somebody is impaired. And there are no easy answers for that one ...

Peace, Mark

44 years ago this past weekend, Bob Dylan released his first album.

I can't even keep a train of thought for an hour.

On certain nights, neither can Bob.

Peace, Mark

Yes, James is an easy-going guy to jam with and hosts a comfortable open stage.

It was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon ... thanks for making it out, along with Jen, Dr. Evil & CJ and their children, Daveymouse and his family, Tigger and Michelle, and others.

No Organic Groove on Saturday afternoon, but they sure led a raging drum circle on Friday night!

Peace, Mark

It was an awesome night ... thanks to everyone who made it out to this show, especially the out-of-towners.

The downstairs worked very well for this show I thought ... I was a bit concerned that somehow things wouldn't work very well downstairs, but was pleasantly surprised. The sound was good, and there was more room than upstairs to spread out and bounce around.

Backbacon, thanks for helping to make this show happen. Your promo help and help on the night (along with PP) made this show run very smoothly. I appreciate it.

Diesel Dog, what can I say?!? You continue to be one of my favourite bands, and you sure know how to get a crowd dancin' and groovin'. And you're very easy to work with, which is very much appreciated.

To Organic Groove, thanks once again for leading such a raging drum circle! I think that we have a very unique thing going on at shows in Kitchener at the Lanc when we include a drum circle ... a few out-of-towners who have never been to a show at the Lanc before commented to me that they absolutely loved the drumming. It gives everybody a chance to participate at the show, which adds a nice element to the event.

To the Harvard Mouse extended family, thanks! It still puts a huge smile on my face knowing that my long-time jam friends have found their way into this community.

To the pre-party and after-party hosts, thanks! What a great community of friends we have. I ended up chauffering people to three of the after-parties that were going on, and then making it home to my own afterparty with my pillow (I'm sure that Lazlo with think of some witty, perverted response to this! ) The pre and post partying add a huge element to these events, especially for the out-of-towners. Thanks party hosts!

After Friday night's show, I am extremely excited about two upcoming shows at the Lanc:

Wed. Dec. 28 upstairs at the Lanc

Harvard Mouse Christmas Party

no cover charge

7 until 8 p.m. (a set of music for the kids - if you have children and want to bring them out for this, feel free to do so - we'll be playing a set of music for our families and friends with children).

9 p.m. until 2 a.m. - a full-on raging jamfest hosted by Harvard Mouse, including two drummers and guest musicians

Saturday Jan. 28

Jambands.ca FUNdraiser

at the Lanc in Kitchener

two stages, two floors ... this one is going to be huge!

complete info about this show is coming soon

Peace, Mark

Thanks to everyone that made it out to the party at the Lanc last night.

Harvard Mouse + Diesel Dog + Organic Groove + lots of fun people = an excellent time!

Extra-special thanks to the out-of-towners that made the journey.

For anyone that wants to continue the party, there is an open-stage jam at the Victoria Park Boathouse this afternoon (Saturday). Some of Harvard Mouse will be there to play some music, eat some food, and drink some beer. Come on out to this sweet little venue if you can. The jam is from 2 until 6, the I think the mice are aiming to be there between 3 and 4 p.m.

Peace, Mark

"Boredom is a state of mind."

Peace, Mark

Fat Cats and What The Thunder Said are confirmed for the Sat. Jan. 28 FUNdraiser show, more info to follow in the near future.

Peace, Mark

I, for one, am definitely in favour of multiple doorgasms*.

bradm, your posts on this board have me laughing my ass off on a regular basis.

And I'm definitely getting excited about this show ... :laugh:

Peace, Mark

We're talking about bringing a show like this to Ottawa at some point next year. I can envision it happening, especially if this one goes well.

Peace, Mark

I want to give everyone a heads up about a show that is being planned. This idea has been bounced around before, and a few of us have decided to give it a shot.

Jambands.ca FUNdraiser show

(to raise some funds for jambands.ca while stirring up some fun for its members)

Saturday, January 28, 2006

at the Lancaster Tavern, Kitchener

... lots more info about this show to follow in the near future ...

Peace, Mark

This band blew my mind at the May Come Together Festival! They aren't for everybody, as they take the listener on a jazz odyssey, but the 3 players in this band are phenomenal musicians.

If you go, I highly recommend carefully watching the band as they play. It definitely adds to the experience. Try spending a good chunk of time watching Brian's hands as he plays the piano. Mind blowing. Not to mention Reed's guitar face as he plays the bass!

Hopefully there will be a good turnout for this. It's not looking too likely that I'll be able to make it, but hopefully some people can post reviews or pics so that I can experience the show vicariously if I can't make it in person.

Peace, Mark

To me, Todd Gillies is like one of those very talented hockey players floating around outside of the NHL. I feel fortunate that I get to watch players of this calibre at my little home-town rink.

OK, enough about hockey from me in this thread ... I don't even watch hockey very much! :laugh:

Peace, Mark

Comparing Trey with Todd is a little much Mark....this will still be a great night of music!!

I agree Cully, and to be honest, I thought about that after posting my message. It's kind of like comparing an NHL game to a semi-pro, OHL or University/College game. On the whole, the NHL has the best talent and the players make lots of money, but sometimes a semi-pro or OHL game is more enjoyable to watch. And there are definitely some talented players floating around outside of the NHL.

Peace, Mark

Isn't Trey allowed to have a couple bad shows? Especially since he has just started playing with this band a couple months ago?!? God knows Jerry never had bad shows!! Obviously this perticular show wasn't the best but have you listened to the tracks up at nugs.net..I dare you to listen to Dark and Down or Money, Love and Change and tell me that Trey is washed up!!!

I don't think that he is washed up at all. It's just that personally I'm not that interested in this particular direction that he has headed in with his music. I am confident that his music will continue to evolve and change - hopefully in a direction that once again greatly interests me.

Let's put it this way, I thought he put on a good show, but nothing great, and Trey Anastasio has moved further down my list of bands/musicians that I really want to see. This could change in the future for me, as it has for other bands and musicians, but that's the way I feel right now.

On a positive note about the concert, I never realized how talented Ray Paczkowski is, even after seeing him with Vorcza at the Come Together Fest. We were sitting right in front of him at the Trey show and wow, I was extremely impressed with his playing and energy.

Peace, Mark

I'm rather surprised he played a McGrupp's and Catapult- has he done either before solo?

Trey was having a lot of fun during his acoustic set, and if I picked up on things correctly, he played both of those in response to requests shouted out by the audience. As for the rest of his acoustic set, The Possum was fun, the Inlaw Josie Wales was sweet, and the rest of his set made some Phish phans very happy, and others longing for a renunion. I enjoyed it, but was not that impressed with Trey's acoustic guitar playing. To be honest, I've seen many players that have impressed me as much or more.

The solo acoustic set was fun and enjoyable, but didn't justify the price of the ticket, in my opinion. As I mentioned in another thread, I enjoyed the show, as it was good, but it wasn't anything spectacular, and I agree with scottieking when he said that he was "... impressed and then just overwhelmed by the heaviness, to the point were I ceased to enjoy it." Actually, I don't know if I was overwhelmed, or just feeling bored after a while. It was heavy, but it was boring after a while ... a lack of tastefully placed notes, and not enough groove to keep the audience moving.

Hopefully Trey will will continue to evolve/change musically, because if he doesn't, I won't have any big desire to see him for the forseeable future.

Peace, Mark

Wow ... this sounds like it will be an awesome show! The timing sucks for me ... there is no way that I'll be able to sneak in a trip to Hamilton for this one, but I'm certain that the people that do will be treated to some very sweet music.

To be honest, shortly after the Trey concert ended in Buffalo last Thursday, I thought to myself "Trey is a really good guitar player, but I've been just as impressed with some of our Canadian talent. Actually, I've been more impressed at times." Sure enough, the next night, after seeing Fat Cats, I thought how lucky I was to be able to see a guy like Todd Gillies play the guitar with Fat Cats in a sweet little venue, 5 minutes from my house, for a fraction of the cost of the Trey show. Todd Gillies can play the guitar ... both the acoustic and the electric! Plus he writes great songs and is a solid singer.

Dave Hill is one of the best rock/groove bass players out there, in my humble opinion. End of story.

I've had the pleasure of being at a few parties over the last year where Mark Crissinger has played some acoustic guitar. Wow ... he can play! I'm sure that it will be a treat to hear him and Todd trade ideas and licks.

Ricky Neu is such a tasty percussion player. Yes, he is a solid drummer as he demonstrated time and time again with Diesel Dog, but his real love is playing percussion. I've seen him sit in with a number of bands on percussion, and the sound always get fatter and groovier when he adds his rhythms to the mix.

I'm having a hard time imagining myself not being at this show!

Peace, Mark

A solid show which I enjoyed very much, but I wasn't blown away. At first I really liked when Trey got into his heavy rock jams (the Push On

'Til The Day blew me away), but by the end of the night I was getting a little bored with them.

I'm not sure where Trey is headed with this band. I'll still consider checking him out in the future, but I don't have a burning desire to see another show right now.

Peace, Mark

So many shows, not enough time ... but I'm not complaining about the so many shows part of the equation, that's for sure!

Peace, Mark