Godspeed You! Black Emperor – East Hastings (Yes, the 28 Days Later song)
I can still remember a day in the high school cafeteria when some of the skaters convinced the lunch staff to put Rage Against the Machine on while we were all eating. I also remember thinking that it was basically just a bunch of noise. Of course, at the time I was still thinking Bryan Adams really knew how to wake-up the neighbours.
Yes, I had a lot to learn.
Since that time, I’ve covered some ground and learned of a few bands that I should have been listening to when I was anxiously waiting for pizza day to break-up the boredom of school. Of course, learning about most of these bands past their time led to a lot of regret, and probably too much YouTube-ing of live footage from ten years ago.
Luckily, I have two chances coming up to experience something similar to what some of my fellow graduates (or non-graduates depending) knew while I was trying to figure out calculus instead.
It’s true, I missed out on Trent Reznor & Co. when they were getting started on tearing the industry and music itself apart. Luckily, I did get a chance to catch them during the NIN/JA tour, and for that I am incredibly happy. With this reissue I’m hoping I can introduce myself to at least one of the reasons why so many folks at that show knew all of the words while I just stood in amazement.
Speaking of shows, another band I missed the first time around has finally announced a few tour dates close enough for me to make the trek.
This time, I will not let them pass me by. I know now why I should have gone to see them in Halifax years ago, and I am already working on my plans for April. Now, the question is: do I go to all three shows?
“The performance ended with a nude Badu acting out receiving a fatal gunshot to the head at the spot where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.”
I have yet to see the video, but the fact that I already know about it is a good thing. Chances are I will watch it despite not having paid attention to Badu in years. Granted, getting naked in a public place will grab you attention whether through the press or online views, but I’m curious to know why they imitated the assassination of JFK. I’m hoping the whole video will give more substance to something that could just simply be a publicity stunt.
It is the art of making sure something has substance that has me writing right now. In the past I have promoted the idea of going above and beyond simply writing good songs, but I think something else that gets overlooked by a lot of artists is expanding the medium in which you express your thoughts. Music videos can be a great way to add something visual and dramatic to a song, and in some ways they can become the identity of the song (see Radiohead – Just for instance). Granted, some videos can be funny or simply stunning and depend more on the song to sell itself, but others can push a song from soft and quiet into just plain chilling (see Hey Rosetta! – Red Song). In fact, some bands have come to be known just as much for the content of their videos as the lyrics in their songs (see Rage Against the Machine – Sleep Now in the Fire and Bucket Truck – The New York Times).
I guess I’m basically just suggesting that when the time does come to make a video, whether it be your first or your tenth, think about what you could do to add to the art you have already made. If you were lucky enough to get a grant, perhaps from MuchFact, use it to the fullest extent. If not, then as I’ve stated before, creating something visual is not as expensive as it used to be. Just remember that somewhere down the road there will be people who tie moments of their lives to your music, and maybe that is already the case, so the more you can do to draw them in further the more they will (hopefully) do to show their love for that.
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