Because I can basically write about whatever I want here, I am going to abuse that privilege in order to plug a local Norcal band, Native Shores. These ambitious young lads are banging out some pretty top-notch metalcore br00tality that I've come to rather enjoy. They are currently unsigned, but certainly worth a listen. Not that I expect industry executives to be combing this corner of the interweb, it's just that their music is certifiably much better than the dreck that the music industry seems to enjoy producing at present.
But don't worry, this isn't simply mindless publicity, it all ties into the idea of ecology as well.
You see, ecology is all about community. It is by definition the interaction of organisms with their environment. We share our experiences, our creativity, our very lives with those around us. And in a world where everything is becoming increasingly outsourced and imported, there's nothing quite like a fresh, local product. This applies to anything from food to music to shoeshines. These guys come roughly from the same environment as me, and as such I feel duty-bound to help them in any way I can. Especially if they're helping to spread the kind of music that I love. Cultivating young talent ought to be the goal of any self-respecting community. Even their name, Native Shores, helps convey this idea.
In my opinion, reclaiming this local ethos is vitally important to creating a more sustainable and satisfactory existence. People nowadays often don't even know their neighbors; we fear and mistrust one another. In ages past, family and neighbors were all you had. There was a strong attachment to place. Events such as the industrial revolution, however, removed this emphasis from self-sufficient production and communal cooperation, and placed it on large-scale outside production. Our previous human connections simply melted away in the forges of industry. As Karl Marx will tell you, humanity thus became alienated from its product of labor. (And please don't scoff at the mention of Marx. He was, after all, merely a concerned German philosopher living in London, and not a Russian revolutionary as so many wish to believe. His work is still strikingly insightful into today's world as well.)
Nonetheless, all my prattling amounts to the fact that we need a reclamation of all things local. This has long been a fad amongst environmentalists and health food fanatics, but it is certainly more than that. I daresay our humanity is at stake along with it. We need to be able to take pride in producing something locally, by our own hands. And that's ultimately where Native Shores fits into this. A perfect example of actually doing things yourself. Right on.
Check them out at either of these fine locations:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Native-Shores/129444027105604
http://www.myspace.com/nativeshoresmusic
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Little Hardcore Philosophizing.
So this is an exercise to show that heavy music can actually be intellectually stimulating and not just a massive headache.
As a quick note, the above video is by the band Blacklisted. These guys are heroes of hardcore. Bloody brilliant stuff. Anyone interested should check out their latest, No One Deserve To Be Here More Than Me.
But moving on, let me now direct your attention to the title of the song: "I Am Weighing Me Down." Aside from being redolent of self-loathing, this song opens the door to some pretty, um, weighty, philosophical reflection. Let's all put on our French Existentialist caps for a minute and have a think. From my brief encounter with the subject, I understand Albert Camus' opinion to be that there is no God, no higher design, and no objective meaning in existence. As such, we human beings are charged with the responsibility of creating our own individual pleasures, pains, etc. Everything is subjective. The issue, however, is that we don't fully embrace this freedom. It should come across as a blessing, not a curse. (This is where the I Am Weighing Me Down part comes in). Because there is no objective truth in each of our lives, we are at liberty to change ourselves as we see fit. We are not constrained by any conceivable blueprint; we shouldn't feel weighed down by ourselves. In fact, we should feel light as a feather, able to create meaning however we see fit. Unfortunately, people tend to fall victim to false conceptions of themselves, and feel powerless to change what they perceive as their 'true selves.' They think that they can't do something because, "They're not that kind of person." Yet we are whatever type of person we want to be. And even if you can't abide by all of Camus' existentialism, it is still possible to embrace the freedom that it advocates. You don't even have to be French to find it rather inspirational. In my opinion, people just need the occasional reminder and encouragement to reclaim control of their lives. Environmental degradation, for example, is often the result of our feeling of helplessness to change our habits of consumption. But as inherently free and untethered individuals, we do hold that power. Chew on that a while.
Anyways, the point of all this was simply to show that hardcore and metal can have redeeming intellectual qualities if you know where to look for them. In this case, Blacklisted's song title reminded me of one of humanity's great misunderstandings. It's all philosophical extrapolation from there.
And black metal is great way to learn some Latin as well actually. They're rather fond of that whole cryptic aesthetic, constantly forcing listeners to google what the fuck things like 'Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt' mean.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Black Friday Madness
As I'm sure you're all aware, today is Black Friday: the day when the flame of completely superfluous consumerism burns most brightly. Personally, I find myself ashamed of all these rabid 4a.m. sale shoppers. Is this really what our culture is about? Need I remind anyone that an unassuming employee was trampled to death in the crazed rush last holiday season? While I could complain more, I'll simply leave you with some friendly advice:
You don't need all that crap.
Try putting a bit of emotion into your gifts this year. Make something by hand, make it personal. Or at least support local artists and artisans who are dying to ply their trades. Source your gifts from the immediate area, it'll help keep your money in closer circulation. Fashion your own recycled wrapping paper from newspaper or other such items. These sorts of things tend to hold their value a bit better than that new phone that will quickly be outdated by something else with more gadgets attached. Don't fall into that cycle of seeking the latest and greatest. It will lead you nowhere. Just try to reconsider your gifting practices this year. That's all I ask.
As for me, I'm going to spend my Black Friday on the trails of Pt. Reyes, far removed from the madness of consumerism. I urge you to find similar shelter.
You don't need all that crap.
Try putting a bit of emotion into your gifts this year. Make something by hand, make it personal. Or at least support local artists and artisans who are dying to ply their trades. Source your gifts from the immediate area, it'll help keep your money in closer circulation. Fashion your own recycled wrapping paper from newspaper or other such items. These sorts of things tend to hold their value a bit better than that new phone that will quickly be outdated by something else with more gadgets attached. Don't fall into that cycle of seeking the latest and greatest. It will lead you nowhere. Just try to reconsider your gifting practices this year. That's all I ask.
As for me, I'm going to spend my Black Friday on the trails of Pt. Reyes, far removed from the madness of consumerism. I urge you to find similar shelter.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Food, Food, Food
Because of our proximity to Thanksgiving's impending excesses this evening, I think it's only natural for me to continue on the topic of food.
As Americans, we tend to take our edibles for granted. We are faced with some of the cheapest and most abundant food sources in the world. Just compare the percentage of annual income we spend on groceries compared to that of our European companions. Yet these low prices incur vast expenses that don't necessarily carry dollar values. These expenses go largely unaccounted for and unseen by the general public, which is extremely problematic. There's no impetus to stop exploiting the modern agricultural system when it's not your personal topsoil that's at stake. While the nation gorges itself on cheap corn, soybeans and other monocrops, the agricultural viability of our land steadily dissipates. The Dustbowl, as far as our latest generation is concerned, was a one-off phenomena that exists only in the seldom-turned pages of American History textbooks. Empirical evidence, however, clearly shows the inevitability of a similar catastrophe if current practices are allowed to continue. Wes Jackson recently expressed the situation as such, "...we are plowing through our soil bank account."
Now I know I've condemned the 'modern agricultural system' on multiple occasions already in the brief existence of this page, but what's being done to address the issues? What sort of revisions can be made that will sustainably support billions of grumbling tummys? Well, perhaps some of the most exciting new research is concerning itself with the advantages of perennial crops over annuals. Our current monocultures are annuals, meaning they must be replanted every year. Conversely, the perennial grasses that once fully inhabited America's interior prairies are self-sustaining. The difference lies in the roots. Perennials thrust their roots deeper into the earth's crust, thus tapping into deeper reserves of nourishment and support. The shallow reach of annuals, however, can't cope with harsh conditions, and eventually the plants resign their fate to the propagation of their seeds.
The problem with all of this, though, is the fact that perennials as we know them do not produce viable food sources; they exist for their own pleasure. Yet if we successfully bred perennial traits into annual food crops, then we would have ourselves a more sustainable, erosion-resistant system of agriculture. Less topsoil would be lost to the winds and less synthetic nitrogen fertilizer would be necessary. This prospect of plant breeding is not to be confused with the gene-splicing habits of such chemical giants as Monsanto. Rather, the process would be one of sexual reproduction and inheritance. While estimates for applicable results are measured in years, that is but a speck of dirt on the face of Earth's geological clock.
Humans have a problem with patience. Our lack of long-term planning and foresight is what got us into this mess initially. But a little investment in our future may be able to pull us back from the brink. We do have the technological capabilities to better our situation; it simply must be applied without the goal of capital gain. I'd love to stay and chat a little longer on the subject, but Thanksgiving duties are calling. Eat, drink, and be thankful for the bounty this Earth has to offer. Cherish it, for one day it may well be gone.
Also, for further, more factual and complete reading, you can find the article that inspired most of this post in the October 2010 issue of The Sun magazine. It's entitled Farmed and is mostly composed of an interview with Wes Jackson. Good stuff. And so we're clear, I make no real claims to originality with this post. I'm simply providing a signal flare synopsis of the information that I found extremely important. Take care all.
As Americans, we tend to take our edibles for granted. We are faced with some of the cheapest and most abundant food sources in the world. Just compare the percentage of annual income we spend on groceries compared to that of our European companions. Yet these low prices incur vast expenses that don't necessarily carry dollar values. These expenses go largely unaccounted for and unseen by the general public, which is extremely problematic. There's no impetus to stop exploiting the modern agricultural system when it's not your personal topsoil that's at stake. While the nation gorges itself on cheap corn, soybeans and other monocrops, the agricultural viability of our land steadily dissipates. The Dustbowl, as far as our latest generation is concerned, was a one-off phenomena that exists only in the seldom-turned pages of American History textbooks. Empirical evidence, however, clearly shows the inevitability of a similar catastrophe if current practices are allowed to continue. Wes Jackson recently expressed the situation as such, "...we are plowing through our soil bank account."
Now I know I've condemned the 'modern agricultural system' on multiple occasions already in the brief existence of this page, but what's being done to address the issues? What sort of revisions can be made that will sustainably support billions of grumbling tummys? Well, perhaps some of the most exciting new research is concerning itself with the advantages of perennial crops over annuals. Our current monocultures are annuals, meaning they must be replanted every year. Conversely, the perennial grasses that once fully inhabited America's interior prairies are self-sustaining. The difference lies in the roots. Perennials thrust their roots deeper into the earth's crust, thus tapping into deeper reserves of nourishment and support. The shallow reach of annuals, however, can't cope with harsh conditions, and eventually the plants resign their fate to the propagation of their seeds.
The problem with all of this, though, is the fact that perennials as we know them do not produce viable food sources; they exist for their own pleasure. Yet if we successfully bred perennial traits into annual food crops, then we would have ourselves a more sustainable, erosion-resistant system of agriculture. Less topsoil would be lost to the winds and less synthetic nitrogen fertilizer would be necessary. This prospect of plant breeding is not to be confused with the gene-splicing habits of such chemical giants as Monsanto. Rather, the process would be one of sexual reproduction and inheritance. While estimates for applicable results are measured in years, that is but a speck of dirt on the face of Earth's geological clock.
Humans have a problem with patience. Our lack of long-term planning and foresight is what got us into this mess initially. But a little investment in our future may be able to pull us back from the brink. We do have the technological capabilities to better our situation; it simply must be applied without the goal of capital gain. I'd love to stay and chat a little longer on the subject, but Thanksgiving duties are calling. Eat, drink, and be thankful for the bounty this Earth has to offer. Cherish it, for one day it may well be gone.
Also, for further, more factual and complete reading, you can find the article that inspired most of this post in the October 2010 issue of The Sun magazine. It's entitled Farmed and is mostly composed of an interview with Wes Jackson. Good stuff. And so we're clear, I make no real claims to originality with this post. I'm simply providing a signal flare synopsis of the information that I found extremely important. Take care all.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thanksgiving Update
So I've been lax with the whole posting thing lately. But I make no apologies for that. The way I see it, living life in the real world takes precedence over daily posting. Just be aware of that, and perhaps consider it next time the sun is shining outside.
Anyways, it's Thanksgiving time. Families may have slightly differing traditions, but the objective is always the same: Food. I would like to take this opportunity to suggest a slight revision to Turkey Day. To most it may come across as blasphemy, but that's what I specialize in. Without further ado, I propose that you attempt a Thanksgiving feast without the bird for once. Don't dismiss the idea as if it were a PETA advertisement. That's not the point I'm getting at. Basically, I'm daring you to be a culinary explorer. Seeks out delicious new recipes using fresh seasonal ingredients. Unless you're an absolutely horrid cook, there's no way you'll be disappointed in what autumn has to offer. Sweet potatoes, for example, are a veritable goldmine of vitamins and beta-carotene. What the hell are tomatillos? Go ahead and find out. Good food is the foundation of the holiday, but I feel as though a number of great dishes are neglected in favor of hackneyed traditional recipes. Who knows, you may discover flavors that make you forget turkey even exists.
So that's my challenge to you: celebrate friends and family with some adventurous new vegetable-based recipes. Preferably seasonal and local. Here's a great website to aid you in your quest for calories: http:www.vegetariantimes.com
And, hey, why not throw on some Johnny Flynn while you're cooking in the kitchen? It'll ward off any chill.
Anyways, it's Thanksgiving time. Families may have slightly differing traditions, but the objective is always the same: Food. I would like to take this opportunity to suggest a slight revision to Turkey Day. To most it may come across as blasphemy, but that's what I specialize in. Without further ado, I propose that you attempt a Thanksgiving feast without the bird for once. Don't dismiss the idea as if it were a PETA advertisement. That's not the point I'm getting at. Basically, I'm daring you to be a culinary explorer. Seeks out delicious new recipes using fresh seasonal ingredients. Unless you're an absolutely horrid cook, there's no way you'll be disappointed in what autumn has to offer. Sweet potatoes, for example, are a veritable goldmine of vitamins and beta-carotene. What the hell are tomatillos? Go ahead and find out. Good food is the foundation of the holiday, but I feel as though a number of great dishes are neglected in favor of hackneyed traditional recipes. Who knows, you may discover flavors that make you forget turkey even exists.
So that's my challenge to you: celebrate friends and family with some adventurous new vegetable-based recipes. Preferably seasonal and local. Here's a great website to aid you in your quest for calories: http:www.vegetariantimes.com
And, hey, why not throw on some Johnny Flynn while you're cooking in the kitchen? It'll ward off any chill.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Now onto the Ecology...
Since we were all introduced just the other day to my dear friend Hardcore, it's high time we become acquainted with its bedfellow, Ecology. I realize that the implications of a word such as ecology offer quite a departure from the crusty violence associated with hardcore. Yet somewhere along the line I took it into my brain to combine the two into one schizophrenic blog. Nothing like pulling carrots fresh from the earth while blasting the neighbors with some mad Slayer riffage, am I right?
Seriously though. Human ecology is a matter of life and death. We have subjugated the planet's natural resources in a futile attempt to fuel the insatiable engine of capitalism and materialism. Current methods of production are simply unsustainable in any sort of long-term scenario. Those industrial-sized drills may as well be digging humanity's mass grave. To be sure, however, I share in the culpability of our society. I can't claim to be the righteous messiah of Nature. I too am guilty of the immense perversion of nature. Here I sit, typing on the triumph of the 20th century: the personal computer. Its silky black keys beneath my fingers, synthetically molded from liquidated organic dinosaur matter. Clearly our relationship to the past and future is inescapable. The way I see it, humans need to redefine their relationship to their environment if they wish to create even the illusion of permanence in this world. At this rate, the Earth stands ready to reject the human race just as the immune system rejects a virus. As I mentioned previously though, I am in the very same boat as all the rest. The difference is right now I'm slapping my oars against the viscous, fossil-fuel saturated water, hoping that someone will pay attention to what I have to say. As much as this blog is a place for me to show off my completely irrelevant knowledge of men who growl and make noise for a living, it's also an opportunity to propagate knowledge of environmental injustices.
There is yet hope for a more eco-sensitive future if only people would accept the gravity of the situation and not simply brush it off for fear that if they concede the existence of global warming, they'll have to give up their precious Starbucks lattes. I urge everyone to reconsider their priorities. And I promise to do the same. There are small improvements we can all adopt without much pain. For example, try bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, investing in waterbottles not containing BPA, and eating fresh, local food instead of processed and packaged crap full of additives. You may find that being conscious of these matters is not only beneficial for your mental health, but your physical well-being too. And even if you've heard heard all these little suggestions before and are frankly getting sick of them, don't think they're going away anytime soon. From these small adjustments comes larger-scale revolution. To briefly illustrate, people around the nation are coming together to ban the fuck out of single-use plastic bags.
The point being, if you're not already concerned with the abominable state that modern industry has put nature in, you had better get with the program. It's going to take a massive group effort in order to reverse even some of the damage that has been done. Don't despair just yet though. If we appropriate efficient new technologies that either reuse waste or create none at all, adopt sustainable methods of harvesting resources, and couple this with a drastic reduction in material consumption, we might be able to reach some some of equilibrium. For those of you uninformed, environmental reform doesn't mean returning to stick and stones and bushmeat. But it does require the rejection of superfluous, single-service convenience. And the banishment of Monsanto as well.
I feel like I may be getting a little carried away at the moment. Let's refocus a bit. There's time to delve into individual issues in the future. The initial goal of this post was to explain the mysterious presence of the word 'ecology' in this blog's title. I probably could have skipped the whole dramatic intro and simply put it like this: I'm just a guy who likes hardcore music, but who also wants to see mankind reform its relationship with the environment to be more caring and sustainable. I'm hoping some of you share at least this latter sentiment. Or else I'm rather fucked, along with humanity as a whole.
Seriously though. Human ecology is a matter of life and death. We have subjugated the planet's natural resources in a futile attempt to fuel the insatiable engine of capitalism and materialism. Current methods of production are simply unsustainable in any sort of long-term scenario. Those industrial-sized drills may as well be digging humanity's mass grave. To be sure, however, I share in the culpability of our society. I can't claim to be the righteous messiah of Nature. I too am guilty of the immense perversion of nature. Here I sit, typing on the triumph of the 20th century: the personal computer. Its silky black keys beneath my fingers, synthetically molded from liquidated organic dinosaur matter. Clearly our relationship to the past and future is inescapable. The way I see it, humans need to redefine their relationship to their environment if they wish to create even the illusion of permanence in this world. At this rate, the Earth stands ready to reject the human race just as the immune system rejects a virus. As I mentioned previously though, I am in the very same boat as all the rest. The difference is right now I'm slapping my oars against the viscous, fossil-fuel saturated water, hoping that someone will pay attention to what I have to say. As much as this blog is a place for me to show off my completely irrelevant knowledge of men who growl and make noise for a living, it's also an opportunity to propagate knowledge of environmental injustices.
There is yet hope for a more eco-sensitive future if only people would accept the gravity of the situation and not simply brush it off for fear that if they concede the existence of global warming, they'll have to give up their precious Starbucks lattes. I urge everyone to reconsider their priorities. And I promise to do the same. There are small improvements we can all adopt without much pain. For example, try bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, investing in waterbottles not containing BPA, and eating fresh, local food instead of processed and packaged crap full of additives. You may find that being conscious of these matters is not only beneficial for your mental health, but your physical well-being too. And even if you've heard heard all these little suggestions before and are frankly getting sick of them, don't think they're going away anytime soon. From these small adjustments comes larger-scale revolution. To briefly illustrate, people around the nation are coming together to ban the fuck out of single-use plastic bags.
The point being, if you're not already concerned with the abominable state that modern industry has put nature in, you had better get with the program. It's going to take a massive group effort in order to reverse even some of the damage that has been done. Don't despair just yet though. If we appropriate efficient new technologies that either reuse waste or create none at all, adopt sustainable methods of harvesting resources, and couple this with a drastic reduction in material consumption, we might be able to reach some some of equilibrium. For those of you uninformed, environmental reform doesn't mean returning to stick and stones and bushmeat. But it does require the rejection of superfluous, single-service convenience. And the banishment of Monsanto as well.
I feel like I may be getting a little carried away at the moment. Let's refocus a bit. There's time to delve into individual issues in the future. The initial goal of this post was to explain the mysterious presence of the word 'ecology' in this blog's title. I probably could have skipped the whole dramatic intro and simply put it like this: I'm just a guy who likes hardcore music, but who also wants to see mankind reform its relationship with the environment to be more caring and sustainable. I'm hoping some of you share at least this latter sentiment. Or else I'm rather fucked, along with humanity as a whole.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
What is this 'Hardcore' business about?
Some of you who have stumbled upon this obscure virtual page may be wondering, 'Why metal?' And to some extent, I find the question justified. At times I've had to step back and ask myself the very same. I'm not really all that hardcore in the grand scheme of things.. Yet over the years I've come to forge an unbreakable bond with this perpetual underdog of the music world.
At its very core, metal is protest. It stand in firm opposition to the powers that be. Metal essentially sends an unapologetic "Fuck you!" to the cultural norms of the day, whatever what those constantly changing norms are. This mentality is what keeps metal, or at least what some people consider true metal, on the fringes of society. It is not widely embraced, nor does it want to be. Metal exists in a sort of self-imposed exile; doomed to rage eternally against the unhearing, unthinking majority. Why else do you think commercial success causes such uproar in the underground mental community? 'Sellout' is perhaps one of the most common epithets thrown about. It's a sign of catering to the homogenization and declawing of music.
But where do I, your humble blogger, fit into this labyrinth of decibels and hatred? Well, being a stereotypically disillusioned teen, I felt the world was against me, or at least that I was somehow outside of its benevolence. This perceived isolation blossomed into a certain amount of disdain for conformity and complacency. Angry music proved to be the perfect compliment for these sentiments. The progression of my musical interests went something like this: 90's radio rock --> Hard rock --> Emo/Screamo --> Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth --> Melodic Death Metal --> Death Metal --> Punk/Hardcore/Black Metal/Post-Metal/Indie Folk and so on. The rebellious nature of the music was something I could cling to, even if my white middle-class angst was essentially fabricated from massive misconceptions about the world. Yet as I grew, so too did my understanding of the issues addressed in heavy music. I distrust politics, hypocritical Christians and anything involving Justin Bieber. Basically, I got into metal somewhat ignorantly, but soon found it perfectly suited to my beliefs. Or perhaps it subconsciously formed many of my opinions. There may well be truth in both explanations.
Then there's the fact that metal is the perfect tool for self-medication. It's fairly easy to blow off some steam while listening to a Suffocation album. Yet don't be lulled into thinking that metal is a single-speed crushing machine. The massive number of finicky sub genres can cater to your every mood. If you're feeling lonely, but also very classy, why not throw on Opeth's album Damnation? Or if you don't feel like having a guy lacerate his throat in your general direction, but still want that metal ambiance, then Russian Circles, Pelican, Levi/Werstler are ready to render their services. And nothing makes you feel like an invincible motherfucker like a Hatebreed album. Even if they all sound the same. The versatility is something rarely recognized by those outside of the genre. They really throw the baby out with the bathwater on that one. Metalheads are a creative bunch, and are always trying to differentiate themselves further from the field. The emotional content is by no means limited to anger, and I think I lot of people fail to recognize its richness. And as a timely seasonal suggestion, Burzum makes for great holiday music. Frost-bitten winters have never felt so warm.
All that said, I'm by no means foolish enough to believe that my powers of persuasion are such that a passerby would dare give Burzum a spin. Metal is an ugly son-of-a-bitch. It seems only certain individuals are able to tame it for their own listening pleasure. While it may be true of all musical genres that it involves a deep emotional connection, this fact is indisputable with metal. Fans are branded and bonded for life. Metalheads will tell you that they're in it for the long haul and it's not just a passing trend. In the end it's something you feel in your heart. I know it's certainly true for me. Even if the reasons I provided for my induction into the metal fold are less than compelling, it doesn't matter. I love it through the blood, sweat and blastbeats.
At its very core, metal is protest. It stand in firm opposition to the powers that be. Metal essentially sends an unapologetic "Fuck you!" to the cultural norms of the day, whatever what those constantly changing norms are. This mentality is what keeps metal, or at least what some people consider true metal, on the fringes of society. It is not widely embraced, nor does it want to be. Metal exists in a sort of self-imposed exile; doomed to rage eternally against the unhearing, unthinking majority. Why else do you think commercial success causes such uproar in the underground mental community? 'Sellout' is perhaps one of the most common epithets thrown about. It's a sign of catering to the homogenization and declawing of music.
But where do I, your humble blogger, fit into this labyrinth of decibels and hatred? Well, being a stereotypically disillusioned teen, I felt the world was against me, or at least that I was somehow outside of its benevolence. This perceived isolation blossomed into a certain amount of disdain for conformity and complacency. Angry music proved to be the perfect compliment for these sentiments. The progression of my musical interests went something like this: 90's radio rock --> Hard rock --> Emo/Screamo --> Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth --> Melodic Death Metal --> Death Metal --> Punk/Hardcore/Black Metal/Post-Metal/Indie Folk and so on. The rebellious nature of the music was something I could cling to, even if my white middle-class angst was essentially fabricated from massive misconceptions about the world. Yet as I grew, so too did my understanding of the issues addressed in heavy music. I distrust politics, hypocritical Christians and anything involving Justin Bieber. Basically, I got into metal somewhat ignorantly, but soon found it perfectly suited to my beliefs. Or perhaps it subconsciously formed many of my opinions. There may well be truth in both explanations.
Then there's the fact that metal is the perfect tool for self-medication. It's fairly easy to blow off some steam while listening to a Suffocation album. Yet don't be lulled into thinking that metal is a single-speed crushing machine. The massive number of finicky sub genres can cater to your every mood. If you're feeling lonely, but also very classy, why not throw on Opeth's album Damnation? Or if you don't feel like having a guy lacerate his throat in your general direction, but still want that metal ambiance, then Russian Circles, Pelican, Levi/Werstler are ready to render their services. And nothing makes you feel like an invincible motherfucker like a Hatebreed album. Even if they all sound the same. The versatility is something rarely recognized by those outside of the genre. They really throw the baby out with the bathwater on that one. Metalheads are a creative bunch, and are always trying to differentiate themselves further from the field. The emotional content is by no means limited to anger, and I think I lot of people fail to recognize its richness. And as a timely seasonal suggestion, Burzum makes for great holiday music. Frost-bitten winters have never felt so warm.
All that said, I'm by no means foolish enough to believe that my powers of persuasion are such that a passerby would dare give Burzum a spin. Metal is an ugly son-of-a-bitch. It seems only certain individuals are able to tame it for their own listening pleasure. While it may be true of all musical genres that it involves a deep emotional connection, this fact is indisputable with metal. Fans are branded and bonded for life. Metalheads will tell you that they're in it for the long haul and it's not just a passing trend. In the end it's something you feel in your heart. I know it's certainly true for me. Even if the reasons I provided for my induction into the metal fold are less than compelling, it doesn't matter. I love it through the blood, sweat and blastbeats.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Trial Run#1
Welcome, one and all, to The Hardcore Ecologist.
This space is essentially dedicated to the gratification of my own personal interests. However, it carries with it the fervent hope that someone else may come to find it mildly stimulating and may even bother to check back once or twice. While I am loath to limit the topics to be discussed on this blog, I'll go ahead and state that the main themes that will be dealt with are metal music (in its sundry varieties) and environmental issues. These are simply two things that strike my fancy, and I want to show that they are not mutually exclusive either. To accompany these overarching themes, there may also be amateurish attempts at philosophy, poetry, agricultural reform and recommendations for great vegetarian recipes. In the end I hope you'll find it an eclectic and engaging mixture. In subsequent posts there may be vitriol, there may be pacifism, there may even be communism, but there will always be metal!
And if all else fails, this is at least a place for me to store my onanistic writings as a college student who thinks he has something to offer. As such, I leave you with this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBLOMGMW9ww
Thanks for checking out The Hardcore Ecologist!
Hopefully I'll be on my feet soon, figuring out how this shit works first.
This space is essentially dedicated to the gratification of my own personal interests. However, it carries with it the fervent hope that someone else may come to find it mildly stimulating and may even bother to check back once or twice. While I am loath to limit the topics to be discussed on this blog, I'll go ahead and state that the main themes that will be dealt with are metal music (in its sundry varieties) and environmental issues. These are simply two things that strike my fancy, and I want to show that they are not mutually exclusive either. To accompany these overarching themes, there may also be amateurish attempts at philosophy, poetry, agricultural reform and recommendations for great vegetarian recipes. In the end I hope you'll find it an eclectic and engaging mixture. In subsequent posts there may be vitriol, there may be pacifism, there may even be communism, but there will always be metal!
And if all else fails, this is at least a place for me to store my onanistic writings as a college student who thinks he has something to offer. As such, I leave you with this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBLOMGMW9ww
Thanks for checking out The Hardcore Ecologist!
Hopefully I'll be on my feet soon, figuring out how this shit works first.
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