I suppose I should introduce myself right around here. My name is Nathan, and I'm from Guelph, Canada. And no, I don't live in an igloo. I'm in two bands, one called Seventh Gear - a heavy metal band, and the other called Band 2 for now until me and the band think up a creative name for it. But Band 2 is a rock group, and has nothing to with metal.
I'm sure you will hear lots about the bands in future blogs to come, as this is more of a blog for my rants about the progress that the bands are making. I should also make a note that the current MP3 on this site that I have uploaded has nothing to do with either of the bands I am in, or at least it does not at the moment. Perhaps it is possible to write a song featuring parts of Explosion, but it's not something I'm working on at this moment. At this time, I'm finished with this blog, but you can expect another one about Seventh Gear to come shortly.
Last night, after two years of faithful service, I came to the realization that my MP3 player is dying. Not in the sense that the batteries are dead, but in the sense that the entire player is just dying. The screen is fading away, and the headphone connector is beginning to fizzle and crack every time I stick the MP3 player in my pocket. Two years is a long time to get out of an MP3 player. But I want somebody to tell me why this had to happen when I don't have a job or cash to buy a new one. (And for anybody who's wondering, no, it was not an iPod).
And for some reason, it takes a painfully long time to write a blog on this site. I love this site, but it takes forever to type in a word . I'm typing faster than the letters are appearing on the scren - much faster. Is anybody else having this problem?
The environment is really starting to make me angry as well. The environmentalists, anyways. "Oh my god the world is falling apart! There will be no more oil left soon! We are going into global warming! The whole world is going to implode itself if we don't start saving energy!" Now, personally, I know am a dying breed, but I don't believe this whole bull crap about global warming exists. I think that this is just a clever ploy done by the government (namely Al Gore) to instill fear and to act as another money-making scandal. The earth has gone through this before. We're just speeding up the process. The only reason it's such a big deal is because we as humans have never gone through, or recorded experiences, in something like this. And if global warming really exists, then forgive me for thinking that we're probably already too late. You can't stop change rom happening. Sorry, Ale Gore, but you're not God. Remember Jurassic Park? People shouldn't try to play God. Bad things happen.
That's my rant on the environmentalists.
I promised that I would get into a blog about Seventh Gear and Band 2 at some point as well, and it's on my to do list. Maybe later today. I'll have to try this site on another computer to see if blogging is any easier or faster.
So I'm finally going to give an update into what the frig is going on these days! ABOUT DANG TIME! Yeah, I haven't been here in a long time, but I've been extremely busy since late August. And school's come around, and grade twelve pretty much blows. It's too much work that doesn't have to do with music.
I started working on my book again this year. None of you know about this, so I'll tell you: I've been trying to write a book since I was eight. I finished the first draft in December of 2005, and it was 314 pages long. I'm on page 210 right now on the newest draft. I think I'm near page 100 of the first draft, which means this draft will probably be 500 pages, which I'm OK with. Anyways, for those who are interested in knowing, it's a fantasy/adventure book...
Mooooving on...so, I promised I would tell you about my bands. This is a long story, because it's constantly being updated because it's constantly CHANGING.
OK, so I've wanted to be in a band since I was like....3 years old....and for some reason, I didn't pick up a guitar till I was 11. But moving on, in spring of 2006 I met my current bassist. We jammed for several months and then I asked if he'd like to join my band. he's like Steve Harris on 'roids, which means he's amazing. And so the band, which I called Seventh Gear (we're thrash metal), came into existence, with me taking vocals for the time being. We didn't have a drummer (which was necessary) or a second guitarist (which I deemed necessary).
And then last spring (2007), I met a guitarist named Jordan. I asked him to join the band right away and started writing songs. We were still looking for a drummer.
Summer happened. I was writing songs, but it became quite clear that my rythm sections were overly fast and complex for Jordan's approach to lead guitar. I had to fire him from the band, which was hard to do because he's a killer guy. Naturally, I wanted to keep jamming with him, but in a style more suited for him.
The solution was to start a second band, tentatively called Band 2. It's Seventh Gear before Jordan was fired. Seventh Gear is back to its original form of only a bassist and rythm/lead guitarist/vocalist. Band 2 is more of a rock, punk, grunge kind of thing. It's whatever Jordan writes and whatever I write that isn't metal. It gets thrown into Band 2's stuff.
In late August, I got a mysterious phone call from a guy I had never met who got my phone number off of friends of a friend of his. He's from Cambridge, ON (20 minutes from where I live) and wants me to join his band because he heard I'm an amazing guitar player. The band is called Before the Fallen and they're releasing a demo very soon, but as soon as the demo is released, their guitarist must part ways with them. They need a replacement, and I've been asked to come out and jam to see if my style fits into Before the Fallen's. They're post-hardcore. I've never written that style so it's a little weird.
But I haven't jammed with them yet. No time. I just got a job working with Winners (a company that's huge up in Canada, but I can't remember what the American counterpart is). And combine that with school, and I become a very busy person with no time for anything anymore. So I've been writing my book and writing music in my spare time. The songs aren't progressing at all. So I'll have to see what happens.
But I need 12-20 songs complete very soon, except for the odd solo and the drum section, so I can begin auditions for a drummer and a lead guitarist. Things are coming along fairly well for somebody who has no time, though.
What's going down these days? That was one of the last questions I was asked in the past week. I'm standing there, thinking for a good answer and all I could think was "Holy crap, where do I start?" All I could say was "Um...not much...." It was easier than telling a half-hour long story.
And now I'm sitting here with nothing to do, thinking to myself that I might as well just put a post up on ultimate-guitar.com and see what everybody else is up to and talk about me.
Alright, so I go to my youth group a week and a half ago and there are these dudes there who have been showing up for the past three weeks. But I wasn't there for a while because of some crap going on in my life that didn't let me get out of the house much . Anyways, they were there that night and they're from a local (Cambridge) metal band called Before the Fallen, and they had heard I was good at guitar and they needed a new guitarist.
Well, they're from Cambridge and I'm from Guelph, so I guess I'm getting a reputation, considering they live half an hour away from me. I play guitar at my youth group, and I did some solos in the songs, which impressed them, I guess, but they asked me after to show them some of my songs and I shredded their faces off.
And they called me up that Monday and were like "So, how do you feel about joining our band?" Inside I'm all like , but I cooly responded "pretty good." And the dude says "Great. But here's the thing. We're recording a demo on October 26th-28th, and our main guitarist is a dick and he's only written 3 songs for us over the past two years. And we need 3 more. I know this is asking a lot, but could you write 3 or 4 songs over the next couple weeks for us?" I'm like "No problem man I've already got a song ready for you - I wrote it on Saturday in like ten minutes" (which was true). And the guy I'm talking to, his name is Jordan, and he's like freeaaking out about this, and I told him that was just what I do. But here's the killer part. They want me to record part of their demo with them, () the songs that I write. And it's going to be free for me. They've already paid for it.
So I've been working on that for next month, and it will be one of the heaviest things ever.
Apart from that, I've been going crazy at school. It's too much work. Multiple tests and projects all due in the same week.
AND I'm going to get a new guitar in a couple weeks. It's just a backup, so I'm going to get an RG321MH, but if you're googling it, look up "Ibanez RG321". It's pretty nice, and I'd put up a picture of it, but I'm far too lazy. Faaaaar too lazy.
And I'm quitting the job. My second last shift is tonight. And if my employer don't like it, he can do this:
I don't know if there's anything I hate more than a stupid moron for a guitarist. Like the kind of people who are like "That Ibanez JEM of yours is one effed guitar man. I don't get it." I'm like "What do you play, Strats?" "Yeah man. They're the way to go."
FREAKING TOOLS.
Just cause John Effing Mayer plays one doesn't mean you should, dickwad. At least I bought a JEM because it plays good. Not like your StratCrap. No offense to anybody who plays a Strat, there's just nothing I can't stand more than a Strat player who's like "I've got the ultimate guitar". No.
AND I HATE AUDITIONS.
So I'm out at my school's talent show auditiion today, which I didn't know was going down, so I borrowed a random dude's acoustic and went to the audition. And the dudes there watched me play through Call of Ktulu (Metallica, for those who don't know).
And then after I was done, the guy's like "We have a limit of five minutes, by the way." I was going "You little craphead! Why didn't you tell me that before I started playing??? Stupid fool!!!"
So I'm pretty sure the talent show ain't happening after that blow-up.
AND BEFORE THE FALLEN...I got kicked out of that band because they're tools who were like "We can't mix styles - you have to sound like the dude from As I Lay Dying, but you're a lot faster than him, so it won't work out." They fired me only a couple days before I was supposed to be recording with them.
So now, I form Seventh Gear again. And I'm working on it. And it's freaking difficult to write good material, but I have to get a band together within a month or so. So I need to audition soon.
I want a Macbook. I really do. PCs piss me off. Let's start with the random crashes on my comp lately. What the frig is that all about? I'll be running iTunes, Firefox, MSN, and Limewire. And then my comp will decide to just freeze. I don't even understand... OR the internet signal that I no longer seem to be getting from my basement (cuz the house is rigged for WiFi) in between the hours of 10 PM-12 AM every night. That's a real pain.
Microsoft better start doing some real if they want my continued business.
That, and I'd like to get a Macbook for Garageband. That would be incredibly amazing, especially since I need some good quality stuff. And a week ago today, I got my new Ibanez RG321. No pictures yet. No pictures of my other gear yet, but I promise I'll get some eventually.
The RG has a fixed bridge, which is what I needed for this guitar, but at the same time, it's bad. The problem with this fixed bridge is that it has the same problem that some poorly made Strats do: the nuts on the edge of the bridge, where you palm mute, dig into your hand. It's torn chunks out of mine (I'm a very enthusiastic palm muter). So, I want to get the bridge replaced with something a little smoother.
The neck feels great, but the frets stick way out. They're jumbo size frets, which I love, but the metal things that separate the frets from each other jut way out of the fretboard. I want to get them filed down.
I've done some other research too - I can't just file down the nuts on the bridge either, because that would mess up the set-up on the guitar, and intonation might become a problem (which is easy enough to be fixed; I just don't want to throw the whole thing out of whack).
I NEED SOME ADVICE
Here's my final problem: I've got a Boss Metal Zone pedal. The problem with it is that I can't seem to dial in the right settings to get a clear distortion; it's always muddy. It's not the pickups, because the guitar sounds great using a Peavey amp's standard distortion. Therefore it's the pedal. If anybody knows some sweet settings or some really good sites where they offer that kind of help, that would be sweet.
And Seventh Gear has two songs written now and is working on their third; not bad for only doing a week's worth of work. We're planning on putting up a Myspace soon, and we have to record these three songs on a comp. It'll be half-decent quality, but it will just be a bassist and guitarist because the songs will be for audition purposes - we need a drummer and another guitarist. I might do vocals, me and the bassist are still pitching ideas back and forth. But singing while playing is turning into a real bitch, for lack of a better term.
I'm going to rant for a little here, because I feel like it, about the point of cateogrizing music: in other words, no point at all. Seriously. What is the point of categorization? Is there something wrong with me listening to both old-school Metallica and Korn in a single day? What about Trivium? Sorry, I might have just caused some controversy because I put Trivium and Metallica in the same paragraph. That's so retarded. And another thing. WHAT IS REAL METAL? Seriously all these kids are like "Trivium's not real metal. Old-school Metallica is real metal." I don't understand at all. And why do we hate on major-label or popular bands? Good music is good music, man. Don't hate on it just cuz they're richer than you. Be happy somebody's putting out some music your hate-ridden soul can latch onto. And what's the point of categorizing things when it only leads to haters and people who only listen to one kind of music? I think musical diversity is important. You're always going to have one genre that's your favourite, but at least be able to say that you're a fan of Dimebag Darrell AND B.B. King.
One last thing: why do people constantly hate on Pantera when (I admit they're over-rated slightly) they put out some sweet tunes?
Limewire and the current state of the music indust
Enter: November 2007. Personality: Gene Simmons Dickometer Rating: Gene Simmons, on the Dick Scale, is a perfect 10, being the equivalent of the most unbelievable jerk you'll ever see. What happened: Gene Simmons decides he is above his fans and his beginnings with KISS and says that downloaders "should be sued off the face of the earth". If you want to read the story, here's the link: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/gen e_simmons_downloaders_should_be_sued_off_the_face_ of_the_earth.html
Let's talk about some of the things the all-too rich Gene Simmons had to say. He calls downloaders crooks and says that "Every little college kid,
every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the
face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and
nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000
to a million people out of work."
What is downloading? In all legal terms and jurisdiction, the word downloading is a word that actually gets murky. Its definition varies from program to program, but the two most popular programs (in my opinion) Limewire and BitTorrent both use P2P.
P2P, for those of you who don't know, is a sophisticated form of downloading where one person SHARES his songs with another person. Therefore, in all legal terms, it's called sharing and should technically be legal. (Note that in Canada it is legal to "download" but illegal to "upload" music. Therefore, in the north you can download from Limewire as much as your heart desires).
HOLD ON A SECOND. Sharing is not a new concept with music. It's use with the Internet is new. But let's talk about pre-Internet sharing. Back in the days when my parents were younger (i.e. the 80s) and the cassette tapes still reigned, it was possible to record the radio while you listened to it on your tapedeck and to duplicate any tape that you owned if you had a dual tapedeck.
So people started to duplicate songs heard on the radio and tapes they bought and shared it with their friends, and sometimes found international penpals through magazines like Kerrang! and shared their music all over the world. Heavy metal would not exist today if it were not for tape sharing; most heavy metal bands owe their existence to some kind of trading.
Back in the day, recording a tape onto another tape meant a slight loss of quality in the tape. Today, downloading a CD or a song from another user is the same thing - a slight loss in quality. Also, under most technical laws, since it is legal to burn a movie or CD and give it to somebody for free, this is essentially the same thing. You are burning music and giving it away. If you were selling the music and not giving any money to the label or artist, then we would have a problem.
Therefore it should be legal to download music.
For a continuation of this, see Part 2 of Limewire and the current state of the music industry.
Limewire and the current state of the music indust
So tell me why Gene Simmons can say that all downloaders should be sued when in reality, he owes everything to tape trading. Lars Ulrich, eat your heart out. Enter Napster case in 2000: Lars Ulrich was against Napster because he didn't think it did the underground record stores any favours. Gene Simmons 2007: Against downloaders because it loses money.
Somebody who commented on the article said something I quite liked "Can somebody tell me where I can buy Kiss toilet paper? You know, the kind with Gene Simmons' tongue on it?"
Honestly, Gene and his Kiss buddies have made their millions. I don't see the point in them getting more money. *downloads Kiss songs just to piss Gene off and then deletes them, only after sending the files via e-mail to Gene himself*
Gene spends a good deal of time talking about the problems with the music industry and where it's headed. Personally, I think anybody with a brain in their head can see the direction it's going - independent labels and self-produced albums where the bands earn all the cash.
The major recording labels are going extinct. And I'm fine with that.
That would mean no more MTV (YES!), more music variety, and nothing being shoved down our throats musically. Everything would be controlled by the artists themselves.
The way Radiohead marketed their new CD was pure genius: self-producing it and making it (temporarily) only available online. They made over $10 million in one month.
In all reality, downloading doesn't hurt the artists much. At most, a band will make $2 off every CD sold. Merch and shows are where all the money is made. The labels still make a percentage from those shows, but granted, that percentage is much smaller. If you look at iTunes statistics, most multi-platinum artists only make 12-15 cents a song for their hard work. I don't think most of them care if they lose that dime or quarter.
If the labels disappear, everything stops being so generic. Somebody once said that "everything these days sounds like a refrigerator buzzing". That's not a good thing. it's time for some originality! Take inspiration from old music! Ignore pop music and rap from the twenty-first century! Take a stand! Do something good with your music! Take from the greats!
I hope the major labels go down in flames, as you should too. It only means good things for us as listeners if that happens. I hope more people self-produce CDs, too. It means everything the artist wants to do is done.
And for crying out loud, keep downloading from Limewire and BitTorrent. My band is going to specifically target those programs and use them to our benefit in our quest for world domination.
Music is meant for the people. And I support them getting it in any way possible, so long as they keep coming to my shows.
What on earth is the point in writing a blog if nobody reads it? Why do I go to so much trouble? Seriously... and how come other people have so many comments on theirs?
Will somebody subscribe to my blog and comment or kudos every one? It would make my life!
And by the way...I have a new song up. So LISTEN TO IT.
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Nathan_393's blogs, last updated : December 3, 2008
. Not in the sense that the batteries are dead, but in the sense that the entire player is just dying.
The screen is fading away, and the headphone connector is beginning to fizzle and crack every time I stick the MP3 player in my pocket. Two years is a long time to get out of an MP3 player. But I want somebody to tell me why this had to happen when I don't have a job or cash to buy a new one. (And for anybody who's wondering, no, it was not an iPod).
The environmentalists, anyways. "Oh my god the world is falling apart! There will be no more oil left soon! We are going into global warming! The whole world is going to implode itself if we don't start saving energy!" Now, personally, I know am a dying breed, but I don't believe this whole bull crap about global warming exists. I think that this is just a clever ploy done by the government (namely Al Gore) to instill fear and to act as another money-making scandal. The earth has gone through this before. We're just speeding up the process. The only reason it's such a big deal is because we as humans have never gone through, or recorded experiences, in something like this. And if global warming really exists, then forgive me for thinking that we're probably already too late. You can't stop change rom happening. Sorry, Ale Gore, but you're not God. Remember Jurassic Park? People shouldn't try to play God. Bad things happen.
All I could say was "Um...not much...." 
It was easier than telling a half-hour long story.
. Anyways, they were there that night and they're from a local (Cambridge) metal band called Before the Fallen, and they had heard I was good at guitar and they needed a new guitarist. 
I play guitar at my youth group, and I did some solos in the songs, which impressed them, I guess, but they asked me after to show them some of my songs and I shredded their faces off. 
, but I cooly responded "pretty good." And the dude says "Great. But here's the thing. We're recording a demo on October 26th-28th, and our main guitarist is a dick and he's only written 3 songs for us over the past two years. And we need 3 more. I know this is asking a lot, but could you write 3 or 4 songs over the next couple weeks for us?" 
, and I told him that was just what I do. 
They want me to record part of their demo with them, (
in a couple weeks. It's just a backup, so I'm going to get an RG321MH, but if you're googling it, look up "Ibanez RG321". It's pretty nice, and I'd put up a picture of it, but I'm far too lazy. Faaaaar too lazy.
