Cat Pillar

The link may be broken, but your new avatar is pretty. Shiny lightning....

I just now realized that SFQ appears to be headquartered out of Eden Prairie, MN. I used to live in the Twin Cities! Maybe I can stop by to check it out next time I'm visiting my folks in MN. If only such opportunities were available in Houston. There is that Shaolin Temple, but I expect there's going to be some heavy Buddhism coming with any training from there, and I just don't think Buddhism is my bag of tea.

Hmm, sounds pretty interesting. Seems to be getting good reviews from folks here too, I'll have to make some time to watch it!

Since you prefer clean vocals, I'd recommend checking out Ayreon and Symphony X. Ayreon does expansive concept albums using lots of guest vocalists (including greats like Bruce Dickinson!) Symphony X also does the concept album thing, but they vary it up a little more than Rhapsody does (imo).

I've heard of Taake, but never listened to them. I really dig Amon Amarth though, especially "Versus the World". If you like the Finnish stuff, you should check out Finntroll! Enslaved is pretty cool, my old band got to open for them once. It was a killer show. Mercyful Fate is classic! You should check out Ghost! ------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for the advice, Joe! Tubes are definitely the way I want to go...I've wanted a tube amp pretty much since I started playing. I'll have to bookmark this thread so I can refer to it once I'm ready to start throwing cash around.

Yeah, the only recording I've done was in our practice room. We actually managed to get a surprisingly decent sound, but nothing like what a professional studio could have got us. My price range is probably going to be around $1000 to $1200...gotta keep it cheap for now cuz I have a lot of other expenses to be worrying about.

Is it weird that I can't understand half of what y'all are talking about...but it still sounds sexy? I ought to ask y'all for recommendations, since I'll be in the market for a tube amp soon. Need something I can gig with - I run through either one or two B-52 4x12 cabs depending on transportation (can't remember if it's the LS-412 or the AT-412 off the top of my head; they handle 480W). Durability is definitely a factor. Looking for high gain - I like some decent buzz, but tone is super important to me too. I can't stand the completely-scooped mids that a lot of extreme metal guitarists use, especially when they peg the treble. Frickin' bees in a jar.

I see your Christian rap, and raise you Christian black metal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgu0gZrLPuA

The first album will consist entirely of a recording of a 40-minute silent meditation.

Perhaps this is something I need to be wary of in myself. I don't really think of myself as a "thrill seeker," but I did note a defensive reaction when reading this, so maybe it's something I need to look at. I just think a spiritual experience of some kind would go a long ways toward fueling my motivation. As it is, it's hard to maintain a practice when the world feels like a desert.

Hmm...you make a good point. Although I don't really adhere to any doctrines, my main interest is in practices that give results. I prefer the flavor of Taoism, though. I'm just wary of mind-altering substances because I don't want them to turn into crutches. I don't want to have to rely on plants and plants alone if I can help it, y'know? Or is that an irrational concern? Don't really have a proper sadhana quite yet (had to look that one up.) Most of the practices I'm interested in are transmission-based, so I mostly get by with a somewhat irregular breathing practice until I can make it to a workshop. I was practicing diligently for a few months, but didn't notice any kind of "spiritual" results. Dangerous to hunt experiences? Any more dangerous than leading the average modern American life? I've wondered recently if I'm one of those unlucky ones who are "spiritual rejects." Sure would be disappointing to discover that all the time I've spent in spiritual pursuits was wasted effort. Not that it would stop me from trying anyways. I'm stupid like that.

You pointed out exactly the main reason I'm interested in things like Ayahuasca and psilocybin. I've never really had any interesting or "spiritual" experiences, and so there's a strong attraction to taking something that purports to deliver such experiences. I'd still rather do it the natural way, although I've never had any luck with the natural way. For whatever reason all this spiritual stuff just doesn't seem to exist for me.

I take the same approach most of the time. For instance, the band "Ghost." Really good music (self-described as influenced by The Doors, Pink Floyd, and Ennio Morricone - personally I think they sound a lot like Mercyful Fate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9xu0S3v4xc), with heavily satanic lyrics. Although...I can't really take them seriously. Most extreme metal bands I have trouble taking seriously, maybe because I've been in the scene for so long. Having known a lot of bands, there tends to be two camps; those who take it way too seriously, and those who are just having fun with it. "Immortal" is an excellent example of a black metal band that doesn't take itself too seriously. I mean...there's nothing scary about this: Edit: changed the Ghost song to an instrumental track off the album that's really good.

One day I will have a tube amp. My Line 6 Spider III works okay, but...you just can't beat that authentic tube sound.

I'm interested as well, Taomeow.

Don't forget me! I'm INTJ too. Hey, at least we have Hawking on our side. That's gotta count for something, right? Also...hello, Aunt Clair! Nice to see you again. _/\_

Last I heard they were hoping for a December release date for the new book, but as far as I know that's not set in stone.

Ihsahn is a pretty amazing musician. Mayhem is good, Chimera is one of my favorite albums...although Ordo Ad Chao was pretty good too.

D'awwww, they're so cuuuuute!

My opinion: you're trying too hard. I'm a musician myself, although guitar is my main instrument, not keyboard. When it comes to writing, I find I write my best music when I'm not really trying. For me, it's more about feeling the song out than consciously trying to write something. If there's an emotion or feel I'm going for, I might set that as an intent; but writing for me usually consists of playing with the sounds until something sticks - a lick or progression will catch my ear, and I'll jam on that for awhile until the rest starts unfolding. Writing music in my opinion is best done when you remove yourself from the process. The music can write itself if you let it. I might have an easier time with this kind of writing because I never learned much music theory. I'm not Eric Clapton or Joe Satriani, but I enjoy the music I write, and most of the people I play for seem to enjoy it too. Don't take it so seriously! Play around a bit. Beef up your technical skills if you want to open new avenues of exploration, but don't let the theory trip up your creativity. I've tried translating music from dreams into waking life, and it's never worked out well for me. Something that sounded absolutely awesome in my dream made absolutely zero sense musically in waking reality. Take that dreamtime creativity with a grain of salt - the rules are completely different over there, and the symbolic nature of events shouldn't be taken lightly either. Yes, I believe dreams can be a VERY powerful source of creativity. Perhaps learning lucid dreaming techniques would really help out your songwriting! But stressing about it is only going to get in your way, regardless of what you decide to do. And I think learning to develop the creative process in waking life will serve you much better as a musician than pining for the limitless power found in dreamtime. Just my two cents. Well, maybe five. It's a long post.

Sure did the Martians a lot of good. I won't even pretend to have a solid opinion on the overpopulation issues. I'm not nearly wise enough to think of a solution.

Yeah, it only took us how long to figure out what acupuncturists already knew?

Ah...I tend to consider the term "judgment" as implying a moral/ethical standard against which the subject is being judged. As a matter of practicality I agree that one should generally behave within the acceptable limits of their society (unless of course that behavior is harmful to themselves or others). I offer that perhaps "discernment" may be a better term for examining the effects of actions. There's a sense of finality carried with the term "judgment" that seems out of sorts with the spirit of what I think we're trying to convey. Of course, that sense of finality may only exist within my own perceptions.

Hmm...a thought. Is judgment necessary to protect oneself from harm? A person attacks you, you defend yourself. The action of self-defense can be taken without regards to a moral categorization of the attacker. Simply a natural response to the present situation of being attacked.