Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
WE'RE ON ITUNES!!!1!1!!!!!1
TRIKE IS ON ITUNES
CHECK IT OUT MUTHAFUCKAAAAAAHZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(ik cow von jou)
CHECK IT OUT MUTHAFUCKAAAAAAHZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(ik cow von jou)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
We played at the EXIT festival last week, which was quite wonderful. They loved us, got crazy, demanded an encore, which we weren't permitted to play (time restrictions)... it was wonderful. We also did our new Michael Jackson cover: Smooth Criminal.
Then we left and went to Zagreb for a day, slept in a park and met Marta, Peter and their lovely dog.
We made a video about all of our adventures. I hope you like it:
ps. if you want to buy any of our albums, please write me an email. we mail off CDs using paypal; handmade CDs that are also puppets. stephenpaultaylor(at)trikeaband(dot)com. we also have a new, live one from Denmark.
Then we left and went to Zagreb for a day, slept in a park and met Marta, Peter and their lovely dog.
We made a video about all of our adventures. I hope you like it:
ps. if you want to buy any of our albums, please write me an email. we mail off CDs using paypal; handmade CDs that are also puppets. stephenpaultaylor(at)trikeaband(dot)com. we also have a new, live one from Denmark.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Back To School
Enschede. A small(ish) city in The Netherlands where I spent two years of my life: making movies and music at AKI, the local art school. Time and time we get invited back, and this time we returned to play at the Graduation Ceremonies.
We went to Amsterdam for a few days to busk. The first day was stellar. We made 57 euros in selling CDs and playing for 30/40 minutes. We did two more sessions that day which were not as good, but enjoyable. One of our seshes (short for "session" as in "busking session") ended with a screaming match with a racist dutchman, and having to ditch an insane Norwegian. Amazing how busking can easily lead to meeting some of the weirdest people in existence.
Our last sesh ended with the cops showing up, three songs into our "set" and shutting us down. So we had to close up shop. They were quite serious too, and a bit intimidating. Speaking English without betraying my knowledge of Dutch I was able to come across as ignorant of the rules, which are basically that one cannot play music in the street (ANYWHERE) in Amsterdam except in the park (more on that later)
The next day we played and it was just... weird. We started off at our usual place: near the red door of the church at the Nieuw Markt. Halfway into the first song we spotted a slew of cops walking past. Xania recognized the cop from the day before. "Shit... shut down again" I said as we packed up and left to find another place to play. It was already quite late when we started because we were busy making CDs all morning (the bane of not having CDs pre-made is that we have to constantly make CDs ourselves... but that's not a bad thing, because we always end up making unique cases {truth is, Xania makes them} ... right now we have PUPPET CD cases. They sell the best, I think.
So we were told that the park is the only place where buskers are permitted to play without a permit. So, we went there. The problem with the park is that NOBODY HAS MONEY... therefore nobody gives. We met two sisters who looked like the Ashley twins and sang songs with an acoustic guitar and harmonies.
Anyway, in that day (busking in Amsterdam day #2) I think we made all-in-all maybe 30 or 40 euros. Not terrible, but considering the amount of time we spent either busking or getting to busking spots, it was a bit of a disappointment. We sold one CD, however, which is always nice.
The NEXT DAY we headed to Enschede. We had two friends in tow: Biagi from Denmark and Emily from Montreal (previously from Vancouver, which is where she saw us play many times. Now she's seen us in Vancouver, Montreal, Amsterdam and Enschede... beat that, muthafucka!)
We played at AKI, my old school. We arrived at 4, had a few mini-beers (dutch-style) and played. The audience was sprinkled all over the place and people weren't concentrated in front of us. I think we played well, but the acoustics were bad (it's the space) and the beats from my new keyboard (for some reason) sounded SOOO much better that when we played the last tune; Zombie Tragedy, finally people were dancing. I love the old keyboard, but let's face it, the new keyboard's beats are sexy and dancy as hell.
We were supposed to play that night, but they informed us that we were to play at four am. That was too too late, and we were already well on the way to intoxication. I was disappointed that they didn't arrange for us to play earlier, and there were people there who were hoping to see us, but so it goes, I guess. I think/ hope the response would be more lively than it was at the school.
We're both getting a little tired of touring. Playing is fun, but we need to seriously focus on recording new material with a crisper, more listenable sound and working on the stage show; revamping it. Going around and playing shows the way we do it is great, but the fact is, we want the show to have more theatrics, more concepts, more sketches, more animation... we've been doing the same thing for two years and although musically I feel like we're aeons better, we have many more ideas and songs to really help the show/presentation grow. We need time OFF of the road to work on it.
Ah, the joys and tribulations of being D.I.Y...
Love
Stephen
We went to Amsterdam for a few days to busk. The first day was stellar. We made 57 euros in selling CDs and playing for 30/40 minutes. We did two more sessions that day which were not as good, but enjoyable. One of our seshes (short for "session" as in "busking session") ended with a screaming match with a racist dutchman, and having to ditch an insane Norwegian. Amazing how busking can easily lead to meeting some of the weirdest people in existence.
Our last sesh ended with the cops showing up, three songs into our "set" and shutting us down. So we had to close up shop. They were quite serious too, and a bit intimidating. Speaking English without betraying my knowledge of Dutch I was able to come across as ignorant of the rules, which are basically that one cannot play music in the street (ANYWHERE) in Amsterdam except in the park (more on that later)
The next day we played and it was just... weird. We started off at our usual place: near the red door of the church at the Nieuw Markt. Halfway into the first song we spotted a slew of cops walking past. Xania recognized the cop from the day before. "Shit... shut down again" I said as we packed up and left to find another place to play. It was already quite late when we started because we were busy making CDs all morning (the bane of not having CDs pre-made is that we have to constantly make CDs ourselves... but that's not a bad thing, because we always end up making unique cases {truth is, Xania makes them} ... right now we have PUPPET CD cases. They sell the best, I think.
So we were told that the park is the only place where buskers are permitted to play without a permit. So, we went there. The problem with the park is that NOBODY HAS MONEY... therefore nobody gives. We met two sisters who looked like the Ashley twins and sang songs with an acoustic guitar and harmonies.
Anyway, in that day (busking in Amsterdam day #2) I think we made all-in-all maybe 30 or 40 euros. Not terrible, but considering the amount of time we spent either busking or getting to busking spots, it was a bit of a disappointment. We sold one CD, however, which is always nice.
The NEXT DAY we headed to Enschede. We had two friends in tow: Biagi from Denmark and Emily from Montreal (previously from Vancouver, which is where she saw us play many times. Now she's seen us in Vancouver, Montreal, Amsterdam and Enschede... beat that, muthafucka!)
We played at AKI, my old school. We arrived at 4, had a few mini-beers (dutch-style) and played. The audience was sprinkled all over the place and people weren't concentrated in front of us. I think we played well, but the acoustics were bad (it's the space) and the beats from my new keyboard (for some reason) sounded SOOO much better that when we played the last tune; Zombie Tragedy, finally people were dancing. I love the old keyboard, but let's face it, the new keyboard's beats are sexy and dancy as hell.
We were supposed to play that night, but they informed us that we were to play at four am. That was too too late, and we were already well on the way to intoxication. I was disappointed that they didn't arrange for us to play earlier, and there were people there who were hoping to see us, but so it goes, I guess. I think/ hope the response would be more lively than it was at the school.
We're both getting a little tired of touring. Playing is fun, but we need to seriously focus on recording new material with a crisper, more listenable sound and working on the stage show; revamping it. Going around and playing shows the way we do it is great, but the fact is, we want the show to have more theatrics, more concepts, more sketches, more animation... we've been doing the same thing for two years and although musically I feel like we're aeons better, we have many more ideas and songs to really help the show/presentation grow. We need time OFF of the road to work on it.
Ah, the joys and tribulations of being D.I.Y...
Love
Stephen
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thoughts On Michael Jackson
It's been 9 days or so since I first heard that MJ died. The reality of it still hasn't kicked in. He was such a constant presence in the media, and he had been performing since before I was born and to imagine a world without Michael Jackson seemed unheard of. Every day I think about him and every day it still seems inconceivable.
And let's face it, the man's life is truly epic. He's a legend. And the strange thing is, when he passed away, all of the eccentricities and child molestation allegations seemed to fall by the wayside. All of a sudden, it seemed that everyone was remembering the songs, the dance moves, the moonwalk, his unique vocal style ... all was forgiven. There was such an outpouring of grief and love for him that I heard people say, more than once "if only he could be here to see all of this". Ah, the irony of death.
He was a fascinating individual and I'm sure many books could be written about him. A man-child who refused to grow up; making "Neverland" and inviting busloads of underprivileged kids over to play. A man who gave to 39 different charities. A man who was fragile and vulnerable and filled with incredible self-loathing; so much so that he surgically altered his features again and again until the MJ of "Off The Wall" had virtually vanished.
He hadn't had a hit album in twenty years. "Bad" was the last album with plenty of solid hits, "Dangerous" fared worse (moreso due to grunge taking over the airwaves) and "Invincible" came and went with very little attention, but he was ALWAYS in the media because of his eccentricities, the molestation allegations (which I don't believe to be true), his strange antics (dangling his baby off the balcony, accepting the award for "performer of the millenium" and thinking it was a real award, his nose caving in from so many surgeries). When I realized he had only had two real albums in the last two decades, it really surprised me; I hadn't realized how little output he had in the last two decades. And after reading plenty about him on the internet, it seems there are many, many songs he began/ projects he began but never finished.
And something else I read really struck a chord for me too. One person compared his life to "The Truman Show", and it's true! Since he was eight he's been in the public eye. He never knew what it was like NOT to have the world watching his every move. He never had the chance to be normal. I can't imagine that. He bemoans a lost childhood, explaining that that's why he had kids over so much and why he built Neverland. I saw a few interviews where he explained that he would be heading to the recording studio at 9 years old and he would see kids playing soccer/ baseball/ football across the street and he would be so jealous. He wanted that. He wanted a normal childhood... and, as with many people who miss out on a childhood, he tried to find it in his adult life. He was a 10 year old trapped in a middle-aged man's body.
Perhaps that also explains why he wasn't so productive in the last twenty years or so. Maybe he was pushing away the performer side of himself because he was too busy trying to recreate a childhood he never had. Not to mention dealing with the trials, the surgeries and many other issues which undoubtedly got in the way of artistic creation.
I find myself wondering if his life was a tragedy or not. Let's face it, the last ten/ fifteen years of his life were plagued with troubles. The accusations of molestation, the trials (during which he wouldn't eat and would become virtually skeletal), the constant surgeries and the plastic/ putty nose that replaced his real nose, which had caved in (and the strange thing being that he denies having more than two surgeries), the vitiligo, the constant mockery of the media and tabloids ... the man had many real-life troubles. After the cancer kid accused him of molestation, and those trials began, I think he became disillusioned with humanity. Soon afterwards he abandoned Neverland, removed most of the rides and move to some Arabic country.
But it makes me content to think that the last few days before he died he was quite happy (from what I read) and exuberant about the upcoming 50 shows in London. The fact that this tour never happened is sort of tragic, but at least he died knowing he had 50 sold out shows and a show that sounds like it would have been pretty amazing and epic. I think/ hope he died in the knowledge that he was loved by many.
He was an amazing dancer. Things he could do with his limbs were incredible. He also had a very original vocal style that is truly his own. And he has many great songs. His life was far from perfect and he was a very controversial figure, but there's no denying that he made a MASSIVE impact on pop music in the last forty years. I will never forget listening to "Thriller" for the first time. I will also never forget trying to do the Moonwalk at ten years old, or when I was in first year college and "Black and White" came out and I thought it was a pretty damn cool tune.
But at the bottom of it all, I think he was pretty lonely and pretty misunderstood (He surrounded himself with mannequins and statues to make him feel less lonely). And now that he's gone (forever), I think people aren't demonizing him as much as he has been in recent years. I think there is a sort of universal forgiveness for his mistakes and indiscretions and "weirdness"... I think his death has given people the chance to realize that he deserved his title of the "King of Pop" and despite his troubles, his life affected millions. And in the end, I think there was a lot of love in that man and I think now the world feels the impact of losing such a monumental human being.
And let's face it, the man's life is truly epic. He's a legend. And the strange thing is, when he passed away, all of the eccentricities and child molestation allegations seemed to fall by the wayside. All of a sudden, it seemed that everyone was remembering the songs, the dance moves, the moonwalk, his unique vocal style ... all was forgiven. There was such an outpouring of grief and love for him that I heard people say, more than once "if only he could be here to see all of this". Ah, the irony of death.
He was a fascinating individual and I'm sure many books could be written about him. A man-child who refused to grow up; making "Neverland" and inviting busloads of underprivileged kids over to play. A man who gave to 39 different charities. A man who was fragile and vulnerable and filled with incredible self-loathing; so much so that he surgically altered his features again and again until the MJ of "Off The Wall" had virtually vanished.
He hadn't had a hit album in twenty years. "Bad" was the last album with plenty of solid hits, "Dangerous" fared worse (moreso due to grunge taking over the airwaves) and "Invincible" came and went with very little attention, but he was ALWAYS in the media because of his eccentricities, the molestation allegations (which I don't believe to be true), his strange antics (dangling his baby off the balcony, accepting the award for "performer of the millenium" and thinking it was a real award, his nose caving in from so many surgeries). When I realized he had only had two real albums in the last two decades, it really surprised me; I hadn't realized how little output he had in the last two decades. And after reading plenty about him on the internet, it seems there are many, many songs he began/ projects he began but never finished.
And something else I read really struck a chord for me too. One person compared his life to "The Truman Show", and it's true! Since he was eight he's been in the public eye. He never knew what it was like NOT to have the world watching his every move. He never had the chance to be normal. I can't imagine that. He bemoans a lost childhood, explaining that that's why he had kids over so much and why he built Neverland. I saw a few interviews where he explained that he would be heading to the recording studio at 9 years old and he would see kids playing soccer/ baseball/ football across the street and he would be so jealous. He wanted that. He wanted a normal childhood... and, as with many people who miss out on a childhood, he tried to find it in his adult life. He was a 10 year old trapped in a middle-aged man's body.
Perhaps that also explains why he wasn't so productive in the last twenty years or so. Maybe he was pushing away the performer side of himself because he was too busy trying to recreate a childhood he never had. Not to mention dealing with the trials, the surgeries and many other issues which undoubtedly got in the way of artistic creation.
I find myself wondering if his life was a tragedy or not. Let's face it, the last ten/ fifteen years of his life were plagued with troubles. The accusations of molestation, the trials (during which he wouldn't eat and would become virtually skeletal), the constant surgeries and the plastic/ putty nose that replaced his real nose, which had caved in (and the strange thing being that he denies having more than two surgeries), the vitiligo, the constant mockery of the media and tabloids ... the man had many real-life troubles. After the cancer kid accused him of molestation, and those trials began, I think he became disillusioned with humanity. Soon afterwards he abandoned Neverland, removed most of the rides and move to some Arabic country.
But it makes me content to think that the last few days before he died he was quite happy (from what I read) and exuberant about the upcoming 50 shows in London. The fact that this tour never happened is sort of tragic, but at least he died knowing he had 50 sold out shows and a show that sounds like it would have been pretty amazing and epic. I think/ hope he died in the knowledge that he was loved by many.
He was an amazing dancer. Things he could do with his limbs were incredible. He also had a very original vocal style that is truly his own. And he has many great songs. His life was far from perfect and he was a very controversial figure, but there's no denying that he made a MASSIVE impact on pop music in the last forty years. I will never forget listening to "Thriller" for the first time. I will also never forget trying to do the Moonwalk at ten years old, or when I was in first year college and "Black and White" came out and I thought it was a pretty damn cool tune.
But at the bottom of it all, I think he was pretty lonely and pretty misunderstood (He surrounded himself with mannequins and statues to make him feel less lonely). And now that he's gone (forever), I think people aren't demonizing him as much as he has been in recent years. I think there is a sort of universal forgiveness for his mistakes and indiscretions and "weirdness"... I think his death has given people the chance to realize that he deserved his title of the "King of Pop" and despite his troubles, his life affected millions. And in the end, I think there was a lot of love in that man and I think now the world feels the impact of losing such a monumental human being.
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