HUMOR: The Diary of the Dog and the Cat, plus a photo of Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovator Award Winners, Westcott & Rodway

No music review this week, but there will be next week. I've found some more great bands--mostly alternative/rock this time.

However, I promised some humor a while back and now I'm delivering. With the news recently, I think everyone could use a light humor chuckle right about now.

I'm also including a new photo of Westcott & Rodway, one of the groups that won the 2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Media Award for Innovation. They are a musical duo that does an incredibly beautiful and compelling jazz/classical/flamenco fusion. Recently, they sent me a photo showing them holding the award--it helps ease my mind that the award made it all the way to Exeter, England without breakage--and it's nice to see the winner actually holding the award, too. Karen Nielsen, who also won for her short film, Perceptions, also sent in her photo and it was included in her recent profile and interview. Westcott and Rodway were profiled/interviewed a couple months ago before they received the trophy, so I'm only now getting a photo. Just search for their names on this blog to see the interview and check out their myspace page to hear their music (or to see Karen's film, Perceptions.)

The other winners included Summit Avenue, an amazing band that unfortunately broke up recently, so I'm still trying to figure out who gets the award in that situation (the leader of the band or the band's label...stay tuned.) Marianas Trench and Three Second Delay also won, but it's unlikely they'll get a profile/interview here, since they never responded query messages and missed all the deadlines, no matter how lenient. A pity, but they are nevertheless great bands and you should still give their music a listen.

The final winner, in a different category entirely, and the one whose award is actually responsible for inspiring me to create the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards in the first place, Gordon Michael Woolvett, is still very likely to get profiled/interviewed in the near future. No promises, since schedules and situations can always change, but I'm hopeful.

So on to the humor...

I got this humor about 10th hand, so have been unable to determine the original author. I'd like to credit him or her, if possible, so if any readers have any clues, please let me know at my public email address of cganders1@yahoo.com. Thanks.

CG
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The Diary of Cats and Dogs
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

- - - THE DOG - - -

8:00 AM Dog food! My favorite thing!!

9:30 AM A car ride! My favorite thing!!

9:40 AM A walk in the park! My favorite thing!!

10:30 AM Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!!

12:00 PM Milk bones!! My favorite thing!!

1:00 PM Played in the yard! My favorite thing!!

3:00 PM Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!!

5:00 PM Dinner! My favorite thing!!

7:00 PM Got to play ball! My favorite thing!!

8:00 PM Wow! Watched TV with my people! My favorite thing!!


- - - THE CAT - - -

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies". I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell so he is safe.

More later.
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Having had cats...and dogs (currently) and a noisy bird (currently), this humor had me in stiches!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Have a good weekend!

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media

I've just converted over to Google-Blogger's new system, so site errors/formatting may be off

Some things during the transition, especially the template and the font colors, didn't transfer so well. So you may find some things hard to read, like black on black, that sort of thing.

Please bear with me. Technology transfers are rarely perfect, but I'll try to update posts that went 'hinky' during the transition as fast as I can find them.

CG Anderson

Music Review: Rockers Glass City Walls, Argentina's Punk band HaShiSh and MySpace Records

Music Review: Glass City Walls rocks and breaks through the Noise. MySpace Records offers up some great groups. Argentina gives us a Punk HaShiSh with lots of Pop!

A UK Rock Band new/old to the MySpace Scene, a Punk group I can’t understand but Love to listen to and MySpace Records is likely a label with an ‘in’ or pay to play but it still picks some hot ones.

Last week I was down with a virus, so no posting. Any posts would have been nightmares of inane rambling and disconnected thoughts anyway. Yes, yes, yes, MORE disconnected and rambling than normal…but hey, be nice. I’m still feeling like I got tongued by a halitosis-ridden, incontinent Crocodile with a penchant for liver and garlic pizza—or a Presidential candidate. Take your pick. Wait. No. That’s an insult to the crocodile!

Anyway, quickly, a few things on the agenda today. A rock band out of the UK and very new or perhaps very longterm to MySpace, but with a great sound. (They’ve got a new MySpace page. So it’s unclear what their base was earlier. I suspect, like me, they’ve been battling messed up pages and non-working functionality. I’m now on month 6 of no ability to add friends and the usual MySpace ‘please be patient’ customer complaint response.)

Glass City Walls doesn’t have much to pick from on the MySpace page yet, but what is there is wonderful to hear. While the downloads seemed a bit weak on robustness or fullness of sound---you know, that sense of an explosion of music all around you rather than a tinny feel, I expect that could be fixed by a good producer during a professional demo session.

What Amer, Dave, Kieran and John do have are nice vocals, interesting lyrics and amazing technical, virtuoso guitar skills. Those guitar riffs grabbed my attention and held it. With a fuller, more developed sound, these fellows could bring down those glass houses easily. I hope they get signed soon to a label and do just that.

Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/glasscitywallsrock

Another thing I’m going to point out is the MySpace Records page. I didn’t know MySpace had its own label and of course that means a MySpace page to promote itself. With over a million and a half friends, it’s definitely known and kicking to others that it’s been inviting to join. Then again, unlike the rest of us, I’m sure it doesn’t have problems with getting any Add Friends or download problems fixed, nor would it have any restrictions on the number of invitations it can send out to up it friend count, nor would it have to worry about paying for any advertising in order to make the MySpace community more aware of it.

Then again, MySpace has the right to promote itself any way it wants. It gives most of us free pages, and in return, we have to deal with lesser service and being served up to advertisers as an entrée. Such is the way of the web now. No free lunch.

It does showcase a number of great musical groups on its page. I somehow doubt they are up there just because MySpace likes them. After, all it’s a label—right? It’s hard to say whether it picks them or just promotes bands that come to it for help. So, unlike this blog, you probably won’t find the great groups that don’t have great cash backing up there. Then again to be fair…I really don’t know, you decide for yourself.

Still, it’s a start and at least MySpace is taking an interest, beyond just making free pages available and allowing you to try to search through the millions up on millions of pages trying to find that one little gem.

So that makes their page worth a look as well, just look with a critical eye and a handful of salt until it's more clear whether they are a real label or just pay-to-play.

And watch out for free lunches being offered in general, as a reminder about identity theft and phishing…free lunches or free iPods or iPhones or Wii’s…you get the drift, I hope. Or is that I hype? ;)

In particular, check out Sherwood’s Middle of the Night and Kate Voegele’s Only Fooling Myself (Kate’s vocals are amazing.)

You can find MySpace Records as http://www.myspace.com/myspacerecords

On a final note, I haven’t done a full review of them. One, I don’t speak Spanish, but they look interesting and sound VERY interesting, too. Check out HaShiSh, a power punk group out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. They’ve got a great sound, and good sounding vocals...even if I can’t understand the lyrics. Very high energy though and that got my attention, and kept me listening even with the language barrier.

Their page is at http://www.myspace.com/hashishpunk

Hope you all survived Friday the 13^th OK. Personally, I think it followed me to this week!

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events …and Canada

This article may be copied in whole or in part, as long as fair use rules are observed, no parts are modified from the original and credit given when quoted or reposted.

If a blog posting does NOT have this note at the bottom, please do not copy or repost it. It is likely in such a case NOT intended for wider distribution and you are requested to honor copyright protections and uses.

CG Anderson is a 10 year new media provocateur involved in media, art, tech, science and the online world. Also a writer, blogger and novelist. CG's comments are personal and opinionated and solely the responsibility of the author, so there. Don't like the opinions, disagree, agree, don't know? Great, make a comment—clean ones will be allowed, netiquette-challenged ones will be ignored!
MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/ahablogolicious (help me reach 1 million friends, add yourself as my friend now! Especially since my ability to add you is broken—still---and no eta from MySpace on a fix.)
Blog site: http://ahablogolicious.blogspot.com/
URL: http://home.myuw.net/cganders/

Music Review: ClosetHuman deserves some Exposure. Great duo, great sound, from great Ontario!

Music Review: ClosetHuman deserves some Exposure. A great duo out of Ontario.

ClosetHuman is an Alternative Sound Worth Noting.

I was going to do a spoof today, since this blog has gotten rather serious for the last few months and could use some humor again. But as I was adding friends from my myspace friend request list, I happened to hear something rather extraordinary.

So I'm going to do a quick writeup of a band (or a duo that sounds rather like a band) called ClosetHuman. (or Closet Human...not sure which way would be more appropriate!) They list themselves as a blend of Electro, Alternative and Pop. Now, I'm often quite disappointed by electro, electronica and so forth type bands, but this time, I am most definitely not disappointed.

Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, aka Canada, Jack Fang and JS Roy (no, I'm not kidding, those are the names given) might look like they belong on the cover of Spin or even Vogue, but these two gentlemen manage to bring a full, robust sound to their music without overdoing or overpowering it. Instead of the often overused electronica tricks that bury a good song, they use the sounds, beats and amps judiciously and appropriately.

The music enhances the lyrics and vocals rather than overshadowing it. The lyrics are strong, delivered with passion and while a bit hard to decipher at times, they are actually quite emotionally evocative and socially aware.

Jack Fang's vocals backed up by JS Roy's bass and guitar (and probably his production skills at blending the lyrics and music just right) make an impressive and compelling mix.

There are two very surprising things about this duo. First, I wouldn't necessarily type them as Electro, save for the heavy use of synth. Alternative with a slightly pop and punk feel seems to fit them better. Then again, all music is so fluid now that trying to stereotype a group as 'this' or 'that' now seems unfair and pointless. They are good and a good listen, that's the main point.

The second surprising thing is the fact that they are apparently unsigned. They sound like a professionally mixed and produced group. That they are doing all this themselves with such an amazingly good result makes them all the more impressive. Put them with a good label and a great producer and it's almost scary to think about how far they might rise and how many established names they might shake up in the process.

Their song, The Thief, was my favorite, but all four of their myspace offerings were a fun ride.

Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/closethuman. They are worth a listen.

Have a good Easter or equivalent!

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events and Canada...

This article may be copied in whole or in part, as long as fair use rules are observed, no parts are modified from the original and credit is given when quoted or reposted.

CG Anderson is a 10 plus year new media provocateur involved in media, art, technology and the online world. Also a writer, blogger and novelist. CG's comments are personal and opinionated and solely the responsibility of the author, so there. Don't like the opinions, disagree, agree, don't know? Great, make a comment—clean ones will be allowed, netiquette-challenged ones will be ignored!

MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/ahablogolicious
Help me reach 1 million friends. Add yourself as my friend today and get your friends to do the same! Thank you so much! Together we can bring great artists to a wider audience!
Blog site: http://ahablogolicious.blogspot.com/
URL: http://home.myuw.net/cganders/