Month: September 2013

Lift your skinny fists…

I am astounded and elated that Godspeed You! Black Emperor won the Polaris Music Prize last night. This is the first time my favourite short-listed album won the prize and, more importantly, their music has changed my life – not to mention paved the way for so many unique, challenging artists to reach the indie-mainstream. I remember sitting in my cousin Dann’s bedroom in the late 90s and listening to “The Dead Flag Blues” for the first time and being utterly blown away. My understanding of and passion for contemporary music changed forever upon hearing the first Godspeed album and lead me to seek out similar artists (Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros, etc.) who I now hold very dear. Thanks to Dann and thanks to GYBE for steering me down a dark and beautiful musical path.

Addendum: http://cstrecords.com/statement-from-godspeed-you-black-emperor-on-polaris/

ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd

Wow. Well said, dear Hannah.

hannaheppersonmusic:

A hot mess (as in ‘it’s sweaty as hell in here!); a beautiful and humbling crowd; an unassuming gem of a venue – my one night stand with Rifflandia was a glorious affair. Thank you blessed creatures for animating that space with so much positivity, I cripwalked back to my hotel with a slow-fast hum in my ribcage, forgetting for a while the numb pain of a broken leg.
I have recently been feeling overwhelmed by the generous and earnest nature of the audiences I have been playing for.  It is an unspeakable gift, to be able to meet halfway with an audience.  There is always a horizontal exchange of energy between people (this doesn’t only relate to the performer/audience relationship, it applies to the whole spectrum of relationships), and sometimes – often – it’s an imbalanced one.  The only way for a horizontal exchange to be balanced, I think, is when people let their guard down, when people let themselves be or feel sincere, or overcome with a sense of conviction.  I feel stricken, sometimes, that cynicism and irony have become so status-quo. Cynicism is a parasite, and irony can be paralytic. They leave very little room to move upward and out from our own annihilative self-criticisms and rapid-fire cycles of judgement.  Sincerity and conviction, on the other hand, give access to experience things much beyond ourselves. These ‘horizontal exchanges’ graduate to become vertical, collective, interpersonal … beyond the parameters of what we defend as our own individuality. I guess all I really meant to say is Thank You, to everyone who has met me halfway.  What I have to give is for naught without you who receives.  image