Twist My Mind

The City Harmonic - Introducing The City Harmonic EP

2010-11-21T23:47:00.000-08:00

Band: The City Harmonic
Title: Introducing The City Harmonic EP
Label: Kingsway / ThankYou Music
Release Date: Nov. 23rd, 2010
Reviewer: Shawn H.

Tracklisting

I Wonder

Manifesto

My God

Coming My Way

I Am

What I Want

Bio:

When listening to The City Harmonic, you instinctively turn up the volume and join the chorus as the music dynamically bounces from sparse intimacy to soaring celebration and back again. It’s a musical metaphor for the band that plays it—with their feet in the dirt and their eyes toward the heavens. It isn’t long before you find yourself singing along and not because you ought to, but because you want to. Like a spontaneous outbreak of “Hey Jude” around the campfire, you want in on the moment. And getting people in on the act—hearts pounding and feet moving—is at the core of what The City Harmonic is about.

The Canadian band’s six-song EP debut, Introducing The City Harmonic, is a nostalgic Brit-pop meets campfire sing-along mix that features raucous, gang vocals along with agile, soaring anthems crafted to include the listener. The band, consisting of front man Elias Dummer, bassist Eric Fusilier, guitarist Aaron Powell and drummer Josh Vanderlaan, isn’t as interested in finding fans as they are looking for participants in the journey. “Both art and worship are participatory acts—not consumptive acts,” says Elias. “What is meaningful for people is the experience, that creative moment when art is shared. To us, it’s almost as though these songs just don't sound right without everybody involved.”

The songs on the self-produced EP seem to embrace the horizon line between the wonder of God and every-day life, and nowhere is this more evident than the opening track, “I Wonder.” A pulsing chant-a-long driven by Aaron Powell’s soaring, echoey lead guitar and accompanied by a sweeping string arrangement, it is a song that captures the band’s fascination with the overlap between this world and the next. Front man Elias shares, “There’s this old Celtic proverb that I love: ‘milking the cow is Holy.’ It reminds me that everyday moments are profound and that we worship with our lives, not just a couple of songs. Just think about that first ‘true love’ moment in your life. People have written more songs about that moment than any other event. How much more profound will our first face-to-face moment with God be? ‘I Wonder’ is really about approaching these moments with wonder and knowing it’s a glimpse of even better things to come.”

Even the band’s name is partly derived from the sense that in communal worship we catch a fleeting glimpse of the world that we pine for. Elias explains: “C.S. Lewis said this thing that's always stuck with us: ‘If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’ It's like there's this hopeful nostalgia within us all for the way things ought to be. It’s great when coming together feels like that - like it’s the unveiling of something bigger and better than ourselves. If we can somehow spark in people a dream, something they just can't shake, then that will inspire them to sing like every word matters, to live like every day matters, and having tasted heaven they’ll get on with helping this world feel more like home.”

For much of the past decade the band members have worked with TrueCity, a movement of local churches in their hometown of Hamilton, Ontario working together for the good of the city. Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘love your neighbour as yourself.’” “Sure, we hear this all the time – but there are six important words that are often overlooked: and the second is like it,” says Elias. “God doesn’t separate our ability to love our neighbour from our capacity for loving Him. It doesn’t matter how much so-called religious fervour we muster up if we’re living selfishly. It’s no wonder, then, that we should care about social justice if the thing most like loving God is to love my neighbor. It’s a no-brainer. It just makes sense.”

With a sound informed by mainstream acts like Arcade Fire, Coldplay and The Beatles, The City Harmonic seek to create music they enjoy themselves “I guess we didn’t worry too much about whether these songs were ‘singable’ or not,” admits Elias “People don’t sing along to old hymns because they’re ‘singable’ – the songs move them and mean a lot to them. They weren’t simple in the way that people sometimes suggest worship songs should be, but people connected with them anyway. We can’t make worship music formulaic, we have to move and inspire people. I hope we can write songs that are creative and honest. The kind of songs that capture people’s hearts and minds - then I believe their voices will follow. I pray people can connect with them and make them their own. Hopefully they aren’t worship songs simply because we say so, but because they come from honest, worshipful lives and inspire the same in others.”

Introducing The City Harmonic is just a taste of what’s to come from this creative Canadian foursome. The band’s upcoming full-length album will continue the journey—songs and stories that tell of hope, unity and seeking a greater kingdom, and music fans are already pulsating and singing along at the top of their lungs as they eagerly await this highly anticipated debut.

Review:

The City Harmonic is an artist that shouldn't be underestimated. This album is infused with a strong Brit-Pop inspired worship sound. Within moments of listening to the beginning of the first track "I Wonder", it is obvious that this isn't a group that takes their music inspirations lightly. I had previously heard some of Elias Dummer's solo stuff that he wrote a few years ago, & was expecting something similar to his previous Rock sound. But this updated (& mature) sound is a sure sign of improvements in song writing & a personal growth. I'm normally not a big fan of strings & such in songs, but the use/implementation of strings on "Coming My Way" is so well done that I wonder why most other worship artists don't use such instruments in their songs. It is rare that all the tracks (6 in this instance) of an album can strike you at the core with their lyrics, but The City Harmonic has accomplished this endeavor successfully with this latest album. If I had to choose one song that stuck out for me, it would be "What I Want", not because of how it sounds on this album, but rather because of how amazing it sounds live. Elias sometimes leads worship at the church I attend, & I was certain he was playing someone else's worship song. It was only once I returned home that I noticed it was on the EP & that it sounded as amazing in person as it does on CD. This talented foursome are just beginning this new music endeavor, but the years of experience that they bring together for this new EP. Their raw hearted worship is something that is needed in this generation. Although they only recently signed to Kingsway/Thank You Music, I would not be surprise to see them join or partner with Come&Live in the next year or so.

Abel - Lesser Men

2010-10-18T03:31:00.000-07:00

Band: Abel

Title: Lesser Men
Label: Come & Live
Release Date: October 19th, 2010
Reviewer: Shawn H.

Tracklisting

Silver

Saints

The Martyr

Lesser Men

Titanic

Take Me Home

Standing Still

Come Ye Weary

Atlantic: The Broken Hearted King

Atlantic: The Voice In The Tides

Review:

It has been an amazing year for this young, talented band. Releasing an EP in 2009 on Facedown Records' sub-label (Dreamt Music), they've come along way with their upcoming release, Lesser Men, on Come & Live.

This Poughkeepsie, NY-based artist brings to us a bright new release in late 2010, entitled Lesser Men. We are brought to the debut of this wonderful album with "Silver", a melodic worship intro track. It is followed by "Saints", which many will agree is surely to be one of the standout tracks of this album, with it's contemporary, yet worshipful sound. It is obvious that there is a Copeland-influence on this album, with such a song as "Martyr". The title track of any album bears a strong overall influence on how listeners & critics will feel about the album, but with "Lesser Men", this track is emotionally filled & a great centerpiece to the tracklisting. One of the most surprising tracks, "Titanic", brings a metaphorical story of faith based on the vessel of the same name. I'm sure I don't speak for myself when I tell you that lyrics such as 'I put the air inside your lungs; I keep your cold heart beating' really hit home when heard. "Take Me Home" adds a slow, soft acoustic ballad to the album. The other standout track of the album, "Standing Still", is a vibrantly powerful soft rock anthem.

Overall:

It's safe to say that Abel is one underestimated artist that deserves more attention in our current music scene. They bring vibrantly powerful & strong lyrical presence. This album reassures my opinion that Come & Live is a label that isn't out to promote popular acts, but rather they bring forth artist who are real, who have a passionate heart for this generation.

SCORE: 9/10

Harp & Lyre to release new EP

2010-10-06T00:15:00.002-07:00

Harp and Lyre to release new EP “Clumsy Architects” on October 12th, 2010.

Hailing from Oklahoma, 5 piece progressive hardcore outfit Harp and Lyre are set to release their follow up to 2008’s self-titled EP with “Clumsy Architects.” Produced by Brooks Paschal (Versa Emerge, Therefore Tomorrow, To Speak of Wolves), the EP was recorded this past June in Florida.

Harp and Lyre have toured with such bands as PM Today (Rise), Abandon Kansas (Gotee), and A Bullet For Pretty Boy (Artery Recordings) to name a few, and have shared the stage with such bands as Chiodos, Everytime I Die, Attack Attack, Parkway Drive, and have played festivals including Cornerstone.

MySpace

Pierce The Veil Premieres "Caraphernelia" Video on MySpace Music

2010-09-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

San Diego's Pierce The Veil are currently premiering their new music video for "Caraphernelia" on MySpace. Check it out HERE!

This is the debut video from the band's latest album, Selfish Machines, which was released on June 21st, 2010. The video was filmed and directed by Robby Starbuck.

After wrapping up the 2010 Vans Warped Tour, Pierce The Veil headed down under for the Take Action Australia Tour alongside Attack Attack! and Dream On, Dreamer. The quartet will next head to Japan with Confide, Bury Tomorrow, Crossfaith, and Lost before returning for a full U.S. tour with Attack Attack!, Emmure*, Of Mice & Men, and In Fear And Faith.

Complete tour dates for Pierce The Veil can be seen below:

Japan w/Confide, Bury Tomorrow, Crossfaith, and Lost
Oct 08 Osaka City, Osaka @ Club Drop
Oct 09 Nagoya City, Aichi-ken @ Rad
Oct 10 Musashino City, Tokyo @ Club Seata
Oct 11 Akihabara, Tokyo @ Tower Records

w/Attack Attack!, Emmure*, Of Mice & Men, In Fear And Faith
Nov 11 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Nov 12 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Nov 13 Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
Nov 14 Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze
Nov 16 Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
Nov 17 Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
Nov 19 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Nov 20 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
Nov 22 Fresno, CA @ Rainbow Ballroom
Nov 23 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
Nov 24 West Hollywood, CA @ House Of Blues
Nov 26 Pomona, CA @ The Fox Theatre
Nov 27 San Diego, CA @ Soma
Nov 28 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Nov 30 Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
Dec 01 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Dec 03 New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues
Dec 04 Tallahassee, FL @ Floyd’s Music Store
Dec 05 Orlando, FL @ Club at Firestone
Dec 07 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
Dec 08 Saint Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing
Dec 09 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Dec 10 Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater
Dec 11 Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
Dec 12 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
Dec 13 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
Dec 14 Baltimore, MD @ Bourbon Street
Dec 15 Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
Dec 16 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Dec 17 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Dec 18 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Dec 19 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
Dec 20 Evansville, IN @ Boney Junes

*Emmure performing Nov 21-Dec 19 only

myspace.com/PierceTheVeil

twitter.com/PierceTheVeil

PierceTheVeil.net

ILL NIÑO TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, ‘DEAD NEW WORLD’

2010-09-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

New Jersey/New York’s ILL NIÑO is pleased to announce the release of their highly-anticipated VICTORY RECORDS debut, Dead New World, on October 26th, 2010. The album is self produced with co-production coming from Clint Lowery (Sevendust) and Sahaj Ticotin (RA) and mixed by Eddie Wohl (36 Crazyfists, Anthrax, Smile Empty Soul). Dead New World also serves as the follow up to the band’s critically-acclaimed 2008 release, Enigma.

See above for the newly released album art, illustrated by Tim Butler of XIII Designs (Disturbed, Slipknot, Metallica, Slayer, Michael Jackson). “It was our pleasure to work with Tim Butler, who designed ILL NIÑO’s Dead New World CD cover,” states drummer Dave Chavarri. “We wanted to have a tribal ethnic looking cover, and Tim's recreation design of a picture of three South American shrunken heads was everything we wanted. The Dead New World cover definitely touches on our ethnic roots and history.”

To date, ILL NIÑO has sold more than 500,000 albums in the United States alone, and over 1 Million albums worldwide. The band has shared the stage with the likes of Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Disturbed, Guns N’ Roses, and more! The band plans to embark on a full United States tour this fall, and will head into Asia and South America by the end of 2010! Stay tuned for more tour updates on ILL NIÑO!

ILL NIÑO’s Latin roots run bloody and deep. Their original and refreshing sound covers the gamut of musical influences, including melodic vocals, bilingual lyrics, flamenco guitars, tribal drums, Latin percussion, and salsa-infused bass lines, all while providing a pummeling dose of modern hard rock and metal. ILL NIÑO formed in late 1999 and became the epitome of Latin metal in 2001 with their monster debut album, Revolution, Revolucion. Strong airplay for their first single ‘What Comes Around’ and slots on both Ozzfest, and Jägermeister tours in 2002, helped the album sell nearly 430,000 units worldwide.

In 2003 ILL NIÑO returned with their sophomore release Confession and managed to surpass their debut sales, selling over 500,000 copies worldwide. The success of Confession also spawned the top 10 single ‘How Can I Live’, which became the featured single on the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack and film. Awaiting the arrival of One Nation Underground in 2005, and equipped with the highly-acclaimed single ‘What You Deserve’, ILL NIÑO landed the #1 Most Added track at Active Rock radio, four weeks prior to the album’s release!

ILL NIÑO shows no signs of slowing down with their plans to dominate and epitomize the forefront of true Latin metal. For more information on ILL NIÑO, please visit these websites:

www.victoryrecords.com/

www.myspace.com/illnino

Hollowick announces upcoming tour

2010-09-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

Southern Ontario rockers Hollowick have recently announced their first headlining tour under their new name (previously known as Rides Again). You can see the tour dates below.

Sept.30.2010 St.Catherines, ON Mikado
Oct.02.2010 Peterborough, ON The Montreal House
Oct.07.2010 Chatham, ON Encore Bar and Nightspot
Oct.08.2010 Brantford, ON Club NV
Oct.09.2010 Burlington, ON The Legendary Red Rooster
Oct.10.2010 Windsor, ON The Blind Dog

The campaign to save HM

2010-03-12T12:38:00.001-08:00

The campaign to save HM

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Underoath to release new Live album

2010-03-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Underoath will have a live recording of their London show @ the Koko (March 11th) available for purchase online & will also be available at all dates of their upcoming European tour. For those in North America, the price with exchange rate for a digital copy is roughly $15 or $23 + shipping for a physical copy.

Intensity in Ten Cities sampler available now

2010-03-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

Hello Kelly & To Tell have teamed up to offer a FREE sampler CD to coincide with their Ontario tour happening in March. This sampler includes 9 tracks from artists such as
Hello Kelly, To Tell, The Breaking Lakes, Unlikely Heroes, Johnny Confidence, What If This Dream Is All We Have, Nine O Five, & The Silent. You can download it here. (warning: email sign-up required)

Mutemath to tour with 30 Seconds to Mars

2010-02-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

Mutemath will be joining 30 Seconds to Mars on their upcoming North American tour. Also slated to join is Neon Trees. Tour dates can be seen below.

4/9 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl Theatre
4/10 Mesa, AZ Mesa Amphitheatre
4/11 Tucson, AZ Pima County Fair
4/13 Tulsa, OK Brady Theatre
4/15 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
4/16 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
4/17 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
4/18 Toronto, ON The Sound Academy
4/20 Boston, MA House of Blues
4/21 NYC, NY Roseland
4/23 Washington DC TBA
4/24 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
4/25 Charlotte, NC Uptown Amphitheatre
4/27 Miami, FL The Fillmore
4/28 Orlando, FL House of Blues
4/29 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
5/1 Frisco, TX Pizza Hut Park
5/4 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
5/6 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium
5/7 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
5/8 Salt Lake City, UT The Rail Event Center
5/10 Seattle, WA Showbox SODO
5/11 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
5/13 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
5/14 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
5/15 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater

Tonight Tonight posts new song!

2010-02-24T11:30:00.001-08:00

Tonight Tonight (ex-Beauti) have uploaded a new song called "Open Eyes" to their MySpace. You can read the lyrics here.

....It's been so long and my understanding is typical enough for tonight
I've been broken before but shadows have fallen and I can only hope for low light

Open your eyes everything i left behind me has kept me under the ground
I'm standing by this operation left me i need motion to bring me to life
But not for the last time

I've come too far, too far from the empty To notice that i am alone
In a world growing dark. The night is florescent if i am but exposed to your love

So let's get this straight right now come on Tell me what you said tell me what you said
You are only burning bridges down. And I've wanted one way out come on
Tell me what you said, tell me what you Said to the only hope i ever found. He wants me for something else.

The Almost to cover Free Fallin' on Punk Goes Classic Rock

2010-02-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

The Almost will be contributing a cover of "Free Fallin'" (originally recorded by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) for the upcoming Punk Goes Classic Rock compilation.

Superchick offers free track

2010-02-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Superchick is offering their track "Courage" for free this week in support of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. You can read the story behind the song & download it here.

The Fray to open for U2 on 2010 360 Tour

2010-02-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

U2 has announced that The Fray will be the opening act for it's Oakland, Seattle and Edmonton tour dates. Other opening acts include Lenny Kravitz (Salt Lake City, Anaheim and Denver) & Interpol (Minneapolis, E.Lansing, Toronto, Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia).

Beauti changes name to Tonight Tonight, keeps same lineup

2010-02-13T01:15:00.000-08:00

Colin Lingren (Vocalist) today announced the end of Beauti & the beginning of a new band called Tonight Tonight with the same members. Basically they will still be Beauti, but with a NEW name.

New Hello Kelly album to be titled “Easy for You to Say”

2010-02-10T11:00:00.001-08:00

Francois Goudreault (Hello Kelly) is at it again. He is currently working on a new album titled "Easy for You to Say". You can read his blog post here.

The new Hello Kelly record is going to be called "Easy for You to Say".I know it sounds a little weird - let me explain: None of these songs were easy to write – I practically smeared the secrets of my heart all across the pages. But I’m glad I did it. These songs are real & authentic.This record is poised to be harder, faster & more sincere, and I'm really excited for you guys to hear it. I write about things that I never thought I would write about ... which brings me to my next point ...

The other reason I chose 'Easy for You to Say' is because, for the first time, I'm really comfortable talking and singing about the stutter that I struggle with. I want you guys to know that you can overcome whatever hurdles are holding you back in your own lives - just like I'm fighting daily against mine. And that's the biggest reason why I'm so excited about sharing this new record with you!

To find out more about the new Hello Kelly record, direction & sound, check out the BAND section at HELLOKELLYONLINE.COM and read the new bio.

I can't wait to share some new music with you!

By the way ... I'll be posting the rest of the INTENSITY tour dates soon ... AND giving you a sneak peek at some brand new HELLO KELLY shirts!

--

francy

Eisley parts ways with Warner Bros.

2010-02-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

It's seems that Eisley has parted ways with Warner Bros. You can read the reasons why here.

New FM Static album to be titled "4"

2010-02-07T22:14:00.001-08:00

It seems that FM Static is gonna be giving us another great album soon titled "4". No release date has been announced.

Tooth & Nail Records artists team up to record Haiti benefit song

2010-02-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

According to Trevor McNevan (Thousand Foot Krutch), Aaron Sprinkle ( Fair) is working on a Haiti relief song that will include Trevor, Aaron, Jeremy Camp, Aaron Gillespie (Underoath/ The Almost) & Jon Micah ( Kutless).

Hawk Nelson - Live Life Loud

2009-09-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Band: Hawk Nelson
Title: Live Life Loud
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date: September 22nd, 2009
Reviewer: Shawn H.

Tracklisting

Live Life Loud

Never Enough

Eggshells

Meaning Of Life

Alive

Ode To Lord Stanley

Long Ago

The Job

Shaken

Lest We Forget

Tis So Sweet

The Final Toast

The Canadian foursome known as Hawk Nelson is back again with their latest full-length album Live Life Loud. This album start off with the title track 'Live Life Loud', a typical anthem song, but catchy nonetheless. This is followed by 'Never Enough', a song that brings a familiar Hawk Nelson sound, but has a strange resemblance to "Let's Dance" (a song from Hawk Nelson Is My Friend). 'Eggshells' brings a familiar Hawk Nelson with guest vocals by TobyMac. If you choose someone to do guest vocals on your album, it is wise to choose an individual who has done guest vocals numerous times & Hawk Nelson seems to be well aware of that. 'Meaning Of Life' is the next track to follow. This was Hawk Nelson's fist CHR single from the album. A mixture of soft & hard rock is always welcomed & Hawk Nelson proves that by having 'Alive', a track with some heavy vocals/guitars. We are then treated to a sweet banjo interlude 'Ode To Lord Stanley', which is based on a dream that Jason Dunn's (Vocals) favorite hockey team, Calgary Flames, win the Stanley Cup (hockey championship trophy of National Hockey League). 'Long Ago' continues in a familiar Hawk Nelson sound. 'The Job' brings back memories of Sunday Night Rock Action (Hawk Nelson's first EP) & clearly draws from MxPx & Sum41 influences. 'Lest We Forget' is the perfect example of how Hawk Nelson's mixture of soft rock & upfront lyrics leads to a great song. Rarely do I enjoy a modern remake of a old hymn, but 'Tis So Sweet' was an exception to this. The album comes to a conclusion with an outro track, 'The Final Toast'.

Overall:

Hawk Nelson is no longer the amateur band that was signed to Tooth & Nail years ago. They have matured in both their style, attitude, lyrical/chord choices & seem to have gained a lot of experience with their involvement with Trevor McNevan during the last several years. This is another step in the right direction for Hawk Nelson, hopefully not their last!

Rating: 8/10

Thousand Foot Krutch - Welcome To The Masquerade

2009-09-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Band: Thousand Foot Krutch
Title: Welcome To The Masquerade
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date: September 8th, 2009
Reviewer: Shawn H.

Tracklisting:

The Invitation

Welcome To The Masquerade

Fire It Up

Bring Me To Life

E For Extinction

Watching Over Me

The Part That Hurts The Most (Is Me)

Scream

Look Away

Forward Motion

Outta Control

Smack Down

Already Home

Thousand Foot Krutch have shown that their musical talent & diversity still is full throttle. Welcome To The Masquerade begins with "The Invitation", a instrumental track that is something uncharted for Thousand Foot Krutch, with grateful addition of keys in the background. The title track "Welcome To The Masquerade" brings disappointment in it's eerie resemblance to the album's first single ("Bring Me To Life"), although the chorus is quite catchy. The third bombshell on this album, "Fire It Up" has already garnered it's mainstream success with it's use in G.I Joe trailer & on NHL 10. "Bring Me To Life", the band's first single from this album, fits quaintly in this album's genre. "E For Extinction" demonstrates Thousand Foot Krutch's talent in soft rock, while bringing Trevor's heavy vocals to the chorus, & with lyrics such as 'We Live For This & Nothing More, We Are What You Created' shows that spiritual integrity is still an important part of Thousand Foot Krutch's lyrical repertoire. "Watching Over Me" could easily be a FM Static song, which makes you wonder why it's even on this album. "The Part That Hurts The Most (Is Me)" & "Scream" fill the middle of the album with typical Thousand Foot Krutch-style rock. But, that all changes when we reach "Look Away", an acoustic brilliance that might just be the greatest song ever written by Thousand Foot Krutch. Honestly, words cannot describe the impact that this track had on me. "Forward Motion" & "Outta Control" create a nice transition to reach "Smack Down", a toe-tapping & hand-clapping track that could easily have been on someone's album in the 80s. We are then greeted to our departure with "Already Home", a soft outro track, with a hint of violin at the beginning, simply hearing 'I Am On My Face, & I'm Calling Out Your Name' in this final track's chorus brings us back to reality of our spiritual thirst for our God.

Overall:

While many may disagree, Thousand Foot Krutch has grown to a more mature group with Welcome To The Masquerade. Yes, some of their tracks do have what seems to be a repetitive nature, but the sheer brilliance of their stand-out tracks ("Already Home" & "Look Away") is definitely something that should not be overlooked. Trevor once again has shown us that his lyrical repertoire is filled with great spiritual excitement, spiritual thirst & a knowledge that we are only a small piece in this puzzle we call the universe.

Rating: 8/10

The Letter Black - Breaking The Silence EP

2009-09-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Band: The Letter BlackTitle: Breaking The Silence EP
Label: Tooth & Nail RecordsRelease Date: September 22nd, 2009
Reviewer: Shawn H.

Track Listing:

Moving On

Hanging On By A Thread

Best Of Me

Collapse

All Of Me

Perfect

The Letter Black are the newest addition to Tooth & Nail's already amazing roster. Although this is their first album under The Letter Black, this band has been around for a few years under their previous name, Breaking The Silence. I was a bit hesitant at first, since most female fronted hard rock acts that have surfaced recently have been what some might call, Evanescence wannabe acts. TLB throws any resemblance out the door, and blows the floodgates open with the opening track "Moving On". It's mind blowing that a husband/wife-duo can so perfectly intertwine their vocal talents to make such beautiful music. The only disappointment, minor one though, is that the 3rd track "Best Of Me" doesn't fit in with the rest of this stellar album. Tracks such as "Collapse", "All Of Me" and "Perfect" could easily be played on mainstream radio alongside Evanescence, Theory Of A Deadman and Nickelback, but would also make a nice fit on Christian rock radio alongside Fireflight and Pillar.

Overall:

This CD surprised me from beginning to end. I have yet to find a talented act with a female vocalist interest me from the first note until the last note. Soft vocals, with a mixture of female/male duo vocalists is something that should be done more often. Sarah & Mark Anthony have a great career ahead. This EP is the entree to a extravagant meal, and I'm already excited for what next to come!

Rating: 9/10

Hearts In Stereo - In The Shadows Of Giants

2009-09-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Band: Hearts In Stereo
Title: In The Shadows Of Giants
Label: Independent
Release Date: 2009
Reviewer: Shawn H.

Tracklisting:

In The Shadows Of Giants

Hit The Road

Let It Go

I'm Still Him

I Need You

Don't Say

Come Down

Pop Song

Always Be There

Who Am I

I'd Rather Die

Mini-Bio (from Myspace):

With their new album In The Shadow Of Giants, Hearts in Stereo bursts onto the indie scene with a fresh explosion of rock. 5 guys based out of Ottawa Ontario, Canada, ready to rock and do what it takes to sway the crowd into a head banging toe tapping mosh pit trance. Strong vocals with razor sharp guitar leads, accompanied by tight, uniformed drumming and bass that lands blow after blow to your solar plexus.

In The Shadows Of Giants is the new bands idea of stepping into a scene full of giants. Not only musical, but spiritual and otherwise. Tired of listening to people say you will never go anywhere, the front man, Joshua Barbour decided to forget those words and endeavored on this rock project. "It was finally time, and after years of trying and failing, I finally really feel like I'm in the right place with this project and doing what God has called me to do." Stepping up Joshua started writing in his home studio with no one but himself. Soon after Patrick Vezina the talented, young drummer joined up, and solidified the bond between guitar and drums and things started happening. "Other members came and went, but now we finally have our family."

From the deep words of Here inside me to the catchy shallowness of Pop Song, this album is the bands hard earned contribution to the world. Hoping to prove staying power, the band has decided to fully pursue this life. "It's not all about the money or fame, it's about doing what God has called me to do!" H.I.S. hopes to make an impact on today's youth by spreading Gods love through music and lifestyle, by living a life reflecting Gods love and staying true to His word.

You can check them out whenever they play near you. Their powerful stage show will move you, and stay with you for a long time.

CD Review:

It's not often you see musicians these days where the main vocalist is in his 30s, with the rest of his band being in their early 20s. Hearts In Stereo is the perfect example. These guys come in guns loaded, with the title track (also the intro track) with words of hope/wisdom to the listeners, speaking of how we have to overcome the giants. "Hit The Road" follows in suit, with a cry out to God to show us the "road" to follow in life. Just when you think this album is gonna be a hard rock album, "Let It Go" shows you that these guys are willing to try multiple genres, bringing you a alternative/rock song that doesn't take away any of H.I.S powerful mixture. The alt/rock is short lived, with "I'm Still Him" bringing Josh's grungy, hard rock vocals back. These guys even take a MAJOR risk by including a pop song, naming it coincidentally "Pop Song", but it's all in good humor because this song actually stands out on the album. The final track, "I'd Rather Die", is one of few times you'll hear screams on the album, but this song could easily be the claim to fame.

Overall:

Seriously, these guys should have been signed to a label months (if not years ago). The chemistry that these 5 young males have is something rarely seen in the indie scene of our current generation. Yes, there iare small adjustments that could be made (consistency in genre of music on the album), but all in all, the diversity actually helps to keep the listeners attention.

Rating: 7/10

Tooth & Nail/BEC Summer Sampler (2009)

2009-07-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

1 Emery - Cutthroat Collapse
2 Thousand Foot Krutch - Bring Me To Life
3 The Rescue - The Rescue
4 FM Static - Boy Moves to a New Town with Optimistic Outlook
5 The Glorious Unseen - Hear Our Prayers
6 Falling Up - Streams of Woe at Acheron
7 KJ-52 - Wake Up
8 Hawk Nelson - Lets Dance Dojo Dominating Remix by Jason Dunn
9 Since October - Guilty
10 August Burns Red - Thirty and Seven

11 Seventh Day Slumber - Take Everything

12 Children 18:3 - All My Balloons

Download @ www.toothandnail.com/free

Twitter + Bikini = Twikini

2009-05-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Trinket Software, the company that has brought such outstanding products for Windows Mobile such as : Scrub, Fake Call, No Calls & Power SMS has finally released something for the Twitter crowd...Behold Twikini..

Twikini comes blazing out of the starting line with FULL compatibility with all Touch/Non-Touch Windows® Mobile phones.

This progam comes with many different color themes:

Unlike other Twitter apps for Windows® Mobile, Twikini is written entirely in native C++, which makes for a smooth user experience...Heck, the Twitpic integration makes it a no-brainer as choice for your mobile Twitter app! They even added a Windows Media Player integration so that you can Tweet the song/artist you are listening to....

To get more information, please visit: Trinket Software

FOLLOW THEM ON Twitter: @twikini

160: The story behind text messaging

2009-05-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

Alone in a room in his home in Bonn, Germany, Friedhelm Hillebrand sat at his typewriter, tapping out random sentences and questions on a sheet of paper.

As he went along, Hillebrand counted the number of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. Each blurb ran on for a line or two and nearly always clocked in under 160 characters.

That became Hillebrand's magic number -- and set the standard for one of today's most popular forms of digital communication: text messaging.

"This is perfectly sufficient," he recalled thinking during that epiphany of 1985, when he was 45 years old. "Perfectly sufficient."

The communications researcher and a dozen others had been laying out the plans to standardize a technology that would allow cellphones to transmit and display text messages. Because of tight bandwidth constraints of the wireless networks at the time -- which were mostly used for car phones -- each message would have to be as short as possible.

Before his typewriter experiment, Hillebrand had an argument with a friend about whether 160 characters provided enough space to communicate most thoughts. "My friend said this was impossible for the mass market," Hillebrand said. "I was more optimistic."

His optimism was clearly on the mark. Text messaging has become the prevalent form of mobile communication worldwide. Americans are sending more text messages than making calls on their cellphones, according to a Nielsen Mobile report released last year.

U.S. mobile users sent an average of 357 texts per month in the second quarter of 2008 versus an average of 204 calls, the report said.

Texting has been a boon for telecoms. Giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T each charge 20 to 25 cents a message, or $20 for unlimited texts. Verizon has 86 million subscribers, while AT&T's wireless service has 78.2 million.

And Twitter, the fastest growing online social network, which is being adopted practically en masse by politicians, celebrities ...

... and news outlets, has its very DNA in text messaging. To avoid the need for splitting cellular text messages into multiple parts, the creators of Twitter capped the length of a tweet at 140 characters, keeping the extra 20 for the user's unique address.

Back in 1985, of course, the guys who invented Twitter were probably still playing with Matchbox cars.

Hillebrand found new confidence after his rather unscientific investigations. As chairman of the nonvoice services committee within the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), a group that sets standards for the majority of the global mobile market, he pushed forward the group's plans in 1986. All cellular carriers and mobile phones, they decreed, must support the short messaging service (SMS).

Looking for a data pipeline that would fit these micro messages, Hillebrand came up with the idea to harness a secondary radio channel that already existed on mobile networks.

This smaller data lane had been used only to alert a cellphone about reception strength and to supply it with bits of information regarding incoming calls. Voice communication itself had taken place via a separate signal.

"We were looking to a cheap implementation," Hillebrand said on the phone from Bonn. "Most of the time, nothing happens on this control link. So, it was free capacity on the system."

Initially, Hillebrand's team could fit only 128 characters into that space, but that didn't seem like nearly enough. With a little tweaking and a decision to cut down the set of possible letters, numbers and symbols that the system could represent, they squeezed out room for another 32 characters.

Still, his committee wondered, would the 160-character maximum be enough space to prove a useful form of communication? Having zero market research, they based their initial assumptions on two "convincing arguments," Hillebrand said.

For one, they found that postcards often contained fewer than 150 characters.

Second, they analyzed a set of messages sent through Telex, a then-prevalent telegraphy network for business professionals. Despite not having a technical limitation, Hillebrand said, Telex transmissions were usually about the same length as postcards.

Just look at your average e-mail today, he noted. Many can be summed up in the subject line, and the rest often contains just a line or two of text asking for a favor or updating about a particular project.

But length wasn't SMS's only limitation. "The input was cumbersome," Hillebrand said. With multiple letters being assigned to each number button on the keypad, finding a single correct letter could take three or four taps. Typing out a sentence or two was a painstaking task.

Later, software such as T9, which predicts words based on the first few letters typed by the user, QWERTY keyboards such as the BlackBerry's and touchscreen keyboards including the iPhone's made the process more palatable.

But even with these inconveniences, text messaging took off. Fast. Hillebrand never imagined how quickly and universally the technology would be adopted. What was originally devised as a portable paging system for craftsmen using their cars as a mobile office is now the preferred form of on-the-go communication for cellphone users of all ages.

"Nobody had foreseen how fast and quickly the young people would use this," Hillebrand said. He's still fascinated by stories of young couples breaking up via text message.

When he tells the story of his 160-character breakthrough, Hillebrand says, people assume he's rich. But he's not.

There are no text message royalties. He doesn't receive a couple of pennies each time someone sends a text, like songwriters do for radio airplay. Though "that would be nice," Hillebrand said.

Now Hillebrand lives in Bonn, managing Hillebrand & Partners, a technology patent consulting firm. He has written a book about the creation of GSM, a $255 hardcover tome.

Following an early retirement that didn't take, Hillebrand is pondering his next project. Multimedia messaging could benefit from regulation, he said. With so many different cellphones taking photos, videos and audio in a variety of formats, you can never be sure whether your friend's phone will be able to display it.

But he's hoping to make a respectable salary for the work this time.

Warped 2009 Excitement.....

2009-05-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hey....here is the line-up of bands that are playing Warped Tour @ Arrow Hall (Toronto,ON) on July 10th...*BOLD = I wanna see them*:

Raising Hands...

2009-05-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

While doing my devotions this morning, I came upon this on DayByDay:

I raise my hands to God,
to some it may seem odd,
But do they know the reasons why I do?
It is not done for show,
but for simply letting go,
of the things my hands have tried to hang on to.
I lift my arms up high,
though some people wonder why,
It's clear to see they do not understand.
I am not some "Charismatic,"
with cobwebs in my attic,
I just want to grab onto my Father's hand.
Maybe if they knew,
the reason that I do,
is not for some fanatical display.
Instead it is a plea,
for God to comfort me,
and hold me as I go from day to day.

It-Leaked RIP 07-09

2009-04-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

I went to visit one of my favorite sites today & was shocked to see:

RIP IT-LEAKED 2007-2009
-robs

It saddens me to see this worthy site just close without any "notice".....I'm shocked that Robs didn't put more effort in making the site a success......Very disappointed in such a loss!

While I'm Waiting.....

2009-04-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

This song just speaks so deeply to me....I've got it on repeat.....When I read the artist's reason to compose this song, it brought a bold resemblance to my life!

While I’m Waiting

Psalm 5:3, 27:14, 33:20, 37:7, 38:15, 40:1, Isaiah 30:18, Lamentations 3:24
John Waller

"The explanation for this song is simple, I was waiting on God and I was hurting when I wrote the lyrics. I probably wouldn’t have written a song if my friend, Mike, hadn’t encouraged me to document what I was going through during that time. I’m sure there are few people who can’t relate to this song, but the important thing to remember while we’re waiting on God is to not just wait but to actively wait. Serve, worship and be faithful with what you have, where you are… “even while (you) wait.”

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

© 2007 Travelin’ Zoo Music (ASCAP) (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing)

Tax Frustration!

2009-04-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

So, I had to file my taxes today...Well, more along the lines of gettin' my in-house Tax Guru to do it (Granny is a smart one!)......I ended up owin' the stupid Canadian government $95.98....

Bloggy, oh Bloggy!

2009-04-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

So, yup...I've got Saturday-Sunday off this weekend....Spent 70% of Saturday playin "Call Of Duty 3".....You'd be suprised how much more CLEAR/CRISP the image is with a HDTV, using HDMI (In plain english, using a High Definition Television with a High Definition Multimedia Interface cable)....Yes, this $30 cable makes the image so much better......Heck, I even bought my FIRST Blu-Ray Movie last night...I bought The Day The Earth Stood Still! It came with the NEW Version, The original from 1951 & a Digital Copy.....Probably ONE of the best movies I've seen lately!

Climbing The Hill....

2009-04-14T23:53:00.000-07:00

I Walk Down This Street
Not Sure Who I Will Meet
They Say This Street Is Where I Should Go
But I Know The The Truth

The World Tells Me To Do This & That
If I Follow Their Directions, One Day I Will Fall Down
They Might Know The Current Hype, But I Know Something More

Something Eternal
Something Tangible
Something True
Something Strong
Something Worthwhile

Freedom Came In The Form Of 3 Nails
Such Freedom I Will Never Forget
That Someone Die For Me
But, He Isn't Just Anyone
He Is He

The Maker Of Everything
The Alpha, The Omega
The Beginning, The End

Yet, With Such Knowledge We Tend To Forget
We Tend To Search For Something Else
Something Wrong, Something Uncalled For

We Must Not Fall For The Lies Of The World
We Must Stand Up
We Must Flee
We Must Go Back To The Homeland

Thirst For Knowledge Of His Love
Thirst For His Compassion
Isn't That What This Journey Begins With?

Yes This Road Has Taken Me Many Years
I Started On The Right Path
Yet, When I Came To A Fork In The Road
The Narrow Path Lost It Appeal In Comparison to Easy Street

Now, Here I Am Miles Down Easy Street
Wishing to Find A Way Back To The Narrow Path
It's A Daily Struggle, For The Distance Between The Two Is Far

Everytime I Walk Off Easy Street
The Uphill Climb To The Narrow Path Seems Harder To Do
For At The Slightest Hesitation
I Fall Back Down The Hill

I Long For A Journey To The Cross
A Fellowship With The King
A Brighter Tommorow
A New Future

What Is At The Core Of This Hesitation
What Is Causing Me To Not Reach My Goal
What Is Causing This To Be Harder Than I Could Ever Imagine

The Are Other Places That I've Been Challenged Before
The Are Other Times That I've Decided To Take A Stand
Yet, It Seems Harder Than Ever Before This Time

I Need To Break Out Of This Shell
Of This Small-Minded Mindset
I Need To See The Big Picture
The True Way To Climb This Hill

Maybe He Is Just Waiting For Me To Ask Him For His Help......

TV Situation Update....

2009-04-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the TV that was bought last week didn't fit in the cabinet....The cabinet was 35.5inch & the TV was 36.5inch wide......But, we solve this issue...we got the same TV, in 32inch (31.5 across) so that it fits in the cabinet.....

Hicktown Throwdown...

2009-04-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

Green Grass Doesn't Always Mean Better Thing
These Streets Are Too Small For Our Dreams
Mom & Pop Shops Are A Thing Of The Past
Yet This Town Thinks It Has Class!

This Is A HickTown Throwdown
A Chance To Prove Yourself Wrong Or Right
This Is A HickTown Throwdown
Shake It Will All Your Might!

They Say The Mayor Is One Tight Guy
He Ain't know anything wrong from right
Town Hall feels like a dusty dungeon
Yet these town oldies think it's heaven!

This Is A HickTown Throwdown
A Chance To Prove Yourself Wrong Or Right
This Is A HickTown Throwdown
Shake It Will All Your Might!

The Big City is calling your name tonite
Will you step up to the plate or start a fight?
Will this small town keep you safe at night
If the Big City has the glowing lights!

This Is A HickTown Throwdown
A Chance To Prove Yourself Wrong Or Right
This Is A HickTown Throwdown
Shake It Will All Your Might! (x2)

Bleeding Generation....

2009-04-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Broken Hearts are bleeding all over this world
A Generation is struggling to see the purpose in it's actions
Will We Ever See The Impact of our actions come To Light?
Will We Give Up Our Lives For This Cause?

If We Take A Moment to catch our breath,
Will we remember to breathe again?

Father, take this shattered generation
Take Them To Your Holy Kingdom
Let Them Understand what You Have Planned

See The Narrow Path, Feel The Burning Flames
A Revival Is Coming Among Our Street
He Is Calling You To Shine His Light
To Take Your Belongings & Follow Him

Where Does The Sea Start?
Where Does It End?
Did We Come To This World To Crawl
or Did we come to dive in headfirst

Does He make you wanna run down the street?
Does He make you wanna scream from the rooftops?
Yet, as soon as you walk out the door, you hide him with your other belongings

He Died For You, can't you at least show him respect & honor his calling on your life?
He asks that you preach his word, yet you spend those precious moments speakin' of wordly things.

If We Honestly wanna see this world become a better place, we must start by changing ourselves!

Imagine watchin' this in the living room...!

2009-04-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the story...last week, we got a shipment of NEW Sony TVs at our store...since I know that my parents have been lookin' for a 37" HDTV, I was curious of the price of our new Bravia M4000 series TV. Well, normally this TV retails for $1099, but it has a SALE price of $799 right now....Being the nice son that I am, I told my parents about it......& let's just say they seem very interested in this above mentioned TV.

Here are some details that I found online for this TV:

The Sony M4000 is not only stylish with its vibrant tan finish but it comes fully loaded to make your television experience first-class. Perfect for watching sports the 37" screen lets you see everything that's happening out on the field on the ice. High-resolution (720p) and a high-contrast ratio (9000:1) give you true-to-life colour, amazing detail, and clarity. Sony's M4000 HDTV brings with it BRAVIA® Theatre Sync (HDMI-CEC) for easy, one-touch management of compatible Sony products, ACE contrast enhancement for better shadow detail, and BRAVIA Engine™ 2 for crystal clear picture quality.

Features

37" LCD screen
720p resolution
9000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
PC input
2 HDMI inputs
Fast Panel response time

Fast panel response time means when you're in graphic intense games, or watching fast paced shows, you won't experience image ghosting. Outfitted with 2 HDMI inputs it lets you hook up your gaming console, DVD player, satellite, etc to your television without having to switch your cables back and forth. Equipped with a PC input you can also use this television as your computer monitor. Thanks to the widescreen it lets you see 2 documents side-by-side creating a more work friendly environment.

SPECIFICATIONS

Video

Static Contrast Ratio: 2500:1
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 9000:1
Resolution: 720p
Display Type: LCD
Picture-in-Picture: Yes
Screen size : 37"
Flat panel technology: Yes
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Built-in Tuner: Yes
Maximum viewing angle: H:178/ V: 178
Comb Filter: 3D digital
3:2 Film Correction: N/A
Light Source: N/A
Response time: N/A
Frame Rate: N/A
Auto Volume Correction: N/A
Inputs/Outputs
Component Video Input: 2
S-Video Input: 1
Composite Input: 3
DVI (Digital Video Interface) input: No
HDMI Input: 2
HDMI Version: N/A
RF Input: 1
PC Compatible: Yes
VGA/SVGA Input: N/A
Variable audio output: 1
IEEE Input: No
Memory Card output: No
Convenience
Remote: Yes
Backlit Remote: No
DVD Player Included: No
Pedestal Stand: Yes
Wall Mount: Optional
General Features
Cabinet Colour: Black
VESA Compliant: Yes
Energy Star Compliant: Yes
Dimensions
Height: 54.9cm
Width: 81.0cm
Length: 10.2cm
Weight: 13.83kg
UPC: 027242737976
Manufacturer's Part Number: KDL37M4000
Product Warranty: 1-Year

(Declaration) of War

2009-04-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Lyrics taken from "(Declaration) Of War" by The Great Commission
From their 2009 Facedown Records debut album "Every Knee Shall Bow"

There is a calling on this generation to step into destiny and fulfill it.
To bring light into dark places.
To spread truth in a culture of lies.
The Most High has chosen the underground.
A generation of lost and broken youth.
To rise up from death and from sleep.
To fulfill the Great Commission.
And to make a declaration of war on this world.
We will be the culture that is not imprisoned by four walls of a church.
Or any religious doctrine.
But we will stand with the authority of the Kingdom.
We will walk in the authority of the Spirit. The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The sick will be healed.
The Gospel will be preached.
The dead will be raised.
And the broken will become whole again.

Palm Pre!

2009-04-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

My current cell phone (HTC Touch) has been acting up on me alot lately....Still stuck in a 3-yr contract until Dec 2010, if I'm gonna get a new phone & pay GOOD $$$ for it, I was something amazing...Therefore, I've decided that if this below mentioned phone does get released by Telus very soon, I shall get one!

Operating system

Palm® webOS™

Network specs|

3G EVDO Rev A

Display

3.1-inch touch screen
24-bit color
320x480 resolution
HVGA display

Keyboard

Physical QWERTY keyboard

Microsoft Outlook® email with Microsoft® Direct Push Technology
POP3/IMAP (Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, etc)

Messaging

Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS

GPS

Built-in GPS

Digital camera

3 megapixel camera
LED flash
extended depth of field

Sensors

Ambient light
accelerometer
proximity

Media formats supported

Audio Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
Image Formats: GIF, Animated GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP

Wireless connectivity

Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, 801.1x authentication
Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support

Memory

8GB of user storage (~7.4GB user available)
USB mass storage support

Phone as laptop modem

Bluetooth tethering

Connector

MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed

Headphone jack

3.5mm stereo

Palm® Touchstone™
charging dock

Compatible

Dimensions

Width: 59.5mm (2.3 inches)
Height: 100.5mm (3.9 inches)
Thickness: 16.95mm (0.67 inches)
Weight: 135 grams (4.76 ounces)

Are Social Networks benefical to popularity for bands?!?!

2009-04-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

While at work today, I started pondering if an online presence for a band/artist is actually a REQUIREMENT or BENEFIT, or just a way for our music scene to get bombarded with no-talent bands....When you look at new bands, most of them have a Facebook, MySpace, PureVolume account so that they can "promote" themselves....What ever happened to word of mouth, the way bands got known in the 80s/90s? I do understand that it HELPS to have a band page on social networks, but is ONE of each really a necessity? Would an artist be more popular or famous if they had a Twitter, MySpace & Facebook? Or is the fact of just a simple online presence sufficient for them....When you look at the evolution of social networks for music, you'll see that most of the hype happened with PureVolume, a place to post music on a web-based player so that individuals could hear your music, without the need to download any songs to the computer....Then, MySpace became the new FAD, it didn't take long for MySpace Music to be created, so that artist could do the same basic things as PureVolume, but with the ability of so much more.......Honestly, if you look at 80% of NEW artist in our modern roster of bands, most have been "discovered" online.....Is the fact of them gettin' signed to major labels a product of massive online followers, even if the band sounds like William Hung on a BAD day?!?! Or is PURE talent still a pre-requisite for makin it big.....Bands like Madina Lake, FallOut Boy & Forever The Sickest Kids have all become "known" due to having a PureVolume or MySpace page......Of the above mentioned bands,only FTSK has actually proven themselves to have talent...I guess the label bigwigs think that "If They Already Got A Following, It's Awesome Cuz We Can Invest LESS $$$ To Market Them"

Honestly, I want truely talented bands to get signed to labels!

But, then again, how would I learn of all these NEW artist without sites like PureVolume, MySpace & Facebook.....?

Yoodle, Doodle....

2009-04-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

So, today was April 4th...I had a very eventful day today....I woke up @ 8:40, went to work for 9pm, worked till 5pm.....That's when the FUN started....I had walked to work in Hoodie this morning, but departed from work in a blizzard....Warm Weather + Blizzard = watery slush & puddles.....so, here I am, freezin' my butt off, walking down the street to make it home ASAP! I stop on the sidewalk, in front of a puddle, waiting for the traffic to die down so I can cross to the other side....I see a Timmins Transit bus headin my way & I told myself "If this individual is smart/courtious, he'll either SLOW down or change lanes so that I can cross/not get drenched by the puddle splash....well, the latter did happen & I got home DRENCHED from head to toe with probable WATER Damage to my Ipod & Cell Phone.....

What will tommorow bring?!?!

Intro To A New World...

2009-04-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is my first Blog.....hoping it's gonna be the first of many! I'm thinking this might be a GOOD way for me to express how I feel on a daily basis...Well, we shall see how it goes!