I’m super proud of myself for designing the logo. Feels good to get back into artsy things. Haha, by the way, if you want a T-shirt, just contact me 😛 (strategic product placement? No way…ha.)
My usual go-to place for music concerts is the Jack Singer Concert Hall. I love the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and I grew up with classical music, piano lessons and my mom dressed me in sweater vest. But recently, I decided to change my tastes a little and look into a bit of…metal. I’ll be honest, my friends gave me CDs to listen to and the transition from classical to metal was like getting hit by a train, but then I healed and learned how to appreciate the injury. A bit more.
And haha, it’s definitely been a whole different experience. I went to the New Black Center this summer, experienced the wonders of mosh-pitting (there was this one guy with helicopter arms going on. You don’t want to go near those mosh-pitters or you’ll get karate chopped in the face), the hype of a very involved crowd, immensely dedicated and passionate musicians, and see kids your age or relatively young people just playing the music they love and pursuing their dreams. I’ve decided to spotlight this band called Chasing Cygnus.(Go like them on Facebook and support these young musicians, they play at the New Black Center on October 6th. WOOOO!). Oh and did I mention they’re my friends (I have musician friends, let alone, friends. AH! -fangirls-).
So get this, these 3 boys: Josh (guitar), Matt (drums), and Riley (vocals, bass) started working together just last year at the age of 16, and right now, they’re already writing their own music and playing at venues. I guess that’s just the way it is when you have a bunch of talented, determined, and passionate musicians come together. I know I couldn’t do that. I remember I rented out a saxophone last year and only learned how to play Hot Cross Buns because I didn’t have enough air to keep the sound going…Yeah well, these kiddos practice almost everyday after school and the integrity of their music comes first and foremost. The way they experiment with music is quite original. There are mixed time signatures and sudden tempo changes, sometimes with dynamics more dramatic than classical Beethoven, and nowhere near your generic pop bass line, rhythm, and melody. Crazy enough, progressive metal sometimes incorporates Bach fugue-style melodies, and arpeggios like any music kid would play. This rant is actually so exciting for me.
They play progressive metal, which is forward-thinking music — original music styles like fusing jazz and classical elements in with electric guitar. Well, I used to have a negative impression of metal music, but if you delve deeper into the lyrics of bands such as The Mars Volta, Rush, Protest the Hero, and Chasing Cygnus, you find that it is pure philosophical poetry, and thought-provoking material. Or you could go for the all instrumental approach with Russian Circles (metal without singing o_O, it’s pretty awesome.) I dare you to go check some of these songs out and read the lyrics. It surprised me, and now it shames me to hear things like “wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ like P- Diddy, grab ma glasses I’m out the door I’m gonna hit the city, before I leave brush ma teeth with a bottle of Jack, ‘cuz when I leave for the night I ain’t comin’ back“. Wait, I need to give you one more cringe-worthy example, this is too much fun. Here’s this: “I like that boom boom pow, them chickens jackin’ my style, they try to copy my swagger”, and there’s this “But the winter fell upon them, and it caught them unprepared, bringing wolves and cold starvation, and the hearts of men despaired. (Hemispheres by Rush)”. There is no comparison…
What’s interesting is that when you search up pop music lyrics on the internet, you get just lyrics, but when you search up progressive metal lyrics, you get the lyrics…and an interpretation of them. It’s something so thorough and profound, and that completely shattered my stereotypical view of metal; loud, loud, and scary. Go check it out. Like actually. Come down to the New Black Center, concerts are quite cheap and sometimes you end up surprising yourself with new-found interest in different genres of music.
