Rhythmic Symphony

In the wake of last Sunday’s Superbowl, I think I know what it is that I don’t like about spectator sports. But first, a quick disclaimer; I think watching sports is fine. It’s no worse than watching movies or TV. Video games might build your brain a little bit more and make you better driver and brain surgeon (seriously, surgeons who are gamers make fewer mistakes), but I don’t think that watching sports is a bad habit, in moderation.
With that said, this is why it just doesn’t float my boat. I don’t like playing the spectator. I like playing the, well, the player (no, not that kind of player). I’ll go to a game if someone I know is playing, so as to support them. And on rare occasions I’ll watch sports with friends just to enhance the friendship (just like they’ll play the games I come up with for the same reason). But why be a spectator when you can be a doer? Get caught up in your own ambitions instead of someone else’s. Be your own hero. I guess that might sound a bit arrogant, but I’m not really sorry, so I won’t apologize.
Amber’s qualm is that it takes over people’s lives, but I think that anything can do that, really. So if watching sports is your thing than go for it, but don’t expect to have anything to show for it. You might get bragging rights……. but not really. You’re just borrowing someone else’s.
Alright people….. now have at it. Pick me apart!!!
I’m going to go watch TV, and then a movie, and then read a book, and then enjoy someone else’s art, and then…

Well, I feel that the 2008 is off to a good start. I’ve joined the ranks of the present and bought and ipod, which I’m currently converting about a BJILLION cd’s into mp3’s for. It’s taken up the better part of the last several days.
I’ve started on my first novel, which I’m a little apprehensive about since it’s the first piece of fiction I’ve written. Quite a few people have said I should actually make a The Envaryan Chronicles into a novel. So I figured, why not? What’s the worst that could happen? Besides it mutating into a robot monster that destroys the universe (that was a Calvin and Hobbs joke, I think)? If it’s terrible then at least I can say that I tried. Making into a novel has taken a lot of new story writing though. So there’ll be lots of new characters and plot development.
After talking with Matt about it, we decided that book 1 also needs a tenth chapter. Chapter 9 is a good song, but its not a song to end on. So I’ve laboring away a song that’s verses keep becoming industrial while the chorus insists on being all trancey. Songs can be so stubborn.
In other news… I have fungus growing on my face………..
I work with kids, and well, you can’t just not hug the kids ’cause they have fungus growing on them, right?

Breye from Provision brought to my attention a really great, recent review on The Mechanism Fulfilled. It wasn’t a glowing review or anything, but more in depth than what you usually find around the internet. Just scroll down a bit from the top of the linked page.
Give it a read!

Hey, all.
Well, we finally performed The Envaryan Chronicles, Book 1! I don’t think we’ve ever just suddenly played 9 new songs all at once. It was a bit nerve wrecking, but a welcomed breath of fresh, synthesized air. Matt (the guy with the guitar) couldn’t make it to the show as he met his unfortunate end in a tragic stapling accident, but I think we pulled it off okay. I’ve been forcing myself to put it off, but I now can finally start working on all of these ideas I have for book 2. And we can start recording!
The show at The Church night club was a lot of fun. Of course, I always have a lot of fun at our shows; dancing around on stage, shattering my equipment with my exuberance, and crushing puppies (that’s a bit more sick than it is funny when I remember there’s bands that actually do that last part).
So now Thanksgiving is upon us, in all its splendor! (Mmmmmmmmmmmm…. splendor…..) So happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy your families and your pumpkin pie!

We’re playing The Church night club in Denver. Come!
Sunday, November 18th… 9pm, with San Francisco’s Eloquent!
1160 Lincoln St.
See you everyone there!

Well, it’s been a little while since the last journal. The show in Albuquerque was awsome! It’s refreshing to play with all synth bands after playing with metal heads and the like for so long (no offense metal heads).
I’ve finally finished chapter 9… and it might be the last. We’re going to talk about it at our next band get together. Either 9 will be the last chapter in book 1 or we’ll go for a couple more. The Envaryan Chronicles art contest is up for all those into the visual arts. If you’d like to be involved just go to

http://rhythmicsymphony.deviantart.com/

for the details.
So this time I have no philosophical anything for you…. oh wait… here it is. Never mind. I’m going to try and make this short and concise. I’ve decided that no human being, past or present, has ever done anything with entirely unselfish motives, selfish being defined as looking out for your own intersts or gain. In other words, no one has ever done anything without looking to get something out of it for themselves. Even doing charity, which can totally have meritable reasons behind it, has some element of self gain. Mainly getting closer to homeostasis by getting your conscience to be quiet. Can anyone think of a completely unselfish action? I can’t. But I’m open to be corrected.
I’ve gotta go celebrate First Frost (first Friday of every October) with Egg Nog and Wassle. Happy First Frost everyone!

The latest project for Rhythmic Symphony, The Envaryan Chronicles: Book 1, is quickly coming together. Now we’d like to give all you visual artists out there a chance to show off your talents.

For those of you who don’t know, The Envaryan Chronicles is an original story we’ve been working on since January (2007) centered on the immortal city of Envarya and two of its inhabitants, Cinder and Dorie. Each chapter has been written in lyrical form and put to music, making each song a chapter, and each album a book.

Now that the music is nearly completed we would like to invite the visual artists to submit illustrations for the completed chapters. We are looking for a plethora of styles and genres, from computer generated to oil pastels and everything in between. When we perform the Envaryan Chronicles (which for now is going to be a live only experience) a small book (like the one you get in a CD) will be available to the concert goer so that s/he can follow along with the story. With each chapter there will be an illustration on the following page, done by artists from all over the world! Each artist will get a recognition blurb in the booklet and on the websites so that due credit is given.

We’ll be posting the chapters over the next several weeks on our deviant art profile for all of you to read, visualize, and even critique if you want (no worries, we’ll like honesty). We’ll be picking our favorite submissions to go with the respective chapters in the booklet, but all submitted art will show up somewhere, whether it’s in the booklet, on the websites, or being showcased at a concert… unless the art is blatantly distasteful (I know, such a relative word), in which case we’ll just save it for ourselves to cherish forever and ever.

So, with that said, please take all submissions to
http://rhythmicsymphony.deviantart.com/
or e-mail them to
rhythmicsymphony@yahoo.com
All submissions are due by October 21, 2007.
Thanks to everyone of you artists for making our lives more colorful!

RS is playing live at Bruno’s this Saturday. Swing by…

08/25/2007 10:00 PM – Bruno’s Saloon
8501 E. Colfax Ave
Denver, Colorado 80220

I made it all the way to chapter 9, which makes the book almost complete since I made the decision to cut the length from 16 chapters to 12. I figured 16 chapters was a bit much to sit through anyway.
The show at Acoma plaza yesterday was a lot of fun, even with the brief threat of rain. Thanks to everyone that came and stayed, even with the rain drops.
So, okay… now to may favorite reason to write these posts: to rant.
My brother and I had been talking about what makes people get so peeved when an individual decides to take their individuality “too far.” Here’s what conclusion we arrived at….
Society, especially ours, is the most productive when conformity reigns. I agree with this to an extent because I believe in an absolute right and wrong, an ultimate truth, an inter-reality. If everyone drove how they wanted to driving would be a perilous and time consuming task. However, we’ve put rules in place to make sure everyone conforms so we can get were we need to smoothly and with relative safety. Unfortunately our business run society takes it quite a bit farther. There seems to be a set of ideals that you are expected to accept and profess without thought or argument. If an individual openly questions the validity of a “common sense” ideal then people quickly get annoyed and even volatile. The best we can tell, this is because our merchant run society praises the man who fits in the best with the money making empire. Now, I just want to say for the record that I don’t have a problem with money. Money is just a system set up to make things easier. It’s the idea that we should spend our lives attaining as much money as possible that irks me.
The average joe is just trying to be what he is told he is supposed to be, and when someone like me comes along and brings up a non-approved topic or an uncommon view, or especially if I start to think stuff through out loud, it throws off his groove. It’s like he’s trying to be the guy who’s got the right opnions and has all the money and all the toys and all the babes and power, and then here comes some jerk to unknowingly put a stutter in his mojo!
So to all of you who I’ve offended by throwing off your groove, I’m sorry. I’d like to think it’s what I do, though. Not for the purpose of screwing up your mojo, or whatever, but because it’s good to think things through every once in a while.

Rhythmic Symphony will be performing at Acoma plaza (Denver) this Wednesday. This show’s in the middle of the day, so get lunch to go and we’ll see you there!

08/15/2007 12:00 PM – Acoma Plaza @ The Denver Public Library (West entrance)
14th and Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80204
Cost: Free