A Recipe For Change

For your reading enjoyment the following songs hold some significant mirroring effect to this article :

Furnaceface : Just Buy It
 Dead Kennedy's : Kinky Sex Makes the World Go 'Round
Bad Religion : 21st Century Digital Boy
John Lennon : Imagine

Revolutions in the middle east are a direct result of the current world economic depression in conjunction with a number of perfectly timed, appropro circumstances. With the correct combination of regional circumstances we could see the same elsewhere in the world, even in Canada.


  Much as history has taught us, the common will of the people will overcome the authoritarian rule they have been subjugated to as their plight grows greater and their common consciousness suddenly awakens. The godfathers of communism long studied and theorized on the perfect settings for a worker's revolution. When the destitute had taken too much, while endlessly witnessing the grandeurs of the ruling class, they would be ripe for action. Helplessly watching as those around them, those closest to them, died in suffering whilst their leaders vacationed on luxurious islands only to return to their grande palaces and great courtyards. In the past few weeks we have been witness to a suddenly growing snowball of change as uprisings have claimed 2 governments, and new demonstrations have now occurred in Iran, Yemen, and many more suddenly threatened. Could this be but a tinder effect?

  As the world population continues to skyrocket (world population will double within most of our lifetimes) the demand we put onto it is ever increasing. We are therefor ever more reliant on our Earth for our sustenance.  So when a massive drought such as last year's fire producing one in the grain growing regions of Russia forced that government to suspend exports it lead to much higher food prices in many of the more impoverished portions of the world. Russia is 3rd behind China and India in world wheat productions but one of the main exporters to the middle east. Egypt, the world's greatest wheat importer, was heavily hit. While its leader lavished in every worldly luxury, his people were hit with an inflation rate that was astronomical. A timidly peaceful people under the rule of an authoritarian ruler, the Egyptians witnessed the toppling of a fellow puppet regime in Tunisia and were spurred to action. We all know of the 18 days of relatively peaceful demonstrations that ensued. Those of us who weren't hidden under rocks watched from afar as history wrote another line on a page.


  Could this snowball gather greater and greater people forming into an avalanche of change? As more nations in the middle east experience ripples, the powers that be in ever further outward nations merely bat an eye. But are their situations really all that stable? What is to stop our own people from revolting themselves. Nations throughout the world, but perhaps most notably in Europe, are struggling with economic instability and worse. The french are well known for their eagerness to take to the streets. Due to already high unemployment levels, stagnant wages, and increasing food costs, many of France's neighbors have experienced demonstrations of growing unease in recent months as well . As uncertainty spreads the cost of staples continues to rise. And as instability grows in the middle east, the security of future oil exports is questioned, causing oil to grow ever costlier. In fact, oil returned back to its pre-depression price of over $100 per barrel during the height of the Egyptian power struggle. Maintaining a threshold of greater than $100/barrel of oil for a record 6 straight months in 2008 is a stressor many blame as a contributing cause of our current world financial meltdown. Since the greatest responsibility corporations face is to protect the shareholder value of their owners they will make cost cutting measures (decrease staffing, cut wages/full time positions, promotions, benefits/bonuses, and other corners) while passing on increases in prices to consumers. Throw in the massive flooding in Australia which has threatened and destroyed much of the world's 9th largest wheat producer's crops and a massive drought currently ongoing in China, which is both the world's largest producer and consumer of rice and wheat, and worldwide strife will continue to rise. 


  But revolution won't hit Canada right? Where voter apathy and overall interest in politics is at record lows, Canadians, and their overtly peaceful nature, would never resort to revolts. Or could we? As mass demonstrations during the WTO meetings in Ontario last year showed, there is a rather vocal pocket of resistance to world capitalistic practices. However, the majority of Canadians viewed these demonstrations as a blight to the recent world view to our financial stoutness and our history of being well respected, reasonable folk. Isn't that why the Canadian Conservative regime spent over a BILLION DOLLARS, a ridiculous amount of money, on beefing up security for the G20 talks. We are peaceful. We are reasonable. And we are accustomed to our governments (liberal, conservative, or on a provincial level otherwise) bilking us out of our hard earned cash. Not only in having much higher taxes than our neighbours to the south (for which we are actually quite proud) but also in paying lazy politicians who work less than half a year, who subsist on nepotistic practices (Liberal Adscam, Conservative Judge appointments, both parties appointments in the senate), and are wasteful in countless expenditures. There are some striking similarities between Egyptians and Canadians. The most obvious difference, of course, is that we have the so called "democratic process". We have choice. Or so we are told. How much choice do we actually, really have? Perhaps the reason that ever lower records of voters turn out for each subsequent election is because deep down our collective conscious knows that the system is broken. The free trade capitalistic marketplace is a regime of control, where the rich maintain their control while providing each of us with the allusion of choice and a sharing in the profits. And we are happy to let this subsist. So long as our psyche's are satiated by a couple of weeks in a tropical paradise, where we can play like kings. So long as we can fill our belly's with the delicacies of emperors, with ever fattening foods. So long as we can collect riches and prizes, showing off our ruffled feathers.  Or, at least we have been happy to allow this current system to subsist so far.

  Should the right combination of elements of change happen to come together at just the right time, we too could be subject to our own tides of revolt. Start the cauldron off with a soup base of a weakened world economy upon which Canada is reliant on due to free trade. Throw in the spices of an increase in oil prices due to a tumultuous middle east, a dash of higher priced staples due to worldwide food shortages caused by an ever burgeoning population and extreme weather conditions, a pinch of increases in goods and services. The potatoes of the soup consist of corporations cutting corners to protect shareholder value, eroding the consumer base ever more. The chicken bones consist of an ever mounting government debt, not just in Canada, but throughout the developed world. Turn up the heat a little more, should unrest spread into the western world, Canada could surely follow.

Linkin Park on SNL

I have never seen a band look so self assured of themselves. Even as the lyrics consist of nothing more than "Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh. oh, oh-oh-oh,oh-oh-oh" for what seems like the entirety of their song, everyone in the band looks so confident of the entirety of the art they have created. The smuggest look is on the face of the keyboardist in the far back left corner ( behind the other keyboardist ) as he plays a single key, every few seconds. I can really feel their message, though I have strong doubts that they intend to purvey quite the intel I am jiving. It is while realizing their masterpiece that I deduce that these guys are just one auto-tune vocalization away from being something huge. Fortunately for all of us they are such devoted artists to their craft.

a gig review i wrote for unratedmusic.com

Despite some recent knocks, Calgary's independent music scene is alive and well! This past Thursday music fans were fortunate to have two separate, yet well attended, events to choose from. I began my night at the Battle of the Bands event occurring on most Thursdays at Dickens Pub, 1000 9^th Ave SW. The competition had originated at a previous establishment this past fall where it had completed its preliminary rounds. But those bands who successfully proceeded to the quarter-finals were put into an unknowing limbo when the management of Radiopark Music Room suddenly decided to pursue other entertainment options. It is with little regret that a visit to their website shows that their attempt to institute yet another Calgary Thursday DJ dance night has fallen apart. Fortunately for indie music fans and musicians, Dickens Pub stepped up to the plate to host the remaining rounds of the competition. This has been fortunate for Dickens as well as they have been well rewarded with ever growing crowds of beer guzzling, taco eating fans with each successive Thursday.

The most recent round was a great treat to everyone in attendance as it featured the trip-hoppy sounds of Comrade and Sargeant versus the slick emcee Transit and DJ Crosswalk. Led by the ethereal vocals of Yolanda Sargeant the duo, to which she lends her name, went first. Despite a little bit of a jittery first song Miss Sargeant warmed up quickly, using her powerful jazz inspired voice complimented by the trip hop sounds of DJ Comrade to bring about comparisons to Massive Attack and Veronika Coassolo (from Tricky fame). Heedless of her short stature she easily commanded the room with her soulful singing, transfixing many in the audience as she seemingly floated across the stage. It was with some anger though that this spiritual experience would be rudely interrupted by the untimely subtraction of DJ Comrade.

As though to illustrate the proper role of a DJ, DJ Crosswalk would be the perfect yin to Transit's yang. Seen but ultimately not (verbally) heard, while jumping up and down, and waving his hands in the air he played the right tunes for Transit to rhyme to. DJ Crosswalk was less like a school crosswalk attendant than he was a perfect cheerleader (sans skirt, pom poms, and acrobatics), inspiring the already boisterous crowd to really feel the beat. As for Transit, I doubt his vocals could compare with the raw power of Sargeant, but his sick rhymes and catchy hooks had the fists pumping and the crowd surging. The irony of the success of their spoof of a top 40 pop song not lost on the duo, Transit introduced their internet buzz song Lights, Camera, Action by saying they were turning down Gene Simmons' offer to turn it into something bigger. It is easy to see what the “demon” of KISS saw in the tune as the audience literally exploded to the auto-tuned, easy to chant along with, and repetitive beat. Personally, I just like to whip my hair back and forth to it. Perhaps I will get that chance when the duo play in the semi finals, beginning February 10^th, as they won the chance to continue competing for $2500.

Just down the street is the perennial indie music supporting venue the Marquee Room at 612 8^th Ave SW. And, as though they had billed the timing perfectly to coincide with the show a few blocks away, the Nix Dicksons went on just after our arrival. Despite being without Curtis, their often costumed mascot, and oddly missing a gimmick (past shows have included a petting zoo theme complete with balloon animals and Curtis dressed as a Giraffe, an underwater theme, a space theme, and a Hawaiian Volcano God theme...can you guess who dressed as the Volcano God?) the band was every bit as fun as ever. Always drawing a college crowd, even on this school night, the energy in the room was transparent. Their always affable front man, Tanner Holthe, adeptly works the room, making members of the audience feel right at home, as if the show is transpiring in their own living room. Tanner charismatically calls out members of the crowd by name and easily segues into an introduction

for the next song. Each of which is easy to enjoy, the band encouraging the crowd to join in on sing-a-long sections in such songs as 'King of Connecticut', 'Big Kids', the head bop worthy 'All Girls Want', and the stage filling 'Working on the Weekend'. Staying true to the Nix Dicksons' philosophy of “writ(ing) fun songs and breath(ing) positivity...” this is exactly what going to one of their shows is like. Their music feels like pop songs for the soul. I look forward to seeing what their “secret” stage theme will be for their next show February 25^th at the Gateway as they play the Go For the Eyes cd release party!