this past week we've shifted from tracking our new album instrument by instrument and moved more toward a song by song approach. It's more touchy feeley and for myself personally, eye on the prize.
we're also working furiously toward the completion of an epk. we've never done one of those proper and its about time. it has me thinking about transparency - should we be revealing the entrails of vacuity or crafting what we would like people to perceive as vacuity? a mashup? personally i like things that are very much real. call a spade a spade and all that. if you want to put it inside a nice frame or dress it in a blazer - that's okay - but it keep it genuine. otherwise it reeks of falseness.
this brings me to another arena of thinking though. it has to do with attitude. first let me clarify a few of my beliefs in this department.
1) you need to believe something is possible for it to become a part of your (possible) future. obviously this doesn't apply to things like contracting a disease (H1N1 anyone?). But for something like creating an infrastructure where you can pay your bills via the art you put together it applies in a very real way.
2) having said that - believing in something is not all it takes to bring an idea to fruition. necessary, but not even close.
I recently read a book titled, 'Empire of Illusion' by Chris Hedges. In one chapter, Hedges tears apart the world of positive pop psychology. The negative effects of living in a fantasy world are revealed.
I mention all this because I've always found art to be a way of expressing ideas (profound!). The ideas that interest me and inspire a lot of the things we deal with in our songs aren't always the best party ideas. And somehow entertainment has been largely marginalized as an unconditional "good time". But literacy requires self reflection. Doubt and scrutiny pave the way toward improvement. often the things with no voice are the most in need of a voice. we make music for literate people. If you buy into something like celebrity culture, I hope we can still make you dance, obviously keep listening if you please, but really... we might not be connecting.
I work (as part time as I can) for a corporation that boasts about how much they donate to charities yet pay their employees the minimum amount required by law. A law created by a government that operates in the shadow of business. Meanwhile as good consumers we're encouraged to purchase products (mostly future landfill plot junk), often manufactured under much crueler labouring conditions than 'minimum wage' in a first world country. If you want to critically discuss these types of behaviour you are breaking the illusion. You've got a bad attitude. (imagine the Savage from Huxley's 'Brave New World'.)
anyways, im digressing here which is what happens once i get going. the point i want to make is that I get anxiety as being branded as negative just by proxy. but i dont think vacuity would have been creating music together for this long if there weren't a whole lot of positive in it. for us and for you.
when i get thinking about an epk, i get worried about framing it so it doesn't look bitter. goddamn, the best moments of my life mostly involve this band, but i refuse to put on a shit eating grin and say to the camera, "Everything is alright! One day everyone on earth will be rich and famous. No one will be forgotten. All our troubles will wish wash away."
we're living in truly disturbing times. and as our friends over in the free press camp say - kick at the darkness until it bleeds light.
at the end of every day.
comes the night.
and we own the moon.
g.
you light yours - we'll light ours
