Welcome To Sky Valley

Those of you who know me well, know how much music means to me and also know that I love all kinds of music.
Now I'm not going to brag here, but people who know me well, also know that I've 'found' a lot of bands before they hit it big. Nirvana was one, Soundgarden was another.
Almost all of it was by accident, but we have a great record store in Fredericton called 'Backstreet Records', it's been there since I was in my early teens. Our junior high school didn't have a 'play ground', so we students had downtown Fredericton at our beck and call for lunch hours. The comic book store and the record store were both usual daily stops for lunch hours, if not every couple of days. Backstreet Records is still open to this day and has just as great a selection of new awesome material as it did back then and Eric still works there (Eric was a dude who worked at Backstreet I think pretty much since it opened and later sometime bought the store of it's owner - There's also a Backstreet in Saint John, New Brunswick)!
Fast Forward to 1992
I'd generally judge an album by it's cover. if it had a cool cover and name and brutal or strange song titles, I'd pick it up, so band's like 'Smashing Pumpkins' and 'Nirvana' were captivating to me, Redd Kross, and Jellyfish, just as much.

When one day I found the Kyuss album 'Blues for the Red Sun', I was interested by it's blood red cover of the Sun, plus KYUSS was a weird word I've never heard before.

(Blues For the Red Sun - Kyuss 1992)

I bought up the cassette and took it home and like most albums I fell in 'love' with, it didn't leave my cassette deck for weeks.
If you're unfamiliar with Kyuss, they are a California band, from the 'Palm Springs' area in East California. Band's from this area are generally known as the progenitors of the 'desert Rock' scene.

Those NOT familiar with Kyuss might be more familiar with 'Master's of Reality' or 'Queens of the Stone Age'.
Flashback to 1987!
Like the West Coast, which was somewhere that I spent a lot of time at when I was in my teens, the desert regions of the Southern states have always been in my heart. In 1987, during one of our Summer trips across the continent with our Father (On his way to teach Summer session at a University in British Columbia), we traveled as far South as the Northern tip of New Mexico, we visited the Grand Canyon and then drove down South past Flagstaff, Arizona and into 'Death Valley'... I loved the dry Summer heat of the place and the terrain, all of it.
In Death Valley that day we drove through the temperature said that outside the car it was 110C, even with the car's air conditioning on we were all sweating in the car (sadly, I had brought a lot of my vinyl records with me for the stay in Victoria BC and they all melted). The place is so hot, (how hot is it??), so hot that every so many miles there's a huge water tank for drivers to spray off their engines and fill/cool radiators. At one of those stops, when Dad was cooling off the car, I got out and walked up the bank beside the road and over the bank, just to see what this place was like...
I could see the heat waves rising all around me and I could feel the heat rising past my legs... I walked out far enough and the bank was high enough, that when I looked back i couldn't even see the car, so it was like I was out in the desert all alone.... I loved it! I loved that heat (and I also love to cool down!)
When I listened to that Kyuss album, the music reminded me of that day in Death Valley, the music conveyed the heat and dryness of that area (though Sky Valley is hundreds of miles from Death Valley). Kyuss' music I told my friends would 'sear their brain pan'. I wasn't even a smoker of cannabis at that time and the music still had a profound effect on me and so did the next's album they put out 'Welcome to Sky Valley' - 1994 and 'The Circus Left Town' - 1995 and then sadly for us fans the band broke up. Just a little after 'The Circus Left Town' the band and their record company put out 'Wretch' which was music by former members before the release of 'Blues For the Red Sun' and a track or two from when the band was called 'Son's of Kyuss' and was also the name of the bands first EP....

It was odd tonight I watched a documentary called 'Low Sound Desert', which is a documentary on the South Eastern California's 'Desert Rock' scene, the film featured loads of bands I was both familiar and unfamiliar with.
Josh Homme, Scott Reeder and Nick Oliveri made appearances and when the documentary began to talk about Kyuss, well it wasn't good.
It seems that when 'Wretch' first came out around that area, well they said it sucked, the band was horrible, no one really liked them, one band member was beaten in sports by Josh Homme at school a lot lol.... And then, the band Kyuss exploded and everyone was shocked to see them end up on tour with Metallica in Australia...
Things settled down and the animosity (maybe a bit of jealousy) eased as Kyuss frontman Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri were very courteous about bringing 'scene' bands on tour with them, merely when asked to. The guys from other bands said that they respected what Kyuss did for the scene, but also mentioned that if you went to 'Sky Valley' and expected to hear bands that sounded just like Kyuss, "that you'd be sadly disappointed" (Although in the documentary, there were a lot of bands with that 'sound', the "stoner Rock" sound, low tuning, droning, and feedback).

I own the entire Kyuss discography and to this day have the original 'Blues for the Red Sun' cassette
I bought way back in the 1990's. I also have a huge love for Queens of the Stone Age and like Dave Grohl, there's not a thing that Josh Homme has released musically that I dislike, again, like Grohl, I don't believe it's possible for Homme to write a bad song.

SO check out 'Kyuss', Master's Of Reality' and of course 'Queens of the Stone Age', but also be sure to check out 'Fu Manchu' 'Excel', 'Life Leone' and 'War Drum'... Roll a big fatty or take it straight, but put on your sunglasses throw on the heater close by and close your eyes as you'll be transported into the deserts of California and if you're lucky, you'll even get out alive and unsinged.....

Kyuss -circa 1992

Incoming!

Man, I'm feeling this weather coming in tomorrow or something's up. I did walk quite a bit today and looked at Google to figure out that when I walk to and from Downtown, I'm walking about 2 miles and I do it just about every other day, so that's pretty good exercise.
So right now I'm not sure if I just walked too much today or it's the weather, but given that the temps been below 0°C and it's going to rise to +7 tomorrow, that's probably what's doing me in, that and it's not just my feet that are hurting more than usual, it's my back (an on-going issue in the last year or so is that when the weather changes are affecting my body, where I broke two ribs in the 1990's is coming back to haunt me. I have to stuff small pillows all around my body and back in an attempt to try and stop me from moving when I'm sleeping, as when I move, I can wake up screaming out).

Even a few fingers are giving me grief tonight.

Just an odd note. Yesterday when I was out for a walk, I was on the walking trail that runs parallel to University ave., I was wearing my headphones, rocking out to some tunes, when out of the corner of my eye, I see a what looks like a bumper, I turn my head a bit, as I'm accustomed to being over taken on my walks by other walkers, joggers, cyclists, skateboarders, lol old people with walkers and canes, but not quite so used to being over taken by undercover police cars on the WALKING trail.... Not sure what they were up to, guess probably looking for someone... They had their undercover cop car lights on, he may have even tooted the horn at me, but I didn't hear.

Anyhow, it was just weird... They passed me (there was a lady officer in the car, I'm guessing she was a cop, they were both plain clothed) and disappeared on Charlotte st.


Time to crash....

New Music (And other news)....

A couple weeks ago, just browsing around on Youtube, I saw this band in the side bar called 'Heilung'... Just the thumbnail caught my attention, it was very 'pagan' looking.... 'Interesting' I thought.... For some reason, though I didn't click on that thumbnail, the 'Heilung' video remained in the sidebar until yesterday (Nov.26.2017) I clicked on it.....

So, Heilung, according to their bandcamp page hail from Denmark, a music page on the band describes them as follows:

"Heilung is sounds from the northern european iron age and viking period. We used everything from running water, human bones, reconstructed swords and shields up to ancient frame drums and bronze rings in the songs.
The lyrics contain original texts from rune stones and preserved spear shafts, amulets and other artifacts. Furthermore poems, which either deal with historical events or are translations/ interpretations of the originals.
Every attempt to link the music to modern political or religious points are pointless, since Heilung tries to connect the listener to the time before Christianity and its political offsprings raped and burned itself into the northern European mentality.
Heilung means healing in German and describes the core of the sound. It is supposed to leave the listener eased and relaxed after a sometimes turbulent musical journey."

And what a band they are! Mystical, mesmerizing and majical! This I believe is part of the 'Norse revolution' to return to their roots.

Like so many countries and civilizations on the planet, the Norse were taken over by the 'christians', they had their religion appropriated and their customs demolished..... In some Norse countries the rejection of christianity has taken horrific turns, albeit I believe in no 'god', it was still shocking to see 'Norwegian satanists' burning down century old, magnificent christian churches. As much as I've detested christian and extremist muslims destroying historical sites, such as the 'Buddhas of Bamiyan' and while in Egypt in 2010 I saw the defacing of many ancient Egyptian temples by christian hands.... I don't like the destruction of historic sites, religious or not...

Yet I digress, in Denmark, 'Heilung' has taken to the war in the form of music and it's beautiful, wondrous, fascinating music

BAH! Unfortunately, It wouldn't let me link to the full concert, so, if you dig that video, check out the full show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1BsKIP4uYM&t=2s

lol and now my text won't change back to 'normal'..... Anyhow... Be sure to check out this band.

Before I left CHSR, I had the pleasure of meeting two relatively new bands, one from Halifax, Nova Scotia, called 'Dazor' and their bandcamp can be found here: https://dazor.bandcamp.com/

And 'Melonvine' from Moncton, New Brunswick. The fascinating thing about both bands is their sound is very 'Grunge'-like and the best part is, it doesn't seem to be on purpose. It could very well be their parents music had influenced their writing, 'Dazor' does cover the Smashing Pumpkins 'Cherub Rock' (as a 3-piece and it still ROCKS).... So check out these bands, you won't be disappointed...

Here's the link to 'Melonvine's' Bandcamp page: https://melonvine16.bandcamp.com/releases

In other news, I had a message from the director/producer of 'The Wasteland Zombies' music video for 'Kill Scene - Zombie Nation'... 

It was last January when the band and film crew drove to Moncton to shoot the music video at the 'Zombie Manor' a massive indoor zombie scare house just outside of the city of Moncton. The video had a second shooting day for the 'story-line', which involved some seriously scary models... The director had written to let me know that they had shot some pick up shots that will tie up the loose ends of the video and it will be back into a new editors hands. Because the video is part of this director's film 'Kill Scene', it was never the BAND's video, it's part of the movie and will make up part of the trailer for the film. 

Also because it's part of the movie, I can't say when it will be released. Jared Carney of 'Creeker Films' is an independent film maker and is going on a low/no budget but has already filmed several stories that will make up this multi-storied feature length film.

I also talked to the guys in the band and we're planning to record our two last originals we wrote, 'The Fire Breathing Liar' as well as 'Anubis Rising' sometime in March/April 2018. This will probably be the last project I do with the 'Wasteland Zombies' as I've lost the heart to continue to do live shows and continue on with the band. 

Today it was cold and we got some snow on the ground. Pretty much just a 'dusting', but it was snow.... I've told myself, 'that no matter the temperature', I've got to get outside and walk any day that I can. Leaving the station took away a major daily regime of exercise, as I used to walk up to the station almost every day, rain or shine, snow or blizzard... So, now I've got to keep up that walking as it also will help me acclimatize to the weather, as sure as the Sun rises each day, it's going to get a helluva lot colder!

February can't come soon enough!

"It's Been Such A Long Time......"

"I think I should be going..." -

So, wow, last posts appear to be from around 2006.... Though in my 'dashboard' it says some posts were made in 2016... But when I went to the 'main' 'There's No Way Back From Here' page, it only had the 2006 posts....

So I 'left' Facebook. I had for months ahead of 'leaving' been griping vocally both in public and online my growing disdain for 'Social Media'... It had become a necessary evil, having to post for the band, for the station and for the radio show....
When you're at the helm of a radio show that caters mostly to new indie Metal bands, you HAVE to keep up with what's going on, not only locally, but Nationally.
Then with the band, although I'd asked for 'help' from the guys before, I was essentially the one booking, promoting and taking care of all the social media sites for the band.
By mid October 2017, I was at wit's end.

In October one of the band members informed me that he needed time off for the family and I am the only one in the band who'se 'free'... No wife or ex wife, no kids, no mortgage, no debts, no girlfriend... I am free from many of the obligations that the rest of the guys have. So when I was asked to take some time off, well the whole band, I knew it was ok, it was going to be a long hiatus though, from Fall 2017 until maybe Spring 2018. This really took the wind out of my sails and given all I do for the band, the connections, the bookings etc... I took it personally... I didn't think this band member resented me or what I did, I just felt, 'I've done all this stuff, we've got plans and gigs taking us up until Christmas into the new year and now we've got to put it all on hold'... I'll honestly say, I was gutted.
So when that happened, I just shut down. I had no desire to go anywhere or do much. I had no desire to go to the radio station where I work as the music director, I had no desire to do the Crazy Train and well the band was dead in the water, so I didn't have to do anything about that.
I walked away from Facebook, which I'm not at all sad or upset about in any way. Neither of my Brother's use it, my Father doesn't use it... My Sister and Sister in-law both do, but all these people i can keep in touch with by email or phone.... So despite hitting this depression, I was happy to lose |Facebook.
I had begun to feel pressured to keep everything relevant. I had to keep posting for the band, I had to keep posting for the Crazy Train radio show. which also involved being in touch with bands I was playing, was going to play and had played... Messaging all the time....
Not that they came right out, but if I didn't post for the station, I wasn't being a team player... The station is non-profit and does need all the help it can get, but to feel guilty for not posting or sharing something for the station was stressful as well.
I know I had quite a few people on my personal FB account that followed my posts and I feel a little bad for fading away... I've not deleted ANY of these accounts, I've just really walked away from it.
Will I come back? Doubtful... Again, I've lost all desire to contribute to all these things. Although with the band, I am hoping in the new year to get together and record the two last originals we had written, they were some of my favorite ever written in my time as a musician... I was happy with the songs, happy with our shows... But I wasn't happy with the end results. All the promotion, all the leg work then to just have a handful of people show up for gigs and it's not because we suck, it's the state of the local industry. There's only one bar in Fredericton to play at. So we started to edge out into the woods a bit lol, and then we'd end up coming home at like 4:30am.... I'm too old for that shit, which is a chumpy thing to say, because there's plenty older than I am, locally and around the World who are doing what I was doing and more..
It's my arthritis that is the real kick in the nuts.. Has been since it took hold of me. Within the last two / three years, I've done more than I had done in the last decade and it took it's toll on my health.

Like with most diseases, once you add stress and you get tired, you lose sleep, then the disease takes advantage of that. Doing all that I did, as fun as it was, as much as I loved it. I burnt out...

My family was concerned. Of course they were. I'd been so attached to all of these extra curricular activities for over 4 years now. Then in just a phone call/ email, I was done. I was out.

What also kinda made up my mind about not going back to these activities, was that when I left... No one cared.... I've only had a handful of people check up on me. And let me put this straight here. I didn't leave these activities to get attention... but I was kinda taken back that no one cared. No one's written to ask, "Hey, where is the Crazy Train??" Very few wrote to ask, "Hey are you ok?" and only a handful of people when I've run into friends in public have asked about the band... Mind you, it was no secret we'd played some of our 'last shows' until we recorded and produced our album.

It also came to me a few weeks after not doing any Crazy Train shows, all these bands I've supported for the past few years, all the people who told me how much they enjoyed the show.... Nothing, not a word from anyone, so it dawned on me that no one is missing it. No one cares.... Which is disappointing in it's own way...

Going forward.... It's been a great break from all this. No worries about putting the radio show together, no worries about booking the band (and the worries that comes with that)... No worries about being at the station. Each day, most of them since I left everything. I've done not too much. Cleaned up my place, rested. I try to get out for good walks every day... I'd read recently that any amount of walking, no matter how fast or far is super beneficial. WAY more than not walking....
I do dread the coming Winter, but it's coming and nothing can stop that...

I've got plans. I do. In February I'll be heading to Arizona for about a month or so. An old friend who lives in Victoria BC, was super smart and when the US housing market had crashed in around 2007, well she was smart and bought a property in a small town just South of Las Vegas, but it's not in Nevada, but Arizona, in the 'four corners' where four states all meet. I have no plans but to rest there, let the arid nature of the place suck the moisture from my bones. I'd much prefer Egypt of course, but that's not in the cards financially and well it's not one of the safest places on the planet.... But where is aside from my backyard... Even then a vicious squirrel could attack me!

After that, in March/April the band will reunite to record those last two originals... Who knows, maybe we'll do a 'farewell' gig.. I wouldn't mind that... But if we do, I'd like for it to be an event, a spectacle.. A real show.... We'll see....

Beyond on that, I'm tossed between taking an archaeology course at the University of New Brunswick and writing my memoirs. I've got a good chunk of that written, more of an outline than anything... But would anyone buy it? I won't know until I do it...So we'll see...

So that's the scoop, that's where I've been, what I've been up to. I've not officially hung up my hat and left the radio station and radio show. I've got a slew of repeats playing for a while... I know the station is upset it's turned out this way, but in some ways it's their own fault, in other's it's out of their control.

Now that I've left social media for good, though never say never right? It really feels like "There's no way back from here"