Hey, District Down... I can see where you're at, get ready for a musical bat.
You're from Oshawa. I gigged there a few times in show-bands in the 70's,
playing the Genosh with Max Webster one week too.
Oshawa had a big downtown then, not the district down it became after G.M. left.
Even if I've been hearing the local heroes, Alexisonfire, for a long time,
it still makes me sad to hear such heavy bombast passing for music.
Sure, I was using all kinds of effects with my Stratocaster and Marshall,
but I felt instrumental, changing my musical voice, not pummeling until it hurts.
I have to be serious commenting on a band like yours.
Your lead singer is going to lose his voice, eventually, singing like that, so it's serious.
If there's one thing I can see you claiming that's a new sound,
it's your mix of almost screamo, the punkish thrash and bombast,
with a heavy metal discipline and bombast.
But differences in distortion settings or using a different distortion,
aren't musical categories for me.
If I was gigging in today's Oshawa, I'd really be on a mission.
I'd want everyone to be happy, having a good time, maybe even dancing.
Hopefully, people would get inspired by the music and find more direction in life,
helping them to forget the vanishing factories and jobs.
And as a band, I'd get it up and get it on, another audience motivation technique,
to give everyone a good reason to want to get back home and really enjoy themselves.
My attitude here might be hard to take, or seem too simplistic.
But it's modern promotion and fame that's getting too high tech and attitudinal.
Committing yourself to getting songs down in the studio, promoting recordings,
making videos, playing to "showcase" yourself, basically, all musical downers.
If you learned the new Drake tune, using heavy metal sounds instead of his noises,
you'd not only be hitting it with a chart-topper, but it would be a better production.
Just imagine that floaty, spacey part towards the end, with that harmonica wailing,
only guitars with some slide, taking it down to roots guitars.
Trying this for the first time you might be nervous, such a change in style,
but when you see everyone smiling and starting to move a little,
and your first audience gets up and starts dancing with you,
sooner or later you'll wake up to what music could really do for all of you.
Maybe even your girlfriends will start voluntarily saying we like that song, grooving a little.
I'm waiting for some new rock acts to come out of Ontario,
seeing all the new western, eastern and Quebec music all the time.
But Ontario is losing it more than just financially, everyone inside with drugs.
I live in Welland, a city of over 50,000, with not one gig for a local band.
What ever you do, don't play here. Some of you might not make it out.
Even Rush had problems with money and stolen gear, and they were dealing with the city.
And Alex and Geddy started out standing beside their bar and gym stages,
watching their equipment between sets.
yeah, I guess I think it's gonna be rough wherever your music takes you,
unless you decide to buck more than the trend and call yourself "Generous Men".
Think of all the leftover GM factory and collectible clothing you could customize.
aaah... come to think of it, GM clothing was seen getting stomped and burning in the news.
That was smokin' heavy metal with lots of screamo. Carry on.
