Music

Unlock Your Creativity and Joy with Ecstatic Trance Dance

Looking to discover the history and evolution of ecstatic trance dance, and how it can foster community and social connections? This comprehensive guide explores the different types of ecstatic trance practices for social recreational purposes today, such as rave, trance dance/music, and clubbing. Learn about the spiritual and social benefits of ecstatic trance dance, and how it can help you connect with your inner self, transform your life, and unlock your creativity and joy. Join the movement and unleash your inner spirit with ecstatic trance dance!

I Am A Poor Wayfaring Stranger

A recent episode of the science fiction television series Killjoys just featured a beautiful rendition of one of my favorite folks gospel songs, I AM A POOR WAYFARING STRANGER, and so that got me thinking about other covers of the song I have enjoyed over the years. Some great songs transcend a particular voice and…

Bad Motherf*cker Office Escape Music Video as Vicarious Trance eXperience

Okay, I’ve talked about using film and video games for recreational fun . . . using the VICARIOUS EXPERIENTIAL MACHINE trance process as a means of experiencing the sensations of actually being in the action. I’ve also warned folks that they need to create a safety buffer for when the experience becomes too intense .…

Tripod vs the Dragon

Lorraine, Kaye, and I just watched TRIPOD vs the DRAGON and had a wonderful time! It’s a full-on musical comedy delight as Tripod and special guest Elana Stone play a game of Dungeons and Dragons. I wasn’t familiar with Australian musical comedy troupe Tripod until stumbling across a couple videos on youtube and now I’m…

Elton John on Songwriting

Stumbled across some absolutely brilliant improvisation by Sir Elton John and then some bits from his Actor’s Studio episode (which I’ve never seen in its entirety and wish I could find in full) and thought I’d share some of his thoughts as well as some of his improv. ELTON JOHN ON WORKING WITH BERNIE TAUPIN…

Jesus Stag Night

It looks like Johnny Depp has managed to land himself into a bit of hot water with some folks as he’s lent his voice to the group Babybird for their Christmas-release song Jesus Stag Night. Uh, the controversy is not surprising but it’s only really blasphemy if you take it seriously or miss the subtext.…

INMI or Science of Earworms or Why You Can’t Get That Damned Song Out of Your Head

They go by many names: Brain worms, sticky music, cognitive itch, stuck song syndrome. But the most common (if also the most repugnant) is earworms, a literal translation from Ohrwurm, a term used to describe the phenomenon (and perhaps bring to mind an immediate association with corn earworms). If you’re an academic, you might refer…

Get Your Svengali On

Sometimes a good Svengali fantasy can be a very worthwhile thing . . . fantasy, that is. Too many folks mistakenly try to take the iconic fictional character’s skillsets into the real world without understanding or truly considering the ramifications or consequences of their actions. In any case, here’s some Svengali for you. All in…

Listen to the Most Relaxing Ambient Music Track on the Planet

The music group Marconi Union has teamed up with Radox Spa to produce what they are claiming to be the most relaxing ambient music track on in the world. While there are some obvious flaws in how they vetted their track, it’s still a rather relaxing piece. The folks at AltSounds had this to say…

Gibberish Fun in English or not English or Something Odd in Between or inbetween or not whatever

Gibberish or nonsense is a fascinating exploration in how random sounds can seem to be actual language. Certainly the wonderful poem Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrol is a unique combination of nonsense with English to create an intriguing result that seems to have genuine meaning but does not. See http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html for the poem. A recent short…

500 People in 100 Seconds

This is an absolutely brilliant music video that features 500 people holding more than 1,500 developed pictures. The locations are all around Israel, creating a smooth music video within their hands. The music is “Malinkovec Valzer” by Maxmaber Orkestar (http://www.maxmaber.org). First, enjoy the video: Now . . . IF I were going to make a…

Captain Robert of Abney Park talks Steampunk and RPGs at the League of STEAM

Captain Robert (Robert Brown) of the steampunk band Abney Park (http://www.abneypark.com) visits the League of STEAM podcast to discuss the crossover of stampunk music with roleplaying games. The tabletop RPG, AIRSHIP PIRATES, was recently released and is based upon the music of Abney Park (I have my autographed copy in front of me, ooooh luvely…