Month: February 2016

Tales To Astonish (Dream Theater, The Astonishing review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I am the first in my own social network to admit that I know almost next to nothing about the intricacies of the metal genre of music. Between that and the country genre, I feel the most out of place listening and sharing my thoughts on that subject.

But life is supposed to be about stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing that which makes you the most afraid, or else you would live in fear and never see anything of the world than what you already know.

 

 

 

Dream Theater – The Astonishing
released January 29, 2016
******* 7/10

dreamtheatercoverjpg

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band which has been active since 1985, by founding members John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy.

They are well known in the metal community for their technical ability and ability to put together well crafted records – And that is why I’m glad I picked up Dream Theater’s The Astonishing.

Who would have thought that metal music could be so intricate and willing to explore concepts that we rarely see in other realms of the industry.

Well, if you asked my girlfriend, my Cross Talk co-host, or anybody who has been listening to the genre since it’s inception in the early 1970s, then they would say, duh obviously timotheories.

Dream Theater’s thirteenth studio release is lauded by other critics as an excellent portrayal of how music can represent characters and the development of a story. This might be naive on my part, but all the while listening to the record, I couldn’t help but think of stories like Peter and the Wolf, Star Wars, Dune, and Game of Thrones.

And after spending more time than I can count listening to Star Wars The Force Awakens theories recent;y, I’ve come to accept the King Arthur influencetial elements in both The Astonishing and The Force Awakens.

I’m going to borrow this snippet of how the concept album reads from another review I read because it’s just so darn apt, and I don’t want to rewrite what is already so eloquent –

Guitarist John Petrucci has written a double-disc sci-fi rock opera, set in a dystopian future in an invented country (the package contains maps). In it, music created and/or performed by humans has been outlawed by the state. Only government-sanctioned and programmed machines are entrusted with those functions. A small band of rebels cling to and fight for the vision (and redemption) of human music.

This kind of story is something that a self-proclaimed geek can get behind, and it helps to digest the prog-metal, pro-rock, and operatic elements of the album.

It’s difficult for me to speak about the evolution of the band, but if you compare these two clips, the first from their earlier days, and the second from this album, you can pretty obviously tell that Dream Theater has made a conscious effort to try something new here, and it’s pretty damn cool two-and-a-half hour ride.

I’ve already linked to it above, but The Gift of Music was particularly fun to listen to. Also check out Ravenskill, A Tempting Offer, and Astonishing.

 

 

 

I’ve said it before, but if sophistication and obsession over craft are hallmarks of good music then Dream Theater has it in spades, now unfortunately this isn’t exactly my cup of tea, so it’s somewhat difficult to gauge how this album fares against its brethren.

Regardless, I stepped out of my comfort zone and sampled a band that has reminded me just how refreshing a rock opera can be.

At the end of the day, its up to you to decide whether to buy this album, but I suggest  you give it a listen at the very least.

And that’s it for today’s Melodic Monday entry! I’ll see you dear readers tomorrow with a movie review!

Tim!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock (Lucas Chaisson, Storytelling)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

A post quite literally 5 months in the making. Holy moly! I owe an incredible debt to the patience of this months featured artist on timotheories interviews.

Lucas Chaisson did not complain once about my delays – he didn’t bother me, he didn’t get upset with me, he just let me do my thing and sort out this video interview as quickly as I was able to. And I hope the video does justice to the enjoyment I got out of spending a couple of visits better getting to know him.

And for that reason alone, I will happily admit he has been one the most thoughtful and considerate guests in my studio space yet!

Readers, you are in for an incredible opportunity with this one. Lucas is not only the first interview of 2016, but the first ever musician I have had the pleasure of speaking with for more than an hour and letting me pick their brain on camera.

And not only was he that engaging as an interviewee, but I loved his album Telling Time even more so.

Did I mention he gave a copy to me so that I could simply enjoy it for myself? When all I needed to do was check it out on bandcamp a few times to get a sense of the theme? Well let me tell you, he is very deserving of the accolades this record has gotten thus far. For instance, Telling Time was up for Solo Roots Recording of the Year at the 2015 WCMA’s, and when it made its initial opening on CKUA, it has number 2, and lasted in the top 30 for just over a month.

Just having finished some work with Northern Sessions, you should also check out the two music videos he released with them.

But enough preamble, as promised here is Episode 5 of timotheories interviews, featuring Lucas Chaisson.

Dear readers, what an experience this has been, I’m now back on track to release one of these interviews a month. If you haven’t had a chance to look at the back catalogue yet, here is a link to my YouTube channel. As always, please send me your thoughts via comments below and/or emails (timotheories@outlook.com).

Please also check out Lucas’ website and bandcamp page and buy his album. You won’t regret that decision.

And of course my sincerest thanks to Lucas for being levelheaded, lionhearted, and quite a lovely guy.

Tim!

Now With Less Pulp (timotheories February 2016)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Hey there dear readers, today’s Timely Thursday post is gonna be relatively quick one. I just wanted to give you an update on some exciting developments coming down the pipe in the next few weeks.

The plan for a continued all killer, no filler year at timotheories is well under way and doesn’t look to slow down from here on out. It might just kill me put this content up on the regular, but I expect that it will be totally worth it. Let me break it down in a story for you…

You know that feeling when you buy the pasta at a restaurant because it’s cheap and you later regret the food baby in your belly? You could have got the slightly more expensive steak and vegetables, which not only would have given you your recommended intake of nutrients, but it would have left you feeling rosy?

NOT that I am endorsing either a carnivore or herbivore diet on timotheories, I leave that up to people much more invested in the ways of eating than I.

Feel free to substitute other protein rich foods like nuts, cottage cheese, etc. instead, if that’s your bag.

You don’t want to talk filler, trust me.

Which reminds me, if you think expressing music tastes can polarize a room, try talking about the kinds of food to eat and the ways to prepare them. Whoever teaches etiquette should really add that word to the list of table topics to avoid “at dinner” (of all ironies) or when “on the town.” That means don’t discuss food, music, money, religion, sex, and politics. Cut out the pulp.

So what can we talk about timotheories?

Well my friends, have I got something for you to share at the water cooler!

For starters, this weekend I am going to be recording the second episode of Cross Talk (intro post is here, episode is here) with cohost Chris Murphy. And we will be releasing that some time before the end of February – the topic is Realism VS Escapism in Film. Exciting, no?

Next up on the docket – timotheories interviews! I’ve been hinting at the release of the full length Lucas Chaisson interview since last Sunday, but this Sunday it’s going to be up in all of it’s glory. Preview clip below is here, in case you missed it last Sunday…

But that’s not it for interviews! Oh no! We’re also going to host the next of the interview series before the end of February; featuring a couple of musical comedians called Space Nunz. That promises to be a fun and fancy interview too!

AND last, but certainly not least, I’m going to put together the first ever Real Time Games (RTG) video for you. Explanation clip of RTG here. That’s right, I’ve mentioned it a couple of times now, but it’s finally going to show up into the rotation. So get ready for it sometime in soon! *Fingers crossed for February*

And that’s it dear readers, now you are in the know. I’m out of theories and timely things for the week, so have an excellent weekend, and I’ll catch you on Sunday for this month’s interview!

raw

Tim!

 

Take A Look, It’s In A Book… (Learn to Love Learning)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

You want to be successful at your art, dear readers? And to be successful, the first step is recognizing what is required of you. For instance, do you have the right attitude (or have you developed a strategy if it’s out of your control)? Because you need to stop making excuses and take advantage of free resources available to you. The environment you have set up for yourself can definitely factor into the equation too… But don’t fret because happiness is within reach!

You really have to start forming excellent habits though.

One of the ways to best accomplish your goals is to create lists and break those lists down into manageable tasks, but to be honest, that’s only going to take you so far. Once you accept that life is not something which you can complete and then coast through, that it goes on and on, you will change your expectations and invest in processes which allow you to live a good lifestyle. Look at last weeks Wisdom Wednesday on timotheories if you need more information on how to get started.

Once you start setting those habits, goals will naturally get completed, but an interesting occurrence can also happen, and if you aren’t ready for it, you’ll fall right off the horse.

swift-horse

Boredom can set in.

And one of the surest ways to combat boredom is through discipline. But here is the secret dear readers, and it’s a theory I have found is very likely to be true. Very rarely do teachers, coaches, gurus or whatever they want to be called tell this. I hope it becomes common knowledge at some point soon – you need to be in good spirits in order to maintain discipline. That means diet, exercise, and sleep.

Okay timotheories, but those are kinda obvious habits to keep up, we already knew that! 

Touche, my friends, touche. But you see, I haven’t quite gotten to my point just yet. If you would just give me another minute to build up the anticipation, I promise the payoff should be worth it…

Diet and sleep are straightforward, eat healthy food that is unprocessed and do your best to limit carbohydrates as well as most sugars. Next, get somewhere between 7-9 hours of sleep every night and commit to a routine to ensure your circadian rhythms get lined up correctly (slow to start, ramping up into the middle of the day, and winding down in the evening). Now talk to your doctor and also a certified professional about a workout which suits your current body type, and ease into it.

The problem is that we are forgetting something, and I just don’t know what… Oh right, the boredom. Those activities are boring if you aren’t also exercising your mind.

Your brain automates a lot of the daily processes you use, and your mind is integral to your mood. If you aren’t in a good mood, new routines become a lot more difficult to set up. That means reading books which stimulate your mind in positive ways. From classical literature, to self-improvement, to education in the arts and sciences, to philosophy, to biography, there are a number of genres that you can and should be reading to keep your mind sharp.

You need to read if you are going to stay the course, because just like with exercising the body, if you don’t use it, you will inevitably lose it and suffer from health problems.

Now timotheories, that’s all well and good, but a lot of us don’t have TIME for reading, we work 40+ hours a week, have to fit in meals, exercise, sleep, and spending time with loved ones, AND find time to obsess over our art. How the heck are we going to fit reading into the mix?

Well, the question has been asked before, but never has it sounded so sweet to the ears.

Should you consider listening to audio books as reading? And if you do, is it a viable alternative? Yes! The answer is a resounding yes! If you can’t make the time to sit down and read, do it while you work on routine tasks, on your commute or in down time before falling asleep.

You might not be able to absorb the information as readily, but the truth of the matter is that there are a number of ways to get a hold of audio books – look here at overdrive.com for starters. This website is what a lot of libraries use to store digital copies of their books. And if you have the technology (you should), you can put the content on your phone or mp3 player for convenience.

So do yourself a favour, develop your mind, bolster your imagination, and discover new things in the process. That’s all of theories I’ve got for a today my friends, so I’ll catch you tomorrow with a timely update.

Tim!

Mars Attacks! (The Martian review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I can’t recall a time when Mars hasn’t been represented as a hostile environment – whether it is inhabited by aliens or not.

Books like War of the Worlds almost without reservation show Martians as these violent beings which want to take over our world or destroy it. But the more we learn about the red planet in outer space, the more we are all convinced that there isn’t anything there which can seriously harm us. Or is there?

That’s what this week’s film review hopes to address.

 

 

The Martian (2015)
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Michael Pena, Sean Bean
Director: Ridley Scott
released on blu-ray January 12, 2016
******** 9/10

martian2015

IMDB: 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%, Audience Score 92%
The Guardian: ****/*****

 

Ah Ridley Scott, one of my personal science fiction heroes, he created Alien, which spawned the Alien franchise. And he also directed Prometheus which is less appreciated but still a really solid film.

And that’s not everything he has done. Ever seen Blade Runner? How about Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster or Robin Hood?

Oh one more the commercial failure Legend, which has effectively become a cult classic and led the way for a number of fantasy flicks that have since followed?

Yeah, that Ridley Scott. He combines science fiction and/or fantasy with realism and makes incredible dramas. Don’t believe me? Let’s check out part of the synopsis for The Martian.

 

 

The movie starts with the crew of the Ares III on Mars. Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon), IT guru Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), pilot Rick Martinez (Michael Peña), flight surgeon Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan), and navigator and chemist Alex Vogel (Aksel Hennie) are in the final stages of their expedition when a storm hits.

Commander Lewis orders for the mission to abort and they all head to the shuttle, with the exception of Watney who is resistant and consequently the last one out. A satellite dish ends up knocking him away from the group and because of the intensity the crew and Lewis are forced to leave without him, presuming him dead.

Back on Earth, NASA Director Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) has already released information about the mission and the loss of astronaut Watney.

Cut back to Watney who wakes up on Mars with the storm now over. The antenna from the dish impaled him, simultaneously wounding and sealing his suit. He is forced to remove the piece himself, and then explains the situation over a video log. He’ll be there for 4 years before the next mission visits the planet (he can’t contact Earth), and with the remaining food he has to make up 3 years of food. If he can grow this food he’ll make it. Good thing he’s a botanist.

Back on Earth Sanders has come back from Watney’s funeral service where we learn engineer Mindy Park (Mackenzie Davis) has satellite photos of the Ares III site, which show the rover has been moved and the solar panels are clean. Sanders and Director of Media Relations Annie Montrose (Kristen Wiig) agree that Watney is still alive.

A few days have passed on Mars already and Watney has now planted potatoes in the tent using Martian soil, some of his food, and fertilizer (vacuum-sealed feces from the crew). He then figures out how to make water by burning off rocket fuel. Now that he has the basics to survive he determines that he’ll need to modify the rover to make it to the crater where the next landing will be.

By digging up a Pathfinder probe, Watney manages to recharge it using the probes solar panels and learns that it still works. He works out a system of hand written signs and sends a message to NASA.

The team at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) who built the Pathfinders, recruit members of the team that engineered the machines, pull one of storage, and set up a system to “speak” with Watney by pointing at “yes” and “no” signs. They quickly change tactics and set up a hexidecimal clock to communicate more easily. From here the team teaches Watney how to hack the rover, so that he can type and receive written messages.

The first question he asks is about the crew and how they took the news. When he learns that the crew still doesn’t know, the whole world gets to see his profanity laden response.

After some media attention and direction from PR Director Montrose, Watney is advised to make his rations last for 900 days. Then the terrible happens and the airlock on his habitat explodes backward, rattling him around and cracking his helmet. Watney manages to use duct tape to seal the helmet before he discovers that his crop is now frozen and dead. He can now only last about 300 days.

 

And the movie only gets more nail-biting from there!

Pros: The movie makes science both fun and exciting at the same time. Matt Damon is perfectly suited to play the role of The Martian. The supporting cast all make the story thrilling and while the science isn’t perfect (according to my physicist brother), it’s pretty damn close.

Cons: The relationship between Watney and his crew feels somewhat stressed and unauthentic at points, and the NASA preachiness does bubble up on occasion. The other challenge comes from following cliches, you know where the story is headed, but that’s a minor detail.

Runtime: 144 minutes

Points of Interest: If you believe in method acting, Matt Damon spent the rest of his schedule on solo scenes, which took five weeks of straight shooting. He didn’t see the rest of the cast until the film was cut and ready for promotion. That was a real potato farm set up in the studio, included at various stages of the growth cycle.

 

 

 

Whether there is life on Mars or not, you can be sure that we will continue to see films made about aliens and the possibilities available in the universe, at least until we’ve become better space explorers.

Carl Sagan has this to say about the red planet –

Mars has become a kind of mythic arena onto which we have projected our Earthly hopes and fears.

And I would have to agree with him. Much like the ocean, wilderness, and city have all held myths and legends over time, we now look to space as a curiosity which no one can claim to be an expert. Having mentioned this, I think The Martian is a great exploration of the possibilities ahead, and whatever your opinion of space, you’ll enjoy the humanity of this story.

See you tomorrow for some wisdom!

Tim!