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100% Certified (Space:Nunz interview, Authenticity)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

In what seems to be a backlog of entries… Special thanks to my car problems and computer problems for delaying the last post of this kind, this post, and one more future post.. I have ANOTHER delayed post to deliver up.

One which is now 4 months in the making… That’s right, I’m releasing another featured artist (or should I say artists) on timotheories interviews!

But that’s not all, this is a two-for-one and a first ever experience for us here at timotheories!

So strap in and hold on tight because it’s time to pump up the jams! The Space Jams! Okay, actually that’s not true, I hear the word space and Bugs Bunny immediately comes to mind, damn you Michael Jordan and your well-aging bio-pic that features the Looney Tunes!

This time when I refer to space I’m hyping up a band of nuns from space – Space:Nunz.

They aren’t actually nuns though. It’s just a clever name for a fun and friendly band. You guessed it, our next episode of the timotheories interviews series features this likable and neat act.

You see, dear readers, Space:Nunz are an Edmonton based folk feminist comedy musical duo with big dreams and even bigger hearts. Social justice warriors with a penchant for the atypical topics of the audio arena, Laura Stolte and Nathalie Feehan are making comedy music that is purposefully not sexist, racist or problematic at all. Their humour is part of a refreshing brand of comedy which has been emerging out of Edmonton in the past few years. Though it pains me to write the newness of that mentality here.

Space:Nunz just finished their first-ever curated event this month, and are ready to take the world by storm. How you ask? They manage to ride the line between music and comedy, which lets them operate in both realms and expose all kinds of audiences to their satire.

Think a better version of Flight Of The Conchords and Alanis Morissette and your on your way to understanding their work.

But that’s enough from me, as promised here is Episode 6 of timotheories interviews, featuring Space:Nunz.

And if you want to check out more videos from us, please visit our YouTube channel. Leave some comments and of course subscribe to the feed if you haven’t yet.

Please also check out Space:Nunz Facebook page and like their stuff.

And of course my sincerest thanks for Laura and Nathalie for being lively and neat, logical and noble, lovely and new, and lastly, leaders and nice.

Tim!

 

The Matrix Effect (Cross Talk Ep.2)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Hey there dear readers! I hope your weekend has been excellent and full of art and all kinds of awesome and amusing things!

Oh thanks, but how are you doing Tim?

Oh, very good, thanks for asking!

Well, actually I’m feeling a little out of touch with reality, to be honest. My weekend started on the 13th of February and is finishing up tomorrow before I head back to the regular grind.

You see, I took some overdue and much needed vacation time to catch up on some of my personal to-dos, which effectively resulted in a 10 day weekend for me. I’m making that sound like I didn’t get anything accomplished, that’s note true, I got a lot done, in fact!

However, the consequences of this decision are just starting to get back to my brain.

You see, dear readers, when you break from routine too much it can cause your body to fight against you, which has been proven time and time again in various studies on the difficulties of changing habits. And this is topic is something we’ve touched on before here at timotheories. However, we haven’t really addressed the opposite side of the coin, which can also have disastrous results…

If you do too much of the same thing, you will experience what I theorize is similar to the effect Neo experienced in the first film in The Matrix trilogy (the one most everyone enjoyed), which I will very carefully call The Matrix effect for now, but not claim ownership of, for fear of long-term copyright infringement issues.

Essentially what this means is that if you see too much of the same thing, over and over again, without any careful and deliberate subtle shifts of that thing to make each entry appear unique, your brain starts to recognize the pattern and wakes up from the state of comfort, it often operates in.

This is a bad thing.

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But luckily for you friends, I have a good thing to share with you instead!

That’s right, it’s that time of month when timotheories shares with you a new episode of Cross Talk! So strap in, hold on tight, and get ready for our discussion on the topic of – Realism VS Escapism in film, or how films deal with logic gaps that can potentially break your attention from the story.

This is going to be a great topic where Chris and I explore the successes and failures of movie tropes, typecasting, when science and art intersect, and how movies address their fantasy elements to create franchises, among other things.

I’ve included a direct link to the video for you here, but as mentioned before we now offer you embedded video on the blog so you don’t have to navigate away from the post. Please take a look below to watch Episode 2 of Cross Talk!

I’m out of theories for now, but check back tomorrow for a fun Melodic Monday entry from a group out of the Ukraine.

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!

Is Netflix Controlling Your Destiny? (Cross Talk Ep.1)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!

It’s here, it’s finally here! I’ve been promising something new and different for weeks now, but it’s finally here! You asked for more theories, straight from Tim himself, and I am giving you exactly what you have asked for.

This new format is going to be something special for sure.

You know how you go to your computer and you turn it on, and then you realize that not only are there files in there, but there is also a network of people and information which is at your fingertips?*

*Provided you have a home which you own, are paying off, or which you rent from a land lord. Plus a valid internet connection which you need to acquire from an internet service provider. Oh and also electricity which comes from a utilities provider.

Well, just for you dear readers, I’ve decided to put together a new monthly video series called Cross Talk with my very good friend Chris Murphy.

It’s clever you see, because we sit across from each other and talk about interesting topics related to the arts.

But who the heck is this Chris guy, and how come he is special enough to get a monthly series with you Tim?

Well, I’ve known Chris for almost 8 years and in that time I have learned a few things about him. First, he is just as invested in film, literature, and community as I am, but he is also doing it with a little more gusto. And second, he has a little bit of wisdom on me, which is always needed for the timotheories brand.

So I recruited him into the timotheories fold.

Chris is charming, challenging, and captivating to witness in action, so you are assured of a treat when you carry on a conversation with him. YouTube will probably only emulate his gusto at 60% power, so be prepared for a whirlwind of discussion, all from the comfort of home – well A home. It’s not your home we filmed this episode in, but to you local fans out there, there is always the future.

But what the heck are you going to talk about on your channel with Chris a minimum of 1x a month timotheories?

Good question, you sharp young readers! It’s all about the balance of barroom philosophy and pop culture discussion on a couch. We’ll frame our discussions around the topic of film and do this while attempting to actively avoid the typical things that experts do when they talk about film. We aren’t here to review, and we don’t really want to list off our top 10’s, but we’ll be incredibly excited to go over the under appreciated films and shower thoughts you may have had, but didn’t mull over too much.

First up is the topic of – How movie reviews and popular opinion influence your viewing habits.

I’ve included a direct link to the video for you here, but in case you don’t want to navigate away from us, here it is below too!

But that’s all the theories I’ve got for today. Whew.

I’m excited to see what you have to say about the first entry, and I hope your Sunday evening is the best one yet! See you tomorrow evening my friends with another Melodic Monday post, this time from an up-and-comer who reached out to me directly. You won’t want to miss it!

Tim!

My Friend Gwen (timotheories presents: Real Time Games)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Running, running
As fast as we can
Do you think we’ll make it?
(Do you think we’ll make it?)
We’re running
Keep holding my hand
It’s so we don’t get separated

If you’ve been following my blog for a little while now, you may have noticed I have a bit of a thing for Gwen Stefani and obviously No Doubt too.

I don’t necessarily mean a sexual thing, I mean yes, technically she is attractive. That’s empirically evident. Ask any woman, and she’ll tell you Stefani is a good looking woman. And she takes care of herself.

And no, I don’t mean that she has to be physically fit in order to look good, I just mean that it is clear to me that she is being who she needs to be in order to be a useful adult, and take care of her children.

But what does that have to do with this weeks post? Well not a lot, to be perfectly honest. Just kidding, most of what I post has some relation to the theme. For instance, I associate certain words with pop culture, especially when I am on auto-pilot.

Also, I’m feeling rushed today.

Remember last week on timotheories (this past Stimulating Sunday), when I mentioned that I would be hosting a weekly game night in my humble abode?

Of course you do, dear readers, you have memories like elephants, and you always keep me in line.

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Well I’m hosting my first publicly notified game night, tonight. And so I am rushing around. Hence, the word running being trapped in my noggin, and the associated No Doubt lyrics along with it.

Okay I’ll admit this post might feel a little rushed when you are reading it, but it is Timely Thursday after all, so that feeling is not out of place, especially when you stop and think about it.

But I’m not here to write more about the value of board games, no I want to talk about Real Time Games (RTG). The board game group that I am starting with my youngest brother Ryan.

RTG is a simple idea started by a couple of board game enthusiasts where we play games with people we know once a week. Now we’re not just going to be playing Monopoly and Pictionary mind you.

RTG is about people and sharing the joy of board games with them.

And so we will play different games every week, with the intent of also sharing reviews on a fair number of the games that wee play. So stay tuned as that idea unfolds. Because I think you are going to really enjoy what we have to say.

Let me give you an overview of how RTG is going to get it’s message out there.

  1. We’ll share what kind of game it is
  2. We’ll talk about the art and design components
  3. We’ll describe the quality of the game (enjoyment)
  4. We’ll go over the pros and cons
  5. We’ll explain what makes the game unique
  6. We’ll consider if there is anything that could be fixed

But that’s just a slice of the pizza pie.

We will also put together a second review video that details the following

  1. Game set up
  2. Watching the game in progress
  3. Special rules and strategies
  4. Highlights of play from a game night

That sounds super cool Tim! But wait, did you say video back there?

Very observant my friends, yes, yes I did. Well the truth is, I will be making reviews with Ryan, and potentially a special guest at some point. But these reviews aren’t primarily going to feature on timotheories. They might get special mention from time to time, or be used as a vehicle for an idea, but RTG is going to stay on YouTube in my timotheories group for the time.

Now I happen to think that is pretty cool, and it’s timely, because it’s something happening in Edmonton. If you live here, and are interested in attending a session, please send me a comment or look for timotheories presents: RTG on Facebook.

I just might even share my trials and triumphs in the recording process with you as I experience the fun of video.

Before I close out this post though, let’s make reference to that Gwen Stefani association one more time. See, by hosting something that gets me out of my comfort zone, but which revolves around something I am passionate about, I’m emulating after one of my role models.

And that is one of timotheories focal points, to foster positive experiences with the arts. Because it makes us better people. But that’s just my theory. What do you think? Leave me a comment or two!

Tim!