The Whigs -- New Album March 16th

Name the greatest band to ever hail from Athens, Georgia. Ok, ok — maybe it is REM, but who is second?

If you live in an American city with more than twenty thousand people in it, whether you know it or not, you have probably had an opportunity to see The Whigs. If you missed them, shame on you. The Whigs are everything you would expect from a band hailing from one of the South’s greatest music cities. The Athens, Georgia trio has toured long and hard for the last couple of years — and continue to do so, and their work ethic is about to pay off big with the release their third album, In The Dark, due out March 16th.

Bold, brash and confident, The Whigs play the kind of music you hope to find at your local dingy, loud, gray cement-floored club. Although they sound nothing like Westerberg’s Replacements, they are constantly compared, probably because they convey the same energy, yet seem incredibly accessible, relevant and down-to-earth. Although their live shows are energetic, their albums don’t disappoint either. Their first two, 2005’s Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip and 2008’s Mission Control are the kind of albums you look back on ten years later as a chronicle of where you were when you first heard them. They are the crown jewels of your future musical biography.

If the free downloads of their first two new songs are any indicator, The Whig’s third album In The Dark holds incredible promise. In the meantime, look for them showing up to a town near you.

Check out the free downloads here and their video of “Right Hand On My Heart” here.

-dane
As posted for Noisecake.com

The Non-Initiation of Force Principle

When is the use of force a morally acceptable principle?

Morally, the use of force is only justifiable when it is in the act of self-defense. Going after Bin Laden was such an action, staying in Afghanistan to nation-build is not. We have moved on from our objective, therefore, no longer have self-defense as our moral claim. If the United States is going to continue to be the world’s policeman, there should be an amendment to the Constitution saying as much. Until then, any further action in Afghanistan can only be considered extralegal.

This self-defense, “justifiable use of force” argument makes our involvement in Iraq dubious as well. No matter how fearful we are of a potential enemy, no matter how immoral they are portrayed, no matter how much their very existence may negatively effect our economy, without the moral self-defense argument, no moral justification exists for the preemptive use of force. Therefore, no matter what excuses politicians and political pundits may put forward, our continued involvement in Iraq is nothing short of immoral.

Self-defense is the only justifiable use of force. Unless someone uses force against you, there is never a justifable reason to use force against them, regardless of how one feels, thinks, or believes. Besides, you can get almost anyone to do just about anything at the barrel of a gun...except actually change their hearts or their minds.

Where else does this “justifiable use of force” argument apply?

How about closer to home? For argument’s sake, let’s say your neighbor has a really nice TV and you want it. You probably wouldn’t go in his house, konk him on the head and take it. At least most people would see that as an immoral use of force.

What if you got six of your neighbors to go with you? No. That would not make it any more right.

What if you got six hundred of your neighbors to go with you? No. That still would not make it right.

What if you won a majority in a nation-wide vote? One hundred and fifty-five million people agreed with you that you can go over to your neightbor’s house and take his TV. Sorry, that still doesn’t cut it.

Although, this is exactly how the Democrat/Republican, Left/Right paradigm operates. This modern adherence to mob rule violates the very core of our beliefs “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

The principle of non-initiation of force is one of the cornerstones of proponents of individual rights. The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government. The use of force for any other purpose can not be justified in any civilized, moral or legal way.

Fantastic Planet

Back when I was a kid -- you know, back when the world was in black and white -- MTV was a specialty channel that not all cable companies carried. For my music video fix, I had to watch a weekend variety show on the USA Network called Night Flight.

Airing in different formats from the early ‘80’s to the mid ‘90’s, the show was a montage of music videos, short films, comedy bits, B movies and rockumentaries. In fact, I think it was the first place I saw Adam Sandler a couple of years before he went on Saturday Night Live. I also remember discovering Laurie Anderson there.

But in between all the videos, I discovered the most mesmerizing and absorbing cartoon I have ever seen, the 1973 Cannes Film Festival award winning French film, La Planète sauvage. Although titled Fantastic Planet in it’s English carnation, the translation is more accurately worded Savage Planet.

The film is about an alien planet where an advanced culture adopts humans as pets. Great concept. I am guessing this is probably where Perry Ferrell’s band Porno For Pyros got the idea for their song “Pets”.

If you have some time, check out this incredible animated classic. Here is the first segment to get you hooked:

Kasabian -- The Lunatics Are Running The Asylum

Taking their name from a member of the infamous Charles Manson family, Kasabian has spent a decade refining their sound, and released their third full length album last year. Named ‘Best Album’ at the British-based 2009 Q Awards, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum has also spent some time on the top of the UK top 40 charts.

The new album is something of a concept album, each track representing a lunatic in the asylum. Rollicking and boisterous, Kasabian reminds many of Oasis, though that comparison may be more geographical than musical. That and the fact that they both can fill a stadium.

Check out "Where Did All The Love Go?" And is it just me, or is vocalist Tom Meighan's new look just a bandana away from looking like Axl Rose?



-dane
As posted on Noisecake.com

The Band That Taught Me How To Dance

Devo. That’s right, Devo, the guys who invented the computer geek look -- even before personal computers were all that prevalent.

Although their name evolved from the concept of “de-evolution”, the idea that mankind is regressing not progressing, they were frequently mislabeled as proponents of the idea. Rolling Stone Magazine even labeled them fascists. Actually, their real directive was to lambaste the de-humanized conformity and sheeple mentality of American society.

The title track of 1980’s top selling album, “Freedom of Choice” exemplified their critique perfectly: “In ancient Rome, there was a poem about a dog who found two bones. He picked at one; he licked the other. He went in circles; he dropped dead. Freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom FROM choice is what you want.”

So what is next for the aging new wavers? According to the bio on their official website (http://www.clubdevo.com/ ) the band has been touring annually since relaunching their careers after some successful Lollapalooza dates in ‘96 and ‘97. Although their last studio album release was Smooth Noodle Maps in 1990, the band spent the end of ‘09 doing live shows of their classic albums, ‘78’s “Q:Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!” and ‘80’s prolific “Freedom of Choice”.

Now, with some pre-release hoopla and the backing of their major label Warner Brothers, rumors have it that the band is preparing to release their first new album in twenty years. With new material out sometime in April, Devo also promises to follow that up with a new look and a cutting-edge multi-media world tour.

Now for the part you were really curious about. The only dance move I have was stolen from this classic clip from the rockumentory “Urgh! A Music War!”. Pay special attention when it hits the two and a half minute mark and you will know my entire repertoire.



-dane
As posted for Noisecake.com

I Don't Believe In Beliefs

A friend of mine recently made the comment that my religious status on Facebook is a bit confusing. Rather than a declaration of my beliefs, I have a short quote from Nicholas Hassim Taleb: “I don’t believe in beliefs.” As my friend points out, not believing in beliefs IS a belief. This is all a contradiction, after all, he argues.

I actually took Taleb’s quote a bit out of context. It was taken from an interview where Taleb was trying to make a bigger point about how we view the world around us. We use our beliefs to justify our actions. In other words, most people believe out of convenience, not out of conviction. At best, we base their beliefs on what we know, but place too little value on what we don’t know. I think Taleb’s contention is that we tend to live life, then justify ourselves. Our only reason to believe anything is strictly to explain our own existence. We make the facts fit our beliefs, not the other way around.

That is a bit harsh, actually. People often mistake this line of reasoning as atheistic, agnostic at best. Really, Taleb has always been a bit shy at divulging his own beliefs, but one clue lies in his observations that we know less than we think we do. For instance, it is arrogant to proclaim there is no God when it has been consistently proved that whatever a society believes will always turn out to be short-sighted and incomplete when viewed through the spectrum of history. A great example would be to examine Thomas Jefferson in a historical context. One of the greatest writers on the subject of liberty was a slave owner. He may have seen the irony, but given the times he lived in, he had no problem justifying his actions to himself.

We suffer from incomplete thinking. All of us. It is important to come to that self-realization. It is important to recognize that we all suffer from beliefs that are derived from incomplete facts. Atheists and theologists both have their arguments. One side may be correct, but only by accident. Neither side actually knows all the facts, only the facts that THEY know -- what they believe to be the ultimate truth. They take what they “believe” and use it as their final, conclusive argument. There are still facts to be found, new beliefs to be created.

Therefore, to say I don’t believe in beliefs is inaccurate. I simply don’t believe all the facts have presented themselves yet. This is not to be confused with relativism. I don’t believe “truth” is whatever we perceive it to be. I am more of an objective thinker, but unlike the likes of Ayn Rand, who was a devote atheist, I am aware that I don’t know all the facts. Therefore, I can not proclaim something as profound as the existence of God, one way or the other.

Believing in beliefs closes your mind to new facts. It is the very definition of dogma.

So am I an atheist, agnostic or do I believe in God? Who cares? My beliefs should not be used to confirm or deny your own. Maybe it should be said more simply; don’t believe in my beliefs. Evaluate your own beliefs and recognize where they come from, the pitfalls in using them as justifications, and that, open to new facts, your beliefs can and will evolve. The only constant is change. The only way to properly deal with change is reason.

Guest Blogging on Noisecake

I spend the vast majority of my work day playing in Photoshop, so doing this blog is really just a way for me to keep in touch with my second language, English. A good writer, I am not. In fact, at times, I am a bit embarrassed about my skills, especially considering that a large portion of my friends actually make their living writing. I may be an impostor, but it is too fun, so the embarrassment takes a back seat.

Recently, I had the privilege of being asked to contribute to a new music site called Noisecake. Since I was free to write about anything, logically, I chose to chat about my favorite band, The Whigs, and their upcoming new release, In The Dark.

The cool thing about our new socially-networked society is how communication has become democratized. Everyone is a potential content dispenser. Everyone is a potential communicator. Everyone may be a connection to something new and interesting. Therefore, regardless of who they may be, when “everyone” makes a request, they need to be taken seriously.

So, when I couldn’t find an accurate release date for The Whig’s new album, I emailed my question off to the contact info I found on the Whig’s website and, to my surprise, drummer Julian Dorio responded back in minutes. Pretty cool. I haven’t even made a post yet and I am feeling like I’m some kind of Chuck Klosterman.

This music writer thing is kinda’ fun. Anyway, check out my upcoming posts on Noisecake and be sure to become a fan on Facebook.

55 Kiva Loans and Counting

Several years ago, I was studying the concept of micro-lending and looking for a way to become an international venture capitalist. In November of 2006, I discovered Kiva.org, an organization that facilitates lending money to small business owners all over the world -- $25 at a time. I was hooked.

My first loan was to Ivan Tenchev, a formerly unemployed Bulgarian who started up his own refreshment stall near a cooperative market in his home town. Although he was getting by, he was hoping to expand his business by securing a $1,000 loan to purchase a grill to make “djuner kebap” (a traditional Turkish meal) and two pancake toasters. Through Kiva, I, along with 39 other people, pitched in to get him what he needed. He, in turn, expanded his business and paid us all back.

From my standpoint, it wasn’t a hand-out. It was an investment, a vested advance into the hopes and dreams of a fellow man. In other words, it wasn’t charity. It was capitalism at it’s best.

Since that time, I have made fifty-four other such loans to men and women all over the world. In three short years, I have backed a clothing retailer in Senegal, a cattle breeder in Azerbaijan, a pig farmer in Peru, a fish market vendor in Cambodia, a teacher-run co-op that supports a private secondary school in Sierra Leone, a woman starting a two-acre taro plantation in Samoa, and a woman trying to create “the number one drinking pub in her community” in Ghana -- just to name a few.

Give a woman a fish, feed her for a day. Give a woman a Kiva loan, give her the tools to feed herself for a lifetime.

Although I receive no interest on these loans, I, do get the satisfaction of seeing my values in action: Passion -- watching people’s drive to make their own lives better. Personal Responsibility -- seeing people create a better world for themselves by taking it upon themselves. Gratitude -- having the satisfaction of seeing good in the world and being thankful for it. And finally, Forgiveness, for the 1.55% of people who defaulted on my loans (I have lost less than $50 bucks -- and that was in war-torn Kenya), a small price to pay for the success of the other 98.45% of people whose lives I have touched in an incredibly positive way.

In future posts, I will expound on my Four Values. In the meantime, check out Kiva.org and have some fun being a international venture capitalist -- $25 bucks at a time.