Midnight.Haulkerton’s Violence of the Soul album is going to Slay Demons!

I’m listening to a fresh demo of Joel Falconer and Greg Cameron’s song for Midnight.Haulkerton’s forthcoming album Violence of the Soul (VotS), a project I’ve been intimately associated with for some time as we worked to develop repertoire, form the band, get all the business in order and deal with the vicissitudes of life, that tear the soul and urge it this way and that.

The track is Forget and it’s a great personal statement that is right on theme, right on track and utterly authentic. Yesterday, 26 November, 2007, Joel was telling me how much Greg likes to rock and just loves music. Well, he’s right, and you can tell. The guitaring on this track just blows your head off and you right out of it. I don’t think I’ll move back in now I’ve been liberated from my skull. Thanks, Greg! I never needed that container anyway.

Falconer delivers a powerful vocal that rocks out and grabs your whole body and chills it with thrills that are unnerving and delicious. It’s like great sex, only…better! Have I had great sex? Sure! I’m not a real donkey lover, yah know. Just a pretend one! (That’s an inside joke Joel may let you in on some day and has to do with the hidden history of the Lascaux Caves. Don’t ask. The Order will want my entrails.)

Two verses take us into a chorus where Falconer shows his talent for long line delivery that never ceases to amaze me. He’s got that Sinatra phrasing knack, that was once so unique. But he’s not a crooner, nothing soft about Falconer, he’s a hard man with voice that’ll scrape your soul raw.

The bridge is a sweet drop into a trippy taste of etherealism, Midnight.Haulkerton style.

VotS is an album that addresses the way the world–our experience of society and civilization–rips at our lives. It’s the first in a series of planned albums from Midnight.Haulkerton.

I can’t wait till these guys are in the studio recording this album! (2008, all going well) When Falconer is in deep throat there is nothing quite so orgasmic. Midnight.Haulkerton has got one of those sounds that pumps your blood up and gets you ready and roaring to tackle the world.

Slay Demons, yes, Midnight.Haulkerton could do this with a single well-placed chord, but as Joel said, “It’s not the demons we want to slay - it’s the angels.”

Yeah, not too keen on the cherubs myself, mate.

IR2F so easily but I will have a hard job forgetting the first time I heard Forget.

This was just a demo!

The Points of the Creative Artists’ Code: Nine - The power of an aesthetic work of art is the power to change…

In NDK’s latest article on the points of the Code, he describes the importance of ideas to the development of society and how to avoid the destructive effect that can occur when one points out unworkable ideas without providing solutions. - Joel Falconer, Editor-in-Chief
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The Flockblogger - How do you become one?

It’s simple, you go here, download and install it. You don’t look back.

I’ve been Flockblogging for nearly a month now, thanks to my good friend, Joel Falconer. I don’t yet know all the ins & outs of this most useful of all browsers which is a definite upgrade from Firefox, and suits me as I become a fan and proponent of Really Simple Syndication (RSS). It’s how I do all my news and updates now. Email? Becoming increasingly unimportant, but still useful in a pinch. Read more

I’ve got a message for you

Elbert Hubbard died on the Lusitania, 7 May 1915, the sinking of which brought the United States of America into the First World War. One of the works he wrote is credited with starting the entire business of trade magazine publications as we know them today, and he is associated with the establishment of the American art & craft movement of the last century. Read more

The Creative Artist as Global Activist — Applauding Trent Reznor’s Example

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a creative activist. When it comes to being a Creative Artist, I think it’s vital to be informed about the world, and to have a well-developed sense of social, political and cultural justice that has a global perspective and not just a national one loyal only to one’s country, for as Creative Artists we serve our country best by embracing the world and serving it through the creation, development and publication of our works, and while these benefit our national economies for the long-term in ways we will be looking at in later articles, they serve humanity first.

As a Creative Artist I embrace without reservation the ideas of Lennon’s Imagine and support nationalism only to the degree that my country, of which I am justifiably proud (most of the time), acts in a socially global sense that has the interests of humanity and nothing else at heart. John Lennon’s website is beautiful, and I wholeheartedly recommend a visit.

Once informed, we utilize our ability to communicate to:

1. Increase awareness and attention about issues that affect humanity - this is non-partisan, apolitical, pro-survival and has the aspect of a care-taking custodial role.
2. Protect communication lines and channels that carry information and the quality of content on those channels.
3. Place constructive ideas into society.
4. Use this information to craft works of art & entertainment that while entertaining, also inform lives and make them worth living.

Why is this important to the definition and role of a Creative Artist?

Because, it is the people who lift us up on their shoulders when they support the publication of our creative works as we develop them, and help us attain positions of influence, that well-managed and from a traditional perspective, help us to balance the books of success when it is attained.

It is not a company or a corporation that Creative Artists owe our allegiance and loyalty to, rather it is the people of the world who support our works that we represent, and whose trust we must not abuse.

So, when I find out from Danny Schecter’s Media Channel that Trent Reznor is involved in tackling the media, I get excited!

Video: The Warning
ArtofMentalWarfare.com presents The Warning, a politically powerful new music video featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Trent Reznor. The Warning takes on the covert interests behind the war and our media saturated society. From war crimes to the destruction of the environment and a celebrity-obsessed culture, The Warning is a clarion call to action for an apathetic nation.

Opening Statement: Let The Media War Begin
The mainstream media is an elaborate and sophisticated propaganda apparatus that is designed and utilized to deceive, manipulate, dumb down, distract and marginalize the American public.

No, not only the American public. But also the rest of the world, who buy into and are subjected to the American mythology through works of culture that America exports all over the world.

Code Point 6 of the Code of a Creative Artist covers these aspects of being a Creative Artist. But many other points of the code are as relevant. This is not some arbitrary code created out of thin air, or vague imaginings, it defines and describes exactly how Creative Artists operate in the world, and by doing so, serve the world. It is our job to do so by imagining.

So I applaud, what Trent Reznor is doing as a Creative Artist. David Vincent? I’m not so sure about his grasp on the reality of blogging, probably he has not read the Free Articulator yet (chuckle), but I do agree with what he is saying and promoting with regard to big media and wish him every success.

The Editor and the Medium: How to Ensure your Success

Editing and proofing any work of art & entertainment is the final part of the production process before the work is delivered to the intended public. It is the most important phase in the ending of the work, and it is a demanding process requiring a great deal of knowledge and experience that can only be truly gained by doing it.

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Clear Channel Censors Bruce Springsteen airplay; Annie Lennox and Fogerty also censored!

Not too long ago we commented on the fact that AT&T censored Pearl Jam. At the same time we mentioned Clear Channel censoring the Dixie Chicks, well now they’re at it again. According to Blah3, they have censored Bruce Springsteen’s album:

Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from “Magic.” But it’s OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as “Dancing in the Dark,” “Born to Run” and “Born in the USA.”

The first place you observe this rise of tyranny and loss of freedom is in the communication channels that permit freedom of expression; and it is almost always the arts where you first observe oppression. Why? Because artists are not afraid to communicate, and they know they play an important role in the preservation of civilization and free civil society, as Nick Coleman points out in his article. Read more

The Points of the Creative Artists’ Code: Eight - Your work is your responsibility

In this article explaining the eighth point of the Code of a Creative Artist, NDK Creative Artist discusses the responsibility artists have to protect the integrity of their art. — Joel Falconer, Editor-in-Chief

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Why Battlestar’s Naturalistic Sci-Fi is the Easy Way Out

A few months back, Joel sent me an “Interesting essay on this page about writing sci-fi.”

We’re both fans of “Battlestar Galactica” and this critique doesn’t change that one iota.

This article is developed from our conversation in Skype. I agree with Joel that it is an interesting essay. However, I do not agree with Ron Moore’s take on technology. Read more

I wish the media would tell the real story about Prince…and if they won’t then I would like to

Along with the celebrity tabloid nonsense that continues to plague our lives with trash for the mind and spirit, like Heather Mills I’m just sick of the media distorting facts, provoking violence and generally acting like complete moroffs, that it just annoys the bloody heck out of me!

Yeah, I know I’m not supposed to have an opinion. But I do, and this is the Free Articulator where providing you follow civilized, and submission, guidelines that actually mean something, you can pretty much say what you please.

Yesterday I looked at the latest misreporting of Yahoo and Reuters and read this about Prince: Read more