The Greyfriars Cemetery

Greyfrairs Graveyard in Edinburgh Scotland is known as one of the most haunted sites in the world. The haunting is directly linked to the ghost of George Mackenzie, a Scottish lawyer who died in 1691. George Mackenize had a large role in King Charles I’s clash with the Covenanters, a group of christians opposed to the new rule of the Episcopalian church.

In 1679, there was a large battle between the Covenanters and Charles II’s army in which Covenanters were outnumbered and hundreds were taken hostage. George Mackenzie had a heavy hand in the torture and death of many Covenanters. Many who were not imprisoned in Greyfrairs Court were sold as slaves and shipped to the West Indes; However due to some unfortunate twist of fate, the ship that carried the slaves crashed off the coast of Orkney in northern England.

According to accounts dating back to 1990 (when the grave of Mackenzie happen to be disturbed) over 500 people have reported being assaulted by some sort of other-worldly being. Attacks include cuts, bruises, physical pushing, and most commonly black outs. Mackenzie’s grave was ransacked supposedly by a homeless man whom upon seeing an unlocked gate entered the tomb in hopes of finding some sort of shelter. Seeing a coffin, the man broken open the lid in hope of finding anything of value (he was unsuccessful).

Since that night countless reports of poltergeist activity have been claimed; the first of which happened just days after the tomb was broken into. The area around Mackenzie’s tomb in Greyfrairs Cemetry has been completely gated off in a bid to protect future guests from his ghost.

-lionsteeth

The song is called “Prisencolinensinainciusol”. Written by the Italian artist Adriano Celentano in 1972.  It sounds like the lyrics should be English but they are pure gibberish.  I never heard non-English speaking people trying to emulate English.  Its pretty cool.

Well there are only 5 days left till Halloween. I’m excited, your excited, hell even Rob is excited!

I figured I needed a theme for the next 5 days so here it is: One scary story a day for 5 days, ending with the most terrifying of all! Today’s Tale Is:

Brother 12,

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Brother 12 was born J.C Skottowe in England. At an early age he claimed to be subjected to many visions warning him to travel far and wide to find a land to set up a religious foundation. In the 1920′s, Brother 12 found him self on Vancouver Island,  around the area now known as Cedar, part of Nanaimo. Brother 12 had laid the ground work for what would come to be known as The Aquarian Foundation, a group of men and women assigned to save humanity. Upon joining the Aquarian Foundation, as with most cults, a large financial donation had to be made. Following a trail of money, Brother 12 then set his sites on California, but after only a few weeks he had a vision telling him Nanaimo was the safest place for him to reside. In 1926, ‘Cedar By The Sea’ was established on a farm a few miles out of the town of Nanaimo. In the compound of Cedar By The Sea, Brother 12 began to what some would call brain washing the members of The Aquarian Foundation, rumors have been spread that Brother 12 had purchased a supply of microphones to spy on all the members of the foundation, and anyone caught speaking ill of their master Brother 12 was never heard from again. Religious type cerimonies where also held, in which brother 12 would gather all his followers out doors and would ‘speak to god’ which also included him having sex with multiple women. During the year of 1926, residents of Nanaimo and Cedar began to suspect the Foundation of being more than just a farm by the ocean. Attempts where made to exile Brother 12 from the land, and with his large bank account he took to buying up land on De Coursy Island, across the water from Cedar By The Sea. However at this time Brother 12 and The Aquarian Foundation began losing popularity within, falling from 200 members to just over 12. At this point Brother 12 fled back to his home land of England, where he purchased a ship entitled The Lady Royal and sailed it all the way across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and back up to De Courcy island. Upon returning and fearing arrest Brother 12 fled from De Courcy, withdrawing all the money from his vault in Nanaimo in golden bars and vanished. Many sightings where reported of his were-abouts, from Victoria to The Sunshine Coast. He later was found in Switzerland, suffering from heart conditions and later died at the age of 57. Brother 12 was succeeded by his mistress Amiel De Valdes who attempted to carry on the Foundation on Valdez Island. She later died in 1947. The whereabouts of the Brother 12 treasure have still yet to be discovered although many believe it to be hidden somewhere on De Courcy or Valdez Island.

-lionsteeth

A band that starts out as a project for a high school art class is not likely to receive the recognition that Ponytail has. They hail from Baltimore, the home of almost every popular band right now… I find this odd, why is Baltimore a breeding ground of underground talent…it usually looks like this:

However, from what seems to a west coaster, an industrial wasteland, Baltimore Maryland spits out countless great acts I really do hold close to my heart, be it Dan Deacon, Animal Collective or Ponytail. At first I couldn’t figure these guys out at all. Their lead singer is mind boggling. I’m sorry but for the first five minutes of the video I was watching, I just couldn’t put a finger on her sex. I debated it with a few friends for awhile and we finally settled the disagreement after we found out her name was Molly. Molly does however have one of the most unique vocal stylings I’ve yet to see. If words aren’t muttered incoherently, they are yelled feverishly in a high pitch yelp. Oh and Ponytails drummer is fucking mental. The songs are written so well, and the band is as tight live as they are recorded, which is very rare. The songs walk a fine line between experimental noise and happy major riffing as heard in songs like “Late For School”. However unlike most bands, it’s constant thundering harmony. I read they are compared to Deerhoof a lot, probably because they have an Asian girl singer who’s wacky, I don’t really see the similarities all that well. These dudes shred, hard. Every member seems to be pushing themselves to the brink, including ‘yellper’ Molly. Check the song out bellow, I really think you’ll like it.

Ponytail – Jamming On A Major Scale

Ponytail – Late For School

-lionsteeth

When someone asks me a question like “what is your all-time favorite [insert anything here]?’ I sort of sigh and wander around inside my head for what seems like an eternity- sorting through all those times I’ve said “yes, this one is my favorite!”. But really, we all change, every moment, so i don’t have an all-time favorite of anything. But I do have all sorts of right-now favorites. Like- right now my favorite album is Spirit if… by Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew. And my favorite song of right now? Tbtf by Kevin Drew. The first time I heard this song, the melody and his airy unmistakable vocals nearly killed me. Kevin Drew, you break my heart over and over again.

-artandstars

“Once, Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn’t know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction!”

Ah, dreaming. Anyone who falls into the R.E.M.(rapid eye movement) stage of sleep does it.The surprising thing is that our brain really can’t tell the difference between what is a dream (developed completely internally by the brain), or reality (processed by sensory perception). Either way, to the brain, it’s all real. This explains why it is so hard to distinguish dreams from reality while experiencing either. And in those often rare times that we do recognize we are dreaming, the feeling is unbeatable. The ability to manipulate dream characters, scenes, events.. the dream world is yours to create and destroy! People have been known to use lucid dreams to gain confidence, practice for real life events, solve problems, and promote creativity.

There are many techniques to inducing lucid dreaming. One of these is to do “reality checks” in your waking state so it becomes habit and eventually you do them in dreams also. these can include, flicking a light switch on and off (light levels rarely change in dreams), looking at a digital clock, looking away and back again (in dreams, the numbers will change 75% of the time) and holding your nose (if you can’t breathe without your nose, you’re probably dreaming). Dream recall is also a proven method of inducing regular lucid dreaming. Many people will keep a notebook by their bedside and record dreams the moment they wake up. Doing this triggers regular dream memory and increases the likelihood of realizing a dream while you’re in one.

The most interesting induction method I have come across so far would have to be the sleeping-mask like devices that came around in the early 90′s. It is a technology which uses infrared lights to detect rapid eye movement, and subsequently giving “cues” such as flashing lights and/or sound to remind a person they are dreaming. The lights and sound are incorporated by the brain into the dream. People have reported the cues being presented as lightening, flashing headlights, sirens, birds, etc… They train themselves to recognize these cues, and are able to immediately become lucid.

Lucid dreaming is now an art, and apparently an effective therapy method as well. Try it for yourself!

-artandstars

It’s not called the grind for no reason. Every one of us out there has had to work a job they hated, day in day out, until you feel as if your soul has be ground up into a messy pulp. If you haven’t ever experienced this this feeling then I offer you a simultaneous “congratulations” and “fuck off”, you are either so lucky or so filthy rich.

I just finished George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London”.  The book is a chronicle of the time Orwell spent in poverty while living in Paris, working as a dishwasher (plongeur), and in London, living as a tramp. Containing some fine social commentary, the book is an examination of poverty and injustice existing in the midst of metropolis. After leaving Paris, he theorizes on the significance of his work there, which was low paying with long hours, physically demanding, and completely useless:

“It does not matter whether his work is needed or not, because work in itself is good – for slaves at least…The mob (the thought runs) are such low animals that they would be dangerous if they had leisure; it is safer to keep them too busy to think…Fear of the mob is a superstitious fear. It is based on the idea that there is some mysterious, fundamental difference between rich and poor. But in reality the mass of rich and poor people are differentiated by their incomes and nothing else, and the average millionaire is only the average dishwasher dressed in a new suit…Since there is no difference between the mass of rich and poor, there is no question of setting the mob loose. The mob is in fact loose now, and – in the shape of rich men – is using its power to set up enormous treadmills of boredom.”

Word up George. You said it.

Here’s a few songs to help get you through the grind. You’ll like them whether you are rich or poor, promise.

Wake Up – Dr. Dog

007 – Desmond Dekker & The Aces

Above- Natasha Kahn (Bat For Lashes)

The time I’ve spent defending female vocals to boys is uncalled for. What is it that the average boy has against them? I think Freud might call it some sort of innate homosexual tendency. I guess estrogen makes boys uncomfortable when they aren’t fucking it, or sucking on a tit. So why would a manly man listen to say, Chan Marshall’s (Cat Power) sad and sexy tone, or reminisce about Ann Wilson’s (Heart) hot power woman vocals? What about Karen O’s (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) ass-kicking screeching? The list goes on. And perhaps it’s simply a matter of relating. I’m not saying all guys prefer male vocals, but it definitely separates the men from the boys . I think a real man opens his mind to the power of female vocals.

-artandstars

So, I’ve fallen in love. Now, I’ve always appreciated  musicians who really get back to their roots  (blues, jazz, BLUEGRASS). Do it well, and I fall in love easier than a schoolgirl falls in love with the Jonas Brothers. And I fall hard. As a collector of music, I had the album “Attack and Release” by the Black Keys on my iPod for about a month, but I hadn’t bothered to listen to them yet. Mostly because my iPod displays the B section as follows;  “the black keys, black kids, black lips, black mold, black mountain, black rebel motorcycle gang”. Not that I have anything against the color black, it was just all too much. And when you have about 30 gb of music on your iPod, you tend to get lost in it.

Then there’s shuffle. With my-pod, I always get something new. Last week it was the Black Keys. Again, I’m in love. The song “lies” speaks to me, right down to my bones, and I find myself thinking I’m in some southern American indie stoner movie. Its bluesy, sultry vocals seem to parallel the lo-fi fuzzy guitar. Dan Auerbach hits every note- and more- with apparent style and ease. steeze. so much steeze. and Patrick Carney hugs the beat tight with every distorted kick and snare. This rock duo has the ability to take a style so old and revered, and somehow bring something new and raw to it.

chew on this for a while.

-artandstars