The Spirit

'The Spirit' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Paradise Lost: Erased.

Opeth: Porcelain Heart

I'm sorry I missed Opeth's "Watershed" release earlier this year. Sadly the timing of it's release coincided with a busy time and it slipped through the cracks. From what I actually have managed to hear so far, it's a fine album, and I thought this video (although incredibly short by Opeth standards) was very striking.

The Watchmen Trailer.

Here's a trailer for the upcoming movie The Watchman. I've been looking forward to this for years, although I was disappointed when Terry Gilliam dropped out of the project. Still, it looks pretty snazzy from the trailer

Nightwish--The Islanders

I found a new site for Metal Videos which hopefully will provide some content for the blog:)

Here's a taster, from Nightwish.

Michael A. Baker--R.I.P.

From Shadow Gallery's blog on Myspace

It is with deep sadness and regret that we announce the passing of Shadow Gallery vocalist, Michael A. Baker. Mike suffered a heart attack, Wednesday afternoon, October 29th, 2008. He was 45 years old.

Mike was a founding member of Shadow Gallery and for the past 16 years, helped shape the sound of the band with his magical voice. Additionally, he made many appearances on rock records around the world. Those who knew him best were moved by his gentle spirit, sincere kindness , fun nature and passion for both music and sports. He was a warrior in the studio, a true professional. Mike was our friend, our singer and our brother. We loved him and will miss him enormously, but he will always be remembered in our hearts and through his music.

Our condolences to his family and friends.

East Tennessean--Letter From A Rush Fan

Interesting letter from a Rush fan concerning "non-religious faith" in the East Tennessean.

Check it out and maybe leave a comment:)

Reverand Magpies No-No Pulpit...

Sometimes a subject comes up that I'd like to rant about on my show, but broadcasting regulations or station policies prevent me from being as forthright as I'd like. My lovely wife suggested that a good solution would be for me to write down these rants and post them here. So allow me to present the first sermon from Rev. Magpie's No-No Pulpit:

Prime Time Progaganda

I watched an episode of Law And Order: SVU tonight that I found
somewhat disturbing. Normally I like the show--it deals with edgy
stories and characters, and isn't afraid to take chances. Tonight's
show, however, was disturbing because never before have I seen a
episode that is so blatantly propaganda-like in both tone and content.

The episode concerned the death of a baby from what turns out to be
an untreated case of AIDS. The mother (an HIV sufferer) has fallen
under the sway of a quack doctor who believes that AIDS is a myth and
HIV can be cured by vitamins and diet. The show's viewpoint on this
growing movement is established early on when Det. Munch--normally
ready to subscribe, or at least sympathize, with every conspiracy
theory going-- refers to "AIDS deniers" as misguided.

Fair enough, but the writers quickly jettison their responsiblity as
storytellers and adopt the mantle of propagandists for the rest of
the show, with their bias appearing in several scenes. In general
terms, the writers never once present any of the scientific
background for Aids skepticism (and there are valid scientific
questions being raised-- it ain't all treehuggers and hippies) or
that even one of the discoverers of HIV has criticized the direction
that AIDS research and treatment has taken over the years. Usually
if there are two sides to an issue, the L&A writers try to
incorporate them both into the storyline. This evenhandedness was
conspicuously absent in tonight's show.

Neither does the show note that there is a wide range of postions on
the HIV/AIDS issue, ranging from mild skepticism to outright denial.
No room for questioning here--you either accept the hegemony without
question or you are a "denier", and a dangerous, narcissistic
whatckjob to boot. Now, on to the specific scenes that I thought
were quite disturbing:

1) The Doctor is presented as a bad doctor: Throughout the episode
the Doctor is presented as negligent. He lies to his patients,
diagnoses diseases without examinations, prescribes inappropriate
treatment, and falsifies medical records. The implication that only
bad/incompetent doctors are skeptical about the HIV/AIDS connection
is hammered home repeatedly throughout the story.

2) The Doctor is presented as both homophobic and racist: When on the
stand, the Doctor expressly accuses the Medical Examiner of having a
hidden agenda because of her race. He then states that HIV is not
a "real" problem because it only affects "blacks and gays". This
outburst comes out of absolutely nowhere (there's no suggestion prior
to this scene that there is any racial or homophobic motive for the
Doctor's position). The implication is repulsively clear--
questioning of the HIV/AIDS connection stems from anti-gay, anti-
black sentiment.

3) HIV skepticism is equated to Holocaust denial: No shit--I'm
serious here. During the trial the prosecutor explicitly compares
any questioning of the HIV/AIDS connection to denying that the
Holocaust exists. Not only that, but she claims that the
existing "proof"* of the HIV/AIDS connection is as extensive and as
conclusive as the proof that the Holocaust happened. Once again the
implication is that only an ignorant person motivated by prejudice
would question the status quo.

4) Refusing to have a child tested for HIV is equated with Christian
Scientists refusing to treat children for cancer. After the trial,
the brother of the victim refuses to be tested for HIV until Det.
Stabler introduces him to a young boy whose Christian Science parents
refused to treat his brain cancer. The point is made, explicitly and
implicitly, that seeking alternative treatments and diagnoses for
HIV** is as ignorant and misguided as praying for the cure of a
terminal disease when effective treatment is available.

I'm not an AIDS denier, btw. From what I've read there is a growing,
scientifically-based skepticism that the model of "HIV causes AIDS"
that has been prevalent since the 'eighties, and I think that people
have a right to ask the questions about the claims, methods and
motives of researchers, pharma-companies and government. Telling
these people to shut up, or labelling them kooks, racists or ignorant
is biased and hypocritical.

*If the writers were not biased, the distinction would have been made
that science deals in evidence, not proof, and scientists do not
believe in absolutes

** The writers neglect to mention both that HIV tests can result in a
false-positive result because of over 70 different factors, and that
being HIV positive does not mean having HIV or AIDS. These alone
are pretty good reasons for being skeptical of HIV testing.

Doomsday on DVD

I caught this over the weekend. It's a really enjoyable movie in the Road Warrior mode. I have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and this is definitely a worthy addition to the genre.

New Cradle Of Filth!

The new Cradle of Filth CD, Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder">, is in at the station.

Here's the first video from the CD: Honey And Sulphur.


Find more videos like this on Cradle Of Filth

Rush Geeks on CBC's OUTFRONT

Here's a short radio documentary on Rush fans, produced by the CBC for their OUTFRONT show.

Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala of Children of Bodom

This has to be seen (and heard) to be believed.

Master Of Disguise saw Lizzy Borden step out of the safety zone of a band and release an album as a solo artist. Like most of Lizzy's work, the album is pretty uneven--some absolute gems scattered among some competent but uninspired filler. "Love Is A Crime" is definately one of the former: Not only the best song on the album, but one of the best Lizzy Borden songs period.

Until today I never knew that there was an accompanying video, and I thought I'd share it with you. It's not particularly original (especially for such a visually-oriented band), but is noticable for two reasons. The first is that Borden managed to create a mainstream video for a song about phone sex. The second is that it exemplifies Borden's ability to make albums and videos of a high quality that belie their low budgets. Ratt or Motley Crue would have spent 10 times what this video likely cost--probably with half the final result.

Azumi (repost)

Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, of Versus infamy, Azumi is a period piece following the adventures of a young orphan girl turned assassin as she and her nine male companions grow up and train together, preparing for the "final assignment".

Based on a manga by Yu Koyama, the film stars Aya Ueto as the title character, a role she pulls off very well. For those who know Kitamura only from his tongue-in-cheek, ultra gory "Versus", this movie is going to come as a bit of a shock. Although there is a lot of action, and Kitamura never flinches from showing just how messy sword fighting can be, there is more to this movie than sheer visceral overkill. In fact the gore that appears is seamlessly and (almost) tastefully integrated into the story. Seldom is it gratuitous.

This move just looks damn good! The costumes, sets and overall cinematography give Azumi a lush, epic feel that belies a comparatively modest budget (compared to say Hero or House of Flying Daggers). The acting is competent and fits in well with the story, and the script moves along at a brisk pace without feeling rushed.

I would heartily recommend Azumi for a an interesting night’s viewing-and if you are up for a double feature thrown on Jet Li’s "Hero". The movies dovetail perfectly, each showing a similar story in a completely different yet equally satisfying way.

Programming Note

Saturday's my birthday and my lovely wife has arranged a party for me.

This means I won't be on the air, but fortunately Jay Way, host of CFRC's "Way Past Midnight" show has kindly agreed to fill in for the evening.

Thanks to Jay, and I hope the show goes fine. Enjoy!

On The Horizon: October

Pretty quiet compared to last month, but there's still some interesting releases in the cards for next month.

Here's a summary of releases of interest for October:

Tesla...............Forever More (Oct. 7)
Yngwie Malmsteen....Perpetual Flame (Oct. 14)
Marillion...........Happiness is the Road (Oct. 20)
AC/DC...............Black Ice (Oct. 20)
Cynic...............Traced In Air (Oct. 27)
Cradle Of Filth.....Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder (Oct. 28)
Exodus..............Let There Be Blood (Oct. 28)

And October releases with no firm release date:

Girlschool................Legacy
Chris Caffery.............House Of Insanity
Anathema..................Horizons
Circle Of Dead Children...Psalm Of The Great Destroyer

New Feature

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see a new feature on the blog--a playlist of songs. This is intended as a sampler of the kind of things I play on the show from week to week. So whether you want a tast of what the show is like, or you just want to hear some killer tunes between shows, I welcome you to check it out.

I will be updating it from time to time, but not on a frequent basis, since I carefully selected songs that I think show the range of material I play on Tapping the Ether. If it piques your interest, tune in on Saturday nights from 20:00 to 22:00 (GMT -5) to hear the show. The live feed, and archives of recent shows, can be found at the CFRC website.

Rush And Bubbles

Shortly after Alex Lifeson appeared on an episode of "Trailer Park Boys", Bubble reciprocated by performing with Rush during the Easter Seals Telethon. Unfortunately I was working that evening and missed the performance, but thanks to the wonders of YouTube I was finally able to see it and I thought I'd share it.

City of Ember

This looks like a great movie. Check out the trailer!

Note About Playlists

You may have noticed that I haven't posted a playlist for show here for a while.
Typing the playlists up on blogger is a real pain in the ass, and they end up crowding all the other information off the page and into the archives far too quickly.

From now on this blog is going to be reserved for reviews, news, programming notes, and whatever else oozes from my mind at any given time.

Weekly playlists for the show are now posted on the Tapping The Ether website:

http://ethertap.webs.com

Just check the menu on the left for the link that says "Playlists".

Check out the website for CD and movie reviews and metal news from many major news sources.

On The Horizon

September looks like a bumper month for new metal releases. Here's a list of stuff that I'm particularly looking forward to:

Iced Earth........The Crucible Of Man (Sept. 5)
Metallica.........Death Magnetic (Sept. 12)
Memory Garden.....Carnage Carnival (Sept. 12)
Amon Amarth.......Twilight Of The Thunder God (Sept. 17)
Sinner............Crash And Burn (Sept. 19)
Evergrey..........Torn (Sept. 19)
Metal Church......This Present Wasteland (Sept. 23)
Battlelore........The Last Alliance (Sept. 24)
Holy Moses........Agony Of Death (Sept. 25)

September releases with no fixed release date:

Halford...........Halford IV
Lacuna Coil.......TBA
Helstar...........The King Of Hell
Guns 'N' Roses....Chinese Democracy *



* Winner of this months "We'll believe it when we see it" award.

Lee Aaron On Street Legal.

"Metal Queen" appeared on the legal soap "Street Legal" in the eighties performing "Empty Heart" from her self titled album. An interesting note: all the material (posters, album covers etc.) that appear in the episode are from the "Call of the Wild" release--two albums prior to the album that "Empty Heart" actually appeared on.

Playlist for May 10, 2008

Resurrection Band..............Awaiting Your Reply
Saxon..............................Ride Like The Wind
Armored Saint...................Saturday Night Special
Raven..............................Gimme Some Lovin'
April Wine.........................Bad Side Of The Moon
Van Halen.........................Dancing In The Streets
AC/DC..............................Baby Please Don't Go
WASP...............................Paint It Black
Lee Aaron.........................Barely Holdin' On
Impellitteri.........................Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Queensryche....................Won't Get Fooled Again
Gun................................Word Up
Gamma Ray......................It's A Sin
Stryper...........................Shining Star
Tierra Santa.....................Communication Breakdown
Masterplan.......................Black Dog
Rush...............................Mr. Soul
Rush...............................Seven And Seven Is
Rush...............................Shapes Of Things
Rush...............................Crossroads
Nevermore.......................Sound Of Silence
Paradise Lost...................Small Town Boy
Within Temptation.............Running Up That Hill

Part one of a two part "Covers" special. Part two will be on May 24.
This was originally supposed to be aired last week, but an injury kept me away from the studio, unfortunately.

Playlist for April 16, 2008

Here's the list for last night's show.

Demons and Wizards.......Immigrant Song
Helix....................................Long Way To Heaven
Van Halen...........................Dancing In The Streets
April Wine..........................Wanna Rock
April Wine...........................I Like To Rock
April Wine...........................It Hurts
Rush.....................................Closer To The Heart
Rush.....................................Earthshine
Blue Oyster Cult.................Don't Fear The Reaper
Queensryche.......................Bridge
Bruce Dickinson..................Strange Death In Paradise
Ozzy Osbourne....................Waiting For Darkness
Dio.........................................We Rock
Helloween...........................The Dark Ride
Sword..................................Children Of Heaven
Faith No More.....................Midlife Crisis
Rob Zombie.........................Living Dead Girl
Megadeth............................A Toute La Monde
Megadeth............................Die Dead Enough
Megadeth............................Kill The King
Voivod.................................Angel Rat
Within Temptation............Enter