Wednesday 22 April 2015

Earth Day is a Croc!

They say it’s “Earth Day” my social media feeds are blowing up with “Happy Earth Day” messages. I believe “Earth Day” is a croc. We don’t need an Earth Day anymore than the Earth needs people. I believe the emphasis of “Earth Day” is misplaced.  We don’t need to save the Earth. What we need is to preserve the habitability of it for us, the human race. We need a “Human Day”. For the Earth will be around long after we have left it and you know what? The Earth won’t blink. It will simply reclaim all that we’ve done to it.
We need to put aside selfishness and pettiness and fight for humankind. Instead of Jewish people and Arab people fighting for land, why not just be people people working together to ensure that the River Jordan and the Dead Sea continue to thrive and people have water. For if you cut a Jew and cut an Arabian, both will bleed red.
Instead of killing in the name of a God whom you call “Merciful” why not live in the image of your God and be merciful yourself?
For once people put aside their differences with people, then we can work cooperatively to ensure the amount time our children and their children can inhabit this planet. Governments can find budgets to foster positive change rather than building their weapons of destruction and keeping others from building their own.
Let’s not worry about saving the Earth. Let’s worry about saving the people.

Sunday 19 April 2015

Mishima Album Launch



“True beauty is something that attacks, overpowers, robs, and finally destroys.”
― Yukio Mishima

An artist is a complex person. An artistic genius exponentially so. What do to when your spirit is torn in so many artistic directions? Divide and conquer is the solution employed by one Michael Dowling. He is soul, R&B, reggae, calypso, rock and roll,  and punk-rock. In the two years I’ve known him he’s been Molahsiz, Mic Dainjah (as in microphone danger), Henry Lee Rawlz, John Orpheus and most recently Mishima.

Mishima is a Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario band (big up to The 5-1-9!) and is comprised of the aforementioned split personality, who is the lyrical composer, vocal lead man and bassist of the trio. Kevin Suess, a fan favourite, grooving on keys, providing back-up vox and adding percussion on Überdude and fed the energy with hair-flipping head-banging. Rounding out the trio is drummer and record producer Ryan Dugal.

Mishima held their inaugural album launch for “Love Is The Revolution” at the iconic Kitchener hot-spot, The Boathouse (AKA Bo-Ho) on April 18, 2015. They had the place pumping with their hard-hitting grooves, hands were clapping, fans were dancing and heads were nodding as they ran through the full album.

On my first listen to the album had a feeling that something missing. Mind you I had prime seats at the show, right next to the stage, my ears and head were ringing for hours afterwards and as I drive back to The Six playing the CD over a few times I felt like what I missed was harmony. After a good long sleep I awoke and took my car for a short drive to get some gas and listened to first two songs again, what I realized was that the harmony wasn’t what was missing. It’s what I had been missing. Listening, to the passion and the lyrics on this album what I found was that I was not supposed to sit and consume this, I was meant to participate, to fill in the harmony with the emotion that was elicited. Yes, the harmony was in me all along. Mishima was the needed catalyst.


Kali Kali




21, young and dumb
Cocked back like a loaded gun
Accelerating. Desecrating.
On the money. On the run.
Fire kiss. Arsonist. Burning bridges with her lips.
"I got no time to reminisce. Got bills to pay, chasing hits"
Ashed her cigarette on God.
Epiphanies in bathroom stalls.
Stiletto tall: 'fuck them all"
Strapless back against the wall
Racing through red carpet nights
Neon gospel, flashing lights
Revlon jungle. Red eye flights
Still waiting for my wings to make it right