Snow

memory, it was during college, at a party at the apartments across the bridge near the tower. everyone was playing in the snow.

experimental music

Experimental music is a process, not a style. It can be compared to the scientific process used to probe the possibilities for solving a problem. Experimental music sets its goal far in the distance, if it has any goal at all. The primary goal is to keep the experiment alive and moving by playing music with no considerations other than the moment. Musical methods may be changed or improved upon as the nature of the moment or the perceived distant goal becomes more evident. Different styles or instruments may be adopted or abandoned at the drop of a hat. There can be any number of reasons for this, but most importantly excessive thought or pausing is avoided. All that rises eventually converges and then separates again into its original components. An open mindset and love for music as a form of communication helps open up the unlimited possibilities that experimental music allows, but all music, no matter how practiced it is, is experimental to some degree. The process behind experimental music can be successfully applied to all aspects of life.

so this is all college

all college stuff..well mostly..some stuff maybe post-college by a few months.

sometimes i think a bout how

well it's not really that embarassing. i just used too many big words and took myself too seriously.

The Sea Scouts' album 'Beacon of Hope' is a culmination of the effort spent by the distinctly Australian youth of Hobart, Tasmania. The band consists of a steady bassist and guitarist, with a rotating drummer. Although the band itself is small, it embodies an accompanying intellectual, emotional and social movement. Its surging, tribal rhythm washes away any fear or misgivings, smothering panic with a deep, distorted embrace. The vocals are very low in the mix and are mostly unintelligible but the bassist's and guitarist's dual vocal efforts pierce through the thick sound. The Australian trio's raw feeling revitalizes the punk rock aesthetic as a very local, communal entity. The music entices a much wider array of thought and emotion than traditional punk rock. Instead of recoiling in anger and fear from the horrifying, bleak sides of life, they protect what they value and love about humanity despite the darker aspects of our existence. There is an urgent anti-establishment tone to their music; one of their early songs was titled 'Destroy Your Local McDonald's'. However, their music developed into a more subtle art over the years. Their songs develop from improvisation rather than structures or classical rules. Despite this bent, the resulting music not only attacks materialism and globalization but it presents the band's unique sense of beauty, no matter how frail and damaged by modern life it may be.


Starting from a bare-bones creative ability and vision has its drawbacks, but the Sea Scouts proved sufficiently determined to express themselves and their perspective. They hailed from a part of the world where the Winter was a strong force in their lives, and it doesn't let up until it is done. In this isolation, the youth community built their own nest to shelter themselves from the cold and the creative languor of society as a whole. Without anyone to define what is 'correct' in music, they set out to create their own sonic landscape. The Sea Scouts started out very raw, but as they progressed their sound took shape into something much more touching.


Rhythm and texture came naturally to the Sea Scouts. The band was a three-piece, so there was no room for anything but the occasional accompaniment. Their sound was minimal but envelops a huge spectrum of emotion. Self-described as primarily a live band, the impact of a small-concert setting with these three can only be imagined. The songs rise and fall, ignoring conventions for the most part. This can be a little hard to follow at first for people who are accustomed to verse-chorus-verse structures, but anyone who opens themselves up to the music will get something out of it. The Sea Scouts may have been isolated geographically but their musical ideals encompass all of humanity.

(here's where I wander off a little bit: I think this is very important but I need to work on it more before it really makes sense.)

As the band is further revealed, contradictions arise. The Sea Scouts are very adamant about not setting up boundaries and are brutally honest through their music, but they also show feelings of fear and isolation from others. They use imagery of the Aboriginies, who in their artistic interpretations look almost like aliens, to express their feelings of separation from society as a whole. These seemingly contradictory messages are a key to their perspective, or that of anyone who has ever felt alienZ´Sø1flr=oÛL‰_†BlÏBíòG†'vï^t"@ãAYÀ”ÑgPmåap¥2k¬≤y¿p¢®*ø„È;?÷Xf†)(∆ÙI≈—YÌXm6≈‡Æ´Ë¿&ìY£)—M&‹Råù˜

the year i wanted to be a girl

Creating Gender-Autonomous Space

Taking part in the “Global Gender Revolution,” as Shannon calls it, is an exciting idea but presently the current paradigm shows little sign of collapsing. With this in mind, what becomes of most concern is relating to other human beings in the now. By creating web pages, people who identify with genderqueer can practice building safe spaces for expressing themselves unfettered by dominant ideas. The webpage is a system that can be constructed from the ground-up. Instead of being limited by gender assumptions made based on sex people can be as androgynous as they please, molding the amorphous communicative potential of the Internet to their will.

While most sites present a “contact” link with no commentary, both Zenn and Shannon ask the user within main bodies of text to email them if they can relate to genderqueer issues and would like to talk about it. After describing eir isolation from people who identify as genderqueer, Shannon expresses a strong interest in feedback; “If you identify as genderqueer, I would so much love to hear about your identity and experiences. I am yearning to hear from others like me. Please drop me a line... I would be eternally grateful to hear how this is all working out for you!”

Physical reality can be an exhausting place to create subversive or alternative spaces. People who do not “fit in” are forced to either become completely alienated from society or find an alternate medium for communication. The websites I looked at were designed as personal havens as well as beacons for other isolated and alienated people.