In the next couple weeks, my goal is to post 3 blogs about the things that most influenced me in my life.... Movies, Music, and T.V. I'm first going to tackle the big one, music. be aware, this blog entry will probably be my most emotional one that will ever get written. So before i get serious....GO FLORIDA STATE PANTHERS (are they even a team, and if so what sport?>?>???)
Just like most people out there, music has influence my life tremendously. Without it i highly doubt i would be where i am at now. Wow i never though about it, but when you look back real far, the progression to where I'm at now is kinda amazing. I guess right down to it i have to thank my GrandFather. Unfortunately i dont have much memories of him left cause he died when i was pretty young. One of the greatest memories i have of him is when i was like 7 or 8, and Papa was sitting on his faded brown plaid pattern rocking chair. With me sitting Indian style on 70s style brown carpet. Papa just swayed back and forth with his fiddle tucked under his chin as i am starring up as if I'm in the front seat of the movies watching a masterpiece unfold in front of my eyes (probably the transformers cartoon). I cant remember the song he played at that particular time but i remember just looking up and seeing raw emotion. It was beautiful. He was a very talented man. Could rock out on the fiddle, banjo, accordion, harmonica, and probably other instruments, but that is all i knew he could play.
I hate the fact that memories are fading of him. But i guess that is what happens, can't really do anything about it. I guess the most important part is the characteristics that have been past down. Surprisingly enough one of my fondest memories of him is simply a song, my lullaby, every time i hear it brings me back to my innocent days where there are no cares, no worries, just simple. However tacky it is, i don't really care, cause i still love this song - Row your boat. the last time i saw him before be hospitalize, he sung that to me. Side note to myself, I'm going to record that song.
Years later, at the age of ten, I was looking though the random stuff in my basement. searching for treasure. Being the only child till i was 15 i lived inside my head. So living the life of Indiana Jones in my basement was a common thing...anyways... while searching for treasure, i came across a guitar case. I frantically reached for it and opened it up. there layed the most beautiful candy apple red electric guitar. Oh i though it was cool. How it sparkled. i grabbed it and starting just strumming away. It was a right handed guitar but do to the fact that my father was left handed so he put the stings on backwards. Anyways i remember i wasn't allowed to play with it right away , but shortly after i started taking guitar lessons at Morris music. Now just like any other lessons i have ever taken, i became annoyed with the progress and quit. So i just started figuring out stuff on my own.
The first song i learnt how to play was "zombie" by the Cranberries. Man i was ecstatic when i figured that song out! i played it non stop for hours. The same 4chords over and over and over. then shortly after that, i found myself learning alot of songs by my favorite band, "Nirvana". Then i pretty much stuck at that level for several years, never really put any effort into it, i just stayed stationary. At that point in y child hood i would much rather go out on my dirt bike and crash into a tree or a rock (not a joke). At the age of like 15 or 16 i started getting back into guitar. I found myself figuring out chords even though i didnt know they where chords and just made these moment catching songs, with very immature lyrics. when i look back at my little lyric book i always laugh....i mean seriously what was i thinking.
at the point of grade 11 and 12, i started to get heavily into metal, anything with crazy emotion, be it sepultura, soulfly, NIN, Killswitch Engage, Cannibal Corpse...anyways i found my self also loving shop class( i actually took it twice i liked it so much..passed both times to). My first mill and cabinet class i took i made a stupid bookshelf, it was OK i guess, my brother actually has it now. But the second year i wanted to try something that has never been done at my high school, i actually made a electric guitar. My shop class teacher gave me access to my own work shop and access it when ever i pleased.. And 4 months later..i had a serious stupid looking guitar that didn't work, but i tried. anyways...man i get off subject bad..
years later i started dating this girl and introduce me to her friends (one of them being Stephen Foster). We all just clicked. and so this new group for me had alot of talented musicians, on the top of that group was actually Steve, he knew guitar theory inside out. one thing turned to another, and i found myself working with Steve at "vside Productions" where we recorded some demos, jammed just all together had fun. Well a couple years back our friend jay came down who is also a guitar player, so we decided to have a little jam, at that point there was already 2 guitarist, a bassist, and i could never play drums, so i grabbed this Little Casio kids keyboard and just rocked out....INSTANTLY HOOK ed..several keyboards later , i still love the synth sound, and brings to me today.
there is alot of stuff that happened in between but its not that important to read, i love music, how it can strike up a memory, how it can make you laugh, how it can pump you up, or chill you out. I record alot of emotion myself, it really is the only way i release nowadays. I hope to eventually start putting my songs online for all to here, and i will actually go into detail the writing and recording process..
thanks
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
AWKWARD!
I know, I know....It has been a while since my last blog (25 years to be exact). There is so much to catch up on. OK, so this might be the most awkward "BLOG" that is out there, and so for that i truly do apologize! I promise that just like wine, i will get better with time!
SO LETS KICK THIS OFF!!!!
Well as you can see, i started at HHP at the beginning of April. Film, music and television have always been my passion, ever since i could remember! Some may question certain taste i have in movies and television (yes i love the 80's action movies...and yes i love the bad television we where all raised on.. So much so that i own the box season of full house, and all 8 seasons fit in a house! Genious). Prior to my employment with HHP, i went from dead end job to dead end job. The only thing that kept me sane was the small demo recording studio i work at.. However trying to make a living in recording demos is near IMPOSSIBLE! So i assumed i was doomed to work a unfulfillling job for the rest of my life.
That's when my 2 knights in shining armour came riding in..Greg Hemmings and Steve Foster (HAAA.. Just pictured Greg and Steve riding in slow motion together on one miniature pony..HAAA). Anyways, where was I, so Greg decided to give me a shot. He brought me on pretty much to cover loose ends..kinda do a bit of everything. Plus, my background in audio was a asset. Right from day one i was sent off to Moncton to do a Avid training course with Andrew MacCormack and Lauchlan Ough (side note # 1.. when i first started i though Lauchlan's name was spelt Lockland O...so obviously i programed it into my phone that way, and she still is labeled that way). So Right from the beginning i was shipped off, to a place i don't know too well, with people i didn't know, to learn about a program i didn't know a thing about. Now i can't Speak for Lauchlan or Andrew, But i connected with them almost instantly. I learnt a lot about myself in those 3 days....as well Andrew and Loc ( side note # 2... Andrew likes Apples).
After the 3 day training course i came back to good ol' SJ and had my official first day at the office!....Oh Wait forgot something prior to the training course! The Friday prior Lauchlan and i went to Fredricton to the NB Film Coop to do a training course on advanced lighting.. so pretty much to hole thing above is a lie cause i knew lauchlan for a day already! Man i good at sidetracking!......So back to the office!....My first day in office was a little nerve racking. Just like any first day i guess, cause truth be told i had no freaking clue what i was doing. It took my about a week to adjust to knowing where everything is, Also it took time to be given responsibilities that have importance, which thankfully they did cause there was a BIG adjustment period. Lauchlan and i eventually start going on quite a few shoots together for the first month or so. We shot the District 6 trades video, Alehouse video, and some other ones. Unfortunatly Andrew and I didnt really get to do the, what i call, baptised in fire bonding till later (baptised in fire - When two colleges whom work together are forced to bond in a video shoot)
WEEKS PAST!.........................................................
Lauchlan and i get to utilize our lighting skills at the Ale house shoot. All i can say about that is, I don't know how chefs can work in that kinda heat. FREAKING RIDICULOUSLY HOT! But either way that food looked so good! You can see the video at the Ale House, and i was pretty pleased with the turn out. After the project wrapped up we had a celebration at the Alehouse during lunch (side note #3... I have the same tolerance for booze as a 10 year old does).
WEEKS PAST AGAIN!..........................................
As you can see from all of our clips and Greg's blog. He is often out traveling the world (side note #4... Jon is Extremely Jealous) While Greg was in Cannes, i received a email explaining that i was to take charge of the new web site (IE, content, media...you know all the fun stuff). Now don't get me wrong, i was not alone on this site. First of all, the beautiful and talented Jessica rhaye did an AMAZING job on the web design, as well idea for content, different concepts for layout. really, her help on this website has been enormous. (side note # 5 .... i feel like I'm accepting a award!). Secondly our 2 temps have done wonders also...New Steve did alot of the write-ups, and Ryan Decourcey really pulled though on the HTML formatting. So the web is a constant evolving thing (kinda like a step child that you like at first but slowly getting aggravated at and sending him to his room for no reason lately).
I still cant believe that I'm actually doing this...like it as if i dreaming and i know I'm going wake up soon. well if this is a dream, i hope I'm in a coma.
Now there is alot more that happened to me in the past while. but I'm defiantly not putting all my baskets in one egg (if you know what i mean...ehhh ...ehhhh). so this is my first blog, sorry for it being awkward, but its only going to get worse (side note #6 - lauchlan is now a international teen heart throb)
thank you!
SO LETS KICK THIS OFF!!!!
Well as you can see, i started at HHP at the beginning of April. Film, music and television have always been my passion, ever since i could remember! Some may question certain taste i have in movies and television (yes i love the 80's action movies...and yes i love the bad television we where all raised on.. So much so that i own the box season of full house, and all 8 seasons fit in a house! Genious). Prior to my employment with HHP, i went from dead end job to dead end job. The only thing that kept me sane was the small demo recording studio i work at.. However trying to make a living in recording demos is near IMPOSSIBLE! So i assumed i was doomed to work a unfulfillling job for the rest of my life.
That's when my 2 knights in shining armour came riding in..Greg Hemmings and Steve Foster (HAAA.. Just pictured Greg and Steve riding in slow motion together on one miniature pony..HAAA). Anyways, where was I, so Greg decided to give me a shot. He brought me on pretty much to cover loose ends..kinda do a bit of everything. Plus, my background in audio was a asset. Right from day one i was sent off to Moncton to do a Avid training course with Andrew MacCormack and Lauchlan Ough (side note # 1.. when i first started i though Lauchlan's name was spelt Lockland O...so obviously i programed it into my phone that way, and she still is labeled that way). So Right from the beginning i was shipped off, to a place i don't know too well, with people i didn't know, to learn about a program i didn't know a thing about. Now i can't Speak for Lauchlan or Andrew, But i connected with them almost instantly. I learnt a lot about myself in those 3 days....as well Andrew and Loc ( side note # 2... Andrew likes Apples).
After the 3 day training course i came back to good ol' SJ and had my official first day at the office!....Oh Wait forgot something prior to the training course! The Friday prior Lauchlan and i went to Fredricton to the NB Film Coop to do a training course on advanced lighting.. so pretty much to hole thing above is a lie cause i knew lauchlan for a day already! Man i good at sidetracking!......So back to the office!....My first day in office was a little nerve racking. Just like any first day i guess, cause truth be told i had no freaking clue what i was doing. It took my about a week to adjust to knowing where everything is, Also it took time to be given responsibilities that have importance, which thankfully they did cause there was a BIG adjustment period. Lauchlan and i eventually start going on quite a few shoots together for the first month or so. We shot the District 6 trades video, Alehouse video, and some other ones. Unfortunatly Andrew and I didnt really get to do the, what i call, baptised in fire bonding till later (baptised in fire - When two colleges whom work together are forced to bond in a video shoot)
WEEKS PAST!.........................................................
Lauchlan and i get to utilize our lighting skills at the Ale house shoot. All i can say about that is, I don't know how chefs can work in that kinda heat. FREAKING RIDICULOUSLY HOT! But either way that food looked so good! You can see the video at the Ale House, and i was pretty pleased with the turn out. After the project wrapped up we had a celebration at the Alehouse during lunch (side note #3... I have the same tolerance for booze as a 10 year old does).
WEEKS PAST AGAIN!..........................................
As you can see from all of our clips and Greg's blog. He is often out traveling the world (side note #4... Jon is Extremely Jealous) While Greg was in Cannes, i received a email explaining that i was to take charge of the new web site (IE, content, media...you know all the fun stuff). Now don't get me wrong, i was not alone on this site. First of all, the beautiful and talented Jessica rhaye did an AMAZING job on the web design, as well idea for content, different concepts for layout. really, her help on this website has been enormous. (side note # 5 .... i feel like I'm accepting a award!). Secondly our 2 temps have done wonders also...New Steve did alot of the write-ups, and Ryan Decourcey really pulled though on the HTML formatting. So the web is a constant evolving thing (kinda like a step child that you like at first but slowly getting aggravated at and sending him to his room for no reason lately).
I still cant believe that I'm actually doing this...like it as if i dreaming and i know I'm going wake up soon. well if this is a dream, i hope I'm in a coma.
Now there is alot more that happened to me in the past while. but I'm defiantly not putting all my baskets in one egg (if you know what i mean...ehhh ...ehhhh). so this is my first blog, sorry for it being awkward, but its only going to get worse (side note #6 - lauchlan is now a international teen heart throb)
thank you!
ps. check the simulalarities
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