badlybent.ca

     Yeah, I know.  I’ve been reminded by several kind, well-meaning people, some with a degree of subtlety and some without that I’ve still to put a podcast out.  I whined previously that my Wincrap Shitstsa computer sucked too much, and that I needed something that would work.  So, I got a Mac, which incidentally works better then any computer I’ve ever even dreamed of using.  So what’s the holdup ?

     Well…..it’s me, basically.  I’ve been suffering a sort of ‘crisis of faith’ for a little while now, as far as the blog and podcast go - I’ve wanted to do a few different things, none of which went very well together, and I wanted to prevent The Sieve! from becoming one of those rambly mish-mashy podcasts which I hate. 

    To that end, I believe I’m going to do the following:  I’m going to re-launch The Sieve! in May, retooled and re tweaked, and I’m also going to launch another podcast in May as well, that will showcase an entire different world of stuff.  The Sieve! will also showcase the songwriting challenge, which I’ve had a lot of emails and IMs asking about.l  I think the blog here at badlybent.ca will continue to be a catch-all for everything that is Stevie Z (sorry about that ;)  but I think I’ll also launch another blog site as well for the new podcast.

    Now, I can hear you all already “but face it, asshat, you don’t even do one show on a regular basis, do you expect us to believe that you’re going to do two now?!?!”  Well, yes, because the new format for The Sieve! and the new podcast will be much simpler, more effective, and more entertaining then ever.  Hard to believe?  Believe it, mes amis!  And also, I’m really hoping to bring in some co-hosts, which make my job easier.

    So expect the next couple of weeks to be filled with the sounds of hammers, saws, drills, marmots, and cussin’ because we’re talking some major overhauls….

    One last note - one of the reasons for bringing back The Sieve! Song Challenge and really really wanting to promote it is partly because A) I want an excuse to play my own crap on the air, and B) I had the extreme honour of being a judge for the Inaugural Cambridge Songwriting Competition two weeks in a row, and I’ve met some amazing people, both onstage and at the judges table, who have really reminded me how much j’adore independent, unusual, and to some extent, local, music and musicians.  That got me itchin’ to start recording my own stuff again, and more importantly to offer yet another platform for the unheard to be, well, heard.

    Of course, I might sober up tomorrow and decide that all this is bull and just keep putting out a show every two months, filled with worthless meanderings…..

    Peace, Love, and Songwriting!

    Stevie Z

Okie Dokie Smokie!

I think the Jan/Feb challenge is going okay, I haven’t heard much in the form of feedback RE who might be taking a swipe at it, and if I can get my damn ‘puter fixed in the next week, even lil’ old me should have a chance to enter, as well as finishing some tunes for previous challenges that I missed.

Remember - you can submit songs for previous challenges at any time, but bonus points, extra Kudos and tons o’ Karma for those who make the deadline.

I’m going to make this as brief as I can, since I have to get busy reformatting my hard drive.

I humbly present to the universe: the criteria for the February/March Sieve! Song Challenge!

A)  Genre - He he….get out the reverbed guitars and the echo vocals…it’s ROCKABILLY TIME!

Stray Cats, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, The Rev. Horton Heat…..Rockabilly, Psychobilly, it’s all good.

B)  Theme - I figure that we’ll keep the theme someone on-target for the genre this time, so let’s go with “cruisin” in your car, motorcycle, boat, airplane, unicycle, snowshoes, paraglider, submarine, dogsled, you name it.

C) Word/Phrase to inlcude:  Flat  Gas  Time  Pants  Cat

There ya’ll go.  I think I’ve included the ingredients this time to create something that either wallows trimuphantly and unapologetically in cliche, or something that REALLY comes from left field.

Here are some links to YouTube examples of Rockabilly.  Oh I know, I’ve probably missed some glaring ones…

Rev. Horton Heat - Where in the Hell did you go with My Toothbrush?

Rev. Horton Heat (again) - Baddest of the Bad

Brian Setzer and The Stray Cats - Rock This Town

Elvis Presley - Mystery Train

Eddie Cochrane - C’mon Everybody

Bon Appetit!

Stevie Z

Damn it feels good to click on that “WRITE” button in Wordpress again…..

So, now that I’ve got a lot of crap out of the way RE my life, I think it’s time once again for The Sieve! Monthly Song Challenge.  Last year, when it was on, I made some observations, and listened to some people’s reasons for not entering, etc.  Bearing all that in mind, I’ve decided to make some changes to the challenge.

The main thing I heard from people was this:  I don’t have time to write, record and mix a song in 30 days.

Indeed, on more then one occasion I received a fantastic song after the deadline.  So I’ve decided to expand the challenge from 30ish days, to 60ish days.

It will work like this:

1. At the beginning of the month, I will issue the guidelines for the song (genre, topic, and words/phrases to use)
2. People (um, myself included this time) will then have till the end of the second month following to complete and enter their song(s).
3. At the beginning of the following month, I will issue ANOTHER challenge, which people will then have 2 months to complete.

Okay, confusing enough yet?  Here’s an example:

I will issue a challenge today for January, which will be due by February 28th.

On February 1, I will issue another challenge, which will be due March 31.

This way, everyone has a full 60 days to write, record, mix and send in their tunes, and by staggering them like this, as of March 1, we will have results every month.

In order to fill some of the space while we’re all waiting for the first Results Show of 2009, I’m going to be podcasting the incredible entries that were sent in for the last challenges, both the ones you’ve heard, and the ones you unfortunately (because of me) didn’t get to hear yet.

Also, if any previous entrants have any other material they’d like to send in for airing as well, I’d welcome that.  Off the top of my head I know that John Meadows and Bob Goyetche have written at least a couple of other songs, and I’d be more then happy to play em here.

If anyone has any questions, then fire em in to me at badlybentpub AT yahoo.ca

If not, then I present, with trembly anticipation, the  criteria for The January/February Sieve! Song Challenge!

A) Genre - I’ll make the first one of the year an easy one, plus we’ve already lost over a week, so I’m going to make the genre an Open Category this time.

B) Topic - Since this will air at the beginning of March, let’s make it about Renewal, Reawakening, Rebirth, that kind of thing.  That should take our focus off the snow, for those of us that live in such climates, and get us thinking about spring.

C) Words -Renaissance (ha, you didn’t think I’d make it TOO easy, did ya?) Bonus points if you can rhyme it with “pants”.  Only kidding……sort of.

Wow, great to have something to work at again…I haven’t written anything more then grocery and ‘To Do’ lists for the house lately, can’t wait to hear what wonderful songs ya’ll are going to come up with.

Now go write something!

Stevie Z

It’s been a hell of a few months.  Actually, in the grand scheme of things, compared to some people’s lives, I guess I don’t have that much to complain about.  A lot of people had and have it worse off then me, so I’ll give ya’ll a brief rundown, and stop me if I start whining:

First of all, I’ve been working on home renovations.  Not huge layout-altering stuff, but over the last few months my house has pretty much been completely painted.  Top to bottom, literally inside and out.  It’s also been fixed all over the place, and decluttered like crazy.  We are now the proud renters of a 10×10 storage space that’s packed to the rafters with stuff that, for the most part, turns out we didn’t really need.

The Luverly Michelle(TM) decided that it was time we sold our house and moved.  I’ll get into more detail at some other time about why that was her call to make, but we both knew when we bought it that at some point she’d need to move.  So, we engaged the services of THE best real estate agent this side of the Pecos (we call her our Real Estate Ninja) and made the mistake of asking her for a list of stuff we should do to make the house more salable.  And, much to our dismay, she gave us a list.  A huge list.  Of course, it was our decision to do anything, but since she was the expert, we did it.  We would have gotten everything done on the list, except for a couple of things like money and time.  See, I didn’t think things through quite enough, and had relegated some things further down the list, and turns out we couldn’t do them because they were dependant on outside temperature, which was rapidly plummeting.  Ever try to paint exterior trim on a house at +3 Celsius?  Yeah, it’s a blast.

Then, while painting outside, I fell off the ladder.  Nothing too spectacular, I was only about 4 feet up, in fact, I kind of ‘jumped’ down instead of falling when I felt the ladder shift.  Guess I just landed a little bit wrong, and did something to my lower back.  You know those really annoying back injuries that just hurt enough to piss you off and keep you from doing stuff?  It was one of those.

Then after that had finally healed, I managed to whack my kneecap hard enough trying to run through a doorway (and missing it slightly, apparently) that I could barely walk for about 2 weeks, and after 2 months was still pretty sore.

Hmmm, I think I’m starting to whine now….so I’ll leave the injuries there.  Those were the major ones anyways.

Ever renovate your home with your spouse?  Well, not literally “with” your spouse - obviously you use paint brushes and hammers and stuff, but I mean alongside your spouse?  How did that go?  Yeah, it went a ton worse with us too.  Between the regular life stresses, plus extra stresses, and then the stresses of renovating a house to sell it, well, The Luverly Michelle(TM) and I were getting along about as well as two rabid marmots with PMS and hangnails, stuffed in a sack, dunked in water and then shaken vigorously.  But with less fur.  Only moderately though.

That pretty much sums up most of the crap.  I’m glad that 2008 is over with, and I’m really looking forward to 2009.  Of course, a guy who keeps getting kicked in the nuts would probably appreciate a punch in face, just for something different…..

I’ve actually got big plans, social medially speaking.  Look for The Sieve! to be back in full force in the next couple weeks, along with the possible launching of a NEW podcast.   The Sieve! Monthly Song Challenge will be back up and running in the next couple of weeks too, and I’ve tweaked it a bit based on some comments I’ve received from people.  I’m hoping to really get people writing some great stuff too - in times like this, with economic uncertainty, plus all the other crap that’s going on in the world, it’s always a good thing to create inspiring and amazing art.

I’m also helping a couple of people in getting their online presence up and running as well.   Hey, I guess I can start calling myself an expert now!  Neato. 

I’m also going to be re-launching my band that a friend and I had last year, new direction, new sound, new songs, and I’m starting to write and record again.  It’s amazing the stuff that you can accomplish when you’re not spending every spare minute and dime working on a house.  Go figure.

 So, I’ve missed you all…..well, okay maybe not ALL of you - some of you I didn’t miss one bit….and you know who you are…but the rest of you I’ve missed a lot.

Looking forward to a prosperous 2009!

Stevie Z

  I said it on Twitter and I’ll say it again - put me on a ladder and get me to paint without repealing the law of gravity, and bad things are going to happen.

I was painting the outside of the house today and took a little spill off the ladder.  The good news is, I didn’t have to spend 6 hours in Emergency at the hospital this time  (last time I fell of a ladder I put my hand through the top of a ceramic-top stove….and hey, whaddaya know, that isn’t tempered glass!) the bad news is that I’ve been hopped up on roofies errr, painkillers most of the afternoon, and I didn’t get to take advantage of the good weather today near as much as I hoped to.

Still have to paint over 3/4 of the outside of the house, stain the deck, replace the carpeting on the front and rear steps, reaseal the driveway and ‘nice up’ the other landscaping stuff around my yard.  Problem is, paint, stain and sealer need decently warm and sunny weather to work well, and we’re rapidly running out of good weather in Kitchener these days.   So, provided I am able-bodied enough to get my ass to work tomorrow, I have a good 8 hours or so of moving 500 LB drums around, and then have to try to get another elevation of the house painted before it gets dark.   Ah well, don’t cry for me, Argentina, it could always be worse.  My uncle fell off a ladder and ended up in the hospital for 3 days, and some people fall off ladders and end up dead, so I guess I got off light.

After dark tomorrow, I shall be recording the September Results show for The Sieve! Song Challenge.  My apologies to those who sent in entries and are awaiting to hear them.  I’m was hoping to get a couple more in, but the people I was waiting for apparently weren’t able to finish them, but here’s to hoping we’ll hear them soon.  As for my entry, well, I may just throw the ‘demo’ version up for all and sundry to witness.  Hey, it’s punk, it doesn’t have to be pretty…..

Of course, I’m just limpin’

Stevie Z

  I wanted to get these criteria out by last Friday, actually, but things around the Z Ranch right now are insane - the Realtor gave us a list of stuff she’d ‘like’ to see us do before we list the house for sale…but trust me, there’s enough fodder in that last sentence for about 4 blog posts and 2 podcasts, so I’ll deal with it there.  This is about the Sieve! Song Challenge criteria for October, 2008.  Fasten your seat belts…

Since the last couple of challenges were potentially “light-weight” with their subject matter (and face it, a punk rock song about Star Trek with the word ‘bowling’ in it pretty much rules out anyone writing the next “Blowin’ in the Wind“) I thought that we’d give people with a more serious bent to their writing a chance to show their stuff.  Also, now that people are pretty much finished with their summer vacations and are starting to settle down a little, it may be a chance to dig a little deeper into lyrical territory.

Bearing all that in mind, I present to you, The Sieve! Song Challenge Criteria for October, 2008:

1.  Genre -    Ballad
2.  Topic -    Grief and/or loss over a loved one
3.  Words -  Any 2 of the following elements - Earth, Fire, Air, Water

Details:

Ballad - I’ve tried to put a succinct definition of the word “ballad”, but I can’t really, which is one of the reasons that I chose it as a genre for a serious work.   Various online dictionaries and sources all seem to agree that they should be folk-ish or of folk origin, and be ‘romantic or sentimental’.  I don’t know if they include the Hair Metal Power Ballad in there or not, but it works for me.  I purposely left this category a little more open, because I don’t want to pin people down TOO much due to the potentially intimate nature of the subject.

Topic - Grief and/or loss over a loved one - Since August and September had the potential to be a little lighter, I’m curious to see what people will do with something that’s a little deeper and more meaningful.  I suppose that it could still be turned into something goofier, but that’s not necessarily what I’m aiming for here.  I’d personally prefer to see some entries that really tug at the emotions.  I have no doubt that you guys and gals will be able to do that.

Word(s) - Well, I didn’t want to pin anyone down to one particular word that they might have difficulty working in with their particular direction, so I thought that a selection of words might be easier, and at the same time, would provide a doorway for the song to take things to a different level, or include things that otherwise might be harder to work in.  Giving everyone the choice of any 2 of the 4 elements, I believe, works to that end, especially considering that they work either in pairs, or as opposites.

Well, there it is.  Sorry if I rambled a little this time - I’m still got a vicious migraine that I’ve had for the last 3 days, on top of everything else.  Oh well, could be worse!   You can check out a refresher of the rules here.

Good Luck again,  and I am really looking forward once again to hearing some incredible tunes!

Stevie Z

by Stevie Z

   Well, The Sieve! Monthly Song Challenge is about 6 weeks old, and I’m already blown away by a few things.  First of all, the quality of the music is amaz….err…..aweso….um….incredible.  I promised Michelle that I’d stop using those other 2 “A” words so much.   So far I’ve received 5 songs in total, and they are all simply fantastic. 

   One thing that surprised me was how many people have thanked me for kick-starting their creative processes.   I know so  many writers who haven’t written anything for quite a while, and all I wanted to do was encourage that talent and maybe help to provide that tiny spark that some people need.  That was one of the main reasons for starting this challenge in the first place.  I’m also greedy. I know a lot of people who have created some great music already, and I wanted to get them to create more, so I could hear it.   So far, my plan is going exactly according to….well….plan.   I didn’t really do anything, all I did was say “go and write something, dammit!” 

   Also, it helps create content for my show….cuz face it, anything that someone else sends in, is one thing less I have to personally create. 

   But I guess one of the main reasons is (and this is where I start getting deep) because you all can create this wonderful art, and can bring such joy, happiness and entertainment to people, you should.   All I’m doing is creating a conduit for it to happen.  Much the same what that Bob Goyetche and Mark Blevis with the Canadian Podcast Buffetcreated a space for Canadian podcasts to shine and be heard, that’s all I’m doing here - but with less wit and charm from the host(s)….

   Any time someone creates something fantastic, the overall worth of the human race notches up ever-so-slightly, and this is desperately needed at times such as this, when so many seemed determined to bring the Collective Unconscious down as far as possible.  I could have written a song every day for the next 1,000 years and I wouldn’t have written one like the ones that anyone has created so far.   And that’s what makes me smile to myself every so often over the last month or so - knowing that there are at least 5 more songs in the world so far that have helped make it a better place.

   So thank you again to everyone that has created something wonderful and shared it with 7 billion other people.  Thank you for creating, and thank you for sharing.

  Of course, I’m just thankin’

  Stevie Z

By Stevie Z

    To censor or not to censor?  That is the question.

    Lemme explain:

   As most of my readers know I have a monthly song challenge called (appropriately enough) The Sieve! Monthly Song Challenge.    As I’ve always stated from day one, if anyone were to submit something that was outright racist, sexist, hurtful or hateful, whether in Guest Blog, Song Entry, or even comment form, I wouldn’t allow it, or I’d delete it.

  But…..

   What about something that may be construed as offensive to someone.  What about something that’s kinda funny, especially in the context, and especially considering the source and intention, but, as I said, could possibly be deemed as offensive? 

   Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to hop on the “Politically Correct Bandwagon”, and I oppose being on any sort of wagon at all - I much prefer to be off the wagons wherever possible, band or otherwise.  

   To get a little more specific:  a song was entered into the song challenge that had something in a line that in my opinion, was funny, and compeltely harmless, but some people might object to it.  As a knee-jerk reaction I asked the songwriter if they’d mind changing it, and they did without complaint or arguement.  Actually, I believe that the line is even funnier now, but that’s not the point. 

   Here’s what I’m asking people’s opinions on - did I have the right to even ask someone to change something they’d created?  Should I have just put a litle disclaimer at the beginning of that particular tune?   I could pull out the “it’s my challenge so I have every right to decide what goes in and what doesn’t” line, but that’s not how I feel about it.  Other then extreme examples that are meant only to hurt, should I allow anything and everything?  Should I reserve the right to go to someone and say “Um, that one line in there about (…..) kinda worries me, would you mind possibly changing it”?  What if they say “no, the line stays”? 

   The other reason I bring this up is because I’ve really gone out of my way to keep ‘flame wars’ from erupting.  Every time conversation degenerates into virtual shouting then pretty much all meaningful conversation comes to a hault.  This particular corner of the intertubes is mine, and I want to keep things as pleasant as possible, but should that include censorship from contributors because someone might take offense?

   Since I know that quite a few people that are much smarter then me read this, I would really appreciate your comments below.   And if I did go too far when I asked someone to change that line in their song, should I offer to play the original version instead if they wish ?

   Of course, I’m just askin’

   Stevie Z

  Listen to the show here.  You have to hear this one!

Well, might as well start off the show notes with a correction.  I said that Bob Goyetche lived in Ontario.  Knowing that people that live outside of Ontario consider this to be very insulting, I need to point out that Bob lives outside Montreal, which is, as he pointed out, not in Ontario.  Sorry Bob, and I’ll gladly pay all moving expenses to put Montreal back in Quebec.

I know.  I’m as surprised as you. I’ll get the excuses out of the way quickly - first of all, having not since recorded anything since March or May has sapped me of any ability I might have once had.  This episode was seriously the most painful thing I’ve probably ever recorded.  After a million retakes and outtakes it still took me 2 days to level balance the thing.  What kept me going was the super-cool tunes contained herein.  Also, The Luverly Michelle decided to start the process of buying a new home 2 days before I was to record this show.

In all seriousness, when I dreamed up this silly little song challenge I had no idea that I would be getting the level of songwriting I did, especially for the first month!

A quick refresher of the August rules is here.

The three submitters were (in order of receipt)  Bob Goyetche, John Meadows and Mark Blevis.   Special mention to Cletus the lead guitar player for Bob’s song, and Jay Moonah, harpist extraordinaire accompanying Mark Blevis.

A heartfelt thank you and kudos go out to the people who submitted and worked on these tunes, and I am sure that you all will enjoy them as much as I did.

September rules can be found here.

Thanks again everyone, and can’t wait to hear the September Challenge results!

Stevie Z

Oh, by the way, there’s a new Sieve! drinking game:  Any time I use the words “amazing” and/or “awesome” take a drink.  Unless you’re Earnest Hemmingway you’ll be passed out by the time the episode is over.  The Luverly Michelle has already had a listen to this episode, and she emailed me a link to an online Thesaurus.  Thanks hon.   I promise not to use those anymore, and to look up some new adjectives and stuff.

Additional links - Jonathan Coulton, Robbie Hancock, Creative Commons Canada

Okay, I know, it’s September Second already and people are just dying to find out the rules (specs?  parameters? criteria?) for the September Challenge.

Starting next month…that’ll be October for those keeping score, I’ll start releasing the following month’s criteria during the last few days of the previous month - IE expect October’s criteria to come out around Sept. 28 or so.  I guess it turns out some of you guys and gals have lives and stuff to do or something

I deliberately chose something for the first month (country) that I knew could be taken in a bunch of directions - it’s probably one of the most loosely-defined genres, and almost impossible to put a quantifier in front of or behind (country rock, country blues, country western, alt country etc.)

Since August was country, and I am blown away by the directions some of you took, I thought I’d choose a genre this month that is a complete opposite, and yet kind of similar.  The genre I had decided a month ago, the word to include I came up with last week, but the topic…..oh the topic….I just decided about 20 minutes ago.    Thank you television.

Introducing the Criteria for the September 2008 Sieve! Monthly Song Challenge:

1.  GENRE - Punk
2.  TOPIC -  Star Trek
3.  WORD -  Bowling

Details:

Punk - Sure, Punk can be classic punk like the Ramones, (this example has one of the best guitar solos and bridges EVER!)or the Sex Pistols, or Green Day, (on a personal note, not many people since John Lennon have put out a song that really makes you question authority as that Green Day song) but it can be more subtle such as Talking Heads or Blondie.  There is also an entire sub-genre known as Folk Punk for example.  It also doesn’t have to be loud screaming guitars…it’s fun when it IS, but it doesn’t have to be.  One of the best modern-era punk songs going (in my opinion, of course) is Time if Your Life by Green Day, and it’s acoustic.   Take a good listen to that one again, I mean seriously listen to it.  That violin break?  Substitute an overdriven Les Paul and play it note for note…it’s punk all right.  It’s all in the attitude.  It doesn’t have to be mean, or angry (again, it’s fun when it is) as long as it’s self-confident.  I think that out of all the genres, Punk is the most confident and has the most swagger…followed closely by Blues.  Hip Hop on the other hand is mostly bravado and posturing, but I digress.

Topic - I had another idea entirely for the topic for Sept. but I was flipping through the channels while eating dinner and came across Trekkies 2.  It’s a documentary about Star Trek fanatics, and it’s fascinating.  So, therefore and ergo, the tune can be about anything Star Trek - any one of the television series, the movies, individual characters (Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Captain Kirk, Captain Picard etc) any of the aliens, space ships, planets or whatever.  It can be about Star Trek fans, whatever you like….the universe awaits…pardon the pun.

Word - I can’t divulge the exact reason for the word “bowling” to be included, but there IS a reason, and I think it’s a good one, and I’ll give more info as to why in about a week or so.  Trust me.  Or don’t.  But you have to admit, using the word “bowling” in a Punk song about Star Trek will be fun.  It will be fun, won’t it ?

So, once again, there you go.  If anyone needs a refresher of the rules they can be found here.  A special thank you to Bob Goyetche, John Meadows and Mark Blevis for all submitting submissions for the August Challenge - show goes up tomorrow night (Weds. Sept. 3) and I can’t stress how amazed and delighted I was by the 3.  Of course, there’s my song too, but I won’t go into that.  That’ll make 4 for August - not bad for the maiden voyage.  I’m really pimping things out to the songwriting community now as well, so here’s hoping that we double the entries for September.

The deadline will be midnight (Eastern Standard Time), September  30, and please send all submissions, questions, etc. to badlybentpub@yahoo.ca

Good Luck to one and all!

Stevie Z

PS - Much maligned because of their bullshit antics, the Sex Pistols actually had some decent songs.  Here’s one of their classics redone in a way that kind of lets you appreciate the song itself.

Ummm, PPS - Speaking of Green Day and laying it all out, I just had to include this one….

PPSPPSP? - Speaking of John Lennon and Green Day, I believe that ole’ John himself would’ve approved this.