Over the last few months in several different forms of sports there has been several alleged racial slurs and comments made by different sports people. These are happening in NRL, AFL, Rugby Union and Cricket, to say the least.
Are we doing enough to stop racism in sport? What more could be done?
To be continued...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Daniel Kenneally - Aussie Drifter
Who are you, where are you from? Dan Kenneally, Chermside, Brisbane , QLD.
What kind of car do you drift with? Australia only Skyvia Drift ute and a 500hp Nissan Cefiro
What else, apart from drifting, do you do? Fulltime Professional driver. I renovate houses in my spare time.
What is your inspiration for drifting? Its just a great form of motorsport. Its exhilarating everytime i jump into my car and drive it.
How do you prepare for a drift event? Just a general check of major components on the cars, and in general i like to keep fit and active.
How expensive is drifting? How do you afford it? Drifting is very expensive but i"m very fortunate to have a great network of companies that have backed myself and my team for many years. We give them a great return on their investment each year
and work very closely on maximising their investment dollars.
How many cars have you had? Had quite a few now. My first a std Green RB silvia, Grey SR 180sx, Blue CA 180sx, then a revamped Pink 180sx, our current cefiro and of coarse our custom made Skyvia ute.
Any you regret selling? No i've had a great deal of fun in all of these cars.
Who helps you at drift days? Got a couple of close friends that help out, but my very proud father is my biggest supporter and generally tries to attend all events.
What do you think of stadium drift? I think is is a great series. We get to travel all over and drive at some of the best tracks in Australia.
Where do you see the future of drifting in Australia? It's had a bit of a slump in the past 2 years but as anything things need to get worse before they can get better. The sport will always have growth and hopefully over the next few years we will see some larger events taking place.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Hopefully doing what i"m doing now. Drifting. And buying more real estate and adding to my current portfolio.
What got you into drifting? Saw it on a DVD. Got interested and tried it. Been doing it ever since.
How old are you? 32.
If you could run your own drift series, how would you run it differently? I wouldn'"t. I enjoy driving to much.
Whats your dream street car? Dont really have one. I do have a dream house though.
Whats your dream drift car? I built it and am driving it right now.
What was your first car? Holden Shuttle- for motorcycle racing
Do you have any regrets? No regrets. I have had many positives come from this sport.
How do you feel you are competing at this years Stadium Drift? I'm really enjoying it. didnt have the start we would have liked with a breakage in Round 1 but all in all im enjoying my time in the seat.
What will your next drift car be? Not sure. I'm a bit reluctant to spend money on another car, i"d much prefer to invest the capital in another property.
Why the paint scheme? The current paint scheme is in place to best represent the sponsors. To market them your vehicle needs to be set apart from the crowd but also maximise each companies logos to maximise their investment dollar.
What's your daily driver? Black D40 Nissan navara. Dodge Nitro.
Where are you based? Brisbane.
How many tyres have you gone through? well over 800 i"d say.
What do your friends think of your drifting? Alot of them envy my job. Its a dream job.
Do you make money out of drifting? Yes.
Anyone you’d like to thank? Of course.
Hogstar- Hogs Breath Cafe
Rockstar Energy Drink
Speedy Wheels Aust
Motul-BMC
Nismo- Japan
Toyo Tires
Racing_Logic
Tyrepower Aust
Monkey Warehouse- DMD
Haltech
Dantrans
Showdown Customs
and everyone who has helped out along the way.
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
8 Ball Aitken
8 Ball Aitken, (born 9th of June 1981) is a former banana picker from northern Queensland turned singer songwriter known for his work in country and blues & roots.
"I call it honk, stomp, Aussie, swamp music. It is a mixture of country, blues & roots. I write all my own original songs." 8 Ball says.
8 Ball got his name from an actual 8 ball landing on stage during in a gig in North Queensland. He was playing in a rough bikie bar and there was a 'disagreement' by the pool table involving two rough and tumblers, which resulted in the 8 ball being flung right onto the stage, where 8 Ball was playing. He feels that fate chose the name for him.
He has used the name ever since.
When asked how long 8 Ball has been playing music, 8 Ball responded "I started playing the guitar at age 13. I played my first gig aged 15." since then, 8ball has released three albums, "Behind The 8 Ball", "Odd Ball In", and more recently his award winning "Rebel With A Cause" - of which he is currently touring around Australia.
He is also well known for founding the Grass Roots Music Festival.
As well as obviously singing and playing the electric guitar, 8 Ball also plays a variety of other instruments, some of these include the acoustic / slide guitar, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, pedal steel, harmonica, didgeridoo and the drums.
When he is not touring, 8 Ball spends time between Brisbane, Tamworth, and Nashville. He uses this time to discuss touring details and to write songs.
8 Ball is touring for 10 months of the year, and has been to over 15 countries, as well as touring every single state and territory in Australia. When asked where he resides, he responded "I say that my home is where I lay my hat"
8 Ball likes to play at festivals, he has played hundreds of them and festivals, in his opinion, are the places that people go to hear new, fresh, independant music. There are more and more festivals and for a low admission it is a fun day for the whole family.
8 Ball has several different influences "I like to go back to the roots of delta blues, bluegrass and country music for inspiration. I also am a fan of the 70's country rock revival. Some of my favourite musicians are: The Allman Brothers Band, Johnny Cash, The Flood, Paul Kelly, Smoky Dawson, J.J Cale, Bob Dylan, Hound Dog Taylor, Elmore James, Magic Sam, Skip James, Son House, Albert King, Freddie King, B.B King, The Grateful Dead, Steve Earle, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, John Fogerty, Tony Joe White, Seasick Steve, R.L Burnside, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Neil Young, Daddy Cool, Buddy Miller."
8 Ball has played along side many well known acts such as Dr Hook, Ross Wilson, Xavier Rudd and has played in the same shows as many famous country and blues artists. "Playing in between Corb Lund and Don MacLean on the main stage at a festival to 10,000 people in the rain in Canada has also been a career highlight."
With regards to writing songs, 8 Ball only writes songs that mean something to him personally. He says "Whether it is a deep feeling or emotion, or something that I might find entertaining, funny or exciting, I think of titles, then I work on the lyrics. Next I will write the tune, then work out the arrangement and demo the song on my home computer."
He then registers the song with the APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association) ands then he will take the song directly to his studio to record it. It can take many years and dollars for the song to be on radio and television but 8 ball has had several hits on both forms of media.
8 Ball has won several awards which include;
Q Song Country Song of the Year
Q Song Blues Song of the Year
Silver Medallion for Touring, Gold Medallion Awards
Rising Star Award (Male), Southern Star Awards
Golden Guitar nomination
APRA Award nomination
Starmaker Grand Finalist (twice)
International Songwriting Competition Grand Finalist
8 Ball has a very busy touring schedule. So far this year he has toured USA, Germany and is currently touring Australia. He has plans to go to North America and Europe soon. He says he basically circumnavigates the globe twice a year, it's his living, and he loves it.
8 Ball gives thanks to "All the people who come out to support live music and my shows. My manager Bird, my band, my sponsors Maton Guitars, Minarik Guitars, Stomperoo Stomp Boxes, Brigalow Clothing and Pure-Tone Strings have all been supportive along with my close friends."
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Interview With A Drifter - Simon Mercer
Who are you, where are you from?
Simon Mercer, from Brisbane, QLD (The drift state!)
What kind of car do you drift with?
I currently am peddaling a 1985 RA65 Toyota Celica, with a twin turbo 1J.
What else, apart from drifting, do you do?
My geeky hobby? Aquariums. Haha, and i ride a bit of BMX.
What is your inspiration for drifting?
The feeling of freedom. And the rush of feeling completely weightless, but to have so much power and energy propelling you at the same time. It keeps me coming back time and time again.
How do you prepare for a drift event?
My car is fairly trouble free, which is great. I just check fluids, get some tyres, patch up any old damage if need be and try to get some sleep.
How expensive is drifting? How do you afford it?
All i do is drift. Im lucky in the fact that great people are supporting my competition endevours this year, but i have always put everything else aside. I would hate to think what it all owes me, but i wouldnt change a thing.
When everyone was out clubbing and buying ipods and jeans, i was slaving away at work. But i never missed an event. I must have 100 armbands in my old bedroom at my folks house!
How many cars have you had?
I have no idea...i would guess at 15 maybe?
Who helps you at drift days?
I have a great crew of mates, and we all help each other out. Its a good circle. Calum, Brad, Jae, Scotty and Alex just to name a few. They are in a way, my inspiration. Drifting would suck without them. To many awesome people to list! Most helpfull of all is my old man, with the little things like late night spanner sessions etc...
What do you think of stadium drift?
I think its great that we are taking our sport across the state, spreading the good word. The crowds love it, the drivers love it, its just a big circle, propelling itself to bigger and better things each time we run.
Where do you see the future of drifting in Australia?
I think we can expect big things from the next pro tour...ive a feeling Ian is just testing the waters this year. I hope it gets alot bigger, but the "grass roots" style of drifting, or lifestyle if you will, will hopefully always be the same.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully i dont lose my ways! House, lady, company car and filthy beaten drift car sitting in a spotless garage. And a puppy!!!
What got you into drifting?
I was in grade 7, 1999, and my brother Ben bought me a VHS to watch when i was sick. Might have been one of the original HPIs? Watching a japanese dude throw around this little corolla on the streets of japan, clipping a guard rail and not even getting of the gas. I was hooked! That and seeing Josh Youngs pink 86 up close in that same year. I didnt know what i was looking at, but i knew i wanted one!!!
How old are you?
I am 21.5ish
If you could run your own drift series, how would you run it differently?
I think it would be interesting to limit the modifications that drivers are allowed, similar to what is seen in MSC in japan. Whilst the high power, well set up cars can be amazing to watch, close, underpowered drifting would show who has the real nerves and talent!
Whats your dream street car?
I could never have it in Australia, unfortunately the "hoon" culture has destroyed anyones chances of having a tough car on the street. With the police labeling any vehicle thats lowered or has set of wheels a "hoon" car, the stakes are just to high. We are the criminals now, whilst other far more serious crimes will get you a slap on the wrist in some cases. But it would be an RA65 celica, angry 7AGE, quad throttles, insane suspension setup, 15x9 and 11 -30ish SSR reverse mesh. On the deck, dints and scrapes, filthy and noisy. Yum yum! But i will probably buy a JZX90 soon...
Whats your dream drift car?
See above i think...
What was your first car?
I had a lime green 2 door 1975 holden gemini. Race spec 2.3, low, stiff, stripped, locked. My first drift car.
You had to pump the throttle at the lights or it would flood (litterally, fuel would be everywhere!). The holes in the floor scared me. The wheels never matched. But it went sideways and it was mine.
How did you get into drifting?
As i said, seeing that HPI VHS in 1999, seeing Josh Youngs pink 86, and also the articles on the JMS boys in SA from Fast Fours Magazine.
Do you have any regrets?
Selling my gemini... i miss you treefrog!
How do you feel you are competing at this years Stadium Drift?
I think i am holding my own. Most importantly i have learnt and developed my skills alot further white-knuckling it with the big boys then i could have practising on my own. But as long as i dont break anything, or make any silly mistakes, ill be happy!
Who are your crew members?
Calum, Jae, Brad, Alex, Scotty and my old man Malcolm
What will your next drift car be?
Im building a 4AGE KE70 corolla right now for kicks, just a basic beater. Soon i will be making my JZX70 wagon more drift friendly, then later i would like a JZX90. Im a toyota man through and through!
Why the paint scheme?
I didnt want a flashy bright colour (it used to be XR5 orange), i wanted something that would accentuate the natural lines of the car, and make you notice that its a celica, not that its pearl mettalic pink or something! I like it, everyone hates it haha.
What's your daily driver?
Super rare imported toyota GX70 estate wagon, with JZX100 1JZ-GTE, JICs, 33 gtr brakes, Works, Apexi PFC etc etc, Hehe
Where are you based?
Brisbane
How many tyres have you gone through?
Dude...Hundreds. Id hate to think. I always dispose of the the right way though! Dont dump your crap in the bush guys!
What do your friends think of your drifting?
Sometimes they say im insane, or i did something crazy. Which i like because thats what i set out to do. But its more about just drifting with them, not "whos doing what the best", if you know what i mean.
Sometimes they say i fail hard as well! haha.
Do you make money out of drifting?
Nope. I do it for the love of it.
Anyone you would like to thank?
My pit crew, the guys from Kumho Tyres, Hiro Performance.com, Roy at Bosman Wholesale Tyres Archerfield, my parents for allowing me to trash their house with old toyotas and my dad particularly for teaching me about hi tech things like spanners and hammers!
Cheers
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Facebook. Friend, or foe? There are more than 400,000,000 active users on facebook who access the site every single day. All the people on facebook spend more than 500 billion minutes on facebook collectively every month. Whilst this can bring people together, it can also be used as a tool for harmful acts.
One such example is Nona Belomesoff. She was promised it all, a dream job, money, and a prosperous future. Instead, the 18 year old was lured to her death by a 'friend' on facebook pretending to work for an animal welfare group.
The alleged killer, James Dannevig spoke to the teen on the social networking site and as Nona Belomesoff was doing a animal studies course at TAFE, he posed as a WIRES boss. ''He said he worked there and he could get her a job,'' Mr Belomesoff said. ''She loved animals and saw this as an opportunity to follow her dream.''
Mr Belomesoff said that the killer told Mrs Belomesoff that she would have to join another carer on an overnight camping trip at Campbelltown. ''She said she was going camping to look for injured animals,'' Mr Belomesoff said.
''Nona said if she didn't go she would lose her job and this job was her dream. So she just went and that was the last time we saw her.''
Police found Nona's body in a creek bed near Waminda Reserve about 9.40pm on Friday.
Nona had allegedly arranged to meet Mr Dannevig at Leumeah railway station on Wednesday morning. When she hadn't returned as planned on Thursday morning the family contacted police. The family also reportedly called WIRES but the animal welfare group knew nothing of Mr Dannevig and said they didn't hold overnight training camps in the bush.
Det Supt Peter Crawford of Taskforce Argos was the man in charge of Nona's case "If you use social networking as a closed network of friends that you know and only share photos and information among that small close-knit group, then the risks are very much reduced," he said.
"I don't think kids need to have a profile photograph on the internet."
The shocking murder comes as anger mounts over new Facebook features that allow certain websites to view and store the Facebook profile of visitors.
Facebook members have to proactively opt out of the new "Instant Personalisation" feature which the websites say will "personalise their web-surfing experience".
The alleged killer has not applied for bail, the 20 year old was charged with the Murder of Nona Belomesoff.
Mr Dannevig's legal representative has requested a 10-week adjournment pending scientific, medical and other related information.
The case will be heard again on July 28 at Campbelltown Local Court.
Another Australian, Sarah Elston, 22 from Brisbane also allegedly suffered the same fate in June of 2008.
Sarah was allegedly talking to an ex boyfriend on Facebook and after a short chat they decided to meet up, her family was shocked to find out that she young talented artist had been found dead after being brutally murdered.
The street where she was murdered was a very loud street with several disturbances throughout the nights, because of this, the neighbours didn't report the screams they heard because it was just another party.
Some of Sarah's friends described her as being the kind of person who would alwsys give someone a second chance. They said she was happy and excited at the thought of seeing her former flame again.
"She hadn't seen him in a long time but then he contacted her via Facebook," friend Danae Walker said.
"She could always find something positive in everyone," she said
On Tuesday the 4th of June, 2008 they found her mutilated body in her Bdighton Rd house where she had previously lived for a year. She suffered multiple injuries and imemediately, an investigation was raised which lead to the arrest of a 28 year old Bowen Hills man the following day.
Ms Walker said she was left feeling "cursed". "I just keep hoping Sarah will run around the corner with a big smile on her face and say `this is a big joke'," she said.
Several of Sarahs friends gathered at the Rumpus Room bar on the West End, a popular hang our for Sarah and her friends. They remembered the colorful behaviour of Sarah such as weaving her house keys into her dreadlocked hair.
"Sarah epitomised West End," another friend, Shaun van Zyl, said.
"She organised art jams all the time where a big group of us would sit around and draw and create," he said.
A former resident artist at Indooroopilly State High School had named Sarah Elston the top artist in her final year.
Her parents have set up a website as a tribute to their daughter whos life was tragically cut short.
Here is a quote which sums up Sarah perfectly, as found on her website which is http://www.skitl.com/
Also known by her art name, Skitl, Sarah was a creator of beautiful things from an early age. She grew up in an environment where music, books, pottery, craft, art and artisans were her everyday surroundings.
At her core, in her heart , she was a content, fulfilled human being and from that love of life beamed kindness, understanding and love. Friends will tell you of her generosity, many times spending hours, even days making an intricate bracelet or necklace, then just giving it away to an admirer without a second thought.
There were several memorials posted on the young Australians MySpace page. Some included "Missing your wise words and your amazing positive energy. I'll remember you forever," and “We must not fret because it is you, our pet, that is jamming in that big cloud in the sky,"
I spoke to Sarahs mother, Jan Elston recently regarding this article. I sent her an email about the information in this article and she replied;
"I am afraid that the information about her being contacted on Facebook is not correct. Although this is what was reported by the newspaper here, there was no evidence that she was ever contacted on Facebook by the man who killed her. He contacted her by mobile phone and from a nearby phone box. We know this as we have heard the recorded messages he left on her phone and have spoken to the close friend who was with her when he rang to make contact for the first time in 2 or 3 months. It was the close friend who had moved away from Brisbane, who had contacted her on Facebook to arrange to meet up. Which they did that same day. Hence this may have caused the confusion."
Based on this information, and the fact that most of the top news programs and newspapers state that Facebook is responsible for her death, one would assmue that the media simply wants a story.
Why let the truth get in the way of a story?
I will tell you why. As stated previously, Facebook is used by over 400 million people world wide, imagine the stir it would cause if this simple means of communicstion was used as a way to prey on unsuspecting, innocent people? Think of the ammount of people that would read the story, more importantly, think about the amonut of people that would buy the story. More people equals more money.
As terrible as murders are, their are hundreds of murders every year in Austrlia and only few of those are made into stories by the media...
According to www.femail.com.au, an Australian survey showed that 55% of people use Facebok while at their place of work. This is compared to 20% of workers in the UK, 12% in France and 11% in Spain as well as 10% in Germany and 6% in Italy.
Employees admitted:
1 in 3 (28%) hid their screens from their boss so they could use their social network sites undetected.
24% of 18-24 year olds confess to avoiding additional work tasks to make time to use social network sites
17% skip lunch breaks to justify the time they spend on social network sites
8% explained that they had been in trouble after being caught on social network sites
66% believed that Facebook is for play as well and they accepted friend requests from work colleagues.
With regards to whether facebook is helpful or a hazard at work, I refer to www.readwriteweb.com. Most people, throughout the day, either on their breaks or when they should be doing work, use Facebook, or other social networking sites.
"87% of respondents basically said their time on Facebook at work had no business-related purpose."
But in a contradicting story by Dr Brent Coker, he found that "people who took small breaks between tasks were 9% more productive than their colleagues who did not. "It gives them a chance to reset their concentration," says Coker. That means that companies who block access to social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are actually inadvertently decreasing employee productivity"
With all the above negatives about Facebook, what about the positives? For starters, 400 million peole use this website for a reason, theres a good chance that 80% of people you went to school with, or worked with, have a Facebook page. It is VERY easy to communicate with old friends that through whatever reason you have stopped communicating with in the past.
Another raeson it is (for the most part) virus free. Some other websites such as MySpace and Bebo often have links etc that are posted (via friends) by bots. This is an amazingly rare occasion on Facebook, which eliminates the risk of people downloading and broadcasting virus' on computers. Which can often lead to very important information being leaked.
Facebook is very easy to use, it is very simple to sign up, simple to post videos, pictures, updates, friend requests and anything else. Nothing is difficult on Faceboook.
Overall there are several pro's and con's of using Facebook, or any other social networking site for that matter. The way I see it, is Facebook is simply a means of communication. The fact that the press is blaming facebook for the crimes mentioned previously is somewhat laughable. If I messaged you from my phone, and then proceeded to kill you, would anyone blame my service provider?
I think not.
Cheers
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
One such example is Nona Belomesoff. She was promised it all, a dream job, money, and a prosperous future. Instead, the 18 year old was lured to her death by a 'friend' on facebook pretending to work for an animal welfare group.
The alleged killer, James Dannevig spoke to the teen on the social networking site and as Nona Belomesoff was doing a animal studies course at TAFE, he posed as a WIRES boss. ''He said he worked there and he could get her a job,'' Mr Belomesoff said. ''She loved animals and saw this as an opportunity to follow her dream.''
Mr Belomesoff said that the killer told Mrs Belomesoff that she would have to join another carer on an overnight camping trip at Campbelltown. ''She said she was going camping to look for injured animals,'' Mr Belomesoff said.
''Nona said if she didn't go she would lose her job and this job was her dream. So she just went and that was the last time we saw her.''
Police found Nona's body in a creek bed near Waminda Reserve about 9.40pm on Friday.
Nona had allegedly arranged to meet Mr Dannevig at Leumeah railway station on Wednesday morning. When she hadn't returned as planned on Thursday morning the family contacted police. The family also reportedly called WIRES but the animal welfare group knew nothing of Mr Dannevig and said they didn't hold overnight training camps in the bush.
Det Supt Peter Crawford of Taskforce Argos was the man in charge of Nona's case "If you use social networking as a closed network of friends that you know and only share photos and information among that small close-knit group, then the risks are very much reduced," he said.
"I don't think kids need to have a profile photograph on the internet."
The shocking murder comes as anger mounts over new Facebook features that allow certain websites to view and store the Facebook profile of visitors.
Facebook members have to proactively opt out of the new "Instant Personalisation" feature which the websites say will "personalise their web-surfing experience".
The alleged killer has not applied for bail, the 20 year old was charged with the Murder of Nona Belomesoff.
Mr Dannevig's legal representative has requested a 10-week adjournment pending scientific, medical and other related information.
The case will be heard again on July 28 at Campbelltown Local Court.
Another Australian, Sarah Elston, 22 from Brisbane also allegedly suffered the same fate in June of 2008.
Sarah was allegedly talking to an ex boyfriend on Facebook and after a short chat they decided to meet up, her family was shocked to find out that she young talented artist had been found dead after being brutally murdered.
The street where she was murdered was a very loud street with several disturbances throughout the nights, because of this, the neighbours didn't report the screams they heard because it was just another party.
Some of Sarah's friends described her as being the kind of person who would alwsys give someone a second chance. They said she was happy and excited at the thought of seeing her former flame again.
"She hadn't seen him in a long time but then he contacted her via Facebook," friend Danae Walker said.
"She could always find something positive in everyone," she said
On Tuesday the 4th of June, 2008 they found her mutilated body in her Bdighton Rd house where she had previously lived for a year. She suffered multiple injuries and imemediately, an investigation was raised which lead to the arrest of a 28 year old Bowen Hills man the following day.
Ms Walker said she was left feeling "cursed". "I just keep hoping Sarah will run around the corner with a big smile on her face and say `this is a big joke'," she said.
Several of Sarahs friends gathered at the Rumpus Room bar on the West End, a popular hang our for Sarah and her friends. They remembered the colorful behaviour of Sarah such as weaving her house keys into her dreadlocked hair.
"Sarah epitomised West End," another friend, Shaun van Zyl, said.
"She organised art jams all the time where a big group of us would sit around and draw and create," he said.
A former resident artist at Indooroopilly State High School had named Sarah Elston the top artist in her final year.
Her parents have set up a website as a tribute to their daughter whos life was tragically cut short.
Here is a quote which sums up Sarah perfectly, as found on her website which is http://www.skitl.com/
Also known by her art name, Skitl, Sarah was a creator of beautiful things from an early age. She grew up in an environment where music, books, pottery, craft, art and artisans were her everyday surroundings.
At her core, in her heart , she was a content, fulfilled human being and from that love of life beamed kindness, understanding and love. Friends will tell you of her generosity, many times spending hours, even days making an intricate bracelet or necklace, then just giving it away to an admirer without a second thought.
There were several memorials posted on the young Australians MySpace page. Some included "Missing your wise words and your amazing positive energy. I'll remember you forever," and “We must not fret because it is you, our pet, that is jamming in that big cloud in the sky,"
I spoke to Sarahs mother, Jan Elston recently regarding this article. I sent her an email about the information in this article and she replied;
"I am afraid that the information about her being contacted on Facebook is not correct. Although this is what was reported by the newspaper here, there was no evidence that she was ever contacted on Facebook by the man who killed her. He contacted her by mobile phone and from a nearby phone box. We know this as we have heard the recorded messages he left on her phone and have spoken to the close friend who was with her when he rang to make contact for the first time in 2 or 3 months. It was the close friend who had moved away from Brisbane, who had contacted her on Facebook to arrange to meet up. Which they did that same day. Hence this may have caused the confusion."
Based on this information, and the fact that most of the top news programs and newspapers state that Facebook is responsible for her death, one would assmue that the media simply wants a story.
Why let the truth get in the way of a story?
I will tell you why. As stated previously, Facebook is used by over 400 million people world wide, imagine the stir it would cause if this simple means of communicstion was used as a way to prey on unsuspecting, innocent people? Think of the ammount of people that would read the story, more importantly, think about the amonut of people that would buy the story. More people equals more money.
As terrible as murders are, their are hundreds of murders every year in Austrlia and only few of those are made into stories by the media...
According to www.femail.com.au, an Australian survey showed that 55% of people use Facebok while at their place of work. This is compared to 20% of workers in the UK, 12% in France and 11% in Spain as well as 10% in Germany and 6% in Italy.
Employees admitted:
1 in 3 (28%) hid their screens from their boss so they could use their social network sites undetected.
24% of 18-24 year olds confess to avoiding additional work tasks to make time to use social network sites
17% skip lunch breaks to justify the time they spend on social network sites
8% explained that they had been in trouble after being caught on social network sites
66% believed that Facebook is for play as well and they accepted friend requests from work colleagues.
With regards to whether facebook is helpful or a hazard at work, I refer to www.readwriteweb.com. Most people, throughout the day, either on their breaks or when they should be doing work, use Facebook, or other social networking sites.
"87% of respondents basically said their time on Facebook at work had no business-related purpose."
But in a contradicting story by Dr Brent Coker, he found that "people who took small breaks between tasks were 9% more productive than their colleagues who did not. "It gives them a chance to reset their concentration," says Coker. That means that companies who block access to social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are actually inadvertently decreasing employee productivity"
With all the above negatives about Facebook, what about the positives? For starters, 400 million peole use this website for a reason, theres a good chance that 80% of people you went to school with, or worked with, have a Facebook page. It is VERY easy to communicate with old friends that through whatever reason you have stopped communicating with in the past.
Another raeson it is (for the most part) virus free. Some other websites such as MySpace and Bebo often have links etc that are posted (via friends) by bots. This is an amazingly rare occasion on Facebook, which eliminates the risk of people downloading and broadcasting virus' on computers. Which can often lead to very important information being leaked.
Facebook is very easy to use, it is very simple to sign up, simple to post videos, pictures, updates, friend requests and anything else. Nothing is difficult on Faceboook.
Overall there are several pro's and con's of using Facebook, or any other social networking site for that matter. The way I see it, is Facebook is simply a means of communication. The fact that the press is blaming facebook for the crimes mentioned previously is somewhat laughable. If I messaged you from my phone, and then proceeded to kill you, would anyone blame my service provider?
I think not.
Cheers
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Muse - A History
Before starting Muse, the members played in several different bands during their days at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s.
The formation of Muse was soon to come, Mat Bellamy, the lead singer and guitarist, succsessfully auditioned for Domonic Howards band.
They both asked Chris Wolstenholme, who played drums at the time, to play bass, he agreed and took up lessons as been playing bass ever since.
After a couple of name changes the band, consisting of Mat on guitar and vocals, Domonic on drums and Chris the band entered a battle of the bands competition, they won the competition and then smashed their equiptment. "It was supposed to be a protest, a statement," Bellamy said, "so, when we actually won, it was a real shock, a massive shock. After that, we started taking ourselves seriously.
Shortly after the competition the band decided to quit college, quit their jobs and change the band name to Muse, the reason for the name was a member of their previous college suggested it as they suggested the town of Teignmouth had a 'Muse' ((lowercase) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.) hovering over it as there were several famous bands from the area, that, and Muse looks good on a poster.
After several years building a fan base, the band. The band had a meeting with Dennis Smith and later with Dennis' record label released 'Muse EP' of which only 999 copies were made and had only four songs. "Overdue", "Coma", "Cave", "Escape".
The bands second EP, "Muscle Museum EP" reached number 3 in the indie singles chart, it was at this time that the band joined Taste Media, they released three albums under this recording label.
John Leckie was brought in under the Taste Media record label and they released their first studio album, Showbiz. The album shows the diversity, softness and variety of the band. The lyrics also showed the difficulties faced when trying to make a name for themselves in their hometown.
On the bands second studio album, "Origin Of Symmetry" the band experimented with several different instruments including a church organ, mellatron and an expanded drum set.
Bellamy cites Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello as influences for this album, with high and low solo swings with several effects rarely seen before.
The album features a remake of a classic "Feeling Good", Muse Succsessfully sued Nestle for using the song in a TV advertisement, the money wno went to Oxfam.
Celine Dion was also threatened with legal action after wanting to name her tour "Muse", despite the band owning the worldwide performing rights to the name. Celine Dion offered $50,000 for the rights but Muse rejected this with Bellamy stating that "We don't want to turn up there with people thinking we're Celine Dion's backing band." Eventually Dion was forced to back down.
Roger Morton, of New Musical Express compated the lead singer, Mat Bellamy to late, great Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. He gave the album a 9/10.
Muse' record company did not like the way that Mat Bellamy portrayed his voice, stating that it was not "radio friendly", I personally agree with this however because of this, Mat and the band decided to leave the company as they would not release the album to the U.S, it was not until 2005 when their new record company, Warner, released the album.
In 2003, Absolution was released and held praise worldwide. It debuted at number one in the UK and "Time Is Running Out" was a top ten hit. Later on the album produced three more top twenty hits, "Hysteria", "Sing For Absolution", and "Butterflies and Hurricanes"
Along with the release of Absolution, Muse had their first world tour visiting countries such as Australia, New Zealand and France.
At the start of the 2004 US leg of the tour, Bellamy injured himself and had to get several stitches.
In June of 2004, the band played what is hailed as the best concert the band has ever done. Glastonbury Festival. After the festival the band was quoted as saying it was "the best gig of our lives". However the drummer, Dominic Howard's father passed away shortly after the gig due to a heart attack.
"It was the biggest feeling of achievement we've ever had after coming offstage", Bellamy said. "It was almost surreal that an hour later his dad died. It was almost not believable. We spent about a week sort of just with Dom trying to support him. I think he was happy that at least his dad got to see him at probably what was the finest moment so far of the band's life"
Muse later continued the tour and went on to win two MTV Europe awards, one for best alternative act and another, unsuprisingly, for best live act. They also won best live act at the 2005 BRIT awards.
The band, in late 2005, released an official DVD entitled Absolution Tour, which had remastered and reedited versions of the songs performed at the famous Glastonbury Festival. The only song on the dvd from the Absolution album that was not shown on the DVD is "Falling Away From You" which has yet to be performed live.
2006 saw the band release their fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations. The songs, themes and even the title of the album reflect the interest held by the band members to science, fiction and politics. The album reached number one in Australia, UK, and much of Europe. The album recieved platinum status after selling one million copies in the UK.
The third single off the album, "Knights Of Cyadonia" was met with praise throughout the world and was voted #1 on the Triple J's hottest 100 of 2007 and #18 on Triple J's hottest 100 of all time the following year.
Another song, "Map of the Problematique" was realeased for download only in June of 2007 following a performance at Wembley Stadium in the same year.
The band spent the later part of 2006 touring several countries including Australia , New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Of the tour, the biggest performance to date was the two gigs performed at Wembley stadium. Both Wembley gigs were recorded to CD/DVD entitled HAARP released 17th March 2008.
Muse finished their Black Holes and Revelations tour playing at the KROQ Almost Accoustic Chritmas after playing sold out shows across the world.
There were several individual performances in 2008, none relating directly to an album release.
On the 12th of April 2008 they played a one off concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
In 2008 the band also performed along side other famous named including Linkin Park, The Offspring and Kaiser Chiefs.
On the 25th September 2008, the three members, Bellamy, Howard and Wolstenholme recieved an Honoury Docterate of Arts for their contrabution to music.
The bands fifth and most recent album, The Resistance was the first to be produced soley by the band. Upon the release of the album, it went number one in 19 countries.
Critics praised the album, mostly due to the classic traits, ambition and the thirteen minute, three part "Exogenesis: Symphony".
In the first week of release, 148,000 copies were sold in UK alone.
The Resistance Tour started in October 2009 in Finland. The band supported U2 in their U2 360' tour.
In the 'Breakfast With Muse Tour' KROQ held, Mat Bellamy was asked just how long the band intended on being on tour. He responded "We will probably be touring until the end of next year. We will be doing this U2 and European tour and ship off to Australia and Asia and return for an extensive US tour. It will actually be our longest US tour to date. Starting at about the end of February or March.".
In January of 2010, along side Dizzy Rascal and the likes, Muse played at both the Austrlian and New Zealand Big Day Out.
Muse will be hosting the 2010 Glastonbury tour, which if previous years are any insight, should be a sight to see.
The main genres that Muse use in their music are progressive rock, glam rock, and space rock. They also use electronica, indie, and metal.
Guitarist and frontman Mat Bellamy's guitar influences include Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello (of Rage Against The Machine).
Mat Bellamy has been compared to Jeff Buckley with the way he uses his voice.
Muse's album "Black Holes and Revelations" was influenced by both European and Asian music. "I've been listening to quite a lot of music from the south of Italy on this album", Bellamy admits. "I've been living in Italy for a while, and I discovered this music from Naples, which sounds like a mix of music from Africa, Croatia, Turkey, and Italy. It kind of gives it a mystical sound, so I think that's one thing that influenced the album. I like being influenced by things that have a mixed style".
Queen is also a major influence in the bands musical productions. Brian May, the lead guitarist for Queen has been quoted in saying this; "(Muse are) extraordinary musicians" who "let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artist."
With regards to the bands progressive rock traits, Domonic Howard has been quoted as saying "I associate it with 10-minute guitar solos, but I guess we kind of come into the category. A lot of bands are quite ambitious with their music, mixing lots of different styles — and when I see that I think it's great. I've noticed that kind of thing becoming a bit more mainstream."
The current band members are;
Matthew Bellamy - vocals, lead guitar, keyboard
Chris Wolstenholme - bass guitar, backing vocals
Domonic Howard - drums, backing vocals
In the bands history they have made a total of five studio albums.
Showbiz - 1999
Origin of Symmetry - 2001
Absolution - 2003
Black Holes and Revelations - 2006
The Resistance - 2009
Muse are currently promoting the release of their new song Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever) which is set for release in three days (18th May 2010) and will feature on the new Twilight movie, Eclipse.
Cheers
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
The formation of Muse was soon to come, Mat Bellamy, the lead singer and guitarist, succsessfully auditioned for Domonic Howards band.
They both asked Chris Wolstenholme, who played drums at the time, to play bass, he agreed and took up lessons as been playing bass ever since.
After a couple of name changes the band, consisting of Mat on guitar and vocals, Domonic on drums and Chris the band entered a battle of the bands competition, they won the competition and then smashed their equiptment. "It was supposed to be a protest, a statement," Bellamy said, "so, when we actually won, it was a real shock, a massive shock. After that, we started taking ourselves seriously.
Shortly after the competition the band decided to quit college, quit their jobs and change the band name to Muse, the reason for the name was a member of their previous college suggested it as they suggested the town of Teignmouth had a 'Muse' ((lowercase) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.) hovering over it as there were several famous bands from the area, that, and Muse looks good on a poster.
After several years building a fan base, the band. The band had a meeting with Dennis Smith and later with Dennis' record label released 'Muse EP' of which only 999 copies were made and had only four songs. "Overdue", "Coma", "Cave", "Escape".
The bands second EP, "Muscle Museum EP" reached number 3 in the indie singles chart, it was at this time that the band joined Taste Media, they released three albums under this recording label.
John Leckie was brought in under the Taste Media record label and they released their first studio album, Showbiz. The album shows the diversity, softness and variety of the band. The lyrics also showed the difficulties faced when trying to make a name for themselves in their hometown.
On the bands second studio album, "Origin Of Symmetry" the band experimented with several different instruments including a church organ, mellatron and an expanded drum set.
Bellamy cites Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello as influences for this album, with high and low solo swings with several effects rarely seen before.
The album features a remake of a classic "Feeling Good", Muse Succsessfully sued Nestle for using the song in a TV advertisement, the money wno went to Oxfam.
Celine Dion was also threatened with legal action after wanting to name her tour "Muse", despite the band owning the worldwide performing rights to the name. Celine Dion offered $50,000 for the rights but Muse rejected this with Bellamy stating that "We don't want to turn up there with people thinking we're Celine Dion's backing band." Eventually Dion was forced to back down.
Roger Morton, of New Musical Express compated the lead singer, Mat Bellamy to late, great Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. He gave the album a 9/10.
Muse' record company did not like the way that Mat Bellamy portrayed his voice, stating that it was not "radio friendly", I personally agree with this however because of this, Mat and the band decided to leave the company as they would not release the album to the U.S, it was not until 2005 when their new record company, Warner, released the album.
In 2003, Absolution was released and held praise worldwide. It debuted at number one in the UK and "Time Is Running Out" was a top ten hit. Later on the album produced three more top twenty hits, "Hysteria", "Sing For Absolution", and "Butterflies and Hurricanes"
Along with the release of Absolution, Muse had their first world tour visiting countries such as Australia, New Zealand and France.
At the start of the 2004 US leg of the tour, Bellamy injured himself and had to get several stitches.
In June of 2004, the band played what is hailed as the best concert the band has ever done. Glastonbury Festival. After the festival the band was quoted as saying it was "the best gig of our lives". However the drummer, Dominic Howard's father passed away shortly after the gig due to a heart attack.
"It was the biggest feeling of achievement we've ever had after coming offstage", Bellamy said. "It was almost surreal that an hour later his dad died. It was almost not believable. We spent about a week sort of just with Dom trying to support him. I think he was happy that at least his dad got to see him at probably what was the finest moment so far of the band's life"
Muse later continued the tour and went on to win two MTV Europe awards, one for best alternative act and another, unsuprisingly, for best live act. They also won best live act at the 2005 BRIT awards.
The band, in late 2005, released an official DVD entitled Absolution Tour, which had remastered and reedited versions of the songs performed at the famous Glastonbury Festival. The only song on the dvd from the Absolution album that was not shown on the DVD is "Falling Away From You" which has yet to be performed live.
2006 saw the band release their fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations. The songs, themes and even the title of the album reflect the interest held by the band members to science, fiction and politics. The album reached number one in Australia, UK, and much of Europe. The album recieved platinum status after selling one million copies in the UK.
The third single off the album, "Knights Of Cyadonia" was met with praise throughout the world and was voted #1 on the Triple J's hottest 100 of 2007 and #18 on Triple J's hottest 100 of all time the following year.
Another song, "Map of the Problematique" was realeased for download only in June of 2007 following a performance at Wembley Stadium in the same year.
The band spent the later part of 2006 touring several countries including Australia , New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Of the tour, the biggest performance to date was the two gigs performed at Wembley stadium. Both Wembley gigs were recorded to CD/DVD entitled HAARP released 17th March 2008.
Muse finished their Black Holes and Revelations tour playing at the KROQ Almost Accoustic Chritmas after playing sold out shows across the world.
There were several individual performances in 2008, none relating directly to an album release.
On the 12th of April 2008 they played a one off concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
In 2008 the band also performed along side other famous named including Linkin Park, The Offspring and Kaiser Chiefs.
On the 25th September 2008, the three members, Bellamy, Howard and Wolstenholme recieved an Honoury Docterate of Arts for their contrabution to music.
The bands fifth and most recent album, The Resistance was the first to be produced soley by the band. Upon the release of the album, it went number one in 19 countries.
Critics praised the album, mostly due to the classic traits, ambition and the thirteen minute, three part "Exogenesis: Symphony".
In the first week of release, 148,000 copies were sold in UK alone.
The Resistance Tour started in October 2009 in Finland. The band supported U2 in their U2 360' tour.
In the 'Breakfast With Muse Tour' KROQ held, Mat Bellamy was asked just how long the band intended on being on tour. He responded "We will probably be touring until the end of next year. We will be doing this U2 and European tour and ship off to Australia and Asia and return for an extensive US tour. It will actually be our longest US tour to date. Starting at about the end of February or March.".
In January of 2010, along side Dizzy Rascal and the likes, Muse played at both the Austrlian and New Zealand Big Day Out.
Muse will be hosting the 2010 Glastonbury tour, which if previous years are any insight, should be a sight to see.
The main genres that Muse use in their music are progressive rock, glam rock, and space rock. They also use electronica, indie, and metal.
Guitarist and frontman Mat Bellamy's guitar influences include Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello (of Rage Against The Machine).
Mat Bellamy has been compared to Jeff Buckley with the way he uses his voice.
Muse's album "Black Holes and Revelations" was influenced by both European and Asian music. "I've been listening to quite a lot of music from the south of Italy on this album", Bellamy admits. "I've been living in Italy for a while, and I discovered this music from Naples, which sounds like a mix of music from Africa, Croatia, Turkey, and Italy. It kind of gives it a mystical sound, so I think that's one thing that influenced the album. I like being influenced by things that have a mixed style".
Queen is also a major influence in the bands musical productions. Brian May, the lead guitarist for Queen has been quoted in saying this; "(Muse are) extraordinary musicians" who "let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artist."
With regards to the bands progressive rock traits, Domonic Howard has been quoted as saying "I associate it with 10-minute guitar solos, but I guess we kind of come into the category. A lot of bands are quite ambitious with their music, mixing lots of different styles — and when I see that I think it's great. I've noticed that kind of thing becoming a bit more mainstream."
The current band members are;
Matthew Bellamy - vocals, lead guitar, keyboard
Chris Wolstenholme - bass guitar, backing vocals
Domonic Howard - drums, backing vocals
In the bands history they have made a total of five studio albums.
Showbiz - 1999
Origin of Symmetry - 2001
Absolution - 2003
Black Holes and Revelations - 2006
The Resistance - 2009
Muse are currently promoting the release of their new song Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever) which is set for release in three days (18th May 2010) and will feature on the new Twilight movie, Eclipse.
Cheers
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
Alien Ant Farm - A History
Alien Ant Farm is a Californian Alternative Rock band that formed in the Californian town of Riverside in 1995.
The name comes from now ex-guitarist Terry Corso who said "I was daydreaming at my dull desk job with my feet up, and I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't it be cool if the human species were placed on earth and cultivated by alien intelligence?' Maybe the aliens added us to an atmosphere that was suitable for us, and they've been watching us develop and colonize, kind of like what a kid does with an ant farm."
Although they began in 1995, fame wasn't achieved until 1999 when after many years of playing in pubs and clubs they released there debut album, humorously titled, Greatest Hits. which was released independently on there own record label.
Some of the more notable songs on the album include "Movies", "Doll Roll", and "Universe".
There was also a song on the album called "Slick Thief" which will later go on to big things.
The album went on to win Best Independent Album at the L.A Music Awards of 1999.
A year later, the band signed, along with Papa Roach, a record deal with DreamWorks SKG and produced there first studio album, "Anthology".Several songs including "Movies" and "Universe" were brought on this album from there first independent album, Greatest Hits.
Due to this and the fact they had record label support the album was a huge success.
As mentioned previously with "Slick Thief", this song went on to number 1 in multiple country's and was re-released under the name "Smooth Criminal" which was a remake of a classic Michael Jackson song. This album went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S alone and brought popularity to the band.
During 2002, whilst touring Spain there was an horrific bus crash in which the driver was killed and the lead singer, Dryden Mitchell was paralyzed in a "Christofer Reeve" like injury.
The band had hired two drivers, each who did 10 hour shifts whilst the band was touring in Spain. the first driver did his 10 hours, then the second driver. Chris, took over in Madrid.
As the double-decker tour bus passed through Caceres, Spain, Mitchell picked up a guitar and started fiddling around near the steps to the upper level. David Zajic, a friend from the Czech Republic who worked as the band's head of security, played video games. Corso and Zamora were in their bunks.
"You can't really see out a window or see anything coming; you're kind of just in a dark box," said Corso, who had dozed off, phone in hand, after leaving a message for his girlfriend back home. Zamora was chatting on his own cell phone with his fiancee.
For reasons still unknown to this day, the bus slammed into the back of a truck.
As stated, the driver, Chris, perished in the crash. The lead singer Dryden Mitchell suffered severe back and neck injuries.
"The pain was so strong, I was scared. I just didn't want them to touch me," Mitchell said. "I knew it was just a mess with 10 people trying to crawl over me 'cause I'm in the space that they're trying to get out of. It was just not fun."
Ambulance workers arrived, but few of them spoke English. They lifted Mitchell up and strapped him onto a board. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was misdiagnosed, before he was eventually sent to London for surgery.
"The doctor said I could have been paralyzed by the way I was treated [in Spain]," said Mitchell, still in disbelief. "[The way they] pulled [me] up and whatnot, because my bone was resting on the spinal cord, which isn't good. And as a result I have nerve damage from my chest up, [which] just feels like a bad sunburn all the time."
In London doctors put a halo brace on the singer that left two small circular scars on his forehead.
Because of this brace, Mitchell found it next to impossible to sleep and is quoted as saying "I think the word 'insomnia,' people use it loosely," he said. "I had no idea what it was until now."
Over the next few months Alien Ant Farm gradually started recording together. A new, unreleased song "Spain In The Neck" wad created to pay homage to the crash earlier that year however was never released, only as a B-side.
In early 2003 with the help of Stone Temple Pilots, Alien Ant Farm released there second studio album, Truant. With this album release came a very contraversial move by the band, weeks after the Truant album was released the band recorded the video for "These Days" live on a rooftop overlooking the 2003 BET (Black Entertainment) awards, which lead to them being arrested, however released without charge.
Weeks after the release of this album, there record label closed the doors.
In October of 2003, the guitarist Terry Corso split from the band sighting "inreconsilable differences" as a reason. He went on to join Powerman 5000.
Victor Camacho (a long time friend of the band and guitar player) immediately joined the band and completed the remainder of the Truant tour until the band returned home. Joe Hill was named the new guitarist in 2005 (formerly of Spiderworks)
In 2004, the band recorded "Dark In Here" which was featured on "The Punisher" video game sound track, however because the bands owner, Geffen, held the rights to the bands releases (due to the closure of there previous record label) this song was not released as a single.
In 2005, the band recorded with the producer, Jim Wirt (Who worked on the debut release, Greatest Hits) and planned to release an album to the public however once again, they were denied by Geffen who still owned the rights to the bands music.
The band defied Geffen and hit the road for the purpose of making bootleg copies of this 'non-released- album, which was dubbed by fans as "3rd Draft"
In late 2005 Geffen finally gave rights to the band for them to release the album and to pay respect to the fans, they named it 3rd Draft.
In April of 2006 bassist, Tye Zamora decided to leave the band to follow his dream of going to college, he was quickly replaced with Alex Baretto
In July of 2006, the band released "Up In The Attic" and along with it came a dvd, BUSted: The Definitive DVD on which three music videos were included, "Forgive & Forget", "Around The Block" and "She's Only Evil" of which only the two original band members were featured.
Since the July 2006 release of Up in the Attic, very little has happened. Their website remained unchanged from November 2006 until April 2007 when an update promoting the Alien Ant Fans website, created by a long time Polish fan, Bartek, was added.
In february of 2008, the band announced the return of Tye Zamora and Terry Corso who had previously left the band. In the same month the band announced that they had "unnoficially broken up" in 2007 due to the unpopular "Up In The Attic" album of 2006.
It seemed the band had broken up again due to the fact the lead singer, Dryden Mitchell formed the band Send The Sages. Guitarist Terry Corso and drummer Mike Cosgrove also have been putting in time with there own band.
However in mid 2009 the band, on the official website, announced a few shows around the U.S including one which was at Vans Warped Tour to pay homage to Michael Jacksons "Smooth Criminal" which put Alien Ant Farm on the map.
One of the things Alien Ant Farm are famous for are quirky videos including the Michael Jackson tributes in "Smooth Criminal", Movie references (Willy Wonka, Edward Scissorhands, Ghostbusters) in the song "Movies" Crashing the BET awards for "These Days"
The current members are;
Dryden Mitchell - Lead Singer/Rhythym Guitar/Accoustic Guitar (1995 - Present)
Terry Corso - Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals (1995 - 2003, 2008 - Present)
Tye Zamora - Bass/Piano (1995 - 2006, 2008 - Present)
Mike Cosgrove - Drums (1995 - Present)
Cheers
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
The name comes from now ex-guitarist Terry Corso who said "I was daydreaming at my dull desk job with my feet up, and I thought to myself, 'Wouldn't it be cool if the human species were placed on earth and cultivated by alien intelligence?' Maybe the aliens added us to an atmosphere that was suitable for us, and they've been watching us develop and colonize, kind of like what a kid does with an ant farm."
Although they began in 1995, fame wasn't achieved until 1999 when after many years of playing in pubs and clubs they released there debut album, humorously titled, Greatest Hits. which was released independently on there own record label.
Some of the more notable songs on the album include "Movies", "Doll Roll", and "Universe".
There was also a song on the album called "Slick Thief" which will later go on to big things.
The album went on to win Best Independent Album at the L.A Music Awards of 1999.
A year later, the band signed, along with Papa Roach, a record deal with DreamWorks SKG and produced there first studio album, "Anthology".Several songs including "Movies" and "Universe" were brought on this album from there first independent album, Greatest Hits.
Due to this and the fact they had record label support the album was a huge success.
As mentioned previously with "Slick Thief", this song went on to number 1 in multiple country's and was re-released under the name "Smooth Criminal" which was a remake of a classic Michael Jackson song. This album went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S alone and brought popularity to the band.
During 2002, whilst touring Spain there was an horrific bus crash in which the driver was killed and the lead singer, Dryden Mitchell was paralyzed in a "Christofer Reeve" like injury.
The band had hired two drivers, each who did 10 hour shifts whilst the band was touring in Spain. the first driver did his 10 hours, then the second driver. Chris, took over in Madrid.
As the double-decker tour bus passed through Caceres, Spain, Mitchell picked up a guitar and started fiddling around near the steps to the upper level. David Zajic, a friend from the Czech Republic who worked as the band's head of security, played video games. Corso and Zamora were in their bunks.
"You can't really see out a window or see anything coming; you're kind of just in a dark box," said Corso, who had dozed off, phone in hand, after leaving a message for his girlfriend back home. Zamora was chatting on his own cell phone with his fiancee.
For reasons still unknown to this day, the bus slammed into the back of a truck.
As stated, the driver, Chris, perished in the crash. The lead singer Dryden Mitchell suffered severe back and neck injuries.
"The pain was so strong, I was scared. I just didn't want them to touch me," Mitchell said. "I knew it was just a mess with 10 people trying to crawl over me 'cause I'm in the space that they're trying to get out of. It was just not fun."
Ambulance workers arrived, but few of them spoke English. They lifted Mitchell up and strapped him onto a board. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was misdiagnosed, before he was eventually sent to London for surgery.
"The doctor said I could have been paralyzed by the way I was treated [in Spain]," said Mitchell, still in disbelief. "[The way they] pulled [me] up and whatnot, because my bone was resting on the spinal cord, which isn't good. And as a result I have nerve damage from my chest up, [which] just feels like a bad sunburn all the time."
In London doctors put a halo brace on the singer that left two small circular scars on his forehead.
Because of this brace, Mitchell found it next to impossible to sleep and is quoted as saying "I think the word 'insomnia,' people use it loosely," he said. "I had no idea what it was until now."
Over the next few months Alien Ant Farm gradually started recording together. A new, unreleased song "Spain In The Neck" wad created to pay homage to the crash earlier that year however was never released, only as a B-side.
In early 2003 with the help of Stone Temple Pilots, Alien Ant Farm released there second studio album, Truant. With this album release came a very contraversial move by the band, weeks after the Truant album was released the band recorded the video for "These Days" live on a rooftop overlooking the 2003 BET (Black Entertainment) awards, which lead to them being arrested, however released without charge.
Weeks after the release of this album, there record label closed the doors.
In October of 2003, the guitarist Terry Corso split from the band sighting "inreconsilable differences" as a reason. He went on to join Powerman 5000.
Victor Camacho (a long time friend of the band and guitar player) immediately joined the band and completed the remainder of the Truant tour until the band returned home. Joe Hill was named the new guitarist in 2005 (formerly of Spiderworks)
In 2004, the band recorded "Dark In Here" which was featured on "The Punisher" video game sound track, however because the bands owner, Geffen, held the rights to the bands releases (due to the closure of there previous record label) this song was not released as a single.
In 2005, the band recorded with the producer, Jim Wirt (Who worked on the debut release, Greatest Hits) and planned to release an album to the public however once again, they were denied by Geffen who still owned the rights to the bands music.
The band defied Geffen and hit the road for the purpose of making bootleg copies of this 'non-released- album, which was dubbed by fans as "3rd Draft"
In late 2005 Geffen finally gave rights to the band for them to release the album and to pay respect to the fans, they named it 3rd Draft.
In April of 2006 bassist, Tye Zamora decided to leave the band to follow his dream of going to college, he was quickly replaced with Alex Baretto
In July of 2006, the band released "Up In The Attic" and along with it came a dvd, BUSted: The Definitive DVD on which three music videos were included, "Forgive & Forget", "Around The Block" and "She's Only Evil" of which only the two original band members were featured.
Since the July 2006 release of Up in the Attic, very little has happened. Their website remained unchanged from November 2006 until April 2007 when an update promoting the Alien Ant Fans website, created by a long time Polish fan, Bartek, was added.
In february of 2008, the band announced the return of Tye Zamora and Terry Corso who had previously left the band. In the same month the band announced that they had "unnoficially broken up" in 2007 due to the unpopular "Up In The Attic" album of 2006.
It seemed the band had broken up again due to the fact the lead singer, Dryden Mitchell formed the band Send The Sages. Guitarist Terry Corso and drummer Mike Cosgrove also have been putting in time with there own band.
However in mid 2009 the band, on the official website, announced a few shows around the U.S including one which was at Vans Warped Tour to pay homage to Michael Jacksons "Smooth Criminal" which put Alien Ant Farm on the map.
The band's MySpace profile was redesigned with a new layout, featuring a blog posting that featured the June 27th show in HD, and an announcement that new material was being worked on. As of then, three new songs have been put on their setlist for concerts. It is believed that these songs will be on the upcoming album.
On February 9th, 2010, Alien Ant Farm posted on their official website that the original line up (Dryden Mitchell, Terry Corso, Tye Zamora and Mike Cosgrove) is back together for the first time since 2003. They have also hinted a new album is being worked on and scheduling a tour.
Along with Papa Roach, the band recently signed with 10th Street Entertainment and are working on there new album, several songs have been played at live shows and leaked to YouTube.One of the things Alien Ant Farm are famous for are quirky videos including the Michael Jackson tributes in "Smooth Criminal", Movie references (Willy Wonka, Edward Scissorhands, Ghostbusters) in the song "Movies" Crashing the BET awards for "These Days"
The current members are;
Dryden Mitchell - Lead Singer/Rhythym Guitar/Accoustic Guitar (1995 - Present)
Terry Corso - Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals (1995 - 2003, 2008 - Present)
Tye Zamora - Bass/Piano (1995 - 2006, 2008 - Present)
Mike Cosgrove - Drums (1995 - Present)
Cheers
Joseph Rigby
0407 782 058
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