These day we don’t need to go looking when it come to strange stuff on the web. Bizarre stories and strange tales seem to have a way of finding us nowadays. Twisted truths and half tales with missing details seem to be the norm in this endless stream of weirdness. Sometime however, stuff makes its way to the surface. There is always one that comes along making you say “hmmmm”. So here’s one of those delectable slices of madness that might just change the way you look at the word. A few months ago a recording showed up in the news feeds and music streams. “Gods Chorus of Crickets”. It was attributed to a guy called Jim Wilson, but we’ll get to that later. This recording purport’s to be crickets in a nature setting, but the twist is that the recording has been slowed down to what they are calling “the lifespan of a cricket in human years”. Then end result appears to be the crickets singing in harmony with a very human quality. We hear a strange choir that appears to be singing together in harmony as if they were in a cathedral. There is also a second track of crickets played at a normal speed on top of the modified track. The end result will put a chill down your spine. Is it possible that these insects are connected at a higher level than we ever imagined or is this just another viral creation to get attention? It turns out it may just be a little of both!
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Trying to sort out some of the details surrounding this mysterious recording was interesting to say the least. Our research took us down several internet rabbit holes until we came across what was probably the first use of the original. It appears that the original 1992 recording entitled “Ballad of the Twisted Hair” from the album “Medicine Songs” by David Carson and Little Wolf Band produced by Jim Wilson and released on Raven Records is where this track appeared. It was used as a backing track for a narration on the album and was created by producer Jim Wilson by slowing the recording down in the studio. So this strange and hauntingly beautiful track has been around for a while. This internet viral weirdness being recently uncovered is what makes tracks like these, little jewels in the midst of a billion grains of sand. That’s not the end of the story however. Musician Tom Waits talked about Wilson in this 2002 interview
Tom Waits (on Jim Wilson): “Wilson, he’s always playing with time. I heard a recording recently of crickets slowed way down. It sounds like a choir, it sounds like angel music. Something sparkling, celestial with full harmony and bass parts - you wouldn’t believe it. It’s like a sweeping chorus of heaven, and it’s just slowed down, they didn’t manipulate the tape at all. So I think when Wilson slows people down, it gives you a chance to watch them moving through space. And there’s something to be said for slowing down the world.” Source:”Daily Bruin (USA), by Andrew Lee. December 3, 2002” Listening to the track is a rather strange experience. The melodious waver of the tones is strangely comforting yet at the same time has a sense of the impossible. Of course, crickets aren’t technically singing, but rather grinding out a melody. The sound comes
“While this is very pretty to listen to, I am virtually sure it’s a fake. After listening to the skeptical comments on the net by sound engineers I tried what they suggested. First, I took the “choral crickets” track and sped it up. The result did not sound anything like crickets. Next, I took a track of crickets and slowed it down. Not only didn’t it sound anything like the “choral crickets”, but several serious problems presented themselves. At only 8 times slower than normal, the silent gaps between individual cricket chirps grew to minutes in length AND the sound moved so low as to be inaudible to human ears without adjusting the pitch of the track. The “cricket chorus” claims to be 320 times slower than normal speed. This is impossible without so much alteration of the track with sound software as to make it basically a human creation.” Don F. “I don’t think it’s possible. If you slow down the speed, the sound become each time more ‘bass’, until a point where you cannot listen to the sound anymore (under 20Hz). I’ve been slowing down a cricket sound until 3200% and it doesn’t sound at all like this ‘chorus’ FelixBlume. The internet Podcast crew at Here Be Monsters dedicated an entire show to this subject of this recording. The show has a very detailed explanation of both analog and digital recording and how something like this could have been created. I found it very informational. They even bought some crickets in an attempt to recreate this magical phenomenon. Although they did not get the same results some interesting things happened. You can listen to their broadcast at the link below. You might also want to check out the Science Blogs explanation of how this whole thing works according to the laws of nature. They dig a little deeper into what this recording might mean and what they think is going on here. Whether it is a hoax or this choir of altos and soprano singers are putting on a performance is up to you. There is certainly something going on here. I can’t say it is a lesson to be learned, but maybe there is a good message in listening a little closer at all the creatures that surround us. Maybe they are speaking to us a little more fervently than we have always figured. If anything these mysteries keep us thinking sharp. LINKS Listen to the track here: https://soundcloud.com/acornavi/jim-wilson-crickets-audio
from their wings, fervently rubbed together, in order to lure members of the opposite sex to an evening of carnal pleasure. There is no doubt about the science that makes these little critters speak out at night. The big question is; are they having more fun at it than we thought? Lately this recording has broken the surface of the web. Like any of these controversial topics that go viral a lot of people are talking about this one. Some think it is a message from the heavens, but others think it’s another web hoax to garner a lot of attention. It appears that the one version of the original recording was uploaded by a European user somewhere in Bulgaria possibly. From there others have copied it across the web. There is even a version for sale at Amazon now. People are certainly showing some interest in this weird audio. Then again controversy is always getting ready to explode somewhere on the net. I’m sure this one will pass on into the urban street lore soon enough, but for now its fun to have something new to debate.
The Original Album Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83DogjneO3Y Here Be Monsters Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/herebemonsters/ hbm029-do-crickets-sing-hymns The Scientific Explanation: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2013/10/13/weekend-diversion-is-this-an-amazing-chorus-ofslowed-down-crickets
People are chiming in with their opinions in forums all over the place about the validity of this piece. “Whether this is real or fake, this is still a beautiful recording. The concept is remarkable! If it is fake, I don’t personally feel dooped. If it is real, well that makes this recording that much more awesome.” Gimpy J
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www.veroconcepts.com
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Hello everyone, and welcome again to Dave Does Games. Some interesting news this time around, as we go over a well loved studio coming back from the dead, and what that could mean. As some of you may have seen, on 8/7/2014 sierra.com went back live for the first time since 2008. Since then it has been revealed that Activision brought them back from the dead, and they are currently working on publishing Geometry wars 3, and a remake of King’s Quest. They claim that they are going to focus both on new independent developers, and remaking their own old stuff. So what does this mean for the industry? Well right now, nothing. But potentially, quite a bit. For those that aren’t familiar, Sierra is known mostly for their adventure games. Quest for Glory, Space Quest and King’s Quest being some of the most well known and influential. With the recent rise of adventure games with Telltale’s success not only with older IP like Sam and Max, but with The Walking Dead and Fables the time is certainly right for the comeback of another huge name in adventure games. However there are some concerns. First, Sierra games are known for being brutal. In plenty of adventure games its possible to get lost, and have to try multiple combinations of items/places/things to try to progress. In Sierra games, a lot of those combinations meant death and a reload of your last save, whenever that was. More infamously, missing an item at a certain point could also mean guaranteed death later on, and the need to reload a save from before you missed the item, if you even knew what or where it was. This is something that the genre moved away from pretty quickly with LucasArts games doing away with that for most of their titles. So age will be a factor. It’s possible that the games wont be the same when the parts that haven’t aged well are changed, or that it wont be changed and this will turn a large number of people away, but it’s impossible to know until we get hands on the games. Second, and probably the much bigger one, it’s Activision. This is a company that really is what everyone seems to think EA is. They have all of the downsides of EA with none of the upsides. No partners program, no taking money from their cash cows to make original IP. Their pattern has been either to buy something and annualize it until its dead , IE: Guitar Hero, and Tony Hawk. Or successful, IE: Call of duty. They only thing they haven’t done that with is Blizzard, which is either because they knew the golden goose was big enough that they couldn’t risk touching it, or because of legal details behind the merger. Basically, their track record on this type of things makes it look like they are just going to churn out remakes to try to cash in on Telltale’s success while publishing some indie games to be safe. However, if I’m honest, all of that is solely based on the Activision name being attached to this. They are saying all the right things, and producing indie games along side their remakes allows them to diversify well and bring a lot of new original content to the table. If not for that Activision name I’d be much more positive on the prospects of this comeback.
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In the end, as usual for me, I wont pass judgment on this until we see some results. To be clear, I WANT this to work. Quest for Glory IV is still one of my favorite games, and the thought of getting something new, even just a remake, of that caliber, is hugely exciting. For now though, I have to remain, at best, cautiously optimistic. With that Activision name hanging over their heads, it makes me more than a little nervous. I only see two ways this can go. It’s either Activision turning over a new leaf, and finally doing something like EA partners while bringing back some old franchises from the dead, or its the same old Activision, and we can expect a remake every year until they stop selling or their out of titles to remake, with some cheap Indy games thrown in to make them look good. Here’s hoping it’s the former.
David Lucier is an avid gamer and all around geek. He’s been gaming and enjoying sci-fi and anime for years (ok, ok, decades). He’s previously worked with Goodtobeageek.com and currently works with Iamthink.com providing game and hardware reviews, event coverage, and interviews.
Blu Ray Round Up By Josh Bravo The appetizer to October’s Halloween main course is upon us and it is filled to the brim with horror titles on blu-ray. From all the Classic Universal Monster films finally getting those coveted individual releases, and Jamie Lee Curtis never looking better in Prom Night, even David Lynch’s Eraserhead getting it’s appropriate release on Criterion, all the way to Stan Winston’s Pumpkinhead and coming to an exclamatory halt with the entire Halloween collection towards the end of the month. All 10 films including the Rob Zombie remakes and the never before released producers cut of Halloween 6! Dig deep in those pockets for this one. But, (yes, there’s always a but) two more releases are tucked away in the must buy folder for the month. Not only are both of these films some of the best movies you will ever see, but you will have never seen them look this good before. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and both Ghostbusters 1 and 2 (ok part 2 isn’t one of the best movies you will ever see, but it’s not the worst) will be released in it’s new 4K resolution transfer. 4K, also known as Ultra HD, is turning the knob to 11 on the HD scale. You think blu-ray 1080p looks good? Do yourself a favor and head down to your local Best Buy and sit in front of one of their UHD TVs. Then, immediately after, go pre-order Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Ghostbusters 1 and 2 right after. I promise you’ll never regret it.
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Stephanie Allison: The summer months are a busy time for model, dancer,
and production designer Stephanie Allilson. From working on photoshoots in some of the most beautiful locations to rehearsing her dance crew for a production video shoot this fall Stephanie has her hands full with awesome projects. She has even recentyl taking up a little photography of her own and loves being on the other side of the camera as well. Find out more info at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Allison/589351407783611
Lish Ventura: Busy might be an understatement when it comes to singer/songwriter Lish Ventura. Filming cover videos all summer long and working in the recording studio take up most of her time. She recently had a role in the successful theather performance of Footloose” as well. Now she is making plans to work through the winter producing an album of original materials. Planning for a large scale music video shoot is in the works for October as well.
Find out more at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lish-Ventura/244960985659643
Brittany Tara: Singer Brittany Tara continues to build her online presence by
branching out to the popular musician space Reverb Nation. She has several new recordings in the works and music videos planned for the near future. Brittany has been uploading to Youtube for several years and and has built a very loyal following online. She has recently taken place in several area singing competitions and will be appearing on a local Boston area talent show this fall.
Find out more at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Tara-Music/126375060878116
Alexis Ventura: Dancer and model Alexis Ventura has been busy participating in original photoshoots as well as working runways shows and modeling oppurtunites throughout the Boston area. Alexis appears in the video of “Not about Angels” by Lish Ventura and has worked on several themed photo shoots. She recently made the cover of Crush Magazine with her modern rendidtion of Snow White. She is currently working with the Crush Media team as a dancer on for a special video shoot this fall.
Find out more at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexis-V/1426898760860011
The Media Crew: The media crew here at Crush is constantly working on new projects. From still photography, video production, and audio engineering we never stop. New ideas are constantly coming across our desks as we woek to help develop our artists and interesting media for our audiences world wide. With several music videos in the works along with television shows and internet content there is no end to what this amazingly talented group can acomplish.
Find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/CrushMediaStudios
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For the gaming crowd, the convention featured a large board-gaming area in the main convention center with an In hindsight, it felt like August and July should have swapped places this year. August has never really been a big month for releases and yet it brought extensive gameblew library, of tourus the biggest movie of the summer. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (actually, more appropriately James Gunn’s) the doorsplenty off the month with an outstanding box office performance. Bringing in in 255 Million by it’s 4th weekend and $500 million Globally, let alone reclaiming the #1 spot in that naments, learn-to-play sessions, and week after competing with the reintroduction of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the long overdue return to Frank Miller’s Sin City. While we’re on even a giant Monopoly game with playthe topic of these other two films, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got a sequel green lit before it’s opening weekend was over. Justified by a decent opening ersSin acting as their tokens. Notably weekend box office, it all seemed unwarranted based upon the critical bashing it received. Also, City: A Dame to Kill own For absolutely TANKED. Which is a shame. A Big Fat Damn Shame, as ‘A Dame to Kill For’ was a nostalgic return tomissing, the popular series that produced what was video thought to however, was a then main be an un-filmable, unique noir style. However it may find it’s audience once it has become available on DVD/BluRay or On Demand (as many of the gaming area in the convention center. unwarranted late summer flops do. I am pointing directly at 2012’s DREDD). So what’s in store for September? Let’s take a look! While there was a selection of dancing/ So September’s major releases get off to a late start. Nothing notable is released on September 5th, except for a Forrest in afloor Limitedof rhythm games onGump the re-release second IMAX Run. Also, something called The Identical, which you could probably find an Identical for on The Lifetime network that same weekend. the convention center, the main video September 12th brings us the psychological thriller No Good Deed, starring Idris Elba as an escaped convict who fakes being a car accident victim, area was located at the Hartford to invade and terrorize the home of a good Samaritan played by Taraji P. Henson. Also out isgaming Dolphin Tale 2, some of the same cast return to reunite a Dolphin with a new companion. Lastly in limited release that week is the the 3rd in the Atlas Shrugged trilogy.Based the novels by Ayn Rand. Hilton, which is aupon 15 minute walk from Objectivists take note. the Connecticut Convention Center. wereit follows offered forwho attendees A special Wednesday release gives us The Guest on September 17th. Starring Dan StevensShuttles and Ethan Embry, a soldier introduces to himself to a family as a friend of their deceased son. Only to take a turn as a string of accidental deaths seemingly are a result of the soldier’s presence. get back and forth with ease, but I have a personal policy to avoid wandering too Directed by Adam Wingard, who was responsible for last year’s You’re Next and portions from the V/H/S series. far from any convention that I’m attending, especially given my unfamiliarity Then that Friday September 19th we’re hit with several new releaswith Hartford. Given what I saw, though, es, starting with A Walk Among the Tombstones, an action-thriller starring Liam Neeson. You may have mistaken this trailer for Taken 3. I can’t really blame ConnectiCon given Also out is Tusk, Kevin Smith’s latest film (his 2nd in the horror genre that the Connecticut Convention Center behind his previous Red State). Born out of his popular Smodcast and is already the largest meeting space in based on an actual classified ad placed in a newspaper, Tusk tells the story of a man who kidnaps someone only to surgically modify them the state, and it appeared that the space to resemble a walrus. How very Human Centipede. Another release was already being fully utilized. is This is Where I Leave You, an ensemble comedy starring Jason Bateman, Adam Driver, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda to name a few. The last major release is The Maze Runner, a Hungry Games-y story of a group of pretty boy teens who enter an ever changing maze and must form alliances for survival. In limited release you can also find Terry Gilliam’s latest Zero Theorem.
The cosplay scene, as is usually the case for me, was probably my favorite aspect of the convention. Cosplayers of all skill levels were in attendance and, like many of the other parts of the convention, expressed their fandom from all corners of the geek multiverse. There was a hefty dose of League of Legends cosplay, possibly in part to the convention’s LoL tournament. Overall, my first trip to ConnectiCon was really enjoyable. While I heard a couple of horror stories from friends that I see in the convention scene, I didn’t have any troubles personally. I’ll certainly be back to see what they have to offer in 2015.
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Finally on September 26th you get The Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington based on the TV series of the same name. This re-imagining follows a plot not far off from Denzel’s previous remake Man on Fire. Also out is The Boxtrolls, a family friendly animated feature using stop motion puppetry, similar to The Corpse Bride or Coraline. Well there is September. Keep reading on for our latest section The Blu-Ray Round Up by Josh Bravo. Come back here next month for Spooky Dolls, a Widowed(?) Batfleck , a surly Brad Pitt living out of a Military Tank and Vlad The Dracula. Don’t forget to check us out on facebook.com/MoviePReviewPage
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Greetings, readers! Welcome to the Cosplay Spotlight. In this new segment, instead of featuring a bunch of cosplay photos from a convention, I’m focusing on one cosplayer. I do a photoshoot in the costume of their choosing, and sit down for an interview, so you can know the player behind the cos… tume. To kick this segment off, I got a chance to sit down with Shaunie Cosplay, a super-talented cosplayer based out of New England. For the shoot, she sported her Vincent Valentine costume, based on the character from Final Fantasy 7. Crush Magazine: How long have you been cosplaying, and what was your first cosplay? Shaunie Cosplay: I started cosplaying in 2007 at Anime Boston. So, 7 years on and off. My first cosplay was Miaka Yuki from Fushigi Yuugi. I bought this cosplay on eBay and it was super awkward! Didn’t fit me at all! But I had a blast! After that con, I knew I wanted to make my own cosplays in the future. CM: What has been your most difficult cosplay? SC: Definitely Atlantean Syndra from League of Legends. I had a week to complete this cosplay for PAX EAst and there was not a lof of reference pictures because at the time the character was not announced. For this cosplay, I made a body suit (which I had never made previously), a head piece that needed to stay on my head and I could see through, and body paint! Because this was a new skin and the only reference I had was a basic 3D model, I wanted to make it my own in a way, which means: sequins! On the headpiece, the fins, and arm pieces, I glued individual sequins… there had to be thousands of them and it took forever! But I got it down just in time and got a lot of great feedback! CM: What is your favorite cosplay? SC: Hands won, my favorite is Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy 7. He is my all time favorite video game character. As a kid playing FF7, I always found him as a badass and very powerful character. I find a lot of people know who he is, even if they have never played the game. I really feel when I cosplay him, that I’m very comfortable and the outfit I made for him I can actually wear and not have to be stiff and make sure nothing falls off! CM: What is your dream cosplay? SC: I have a lot of dream cosplays, it’s hard to pick. But if I had to pick one, it would have to be Lulu from Final Fantasy 10. It seems something simple, but I would want to be perfect with all her belts. She has so many details that are sometimes forgotten that I would not forget about! She’s such a badass woman that being able to cosplay her would be an honor.
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CM: What draws you to cosplay certain characters? Do they inspire you somehow? Is it for the challenge? Or is it because they look awesome? SC: It honestly depends. I am an artist, I love artwork when it comes to certain characters. For example, League of Legends. When I did Justicar Syndra, I never played, but the artwork of the game is beautiful. I was inspired to recreate that artwork. Also, I take characters that I grew up with: Link from The Legend of Zelda and half of the Final Fantasy 7 cast. I think more people should cosplay characters they love, which is also why I genderbend a lot. Does not matter the gender of the character, as long as you are having fun playing the character, that’s all that matters. CM: What is your most memorable cosplay moment? SC: Most memorable moment would be when I was on stage for the Masquerade at ConnectiCon this year. If you know me personally, I have massive stage fright. It’s funny, a cosplayer afraid of being on stage. My friend wanted to do a skit and asked me to do it with her. I actually did it! I was SO scared, but I overcame my fear. Although we didn’t win anything, the fact we had so many people come up after the show and tell us how great we did makes it so memorable. CM: Is there any character that you have wanted to cosplay but haven’t been able to yet? SC: Yes, it’s someone that I’m planning on doing next year, hopefully: Black Widow from the Marvel Universe. I tend to stay away from any sexy characters, but Black Widow is someone I’ve always wanted to cosplay. She hot, tough and amazing! Be on the look out for her in the future!
See more of Shaunie Cosplay’s work on her Facebook page: facebook.com/shaunie.cosplay
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The amount of electricity we consume on the planet is staggering. Each year as the population increases the numbers of kilowatt hours grows by leaps and bounds. Combine this with the electronic device life style and the cycle is endless. Computers, phones, cameras, and now a revolution of electric vehicles just around the corner means the demand will continue to increase as the years go by. Even with all of the brilliant minds in countries around the globe there is still no miracle solution to generating these massive quantities of power. Solar energy, wind, water power and other forms of creating electricity have made a small dent in the supply chain, but still have a long way to go to become mainstream suppliers. For a hundred years we have relied on coal and in some places heavy oil to create steam that spins the generation turbines. The gilded age would see the construction of massive coal fire behemoths breathing black smoke across the countryside as electric lamps made their way into the common household. To this day we still depend on these monsters to be there churning away 24 hours a day. For years workmen tended massive halls with miles of plumbing and screaming machines around the clock to keep the light burning. Like anything else however, these places have a lifespan. They wear out, becoming tired and dirty. New technology including the filtering of toxic chemicals and super efficient generators make the old girls a thing of the past.
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I suppose everything has its day. As new modern plants come online the outdated monarchs of the turn of the century become tired and expensive to maintain. All across Eastern Europe and the U.S. these giants are slowly becoming silent and forlorn. The cost of removing these monsters from the landscape is enormous and the process slow and toxic. To that end these great machines of industry die a slow and painful death. The sounds of dripping waters combine with the smell of rust and coal powder making them filthy places. Yet in all this there is a beauty that lingers. The inside of a place that was once bedlam becomes a silent monument to those who toiled here for so many years. Just the sheer scale of the labor that made these places possible is hard for the average mind to comprehend. Miles of pipes hung on mountains of steel, brick and glass seems almost impossible. Standing inside a place like this gives one a real understanding of how small we really are as single human beings. Urban photographer Paul Morris is known for his unique shots of hidden away places that time and man have left behind explored here on four separate occasions. This would be the location of his very first European exploration. His adventures to this monumental place have revealed the inside of this once vital part of industry, but the visits would be bittersweet.
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Located in Belgium the Langerbrugge power station would come online just prior to World War I. During the war the German army would destroy the infrastructure the station provided and severely damage the turbine hall at the plant. Rebuilt after the war the power station would grow in size providing electricity to an expanding nation of industry along the Belgian riverside. The plant would see ups and downs over the years as coal prices fluctuated and new technology came online. 2001 however would see the end of producing power and steam as a new and more efficient plant came online. Industrial history preservationists would take the amazing step to create the Museum Energia in 1986 in an effort to save the stories and materials of the past. For several years the museum personnel would work to save documents, buildings and machinery that had been part of this historical location. It would be inevitable that the main plant would someday be disassembled and removed for good. For several years it seemed there would be a way to visit the past here via the museum. Machines preserved and switching equipment, documents and historical archives would be saved for future generations.
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Sadly this dream would come to a horrible end. The faltering world economy would make this place a prime target for thieves. One of the prime components of these massive plants is copper along with other precious metals. As scrap market prices rose the lure of this mountain of potential monies became irresistible. Metal thieves would ravage the museum destroying all of the work that had been done to preserve important machines and documents. Will little regard to history these thoughtless greedy lowlifes would end the effort to save an important part of history. This would truly be the end of the Langerbrugge power station. Now with the last of the preservation in ruins new land owners have begun the long process of leveling the entire facility. Gone for good is one of mans major achievements along the Belgium riverside. The images captured by Morris during his trips here serve as a way to save this place if not in reality, but in pictures that speak volumes. There are those who fight back against these modern explorers. Some will say it is illegal, dangerous, risky, but without them something of our past will be lost forever. We should tip our hats to those who at their own peril preserve what will soon be gone. Our children will thank us for being the brave ones and curiosity will continue to be sparked in the minds of the future, all due to a few who record these places that are fast disappearing forever. After all, in order to move forward we must have a clear and un-shadowed look back at where we have been. -Eric. Baird Crush Magazine
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It’s important to cover all the bases in this hectic modern world. Julianna Hendricks will tell you exactly that. If you have multiple talents then put them all to work. Singer, television host, brand model, and super mom are keeping her mighty busy these days. She has worked on projects such as the show Songwriter, been the voice of Hidden Worlds, and is now modeling for a brand new national line of jeans. Combine all that with being a fulltime mom as well. Julianna loves modeling and designing creative sets and styles for her own photo shoots. If all that was not enough add musician to the list as well. Julianna has performed with her siblings in the several bands and also done some solo work in the music business. Currently she is working on plans for a new music video and continues to work very hard in all her favorite directions of entertainment. If you would like to keep up to date on her current projects visit her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julianna-Hendricks/738383946176760 CRUSH MAGAZINE
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Musicians have a lot of options in this day and age. The landscape of the music industry is constantly changing. The internet has opened up a whole new world that is full of tools artists can use to get noticed by the masses. Gone are the days of big labels being the only ones who have the means to bring talent to the forefront. If you play your cards right anyone with talent and time can self promote to millions. You might even make a few bucks in the process. The big question is how to keep your head above the waters in a sea of people trying to do the same thing. Here’s the dirt on getting to the top of the pile and most importantly staying there. Social media has changed the world. We are all interconnected in so many ways there is no escaping the constant barrage the faces us everyday in our endless so called news feeds. The new world of promotion is a social media monster that eats everything you can throw at it. Most time at a rate that boggles the mind. Images, videos, music players, status updates, and all the rest are becoming a constant battle to keep up with. As an artist the last thing you need to be doing is spending countless hours at your computer instead of creating or is it? Promoting yourself online is a very useful tool if you follow a few simple rules. Sorting out the mountain of options for musicians online can be a bit confusing so here are some best practices to make it a lot easier. First off it is important to understand that social media promotion is not a casual job you can do once in a while. If you are serious about getting people to see and hear your music then you have to make a plan right from the beginning and stick to it. This is real work and nothing much happens unless you are willing to put some serious time into building and maintaining your online presence. Look at social media as a full time job. Like many things you only get out what you put in. The idea of an automatic success is out of the question. Hard work and patience builds a much better platform for music than trying to hit and run only when you get a chance. Promoting music online means being in a lot of places at once and it’s your job to keep it all moving.
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Here’s the plan many people use to get noticed. 1. Make a daily time commitment to invest in social media. Make sure you have content ready in advance. Think in advance for each week what you will need to keep your network growing and engaged with you as an artist. As your fan base grows they will get hungrier for any tiny bit of information you can give them. Having at least two weeks or more of content will allow you to ebb and flow as people go through your system. Keep them happy and always give back as much as possible. 2. Pictures are a great way to keep people coming back and the more they visit the more their friends will also tag along and like your page. When Facebook friends see others liking content it is always possible that other will join the fray. Take pics of everything you are working on including when working in the recording studio, live shows and even behind the scenes when filming videos. Create staged events or shoots that make people ask questions. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to creating your style and look. Try to create content that is open to your broadest market. Don’t corner yourself in one small age range or genre. The web is home to the world and the more of it you can capture the bigger your fan base will be. When shooting still think of your entire fan base and what will get them commenting. Post pics once or twice a day in your social streams. Don’t over do it! Nothing is worse than someone pounding their message out too many times in a day. Keeping consistent is the key. Let people see what you are working on. Make your fans feel like they are part of the project, but don’t stuff it down their throats. 3. Be responsive!!! When fans interact with your content let them know you are paying attention. From the smallest compliment to the craziest question, answer them all! If you have too many posts to respond to then have a friend help you with some pre set answers they can manage. Thank them on individual comments. Don’t post a blanket thanks to your fans as a way of getting out of work. Remember these are the people who will be buying downloads from your store along with any other merchandise you can come up with. Social media promotion is a job and needs to be treated that way. Divide your time up between creating content and bolstering your social media campaign. Set a schedule that allows you to spend at leat one hour a day answering questing, responding to comments and building new fans. If might seem like a bit of drugery at first, but a slow steady growth in fans will begin to pay off once you have built a solid foundation. Look for more in next months Crush Magazine! (Eric Baird)
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REVERBNATION is the platform of choice for our artists here at CRUSH MEDIA. This all inclusive site allows you too interconnect all of your social meida sites. Fan/Follower numbers are imported and go towards local and national ranking. You can sell music downloads here as well. There are several similar sites that serve the same function, but REVERBNATION is certailnly one of the best out there. They provide tons of tool for free use in building your following. It is also a great way for A & R people to find out what you are up to. Over all it is a very effective way to see your progress in one snapshot. Most functions are free, but you can also opt in for the premium membership that opens even more doors. A bit confusing at first, but once you master this site it has amazing power to get you out in the real world with real fans.
Facebook and Twitter and slowly drifting in different directions. Use then both to thier maximum advantage. FB is great for posting images and video links from YouTube. Twitter tend to grow much fater if you saty on top of it. Follow people who have an interest in your music. Then follow your fans followers who have similar interests. Unsing a program such as “justunfollow” or “Hoot Suite” helps you claen out anyone who is not following you as well as inactive users. Find severalpopular pulic figures and follow thier fans to grow your numbers faster. As always be responsive and let them know you are paying attention. Fans will stick around if you are active. YouTube used to operate as a platform on it’s own, but now has become more of a video host instead of a mian platform. You can still do well with advertising payouts and fan building here, but the days of this being the only platform needed are over. YouTube is now an important part of a bigger social media program. The numbers here are still very important in the overall scheme of things. If you have original content then it is important to also have a Google ADsense account to take advantage of advertising revenue that can be made here.
Instagram is a great plce to ganer additional followers and fan numbers on your ReverbNation page where it can be interconnected along with other social meida platforms. Post interesting images of what you are up to on a regular basis. All musicians should have a PayPal account to accept monies from thier fans for audio downloads and merchandise. This is also where services like Patreon can deposit.
Pateron is a wonferful service that allowes your fans to pledge money for each new project you post on the site. Create a great intro video that explains what you need the funds for and how you will be managing the projects. If you can get a large group of supporters here it is possible to make a good living creating music and other video productions. It is also good to have an email that defines who you are. Use this as a central email for all your social sites.
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