Rock Band on Wii

They finally announced Rock Band for Wii today. I wanted to get Rock Band as soon as it came out last fall, but since I don't own a PS3 or Xbox 360 I was SOL. So I patiently waited for this announcement. I even held off buying Guitar Hero III, since I wanted to know if the guitars would be compatible with Rock Band. The answer seems to be "we hate consumers, fuck no".

I had a chance to play it this weekend in a party setting (as opposed to in the store, like a loser, which I've done...several times) and it's pretty fun. It really excels in a party atmosphere, except it seems like singers are hard to find. Drums are really fun as you can really wail, which is satisfying, although tiring. Also, it seems lot of people don't like hard rock songs or are not familiar with them, but for me, it's my preferred music genre.

But now it looks like I might not end up getting it after all. Nintendo once again fucks up the online component. There will be no online play and no downloadable content. The big thing here is the no downloadable content. I've been mostly "downloading" music, but with Rock Band I would actually buy (many) songs. But since I can't and the only system I own is the Wii, I'm SOL...again.

They try to push Rock Band as a platform, and I think it's a good idea. I think buying music for Rock Band is reasonable and something I would buy. Most of the songs are $1-$3 dollars and they release new content weekly. I can forsee future albums being released in music stores and the Rock Band store simultaneously, so that not only can you listen to the music, but also experience it.

Anyway, I'm not sure who to be pissed with, Nintendo, Harmonix, Activision or all of them. None of them are getting my money.




(Unless I buy a PS3 or Xbox360......)

Rock Band vs Guitar Hero III

Music rhythm games are fun....especially when drinking. This fall, two really popular music rhythm game variants will go on sale and consumers will have to pick one. One is the 3rd iteration of Guitar Hero and the other is called Rock Band.

Rock Band includes not only two guitars, but also drums and a mic for singing. If you have four people together and all the necessary equipment, you could "play" as if you were a band. Doesn't that sound fun? I'll let the video speak for itself


*NOTE: apparently this video isn't representative of the final gameplay, but I think it gives the general idea

Meanwhile, Guitar Hero III will include a multiplayer "battle" mode.


So the question is which to buy? On one had, Rock Band will be crazy expensive, likely costing as much as the Wii itself after buying every accessory, but it has the potential to be much more fun having four people "jamming". Guitar Hero III doesn't look that innovative from the previous generations, but it should be cheaper and includes an interesting multiplayer competitive mode. Any advice on what you would rather play?

PS where the heck am I going to put all this stuff, let alone transport it every week to and from Waterloo!

Rage Against the Machine

Rage Against the Machine is getting back together and playing live tonight at Coachella. That would be something worth seeing. I went over to their website to see if they had any streaming video/audio, which would be really cool. They have streaming audio/video and after installing stuipid DRM Windows Media Player 11, I could get a stream. But it turns out they aren't streaming anything on RATM. Actually I just checked, they are on at 11PM PST, so no chance I'll catch them tonight. Oh well...I guess I should just be happy they are back together.

Something not worth seeing is the fucking Raptor's game. Down by over 30 in the 3rd quarter is just inexcusable. Bosh is really sucking in this series, like most of the other Raptors (except TJ). But I suppose that can be expected since the Raps have no playoff experience whatsoever. Bosh needs to get use to how physical the playoffs are, and hopefully he'll come back next year better prepared. Also, anyone notice how the crowd is affecting Vince? He can't play in Toronto because the booing is so loud. I think he's the type that wants other people to like him and he is obviously not liked in Toronto. The booing and chanting of "VC sucks" (as my coworker and cousins tell me from being there firsthand) definitely gets to him, even if he won't admit it. I thought Raps had a chance in the series, but looks like I'll have to look forward to next year.

Anyway, I'll end with a quote from Tom Morello, from RATM: Is it coincidence that in the seven years that RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has been away that the country has slid into right-wing purgatory? I think not," he said. "It occurred to all of us that the times were right to see if we can knock the Bush administration out in one fell swoop, and we hope to do that job well. This administration has done enough damage that it may take generations to undo. This is an administration that believes it's beyond the laws of the land, which is fine for emperors, but not so great for presidents. One thing this president isn't above is the laws of physics, and there is no action without reaction. And we're part of that reaction."

If a great musician plays great music but no one hears . . . Was he really any good?

A violin virtuoso, with $3.5 million dollar violin plays in the subway. What happens next?

This article had been linked to frequently in the blogosphere, but I didn't pay much attention to it. It sounded like a gimmick or a stunt without much thought. But then I opened it and started to read.

As I read, I was surprised to discover tears well up in my eyes. It's not a particularly sad story and definitely not an intentional sob story. Only after I started to read the comments/chat and realized that others had also cried did I let a tear fall - as if it was ok because others had also done so (yeah, I'm weird like that...). I'm not sure why I had this reaction and still not sure even after reading comments from others who had also shed a tear.

The concept of the article sounds conceited, but if you read it through, the writer presents this experiment without conceit, or seems to at least. The rest of my entry is about this article, so read it now if you were thinking about doing so. I've also included the comments/chat link as well.

One of the most interesting points from the article is about the "framing" of art. After taking music history, the way I listened was completely transformed - it was properly "framed" for me. From a young age, I had listened to my father's classical music, but only really began to appreciate it after my days at the Conservatory. As Kant (from the article) puts it, "to properly appreciate beauty, the viewing conditions must be optimal."

On the other hand, it annoys me when people listen to classical music just because they think it makes them seem more sophisticated / complex / rich / 'cultured' - to like it only to impress onto others your sophistication and to not enjoy it for the music's intrinsic properties. The emotional impact of music is emphasized by the writer over and over again in the comments section. That is, it's not necessarily the type of music, but the performance and emotional impact that matter. The comments reminded me of a fitting quote from one of my favourite movies, Shawshank Redemption:

Red: "I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

Even having said all that, would I have stopped and listened? When I'm travelling somewhere I always view it as a waste of time and try to minimize the time spent. On the other hand, I have a unique perspective because I use to (poorly) play the violin in grade school. After some reflection, I'm almost certain I would not have stopped and listened. And perhaps, that is my answer to why.

From the article:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies

My question to you: would you have stopped to listen?

TSO/Imaid

Before getting to the TSO or I Maid Cafe, on Friday I was at The Old Sod which is a bar/pub in Etobicoke. The time previous to this weekend, the waitress called it "Kinder Fridays", because of the large number of "young" people in the bar. They don't card at the door, and they all seemed underage to me. I don't have a point here other than to say how can something like this continue for so long? Or maybe I'm just that old :(

On Friday, after climbing at TCA, we decided to go to I Maid Cafe. If you haven't heard of it, it's a bbtea place/restaurant, except the waitresses are dressed in French Maid Costumes. I think this sort of thing (themed eateries) is common in Japan, but not so common in North America. The waitresses in costumes differentiate it from a normal place, but I don't think it's that special. At least the prices aren't inflated and apparently the food is decent, although I only had a bbtea. I guess I would go again, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go, since it's so far. At least I don't go there every week, like some people ;)

Sunday, was the TSO at Roy Thomson Hall, as part of the TSO Soundcheck program. Kevin already blogged about it, but I'll comment on what I thought. I hadn't been there in years, so it was interesting seeing the building/architecture itself. The first piece, a newly composed piece by a prof at UBC was alright. Nothing spetacular, but not bad either. It was a little repetitive in a bolero type of way, but I also happen to like bolero, so it's not a bad thing. The composer sat directly behind me after the introduction, which was a little discomforting.

The 2nd piece, Beethoven's 4th piano concerto was really good. I enjoyed it a lot, because I think the most interesting pieces while attending symphonies (I haven't been to many though) are piano concertos. My seat was right in the front row by the extreme side where the pianist had her back to us, so I got to see the pianist perform in detail. The bad part about those seats is that we could only see the violins (feet at that) and no one else. One of the violinists got up in the middle of the performance to go cough in the back stage area, which I thought was peculiar. We ended up going upstairs at intermission, because some dude behind us was breathing extremely loudly.

The third piece, by Saint Saens, wasn't that great imo. First of all, I'm not a big fan of Saint Saens, because from the pieces I've heard, most of his stuff pretty bland and forgettable. The performance was an Organ Symphony, which I think is pretty unique in itself. But when the piece was performed, I would say that the organ had a (loud) cameo rather than had a symphony composed around it. I guess it's tough for an organ to be center stage like a piano is when presented as a piano concerto. This contrast was especially obvious when the Organ symphony was performed right after the piano concerto.

In conclusion, I think I would go again, partly because the price is good. Only $12 for a night of entertainment, so that's pretty decent!

It's a Mad World

I've been hearing this song on the radio more and more. It's a good song, but surprisingly I think it's current popularity is due to an ad for Xbox 360's Gears of War (Game of the Year by many critics). The song is called Mad World, a cover by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules of the original song by Tears for Fears. Originally, this song first made it big from the movie Donnie Darko, but now it's getting radio (at least in Canada) play as a single. Anyway, enough talk, watch the video and listen to the song:



And a longer version that includes the whole song here:



Interesting how a song can become popular through a video game ad, eh?

New Blogger

Probably no one cares, but I was finally able to port over my blogger page from the old blogger to the new one. I couldn't do it when they first released it because my blog was too large or something dumb like that. I don't see much of a difference yet, but at least I can try it out.

Maybe I didn't emphasize this enough in my last post, but I'm really really sad about losing my Miis. I spent so much time making those, even getting out photos to see what people look like. My sister had also created about 10 Miis of her friends and those are all gone too. Now I might be too lazy to make them all again. I sent Edmond a bunch of them, so hopefully he'll send me back some more. The good news is I have more Wii friends now! Russell got one and so did Andrea. Karina's (Russ' gf) mom was so enamoured by the wii, that she asked him to leave it there....lol.

Valentine's day is quickly approaching. If I lived in the States or closer to the US I would definitely go to this. When I sent this to Kitty she didn't seem too pleased, haha. But doesn't it sound awesome? Also note that I have never been to Whitecastle before, so it would make it extra special. I so wished they had one in Buffalo, so it'd be easier to go, but the closest one is in Detroit. Regardless, I have Jury Duty on the 14th, so I woudln't be able to go anyway :(

Remember when I offered a chance to go the Raptors game on this blog? Well since no one responded, I decided to go a different route. This time I had Tragically Hip tickets that my mom had won from work, and I just gave them to someone that I figured would like them. So Richard and Tim are at the ACC right now enjoying the music of the Hip! Enjoy!