The Live Music Scene, Venues and Other Stuff

Wow.

Listening to DJ Psychopomp on www.thefuzz.com.au and checking out the chatroom, I was reminded of an idea I had so many years ago.

Here's what I said in the chatroom:

Sorry to hijack or whatever. circa 1998: I spoke to the drummer from The Choirboys about a "venue" that incorporated a performance stage, rehearsal rooms, retail displays (need a new set of strings / sticks) - he liked the idea but "sponsorship" was the nail in the coffin.

That was my idea in a nutshell.

But even more.

Imagine this:

A band gets to this venue. They have rehearsal rooms, they gain access to retail displays (just in case they need to buy new strings, new drumsticks, maybe a cymbal or two), but this next idea was the biggest one.

Each and every rehearsal room had a complete recording facility built-in, so that the drums could be miked, the guitars, the vocals, the piano, the violin - each could be individually recorded - during rehearsal.

That's the thing - during rehearsal.

As Tori Amos once said - "getting a moment on tape" - I've never forgotten that comment.

Imagine coming into a rehearsal space, and giving it the best, but NOT recording it?

Oh NO!

Anyway, that was my idea - each and every rehearsal or practice session could be recorded - obviously these need to be paid for, but ...... but that's the first sticking point.

The next was that the drummer from The Choirboys liked my idea, but artists who have "made it" have sponsorship, so they wouldn't be buying from the retail spaces in this "venue"

So if we remove the sponsorship aspect, what's left?

A space that offers:

* Rehearsal rooms (with complete recording capabilties off the bat) - pay for a DAT on your way out.

* A performance space - a venue, that can be booked for a concert.

* Retail or other spaces that sell goods and services.

Lets expand on that last point - remember the "sponsorship" aspect of "known" artists. They won't be buying products and services from these retail points - but for the unknowns, or just starting out artists, this could be very useful.

Secondly, think of people coming to the venue to experience an artist - they will want food and drinks - there's an opportunity ( a licensed venue certainly ) but one to think about.

So that's a really short precis of my idea. I haven't gone into the ultimate detail here, because I really don't know whether it'll actually fly.

The artists are the ones who will drive this - if they want to.

What are the issues with your current rehearsal spaces?

What is missing?

What do you want?

How can someone deliver on what you need?

Osama

I've been watching video, and listening to audio, and given that I have some pre-conceived ideas, I have to say that I just don't believe what we're being told.

For instance, there have been many references to the "twin towers" during the recent commentary - one of the reasons why the USA has been on a decade long search for bin Laden.

However, the more I hear about all this, the less I hear references to Building 7 - another building that "fell down" on September 11, 2001.

Do you know about Building 7? Forget the twin towers - Building 7 is where, I think, that people need to focus their questions.

So, please convince me that Osama bin Laden was the cause of the destruction of Building 7 - given that it wasn't hit by an aircraft, nor was it completely destroyed by fire.

"9/11" is all that is ever referenced in the commentary. As though that day, that phrase - is all that is needed to reinforce the story we've been told for the last 10 years.

I also ask the following question:

Who bank-rolled Osama bin Laden during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan? I think you'd be surprised.

The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan galvanized bin Laden. He supported the Afghan resistance, which became a jihad, or holy war. Ironically, the U.S. became a major supporter of the Afghan resistance, or mujahideen, working with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to set up Islamic schools in Pakistan for Afghan refugees. These schools later evolved into virtual training centers for Islamic radicals.

By the mid-1980s, bin Laden had moved to Afghanistan, where he established an organization, Maktab al-Khidimat (MAK), to recruit Islamic soldiers from around the world who later form the basis of an international network. The MAK maintained recruiting offices in Detroit and Brooklyn in the 1980s.

The Taliban, the former rulers of Afghanistan, arose from the religious schools set up during the mujahideen's war against the Soviet invasion. After the Soviet army withdrew in 1989, fighting erupted among mujahideen factions. In response to the chaos, the fundamentalist Taliban was formed and within two years it captured most of the country. The Taliban gave bin Laden sanctuary in 1996

Read more: Osama bin Laden http://www.infoplease.com/spot/osamabinladen.html#ixzz1LArFYXDb

So, the USA helped the mujahideen resist the Russian invasion - effectively giving bin Laden money and resources. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3556

But I don't even believe the last paragraph.

Washington's approach came to an especially calamitous end in September 2001 when the Taliban regime was linked to bin Laden's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed some 3,000 people. Moreover, evidence quickly emerged that the Taliban all along had been collecting millions of dollars in profits from the illicit drug trade, with much of that money going into the coffers of the terrorists. Rarely is there such graphic evidence of the bankruptcy of U.S. drug policy.

Its always about money and power - and all that money goes into the coffers of the terrorists - and it isn't al-Qaeda.

And lastly, just keep watching the main stream media for vision of Osama bin Laden's dead body - you simply will never, ever, ever see it - except under a white sheet - but that could be anyone under there.......

Gruesome I know, but "the proof is in the pudding" apparently.

So if you never see it, what is the truth?

There is no truth - you've been lied to yet again.

Update:

Pakistan TV claims to broadcast images of Bin Laden's body

Pakistani television stations on Monday broadcast what they described as unconfirmed images of Osama bin Laden's bloodied face after the United States said he had been killed.

"The picture of Osama bin Laden's dead body has been released. It is unverified," said the commentator on Pakistan's largest TV network, Geo.

Other channels also showed the image of a face, which sported a bushy and black beard without any visible traces of the white or grey detected in the most recent video footage of bin Laden when he was alive.

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/usa/pakistan-tv-claims-to-broadcast-images-of-bin-laden-s-body-1.802087

But still, there's no video or even pictures.

UPDATE:

My local TV station made a big expose of an image of a dead bin Laden.

Which really made me upset given what I said above....

UPDATE:

Well, the very last thing that my local TV station said was that the image they showed right at the top of the news was a fake.

Make of that what you will.

So I'm still waiting to see pictures of bin Laden's actual dead body. Sorry to his family - but this goes deeper and more political that you can possibly imagine.