I suppose it's about that time that I update this crazy little blog. I've got a lot to talk about, since it's been awhile. I like to procrastinate, what can I say!
First off, I'll recap on what has been happening these days. Midterms are over, I've gotten my marks back. And I'm quite pleased to say that I'm sitting on the honors role right now. Which I was very happy with when I got the marks back for my midterms. Sitting at an 82% average which is pretty sweet.
So a few weeks back I went to the movies with Craig, Ashley, Anne and Stacey, to see 30 Days of Night. I have to say, I was a little bit disappointed with this movie. And I think that everyone else was as well. The whole story was pretty cool, but the ending was... well... kind of lame! Since it was a comic book to movie conversion it's understandable that they did the ending the way they did, because it would have been great to read in a comic book. But it just doesn't convert over to movie all that well.
Went to see Saw IV, it was quite the movie. Very gory as most of the Saw franchise is. It was quite a fun time, we went with the radio crew and afterwards headed back to residence and I decided to have a few drinks. It was pretty sweet though. I've never really hung out with the gang before outside of school. So that was really cool to see them outside of the radio environment.
Voicing, Voicing and more Voicing! I've been doing a lot of voice work lately. And I'm not complaining! I enjoy doing voice work, it's been a lot of fun, but it's also kept me extremely busy! And even more busy is putting music into the station. I've been getting music left and right, and the best part is, we finally got accepted to DMDS to have an account for brand new releases! So no worries about buying those new singles now! It's kind of neat because now we can get those brand new singles from those big Canadian bands and sound a bit more like CHUM FM. But I've been trying to add approximate around 20-30 songs each week. Trying to increase the database. We're up to 2013 songs now! YAY TEAM! And I can't help but thank Diana for all her contributions to the music as well. She totally rocks!
I decided to give Nathan and Amanda a call last night. It was good to catch up with both of them. I was kind of on a calling spree I guess you could call it. But I told them both that I'd be home on the 15th of December, so be sure to book it off work, because we would be going out that night for some fun times. I was telling them both about the Cuba trip and told them they better start saving their pennies!
Speaking of Cuba, I got a message back from my aunt. She has two resorts that she found, pretty good prices too, so I'm trying to convince a few others to join us for the trip. Which is going to be a total blast! I can't wait, I'm already extremely excited about it, and it's like four months away! It should be really fun to get away with friends for a week in a nice tropical place like Cuba though. I just want to lounge and have a good time, sip on some cocktails on the beach. The nice warm weather will be perfect for the spring break temperatures we have here in Toronto.
Speaking of temperatures, we are dropping quickly! Last week we were in the double digits. Now we're down to the single digits! It's getting a little bit chilly, but it's still not going to be as cold as it will be for Christmas in the east coast. They don't get the cold we get back home, here in the city. Which is a good thing I guess, but it's a different kind of cold. It's a bitter, dry, cold.. But it doesn't drop down to -20 like we get back home. I think last year alone I only saw a couple centimetres of snow, and never anything below the -10's. Which is great! Because that's nice and warm compared to what I'm used too!! Hopefully it won't get too cold this year, hope I didn't just jinx it by saying that.
So as of right now, I'm sitting here waiting for my next traffic report! I'm really enjoying the radio shifts. They have switched to four hours now, which is making for longer shifts, but also for less air time. I only seem to be getting one hosting shift, and one traffic and entertainment. And I hear Andy seems to be getting the same. So my theory behind it all, not to sound conceited or anything, but I think Jerry may be scheduling the people who need a little bit more experience on the boards more then the others that are sounding fine on air. Which I guess makes sense, I'd just like a little more air time. But we did bring it forward to Jerry that about a 9-11pm shift, and also a 7-9am shift. Of course it would be all volunteer, it wouldn't be necessary. It would be for the people who want some more airtime on the station because they aren't getting enough airtime. At least that's the way I feel.
And that brings me to tell you about the Broadcast Tour that I ended up doing yesterday for grade nine high school students. I was pretty pumped to be doing this. But apparently they weren't interested in Radio, TV or Journalism at all. It was kind of bombshell! No one enjoyed it, at least they didn't seem to enjoy it! I tried my best, was asking as many questions to them as possible, and there was absolutely no response. It was like the sound of crickets when I asked a question. Oh well, I tried my best, at least it was a fun experience for me, I got to give a tour of an awesome broadcast centre and there was no response! I guess these kids don't like the media! I've never given a tour before so I was a bit nervous myself, so it was definitely a great experience for me either way.
We now have Radio Humber tshirts! I'm very excited, bought it yesterday, and am sporting it right now while I'm on the air. It's great, the only complaint I have, is the fact that there is a HUGE logo on the back, but no logo on the front what so ever! I'm thinking what I might do is go and get the front embroidered with my name, my position, and the station below that, so at least there will be something to read on the front and it won't seem so blank! It's still cool though, now all the radio students can sport the radio humber tshirts around campus, and we won't just see those annoying Humber Fire tshirts everywhere... hahahah...
Anyway, I guess that's really all to update on, I'm sure theres a few other things I may think of as time goes on, perhaps I'll do another post if I do. Have a good one!
-Kirk
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Red Roses are Black
Have you ever heard of a band called ICON & The Black Roses? Well they're broken up, but I found myself listening to them most of today. I LOVE the sound of gothic rock/metal/love metal if you must. It's such a satisfying sound, and it's VERY emotional music. You can feel the music so much when you listen. It's very much atmospheric.
I almost wish they were Canadian so I could play them on Radio Humber. Actually, I DO wish they were Canadian, because I would love to play them on Radio Humber. Speaking of that actually, I added a few brand new hits. I've got Finger Eleven's new single on the station in rotation now (hey look that rhymed! lol) and also the new single from Major Maker. Most of you probably don't know the band, well if you remember the swedish berry commercial made by Maynards the candy company, you will know the song Rollercoaster. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7pGMfVNVg)
I like added new hits, because we aren't getting to many of them lately, and people haven't really been sending me music like they are suppose too. I guess it's because we've been having trouble downloading the music. It won't import into the software for some reason, so it doesn't really matter all that much. I've just been adding music from my own collection, and from CDs that have gotten mailed to the station. I think we need more new music then classic hits. Because seriously, who knows of the band Kayle anyway? I've never heard of them before, not bad music, but no one knows of these bands. We need more popular hits, at least that's my take on it. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I've added a few smaller bands that are doing extremely well for themselves so far. Joel Plaskett, Matt Mays, Pride Tiger, Billy Klippert, Tomi Swick to name a few. They're great artists that are climbing slowly into fame.
Back to ICON & The Black Roses... I love the sound, and I wish I could have a sound a lot more unique like theirs when I'm recording. My next album I want to be a lot more darker then my current, and I'm thinking about taking the approach of Gothic rock. Because I love the sound, I just need to get a really nice distortion pedal to give it that dark, deep, and overpowering grunge to it. I think I could really write some superb music to the sound. And since I have my electric here, I could make some crazy sounds. Not that I want to stray away from the acoustic sound of things, because the major aspect of Gothic music is the acoustic sound, combine with the electrical grunge distortion. It's just very emotional music, and my music is driven by emotions and every day happenings.
Worst thing is the band is no longer together. They could have been very successful in my opinion. Jonny Icon could have had something really going for him, but they broke up shortly after recording their first album and no one really heard anything afterwards. I LOVED the fact that they had both male and female vocals. And if I can find someone to sing with me on my next record it would absolutely thrill me to do so. But a lot of people don't like singing, even if they know they have talent, they don't want to help out. Oh well, I might just have to go with my lone male vocals again on this album.
Either way, it's just a thought, and I think I might go through with it if I can get myself a nice distortion sound to give it that gothic/love/metal/rock sound. Because I love the sound and it will fit my lyrical writing style perfectly. It's so dark, but enlightening at the same time, it's because the lyrics are based on love and emotion, which is what my lyrics are based on. Maybe I've found a perfect genre for my lyrical content? We'll just have to wait and see.
And finally, I leave you with a picture of the finalized version of my current album. I'm thrilled to say it turned out very well...
-Kirk
I almost wish they were Canadian so I could play them on Radio Humber. Actually, I DO wish they were Canadian, because I would love to play them on Radio Humber. Speaking of that actually, I added a few brand new hits. I've got Finger Eleven's new single on the station in rotation now (hey look that rhymed! lol) and also the new single from Major Maker. Most of you probably don't know the band, well if you remember the swedish berry commercial made by Maynards the candy company, you will know the song Rollercoaster. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ7pGMfVNVg)
I like added new hits, because we aren't getting to many of them lately, and people haven't really been sending me music like they are suppose too. I guess it's because we've been having trouble downloading the music. It won't import into the software for some reason, so it doesn't really matter all that much. I've just been adding music from my own collection, and from CDs that have gotten mailed to the station. I think we need more new music then classic hits. Because seriously, who knows of the band Kayle anyway? I've never heard of them before, not bad music, but no one knows of these bands. We need more popular hits, at least that's my take on it. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I've added a few smaller bands that are doing extremely well for themselves so far. Joel Plaskett, Matt Mays, Pride Tiger, Billy Klippert, Tomi Swick to name a few. They're great artists that are climbing slowly into fame.
Back to ICON & The Black Roses... I love the sound, and I wish I could have a sound a lot more unique like theirs when I'm recording. My next album I want to be a lot more darker then my current, and I'm thinking about taking the approach of Gothic rock. Because I love the sound, I just need to get a really nice distortion pedal to give it that dark, deep, and overpowering grunge to it. I think I could really write some superb music to the sound. And since I have my electric here, I could make some crazy sounds. Not that I want to stray away from the acoustic sound of things, because the major aspect of Gothic music is the acoustic sound, combine with the electrical grunge distortion. It's just very emotional music, and my music is driven by emotions and every day happenings.
Worst thing is the band is no longer together. They could have been very successful in my opinion. Jonny Icon could have had something really going for him, but they broke up shortly after recording their first album and no one really heard anything afterwards. I LOVED the fact that they had both male and female vocals. And if I can find someone to sing with me on my next record it would absolutely thrill me to do so. But a lot of people don't like singing, even if they know they have talent, they don't want to help out. Oh well, I might just have to go with my lone male vocals again on this album.
Either way, it's just a thought, and I think I might go through with it if I can get myself a nice distortion sound to give it that gothic/love/metal/rock sound. Because I love the sound and it will fit my lyrical writing style perfectly. It's so dark, but enlightening at the same time, it's because the lyrics are based on love and emotion, which is what my lyrics are based on. Maybe I've found a perfect genre for my lyrical content? We'll just have to wait and see.
And finally, I leave you with a picture of the finalized version of my current album. I'm thrilled to say it turned out very well...
;)
-Kirk
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Yeah... Unfortunately, I Live On R3...
When someone asks what floor I live on, I almost hate to respond... "Yeah... Unfortunately, I live on R3". And everyone knows the floor, and how immature people can be on it..
Why do people have to be some immature?! And not just sometimes, but ALL THE TIME! I can't believe this floor sometimes, last night there was a guy that kept coming into my room and turning off my lights. He kept doing it every five minutes too. The worst part of it all was he was drunk and he probably doesn't remember doing it. Oh it's great being on a floor where the majority of them act like 15 year old high school students. I'm sorry I just had to rant about that, it's bothering me that I have to put up with this. I thought it would last a few weeks at the most but it's been a month now, almost a month and a half! Grow up!
On a side note, we had an R6 reunion last night, a bunch of people showed up last night and we got together to have a meal and a few drinks. It was quite a fun night, and it was great to see everyone again (well not everyone). Dylan came in from New Jersey, Shawn and Yuuki drove from various locations here in Ontario. And of course all the rest of us still live on residence. There was even an appearance from Phil, which we weren't expecting, but that was cool.
It's going to be a busy week, I have quite a bit to do, I have a radio lab assignment that's due on Monday which I still have NO ideas on what I'm doing for the assignment. We'll just have to wait and see, try and figure out what I'm doing tonight I guess. I'm not a fan of some of these assignments Cross is giving us, but then again it's something that might happen in the real world. I mean, I'm sure we'll be getting assignments or things to do in a real station that we aren't necessarily think are "fun times". I guess it's just because I'm a LOT busier this year then I was last.
Not sure what the plans are for tonight, we'll just wait it out and see I guess. Taker easy!
-Kirk
Why do people have to be some immature?! And not just sometimes, but ALL THE TIME! I can't believe this floor sometimes, last night there was a guy that kept coming into my room and turning off my lights. He kept doing it every five minutes too. The worst part of it all was he was drunk and he probably doesn't remember doing it. Oh it's great being on a floor where the majority of them act like 15 year old high school students. I'm sorry I just had to rant about that, it's bothering me that I have to put up with this. I thought it would last a few weeks at the most but it's been a month now, almost a month and a half! Grow up!
On a side note, we had an R6 reunion last night, a bunch of people showed up last night and we got together to have a meal and a few drinks. It was quite a fun night, and it was great to see everyone again (well not everyone). Dylan came in from New Jersey, Shawn and Yuuki drove from various locations here in Ontario. And of course all the rest of us still live on residence. There was even an appearance from Phil, which we weren't expecting, but that was cool.
It's going to be a busy week, I have quite a bit to do, I have a radio lab assignment that's due on Monday which I still have NO ideas on what I'm doing for the assignment. We'll just have to wait and see, try and figure out what I'm doing tonight I guess. I'm not a fan of some of these assignments Cross is giving us, but then again it's something that might happen in the real world. I mean, I'm sure we'll be getting assignments or things to do in a real station that we aren't necessarily think are "fun times". I guess it's just because I'm a LOT busier this year then I was last.
Not sure what the plans are for tonight, we'll just wait it out and see I guess. Taker easy!
-Kirk
Monday, October 8, 2007
You're So Beautiful, Invisible
What an adventurous weekend this was, so to speak. I need to fill you in I suppose. This weekend was the long Thanksgiving weekend. And I decided to take a trip to Hamilton to see Justin. Friday was a fun night too, was hanging out with Stacey and her friend Evan, he seems like a cool guy, and we hung out last night when I returned as well.
I guess I better start off in the right order. So, first off, Friday. I had an on air shift from 6-9pm which was kind of a fun set, not one of my best but we all have those days. And I decided after that I would chill with Stacey for a few drinks. Not long after I got back from my set her friend showed up and we had drinks together. He's a really good guy, and a pretty funny character. But that's pretty much all that happened on Friday. Just chatted and had a few drinks, but nonetheless that's not a bad thing.
Saturday I ended up waking up at 10am to try and catch the bus to be in Hamilton by noon. Well regardless to say, that sure didn't happen. I didn't end up getting into Hamilton until 2ish. But it was great to hang out with Justin and Theresa again. We headed to a party that night in Niagara, which I've never been. We talked about going to the falls afterwards but that plan sadly fell apart so I still have yet to see them, perhaps in the near future I can take a trip down. Oh well, the party was fun, I had no idea who anyone was, but I met some cool folks there.
Sunday was fun, woke up and went to church with Justin and Theresa. Then we headed back to his place and watched episodes of Sienfeld for awhile. Then I was back off to Toronto. It was good to see them again though, I didn't get back to Toronto until 5pm, and once I got back I went and took a nap. Then 7 hit and the phone rings, talked to my parents while still half a sleep and then called up Stacey to see what she was up too. We went down for food and then yes started drinking again.
The night was very fun, we ended up calling up for pizza from Pizza Pizza and sure enough they were late. So I run downstairs with Suni when we saw the pizza guy and start hounding on him, because after 50 minutes it's free. So he was getting ready to leave with our pizza. This is when I told him to call up his boss and let me talk to him. Sure enough he did, I talked to him and they told him to give us the pizza because he was, in fact, late! So free pizza for us! And the best part was we ordered two, so two free pizzas. The delivery guy was pretty upset, and as he handed over the pizza all he said was "I will never be late again". It was too funny, and when I walked away with a big grin on my face for getting free food I told him to have a "great night". It was hilarious!
Later that night we got listening to some LIVE, and decided to purchase their new album online, all I have to say is WOW! I am absolutely LOVING the sound of LIVE live. Yeah, if that doesn't confuse you, I don't know what will! I'm actually listening to it right now, they sound fantastic. I would love to see them live, and if they ever come to Toronto I am going at the drop of a hat. They also released two unheard tracks on this album, so not only do I get an AWESOME live performance album, but I get to hear two brand new tracks from LIVE. How awesome is that?? To tracks, Beautiful Invisible, and Radiant Sea, the title track. Of course the title track is always usually the best, sure enough it is a great tune. But most importantly, their live performance sound blew me away. I mean there's bands out there that can write music and record it, but then there's bands out there that can make it sound good live. And these guys CAN make it sound good live. All I have to say is, if you love LIVE, then pick up this live album from them, it will definitely not disappoint..
That's it for now!
-Kirk
I guess I better start off in the right order. So, first off, Friday. I had an on air shift from 6-9pm which was kind of a fun set, not one of my best but we all have those days. And I decided after that I would chill with Stacey for a few drinks. Not long after I got back from my set her friend showed up and we had drinks together. He's a really good guy, and a pretty funny character. But that's pretty much all that happened on Friday. Just chatted and had a few drinks, but nonetheless that's not a bad thing.
Saturday I ended up waking up at 10am to try and catch the bus to be in Hamilton by noon. Well regardless to say, that sure didn't happen. I didn't end up getting into Hamilton until 2ish. But it was great to hang out with Justin and Theresa again. We headed to a party that night in Niagara, which I've never been. We talked about going to the falls afterwards but that plan sadly fell apart so I still have yet to see them, perhaps in the near future I can take a trip down. Oh well, the party was fun, I had no idea who anyone was, but I met some cool folks there.
Sunday was fun, woke up and went to church with Justin and Theresa. Then we headed back to his place and watched episodes of Sienfeld for awhile. Then I was back off to Toronto. It was good to see them again though, I didn't get back to Toronto until 5pm, and once I got back I went and took a nap. Then 7 hit and the phone rings, talked to my parents while still half a sleep and then called up Stacey to see what she was up too. We went down for food and then yes started drinking again.
The night was very fun, we ended up calling up for pizza from Pizza Pizza and sure enough they were late. So I run downstairs with Suni when we saw the pizza guy and start hounding on him, because after 50 minutes it's free. So he was getting ready to leave with our pizza. This is when I told him to call up his boss and let me talk to him. Sure enough he did, I talked to him and they told him to give us the pizza because he was, in fact, late! So free pizza for us! And the best part was we ordered two, so two free pizzas. The delivery guy was pretty upset, and as he handed over the pizza all he said was "I will never be late again". It was too funny, and when I walked away with a big grin on my face for getting free food I told him to have a "great night". It was hilarious!
Later that night we got listening to some LIVE, and decided to purchase their new album online, all I have to say is WOW! I am absolutely LOVING the sound of LIVE live. Yeah, if that doesn't confuse you, I don't know what will! I'm actually listening to it right now, they sound fantastic. I would love to see them live, and if they ever come to Toronto I am going at the drop of a hat. They also released two unheard tracks on this album, so not only do I get an AWESOME live performance album, but I get to hear two brand new tracks from LIVE. How awesome is that?? To tracks, Beautiful Invisible, and Radiant Sea, the title track. Of course the title track is always usually the best, sure enough it is a great tune. But most importantly, their live performance sound blew me away. I mean there's bands out there that can write music and record it, but then there's bands out there that can make it sound good live. And these guys CAN make it sound good live. All I have to say is, if you love LIVE, then pick up this live album from them, it will definitely not disappoint..
That's it for now!
-Kirk
Friday, October 5, 2007
Where Has Time Gone?
I don't seem to have enough of it lately. Time keeps flying by, and I can't believe it's October already!
I got my interview with Chris. It was good to chat with him again. It's been kind of a hectik week, and this isn't going to be that much of a post because I have to get going. I have a lot of work to do.
But I started getting some content for my Radio Seminar project, and I interviewed Chris on his thoughts of radio and if digital media is taking over. He had some very insightful things to say about it. He also told me to keep sending him some air checks. He wants to compare from the first few that I've sent him. So that was cool too.
But, that's really all I have to say for right now, yeah it's a short post, just wanted to give an update on what has been going on. It's been busy, trying to get assignments done and on air shifts left and right, but speaking of that, I have to jet, I have one in about an hour!
Have a great Turkey Day!!!
-Kirk
I got my interview with Chris. It was good to chat with him again. It's been kind of a hectik week, and this isn't going to be that much of a post because I have to get going. I have a lot of work to do.
But I started getting some content for my Radio Seminar project, and I interviewed Chris on his thoughts of radio and if digital media is taking over. He had some very insightful things to say about it. He also told me to keep sending him some air checks. He wants to compare from the first few that I've sent him. So that was cool too.
But, that's really all I have to say for right now, yeah it's a short post, just wanted to give an update on what has been going on. It's been busy, trying to get assignments done and on air shifts left and right, but speaking of that, I have to jet, I have one in about an hour!
Have a great Turkey Day!!!
-Kirk
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