The Dark Carnival Music Mythology Builds A Loyal Following

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For all the press (negative and positive) Insane Clown Posses horror rap music receives from mainstream and underground media alike, theres one aspect of the Insane Clown Posse shtick that is all too often overlooked: the Dark Carnival.

That could be because many people dont take the time to understand it, which is unfortunate because the Dark Carnival is just one more element of Insane Clown Posses music that makes them so unique. Ever since crafting the concept of Dark Carnival and Jokers Cards at the beginning of their musical career, its been central to the band successfully connecting with fans.

Dark Carnival: The Origins

It all came to Violent J in a dream. In this dream, spirits in a traveling carnival appeared to him. After deliberation between Violent Js older brother, Robert Bruce (better known by his stage name JumpSteady) and the other half of Insane Clown Posse Shaggy 2 Dope, it was decided that the Dark Carnival was a static state between life and the after life in which spirits of the dead waited before going to heaven or hell.

Dark Carnivals Involvement with Insane Clown Posse Song Material

Insane Clown Posse members have intelligently decided to use this dream to their advantage and make it a permanent fixture in their persona. Insane Clown Posse uses the Dark Carnival as a platform to relay messages or moral stories through their albums, or Jokers Cards. These Jokers Cards all communicate unique messages.

But what morals could a band like ICP possibly convey through Jokers Cards and the Dark Carnival? After all, their music doesnt exactly lend itself to virtuous living.

The best examples are outlined in the Carnival of Carnage, The Riddle Box, and the Great Milenko Jokers Cards. In Carnival of Carnage, the Jokers Card takes the form of a traveling carnival that releases brutality upon the upper class and government that were negligent to societys lower classes during their lifetime. The moral here is equality.

The Riddle Box urges onlookers to seek their own morality deep inside themselves, and correct it if its on the wrong path. Finally, the Great Milenko symbolizes the inner hedonist within us all, and emphasizes that this desire must be fought off in order to reach heaven. The entire Dark Carnival mythology becomes amazingly complex when all seven cards and their meanings are analyzed.

There are currently seven Jokers Cards in the Dark Carnival, six in deck 1 and one (soon to be two) in deck 2. The Dark Carnival Jokers Cards in order of release are as follows: Carnival of Carnage, The Ringmaster, Riddle Box, Great Milenko, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, Death (end Deck 1), and Bang! Pow! Boom! (end Deck 2).

Insane Clown Posse is looking to release card #2 in Deck #2, The Mighty Death Pop, in 2011. It has been announced that The Mighty Death Pop Jokers Card will have two faces instead of one, look out for number two coming soon!

Interview With David Zennie, Music Video Director

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David Zennie
Date of Interview: December 1, 2010

This is an interview that I conducted with David Zennie, a writer/producer/director, whom I admire. This interview is with David, specifically in his capacity as a music video director. I want to thank David for taking time out of his busy schedule to give us the inside scoop on music video production.

What exactly is the director’s job during the production of a music video?

The director’s job on a music video is to develop a visual concept for the song and assemble a creative production crew to produce the content. During physical production of the video – the filming – the director manages all activity to capture the concept on film. This includes working with various creative professionals to ensure everyone is on the same page and persisting in the same vision creatively.

What crew is used to produce a music video?

Music video crews vary depending on budget. On a project for an independent artist – where budgets are small and no funds are being advanced by a record label – you’re working with the bare essentials: the performing artist, whatever actors the concept calls for, a producer, a director, a cinematographer and hopefully a few extra hands to help wrangle gear, food and location needs. If you’re lucky, a still photographer is available to document the process for print marketing, website and festival purposes.

What equipment is used to produce a music video?

The basic equipment you need for an indie music video is a reliable camera package, a basic lighting package, digital storage drives and a computer with editing software. The equipment is usually cost-prohibitive, unless you’re working with talent who can supply the resources – cinematographers who own a camera, editors who own an editing system, actors with interesting clothes in their closets, etc. Shoot digital HD if you can – you won’t have to purchase tape stock.

How long does the average music video take to produce?

On average, a quality music video takes two days to shoot – one day for filming the conceptual or story material and one day for filming the artist performing the song. Development prior to shooting and editing after shooting can be a moving target depending on everyone’s schedule, but generally can last anywhere from two to six weeks each. On average, let’s say six weeks from concept to final, edited piece.

How do you prepare to direct a music video?

A director has numerous responsibilities in order to prep a music video. First, you need a great concept the recording artist likes. Next, you need to assemble a crew with all the right equipment and schedule shooting dates that work for everyone at locations that are appropriate to the concept. In prep for shooting, the director maps out the story beats to be filmed along with directions and adjustments for the actors. Because you’re not dealing in dialog performance, casting for the right look and energy becomes essential. If you’ve prepared properly, everyone understands what they need to do, and you’re able to give productive direction when challenges emerge.

How does the music of the song itself affect the production of a music video?

The song itself affects production less than you might think. By all means, you want the song playing during performance. But sometimes silence – or a different kind of music entirely – works to evoke the emotion you’re looking for from your actors. If properly constructed, the spirit of the shoot is drawn from the concept, which in turn has been inspired by the song. So, aside from physical performance, the song itself functions best as subtext.

Can you describe the editing process?

The editing process is where everything comes together. First step is to digitize your footage into an editing system like FCP or Avid. Then you play through everything, sub-clipping and labeling the material for easy access. It’s painstaking. It’s maddening. But you’re building a puzzle, and you need to know where all your pieces are.

What does it take to get your final seal of approval on a music video you directed?

Final approval on a music video comes in three stages. First, the director needs to establish what’s called a “fine” cut. The fine cut is what you send to the recording artist for notes and feedback.
Addressing those notes is then step two. Once your recording artist is satisfied – and this may take some work – you have a finished piece. Personally, I like to let a finished piece sit for a week before releasing it to the world. Editing can be a lot like writing – you get blind to your own material after a while and need to stick it in a drawer for a period of time before coming back with fresh eyes for one last look. “Last looks” is then step three. Make your final adjustments, and you’re ready to release your work to the world.

Are there any secrets that you learned in directing music videos?

There are some secrets to directing a music video… but they’re secret. I will say this much: you can’t phone it in. If you’re not sufficiently inspired by the song, then you won’t see inspiration on the screen. If you’re thinking about directing a music video, make sure to begin with a song that inspires a concept. If you do this, you’re on the right path.

Download Music From Songs.pk In Mp3 Format For Pure Listening Pleasure

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Listening to music is very soothing for many people. Regardless of our culture and background people the world over love to listen to songs and sing along or hum the melodies. Music often puts things into perspective as it expresses emotion and strikes certain chords that we never knew existed. People react differently when they hear certain songs or beats of music.

Music lovers enjoy making a collection of their favorite songs and treasure them for years by replaying them whenever they are in the mood. Music can fill you with nostalgia. Sad songs can make you cry while happy lively songs may make you get up and dance. It is a great gift for people who live alone and wish to spend hours listening to their favorite songs or for those who get inspired by the words of a song. Many websites have mushroomed online to promote free music downloads that cut across barriers of language, culture and country. You can now listen to music from bygone eras or the latest that set the pace and trend and download the ones that you particularly like from these online websites.

There are several websites that talk about the subject but it is difficult to find information on the right websites that offer clarity of sound to download on your MP3 player. Many music stores online offer limited music MP3s and you may have to pay a small fee for downloading their songs. Are you interested in downloading Malayalam songs online? Check out songs.pk which is a popular website that allows you to download Bollywood, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam music for free.

When you listen to a radio, you only hear the songs that have been pre-selected. The advantage with listening to songs online at certain websites is that you have the liberty of downloading and listening to your favorite songs immediately. You can create your own personal playlist and listen to them over and over again.

Indian songs.pk has the latest Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil MP3 albums and songs. Download them on your PC and listen to them whenever you wish to hear your favorite songs. You can send them a request if you are interested in certain songs and you can download the same in an MP3 format.

Many of the websites online are free though some accept a payment for downloading music. One should be careful of downloading from certain free sites as they are not safe. Certain viruses and malware may creep into the system and cause problems. Protect your PC or players from crashing by checking out the website and reading the reviews before using them.

You do not have to purchase an entire CD when you are interested in a particular song. However, when you download from the internet, you can download only the track that you wish to hear along with your other favorite songs. Create your own music library and store them on your MP3 player to listen at your convenience. Enjoy listening to the Malayalam songs that you have downloaded whenever you are in the mood.

Find The Best Calming Music For Better Sleep

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In recently Insomnia has been emerging as one of the greatest health hazards in all across the globe. A recent report issued by the various health research firm in USA states that almost all the working professionals whether men and women are suffering from Insomnia that is sleeplessness. Well, in this regard the credit goes to the growing work pressure in the office and working late night taking more workloads beyond the limit. This paved the way for various health issues which can turn fatal if proper precaution is not taken on time. Here, need to keep in mind that people might suffer from sleeplessness due to many reasons, starting excess work pressure, to unusual lifestyles. Thus every possible initiative must be taken from your part to ensure a good sleep during the night. In this regard, there has been many medicinal pills are flooding the market that claim to solve all your sleeping issues and make you fall asleep faster, but here the main problem is that many of these odd pills comes with a certain level of side effects which can be injurious to health. In this regard, soot hung calming music can do the job for you that naturally ensure a sound and healthy sleep to you.

You can find many soothing music CDs are found both in online and offline stores that you can buy. Medical Research has proved that music is rated to be the greatest medicine, which is the language of our soul. Therefore, for these reasons music therapies are becoming more popular in the medical field and are used as a last resort to cure and heal patients naturally and internally. This soothing music plays the role of healing your mind and body that naturally solves and cures you from your sleep issues by making you feel relaxed and peaceful. All these sleepy music helps in shedding all your tiredness and restless and make you fall asleep faster in a natural way. Here, you can take the treatment of your sleeplessness from a renowned insomnia center Help Myself Insomnia founded and run by eminent music therapist Ryan Judd. Here from this site, you can get the list of all soothing sleep songs composed and set by Ryan Judd that completely heal your mind and body from inside and make you feel, calm, relax, and help to find peace of mind.

Thus, in the process it helps you to enjoy a sound sleep during night. Mr Riyan Judd is regarded as one of the leading music therapists who not only compose music from his own, but also conduct an elaborate research on how music can heal ones mind and body from inside. Ryan has been treating many patients who are suffering from sleeping disorders and offering them proper medical counseling regarding how a good music therapy can help in reducing sleeplessness. Many people have benefited from his treatment by buying his collection of soothing calm music, which is widely available from his site helping Myself Insomnia. You can get all detailed information regarding this issue.

Geddy Lee And His Influence On Progressive Metal Music

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Geddy Lee first appeared on the world music stage in the year 1968, when he joined a Canadian rock band called Rush. His childhood friend, Alex Lifeson, a member of that rock band, asked Geddy Lee to join as Jeff Jones, the front man at that time, was to be replaced. Geddy Lee soon assumed the front man part, as he became the lead vocalist, keyboardist and bassist of Rush. Since then, Geddy Lee made history in progressive metal music and influenced great rock players.

Progressive metal music has its origins in the progressive rock of the 1960s, but did not become a genre until the 1980s. This form of rock is a blend between the powerful guitar sound of heavy metal, intricate instrument playing and complex structures. Jazz and classical music also influenced progressive metal music. The duration of a progressive metal song is longer than a standard one. Rushs Geddy Lee was one of the first to introduce progressive rock to the world. Throughout the years, Rushs music combined different music styles and gave birth to new genres of rock, while Geddy Lee had a major impact on progressive metal music.

In the 1990s, MTV gave progressive metal music mainstream exposure by making Queensrche’s “Silent Lucidity a big hit. Although this was not exactly the song to represent metal music, it brought many progressive metal bands into the spotlight and made this rock genre more popular. Dream Theatre was next. This band truly represented progressive metal music. Even to this day, Dream Theatre is one of the most successful progressive metal bands and this success can be partially attributed to Geddy Lee. This band is most famous for their technical proficiency and Geddy Lee was their inspiration. Metallicas Cliff Burton or Iron Maidens Steve Harris were also inspired by the front man of Rush, so it is safe to say that this man had a big impact upon the development of progressive metal music.

Geddy Lee did not settle for playing with Rush. He has also produced many albums for other bands, and, in the year 2000, his solo was released. Progressive rock was now richer due to Geddy Lees contribution to this genre by every means possible. He composed songs and performed for Rush, he inspired many great artists, who successfully made a name for themselves, he produced albums for different other bands and he also released a solo.

Progressive metal music is as complex as Geddy Lees style. We can safely say that this prolific Rush member influenced many progressive metal artists, but he also added his touch to other music genres. Progressive metal music is a vast genre of rock because it can be broken down into numerous sub- genres, each of them corresponding to different music styles that artists have chosen as inspiration. Geddy Lee is an artist who, throughout the years, has looked for inspiration in many music styles and integrated them into his music. So the contribution Geddy Lee has had to progressive metal music is of great importance.