THWOMP Interview: Hey! Listen! CD Release

Calgary-based Nintendo® cover band THWOMP is gearing up for two exciting projects. They will rock Edmonton on August 6, 2010 at Animethon 17. In the fall, they will release their debut CD.

THWOMP is comprised of Calgarians Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards). Band members Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall took time out from THWOMP’s rehearsal schedule for an exclusive chat with Suite 101. Last time, they discussed their songwriting process. In this segment, they discuss the band’s upcoming CD release.

THWOMP Debut CD Release Fall 2010

"It’s sort of is in and odd state of being officially and not officially released yet," explained Dave. "I don’t think CD’s are officially released until you have a CD release party, which we haven’t done."

The recording for THWOMP's debut CD was made during the band's early years (pre-Dave and pre-Kirk). Their friend Brian (who performs with Dave and Brad in another group) took several recording courses did the recording. "Just live off the floor, everybody playing at the same time and hoping that nobody would screw up in a 15-minute song," said Dave. "That didn’t go that well, so it actually took a few retakes."

Then, the material sat in stasis for a few years. By the time the group had a chance to review the recording, they weren't happy with the quality.

The band realized that there is a huge opportunity to sell merchandise at anime conventions and comic conventions. "We decided to just get off our asses and finish it," said Dave. This time, they called upon their buddy Ryan Sadler of Spectratone Studio to re-engineer it. "We recorded my tracks on top because when it was originally recorded, I wasn’t in the band yet."

The CD artwork was done by a talented family friend, "Kaitlin Reckord. She’s only 16. She’s a student in an art school in town...She did a great job," chimed in Brad.

With THWOMP's Animethon 17 performance on August 6, 2010, they guys have their hands full. They will nail down details for their fall CD release party (to "officially" release their CD) and begin designing a new t-shirt after Animethon.

They also have set their sights beyond Alberta. "We’re going to set our minds into getting into some conventions we haven’t been in yet, like the ones out in Vancouver and hopefully the ones in Washington, if possible," added Dave.

THWOMP is a Nintendo® cover band that brings to life the music from classic Nintendo® and Super Nintendo® video games. The band is comprised of Calgarians Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards). To learn more about THWOMP, the band or to listen to audio clips, visit their website and Myspace page.

To find out about THWOMP's CD, entitled "Hey! Listen", check out my album review. Ordering information is also there.

Full interview series: Part 1 – THWOMP’s Origins | Part 2 – Band Names & Niches | Part 3 – Songwriting | Part 4 - Hey! Listen! CD Release | Part 5 - On Gigs | Part 6 - Convention Gigs | Part 7 - Video Games | Part 8 - Fun & Food

Summer Workshops for Music Teachers

Our music teacher organizations and the Calgary Arts Summer School Association do a wonderful job at offering professional development opportunities for music teachers through workshops and conferences.

One thing I would like to get into more is to go away to study music teaching and performance. Here are some summer music programs for music teachers that caught my eye:

Adult Continuing Education Courses in Music at the Victoria Conservatory of Music

Boston University Summer Music Courses

Summer Workshops for Musicians and Music Teachers at MSU

Summer 2013 Workshops for Music Teachers at the University of Wisconsin

University of Delaware Workshops for Music Educators

University of Massachusetts Amherst Music and Drama Workshops and Courses

Video Conferencing and "Live" Music Technology and Jazz Education Workshops at Western State College

Get Your Virtual Pass to the 2013 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

This weekend, geeks from all over the world will descend upon Calgary for our city's second largest annual show - the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo (AKA "The Calgary Expo"). There is a fantastic line-up for geeks of all ages.

The show gets started with the Parade of Wonders the morning of Friday, April 26, 2013. Then the doors open at the Calgary Stampede. There will be something for everyone, from traditional gaming to video games and from Star Wars to Torchwood. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Stan Lee and Nathan Fillion in person, as well as WETA Studio's display. And if you grew up listening to Weird Al Yankovic, you'll be happy to hear that he's performing here Friday night.

Whether you missed out on getting a weekend pass before the Calgary Expo sold out, or have the quandary being unable to attend a session you really want to check out, you can get your Virtual Pass to the Calgary Expo. Panels will be streamed live and then archived for later viewing.

Head to FlipOn.tv to get your Calgary Expo Virtual Pass for only $14.95. Check out the line-up on the show's website.

What to Have in Your Technique Toolbox

My friend and colleague, LaDona Ahenda has published a comprehensive series on "In the Technique Toolbox". She takes a look at several books and methods, grouped by level.

In the Technique Box (Part 1): Beginner & Elementary

In the Technique Box (Part 2): Intermediate

In the Technique Box (Part 3): Advanced

Are we surprised that most of them are on the Popular Hand Exercises For Piano Book List? Please, tell me that you weren't.

DVD Review - The Music Instinct: Science & Song

"One of the last frontiers is the human brain," said Robert J. Zatorre, neuroscientist at McGill University. "Music serves as a gateway to understanding human cognition." Zatorre and Daniel Levitin teamed up with colleagues from around the world to unravel the secrets of the brain in The Music Instinct: Science & Song.

Also featured in this PBS Network DVD documentary are physicist Brian Greene, neuroscientists Lawrence Parsons and Jamshed Bharucha, archeologists Steven Mithen and Nicholas Conard, ethnomusicologist Kay K. Shelemay, researchers Sheila C. Woodward, Kathleen Wermke and Tom Fritz, psychologist John Sloboda, neurologists Gottfried Schlaug, Oliver Sacks and Tom Cicoria, neurobiologist Aniruddh Patel and author Steven Pinker.

Musicians interviewed include singer Bobby McFerrin, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie, violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, conductor/pianist Daniel Barenboim, British rockers Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, blind pianist Hwaen Ch'uqi and Lebanese singer Christiane Karam.

Cutting Edge Technology Reveals How Music Affects the Brain

With Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) and PET technology, scientists can track blood flow and brain activity when subjects are listening to music, improvising, composing and collaborating. This helps them map various areas of the brain that are used.

In The Music Instinct, scientists discovered that the body is a barometer of our musical response to music. When listening to frightening music, our body responds by exhibiting the "flight or fight" response. When we listen to music we like, dopamine, the neurotransmitter for pleasure, is released. A recent discovery is that multiple areas of the brain are involved in processing music.

Music Teaches Us about the Brain, the Brain Teaches Us Music

"If you look at music performance, there's no activity that we do that allows the brain to do so many things at once, with such a complicated coordination and at such depth," said Parsons. His team discovered brain activity is higher when performing in collaboration versus performing solo. Playing an instrument engages the brain more than just listening to music.

"Music - probably one of the most distinctive characteristics of humans," said Mithen, who set out to discover how this compulsion for musicality evolved. He traveled to Germany, where Conard showed him an ivory flute from the Ice Age. The ancient artifacts found seem to indicate that music was as much a part of their life as it is now and that they used a similar scale in their music.

Woodward and Wermke found that babies can hear sound within their mother's womb and that they prefer consonance. Wermke learned that babies cry using melodic intervals, commonly using a perfect fifth, major and minor third and perfect fourth.

Both found that children of deaf parents performed similarly. This is significant as children of deaf parents were subject to less sound stimulation in the womb.

Is Music Universal?

Researchers learned that there are three intervals that are most common worldwide: the perfect fifth, perfect fourth and the perfect octave (the third is next). Ethnomusicologists also found that art music and lullabies from around the world possess common traits.

One interesting study showed the Mafa tribe in Africa. This civilization is far removed from modern technology and Western music. Researchers asked the Mafa to listen to musical excerpts from around the world and identify each as being "happy", "sad" or "scary". Their response was identical to people from Western cultures.

However, Shelemay warns viewers against claims of anything being "universal" in music. "Conceptions vary," she said.

Neurologists and other scientists found that playing music with a strong pulse helps patients with Parkinson's Disease learn to walk again. They also discovered that music helps stroke patients improve their speech and motor skills. Music that mimics the sound of a mother's heartbeat soothes premature babies, while it helps slow down the progress of dementia.

A Well Done Piece that Leaves Viewers with More Questions

Will this take away the mystery of music for you or whet your appetite for more information? Watch it and decide for yourself.

This PBS documentary features an impressive team of scientists and musicians. However, as the team admits, they face challenges and controversies moving forward. Are music and language two sides of the same coin or can they be separated? How much of what we know is learned and how much is "music instinct"? Does music move us or do the memories we attach to a song move us?

To find out more about Daniel Levitin's studies on science and music, visit Why Music Moves Us, Why Do People Sing?, DanielLevitin's website and The Music Instinct on PBS.

If you haven't figured it out yet: goose bumps come from the brain.

Release Date: 2009

Running Time: 120 minutes

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Director: Elena Mannes

Executive Producers: Elena Mannes & Margaret Smilow

Special Features: 12 additional interviews and performances

Where to buy The Music Instinct:

Originally published on Suite101.com on December 19, 2009. Updated April 2, 2013. All rights reserved by Rhona-Mae Arca.