Candi Auchterlonie

candi auchterlonie

what is your name?
Candi Viola Auchterlonie
how would you describe what you do?
I’m a free agent! I live a secular slightly off kilter life, quite poor; though I feel tremendously privileged to live my little frivolous lifestyle, I stay home with my son, play all day long like a child, which offers me a unique pure perspective on this ever quickening world. I get to see the world with child’s eyes, I wouldn’t trade that for any amount of wealth.

And then by night, I’m an insomniac working like a madwoman on my writing.
I mostly write adult contemporary poetry, with an emphasis on the unyielding beauty of the lessening natural world surround, love and hatred in all their doctrines- fear being the recurring source from which I find most other emotions stem, I basically write about this spectrum disorder called humanity.

what are you currently working on?
My second book of poems, titled “Creation Sandbox” (pretty sure I’ll stick with that title, but it could change during the publishing process? And if so, I’ll keep everyone informed

And a couple stories I’ve been simultaneously trying my hand at, one is a children’s book, the other is a romance, both are in their intermediate stages of editing.

what has had the greatest influence on your work?
I’ve fretted and mulled myself into migraines over such questions as this one; but the source of my fire is found everywhere, I find inspiration in small unseen by the common eye things, I like to slow down and write about what I see in just everyday things, extraordinary moments found in ordinary existence. I write about people- their stories, love, children, nature, philosophy.

But my love, truthfully- is autumn, I’ve always been so drawn to autumn, it is so easy to be swept away in autumns’ endless metaphors flurrying around us, it’s necessary death to become born again, it’s eternal and annual falling in love, fervent passion, the cold “denials”, nurture versus nature, the smouldering colours tiled against the abysmal slate grey’s above, it’s fall, and it’s eventual rise.

And I would be lying if I said that my influence stopped there, my teacher’s, the many living and dead writers I idolize have certainly branded me with their voices. I would lie if I said that Jelaluddin Rumi, did not have a spell over my soul, heart and mind.

what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
The greatest misconception about me, would be that I’m not a fighter; some might think at first glance, but I most certainly am.

I take everything in, and take from it something constructive to try and better myself and my writing, hard critiques from people who disliked my work, or people who feel the necessitative need to impose their advice or viewpoints on what one is doing “wrong” with their lives, or my life, I take what I can from it, and slough off the rest, and keep true to myself, I’m very strong willed, with a strong sense of self, and purpose.

what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
My strength is my perspective I bring, I feel my writing style and voice are unique; and on the flipside, I think my weakness, sometimes can be my use of description and imagery, and the length of my pieces can tend to be rather long, so I am working on getting out of my comfort zone, and have tried my hand at some new topics to write of, and have showcased some shorter pieces to show my ability to be versatile, and learn new techniques and methods, while still staying true to my voice.

how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
In every conceivable way entirely, it has definitely been a tool not a burden, I think that their are some misconceptions out there about technology destroying writing, and I admit I even was one of those who romanticized writing as a sacred thing that should be kept separate from this commercial/technical age, but some of my closest writer friends- from all reaches of this world, my muses, and my connections to the literary world have been through the internet, I shudder to think what I would be this day, without all of them.

what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
Keep your tunnel vision; stay focussed on what fires you, live for aspiring to that, find a way.

where can we find you online?
http://www.erbacce-press.com

http://www.erbacce-press.com/#/candi-v-auchterlonie/4536537954

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=417560459

http://home.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=517723240

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=517723240#/pages/Candi-V-Auchterlonie-Poetry/134555493230

http://www.candivauchterloniepoetry.blogspot.com/

what are you reading at the moment?
Susan Minot “4am”, and Eugenio Montale “collected works”

what are you listening to at the moment?

My faves’ playlist:

Andrew Byrd “Anonanimal”, Damien Rice “Volcano”, ColdPlay “Strawberry Swing & Warning Sign”,
Death Cab for Cutie “Bixby Canyon Bridge”

anything else we should know?
Nothing comes to mind.

[Via http://intoviews.wordpress.com]

An Interview with Planet Fiction

 

Planet Fiction are a Brisbane based, self proclaimed ‘Hard Rock’ band who have been out on the local scene for about 2 years building up their fan base and working on their first EP.  There are four of the somewhat mysterious fellows who make one hell of a sound on stage and then contradictingly step off at the end of the set to have a quiet drink in the smokers area looking nonchalant.  Adam is on lead vocals, Paw is on lead guitar, Gruff is on bass and Kelvin works the drums.

I asked Planet Fiction a few questions after seeing them at a gig for the second time and wanting a little more than just photographs.

So guys, the name, Planet Fiction, why?
Adam: I was watching He-Man: Master Of the Universe and thought the name “Eternia” would be cool, it’s a Planet in the movie.  I was describing it to Paw as a fictional planet and he said “Why not Planet Fiction”.
Paw: It also has some other meanings we’ve discovered, like if you get really hammered you could wind up on “Planet Fiction”.   Also relating it to earth, how stuff here can seem real but it’s in fact fake as f*ck.

You guys seem to be great friends as well as band members, how do you all know each other?
Paw: We all woke up naked on a hammock one morning in New Guinea.  It’s actually a front, we all hate each others guts and we wish we never met.

You initially had another drummer, (whom they claim to have left back in that hammok in PNG), Kelvin you have been with them for about 9 months now, do you feel/have you felt like you have someone elses shoes to fill?
Kelvin: Not really, we started on a bit of a new sound right away, so I bought my feel to the band.

Adam, have you had any voice training?  ‘Cause you belt that shit out there, ever scared of ruining your voice?
Adam: I’ve had a few singing lessons, the tutor said my throat’s nice and intact so no worries at all!  I’ll be doing it as long as I can.

What do you think of the growing Brisbane music scene?
Paw: It’s good!  Could be better… Less dance, more rock. It’s defiantly coming along though, very exciting.

Do you think Brisbane is aware of/fans of the metal scene?
Adam:  When you’re out there amongst it for so long, you realise how huge it is.

How do you find Brisbane audiences?
Gruff:  Pretty tame towards unknown bands, but the same as anywhere else in the world, they go off tap towards bands they know and love.

If you could play a headline gig anywhere in Brisbane, where would you want to make your noise?
Paw: The Tivoli, but right now, realistically speaking, The Globe or The Zoo.

Which local bands would you choose to support you at this headline gig?
Adam:  Damasyria, we’ve done a few shows with those boys and they’re always good fun and write good shit. In a perfect world Melodessy, Butterfly Effect or Mammal!

Can you see a future for your band, how do you forsee your band ending up?
Gruff:  Rehab or locked up for us 3… Kelvin will probably be a priest.

Who are your influences?  Are you the type of guys who only listen to your genre, or can we catch you chilling out to Neil Young on the weekends?
Adam: I defiantly don’t listen to only our genre, I like punk, rock, a little bit of rap, some pop?  I’m a huge fan of Finch, Refused, A Day To Remember… I will only list a few!
Paw:  I really like Sarah Blasko and The Wiggles.
Gruff:  I’m pretty open minded when it come to music, I listen to most things.  But, my influences are Finch, Grinspoon, A Day To Remember and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Kelvin:  DYING FETUS!!!

I have heard you are making an EP, how are you doing?  When is that coming out, whats the plans?
Gruff:  We have plans to have an EP ready soon, but as for dates etc, that’s undecided. We feel we have a lot more work to do on it.

I reviewed you last year at X&Y, someone left an unsavoury message on the post declaring your music to be ’shit’.  How did that make you feel to hear something like that? 
Gruff:  Tracked the c*nt down, slit his neck…
Paw: And took a sh*t down it. We’re pretty cool now.

I guess when you are first on the music scene, negative comments can drag you down, but at the end of the day it means people are listening.  Do you feel like it impacted on you negatively as a band?
Kelvin: No, not at all, it’s going happen a lot more in the future, you have to take it on the chin.  It only bettered us.

Who writes the lyrics?
Gruff: Mainly Adam, there’s a few tracks Paw has written and I’ve had a bit of input too.

What is one song that defines who you are as a band?
Adam: If it’s one of ours, probably ‘Now That It’s All Gone’, because it samples a bit of everything we do.  If it’s someone else’s, ‘Afro Man – Because I Got High’.

If you are a fan of hard rock/metal and like it loud, check out Planet Fiction on MySpace:  http://www.myspace.com/planetfictionband

[Via http://livereviews.wordpress.com]

Oscar 2010 Special: Meet Stanley Tucci lookalike from Bollywood

You have seen him in many critically acclaimed films such as Lage Raho Munnabhai, Metro, Quick Gun Murugun and so on. In Fashion Ashwin Mushran played Rohit, Priyanka Chopra’s best friend. But every time you watch him on screen, he reminds you of a certain Hollywood star. Any guess?

Ashwin Mushran

Surprised? This is Stanley Tucci, who played Nigel in the screen adaption of The Devil Wears Prada also starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway.

Stanley Tucci

Ashwin started out with tv commercials which led to him becoming a cast member of the cult Indian TV show, The Great Indian Comedy Show. From there he moved on to acting in feature films. Ashwin is also heavily involved with theatre and is a voice over artiste as well.

Ashwin, yet again

In 2009, Tucci again starred opposite Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia playing husband Paul Child to her Julia Child. Also in 2009, Tucci portrayed the murderer of a young girl in The Lovely Bones. Both the films got Oscar nominations.

As Paul Child, Tucci’s character in Julie & Julia would be remembered for a very long time. Like Julia, any woman would fall in love with him.

Tucci in Julia & Julia

[Via http://reelstories.wordpress.com]

Tasks & Treatments : Have You Memorized it Yet?

Download Tasks & Treatments’ first episode!
Solitary 4.0 is upon us and we couldn’t be happier! Boy, do we have a heck of a show for you this week! We have a bunch of interviews for you!
Part 1 : Allison and Bryan recap the Solitary 4.0 season premier
Part 2 : An interview with the original #6 Rhonda Lucero
Part 3 : An interview with #1 Nick Leland
Part 4 : Mystery interview!

Links of Note:
#6 AKA Rhonda : http://rhondalucero.com
#6’s Husband AKA Mr Mojo : http://tonylucero.com
#1 AKA Nick : http://cancerismyreality.com
Save Solitary : www.savesolitary.com

Get a hold of us!
Website : www.NotMakeFriends.com
E-Mail : podcast@notmakefriends.com
Phone : (206) 202-3261
Twitter : @NotMakeFriends

[Via http://notmakefriends.wordpress.com]

Hey Taylor..New Moneymaking Venture...come quick..

I listened to the Roundtable interview last night, and suddenly it came to me. We should be playing a drinking game when listening to Taylor Hicks interviews. It’s not really his fault. I mean, how many answers can you really come up with to “When did you first pick up a harmonica?” There’s really only one. I get tired of listening to the same old Q&A, I can’t even imagine how he feels. So, in the spirit of The Simpsons (Doh!) and The Brady Bunch (Marcia, Marcia, Marcia), I’ve decided that the only palatable way to get through these interviews is a drinking game. Here are the rules:

1. Every time he says something we’ve heard a billion times, you take a drink.
2. Every time he smacks his lips, you take a shot.

The thing is, I think I counted twenty four lip smacks, which means twenty four shots. That might be best for everybody involved.

Example:

Interviewer: “Taylor, how old were you when you started playing in clubs?”

Taylor Hicks: “I was about 14 or 15 when I started sneaking into blues clubs.”

DRINK!!

Interviewer: “Taylor, did the grueling Idol tour prepare you for touring in Grease?”

TH: *lip smack* “Yeah.”

SHOT!!

Interviewer: “Did you ever have harmonica lessons?”

TH: “No, I learned by playing off air conditioners and airplanes.”

DRINK!!

Interviewer: “Tell me about how you ended up auditioning for American Idol.”

TH: “I was in New Orleans for a friend’s wedding, and I ended up getting the last taxicab before Hurricaine Katrina. *lip smack* Southwest canceled my flight and gave me a free ticket anywhere. I thought ‘I’ve never been to Vegas’ so I ended up there. My brother called me and told me to go audition for American Idol. And here I am.”

DRINK!!
SHOT!!

You get the picture, right? We could totally market this to the Soul Patrol. They’ll buy anything with his name on it. This is a perfect opportunity for the shot glasses from the 2007 tour. Instead of gathering dust in the back of Clay’s truck, we’ll throw them in a box along with a bottle of Crown Royal.

[Via http://itsallgrey.wordpress.com]

Performance and Interview: Svavar Knútur

Icelandic singer-songwriter Svavar Knútur joined Casey and Chrissy to discuss his Australian tour (“it’s been a trip”), lies he tells people about Iceland, Italian Spiderman, and life as a travelling troubadour. He also performed for us, playing his song ‘Clementine’. Airdate: 28/01/10 

Photo taken by Walter Marsh

Stream the entire visit using the audio player below, or download the interview and performance separately using the direct links: 

 

Download Interview (mp3)  

Download Performance of Clementine (mp3)  

 Check out more of Svavar’s music and buy the album Kvöldvaka on his website, http://svavarknutur.bandcamp.com/

[Via http://therange.wordpress.com]

Interview: Reel Big Fish

In the midst of touring the UK, Faye recently caught up with ska legends Reel Big Fish as they stopped by in Newcastle, they got talking about a whole lot of ska, their forthcoming 20-year anniversary, and the possibility of a Reel Big Fish arena tour! Seriously…

Faye: Can you introduce yourselves?
Derek: I’m Derek, I play bass in the Reel Big Fish.
Johnny: And I am Johnny Christmas, and I play the trumpet the Reel Big Fish.

Faye: So, how are you today in Newcastle?
Johnny: We’re good, we saw a castle, I’m not sure if it was the ‘Newcastle’, but it was a castle.
Derek: It looked pretty old to me.
Johnny: Yeah, and we saw the self-cleaning bridge.

Faye: Can you tell us a bit about the bands on this tour?
Johnny: Ooh, Sonic Boom Six, a fabulous Manchester band, part hip-hop, part ska, part punk rock, they do it all.
Derek: And Big D and the Kids Table, from the east coast of the US, representing that part of the country.
Johnny [mimicking a Boston accent]: From Boston, down by the harbour! This is the first tour we’ve done with them, we’ve played together with them, I know, at some point, but this is the first tour with them, and they’re a bunch of sweet guys and gals.

Faye: How does it feel that you can still come to the UK every year and sell out venues, even if you don’t have a new release?
Derek: It’s a good feeling.
Johnny: It’s awesome! We are very lucky individuals.

Faye: It seems like you have a really loyal fanbase:
Derek: Absolutely.
Johnny: We do! There’s a high turnover with our fanbase throughout the world, which is very strange, and there’s always a whole new crop of kids that are here at the show.

Faye: You’ve been going for nearly 20-years, but you still tour non-stop.
Johnny: Yeah, 19-years, it’s strange to think about it, and the band has probably been on the road for about 15-years consistently.

Faye: How do you keep your sets fresh?
Derek: Our setlist rotates a little bit, but we know we have to play certain songs, I mean, if on this tour we said we’re not going to play Beer that probably wouldn’t go over too well.
Johnny: People would be mad, they’d throw stuff. There’s always something special, though. Derek and I have not seen the setlist yet for tonight, so aside from the ‘hits’, we don’t know what gets thrown in there, maybe there’ll be some little nugget of absolute fabulousness, we’ll find out tonight.

Faye: Are you going to do anything special to celebrate your 20th anniversary next year?
Johnny: We haven’t even talked about it, but I think we should do the Reel Big Fish arena tour, because we’re been around for 20-years, we deserve to play arenas! Make it happen!

Faye: On your past few UK tours, you’ve had smaller UK ska/punk bands supporting you, like Sonic Boom Six, Fandangle, Random Hand, Beat Union, do you have a say in who’s supporting you?
Johnny: Usually not, I don’t think, Sonic Boom Six may have been a re-request as we’ve taken them on tour before, but, usually, I don’t think we have a say in it. It just winds up happening without any of our say. Sometimes Aaron can say something, so maybe that’s why Sonic Boom Six is back, but usually it’s a mystery

Faye: Do have any views on the UK ska scene? Do you know much about it?
Johnny: We really don’t know much about anything, because we’re constantly on tour and we don’t have long enough to set up roots anywhere and actually go to shows, we’re always the show, we’re always on the road, so it’s hard to stay in touch like that.
Derek: From my point of view, when I look out and see 1000-2000 in the audience, that means the scene is pretty good, I think, at least relating to us it is, so it’s pretty strong here, I think.

Faye: Does it compare differently to the ska scene in America?
Derek: Well, the ska scene is there, for sure.
Johnny: Yeah, it’s the same thing, we’re looking at 1000-2000 people every night, and this is the weird thing about us, we can go all over the world and do the same thing, and it doesn’t matter where it’s at. We can play in Moscow, Russia, and have a sold out show, we can play in Buenos Aries, Argentina, having never been there, and have a sold out show, it’s really a special thing that we get to do.

Faye: So, do you not find Europe more accepting of ska? Or is it the same for you worldwide?
Johnny: I think it’s the same around the world, and this maybe a jaded point of view, but you can transplant that audience, no matter where we’re at, anywhere in the world, to anywhere else in the world. Like when we play in Russia, it’s like the same kids here at Newcastle, which looks like the same kids that are there in America, which looks like the same kids that are in Mexico City, aside from there’s no blondes in Mexico City, or very few. It’s wild.

Faye: There doesn’t seem to be many up-and-coming ska bands coming out of the US at the moment.
Johnny: I guess Streetlight Manifesto is no-longer up-and-coming, they’re already there, I guess.
Derek: Yeah, that’s a tough one, even though a lot of people seem to start ska bands, at the same time, it doesn’t seem that popular to do. It’s more of a rock thing right now, with straightened hair and tight black jeans.
Johnny: Yeah, I don’t know if you’re thinking whether there’ll be another super ska band coming out of America, which I’m sure will eventually happen, but the things that coincide to make Reel Big Fish, as huge as it is, it’s like getting struck by lightning, having major label support to videos being played on MTV and radio plays, that’s a pretty difficult thing to manage.

Faye: Today, I find that there’s a stigma attached to the ska genre, have you ever came across it?
Derek: Depends who you ask.
Johnny: Yeah, I don’t think that I’ve ever experienced someone being condescending like that, to me, aside from major studio musicians in Los Angeles, that go, “Oh, you’re in a ska band?” and I’m like, “Yeah, it’s pretty fucking awesome, I get to tour all over the world, it’s really incredible.”

Faye: Do you find that ska’s maybe not as cool nowadays, because a lot of bands who were once considered ska, have completely changed their sound, like RX Bandits, who’ve ditched their horn section, and The Aquabats, who’ve replaced horns with keyboards, how do you feel about that?
Derek: I guess, to each their own, everyone’s got their way of trying to keep going and make a living out of it, or stay relevant. For us, it’s always just been to keep doing what we’ve done from day one, I think.
Johnny: Yeah, I think it would be condescending to look down upon other bands for dropping their horns, like RX Bandits, it’s not a band that’s going to blow up, I would think, so maybe they did it for actual music reasons why they changed, but who knows why it happens?

Faye: Do you think there’ll ever be another ska boom?
Johnny: Yeah, I think all music goes in waves, no matter what it is, I mean, there’ll be another indie rock wave – that maybe where we’re at now, and there’ll be another emo wave, and hardcore wave.
Derek: Yeah, maybe instead of the world ending, on December 23rd 2012, maybe it’ll the a resurgence of the ska thing, maybe that’s what it’s all about, maybe that’s what the Mayans predicted.
Johnny: Yeah, that cool be. I think a lot of the musical tastes, the trends, go in with what’s happening with the world, so since there was a lot of conflict – or has been a lot of conflict in the past 10-years – I think people have got angry in that time, so they want to listen to angry music and eventually when things kind of calm down and get better, they’ll want to listen to more happy music and that’s where we come in, and we kick all the asses!

Faye: Yeah, that’s what I was going to say, how do you feel about being recognised as the kings of ska or kings of third wave ska?
Johnny: Derek is the king of third wave ska.
Derek: That’s just silly, but it’s awesome.
Johnny: If that’s what you want to call it, I think it’s a great thing, and we appreciate it.

Faye: I read somewhere that you were planning to release a new album of original songs, in late 2009, what happened there?
Johnny: Ah, don’t pay attention to those rumours, they’re just rumours and the internet, and people talking.

Faye: So, have you not been writing for a new album?
Johnny: You’d have to ask the bossman, Aaron, he’s always writing songs, they’re always brewing in his brain. So, yes, there will be another Reel Big Fish album, but I cannot tell you when it will be, but it’s always in the works. If we’ve been around for 20-years, or 19-years, making records, it’s not going to all of a sudden stop.

Faye: Do you think Aaron will produce the next record again?
Johnny: Without a doubt, yeah, he’s got a really great relationship with our audio engineer, who’s out with us right now, working as our other stage tech and merchandise guy, Dave Irish, and they have a wonderful relationship, and he’s able to make the records he wants to make, so I think it’s going to work out.

Faye: Is there anything else in store for Reel Big Fish after this tour?
Johnny: More touring, we’re going to be on the Warped Tour this summer, which will be fun, apart from that, I don’t know, they don’t tell us very much.
Derek: Usually, in the spring and fall, we fill-in the time with what we call one-offs, where we’ll fly out, play a show, and fly home, usually, at a college or university, maybe some festival.
Johnny: We’re hoping to do some festivals in the summer, so I don’t know what’s going to happen with that, I just heard the rumour and I’m just giving you what I know, and they said maybe, so I would like to do that, because it’s been a while since we’ve done that, like Donnington, Reading and Leeds, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, and I’m sure there’s a ton more festivals too, there’s a lot, we want to play them all, we want to rock everybody’s world.

Faye: Change the record, who should we be listening to?
Johnny: I saw a show, about a year ago, a band called Clare and The Reasons, and it was spectacular, I don’t get overwhelmed by very many musical artists and I was just blown away, it was perfect.

Faye: Is there anything else you want to say before we finish?
Johnny: Come to the shows, come hangout, say hello, we’re not scary!
Derek: Well, I am, but he’s not.

- Faye Turnbull.

Many thanks to Reel Big Fish, for more information on the band, visit: www.reel-big-fish.com

[Via http://changetherecord.net]