So I'm really excited about this whole contest thingy. To me, rocking out has always been about more than listening to really good music, it's also been about staring at yourself in the mirror as the opening chords to ACDC's "Back In Black" come on and then rocking out while imagining yourself in front of thousands of screaming fans!!!!!!
Well this, kinda, is your chance to do that except you don't have to worry about being able to sing or knowing how to play an instrument. Let the rock stars do it for you.
The Rules are simple. You have three weeks to record and send me a video of you singing to any rock song you want!! Air guitars welcome!! It can be heavy metal, acoustic or piano rock, punk, rap metal, pop rock, classsic rock, anything rock related! Dance, actually sing, do a fake duet, do a whole Jam band, the possibilities are endless!!
At the end of three weeks, November 30th, everyone will watch all the videos and vote for their favorite one. The top three winners will receive ROCK 4 ROOKIES t-shirts!! I'm still trying to think of other things to give away but the t-shirts is what I've got so far.
The video must be over 2 minutes in length and under 6 minutes.
E-mail me the video to maximum@rock4rookies.com or send me link to your video on youtube.
For any questions feel free to e-mail me or message me on Facebook.
Im gonna start out the competition myself with a little ditty by Limp Bizkit
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Network
I love sitting and watching the numbers jump from zero to 150 in two days in Jonny's "Electronic Voyage" Facebook group.
Really!
It's good to see people flock to his show like that. For exactly a second I felt a bit annoyed that he did in 2 days what took me 5 months but I buried that feeling quickly.
Lets start off with what the purpose of www.rock4rookies.com was in the first place.
Every day, I would wander my University campus with Metal music blaring from my headphones. I got a lot of crazy looks and a lot of people telling me the rock music is just mindless screaming. This bothered me more than anything! There is no way someone could hear Serj Tankian of System of a Down, singing his heart out with intermingled bursts of screaming, doing his high pitched jabber voice, and all this to electric mandolin, and consider it all noise!! Impossible.
I finally started the show up with help from the amazing David Leitner (who manages the site) and Jonny, who was not only my on call encyclopedia, he also wrote the article for the "Rocking Chair"!! I surrounded myself with people who were willing me to accomplish the rock show, not just out of loyalty to me, but because they actually cared about the music!!
During all that time, my wife was pushing me to continue, pushing me to ignore the people that joined the Facebook group and left just as quickly. You guys only have to listen to the show once, my wife hears it fifty million times as I am putting it together.
Several times in the first months I had Jonny guest star on the show with me or even replace me when I was unable to do the show because of the one thing that would stop me, Miluim!! (Army Reserves)
But there were others who always had comments for me or bits of advice and tips. All of you are amazing but out of them all, 2, besides Jonny, approached me and asked if they could get involved. At the time I was unsure how because both were not CRAZY about my music, they both had Genres that they loved more.
After having a conversation with Jonny about Electronic Music, something I know nothing about but happen to love. (My time in the army exposed me to a lot of trance music).
A few days later my Father surprised me with an amazing gift, my own server. He said, "Consider this my helping to further the music cause." It was amazing. You have to understand, he was the one who when first hearing my idea, left the room and went ahead and immediately bought the ROCK4ROOKIES address! He's amazing. He hates the music but still, amazing.
With this new server I approached those who had approached me and the Rock 4 Rookies Network was born.
There are so many types of music out there and so many incorrect ideas about them. Electronic music is not just a massive base beat playing over and over again. Country music is not just hicks complaining about their dogs dying! Indie music isn't just....okay that one didn't work but still, Jon's music grows on me, because its basically rock that pushes the limits. I am all for pushing the boundaries. That's what I thought my rock was.
So, now that the Electronic Voyage will soon bypass, the original Rock4Rookies group, I'm okay with that. Jonny was there at the beginning and I hope hell be there for along time to come. Please, listen to Jonnys show, listen to all the shows, learn something. Put away old feelings and prejudices about certain music. Nobody listens to everything, they say they do, but they don't, not for real.
But now you can listen to it all, on the Rock 4 Rookies Network.
PS: Anybody want to do a rap show?
Really!
It's good to see people flock to his show like that. For exactly a second I felt a bit annoyed that he did in 2 days what took me 5 months but I buried that feeling quickly.
Lets start off with what the purpose of www.rock4rookies.com was in the first place.
Every day, I would wander my University campus with Metal music blaring from my headphones. I got a lot of crazy looks and a lot of people telling me the rock music is just mindless screaming. This bothered me more than anything! There is no way someone could hear Serj Tankian of System of a Down, singing his heart out with intermingled bursts of screaming, doing his high pitched jabber voice, and all this to electric mandolin, and consider it all noise!! Impossible.
I finally started the show up with help from the amazing David Leitner (who manages the site) and Jonny, who was not only my on call encyclopedia, he also wrote the article for the "Rocking Chair"!! I surrounded myself with people who were willing me to accomplish the rock show, not just out of loyalty to me, but because they actually cared about the music!!
During all that time, my wife was pushing me to continue, pushing me to ignore the people that joined the Facebook group and left just as quickly. You guys only have to listen to the show once, my wife hears it fifty million times as I am putting it together.
Several times in the first months I had Jonny guest star on the show with me or even replace me when I was unable to do the show because of the one thing that would stop me, Miluim!! (Army Reserves)
But there were others who always had comments for me or bits of advice and tips. All of you are amazing but out of them all, 2, besides Jonny, approached me and asked if they could get involved. At the time I was unsure how because both were not CRAZY about my music, they both had Genres that they loved more.
After having a conversation with Jonny about Electronic Music, something I know nothing about but happen to love. (My time in the army exposed me to a lot of trance music).
A few days later my Father surprised me with an amazing gift, my own server. He said, "Consider this my helping to further the music cause." It was amazing. You have to understand, he was the one who when first hearing my idea, left the room and went ahead and immediately bought the ROCK4ROOKIES address! He's amazing. He hates the music but still, amazing.
With this new server I approached those who had approached me and the Rock 4 Rookies Network was born.
There are so many types of music out there and so many incorrect ideas about them. Electronic music is not just a massive base beat playing over and over again. Country music is not just hicks complaining about their dogs dying! Indie music isn't just....okay that one didn't work but still, Jon's music grows on me, because its basically rock that pushes the limits. I am all for pushing the boundaries. That's what I thought my rock was.
So, now that the Electronic Voyage will soon bypass, the original Rock4Rookies group, I'm okay with that. Jonny was there at the beginning and I hope hell be there for along time to come. Please, listen to Jonnys show, listen to all the shows, learn something. Put away old feelings and prejudices about certain music. Nobody listens to everything, they say they do, but they don't, not for real.
But now you can listen to it all, on the Rock 4 Rookies Network.
PS: Anybody want to do a rap show?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Together and Apart for the First Time in Chaos
Im not really sure why I decided to start this blog.
To start with I have Rock 4 Rookies, my radio show where I can basically say whatever I want because its mine. But that's not really true is it?
From the very beginning I set down rules for myself and for the show. So far, off the top of my head I can think of three rules.
1. No matter what i discuss or play, it needs to be rock related
2. No really bad cursing.
Well that's all I could think about for right now but the point is that the first one is a doozy! First off, there are always things I would like to add and tangents about rock I would like to go off on b ut I cant. I cant because Im stuck in a format. That should be the number one rule when deferring to Rock and Roll, NEVER HAVE RULES. I have my set number of songs because chaos scares away the listeners.
Sure, every week I finish recording my show, finally listen to myself and wonder how my wife can bare to be seen with me in public. On the other hand perhaps I think myself more of a rebel then I really am. Either way, listening to myself say stupid things is always great. I am vain. One has to be vain to listen to their own voice.
So as bold as I feel when I make strange voices or start singing out my dedications on the show, when I look back, I realize that there are other things going on in my life or ideas that float in between my ear tunnel that I need to get off my chest, and that's what this bloggie device here will be used for. Not speeches or sermons or lessons, just ideas or rants.
Now I do hope that the post will be relevant to Rock 4 Rookies and my handle MAXIMUM MIKE, because if its not then this blog is seriously misnamed. So yes, this is probably the best time to announce that Metallica's first single is now available on the their site. http://metallica.com/index.asp?item=601119
Im going to take it as a sign that the new song is now available as is this blog because Metallica is the band that gave me my first taste of non radio mainstream rock. 12th Grade of highschool, found me with my friend Yair playing the song TURN THE PAGE and I would like to Share it with you.
I hope that the song inspires you to not let yourself get stuck into what you think are your only options.
I am a fan of the phrase "Letting you hair down", god knows I say it often enough on the show but what Im asking is that you do more than that, I'm asking that you let a little chaos into your life, the kind of chaos you don't usually expect. Sure we have crazy exams and our cars break down and we're late by no fault of our own, but thats regular chaos. The kind I'm talking about is the type that you make yourself, just to know your alive. Say whats on your mind, let people know what your thinking. Do it for you and do it for them. Don't go out and insult people, that's not what I'm saying. Just dont stay quiet. So many people I know have so much to say and so much to show off but they stay in their little shells. BREAK OPEN!!!! Thats what this Blog will be for me, a ... a nutcracker of sorts.
As I emerge, I hope to make this blog about all of us toeing the line together, no matter how far apart we may be.
oh, ps, Im still going to try to stick to the whole no cursing thing but if I slip, please forgive me.
To start with I have Rock 4 Rookies, my radio show where I can basically say whatever I want because its mine. But that's not really true is it?
From the very beginning I set down rules for myself and for the show. So far, off the top of my head I can think of three rules.
1. No matter what i discuss or play, it needs to be rock related
2. No really bad cursing.
Well that's all I could think about for right now but the point is that the first one is a doozy! First off, there are always things I would like to add and tangents about rock I would like to go off on b ut I cant. I cant because Im stuck in a format. That should be the number one rule when deferring to Rock and Roll, NEVER HAVE RULES. I have my set number of songs because chaos scares away the listeners.
Sure, every week I finish recording my show, finally listen to myself and wonder how my wife can bare to be seen with me in public. On the other hand perhaps I think myself more of a rebel then I really am. Either way, listening to myself say stupid things is always great. I am vain. One has to be vain to listen to their own voice.
So as bold as I feel when I make strange voices or start singing out my dedications on the show, when I look back, I realize that there are other things going on in my life or ideas that float in between my ear tunnel that I need to get off my chest, and that's what this bloggie device here will be used for. Not speeches or sermons or lessons, just ideas or rants.
Now I do hope that the post will be relevant to Rock 4 Rookies and my handle MAXIMUM MIKE, because if its not then this blog is seriously misnamed. So yes, this is probably the best time to announce that Metallica's first single is now available on the their site. http://metallica.com/index.asp?item=601119
Im going to take it as a sign that the new song is now available as is this blog because Metallica is the band that gave me my first taste of non radio mainstream rock. 12th Grade of highschool, found me with my friend Yair playing the song TURN THE PAGE and I would like to Share it with you.
I hope that the song inspires you to not let yourself get stuck into what you think are your only options.
I am a fan of the phrase "Letting you hair down", god knows I say it often enough on the show but what Im asking is that you do more than that, I'm asking that you let a little chaos into your life, the kind of chaos you don't usually expect. Sure we have crazy exams and our cars break down and we're late by no fault of our own, but thats regular chaos. The kind I'm talking about is the type that you make yourself, just to know your alive. Say whats on your mind, let people know what your thinking. Do it for you and do it for them. Don't go out and insult people, that's not what I'm saying. Just dont stay quiet. So many people I know have so much to say and so much to show off but they stay in their little shells. BREAK OPEN!!!! Thats what this Blog will be for me, a ... a nutcracker of sorts.
As I emerge, I hope to make this blog about all of us toeing the line together, no matter how far apart we may be.
oh, ps, Im still going to try to stick to the whole no cursing thing but if I slip, please forgive me.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
