From the Machine

Part 3 of our series on music & politics Defining politics † systems approach † infoblitz † (in)efficacy of protest music Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2 of our series on music & politics Memory & metaphor † emotional manipulation † avant-garde Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1 of our series on music & politics Contemporary protest music † historical objectives † Kendrick v Drake † comedy & irony Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 5/5 of our conversation about singing/songwriting with Aaron Bard (Thus Spoke) and Jane Ferry (LittleXFerry / Ferryopolis) Inhales aren’t bad † Jane’s technique † articulation † volume Words by Aaron Bard, Jane Ferry, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 4/5 of our conversation about singing/songwriting with Aaron Bard (Thus Spoke) and Jane Ferry (LittleXFerry / Ferryopolis) Conner’s technique † clean and harsh singing † pitch correction † mouth & jaw position Words by Aaron Bard, Jane Ferry, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 3/5 of our conversation about singing/songwriting with Aaron Bard (Thus Spoke) and Jane Ferry (LittleXFerry / Ferryopolis) Alcohol & anxiety † sobriety as an altered state † psychedelics † embrace the silliness Words by Aaron Bard, Jane Ferry, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2/5 of our conversation about singing/songwriting with Aaron Bard (Thus Spoke) and Jane Ferry (LittleXFerry / Ferryopolis) Comfort zone † Aaron's technique † pain † live vs recording † children screaming Words by Aaron Bard, Jane Ferry, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris & Impulse Machine

Part 1 of our conversation about singing/songwriting with Aaron Bard (Thus Spoke) and Jane Ferry (LittleXFerry / Ferryopolis) Songwriting as therapy † what does authenticity really mean? † research methods Words by Aaron Bard, Jane Ferry, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Skill appeal in popular metal † timbre & attack † humanity & blood Words by Michael Hopkins, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Theorizing pop & rock † descriptive rules † language shapes perception Words by Michael Hopkins, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 3/3 of our conversation about artistic creation and altered consciousness Experiences in the pain cave † quitting † osu & limit experience † panic † mind/body dissolution Words by Michael Hopkins, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2/3 of our conversation about artistic creation and altered consciousness Mindset toward content/expression † Neurochemical minmaxing Words by Michael Hopkins, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/3 of our conversation about artistic creation and altered consciousness Developing ideas † dark places † contrast † cliche Words by Michael Hopkins, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Novelty & recognition † the concept of authorship † suggestions † kairotic moments Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Care † ethos † quality vs quantity time † obsession Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

(un)Cancelability † seriousness † response † justification Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Outtake from our conversation about music taste Sonic metaphors for flavor † embodied cognition † the world of sound Words by Ethan Bowen, Douglas Stephens, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 3/3 of our conversation about dream mechanism & analysis Dream work † self-interpretation † elaboration & memory † the ego(s) Words by Conner Tomlinson, Alli Winters, & Joshua Zamarron Music by Pithy Docco

Part 2/3 of our conversation about dream mechanism & analysis Weighting & continuity † AI & dream logic † dreams, science, & occultism Words by Conner Tomlinson, Alli Winters, & Joshua Zamarron Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/3 of our conversation about dream mechanism & analysis Meaning † lucid dreaming † abstraction † solipsism † unconscious agency † theories on dreaming Words by Conner Tomlinson, Alli Winters, & Joshua Zamarron Music by Pithy Docco

Spoiler warning.  The Boys † Invincible † Spectacular violence † 4 body genres † infrastructure † formula † Super † paratext † The Suicide Squad Words by Zac Strum & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Unpublished review of Zeal & Ardor's 2022 self-titled album Metal and evil † revisionist history † alternative present † speculative future Words by Conner Tomlinson Music by Impulse Machine

Part 4/4 of our conversation about sci-fi & fantasy Fantasy music? † spec-fic semiotics † look at this new graph Words by Ethan Bowen, Conner Tomlinson, & Ethan Whitman Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 3/4 of our conversation about sci-fi & fantasy Fantasy music † industrial as sci-fi † alternative history † sound weapons † more examples Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, Ethan Whitman Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris & Pithy Docco

Part 2/3 of our conversation about sci-fi & fantasy Why draw distinctions? † edge cases † look at this graph † sci-fi horror Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, Ethan Whitman Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/3 of our conversation about sci-fi & fantasy What if…? † speculative evolution † escapism vs analogy † human nature † capitalist realism in science & fiction † termination Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, Ethan Whitman Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2/2 of our conversation about disturbing music, followup to our ongoing conversation about horror. Trigger & spoiler warning. Musical horror † semiology † natural vs manmade sound † metal & trauma † industrial noise Words by Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/2 of our conversation about disturbing music, followup to our ongoing conversation about horror. Trigger & spoiler warning. Insane Clown Posse † clipping. † Cannibal Corpse † Avenged Sevenfold † Eminem † Tyler, the Creator † Will Smith † Death Grips † Harley Poe † Napoleon XIV † Ice Nine Kills † Impulse Machine Words by Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris & Impulse Machine

Outtakes on dreams & dreamers Psychoanalysis † AI & humanism † ensoulment Words by Jason Ronan, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Joshua Zamarron Music by Udio Excerpts on dreams from Human, All Too Human by Friedrich Nietzsche

Part 2/2 of our conversation about disturbing media, followup to our conversation about horror. Trigger & spoiler warning.  Cosmic horror † slow motion & jumpscare † body horror † literary and visual display Words by Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/2 of our conversation about disturbing media, followup to our conversation about horror. Trigger & spoiler warning.  Antichrist † Trauma † I Spit on Your Grave † A Serbian Film † The Sadness † The Boys † Invincible Words by Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Another of our occasional detours, this time featuring Conner’s panel presentation at the NCA 2024 conference.  Transduction † post-industrial strategy † control society † affective force & overcoding † transvaluation of aesthetic values Words by Conner Tomlinson Music by Pithy Docco & Impulse Machine

Part 3/3 of our conversation about starting a band Partners at band rehearsal † locking in † communication † rehearsals are boring Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris & Pithy Docco

Part 2/3 of our conversation about starting a band Leadership structures † removing members † artistic ownership Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris & Pithy Docco

Part 1/3 of our conversation about starting a band How not to start a band † success † love † tension † spite † joy Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris & Pithy Docco

Sex, love, & cannibalism † born cannibals † everything that flows † cannibalistic love † health & trust † the eucharist Words by Jane Ferry, Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Primer episode ahead of next week's conversation about sex & cannibalism Simile & metaphor † metonymy † against symbolic literary criticism Words by Jane Ferry, Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2/2 of our conversation about horror cinema Supernatural † unknown † trauma Words by Jane Ferry, Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/2 of our conversation about horror cinema What is the appeal of horror † survival mechanisms † self-reflection & mood regulation Words by Ethan Bowen, Mikhael-Angelo Gore, Zac Strum, Conner Tomlinson, & Alli Winters Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2/2 of us venting about genres that suck Deathcore sucks † contemporary Christian music sucks † pop music is okay actually Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/2 of us venting about genres that suck Punk sucks † metalcore sucks † bro country sucks Words by Matt Stretz, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Overworking † Momentum † Creativity Words by Ethan Bowen, Hayden Inman, Mason Kinder, Matt Stretz, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2/2 of our conversation about music taste Genre crossover † Articulating form & function † Listening functions Words by Ethan Bowen, Douglas Stevens, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/2 of our conversation about music taste Taste aversion † Enculturation † Expanding taste Words by Ethan Bowen, Douglas Stevens, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week, but first here's the audio recording from a 2022 business conference where Conner discusses what independent artists and educators can learn from industrial music. Part 2/2 of our digression into academic discourse. Rhetorical theory † Entrepreneurial ecologies † Mythologies of warfare and virality † Bricolage Words by Conner Tomlinson Music by Impulse Machine

Due to a confluence of scheduling conflicts and technical issues, we're briefly changing up the format. This week features a reading from an article Conner wrote about the ideology and pragmatics of industrial music. Part 1/2 of our digression into academic discourse. Genealogy † Organizational autonomy † Access to information & extra-musical elements † Anti-music † Shock tactics Words by Conner Tomlinson Music by Impulse Machine

Part 2/2 of our conversation about innovative merch ideas Reading trends † VHS revivalism † Analog and digital information Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/2 of our conversation about innovative merch ideas Branded widgets † Fashion † Individuality & collective identity † Attempted taxonomy Words by Ethan Bowen, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 2/2 of our conversation about the relationship between art and sport Artful plays † goal-orientation † Zac's jump rope rant † aesthetics vs utility † the art of the granny shot Words by Ethan Bowen, Kyle Dekaney, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris

Part 1/2 of our conversation about the relationship between art and sport Karate & kendo † scoring & regulation † mixed martial arts † Olympics † self-defense & reflex † e-sports † historic plays Words by Ethan Bowen, Kyle Dekaney, Zac Strum, & Conner Tomlinson Music by Under the Catacombs of Paris