…Artists would make Art; they’d spend their time developing and executing this craft, to entertain and inspire. It’s no wonder we have less revolutionary music around: the musicians are all too busy at Business Bootcamp, trying to learn how to make a living.

…Everyone would make a living doing exactly what they’re good at, exactly what they love. Musicians would play the music they love; we have rock geniuses writing item numbers because it seems the easiest way to get paid.

…Payments would be on time. You wouldn’t need to hunt down that competition organizer for the prize money you won last year, which is now required to pay for the ridiculous registration fees at yet another contest that promises to change your music career forever. Sure, just ask last year’s winners.

…Asking an artist to pay, for a ‘platform to showcase their talent’, would be punishable by law. Does a director pay you to watch his movie? Does the plumber pay you to fix a leaking tap? Does McDonalds pay you to eat their food? Be wary of people who exploit your passion just because it’s slightly less tangible: and don’t ever feel guilty about getting paid to do something you adore.

…Music businessmen would actually adore music. Band Managements would respect the bands they claim to be fighting for. Approach this industry solely with a genuine care for music and the people who create it, not just to make a quick buck, because trying to rip a band off is like stealing a kid’s piggy-bank: the battle isn’t worth the spoils.

…It would be vital to every school curriculum. Kids understand abstract concepts easier than adults, imagine the number of prodigies we’d have. Far too many musicians these days are born from frustration, rather than inspiration.

…Radio Stations (and all other media really) would explore new music, enlighten audiences, and shape good-taste across a range of genres.

…Genres, would be simple and helpful. For now we have over-enthusiastic fans arguing about which band originally popularized Neo-Industrial Jazz Thrash; and bands that still think calling themselves ‘Confused Rock’ is legit.

…Fans would put their money where their mouth is. Buy the music you enjoy, and attend concerts of your favourite local bands; not just the established ones from another country.

…When leading artists from other countries do visit though, they’d get the respect they deserve: event managers wouldn’t cut corners, and frenzied mobs wouldn’t strut around on stage breaking gear; just so we’ve got that clear.

…New and naïve musicians wouldn’t be led to believe there’s a single product, or organization, that with enough investment can make all your dreams come true for you. As far as we know, there is no such thing. The only entity that comes close isn’t human: and even He doesn’t do your dirty work.

Dreams were never meant to be reasonable; so aim higher than you can handle, sing even if you think no one is listening, live the Rockstar life but don’t be dragged down by its clichés; rejoice at being part of an elite group of future luminaries, create beautiful things for the whole world but never forget to surprise yourself; and pray, that this New Year be known as the time when Music truly began to Matter.

Blessed New Year 2012 to musicians everywhere!

Music videos nowadays come in all shapes and sizes: and ever since OK GO turned the world upside down, indie bands have been pushing creative visual ideas to enhance their music experience. Some of your favourite videos maybe conceptual, some may tell a story complete with actors and sets, or some may have some model rolling up to a club in a pimpin’ ride; but a big chunk of videos actually focus on the band itself, the members. Because looking fab, is an art after all. & What’s better than seeing your favourite rockers performing your favourite song? Them doing it creatively. We’ve searched around the world (wide web) for the 5 most impressive music videos that truly shine in how creatively they showcased just the band members, singing or performing, and you guessed it, looking fab!

But FIRST, you have to earn it:

Slain’s Your Majesty is pure rock anthem material. We love starting a set with it! It’s the kind of groove that just instantly and mercilessly pulls the audience in, efficient, like waking a roommate up with a hammer. That, in contrast to the sweet flowing melodies of its chorus, made this the ideal song to do our first video with. It features footage of the band members rocking out performing the song, but with a little twist: the images tend to tussle, overlap and intertwine, dissect each other, fight to grab the viewer’s eye like an intricate moving collage, the background and foreground blending into one continuous stream!

We loved making it, and we know you loved watching it – now vote for it! Slain’s debut music video, Your Majesty, has been nominated for Music Video of the Year at the Indiego Music Awards, Vote for it NOW: http://bitemymusic.com/indiego-nomination-vote/indiego-best-music-video/

Done voting? Here’s the fabulous five!

Protest The Hero – Hair-Trigger

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUodza3eoUQ

Autozamm – You Don’t Know Me

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj-EMtLIdPk

Incubus – Adolescents

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKD2fjBpHFk

Meshuggah – Rational Gaze

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D08JDW_vZ5c

Pentragram – Electric

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP9cqRQrfMs

Introducing the brand new Slain: Bryden Lewis & Manek D’Silva (Guitars), Naresh Nathan (Bass), Jonathan Wesley (Keys), Joe Jacob (Drums & Percussion) & Ranjit Abraham (Lead Vocal). 

Let’s have a round of applause, you may already know them, you may not, but one thing is sure: they are bloody good. & They are Slain.

We’re also proud to present to you our partners in Progression, the folks who are working overtime to spread Slain far and wide to every corner of the globe, through the highest quality shows, concept production, and visual delights!

Bookings: Avaroha

http://www.avaroha.com

Avaroha is the band management company that’s been making news lately, tying up with venues aplenty across India, and recruiting the highest quality, fastest rising acts today!

Basically, THEY bring SLAIN to YOU!

Production: Anvil Entertainment Technology

http://www.slainandbeyond.com/anvil

This is the production company run by mastermind engineer Nitesh Narayan. Remember the awesomeness of Beyond Live? Well there’s MUCH more where that came from!

Design: The Random Lines

http://www.therandomlines.com

They make gorgeous websites. They also make gorgeous album art, videos and basically all the visual creatives you see from Slain!

“This video is the final word in the Here & Beyond chapter of Slain, it needed to be a visual feast of EPIC proportions, and by God it certainly is. As a rule of thumb, Slain always aims to set the standard for indie innovation. Awesome, and without compromise. So from that magical album release featuring our own metal-choir, to this work-of-art video: complete self-production is the call of the hour, we’ve just been showing folks how to do it right.” Said Manek D’Silva, Guitarist of the band.

Faithful and loving, you hand was on your love child 
Inclined your ears to mine, and heard the sound of my cry! 
Your love is all I need to put my feet upon the rock; 
You set my feet a-dancing, a new song in my heart 
You find me mercy everyday of my life, You chose to be my master 
Let everything You’ve created know the power of your love and let them see Your majesty.

Click here to listen to the rest of Slain’s 2010 masterpiece Here & Beyond!

Before ye proceed, click hither if you have not fully studied the Genesis of Slain.

It was a brightly day on the other side of the Earth, as all 6 of the company were lined shoulder to shoulder on a dark shore, in order of height- Judah The Exclaimer, Jared The Timely Destroyer, Jonathan The Daring Tinkler, Manek The Descendant of the Tin-Man, Naresh The Hooded Sage & Bryden The Axe-wielding Beast.

“This here be the solution to our predicament”, they jointly said.

They were to cross an endless sea in journeying to a mystical magical mythical musical Utopia of their collective dreams. The jointly referred predicament was that they had but two vessels to journey in: a large ship to hold four, and a smaller boat for two. After days of futile Rock-Paper-Scissors-Spock tournaments, their logical exercise of bodily build measurement was to find the lightest members to travel in the smaller boat: and because Manek & Jonathan were both secretly wearing heels, Judah & Jared were put to the task. They were the braver duo either which way. So it was that the boat and the ship, manned with two and four respectively, set sail apace towards one particular mystical magical mythical musical Utopia: and while their destinations were identical, who knew their paths would not be so?

Unbeknownst to the company of two and of four, at another end of the endless sea upon which they sailed, Moses (of Exodus fame) was simultaneously guiding his own fellowship out from slavery: an unarguably equally significant historical event as it was; and when he didst raised his hand towards the Heavens to form safe passage for his people with a great wall of water on their left and an equally great wall of water on their right, the seas did rigidly part; but unbeknownst to Moses, the boat and the ship as well which at that very moment side by side sailed on the same very endless sea, manned with two and four respectively, were equally rigidly part. And so it was, that in the literal wake of an occurrence far beyond any mortals control, the boat and the ship lost sight of each other.

Many hours passed and the four were disheartened at this new predicament: losing sight of their two brave brothers Judah & Jared. So they watched all night and wondered of their future. Then the skies did open and a voice from above spake, “Why criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Slain to move forward in trust. Raise your instruments and stretch out your hand over the masses not that they be divided, but united in witnessing the light I spread through you.”

And thus they were strengthened. So as dawn dawned, Jonathan and Manek, and Naresh and Bryden, hardened their hearts and, in trust that someday they would indeed meet their brothers at the very end of the endless sea at the mystical magical mythical musical Utopia of their collective dreams, sailed ahead with flag raised proudly high.

Here & Beyond it was, after all, for the fourly fellowship.

To catch up on the debate, watch the following 2 videos.

Rudess playing an iPad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m50wHG23XZQ

Robot playing a Saxophone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjONQNUU8Fg

Now both these videos show a massive step in music-related technology. But is there a difference?

One way to look at it is that technology is slowly expanding what we call music, it’s simplifying the process of creating music, and in a way, it’s taking away the skills involved- but that’s not a bad thing. If instruments are so simple, everyone on Earth is able to play an instrument, then there will be more music- and ‘good’ music will only distinguish itself from ‘bad’ music in the compositional ability of it’s creator and not his skill level.

The other way to look at it is, the incredible technology is only making average people with average ideas think they’re doing brilliantly when they’re not, so there will just be MORE average music than there already is because whatever talent, dedication & knowledge was formerly required to make real music with real instruments, is now being taken for granted!

So tell us, what do you think is the future of music and technology?

Shhh! I'm mind-riffing.

Put in another way, if in the future there’s a machine that can hear the sounds in your head and record them, making music just with your thought processes, without any sort of ‘talent’, would you:

a) support it in the hope that music would finally be of it’s purest form, unhindered by our limitations; music will never again be a ‘sport’ because everyone will be able to do everything- and only innovative thinkers will shine.

Luke, look! I'm a Rockstar!

b) be put off by the barrage of wannabe musicians who think they’re making music but really just adding to the mediocrity, because without experience and knowledge of the real deal, there’s no way you’ll make real music!

There are lots more ways to look at how technology is affecting music, and we want to hear all those opinions, ask your friends and get involved! Let the discussions begin!

or Click here to join the discussion on Facebook!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhPdSqYjlHU

Click to learn about this event!

Slain has always been known as a band that packs its punch! Their massive sound and incredible stage antics have earned them slots at major festivals across India playing to thousands of raving fans each year. To simply scale-down such a grand rock production meant for an arena full of wild metalheads, to fit a cozy hall of music-lovers, would just do injustice to both sides- it would no doubt be a compromise; and Slain doesn’t even know the word compromise.

Instead, for this spanking new acoustic set, Slain trades in their processed heavy arena-shaking sound for a silky clean, highly organic approach which still manages to retain the same sweeping melodies and infectious grooves characteristic of the band’s award-winning music. The set promises to be filled with quirky fun, musical easter eggs, strange beautiful acoustic tunes from both Slain’s repertoire as well as those of the legendary musicians they look up to.

Your favourite band, playing your favourite music, like you’ve never heard before: crisp vocal harmonies, rich acoustic instruments & tasteful percussion come together to form an experience you do not want to miss for anything! So swap out your fitting black-metal attire for comfy casuals, and we’ll see you at the next Into The Light: Slain: Live & Unplugged concert!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w5qmLkZxY0

BONUS! Mozart’s 25th Symphony

In honour of Les Paul’s 96th Birthday, Google made a playable Guitar Doodle which went incredibly viral! Our very own Jonathan & Manek felt the need to challenge it, with a little Mozart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wREr5iS85UE

1. 7th graders sing Dynamite

There are unwritten benefits of having a modern guitar hero like Bryden Lewis as your school music teacher. Here’s a peek into a regular music class at Ebenezer International School (Bangalore, India) while the students under his intense tutelage were singing the… wait, is that Taio Cruz?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=581ye-s9iN8

2. Friday, 7PM

Slain tackles one of the eternal questions of life, the internet, and a song that spoilt TGIF for everybody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTDq1CfsAfA

3. Soldier Ethnic Cover

Covering other bands is a piece of baked batter for Slain, so ofttimes we challenge ourselves by covering our own songs, with party pipes in public places.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y7ye2y3qbE

Anvil, yes anvil, that block of ‘Heavy Metal’ that keeps falling on folks in cartoons, an apt name for such a band, just a sort of running pun to make them giggle between songs. So Anvil is a band, but not just! In the words of all your living rock icons including Slash, Lars and Lemmy, Anvil is the band that practically founded the Heavy Metal genre!

I’ll be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard of them, and there are at least 5 other bands that are credited with starting Heavy Metal, so how do we decide who did? Vids or it didn’t happen, right? And that’s where these guys take the prize: the opening sequence of the movie shows the band 30 years ago sharing the stage with names that went on to conquer the music industry, rocking their socks off with Flying V’s, long hair, leather harnesses, adult toys, you know, the definitive heavy metal arsenal. Massive gig with hundreds of thousands of yellow people screaming themselves pink, and then…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF4H8lB2Y_o

Poof, fast-forward 20 years, each of them have lower-middle-class day-jobs, families to attend to by evening, financial crisii, hair-loss crisii, and overall not too much heavy metal arsenal stuff. Real-world struggles of a band that after so many years still wants to ‘make it big’ and taste just a bit of that success they’ve been working towards.

The footage follows them through a mostly disastrous tour, trying to catch an eye, friction between band members, the disappointment of label rejection, all while they struggle to stay focused and dedicated not only to the band but each other; really just breaking down the wild ‘n carefree impression people sometimes have of rockers. Sure, they’re immortal icons on-stage, but beyond that they’re real people with real problems, and in capturing how they deal with those struggles the movie really hits an emotional spot. No actors, no retakes, just raw instances from the life of Anvil, striking and beautiful.

Now go forth, and be ironical by illegally downloading a movie about this inspiring band that, after the documentary became such a community-hit, is doing fairly well now. Living their dreams as they always have, plus airplay, interviews aplenty, tour schedules, overall rocking out with all their glorious heavy metal arsenal stuff.

I do have to say though, The Story of Anvil maybe a one-off example but, give it a while I can already picture hundreds of similar documentaries of Indian bands: 30 years listening to U2′s ‘Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, while U2, by then over a century old, will still be playing that very anthem to packed stadiums all over the world. Oh boo-hoo.

So fans, get busy, help your favorite Indian bands not be the next Anvil- go for shows, buy merchandise, spread the music you love.

-Manek D’Silva, Slain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1XXs7e7ac

Cannibals & Jains alike rejoice at the thought of this sugary feast.

The kind of Easter Eggs we’re going to be talking about though, aren’t the diabetically disastrous marzipan ellipses that have disappointingly stale smelling chocolates inside, probably coconut flavoured, or a toy cow that winks when you pull it’s tail: which is an intriguing thing to find because, to everyone except our drummer, mammals don’t lay eggs. Not cows, not bunnies. But it’s seldom the logic that matters as much as the surprise itself! And that’s the kind of Easter Eggs we’re talking about, simple surprises that may not have reason but most certainly have rhyme! Assuming that rhyme is a fun thing to do, I do see no reason in clubbing the two.

Lots of companies are following Google’s lead in turning their weather-worn business faces to cheerful geeky faces that seem surprisingly less interested in making millions off you, than leveling up in World of Warcraft. They’d much rather have you chuckling to yourself about a Chuck Norris joke, than worrying about whether you actually found what you were looking for. Google is full of gimmicks, it’s one of the biggest reasons that company is so unquestionably… adorable. From April Fool’s jokes to secret search terms, they’ve done it all, it would be unfair to pick out one from such a great list.

But I’m an unfair kinda guy: April 1^st this year Google wowed the world by offering a service called Gmail Motion, by which one could effectively enhance their online experience by typing complete emails using only ‘simple’ body gestures recorded by your webcam. Kinect go suck an egg.

Facebook has Pirate English and Upside-down English. Just go to your settings panel and switch languages ye scurvy sea dog! Apparently Facebook also uses the most famous cheat code in the world (apart from IDDQD), figure it out on your own, and they have a random emoticon after a developer who works for them named Chris Putnam , try it, :putnam: in Facebook chat, it’s just a face but that’s the kind of random nonsense inside jokes we love developers for.

YouTube has Snake. Just click on the video you’re watching on YouTube (without ads/annotations, clicking actually plays & pauses but whatever, click it) and hold the UP & LEFT arrow keys simultaneously, preferably with two of your fingers though any two equally sharp objects would do, a pencil compass maybe. Or a horse shoe. And if you don’t die before you even begin, you might just enjoy a run of this classic mobile video game while strategically ignoring the video you were supposed to watch. Though unless that video was a dance remix of How Can She Slap, you’re better off just playing Snake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT9gimoLYNc

Bandcamp has Defender. Another video game  Easter Egg on the statistics page that turns your boring visit/sale graph into an EPIC BATTLE FIELD. Talking about EPIC BATTLE FIELD, click here to download the ingenius Kickass browser applet that helps you turn ANY website into an E.B.F! And for those of you new to Internet acronyms, E.B.F is short for EPIC GOD DAMN YOU SHOULD’VE CAUGHT ON BY NOW BATTLE FIELD!

So what I’m getting at it is, bands have gimmicks, companies have Easter Eggs, they’re really all just ways to make the audience scratch deeper than just the surface, get involved, get fanatic. It’s the little things that matter so when you come across one of these gems, stop and appreciate it, whether you’re surfing the web or playing GTA San Andreas, or inspecting Radiohead album art, there are hidden secrets that are well worth finding out about. Do you have a favourite Easter Egg? Write about it in the comments section!

The Slain Website has a hidden Easter Egg too, something that makes the most seasoned of geeks cringe, something so incredible it cannot be written about and must only be experienced first hand; and it’s hidden somewhere among the ‘Share’ buttons below: