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WILLING ENABLER
LEAVEYOURMINDBEHIND.Willing Enabler is an unofficial Melissa Auf der Maur HAVEN, a way station on your journey to OOOM.
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Kickstart a Reason for More xMAdMx music!
Honourary Enabler sent this over :
Kickstarter is KICKASS. It's a great way to get involved, to support artists and projects, and to become more than a fan-- to become a PATRON.
Click the link, watch the video, pledge $1 or $10 or $100 bucks for this film. You might recognize the beat in the background; if you want to hear more bass drum heartbeats then help fund this film-- Melissa is doing the MUSIC!
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Return of the Witch to wake WE from slumber! Heavy TO!
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So, the Witch finally sort of made it public that there is a different Witchlet on the horizon. :)
WE + HE send love and light to MAdM, Stone, and the future Libra/Scorpio!
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It's HAPPENING.
WE *LOVE* this photo by Ester Vulpiani... Stay tuned for more from the tour...
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xMAdMx, Spinner, & Gros Morne!
SPINNER has been a great friend to xMAdMx over the last couple years-- and today, they published a really kickass piece by MAdM about her involvement in the National Parks Project film... click HERE to go to Spinner to read the whole thing, but here's MAdM's piece:
When i was contacted to participate in a Canadian film and music project in Newfoundland, I thought I was dreaming. It was a perfect opportunity to commune with a landscape I've always felt connected to in my distant Celtic roots, collaborate with new musicians and filmmakers and support the celebration of our country's most valuable asset: mother nature.
The additional appeal was that the director attached to the project, Sturla Gunnarsson, was very familiar with Newfoundland, as he had shot a viking film there once. Yes, you heard me right, a viking film. Whether you know me as a bass player or a Montrealer, you should know I LOVE VIKINGS. You should also know by now, that Newfoundland was discovered and even settled by vikings, before any others. We did not get a chance to go up to L'anse aux Meadows to see the unearthed viking ruins, but i felt it near.
The trip was phenomenal and a highlight in my creative adventures in recent years. I had not been camping in a very long time, so was in much need to be in nature and it was a bonus to sleep on the dramatic coast of Newfoundland with the sound of waves just over the hill.
It was an interesting filmic creative dynamic between the film directed by Sturla, which was pretty much an experimental art film, and the "making of" the music film conducted by the Discovery Channel for the TV version of the National Parks Project.
On one side, we were supposed to connect with nature and our instruments, and on the other side, we needed to intellectualize the experience to the TV cameras. Very split down the middle as far as creative mood, but rather entertaining because all the different crews and teams were great to work with.
Musically speaking, I was very curious how it would turn out, as the three of us musicians are very different stylistically from the other. I was the bass player and "heavy" rock component of the trio -- while [Montreal improv impresario] Sam [Shalabi] represented the eastern "ancient instrument" element and Jamie [Fleming of Toronto band Catl] was the Americana blues roots of it. So you have an electric bass plugged into a solar battery-powered mini Vox amp, an acoustic guitar with slide and a lute! That is a unique combination for any collaboration, especially between people who are playing together for the first time on cold windy cliffs, sand dunes and remote volcanic islands in an unknown land.
I am very happy with the results, it was incredibly easy in fact to connect and blend with each other, possibly because we are so different. The result is a slightly psychedelic piece of music.
In between playing our instruments, we were brought on expeditions to be "screeched in" by the natives, a ritual involving a drunken fisherman shouting at you, making you do shots of Maritime rum and resulting in a diploma-type document. We took two extremely bumpy and precarious boat rides into deep waters. One involved running out of gas and the other needing to board a deflating dingy boat to bring us into shore because the reefs would scratch the big boat.
Part of Sturla's vision, was DAWN and DUSK shoots only -- which was hard on the system but easy on the eyes. It was incredible to see these epic coastal, stormy skies turn purple, black and gold. This further enhanced the fact that we were sitting on and laying eyes on the most ancient rock formations on this continent. It was an honor to experience Newfoundland and a Canadian National Park in this way. I can say with certainty that I will be back there soon.
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absentfriends:
My second poster for Melissa Auf der Maur, 2 colour screen print, silver and black.
Ready to print tomorrow and Wednesday. If anyone wants one putting aside before I send them to Rome, get in touch. Now onto the third…
PROROK is back! Thanks to H.E. for the link!
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This is in honor of the Honorary Enabler. ;)
Best wishes to the Witch on her upcoming tour...
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WE briefly return.
Willing Enabler can't say that WE has been avoiding the blogosphere/Tumblrlands specifically, but I can say that it has been nice to take some time to focus on real life and expend energy on real people whose real lives intersect with my own on a day to day basis. I (WE) tend to think that the modern day almost forces us to check our smartphones at the dinner table and forces us to play an electronic game that doesn't always let us be our best. So, I've taken some time off. I've been busy blogging more on my personal page rather than this one, but rest assured that WE will be back on track in time for Melissa's 2011 Euro Tour -- featuring bASS. sYNTH. vISUALS. aWESOMENESS.
May 2011 Tour from MAdM OOOM on Vimeo.
Willing Enabler truly wishes that YOU are doing well this spring (if you are north of the Equator) or fall (if you are south) and WE will see you soon!
PS- Since it's Spring in the northern hemisphere, WE finally retire the white and blue winter theme and return to something more suitable... enjoy!
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The "Ask a Straight Girl" column on the New Gay is WE's favorite web column in a long while. MAdM did a quick interview with Zack Rosen to help promote the show at National Geographic which is happening TOMORROW (any DC kids in the house?!)...
Click the link for the full article...!
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throwherinthewater:
the question of “what’s next/reunion??” was asked, and all band members got pretty awkward. i think it’s safe to say it’s never going to happen.
Great to see everyone together to celebrate Patty's story and LONG LIFE AHEAD! While WE think there's no need for a reunion, WE'd also KILL to get Eric, Patty, and Melissa in a room with some instruments and let the tape roll... Just saying...
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AMAZING.
And awesome. Congrats on the movie, Patty-- WE can't wait to see it.
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xMAdMx @ HeavyTO! July 24!
Good news, Toronto! Melissa has been added to the Heavy TO festival this year and will be playing Sunday July 24!
Melissa joins a killer lineup featuring Megadeth, Rob Zombie, Slayer, Anthrax, Motorhead-- and yes, MASTODON!
Click here to go to HeavyTO's page for more info!
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Is this a Will Tendy sandwich?
porim:
bahahah <3 I see so much love in this picture
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Nice Pics from a Castellucci!
Some nice shots from the show at La Tulipe by one Laurent Castellucci... no doubt related to Miss Cecil?! Too much talent...! Click the link for more!
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8 Questions w/ xMAdMx!
From Columbia County Scoop!
WP: Is there a gulf between your pop sensibility and your other creative instincts?
MAdM: Good question…. OUT OF OUR MINDS was my first attempt at building a moat across that golf, as they were existing separately which was not a good feeling. Now I feel I am on the path of a more united creativity that is also simultaneously better interwoven with my personal life too. They seem to be all coming together as one, which I guess is part of "finding yourself". Feels good.
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xMAdMx @ Festival Voix d'Ameriques
From Montreal Gazette:
Melissa Auf der Maur took Montreal's annual spoken word event, the Festival Voix d'Ameriques up to a new level on Friday night at La Tulipe with her wild mix of poetry and hard rock.
One of her fans told me it was her best concert ever. Having never seen her perform live before, I can't weigh the accuracy of that statement. However, I have attended many Voix d'Amériques shows over the past 10 years of its existence. And none of them (that I attended) touched the sophistication of this one with its fiery blend of words, music and haunting visuals. Auf der Maur, part-rocker, part performance artist, with an arresting voice and a catchy vocabulary of gesture, has definite goddess potential. Her show, created specially for the FVA, was a perfect fit for La Tulipe, a funky vaudevillian venue which is being used by this festival for the first time.
No one, especially Team OOOM MTL, is surprised to hear that MAdM changed the face of the festival. Check out highlights from MAdM's set below, with George, Alex, and Will back in the fold. Honorary Enabler and WE are kind of stoked to see our old friend the sunburst P-bass make an appearance after all these years.
Team OOOM MTL-- so, how was it?!!!
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xMAdMx Interview w/ Live 105 in Halifax!
MAdM talks music! MAdM talks Light a Spark! MAdM Speaks!
Thanks to the Girls Action Foundation for posting!
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