INCUBUS TOUR 2011

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? The most poignant question I've been asking myself for the past three years, and after more than a considerable amount of anticipation it's finally here. Incubus announced a 6 venue tour in a few incandescent venues around the UK. Admittedly I was a little sceptical (if you've heard their latest album you'd understand) but nevertheless, they are my favourite band. Always have been, always will be.

The last time I saw Incubus was way back in 2007 at the Birmingham NEC during their Light Grenades tour, and despite the magnitude of bad reviews they received for conceiving, well let's say, a less than great album, Brandon and the boys put on a mind blowing show. Shall we even go as far as saying a tear jerking performance? Yes, I admit it, I cried.

But with their follow up album being criticised left right and centre for lack of any sounds reminiscent of the old Incubus we know and love, it's unlikely this will be a sell out tour. The good old days of Make Yourself and Science are to be put in the past, though sorely missed. The new sounds of Incubus are here and they are to be embraced. And with open arms I will.

Is blogging journalism?

DEFINITION OF A BLOG: a series of updated posts on a web page in the form of a diary or journal, often including commentary on, and hypertext links to, other web site.

"They are opinionated, ranting, often incoherent and frequently biased with little regard for accuracy or balance." This is the opinion held by many when it comes to bloggers. Blogging has recently emerged as a new way to communicate views and opinions on a menagerie of subjects. But the real question is; is blogging really journalism?

Blogging has taken the virtual world by storm. Vast amounts of bloggers are constantly ranting and raving about something; from the war on terror and the latest presidential elections, to Lady Gaga's latest fashion faux pas, and who is Katie Price dating now? Journalism is made up of the concept of explaining and putting forth your view on a subject, but whether blogging falls under the journalism category, I'm not sure. Journalism is more about reporting the news, and to an extent it is supposed to be entertaining, but we don't need constant video feeds and links to tell us so. Because remember, can we really trust everything we read on the internet? In my opinion blogging isn't true journalism. When dissected it is compiled from aspects of journalism, but as a whole it's literally just you portraying your heart felt opinion on something and not looking at the facts. It's predominantly a very amateur way of putting your journalistic view across, it doesn't quite tick all the boxes.

However, some blogs, very few, provide an equal balance between entertainment, fact and opinion. Blogging is also comprised of having a 'blog format' and a prime example of these attributes is http://www.culturebully.com/, which you can see below...

 It provides the reader with new music in the form of reviews, features and music videos, giving you the chance to listen to the music to form your own opinion. So from this angle I can see how blogging is journalism.

Quotes taken from: http://www.journalism.co.uk/news-features/blogging-the-new-journalism-/s5/a5604/ 

What are the main differences between print and online journalism?

The detail and scope of print journalism is incomparable with that of online journalism. Print journalism also offers another big plus; free CD's, aswell as physically having the magazine to hand giving you the freedom to glance through at your own pace. I think the perception of online journalism is perhaps to feel a little skeptical about what you're reading; the internet has the infamous conception that anyone can edit or write anything. So can we really trust what we read online? And subsequently, the internet poses a larger threat; "it is not just music journalism that’s being eaten alive by the internet; newspapers and magazines everywhere are losing readership and advertising revenue." Will online journalism decrease the desire and need for music journalism altogether, whether print or online? 

Ultimately the question is 'is the written word dead?' No, is the answer. BPM looks positively at a gracious future for us music journalists in this technological era; "Music journalism seems particularly different in the Internet era because the entire music industry is changing, too. Not long ago, every garage band dreamed of being on the cover of Rolling Stone. Now, most musicians would gladly trade a magazine cover for another hundred thousand myspace plays." I feel this quote puts in perspective exactly the differing attitudes towards success in the music business these days, many bands would rather have a gazillion plays on myspace these days than a feature in the latest issue of NME. 

On a more positive note, online journalism is always current and constantly being updated, you're not in the situation where you have to wait for the next publication to be released to find out what's going on and you are able to type in your chosen subject and, presto! You're directed immediately to masses and masses of links to make your online browsing experience a little less stressful. Online journalism is also much more accessible to a mass audience, although perhaps a much younger audience. On another upside point, online journalism gives us the access to various amounts of merchandise relating to music such as clothing, accessories and tickets for live music events. Probably, for me, the most note worthy positive outlook to online journalism is the social aspect it derives from; you're able access writers blogs, comment on their thoughts and interact with other music lovers, providing you with a more inapt knowledge of what others have to say. To put in in perspective "Online music journalism has never been stronger." The differences are there, and there are subsequent negatives to the positives that each aspects of journalism brings.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.bpmmagazine.net/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/jul/06/music?INTCMP=SRCH

MUSIC JOURNALISTS I ADMIRE...

"the gonzo journalist, gutter poet, and romantic visionary of rock criticism"

I think the 'music journalism calling' came a little late for me. I LOVE music. Not in the way people just say it, I'm literally IN love with it. It's why my friends are my friends, and why I am me today. So when I'm flicking through the latest edition of a music mag, I can't help but swoon over a perfectly crafted article or review. I love looking at a piece of writing and thinking 'I wish I could write like that...' with such wit and passion, that's my ultimate goal. 

I think obvious inspiration comes from Lester Bangs "No writer on rock 'n' roll ever lived harder or wrote better--more passionately, more compellingly, more penetratingly" J. DeRogatis. (2000). Bangs wasn't afraid to delve and dig to to get what he wanted, he had true passion, believed more than anything of what he was writing for. Many see him as a cynical man, only writing the negative, a pessimist perhaps. But isn't that what a music journalist's supposed to be? He lived and breathed music. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

J.DeRogatis, (2000) Let it Blurt – the life and times of Lester Bangs, America’s greatest rock critic, Broadway books.

How do I think my writing has improved?...

Throughout my first year on the Popular Music Journalism course I have definitely gained a greater knowledge and understanding into how to write appropriately. Looking back and indulging a little into my features portfolio, I can tell I was verging on grasping which aspect to write from; a news background piece, something more formal, perhaps a little more relaxed, and I feel much more comfortable to know which angle to begin with. My biggest downfall, and in this profession not a good one, is my constant doubt in my writing. I still shy away from others looking and reading through my work! But I'm sure my confidence will grow with a little more practice and hopefully throughout the summer and into the second year I will begin to review EP's, gigs, singles, you name it, in my own time! Also, when looking back through my work I often pick up where I have worded things awkwardly, I think I'm just an awkward writer and word things a bit, well, awkwardly?! I also feel I need to develop more depth in my understanding of music as a whole; looking at artists and bands, genres and different styles of music. This will give my pieces a more rounded feel to them, and show that I have intelligence and awareness of what I am writing about. 

What is the role of the music journalist today?

In this day and age it is felt that music journalism is on it's way out, heading further and further out of the public eye, due to numerous factors. The day of the taste maker is long gone, leaving us with a drivel of poorly driven opinions about todays 'Hot 40 UK'. "Historically, the critic has served various roles. As entertainer, specialist advisor, risk-manager, archivist and public whipping boy." However, music journalists and critics are still predominantly necessary to guide us towards good music and steer us away from something that's hardly worth listening to. 

"To be a music journalist back then was to be important - not only to the record companies, but to the artists and the record-buying public." The role of the music journalist has certainly changed... I divulge...

The role of the music journalist is to inform and share opinions and thoughts of present, past and up and coming artists/bands, live events, genres and styles; anything entirely relating to the music industry to a relative audience of common interest or even perhaps opposing interest. We are here to discover music trends, discuss them, divulge into all depths of music and to share our opinions with others. We act as the opinion leaders, we are the rock interpreters.Sadly over the years, the personalised, quirky style and more emotively, the passionate style of writing has some what diminished. The great writers of the 1960's; Lester Bangs who was launched as writing in the style of 'Gonzo journalism', and Barry Miles who truly worked his way up the tiresome media ladder, had a distinct style of writing and sadly that is extremely rare to find in today's music press.We are now left with magazines that are more consumer lead, with less inspirational writers, with a less indirect role, no ambition to traipse, trawl and discover new exciting music. Thus the role of the music journalist is at the most crucial point it has been at for decades.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4137382-kissing-without-the-sex-%E2%80%93-the-role-of-the-music-critic

What have you learned from Tri-Media? How can this be brought most effectively into your journalism?

Within Tri-Media I have learnt multiple skills that are used within the music industry as well as ones that I will potentially be using within the industry in the future. Our first assignment was to organise and film a live interview, we managed to get in touch with James Moodie of Flatpack Records who was a former student at Southampton Solent University. We had to schedule a suitable appointment, find a suitable location and come up with a script of relevant questions to fit the brief we were given. Once recorded, we were then given a few sessions to edit our work, with an overall outcome of a polished recorded interview. I feel this can be brought into my journalism as I am now able to record an interview using a digital recording camera, but more effectively I was able to develop my interviewing skills, not only by following a script but adding in and asking more questions where I feel my interviewees answers could be developed. This will give me confidence in the future to delve further and obtain the answers I need.

Our second task within Tri-Media was to produce a page for the student newsletter VIBE, We had already produced the feature in Journalism tutorials, so it was just a case of designing the layout itself using Adobe Indesign. This gave us the chance to use a programme that is used within the industry and get to grips with magazine design, as well as deadlines. We learnt design techniques, chose a house style, and had to produce our design according to a deadline. This gave myself an insight to how magazines are produced and put together, particularly online magazines. This will will be useful in journalism as the journalistic approach is quickly moving from print to online so has given me an insight into what I can expect in the future. 

My third assignment in Tri-Media was to produce a website using Adobe Dreamweaver. This gave me the chance to design my own website and upload all of my previous pieces of work that I done amongst the course. This will help me within journalism as it gives me the opportunity to showcase my work, so when I am launched within the music industry it shows the variety of skills I have.