An interpretation of Vancouver China’s new single and music video
From occupying the guise of a lifeless masked figure to exuberant, care-free dancing in a green wig, Vancouver China balances heavy weighted introspection with care free relief in his new single and music video “All Time”.
I first listened to “All Time” without the video and was struck by its inventive production. The song comes across as pristine, while simultaneously sounding textured. Dreamy synths are met with off-kilter beats and a hypnotic vocal performance, alongside lyrics that speak to a conflict that may not have a resolution.
And then that…
One man’s thoughts on the trope and the realities of “the alcoholic author”
I am a writer and I drink.
Not very unique, is it?
Non-writers might assume that most writers are alcoholics and with good reason. Bukowski, Carver, and Williams are all linked together by the fact that they are revered authors… as well as alcoholics.
This has me wondering: does alcohol make you a better writer?
I Have Experience, but I Am No Expert
I want to start off by stating that I am not a mental health expert and this story is neither a thesis or rooted in any kind of scientific fact, and should not be treated as such.
The only real hope I have for this…
How to solve the old fashioned writer’s dilemma
My fingers are typing on a MacBook Pro, but my mind is on my typewriters. I have two: a 1958 Olympia SG-1 (standard), and a 1946 Royal Quiet Deluxe (portable).
Even though both of these machines have the same basic function, to print words to paper, they offer very different writing experiences. It made me wonder — Is one better than the other?
The Dilemma
“Which kind of typewriter should I get?”
The first thing I recommend to anyone that asks me this question is to decide between a standard or portable sized typewriter. I liken it to choosing between a desktop…
a short tale
I remember the moment fireworks became my life’s work, but it’s rare that I get asked about it. You must be a bit off, like me. Then again, who doesn’t like the lights?
I didn’t think that day would be the beginning of anything . For all my eight year old mind knew, everything had already happened to me; it was my turn to happen to everything. The year was 1932 and the Dep — now pay attention, kid. It was you who asked to interview me, was it not?
Right.
Anyhow, my parents had a small brick home in…
A short story
The year was 1864. The worst man to ever pass through Cimarron was pointing his pistol at the most honorable man to ever live in Cimarron.
The noble man was a bank teller by the name of James Walsh, who knew full well whose gun was pointed between his eyes. There was no mistaking Llywelyn Chaney, otherwise known as the Southern Devil. He was a tall, lean man in all black from boot to hat, except for one distinct article: a red, hand carved, wooden mask resembling the fallen angel.
“You know who I am,” the Devil said, not so…
Appreciating small wins as a writer
I don’t think I have ever been more excited to earn a penny. I’m new to Medium and like many on this platform my goal is to create quality content, with the hopes of making some money for my effort.
It Finally Happened
And then COVID-19 hit
Not So Long Ago
I worked in biologics for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing company. It was a good job, as far as day jobs go. Some of my coworkers became my best friends and the company treated its employees well for the most part. I just knew that it wasn’t what I wanted my career to be.
After over a year of saving and preparation, I finally landed my first major writing client and decided it was time to take the leap. Leaving a steady paycheck to take a chance on myself was simultaneously the easiest and most difficult decision I’d made to date.
…
A short story
July 11, 1958
Howard’s hand reached for the car radio dial and filled the cabin with static noise before landing on a clear station. He turned the volume up after realizing he could still hear the bunch of stringed cans rattling against the pavement behind him. He then started ripping his bow tie off bit by bit to relieve the unbearable pressure it put on his jugular. The struggle seemed infantile as he turned his attention to his wife.
Mae sat in the passenger seat, leaning back to make room for her pregnant belly. In all those years that she…
Vancouver China’s visual telling of their new single “Maybe It’s For The Best” is a visceral vortex of love and self reflection.
We see two lovers looking at each other from outside an all brick building with warm light escaping, as if to suggest that this home is a haven from the cold, thick air outside. Within a matter of one frame, everything changes and Tawaine Noah stands by himself within an open space. Already, the window into Tawaine’s visual and auditory spectacle Maybe It’s For The Best, performed under the project Vancouver China, is one that flips everything we know on itself.
“Maybe it’s for the best. We started on shaky ground at best”
A painful sentiment that we have…
Guitarists are a special breed of musician for a multitude of reasons, but there’s one fundamental gap in our instrumental knowledge that seems almost exclusive to guitarists:
Most guitarists don’t know all the note names on their instrument.
In our defense, the fretboard can seem daunting to master compared to other instruments. On a 22 fret guitar in standard tuning, there are 132 frets and 6 open strings to memorize, giving us 138 possible spots to play 47 pitches. We also play a two-dimensional instrument with duplicate spots to play each note.
While guitarists have it a little more difficult…
