Thursday, October 31, 2013

Are You Afraid of the Dark? - The Tale of The Silver Sight

Last year I reviewed and sorted out some of my favorite episodes and films from one of my all time favorite childhood horror series, Goosebumps. It was a lot of fun and I was very proud of the outcome. This year I was planning on digging even deeper into the nostalgic pockets of my mind by searching for and reviewing my favorite Are You Afraid of the Dark? episodes. Unfortunately, as I started to dig and uncover what was going to be the ultimate blast-from-the-past trip-out of the last quarter century, I realized that I not only forgot many of the episodes, I also had not watched Are You Afraid of the Dark? since the last reruns stopped showing back in 2000. I did end up watching a lot of episodes, but I didn't feel it was appropriate to make any lists or "best of" posts. Plus, there are sites out there that already have the most obvious "best" episodes alongside the ones with Ryan Gosling, Melissa Joan Hart, Jay Baruchel, and other special guests you may not have known were in the show while growing up.

So, just as I was beginning to lose all hope, I managed to remind myself of one episode. It was a very different episode than the rest of the Are You Afraid of the Dark? series and I could only think of one part to help me search for it. So, I did a little research and actually came up with a result. What I discovered was more than your average episode of a Canadian kids fright show that aired almost 15 years ago; I discovered Are You Afraid of the Dark?'s greatest tale ever told, a 3 part episode called, The Tale of The Silver Sight!


The Tale of The Silver Sight was the first episode(s) of the last season, season 7, and is unlike any other Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode seen before (or after). A normal AYAOTD? episode starts with the Midnight Society getting together around the open fire in the deepest part of the woods with one of the members setting the mood for a story they were going to recite that night. In The Tale of The Silver Sight however, the episode does not start with the Midnight Society, or even someone telling a tale; it starts with Gary, the former president of the society who went off to college, having a nightmare and then getting a call of bad news from his grandmother. 


When Gary arrives at his grandmother's home, he learns that his grandfather passed away from an unexpected heart attack. Gary's grandmother then gives him something that his grandfather had left him; it's a broken piece of a record and a letter. As it turns out, Gary's grandfather was apart of the very first Midnight Society, where he and his friends conjured up a mystical artifact of some kind that helped them get anything they could ever ask for (because kids in the 30's had nothing better to do). The broken piece of the record is part of a guide that informs the listener just where this mystical object can be found and that the other pieces are with the original members who have not had unexpected heart attacks yet. 

Gary, after reading the note his grandfather left him with his piece of the record, shows his brother and new leader of the Midnight Society meetings, Tucker what he has just received and informs him that he'll be visiting the crew tonight for a very special meeting. As the episode rolls on, it is revealed that there is not a tale being told that night, but rather, the Midnight Society is in their own tale as Gary introduces them to the broken record, what the silver sight is, and why it needs to be destroyed. The current Midnight Society then split up like good mystery teams should and go on a search for the original members of the Midnight Society, the members' pieces of the record, and to destroy the silver sight once and for all. 


As Gary and his brother Tucker go on a search for a member of the original Midnight Society called "The General", Quinn has to go looking for "The Prom Queen" at the dump, and Megan, the team's residential preppy girl, finds herself in the sewers. Along the way, a young boy with raggedy old-timey clothes follows the Midnight Society around and seems to be helping them on their search for the broken record pieces... or so it seems.

Tucker is the first to find another piece of the record. Tucker retrieves the broken record piece when The General disappears from his home on Tucker's return to pick it up and instead has to play human chess like in the first Harry Potter book/movie. Then Quinn gets his piece of the record from the Prom Queen's unlucky true love (who now works at the city dump) by trading him a picture he made that The General stole way back in the day. This is the part where I should probably also mention that The General was the trader of the group and stole the Prom Queen from the dump guy but that's really not important in the end, so I'm just going to move on...

Then there is Megan, who had to go down in the sewer. Megan was looking for "The Tycoon" but instead discovers a family living there due to the silver sight causing them such misfortune. Megan even finds herself a nice sewer boy down there, but once she mentions the silver sight, the family kicks her out. Luckily, the boy knew where the piece was and told her to come back later to pick it up. When she goes to pick it up, the whole sewer home the family was living in is dismantled and some other shenanigans happens until Megan finally finds the record piece inside one of the boy's school books (even though he lives in a sewer).


Finally there's the scarred-y cat crew of Vange and Andy who must find the ring in the well - I mean record piece. Once they do though, the team just needs to put the record together and solve the riddle. Since the last piece is from the original member named "The Riddler", who happened to also own an amusement park, it was a safe bet to guess that the silver sight would be somewhere in the park. So, the team figures out that the silver sight must be located somewhere on the carousel (according to the riddle told from the record) and that's where they must go next.


Eventually the Midnight Society finds the damn thing. I'm not going to give that part away, but I will say that this part of the tale is what I remember most from watching The Tale of The Silver Sight a while back. The picture above is an example of the part permanently burned into my memory.

While this tale is about the Midnight Society themselves, it still follows a very similar theme that a lot of the tales told on Are You Afraid of the Dark? revolve around. The theme to most of the tales told have something to do with a spirit of a dead person, usually a kid, getting stuck in this life and needing the help of living people, usually kids, to get them to the other side/cross over to the afterlife by fulfilling some sort of task. This tale, while somewhat complex for such a simple kids show, was all about fulfilling what the original Midnight Society could not and that was destroying the silver sight for good. Once the silver sight was destroyed, the demon was vanquished and all the souls it had captured were set free. 

Anyways, enjoy this long forgotten gem. Your Halloween will be that much better!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Monday LXXXIX


Take a break from all that sports watching and give some of this art thing a try, it's Monday!

Youth Funeral - Symptom of Time (2013)


New Hardcore Post Hampshire.



Features members of the late hardcore ensemble, HOST. Really good hardcore/punk/screamo music with very important influences and Slint-like ballads.

Last.fm

George Costanza - Summer of George demos (2012)


It might not be summer and it might not be 2012, but it's always time for some twinkly George Costanza rock.



This is about the only time I would even consider calling something mememo.

Last.fm

Various Artists - Portland DIY: CUT THE SHIT Vol. 2 (2013)



Here it is! The second volume of Portland DIY: CUT THE SHIT is complete and ready for our ears.


Featuring: An Anderson, Wood Burning Cats, Buddusky, Bath Salts, Conjjjecture, Older Men, Boyfriends, Haru Bangs, Purse, AFRAID, and Leveret (can be heard in the final snippit, "[OUTERLUDE]").

Read more about this project here or here or here.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Phantom Glue - A War Of Light Comes

Phantom Glue - A War Of Light Comes (2013)


Here's some new-ish music from the Boston doomed sludge brigade, Phantom Glue.

I saw these guys a couple years back when there was a good number of metal shows at the Space Gallery in Portland. It was a hell of a show and these guys really bring the noise in the essence of powerful Neurosis-like sludge metal. Phantom Glue might not be playing in my neck of the woods anytime soon, at least not that I know of, but they are currently playing shows around New England and elsewhere with some very cool bands such as KYOTY, Pelican, Wreck & Reference, and Sannhet. So yeah, that's still pretty sweet.

I've been on a huge metal/heavy/intense music kick lately, especially doom-y sludgy sloppy stuff, and Phantom Glue provides me with all those wonderful things. This album is an incredible 7 track banger that I would easily put on my best of 2013 metal list if I had one, which I don't. Not yet, at least...

Highlights: All of it! Probably digging "Bow in the Dust" the most right now though.


Similar acts/sounds: Ramming Speed, Razormaze, Sylvia, WARANIMAL, Kowloon Walled City, Pyres, Neurosis, Black Tusk, Raise The Red Lantern, and other cool bands that don't sound like Phantom Glue.

Facebook
Last.fm

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Monday LXXXVIII


Sorry about last week...

Ted Nguyent - Pizza & Regret (2011)


Yummy punk rock pizza punk.



From some place. Probably Philadelphia.

Last.fm

Ice Hockey - the way it is now (2013)


Screamy punk rock hockey rock. Seriously good stuff.



Not sure if you got the memo, but hockey is cool again.

I'm serious!

Last.fm

AFRAID - PINK LIFE (2013)


Ghosty electronic scaredy-cat wave.


From Portland, Maine.

AFRAID has expended and now includes: Ryan Cutler (To The Barricades!), Jared Fairfield, Matthew Lajoie (Cursillistas, Herbcraft), and James Marcel along with the ghost himself, Jakob Battick.

Last.fm

Thursday, October 10, 2013

The Sky Above and Earth Below - Parting Ways

The Sky Above and Earth Below - Parting Ways (2013)


Boy, it's been a while since I've heard a good screamo album. Lucky for me (and you!), Portland, Oregon post hardcore screamers, The Sky Above and Earth Below have just the album a true screamo fan has been missing in their life. The album might be called Parting Ways, but don't let that fool you into thinking that this isn't some high level screamo that's not played in the right musical direction it should be.

The Sky Above and Earth Below have completely stepped up their game on this new release from their previous release back in 2010 - Quest's Timescape - which was mostly written and recorded by guitar/vocalist, Miller Reda. Now The Sky Above and Earth Below are a full-time three piece, and while Quest's Timescape was a great release, I think Parting Ways might just blow it out of the water.

Nevertheless, both albums are still really great. Highly Recommended if you are into this sort of stuff!

Highlights: "We Scattered Ashes", "Even With This", "Now That You're Gone", "Like a Wisp Across a Hall", "We've Never Truly Parted Ways" (acoustic closer!).



Similar acts/sounds: Ten Thousand Leagues, Loma Prieta, мища, Beau Navire, Sloths, Cower, Carrion Springs, 2049, Raein, and other stuff.

Also, I'm not sure if this band still writes about The Legend of Zelda series. I guess it's okay if they don't, I was a bigger Mario Bros. fan growing up anyways.

Friends For Life Records
Bandcamp
Last.fm

Monday, October 7, 2013

Monday LXXXVII


Yandom.

True Neutral Crew - #MONSANTO (2013)


True Neutral Crew is an experimental krautrock-meets-hip-hop-of-some-kind project by members of Foot Village, Clipping, I.E.



Released just in time to celebrate Monsanto's executive receiving the noble prize of food AKA the World Food Prize for the development of genetically modified organisms or GMOs.

True Neutral Crew also have a remix kit for #MONSANTO that comes with a remix of "Monsanto" by Viper Venom and the ingredients to remix the rest of this mixtape (not including the bonus track).

Last.fm

Pat "the bunny" Schneeweis - The Mark Inside (2013)


Pat "the bunny" is currently the frontman for Ramshackle Glory, an anarcho folk punk outfit from Tuscon, Arizona. You may also know Pat from the passionately honest and rebellious folk punk bands Wingnut Dishwasher Union or Johnny Hobo & The Freight Trains.

The Mark Inside is a bit different from most of Pat's projects in that it's not about him or his friends. No, it's actually about characters and stories that are mostly fictional and made up by Pat, but are just as emotional and feel-y as true stories would be.



Bandcamp
Last.fm

Iron Sword - Loose Leaf (2013)


Iron Sword are a doomed stoner/sludge metal from Vermont.


The cover art to their new demo entitled, Loose Leaf was provided by Maine's finest party thrash metal legends, WARANIMAL and their bearer of the party axe, Nick Reddy. Both bands love to rip it up...

... more ways than one!

Last.fm

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Two Knights - A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened, But We're Still Here

Two Knights - A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened, but We're Still Here (2013)


Two Knights are just two dude from Texas. Two dudes twinkling like no one's business. Two dudes who are just two knights.

I guess I should say more though...

A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened, but We're Still Here is the name of their new 10" released this summer via County Your Lucky Stars. It's a 7 track open diary about being alone, alive, loved, young, and afraid. Or maybe it's about nothing at all, I don't know. Either way, A Lot of Bad Things Have Happened... provides a good dosage of noodly music that all the kids are craving for these days, myself included. Get it now and start tapping those toes!

Two Knights also have an amazingly unique vocal arsenal that ranges from emotionally distressed to passionately stressed.

Highlights: Every song! The song "D4: What the Puck? (Like if They Made Another Mighty Ducks Movie Except This Time They're Pissed)" probably takes the cake as one of the best song titles I've seen this year - if not ever. Also, the song "I'm Your Dad and You're My Dad" (another great song title) features one of the best samples in the history of samples (and is placed nicely between the instrumentation rather than coming in before the music). That sample is of the greatest American Gladiator of all time, Malibu being interviewed by one of the worst/greatest announcers of all time, Mike Adamle. Here is the sample in its original form:

A sample also used by the greatest Maine metal band of all time, WarAnimal!

Tracks:



Similar acts/sounds: Brave Bird, The Reptilian, Cage Match, Snowing, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Warren Franklin, Dads, Merchant Ships, Midwest Pen Pals, I'm Ok, Dikembe, and more "twinkle daddies".

Bonus:

Two Knights, along with releasing this most excellent 10", also have a live recording/video/interview session with Denton, Texas's own, Violitionist Sessions. The interview is cool if you like to find out more about a band but not too much at the same time. I for one, enjoy said interviews. Check it out and grab the music at Violitionist Sessions' webpage or bandcamp!

Or right here:


But be sure to watch the videos, too!

Count Your Lucky Stars
Bandcamp
Facebook (like them) (love them)
Last.fm


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

NFT's September Mix

It's October now. Get your ears on the new NFT mix for the month of September (2013):


Got any mixes of your own? Lemme know!