Murray, Thanksgiving and illegally downloading material (repost)

Alan Doyle is not the only musician in Great Big Sea to make a comment on piracy. Just over two years ago Murray Foster expressed his views on music piracy. The post has had 122 hits.

As some fans have decided to way in on the piracy debate I have decided to repost "Murray, Thanksgiving and illegally downloading material " from October 20 2013.

Some fans seem to think musicians and bands perspectives on bootlegging and piracy remained static and unchanging. However, their perspectives and circumstances as well as societies attitudes towards music are constantly changing. What maybe relevant in some circumstances, may not be relevant in others. Unfortunately some fans can't interpret those circumstances correctly and cant be bothered to ask permission to make and distribute copies. As a consequence they affect the musician's control, the quality and the ability to make a living out of their work.

MurrayFoster@murrayfoster1  Illegal downloading your fave band is like going to your parent’s place for Thanksgiving and stealing $5 from their dresser on the way out. 23 October 2013

After reading a Twitter tweet by Murray Foster from Great Big Sea I began researching and reading information about illegal downloading of all material including music. I found the following article published this year in the Calgary Herald.

“That’s (not) the attitude here in Canada: It’s a pervasive sense of entitlement,” he said. “(Illegally) downloading content should also be socially unacceptable.” Barry Logan Canipre Anti-Piracy Enforcement firm,

The article “Effort afoot in court to sue Canadians for illegal downloads” describes how a Canadian firm has been monitoring Canadian's illegal downloading activities of copyrighted content for several months. There is now an action before the Federal Court in Toronto for over 1000 IP addresses and to take legal and other action against people who illegally download.

Part of the action also involves education…“Our collective goal is not to sue everybody... but to change the sense of entitlement that people have, regarding Internet-based theft of property.”

Effort afoot in court to sue Canadians for illegal downloads By Pierre Chauvin, The Canadian Press published on 12 May 2013 (no copyright infringement intended).

MONTREAL — Massive lawsuits targeting people who illegally download copyrighted content are common in the U.S., where people have been stuck with hefty fines and out-of-court settlements.

Now there’s an attempt to bring that to Canada.

At the center of the effort is Canipre, the only anti-piracy enforcement firm that provides forensic services to copyright-holders in Canada.

The Montreal-based firm has been monitoring Canadian users’ downloading of pirated content for several months. It has now gathered more than one million different evidence files, according to its managing director Barry Logan.

One of its clients is now before Federal Court in Toronto, requesting customer information for over 1,000 IP addresses — a user’s unique Internet signature — collected by Canipre.

That client is the American studio Voltage Pictures, maker of hundreds of films including the Academy Award-winning “Hurt Locker.”

On the other side of the case is Teksavvy, an Ontario-based Internet provider. The IP addresses flagged by Canipre link back to its users.

The case is set to resume next month.

If the court orders Teksavvy to hand over customer info, it could be the beginning of a new chapter in the anti-piracy battle in Canada.

“We have a long list of clients waiting to go to court,” said Canipre’s Logan, who estimates that about 100 different companies are paying close attention to the case.

These lawsuits have been common in the U.S. Between 200,000 and 250,000 people have been sued in the last two years, according to one Internet civil-liberties group.

“They send off threatening letters telling them, ‘If you don’t pay up we’re going to name you in this lawsuit and you could be on the hook for up to $150,000 in damages,”’ said Corynne McSherry, intellectual property director of that group, the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Canadians don’t risk such severe damages, because of a bill passed last year that modified the federal Copyright Act.

Bill C-11 imposed a limit of $5,000 on damages awarded for non-commercial copyright infringement, which applies to the average consumer who downloads films.

“The reason Parliament did that (is) they didn’t want the courts to be used in this way,” said David Fewer, director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.

The advocacy group is an intervenor in the Toronto case.

“Copyright is supposed to be a framework legislation. It’s not supposed to be used for building a compensation model.” He says the phenomenon of file-sharing suits is relatively new in Canada.

He said there has only been a single file-sharing lawsuit in Canada, launched by the music industry. The case, BMG Canada Inc. vs. John Doe, was launched in 2004, and it failed.

Fewer said no similar attempts have been made — until now.

“I’m a little bit surprised to see this (new) litigation popping up in Canada. We typically don’t have a culture in Canada for this kind of use of courts,” Fewer said.

For now, Canipre is the only Canadian firm providing this type of service. And it’s proud of the work it does.

“We understand the culture of piracy,” Logan said, adding that he has been involved in numerous IP-related litigation cases across Canada.

“We’re bringing that model up here as a means to change social attitudes toward downloading,” said the Canipre executive. “Many people know it is illegal but they continue to do it.”

The company advertises its ability to conduct “aggressive takedown campaigns” for clients.

It monitors websites where pirated content is known to be available, and it searches for its clients’ content. When it finds violations, Canipre asks the hosting website to remove the content — a process known as a takedown request.

“By aggressive, what we’re saying is, ‘We don’t do one or two takedown (requests), we do 1,000-2,000 at a time,”’ said Logan, who lives in Ontario.”We’ve managed to put a business process in place with a lot of the top-tier platforms that provide pirated content.”

But his company services don’t just include suing people. He says there’s an educational message, too.

“Our collective goal is not to sue everybody... but to change the sense of entitlement that people have, regarding Internet-based theft of property.”

“File Saturation” is one example of an educational message.

The firm uploads a harmless file to sharing websites which closely resembles the content users are seeking. There is one key difference: This particular file is completely useless.

The goal of that effort? Make it harder and more time-consuming to download illegally.

Logan expects Federal Court to order the Internet provider, Teksavvy, to hand over customer information.

Regardless of the outcome of the case, Logan will keep fighting against piracy.

“Litigation is not the only tool that will change piracy — it’s simply a tool.”

Logan wants piracy to become a taboo, much like drinking-and-driving is now.

“That’s (not) the attitude here in Canada: It’s a pervasive sense of entitlement,” he said. “(Illegally) downloading content should also be socially unacceptable.”

For now, piracy remains strong in Canada: there were more than 370,000 Bit Torrent transactions over a month — a transaction being each time a user opens a session to download a film — according to statistics gathered by Canipre for its clients.

Those statistics only include Canipre’s clients, so the actual Canadian number is far higher.

Russell Crowe and Australian citizenship...A response.

It has been a tough week in the fandom. There has been a whole bunch of wheeling and dealing, half-truths and just plain outright lies over the source and distribution of bootlegging and piracy. And now the issue of Russell’s Australian citizenship and permanent residency has arisen. As it turns out Russell has never applied according to Australian Immigration authorities. Most fans around the world don’t really care because they are interested in his acting ability, not where he lives. As an Australian I am feeling slightly conned and very annoyed at the way he treats Australia and Australians. But this time Australia is fighting back and standing up for themselves like Australians do.

Over the past couple of days Russell Crowe raised the issue of his lack of Australian citizenship again on his latest tour to promote The Water Diviner in the United Kingdom. This isnt the first time he has raised the Australian citizenship issue and used it to take a dig at Australia and their immigration policies, in particular those concerning New Zealanders. Late last year Russell boasted Australia had denied him citizenship in the country where he and his family lived. This time the British media reported he had applied twice for citizenship and been denied. The Australian Immigration Department stepped in and reported not only has Russell Crowe has not applied for Australian citizenship, he has also not applied for permanent residency. (So of course he can’t get Australian citizenship regardless of when he was or wasn’t living there).

Despite every resource available to Russell (including a large fortune and success) he or his people have never filled in required paper work and applied. I am finding it hard to see why he should be given special treatment as thousands of immigrants including New Zealanders, come to Australia and do become permanent residents and Australian citizens by filling out the paper work, applying and doing the time. Every year thousands of immigrants come under a range of categories including students, refugees and family reunion. They often come to a country where English is not their first language, their qualifications are often not recognised, they come from a range of traumatic backgrounds, without financial resources, take jobs others will not do and live in a strange country without the support of a family and community. After years of hard work and without a lot of fuss they willingly make a new life for themselves and their family, take permanent residency and/or citizenship and all it entails with its rights and responsibilities.

Many people overseas on social media seem appalled at the idea Australia has not given one of their 'national treasures' citizenship. I personally feel like I have been conned and made a fool out of by someone who has chosen to speak out about, take advantage of and even criticise Australia whenever he sees fit. I am feeling particularly conned after the release of The Water Diviner in Australia on Boxing Day, his patriotic talk about Australia and the support Australia and Australians gave his movie.

I hope Russell has the good sense to stop speaking for Australians. Please. Because well there are hundreds of Australians both born in Australia and from overseas who live there with permanent residency or citizenship, who can and can speak with honesty and from the heart. Russell should stop whining and using his lack of Australian citizenship to gain attention for whatever takes his fancy overseas or fill out the paper work and apply.  

Despite all of his talk and deception I have always really known Russell has never been too fond of Australia or Australians. I wrote the following comments about my interpretation of his interest in Australia last year in another post about some interviews I read about The Water Diviner. The following article appeared in an Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald about Russell Crowe and his alleged quest for citizenship.

“…Until now I have always been under the impression Russell Crowe was never really fond of Australia or Australians other than his family and a few friends. Yes, Australia was the place he grew up in and his sanctuary where he could live an ordinary life with his wife and family after he had made it in Hollywood. There is no doubt he definitely appreciated that. However, I have always believed he was never particularly fond of Australia and Australians which was fostered mainly by his use of social media. Maybe it was the way Australia and Australians showed their lack of appreciation for exactly what he had achieved professionally and then there was the citizenship issue.

When it came to his work, making movies and telling stories I believed Russell Crowe genuinely thought everyone did everything better than Australians as he always chose to work someone else even though it meant being away from his family. Then there was the lack of support in sport for any Australian team other than his Rabbitohs. Whether his words about telling Australian stories and making movies about Australian stories remain true we will have to wait and see. Over the past he has shown an interest in some Australian stories including Batavia and the Tim Winton novel Dirt Music. He has also made some interesting documentaries for example, the story of his take over of the South Sydney Rabbitohs with Peter Holmes a Court and another one on the Sydney gang, the Bra boys. So that is true.”...A response to some of Russell Crowe’s The Water Diviner interviews… Wednesday, 17 December 2014 Fandom an Unexpected Journey.

Russell Crowe never applied for Australian citizenship, says Immigration Department by Karl Quinn 26 March 2015 Sydney Morning Herald. (no copyright infringement intended).

Russell Crowe grabbed headlines this week when he told the UK's Radio Times magazine that he had twice been rejected in his application for Australian citizenship. 

The only trouble is, the Immigration Department has no record of the New Zealand-born actor ever applying to officially become an Australian Crowe, who moved to Australia in 1968, first raised the issue in 2013, claiming that "apparently I fall between the cracks". Those cracks are a section of immigration law that demand that he must have been resident in Australia on February 26, 2001 (he wasn't) or have spent 12 months here in the preceding two years (due to filming and promotional commitments for Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, he hadn't). 

The Daily Telegraph reported that in 2006 that Crowe had "intended to become an Australian citizen at an Australia Day concert on the lawns of Parliament House" but the event was canned because "the government wasn't able to facilitate the process in time", according to a spokeswoman from Channel 10, which was to broadcast the ceremony. The report went on to say that "seven years on, Crowe still hasn't satisfied the protocols".

However, that is not at all the same as Crowe having his application for citizenship rejected in 2006 and 2013, as has been widely reported this week.

"They changed the law for New Zealanders," he told Radio Times. "It's so, so…unreasonable."

However, the Department of Immigration has told Fairfax it has no record of either Crowe's applications or its alleged rejections.

"According to Departmental records, Mr Crowe has not submitted an application for a permanent visa or for Australian citizenship," the department said in a written response to questions.

"Should Mr Crowe apply for and be granted a permanent visa, there are a variety of options that he may use to meet the eligibility requirements, including the residence requirements." 

However, that is not at all the same as Crowe having his application for citizenship rejected in 2006 and 2013, as has been widely reported this week.

"They changed the law for New Zealanders," he told Radio Times. "It's so, so…unreasonable."

However, the Department of Immigration has told Fairfax it has no record of either Crowe's applications or its alleged rejections.

"According to Departmental records, Mr Crowe has not submitted an application for a permanent visa or for Australian citizenship," the department said in a written response to questions.

"Should Mr Crowe apply for and be granted a permanent visa, there are a variety of options that he may use to meet the eligibility requirements, including the residence requirements." 

Russell Crowe and a flat white coffee...

As fans who follow Russell Crowe know, he loves his flat white coffees. Russell regularly tweets about his indulgence where ever he is traveling or at home in Australia. When Russell finds a place that makes a great flat white coffee, he lets his followers know.

But do most Russell Crowe fans know the flat white coffee is said to have originated in Australia? Although New Zealand may have something to say about it. (Australians and New Zealand also battle over the origins of Pavlovas, lamingtons and Anzac biscuits). I wonder where Russell Crowe stands?

I found a great article about the history of flat white from the Australian and Kiwi perspective. A copy of the article is available on my Google + page attached to this site.

New Zealand v Australia Battle over Invention Rights of Flat White Coffee printed on January 16 2015 International Business Times by Kalyan Kuma.

A battle of supremacy is brewing between New Zealand and Australia over who made the first flat white coffee. A Wellingtonian has claimed that he invented the exact flat white and Starbucks only took over that later.

With Starbucks crediting Australia with the flat white's invention, the trans-Tasman debate has intensified.

According to ex barista Fraser McInnes, the original flat white was first made in the then Bar Bodega in 1989, reported 3 News. "I was trying to make this cappuccino and it just did not work, so I said it is flat and white and said to the woman, well sorry, but it's a flat white," claimed McInnes.

In his view, other baristas just made it perfect and asserted Wellington flat white is the original and it all started with him. Making it more brand-specific, McInnes still wants to call it a "purely Wellington thing" as it is a double shot with silky milk on top, making it the real flat white. Starbucks is bringing the brew to the U.S. and Canada, giving credit to Australia for creating it, McInnes noted.

Australian Claim

Sydney man Ian Bersten has no doubt about the Aussie credit. He is 100 percent certain that flat whites were in existence when he started out in the coffee industry. Bersten says he has a menu from his old café, Belaroma, in 1984 to support his contention. He says emphatically that flat white existed in Australia as early as the 1960s and no one can claim it, least of all a New Zealander. Not ready to condemn anybody, Bersten only want to stress the point that "It's been around for a long time."

Kiwi Patent

McInnes is not the only one to claim Kiwi antecedents in flat white coffee. "I've heard a rumour that Australians came up with it circa '84, but I think they might have been on holiday in Auckland at the time and seen it on our menu," says Darrell Ahlers, owner of DKD Expresso. He claims it all started when he renamed the latte as "flat white" at his Auckland café in 1984.

It seems the history of the flat white will continue to be debated and suspense, if not murky. But McInnes is earnest and wants Starbucks to give him and New Zealand the credit it deserved. Meanwhile, with Starbucks all set to bring the most popular "flat white" to the United States, the espresso steamed milk drink is all set to go places, reports ABC News.

To be continued...

A response to @KittKattBarr1 and 'sneaky lyin hypocrites'

As I seem to be blocked by kittkattbarr from responding on Twitter I will respond here to the following post sent to the following people....

KittKattBarr ‏@KittKattBarr1 4h4 hours ago

@helenwheels @tjcb1420 I hate sneaky lyin hypocrites who delete their nastiness then shit on others http://lyndaherestalker.blogspot.ca

I have been advised not to feed the trolls and I won't. Twitter provides a delete function and I chose to exercise that right. The essence of the tweets I deleted to Tammy Buckley were made in the post.  

It is unfortunate people like Tammy Buckley can search out discussions from people they do not follow or who follow them, enter into a discussion that do not concern them, call people names to silence them such as Trolls, deny and fail to take responsibility for their actions, dismiss other's opinions and concerns and report anyone for having stood up to her and expressed their opinions to Twitter or authority.

The tweets I made to Helen Reynolds are still on my Twitter account. It seems people like KittKattBarr have the right to respond in how they see fit, behind people's back and not to the source or their face (sneaky nastiness), accuse me of lying (Helen Reynolds tweets are still on my Twitter feed), calling people names (nastiness), using fake accounts (nastiness) and an account they haven't used for nearly three years. Yep she is a real fan full of the virtues of ownership and responsibility of ones actions. Dobbing and telling tales is not a great quality either (more nastiness).

Then people like me can't respond and are blocked (nastiness). That is why I have this blog. Twitter has a delete function and I have the right to use it. Tammy Buckley chose to keep a copy without my permission. She also chose to keep her responses rather than just move on. I have had Twitter disagreements before and people just move on.

Although these posts are not about the bootlegging of Lyndahere I will say this. This blog has been here for nearly three years. I did not select the domain name for this blog. It was made by Google.

Lyndahere and I have come to an understanding. She continues to bootleg and pirate and I write my blog. And people are free to watch it and circulate her bootlegging and piracy without comment from me. I respect people's right to watch it. Even though I don't agree but I am still entitled to object.

Lyndahere can always respond and I will publish her response in full. The same right I was not given by her when I objected to her bootlegging and piracy nearly three years ago. 

Liz Smith

Alan Doyle…A piracy statement of sorts…

I was thrilled when Alan Doyle responded to issues raised on his Twitter site about piracy and decided to issue a statement of sorts. The issue was raised after 39 bootlegged recordings from an unauthorised source were located and distributed by Helen Reynolds, the administrator of the Online Kitchen Party, A Great Big Sea Community Forum fan page on Facebook. (Piracy and excessive bootlegging have been the cause of many disputes within the Great Big Sea fandom over a number of years). 

Helen Reynolds had contacted Alan Doyle to get authorisation for the distribution to the bootlegged recordings. (I gather that under Colorado state law the bootlegger would need an appropriate license to record content and obviously they didn’t apply.  The bootlegger and the distributor also probably breached fair usage as the entire concert was recorded). The alleged bootlegger was revealed by Helen Reynolds after I ask annoying questions to her about the origins of the bootlegged content. 

 Alan Doyle from Twitter

“oh… sorry I was not aware it would be seen as different youtube vids ect. Perhaps I should have an official policy. Let me chat with labels ect next weeks and I’ll post my position on the whole thing. Its such a grey area these days. Every live show is captured by dozens, not hundreds of recording devices and shared on Youtube, emails, messages. I do not support pirating studio music. I ask everyone to buy what I release if they want to hear it.

I have no control over how many people record, share live performances. I thought of this recording as the same, could be wrong” 21 March 2015.

 Alanthomasdoyle to @helenwheels @tjcb1420 @ottersynic @brianblank Feels like I need to discuss with labels ect re copyright…give me till early next week. 21 March 2015

Alan postponed his decision on the support for the bootlegged recordings (after some reflection) to consult with his management and record labels. Despite  the fact he postponed his decision (and the bootlegger agreed) Helen Reynolds did not removed the post or files containing the recordings or Alan's statement supporting them. At the time of me writing this post Helen Reynold's post was still up on the Facebook page on Sunday 22 March 2015. So the consultation with Alan and his decision to defer and reflect on the decision were ignored by Helen Reynolds. She continued to use his comments as an attempt of publicise the distribution of the illegal recordings.

From Twitter

Helen Wheels to @alanthomasdoyle @tjcb1420 @brianblank Thanks Alan. Wishing the one link had been more gratefully accepted, not made an issue. 21 March 2015

Tammy J Buckley @helenwheels It shouldn’t have been made an issue! It’s only one person who doesn’t have anything better to do than cause problems 4 others. 21 March 2015

I don't know who made Tammy Buckley queen of what is important and not important in the Great Big Sea fandom. The conduct of these two Great Big Sea fans Helen Reynolds and Tammy Buckley (two educated and professional mature-age women working in the Colorado education system with special needs children) and their dismissal of the issue and impact of piracy (and bootlegging) not only on musicians but other content creators and their lack of willingness to be involved in respectful dialogue makes education on these issues even more urgent. 

What ever Alan decides on the issue of piracy and bootlegging I will support him and still be a fan. Not because he is right but because he decided to engage respectfully in the debate with me. And because I love his music and where he belongs. Many thanks Alan.

From the Online Kitchen Party Facebook page, a post by Helen Reynolds.

Helen Jarvis Reynolds

Yesterday at 1:17am · Monument, CO, United States · Edited

Many thanks to Alan Doyle for giving me his permission to share this..The Beautiful Gypsies LIVE at The Soiled Dove Underground in Denver 2.25.15. can be downloaded here:https://www.mediafire.com/folder/s5afjnkb4x3rq/adb2015-02-25.

MediaFire

MediaFire is a simple to use free service for that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.

WWW.MEDIAFIRE.COM

Trolling, difference of opinion and social media...

An example of how fans, trolling, bullying and illegal material costs musicians fans, money and resources...and create a not very nice place to be.

Gee...it must be really hard for some people to take a different opinion...It is kind of selfish how some fans need for piracy and bootlegging at a concert they were at could affect the release of an album down the road for musicians and artists.

39 unacknowledged bootlegged recordings of an entire concert in Denver Colarado were found on an obscure social media site by Helen Reynolds the coordinator of the Online Kitchen Party on Facebook (the same online kitchen party talked about in a previous post). The bootlegged recordings were only available to the Online Kitchen Party Facebook page members run by Helen Reynolds and excluded other fans who were not members.  As it turned out the method of distribution for this piracy and bootlegging for those of us paying for downloads was more expensive that a live recorded album. To the best of my knowledge Alan Doyle received nothing from the 39 bootlegged tracks available.

Alan Doyle has never really acknowledged any kind of bootlegging or piracy by Lyndahere. Other than perhaps four or five bootlegged videos and only in special circumstances like a charity event and his sister's concert (out of a couple of thousand) Alan Doyle has never really acknowledged or retweeted her bootlegged videos. The other four videos where he and Bob Hallett were singing with Dean Brody 'It's Friday' in St Johns, a father's day video of Alan sing with his dad, a sing a long at Mallard cottage and his talk at Woody Point in August last year. He has not retweeted or acknowledged any bootlegged videos from the So Let's go Tour. So am I the only one who thinks that bootlegging and piracy is not wanted?

I received this little jab from Twitter (not to my face but behind my back.)

Beware of the Online Kitchen Party...and a difference of an opinion...

Helen Reynolds
helenwheels @tjcb1420 Haha I got read the riot act last night by her.I am not worried at all.Alan said it was ok to share,I don't have links

Tammy Buckley
tjcb1420@helenwheels Yeah, I saw that. She's just a sad troll with no life so she has to try & make problems for others.

tjcb1420@helenwheels I wouldn't worry about it Helen. I'm sure it's the same troll who got after me for sharing Lynda's YouTube vids.

After seeing the problems caused on Online Kitchen Party Facebook page by Helen Reynolds trolling Twitter no less and cutting and pasting tweets from Sean McCann about the Great Big Sea break up so I am kinda wondering who is enjoying causing all the fuss...

Tammy would have to be trolling Helen somewhere to see that because well I don't follow either of them. Then Tammy proceeded to lie to my face pretending she wasn't talking about me. I was only informing her bootlegging was illegal and they get defensive.

I was allegedly reported and blocked on Twitter because I questioned them about their distribution and watching of illegal content and trolling...Not very nice. I have referred the management of the Online Kitchen Party to Sonic Entertainment for investigation.


To be continued...

Happy Anniversary Great Big Sea…

Happy Anniversary Great Big Sea and their fans…

SeanMcCannSings@seanmcannsings Happy Anniversary @DarrellPowerNL @bobhallett @alanthomasdoyle @krismacdrum @murrayfoster1 #GBSXX1112 March 2015

AlanDoyle@alanthomasdoyle Happy Anniversary GBS! 22 Years ago today we played our first gig. What a ride. Thanks to all. 12 March 2015

MurrayFoster@MurrayFoster1 Lots of magical times with these madmen RT Seanmcannsings @DarrellPowerNL @bobhallett @alanthomasdoyle @krismacdrum 12 March 2015

As Great Big Sea fans know yesterday was Great Big Sea’s 22nd anniversary since they played their first gig together. Despite the fact Sean McCann had left the band and the band members were taking a hiatus of sorts persuing individual projects, it was a time of congratulations and reflection all round for the fans and some of the band on social media, including Twitter and Facebook.

Sean McCann began the celebrations by writing a blog post thanking the band and fans and wished them well.

“Greetings Fellow Great Big Sea Fans and Happy Anniversary Kris, Murray, Darrell, Bob and Alan. It has been over year now since we stopped and while taking a breath today to reflect upon our collective past I remembered this documentary I made for the XX Boxset.

While the winds of time may have blown us apart and we still don't agree on a Great Big many things, I would like to thank you all today (Fans and Band alike) for contributing to my Life and ultimately helping me to Help My Self…

We have lived through so much together ....some bad....and some great. Today I will remember only the latter and Wish You Well."

Sean circulated a photograph and a beautiful video on YouTube of Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett and himself singing a song called Great Big World written by Jim Fidler. What a treat indeed.

It was unfortunate some fans chose to start a fight with other fans and the band members on Twitter and the Facebook Online Kitchen Party for the Great Big Sea Fan Community and nick pick over who should have said what and whether Sean had the right to say anything because he had left the band. (I am sure if you are a Great Big Sea fan you can guess who, but I won’t go into it out of respect for Great Big Sea.). To me Sean has the right to say whatever he wants, when he likes as he is still part of the band, at least legally. And as one fan put it nicely hopefully the gesture will help them work towards their (and the fan’s) healing.

To me, Sean has been most generous and kind about sharing material from his Great Big Sea collection of memorabilia including photographs and videos. As I have really only been fan for about 4 years I really appreciate these gestures.

Like many fans, becoming interested in Great Big Sea changed my life. Although I don’t really participate in social media, I have met a lot of nice people from overseas at concerts. I have learned a lot about music, Newfoundland, the challenges musicians face, piracy, bootlegging and most all fandom which was documented through my blog.

I have learned it is okay to be a fangirl, yes fangirl no matter how old you are, to remain loyal to my personal ideas and beliefs, to stand up for others (even if it isn’t acknowledged and rewarded) and to put my dreams out there because dreams really do come true.

After years of being snug and loving my little piece of Australia I finally built up the courage and finances to travel overseas to Canada and Newfoundland. A lot of fans go to a lot of concerts and don’t make it to Newfoundland. I didn't do a whole lot of concerts but I did make it to Newfoundland and on more than a couple of occasions.  

I have fallen in love with St. John’s and Newfoundland, it’s people, it’s culture, stories and music. During the last couple of weeks so many of my personal dreams came true there. I was lucky enough to meet Alan Doyle in the Toronto airport, Alan Hawco from Republic of Doyle and to see Sean McCann play in St. John’s. I am grateful for that. I am grateful for all the music, the stories and culture Great Big Sea have shared with me and most of all introducing me to their glorious home  Newfoundland.

I am hoping for one more great big trip and extended stay at the end of the year.

Many thanks and happy anniversary Great Big Sea.

My favourite Great Big Sea photograph...(no copyright infringement intended)

Alan Doyle, and a nice collection of words on the book Where I Belong and the So Let's Go album and concert…

As those people who visit and read my blog know already I collect photographs, articles and reviews about the members of Great Big Sea as well as the fandom I find interesting. Recently, I found a couple of really nice reviews on Alan Doyle’s book Where I Belong, album So Let’s Go and a So Let’s Go tour concert in Saskatoon. I have edited the original copies here for a post and circulated the unedited version on the Google + page attached.

The first article is a review of the So Let’s Go album by Brian Kremakau for the online magazine Read Junk. Brian is long term Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle fan and has written articles for Read Junk on the Indoor Garden Parties and Great Big Sea concerts. What I like about this article (other than the nice words from a fan) is that he provides links to Alan Doyle’s home page and to Amazon where those who wish to purchase the album can. He gave the album 5 stars.

The second article “Tall Tales from Petty Harbour and Other Stories by Alan Doyle”  is about Alan Doyle’s thoughts on writing his book Where I Belong. When I was in St. John’s I was able to pick up a copy in a local magazine Fine Lifestyles (St. John’s/Avalon). In the magazine was the interview and a collection of charming black and white photographs. My favourite photograph is one of  a very happy young Alan Doyle playing the piano at home around Christmas time.

While the interview is available online as part of the magazine, I just wanted to record some of the comments which I found interesting. If you get a chance go and visit the edition online as the magazine has some great articles on the Newfoundland Chocolate Company, the George Street Festival and other great stuff about St. John's and Newfoundland.

The third article “Doyle’s Republic gets a first rate concert” is an excellent review of a concert in Saskatoon on the 12 March, 2015. Perhaps what I love about this review is it highlights Alan Doyle as the star of the concert, but includes a description of the performance by some of the band members and in particular the very talented and gorgeous Kendel Carson, and the superfans down the front that contributed to making this concert a grand night indeed.  

All the articles have been edited for copyright reasons.

Alan Doyle-So Let’s Go album review by Brain Kremakau on ReadJunk.com (no copyright infringement intended)25 January 2015.

“Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle second album So Let’s Go is one of the best albums of the year, and we’re only a month into the year! Alan’s first solo album, Boy On Bridge, was an excellent album but I really think So Let’s Go takes his music to another level…

Many of the songs have catchy hooks and clapping which will be fun to hear live. Alan Doyle is a highly enjoyable person to see perform live in concert. Every note that is sung, you can tell he is so passionate about his music and he’s just having a great time doing it. One notable song I can’t wait to hear live is the rousing yet simply named “1,2,3,4.” It’s got super fast fiddle playing, loud clapping, a chorus that you’ll want to sing along to and everything else that makes a song catchy as hell…

It’s hard to ignore the fact that Alan is a talented singer. He always seems to be surrounded with talented songwriters & musicians as well, which is why I love everything he’s ever released. Even when Alan sings for his audiences, without any mics or other band members with him, you can tell the guy is truly talented. I’m trying hard to hide the fact that I’m a big fan but just can’t help it. But if this album wasn’t that great, I would say so…

Usually the end of an album is subdued or filled with filler songs but not the case with So Let’s Go. “Sins of Saturday Night” will be another live favorite featuring some cool guitar riffs. “Shine On” is another folk troubadour sounding tune that picks up during the chorus. You think it will be just a folk song but then changes gears into a poppy chorus. The last song of the album is “Take Us Home” and what a way to finish the album! If this isn’t the second single, it should be! It’s sort of in the same vein as “So Let’s Go” in that the song will be stuck in your head (in a good way).

Just a fantastic album from beginning to end. I wouldn’t change anything except maybe adding one or two more songs. It makes you wanting more and feels too short even though there are 10 tracks on here. Keep rolling out the good tunes, Alan!”

“Tall Tales from Petty Harbour and Other Stories by Alan Doyle” by Henny Buffinga Photos Courtesy of Alan Doyle in Fine Lifestyles”.(no copyright infringement intended).

“…As a seasoned songwriter but novice writer, Doyle’s debut shows his roots in music, with critics and readers alike suggesting his voice as an author is lyrical. “Writing a song is kind of a reflex; you get an idea for something and then you just go do it” he says. “If you don’t have it in a day it’s probably not going to come. A book takes a lot more time and perspiration.” Doyle wrote the book himself but thanks his editor, Nita Pronovost, for her invaluable input and guidance in navigating the new form writing.

As with his song writing, Doyle was focused on maintaining an authentic voice. "I never sing anything I wouldn’t say, and I kind of stuck to that rule in my book as well,” he says. “When I tried to write something I wasn’t sure if it sounded like me, I would do the only thing I knew how: I went down to the recording studio in my house and read it out loud.

The difference between writing music and writing about himself is not lost on him, though. He says, “You can easily hide between a song, or a character you’re playing on TV, but when it’s just words about yourself, your town and your family, you’re naked out there.

Where I Belong reads as a tribute to Doyle’s hometown, and a celebration of Newfoundland in its prime. The moratorium and all that it brought is lurking on the edges of the book, but never intrudes into the story as it happened after Doyle left home for university…”

'Doyle’s republic gets first-rate concert' by Cam Fuller, The StarPhoenix March 12, 2015  (no copyright infringement intended).

“It was the So Let’s Go tour for Doyle’s second solo album…

…It does take two to tango, and a group of superfans near the front led the way, standing for the Great Big Sea hit When I’m Up. The version featured lively solos by Kendel Carson on fiddle and Todd Lumley on chest organ, aka accordion

Boy, that Kendel. “A strong wind would blow her over,” one’s father might have said. But with a bow in her hand and a long blonde braid down her front, she can whip up a whirlwind. If you like the fiddle on John Mellencamp albums, this activates the brain’s same pleasure sensors…

Part biopic, maybe, since that very night was the 22nd birthday of Great Big Sea. (Sea of No Cares and Lukey were other GBS songs in the first half.) And it’s a movie with some drama, since the band that gave Doyle his start is on semi-hiatus with the departure of Sean McCann.

But it’s also a comedy because Doyle is genuinely funny, full of life and infectiously enthusiastic.

“Every time I come to Saskatchewan, I learn a new name for something,” he said, laughing at the term “white man shuffle” for a lame dance step.

With the abundance of banter, Doyle was clearly in no rush to get through the songs (barely half of which made it under the reviewer’s deadline). He knew what he had in store for the second half — rabble rousers like 1,2,3,4 from the new album and covers no doubt of Mellencamp’s Paper in Fire and maybe even that hey-there-chameleon chestnut Run Runaway.

The buildup was gradual with careful explanations of the origins of a couple of the slower new songs like The Night Loves Us and, after he got everyone standing and singing for Lukey, the chilling and beautifully written Laying Down to Perish.
“
It’s kind of a sit-downy one,” Doyle sort of apologized, adding “There’ll be standy-up ones later.”

An interpretation of being on a side in a fandom…

One of my favourite things to do is to research participation in the fandoms I am interested in. Recently I came across an old blog post written by Lyndahere on her blog Between the Rock and a Hard Place. True to form Lyndahere, used a major opportunity in the career of Great Big Sea, the launch of the television series of Republic of Doyle, to criticise and attack the fandom. Great Big Sea were involved in the development of Republic of Doyle from the beginning and wrote the theme song Oh Yeah. (Since I have been involved in the fandom Lyndahere has used just about every Great Big Sea major event to attack the fandom, but also other fandoms including the Russell Crowe fandom).

Lyndahere no matter what year, is always right and a person that has been severely misunderstood and done wrong by the fans who express a dislike about her conduct. The comments section of her blog post quickly turned from a discussion about the initial episode of Republic of Doyle to an attack on the Online Kitchen Party and the fans who post there. While there were a lot of long waffly mini essay responses to other fans who weighed in the discussion, Lyndahere made comments about the administration control of the forum, alleged bullying by a gang of bullies who attacked her comments and other fan’s comments, the alleged lack of freedom of speech in the forum, her interpretation of what fans wanted to talk about in 2010 and the 'wet blankets' that stopped them, her feelings on the forum and the criticism of the forum as a marketing tool by Great Big Sea. There was a discussion on the history of other attempts to start up alternative forum groups and their quick demise and the suggestion of the creation of alternative forum for fans. Lyndahere describes in one post how she and others were constantly referred to the Online Kitchen Party rules and regulations about appropriate conduct.

 “There used to be a shitstorm going on most of the time, and for all the insistence that it was “sex talk” that got the OKP neutered (or, for that matter, that it was me who got the OKP neutered) what it really was were those incessant shitstorms. If this one had continued, if those involved had kept commenting after being told to stop someone would be gone for good. And they all know that too.” (Lyndahere Between the Rock and a Hardplace January 5 2010)

Five years on it is interesting how many mature-aged women, married with families and children (who watch her videos and congratulate her on making them) find it acceptable for a mature-aged woman to criminally stalk, pester and badger a man. Most of all they wouldn’t like a woman making sexual advances and comments about their men in front on them or others online. Yet this type of behaviour seems acceptable to Lyndahere on the Online Kitchen Party years ago and today on her social media accounts. To me, it is clear the members of Great Big Sea have never been too fond of this type of discussion and behaviour, well at least in public and in particular on social media. Lyndahere while criticising the administration for allowing bullying on the forum of herself and others, has been guilty of allowing intense bullying of other fans, as an administrator of her site on YouTube Between the Rock in the comments section.

While I don’t participate in the Online Kitchen Party on Facebook, I do pop in occasionally to look to see what is happening, the stories and the type of material fans are sharing. Interestingly, the Online Kitchen Party is still here (with a different administrator) many of the fans who made comments on her blog post are gone, but some are still here participating in the fandom in various degrees. In 2010 social media was just really in development. More and more people of all ages and from all walks of life have developed a better understanding of acceptable online behaviour. Twitter, Facebook and other social media forums for Great Big Sea have attracted a more mature audience and with a sophisticated use of social media (although slightly brief at times). The fans are now in contact with other fans of their choice through whatever social media platforms they prefer. The members of Great Big Sea all have their own accounts and interact with fans in a variety of ways.

Today fans are more interested and involved in discussing the music and concerts, share photographs and videos, rather than an inappropriate discussion about individual Great Big Sea members, their perceived personalities and sexual attractiveness. Noticeably absent from this discussion of the fandom and the use of a forum is all the positive things that have evolved such as long term friendships and fan labour. However, the conflicts (as all fandoms have) between the fans are still there in various degrees. But it seems easier on social media to block or unfollow anyone who doesn’t agree with the account holder than to disagree in fandom discussions.

What I found totally ironic in the blog post was one of the main criticisms by Lyndahere of the Online Kitchen Party was it’s use of the forum as a promotional tool (as against her bootlegging, piracy and derivative works). Back in 2010 the Online Kitchen party was in competition to her and her blog Between the Rock and a Hard Place. Today, Lyndahere has embraced the forum and uses it as a tool to promote her own promotional tools, her endless bootlegged videos, photographs and pirated material as she and others have recognised it’s alleged importance as a promotional tool. Although Lyndahere rarely now comments on public forums like the Online Kitchen Party she saves those comments for her Twitter account and Alan Doyle.

Edited from the comments section of the blog post by Lyndahere. Remember these comments are on the eve of the first season premier of Republic of Doyle in 2010. This episode contained pirated episodes. The posts are reduced due to copyright.

"It's Coming Over Me" - The Republic Of Doyle....and The Repubic Of Doyle 05 January 2010

“...Joanne - the OKP admin pre-Official Community - once told me she got dozens of complaints about me every week, sometimes that many in a day (the great irony here is the later discovery that quite a few of those many complaints came from just one person in all of her multiple online personalities...even more ironic if you know what role that disturbed person eventually wound up playing on the OKP) - the point was to create enough of a backlash to bring about a desired silence, to make silence the easiest solution to the continuing backlash. A time-honoured technique. And one that works only when you have the majority of the community behind you, because otherwise the shitstorm you need to stir up in order to make it worthwhile to get rid of the other person will not take place.

Which brings it right back to what the majority of the community desires and what kind of an overall image/tone best suits the kind of promotional tool a band's message board is supposed to be. The OKP isn't about free speech and it isn't about fairness and it isn't about what's real, not primarily at least, nor should it have to be. Not its purpose. If a few of those peripheral items make their way in every now and then with no trouble ensuing, all the better. But they are not the main reason for the board's continued existence.

The biggest conflict comes from the desire of that majority of fans to sincerely believe that their sanitised version of the band members - their partial truth - is actually the "real" version, the full truth. Nice, sweet b'ys, maybe a little naughty every once in a while but in such a charmingly harmless way. Appearance becomes reality, a triumph of promotional purpose.

Until someone comes along and rocks Lukey's boat, that is. That's when the shit hits the fan, predictably so. True believers tend not to take kindly to any comments that run counter to their perception of Real, and that very will-to-believe prevents them, and the continuing conflict, from ever ceasing because it keeps them from seeing why it is they get so frigging upset about it…

Posted by: Lynda | 07 January 2010 at 05:55 PM

….I think setting up a separate, private site where people can feel free to say the kinds of things that always lead to trouble when said on the OKP is an excellent idea. That would be good for the folks on the new site and good for those on the OKP too. Win-win all around. No worries about your using the boat motif for your new site - go for it, by all means. Considering all the joking that's gone on with that song, it does seem fitting.

I'm pretty erratic when it comes to Facebook, forgetting its existence for days at a time, especially when travelling, so I don't know how much of a useful member of any group I could be, but I'm not against the concept. Let me know if you do get something like this on the go.

…I have been at the centre of the shitstorm and I have been the good-hearted den mother to the younglings...neither role ever seemed to work out very well. Perhaps you will do better than I did, but I will warn you at the outset about those who want discord, those who want to fight - for whatever reason I have never figured out. There seem to be some of that type in every group, on every side, especially online. If a shitstorm is desired, a shitstorm will most certainly ensue.

I read the latest response to what you wrote, and for all of its (ironically immature) snarkiness, one point she made was very true: GBS Fandom is not one big happy family, never has been and never will be, despite that "We Are The World" feeling so many get while singing along in a crowd at shows. All kinds of different people are drawn to the men and their music for a whole host of varying reasons; it makes perfect sense that there would be a huge range of the ways in which that thoroughly disparate group of individuals would choose to view, enjoy, and discuss the band.

The notion of free speech is a lofty one, one I hold dear, but I still say that when it comes to most groups of people - and this is even more true on the internet, where many of those who are total weenies in real life feel all bold and brash and free to be bullies because of their presumed cyberanonymity - the loudest bitchers and most persistent complainers are going to get their way. Always. The meek may indeed inherit the earth, but it will only be after all the pushy assholes are dead and gone. And it will only happen offline.

…I have seen shitstorms start with much less and go on much longer. There was a weird dynamic to that one you might not have even gotten, in that the majority of those most incensed were posters who have been away from the OKP for a long time, who used to have their own board before it became defunct, and who had only very recently begun to post on the OKP again. The intensity of their response was indeed beyond the scope waranted by your comment, because it was a reaction to past events too - old angers and bitternesses and hurts and fears rearing their heads. As Bob would say, Context. (And I have to admit to being a bit surprised some of the complainers even knew what "smile like a doughnut" meant, speaking of context. Maybe they Googled it. )

As best as I can tell, most of the current posters either stayed out of it, ignored it, or tried to move along past it, which is much more the dominant OKP ethic these days. The direct challenge and sputtering outrage - the shitstorm - is very much old-style OKP. There used to be a shitstorm going on most of the time, and for all the insistence that it was "sex talk" that got the OKP neutered (or, for that matter, that is was me who got the OKP neutered) what it really was were those incessant shitstorms. If this one had continued, if those involved had kept commenting after being told to stop...someone would be gone for good. And they all know that too. It is an implicit threat that works wonderfully well as a deterrent. You just can't argue with success.

By the way, do you know where the expression "wet blanket" comes from? From putting out fires. Ironic, that. I hope you went back over to YouTube to see parts 4 and 5. I re-uploaded them and they're working fine now. No clue what the trouble was - sometimes YouTube is just that way...

Posted by: Lynda | 08 January 2010 at 11:05 PM

...People popping up out of the woodwork from wherever to trash someone is an interesting phenomenom online. I just had occasion to go back through a pile of old files, things I'd kept for the past 5 years or so but hadn't looked at since saving them. One big ugly file was all the shit that got posted when the OKP was first neutered (when it was cut back to the single thread to welcome new people - I get so tired of people who say it was shut down...it was never shut all the way down). Those first few days after the neutering happened, there were some pretty horrible things said, and I saved them all, mostly because I know how I work - as time passes I tend to think things said and done were not really as cruel as they actually were, and this time I really wanted to learn something from the experience and not fall into the mistake of trusting these people ever again.

So I saved all the nastiness and hate but never read it again until a week or so ago. What I noticed the most in the midst of all the slavering was that the most vicious of the slaverers are nearly all long gone from the OKP, have been for ages, at least so far as posting goes. Not only that, but also that the meanest of them were those who also had not been posting on the OKP at the time - the reason they gave then for not having posted recently was how terrible the OKP had become....but even after the neutering and the sanitisation, many if not most of them ever came back to post.

I'm not sure either what it is that makes a person think they've got a right to control something in which they do not actively participate. It's kind of like those who don't vote but bitch about their government. Put up or shut the fuck up...if you want bitching rights, take part. Otherwise, stand over on the sidelines and bitch quietly among yourselves. I rather enjoy the sideline view these days.

I can do you better than blow-by-blow - well, better than the kind of blow-by-blow you to which you are referring. If you've seen the most recent entry here, you already know I put the ROD episode up on YouTube. Sorry about the hassle of multi-parts, but YouTube has this dumb rule about files not being more than 10 minutes in length. Hope you enjoy it.

…I think I'd have to take issue with your "We're all here for the band" argument too. Maybe if you phrased it "We're all here because of the band" instead. "Here for the band" runs counter to "Here for or ourselves", which is a lot closer to the truth in many cases. Again, as it should be. Fans are customers, after all. Nobody expects the customer to be anything but self-concerned....

Posted by: Lynda | 09 January 2010 at 05:44 PM

...The very first time I came across the OKP what I found in the midst of a number of completely harmless threads were two not-so-harmless threads that surprised me. One was a long series of posts ragging brutally on the band for playing basically the same set list every night, most of those posts apparently from multiple-show attendees. The other was an even-longer thread in which one group of about 5 or 6 female posters were gang-bullying some other female poster, piling derisive post upon derisive post onto that sole poster's ineffectual attempts at self-defense, all while glorying in their own supposedly incisive wit and arrogantly presumed cleverness; I don't recall what remark had set off the Mean Girls Go Wild reaction, only that it seemed seriously undeserving of such relentlessly (and pettily) cruel rejoinders.

That was my very first impression of the OKP, formed some time in the latter half of 2001. It would turn out to be an accurate impression. I would later learn that there was another group of fans who had fairly recently left to form an alternate board because they had been harshly criticised for being too bawdy (though most of what they wrote was only along the lines of junior-high-school giggly-girl type stuff - of the "Nice picture of Alan's package!" variety). The more I travelled and met people, the more stories I heard along similar lines.

Since that time, the disaffected, the disappointed, and the dismayed have set up numerous alternative boards; I know of about a dozen or so, and I am sure there are plenty more about which I've never heard. Most of those boards have been private, with the Fishtank being one of the bigger and most successful of exceptions. Social media sites might make the need to create new message boards as alternative refuges less necessary these days, though the actual need for such refuges does seem to continue on and on.

I'm not persuaded that the OKP was ever a happy-go-lucky place, no more than I am persuaded that GBS has a sizeable percentage of happy-go-lucky fans. I think each group of fan-friends just thinks that's how it was during the period of time when theirs was the dominant voice on the OKP, that time during which they were the ones who felt like their group "owned the board," so to speak. Some other group(s) was most likely grumbling in their little parlours for each other group's duration, when not waging outright war against them.

Maybe without strict regulation this pattern is an inevitable outcome, and not only just with this group of fans. If so, then strict regulation is the lesser of two evils, in terms of effectiveness as a marketing tool and also in terms of limiting collateral damage”...

Posted by: Lynda | 11 January 2010 at 03:14 AM