reverancepavane | the oracle has spaken (Reply)

You know the meme. Someone asks you 5 questions which you must answer in your lj, and in return anyone can ask you for 5 questions by adding an appropriate comment. So if you would like 5 semi-random questions, please leave a comment below.

These are the questions I received from rowlirowl:

1. What is your favourite music style?

That's simple – I don't really have one <grin>

There are two things I generally appreciate in music. The first is a certain degree of musical complexity in a piece; the second is if the music has a (non-musical) theme that appeals to me. I also tend to prefer music featuring primarily a trained singing voice, violins, and/or percussion. I also don't consider certain things (such as rap) to actually be music, and both the over-engineered modern pop or standard heavy-metal/rock never has had a great appeal to me, although there are exceptions to this (such as the Spanish symphonic rock group Dark Moor for example which tends to appeal both complexity and themes). My collection is sadly deficient in good jazz, primarily from a lack of exposure.

At the moment I'm investigating a lot of german "darkwave" music, mainly because I've recently discovered a lot of good music by exploring this area of music. Needless to say, almost all of the music I collect is not marketed by any of the major record labels and has to be obtained directly from overseas.

2. What is your favourite Spiral Dance album?

It really does depend on my mood. Then again, most of my memories of their music is from live performances rather than from their albums. In and of itself, Over The Nine Waves does immediately come to mind, but that is mainly because it is a concept album. Even then, it's their performance of the entire album as a single integrated piece during a Winter Solstice that remains in my memory. Each of the remaining album has its good songs and its not-as-good songs. It doesn't help that I tend to listen to music via a jukebox that serves individual songs.

I suppose, if pressed for an answer, I must answer that my favourite Spiral Dance album, the one that I am perpetually looking forward to, is always going to be ... the next one.

Gimmee, gimmee, gimmee...

3. Do you think there will ever be another Spiral Dance Summer Solstice in SA?

Yes. I hope there will be. I'd like to see a Summer Solstice gig held outdoors on a late summer evening, preferably in a location overlooking an idyllic valley, where attendees can bring picnic dinners and dine beneath the summer stars, whilst listening to good music. Perhaps in conjunction with a winery in McLaren Vale or similiar. A dance floor will still be a must though. The bouncy castle remains optional.

Against this there are of course people in other states that want Spiral to come play for them on this magical evening, so I suppose, if it's something we really want we might have to arrange it ourselves.

[The failure of the last Summer Solstice gig was due to a lot of reasons and hidden stresses, both within the band and especially amongst attendees of the event. The energies were so very very wrong.]

4. Mulled wine or mead and why?

Easy-peasy. Mead. Mainly because to me most wine is really just sour grape juice (a comment which has brought tears to the eyes of the friends of mine who are wine ~~snobs~~ conneisseurs) [I have to admit I don't mind some dessert sauternes, but they are not really suited for mulling]. My favourite commercial mead is Daringa's from McLaren Vale (just past Maxwells...), although, as you well know, I do have a fancy for the liquer meads of Chateau Dorrian in the Barossa (particularly their excellent Scarlet Mead Liquer).

The actual spicing of a mead is an art form of which I have been honoured and privileged to have known several excellent practioners of the art.

5. iPhone or 'jPhone' and why?

Neither?

I'm not great fan of ~~electronic tethers~~ mobile phones as I find them much too intrusive for my sensibilities. Plus I hate carrying them, so my first choice in such technology is something small enough to accidentally swallow, rather than for any features it might have.

But to actually answer your question, probably the jPhone. Mainly because the iPhone will remain proprietry to Apple and I dislike some of Apples policies (such as having to send the phone away to get a new battery; if you are using as a fully-featured access device can you afford to be without it this long? And if you are not, why have you spent all theat money except as a status symbol?).

But really, neither appeals at all to me.

And now, does anyone wish me to ask them five questions?