The Aftermath

This is what people are saying about the Vancouver Riots almost a week later.  I found some of these statements by regular people very very profound:

"Let's not forget the culpability of the city govn't of Mayor Gregor Robertson in all of this.

It takes minimal common sense to recognize that putting up multiple massive tv screens at free venues, and then inviting tens of thousands of people into the downtown core, with NO ATTENDANCE RESTRICTIONS and little control, is a recipe for disaster...especially for the last game of the Stanley Cup series. In Vancouver. And given our experience in 1994.

And then Chief Constable Chu says he was "surprised" at the riots, and that they "didn't expect" it to happen. WHAT?! If that's not an admission of incompetence, I don't know what is...

And, stop with this fiction of the small group of anarchists and criminals being responsible for the riot. Does Mayor Robertson and Chief Chu really think that the thousands of rioters in Canucks jerseys were "anarchists" in disguise? Clearly, ordinary Canucks fans, mainly kids from the suburbs, were the majority of rioters" - MacStephens from CBC.ca

"Thought experiment:

If someone went to the Kotylak home to break all of the windows, trash the place, steal everything of value and torch the family car... would the good surgeon and his son accept a "public apology" and let the entire matter slide?

I suspect not." - BC2011 from CBC.ca

"I chuckle at all the hand-wringers protesting that this riot doesn't represent the "real" Vancouver. Sure it does. The riot was the symptom, not the disease.

Let's face it, everyone in town knew a riot was likely to happen, win or lose. A general attitude of permissiveness - and our Mayor's refusal to anticipate reality - allowed this to happen. And it'll happen again.

But at least we have chicken coops in our backyards, and are willing to shut down half of a busy, downtown bridge to allow a few cyclists some elbow room. Progress!

There's some good analogies in there, somewhere." - BC2011 from CBC.ca

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After reading multiple stories on CBC.ca today, I've realized that normal hardworking Canadian folks who live in BC want justice from these riots.  We are tired of the abuse of the political system by idealists and the far left in Vancouver we are tired of the focus on the trivial in this city and we are tired of treating our city that it is somehow a utopia, "different" from all other cities in the world.  These riots proved that Vancouver is not different.  Vancouver is worse.  In Boston the riot police was prepared and game 7 wasn't even held there. 

Love,

Marty

@martyzylstra  

Ask the Hard Questions

I am a hockey fan.  I am a hardcore fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and have been almost my whole life.  During the playoffs I played devil's advocate and poked jabs at all my friends here in Vancouver who cheer for the home team.   As the playoffs wore on in Vancouver a part of me was getting caught up in the energy of the city and how great the vibe was in the city.  People seemed happy.  People seemed to be glowing with excitement. 

And then....

It's over.

But.

The face of this playoff run will not be hockey.

It will be pictures of people (not hockey fans, not canucks fans, just people) in Canucks jerseys turning over cars and breaking windows.  Rioting.

These people are not fans of the sport.  They do not play hockey for fun.  They cannot name the starting line-up of the Canucks or the Bruins.  They do not know the jersey numbers of all of their favourite players from past and present.  They cannot tell the difference between offsides and icing.  

My friends and fellow hockey lovers were not involved in this riot. 

Terrible.

Hockey is a great game and this great series will be forever marred by foolish drunkards looking for a reason to spark chaos.

I read this post from a blogger on cbc.ca and I thought I would repost it because it's exactly how I feel about Vancouverites:

The cause of this particular riot goes much deeper than the simple loss of a hockey game. As the most expensive place in North America in which to live, there is by implication, a large group of dispossessed people in Vancouver. Those who have little or nothing in a city of great wealth and prosperity are inclined for the most part, to simmer in quiet hostility. However, given the chance, these people will lash out against a society they feel has ignored and forgotten them. The gathering of many thousands of people in the downtown area gave these people the platform they needed to bring attention to their feelings of alienation and discontent. Unfortunately, some fans, in a state of anger at the Canucks loss, were drawn into the fracas and ended up acting out as badly as those who had instigated the riot.

I think the results of this latest riot will serve to eradicate any feelings of complacency our city officials may have had regarding the safety of the city. How could the Mayor and his staff, or for that matter, the police, not know that allowing thousands of people to mass together into a relatively small area of the city would be a recipe for disaster?

The vast majority of Canucks fans are law-abiding people who would never think of participating in such an abhorrent display of law-breaking. The same can be said of nearly every hard-working person in this city and for that matter, in the province of British Columbia.

Vancouver's image has been forever tarnished by a relatively small group of miscreants. It is up to the Mayor and his council to ensure that this type of situation will never happen again.
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Thanks for reading!
love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Growing Old

You know those email "forwards" you get from people?  Well I got one in my inbox today and I thought I'd share it.  It's apparently written by a 90 year old with 45 small pieces of advice to growing old.  At first I usually just delete but when I started skimming this one, I started to really read and take heed of the advice.  I think of my own grandfather who is 95 years old and what an accomplishment it is to grow old and have a legacy such as he does (survived 2 world wars, 7 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, humble beginnings etc etc) and what advice he would give.  I'm sure his sentiments would be very similar to these:
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(Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio)

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
--
I hope you're able to take something from this life advice.  I sure did.

Love,
Marty
@martyzylstra

Ten Important Tips to being a professional musician/human being

I haven't written an "original" blog post in a while and in that tradition I'm going to re-post a blog that spoke to me today.  I receive daily DIY tips from my friend Brian at Thorny Bleeder (you should subscribe because he's awesome and got his ears down on the ground) and this link was in my inbox today. 

Over the past few years I've gotten a taste of what it would be like to be a full time musician and have witnessed and/or been guilty of "what not to do" if you're a musician.  I thought I'd share these 10 "tips" for being a pro-musician.  I hope you can gain some important knowledge from them.  Most of these are either common-sense or very obvious, but you'd be suprised as to how true the "stereotyping of musicians" is.

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TEN IMPORTANT TIPS For Aspiring Professional Musicians! by Gregg Wright

I’ve had the blessing of a 30 year career making a living doing what I love most . . . creating and playing music. It’s carried me to every corner of the earth. I’ve worked with some of the most fascinating and amazingly talented people on this planet, too numerous to name. This is not by chance. I work very hard at being the very best “professional” musician I can be. If you want a career playing music, here are ten “must know” tips to help you achieve and maintain that goal:
1. Practice Makes Perfect: There is no substitute for hard work and getting to know your instrument inside out. Hit the “woodshed.” You want to be able to play easily and smoothly, whatever an artist or producer asks of you.

2. Always Be On Time: This is one of the most important marks of a true professional. Music is a business and runs like any other business or profession. Time is money! Too many musicians think because they’re talented, they can show up whenever they want. Big mistake!!! I remember when I worked with Michael Jackson. He was a real stickler for being on time. If you showed up late, you simply disappeared and your services were no longer required. What a shame if you lost a great gig like that because you couldn’t be on time!

3. Be Well Prepared: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen excellent players show up to a session or rehearsal completely unprepared for the day’s work. If someone gives me a tape or CD of material to learn, by God when you see me again, I will know that material better than you, inside out!

4. Have Good Gear: Invest in yourself! Have the very best gear, whether its guitars, amps, effects, etc. Be sure it’s always in reliable working order. A good musician can make crap gear sound great. Imagine what that same musician can do with “great” gear. Good gear can be an expensive, but worthwhile investment. Nothing can replace a great sound!

5. Be Nice: Why do so many people have the misguided notion that being difficult or unpleasant makes you a better artist? Being a jerk doesn’t make you “edgy” . . . it just makes you a jerk! Trust me; nobody wants to work with a jerk!

6. Communications: There was a time when musicians waited for gigs by the phone. This is clearly no longer the case. I’m talking especially to you older players! Today’s working musician needs to have his or her communications universe in complete working order. A laptop, business cards, cell phone, web presence, social media, etc. If you don’t have these tools at your disposal, many of which are free you are completely out of the loop. You literally don’t exist!

7. Have Reliable Wheels: Very hard to be successful if you cannot get from point A to point B on time, with all your gear, ready to rock.

8. Get A Passport: Kind of hard to do those international festivals without a passport. Proper documentation for everything is paramount. Get it done!

9. Show up Sober: Save the party favors for after the gig or session. Nobody wants to pay their hard earned money to watch you stagger around the stage and miss notes because you have double vision and can’t see your instrument clearly!

10. Be Realistic: In many ways, this is the hardest, because there are so many falsehoods and false notions in show business. My personal philosophy for keeping it real is simple; the world was perfectly fine before I was here and will be perfectly fine after I’m here. It doesn’t need me, you or anyone else. It’s up to each of us to contribute something positive and uplifting while we are here. The world owes us nothing! The true mission of the musician is to uplift, heal and bring people together. Humble yourself! Serve the music and your audience faithfully, and wonderful things will happen.

Andrewpalooza: June 11th, 2011

Reposted from:
http://whatsforlunchbc.com/
Sweetheart is playing this awesome event and we're really glad to be a part of helping someone's life and hopefully making a small difference in the world.  My new friend Scott wrote this empassioned blog about why you should come to "Andrewpalooza" and what this event is all about:
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Why should you come to Andrew Palooza?



Most of you don’t know Andrew Kristoff (most of you don’t actually know me!) so I would like to tell you about him. Andrew is 32 years old and lives in Maillardville in Coquitlam with his wife Theresa and their twin boys, Alex and Aaron. Andrew went to BCIT and became an electrician but hasn’t been able to work for some time now, I first met Andrew in 2001 and we have been friends ever since even though for the longest time he called me Steve (haha sorry Andy!) As time passed Andrew began to notice that he wasn’t able to do things as well as he used to and was soon diagnosed with MS. The disease progressed fairly quickly and for the most part Andrew is now forced to use a wheelchair to get around. One of my fondest memories, not just of Andrew but but from my entire life, was on a cruise for a friends wedding in 2007. Andrew wanted to go down the water slide so a few friends and I carried him up the stairs and fired him down the slide, his smile was totally worth it.

Andrew and his dad pulled me aside at Alex and Aaron’s first birthday party and asked me if I could help them raise money for Andrew to get Liberation Treatment in Seattle. Having just raised over $4000 for Variety for Hayley’s first birthday I was honored that they would ask me to help. Recent studies have shown that MS in not a disease, it is a malformation of the veins that allow blood to drain away from the brain and back to the heart. The veins are too small so the blood doesn’t drain as quickly an the heart pumps it in and this causes iron deposits to form on the brain which turn into lesions which cause MS. Liberation treatment is a procedure which enlarges those veins allowing the blood to drain and lessening and in some cases reversing the effects of MS.

Andrew Palooza is what we’ve come up with to get him this treatment. Dale from Red Room Ultrabar, who knows Andrew and his family has been very generous by letting us have this event and keep all of the ticket proceeds. The Red Room holds 500 people at $20 a ticket that’s $10000 enough for the treatment plus a little extra to allow Theresa to take a couple weeks off to look after Andrew and the twins.

Behind Sapphire, Bodhi Jones, Nadia Von Hahn and Sweetheart are all playing this show for free, Carmen Cruz is emceeing for free and we have some talented comedians, Ruven, Ryan Mutama, Al Hassam, Goldie Hoffman and Chris Gaskin to lighten the mood a little. We have received awesome graphic design for our logo and show poster from Rohit Tandon and lots of social media love trying to spread the word.

So now the only thing left is to sell tickets. Please come and join us, meet Andrew in person and help change his life. Andrew can be a beacon for those suffering with MS that  a better life is just over the horizon. Let’s show the Canadian medical system that this is a better solution than pumping patients full of medication. If you’re on Twitter use the hashtag #DoItForAndy or #AndrewPalooza for all Andrew Palooza related tweets. You can follow the event @AndrewPalooza. Please buy a ticket, invite your friends to do the same and come have a great night with amazing local music and good people.

Click Here to buy tickets to this event!

Love,

Marty

@martyzylstra