We'll be taking a hiatus from our weekly podcast, "Van Philosophy- Live Vlogcast" for the remainder of 2020 so we can prepare for a few bigger projects we're working on. You'll still be able to watch previous episodes on our YouTube channel. We're planning on releasing lots of content for the remainder of the year. We have a few surprises planned. If you don't want to miss any of it be sure to sign our mailing list. We won't ever spam you. We'll just let you know when something cool comes up. We'll keep this blog running so we can check in with each other as well as keep you up to date with what we're working on. Here's what we're up to this week.
New Album!
We're pumped to announce that we've been working on a new full length rock album this year. We don't have an official release date but we're hoping for Spring/Summer 2021. We're planning on the album coinciding with a tour in whatever capacity next year allows. This week, J is heavy into finalizing some mixes for the new album and Kyle is finishing up some vocal and guitar tracks. This is the first time in our career we're actually ahead of schedule with an album release!
New Merch!
Imagine it's a cold night, you've made a bonfire, you're planning on having a few cold ones (or hot ones).... wouldn't a koozie make your night SO much better?
We're laying down a few concepts for a new music video that will be a never before heard preview of the the new album and it requires some sandbags. We're super pumped. As always, our patrons on Patreon will get a sneak peak so if you're subscribed to our Patreon, will have the audio track for you this month.
Speaking of Patreon...
We've decided on this month's secret cover based on votes from our High Fivers on Patreon. We've finished all the pre-poduction and planning on shooting the live video this week! If you'd like to join the community you can at patreon.com/roshambeaux. It REALLY helps us continue to make make music.
What's up with Kyle...
I woke up in weird foggy mess today. It was one of those, "I'm bummed out because I'm so bummed out," kind of mornings. I have all these cool things to work on today. We're making really good progress on the new album and I'm really excited for this month's Patreon project but I just couldn't get my brain in the right space.
It's really funny but I saw an ad on my feed for a certain (not to be named) Vapor Rub treatment claiming it helps with depression/anxiety/brain fog. I kind of laughed thinking it was absurd but it reminded me that our brains work off of our senses, are easily distracted and best focus on one thing at a time.
It doesn't matter what you're thinking about: If you walk into your house or apartment and smell dog s#!t you'll stop thinking about it. We're meant to run off of what's directly in front of us.
It's a cold day so I got bundled up and went for a good long jog. About a mile in I forgot what I was so "meh" about. I think a good way to let go of psychological or emotional burdens is to pick up a physical one.
Find a way to drop things and swap them out for an easily definable physical challenge. It's hard to find time, especially when you have responsibilities, obligations, grumpy bosses etc, but you'll be able to better deal with all those things with a clear head. I'm finding out that mental health and physical health are a lot more related than I thought. Being a human is complicated but at the same time it's not.
-Kyle
What's up with J...
Some days all I wish for is a good night's sleep. It can be hard to admit when things have gotten to a point where you need to seek out help. Sleep Apnea effects so many of us and many of us don't seek treatment thinking it's something else. It can make problems you already have (anxiety, depression, stress, sore muscles, fatigue, etc) compound. It can seem like you are just broken. For those of you like myself that hate going to the doctor....don't put this off like I have for so long. Call your doctor and get it checked out. Much love!
-J
For Whomever Needs To Hear This...
Special Thanks To Our Patrons!
Steve B, Nancy B, Renee T, Rachel E & Nadia M! We truly couldn't keep making music without you!
We'd like to start off by saying thank you to everyone that's served in our armed forces. Politics often get in the way and it's strange to us that this can often be a "touchy" subject. Being grateful for our service men and women isn't a left or right virtue signal. Einstein said, "The opposite of war in not peace; It is creation." We are grateful to those past and present that have put their lives against the destructions of war in the hope of defending the ones they love. This summer we did a version of the Star Spangled Banner and you can get a copy below.
This month the proceeds of our version will go to Wounded Warrior Project: an organization that provides interactive programs, rehabilitation retreats, and free mental health counseling to injured Veterans. We've partnered with Wounded Warrior Project in the past and we're grateful to support them again. In addition to your contribution, this week your contribution will be matched $1 for $1 (up to $400,000) by The Blue Angels Foundation.
Click the icon to get your copy
Live Vlogcast Returns!
After two weeks off dealing with technical difficulties and both of us recovering from ear infections.Tonight, we'll be back to talk about stress and its relationship to anxiety. Last week we gave an analysis on acute and chronic stress from the perspective of a sound engineer, You can check it out HERE. Be sure to join us live tonight on our YouTube channel at 8pm/est. Get in the chat and let us know how you deal with acute or chronic stress.
New Music
We've released several projects this year ranging from seasonal singles, music videos to EPs. We're currently working on a new album as well as laying the storyboarding for another music video. You can check out our latest releases on our music store!
Special Thanks!
A lot of people ask us what they can do to ensure that we're able to keep going. The easiest thing to do is share things that you've enjoyed from us with your friends. That alone gives us more support than you can possibly imagine! However, if you're looking for a way to support us even more, consider supporting us on Patreon. Even if it's just $1 a month, it goes a really long way. There's a few tiers with various monthly features. If you donate $5 a month you'll get a special music video based on your requests sent directly to you every month as well as access to a tight knit community of music lovers.
Special thanks to our Patrons: Nancy B, Renne T, Steve B, Rachel E & Nadia M!
As musicians we deal with stress constantly, whether it's physically being on the road for a long tour, mentally juggling all the things it takes to actually make it a viable healthy lifestyle or emotionally dealing with more rejection in one week, than a lot of people will deal with in a lifetime. Stress is the feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from a variety of events or even just thinking about them that can leave you feeling nervous, frustrated or angry.
Stress Is Normal... Sort of
Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge. It's played a major role in the evolution of our species. When we experience stress in short bursts like avoiding physical danger, meeting a deadline at work or working out it plays a positive role in our lives. However, when stress is constant and persists long after the event has passed it can be detrimental to our health.
Stress Vs Anxiety
A lot of times we tend to think that "Stress" and "Anxiety" are synonymous. While they are related to each other, they are two separate situations. A "Stressor" is what we call an event that induces physical or emotional stress. "Anxiety," is when that stressor has passed but the feeling of stress remains. Marshall McLuhan defined the feeling of anxiety as "Trying to use yesterday's tools for today's problems." Anxiety is when stress is no longer useful.
Stress According To A Sound Engineer
There are two types of stress: Acute and Chronic. Because we are musicians and producers we can best explain it with an analogy using a sound engineering tool called a Compressor. Compression is an audio signal processing operation that reduces the volume of loud sounds or amplifies quiet sounds, thus reducing or compressing an audio signal's dynamic range. If that sounds confusing, think of it as one person that turns up the volume of a song to a comfortable level and another person that quickly turns it down when something gets too loud and then returns the volume knob back to normal once it passes.
A sound engineer will tune how the compressor reacts to sound using different sets of parameters based on what type of sound he or she is compressing. Two of these parameters are what sound engineers call "Attack" and "Release."
Attack
Attack is most easily defined as, "How fast the compressor will engage with sound when it 'hears' it," and is usually measured in milliseconds. Think of it as how fast the "virtual engineer" will turn down the volume knob as soon as he hears that something is too loud.
Release
Release is essentially the opposite of attack. Think of it as how quickly our "virtual engineer" will return the volume knob back to normal when she hears that there are no longer any sounds that are too loud for the listener.
Our bodies' stress response is very much like a compressor in a recording studio. Acute stress is short term stress that goes away as soon as the stressor is no longer present. Acute stress is like slamming on the brakes when someone pulls out in front of you. Your heart will race and you might even honk your horn and yell out few choice words but the stress subsides rather quickly. This is like a compressor that is working well. It only turns the signal down when you need it to and it returns it back to normal levels once it's no longer needed.
Chronic stress is like a compressor that won't release properly. It 'hears' a sound that's too loud and quickly turns it down but when the spike in sound is no longer there it doesn't return it to normal quickly enough or even at all. With sound, engineers often describe this as "squishy" or "pumpy." The compressor did it's job attacking the sound but now it's cutting into things it shouldn't be. Chronic stress is like this. It may help you deal with the stressor but it negatively affects other areas of your life that don't need it once the stressor is gone.
What Happens When You Have Chronic Stress?
Your body reacts to stress with a variety of chemicals that cause your brain to be more alert, your heart to pump faster, your blood pressure to rise and your muscles to tense. When this happens briefly, it can tip your odds of survival in your favor. When it's chronic it can lead to:
High Blood Pressure Eczema Obesity/weight gain Heart Disease Diabetes Cycles of Depression/Anxiety Menstrual Problems
Signs of Too Much Stress
Not all the signs of chronic stress are written in bold ink. A lot of them are hidden and you may not realize that too much stress is causing some minor issues that can turn into much bigger problems. Common chronic stress signs are:
Digestion issues (constipation/diarrhea) General aches & pains Stiff neck or jaw Headaches Tiredness, Lack of energy, focus or will Forgetfulness Sexual Problems Sleeping too much or not enough Needing substances to "relax" Upset stomach Problems maintaining a healthy weight
If you're having issues with any of these things it may be a result of chronic stress. Many times it can be remedied by a change in perspective, healthy diet and exercise, identifying and taking time away from stressors and learning to say "No." We'll go over a few things that have worked for us in tonight's vlogcast on stress on our Youtube Channel so be sure to subscribe and tune in tonight at 8pm/est. Get in the chat. We'd love to hear about how you've been dealing with stress, if you have any advice or if you just need a community to connect with on the subject. We're here for you!
However, as wonderful as it is that we're often able to take control of stressful situations, sometimes these problems can be an issue with your body's actual physical stress response and you may need to talk to your doctor. A lot of times we think we only need to go to the doctor when we think we've caught a virus or have a bacterial infection (we're guilty too). We might tell ourselves that, "It's ok, there's nothing actually wrong. It's just in my head." When in reality, it may be that there IS something wrong and ignoring it can lead to severe and needless life threatening problems. If you're not ashamed to go to the doctor when you have plaque in your throat you shouldn't be ashamed to go when stress becomes unmanageable... or Hell, uncomfortable.
It's Personal...
We're chatting about stress this week because it hits home. We've dealt with chronic stress a lot this year. There are so many stressors that it seems like we're not able to take a break from. The state of the music industry, balancing responsibility & economic recovery from Covid 19, the current political climate and so many other things. We appreciate every single one of you that have continued to support our art and message throughout this year by supporting us on Patreon, purchasing music or apparel or by sharing our content with your friends. We're so grateful. We couldn't do this without you!
Special Thanks!
A lot of people ask us what they can do to ensure that we're able to keep going. The easiest thing to do is share things that you've enjoyed from us with your friends. That alone gives us more support than you can possibly imagine! However, if you're looking for a way to support us even more, consider supporting us on Patreon. Even if it's just $1 a month, it goes a really long way. There's a few tiers with various monthly features. If you donate $5 a month you'll get a special music video based on your requests sent directly to you every month as well as access to a tight knit community of music lovers.
Special thanks to our Patrons: Nancy B, Renne T, Steve B, Rachel E & Nadia M!
With Halloween coming up this Saturday, coinciding with a full moon, we were curious of the holiday's origin. The tradition comes from an ancient Celtic festival called "Samhain," (actually pronounced: sah-win) a festival accompanied by bonfires and spooky costumes designed to ward off evil spirits. Originally, Samhain was celebrated on November 1st.
A Cover Up!
Throughout history, the Romans were notoriously famous for borrowing traditions and figures from other cultures and reforming them into their own. It's most obvious with Greek Mythology: Zeus became Jupiter. Athena became Mars. Hermes became Mercury. Hades became Pluto. Poseidon became Neptune and perhaps the laziest: Heracles became Hercules. Like Greece, the Celtic culture wasn't immune to Roman cultural appropriation. In the earlier part of the eighth century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1st "All Saints Day," borrowing many of the traditions from Samhain but adopting connotations that fit more appropriately with Roman Catholic dogma. The evening before All Saints Day was originally called, "All Hallows Eve," and later "Halloween."
Trick or Treat and Other Halloween Traditions.
The Ancient Celts believed that on the night before Samhain, the lines between the living and the dead became fine and blurred. They believed that on this night, the dead would return to the realm of the living and play tricks on the them. Some tricks were believed to be harmless nuisances but others more detrimental, like sending frost to destroy the harvest. The priests advised ways to scare them off but some suggested that the dead might be pacified with gifts and sacrifices: Hence the term, "Trick or Treat."
Later, once Rome had begun to reshape the traditions of Samhain into Halloween, they incorporated their previous celebration from October 1st, "Feralia," known as "The Day of The Dead," alongside another Roman October holiday celebrating "Pomona," the goddess of fruit trees. This is more than likely the reason why bobbing for apples is a popular way to celebrate Halloween.
The Jack-O-Lantern does make several appearances in more modern lore in association with Halloween but more than likely can be traced back to Samhain as well. However, we're unsure if it was used as a measure to scare off the dead and evil spirits with a ghoulish glowing face or if it was originally part of a harvest sacrifice to appease them. Let us know what you think!
Our Favorite Scary Movies!
This year's been pretty tough and we know it can be hard getting into the holiday spirit. If you're having trouble getting into the Halloween Spirit we recommend watching these movies to get you into that spooky vibe!
J's Top 5
1. Army of Darkness 2. Ghost Busters 3. Beetle Juice 4. Hocus Pocus 5. Friday The 13th
Honorable Mention- Halloween (Original)
Bonus- TV: Ash vs The Evil Dead Book: Edgar Allen Poe Complete Tales and Poems
Kyle's Top 5
1. Darkness Falls 2. Ernest Scared Stupid 3. Little Shop of Horrors 4. Silence of The Lambs 5. Young Frankenstein
Honorable Mention- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 Original)
Bonus TV: The Haunting of Bly Manor. Book: The Dream Catcher
Don't Wear These Costumes in 2020! (If you want to be original, that is)
If you've procrastinated and are still looking for a Halloween Costume for this weekend be sure to avoid these ideas. They're either in bad taste or were so popular in 2019 you won't be able to avoid hearing, "Oh, I went as that last year!"
5. Spider Man
Spidy is awesome but with Spider Man "Far From Home" being released in 2019, a whole bunch of kids and adults alike donned our friendly neighborhood super hero's costume. It might be a good idea to pick a different MCU favorite this year.
4. Pennywise
Did you see "It Chapter Two" last year? A bunch of people did and all got the same original idea to go as Pennywise for Halloween. And yes, that includes the "girl version." It might not be the most original idea for 2020.
3. Anything Fortnite
While this lends itself to a little more originality, Fortnite was (and still is) the top grossing game in 2019. SO many kids (and parents) sported a character from Fortnite (and probably had to explain what it was to their grandparents).
2. Harley Quinn
To be fair... It's not ok any year, LOL! This has been THE most popular choice as a Halloween costume (along with a Joker date) every year since 2016. Don't get us wrong, Suicide Squad did a great job reinventing the character but you don't want to be "that couple" that shows up to the socially distanced Halloween Party. And honestly, we checked a lot of our favorite costume stores and they're sold out... again.
1. A Covid Patient/ Corona Virus
We all like jokes but we don't think this one will age well. It's kinda like that girl that went as a Boston Marathon Runner in 2013. Stay safe and tasty!
Postponed Episode of Van Philosophy Vlogcast...
We go live every Wednesday Night on our YouTube channel! However, tonight we'll have to postpone as J is recovering from a pretty intense ear infection. You can watch previous episodes on on our channel. We'll see you next week!
Special Thanks To Our Supporters On Patreon!
Patreon is a platform where you can support your favorite artists and content creators and get special exclusive content in exchange for your monthly support. On our Patreon Page we have tiers starting just $1. Your support goes a REALLY long way to ensure we can keep writing articles, produce weekly Youtube content, write new music and release new albums. We couldn't keep going, especially during this pandemic, without the generous support of people like:
Nancy B, Renne T, Spence R, Steve B, Rachel E & Nadia M!
You can get your name added to this list by supporting us on Patreon for just $1/month.
If you'd like to make a one time contribution this month like Jeff C, William H, David M Grass Cutters and Nancy B you can below. We'll have a special thank you package filled with our latest releases with donations from $1-$25 sent straight to your email. Thanks so much! It means the world to us!
Halloween Cover of Monster Mash!
Last week we released our version of the Halloween Classic, "Monster Mash." It was a lot of fun to make. If you haven't gotten a chance, you can download it for free for the remainder of October at roshambeauxmusic.com/monster-mash
Halloween Apparel!
We have a special design out on our Apparel Store available until November 1st in Hoodies, Tees, Sweaters, Long Sleeve Tees, Face Masks & Baby Onesies! Get them this week before they're gone!
October's Secret Cover Song Testify by Rage Against The Machine
This week we released another live cover video for all of our "High Fivers" on Patreon, where we take requests to learn a new song and perform it live for you every month. We are huge fans of Rage Against The Machine! When we saw this one in the running we got pretty excited...but also a bit intimidated. We usually always twist around our covers and try something completely different than the original. With this one we wanted to stay true. But we did decide to do our own spin on the solo and with the beat in the verse....the layers in sound etc....we also just cant help ourselves...lol. Thank you so much Rachel for requesting this one! We had a lot of fun making it! Here's a few pics from the session.
You can get in with the rest of our Patreon crew at patreon.com/roshambeaux
Ghost Hunting
With the help of our subscribers on Patreon we've recently been able to upgrade our camera for shooting music videos, vlogs and live content. With new gear comes new challenges and learning curves so J has been diving deep into how everything works. One way he has been testing is he has been adventuring to historic cemeteries this month to capture some pretty cool photos. Trying to learn how to properly balance aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. He's had fun discovering all the history and honoring the dead in his own way. With one new Music video under our belt with the new gear we are already starting to begin story boarding the next one. We can't wait to tell you about it. J will fill you in about some of the spooky backstories on some of these shots from the cemeteries tonight on Van Philosophy Live Vlogcast on YouTube. So be sure to tune in tonight at 8pm/est. We might even share some Ghost stories of our own. We'd love to hear your spooky stories!
Spooky Vibes!
We love Halloween! We know this year's festivities might be a little awkward, or at least not what we're used to but we hope whatever you plan to do, you can be around people you love (or at least, tolerate). Wherever you are, remember that we love you, miss you and hope we can make you smile. We made a silly little version of the Classic Halloween tune "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. We'd be absolutely honored if you made it a part of your 2020 Halloween background music whether you're having a social distance costume party or eating waaaay to much candy on the couch watching scary movies.
Tune in tonight, Wednesday 10/21/20 on YouTube at 8pm/est for E21 of our weekly live podcast (or vlogcast if you will). We'll be talking about J's ghost hunting adventure and other spooky things so be sure to tune in and get in the chat. We love it when you do!
Special Thanks To Our Supporters On Patreon!
Patreon is a platform where you can support your favorite artists and content creators and get special exclusive content in exchange for your monthly support. On our Patreon Page we have tiers starting just $1. Your support goes a REALLY long way to ensure we can keep writing articles, produce weekly Youtube content, write new music and release new albums. We couldn't keep going, especially during this pandemic, without the generous support of people like:
Nancy B, Renne T, Spence R, Steve B & Rachel E AND OUR BRAND NEW PATRON Nadia M!
You can get your name added to this list by supporting us on Patreon for just $1/month.
If you'd like to make a one time contribution this month like Jeff C, William H, David M Grass Cutters and Nancy B you can below. We'll have a special thank you package filled with our latest releases with donations from $1-$25 sent straight to your email. Thanks so much! It means the world to us!
Last week we released a new music video for our original song, "Maybe I Don't Have To." If you haven't gotten a chance to check it out you can watch it on our YouTube Channel HERE. Don't forget to subscribe and share it with your friends. It really helps us reach new people. It was a lot of fun making it but at times, it was stressful. We had our ideas of what we thought it would turn out to be but through filming it we realized it's a story of this weird life during strange times and trying to insist on staying positive, being there for one another, remembering to not be so uptight due to the stress of it all, and allow yourself to enjoy the moment. It hits us in a very real and personal way. We hope it does for you too.
Last week we had to reschedule Van Philosophy Live Vlogcast Episode 20. Kyle was fighting off a pretty intense ear infection. This week the dizziness and pain have subsided so we're ready to go with this week's episode on what we think it means to be human. If you haven't gotten a chance to check out last week's blog you can HERE. Be sure to tune in tonight on our YouTube Channel at 8pm/est and get in the live chat with us! We absolutely love getting to hang out with all of you! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.
New Music Video!
We've been putting together a music video for a single we released this year called, "Maybe I Don't Have To," a song about how we feel about the challenges we've had to face together this year. J's been hard at work finishing up in the editing room and we're really excited to show it to you tonight! We'll be premiering it tonight during the live vlogcast so be sure to tune in. If you can't make it to the live showing we'll have it up permanently on YouTube later this week.
Fall is our favorite time of year and Halloween is one of the big reasons for it. We have a new design out and it's available for a limited time on our apparel store in Tees, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, V necks, Kids Tees, Baby Onesies and Face Masks! We've always personally enjoyed this art style and are excited we have something of our own to offer. You're going to look "Bootiful."
Special Thanks To Our Supporters On Patreon!
Patreon is a platform where you can support your favorite artists and content creators and get special exclusive content in exchange for your monthly support. On our Patreon Page we have tiers starting just $1. Your support goes a REALLY long way to ensure we can keep writing articles, produce weekly Youtube content, write new music and release new albums. We couldn't keep going, especially during this pandemic, without the generous support of people like:
Nancy B, Renne T, Spence R, Steve B & Rachel E.
You can get your name added to this list by supporting us on Patreon for just $1/month.
Last month's special music video "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent was requested by Steve B. Watch our version of it when you subscribe!
If you'd like to make a one time contribution this month like Jeff C, William H, David M Grass Cutters and Nancy B you can below. We'll have a special thank you package filled with our latest releases with donations from $1-$25 sent straight to your email. Thanks so much! It means the world to us!
Join The RoshamFAM!
We have a special group on Facebook where we can interact and bounce artistic ideas around. It's a lot of fun and it's free! Click the image below to join! JOIN HERE
You've probably heard this question before in front of a "would be significant other," accompanied by butterflies in your stomach, a lump in your throat or that weird tingling in the sides of your mouth that let you know you just might throw up. It can be exciting and even a little nerve wracking putting a label on ourselves. We are both complex and simple, often spending a lot of time confusing the two. In a time where science often struggles to compete for our attention, it's important to remind ourselves of what we've learned to be true about ourselves. Like Socrates said, "If smart people write it down, you should memorize it. It'll save you a lot of frustration and time..." Or something like that.
Where Do We Come From?
There are a lot of hypotheses when it comes to human origin. Some appeal to our desire for fantasy and will to create more than others. There's so much of history and existence that we are far from understanding but the evidence we have points us to scientific Theory of Evolution. It's very strange, that in world that relies so heavily on science that evolution is still debated, often regarded as "just a theory," forgetting that it is equally categorized with "Gravitational Theory," or "The Germ Theory of Disease."
Most college freshman can't give their Anthropology 101 professor an accurate definition of evolution without a quick Google search from their pocket (a luxury we didn't have when we were there). Sadly, it's still something that's often brushed over in a lot of American public schools. The theory of evolution does not exist to eradicate faith, fantasy or curiosity. It exists because it is the most tested, explainable, backed by evidence you can see, smell, taste or touch theory of the origin of all life, including humans. Don't worry about doing that quick Google search. We got you ;)
Evolution: (ĕv′ə-loo-shən, ē′və-) Biology Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, often resulting in the development of new species. The mechanisms of evolution include natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, mutation, migration, and genetic drift.
There's a lot to get into but there's a really great article "Applying Evolutionary Anthropology" by Mhairi A Gibson and David W Lawson that comprehensively explains Evolutionary Anthropology and goes over a lot of it's common misconceptions (Naturalistic Fallacy, Social Darwanism, Behavioral Diversity & Genetic Determinism).
How Long Have We Been Here?
Cro Magnon 1 (Smithsonian)
While our ancestors have been around for about 6 million years the earliest evidence for our current modern species Homo sapien, is around 300,000 years old. Homo sapiens evolved in Africa. Like other early humans, they gathered and hunted food, and evolved behaviors that helped them respond to the challenges for survival in harsh or unstable environments. Scientists sometimes use the term “anatomically modern Homo sapiens” to refer to members of our own species who lived during prehistoric times. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has a great article called "What Does It Mean To Be Human," that goes into the modern human fossil record. It's definitely worth checking out.
Skhul V (Smithsonian)
How Many Races of Humans Exist Today?
Open Reading Frame (National Human Genome Research Institute)
Just one. We're it. Race is a synonym for Species. Over the past 20 years the estimation of human protein coding genes has ranged from 10,000 to 100,000 (right now it's 20,000-25,000 but genetic studies are very fast paced and that number is likely to change with new information) alongside an estimated 500,000 non protein coding genes. Regardless of how many human protein coding genes exist, the ones that you actually see, like skin color, hair texture and eye and nose shape only account a handful of these coding genes. We can unapologetically and unequivocally say that calling someone that "looks" different from you a different "race," is scientifically ignorant. Genetically, you have far more less in common with someone with a different blood type than someone from a different continent, culture or defining physical feature.
When someone says they went outside and experienced nature, our minds usually paint a picture filled with trees, water sources and wild life. However, it's just as accurate to say that about cars, buildings, tv's and satellites. Although we may like to think so, we are not separate from nature. We are a highly evolved species but our actions often mimic the most primitive and predictable forms of life. We form cultures like bacteria, we colonize like ants, value individualism like spiders and seek out environments more suited for our survival like viruses. What separates us from nature is often a construct of our minds. We easily forget that 300,000 years is a very small fraction of existence on this planet, much less the known universe. It's important to remind ourselves that our own pride often gets in the way of our understanding. Life is worth diving into and understanding... We die and stuff.
Van Philosophy Live Vlogcast Episode 20 Tonight on YouTube!
Last week we celebrated 50 blog entries of our Van Philosophy Blog and tonight we're celebrating our 20th episode of the live podcast (or vlogcast as we like to say). Sadly, we won't be able to stream tonight but tune in Wednesday 10/14/20 and get in the chat as we talk a little bit more on what we think it means to be human. We absolutely love hearing what you have to say so don't be shy! We started Van Philosophy Live Vlogcast in an effort to recreate those long late night miles of conversation after a show while out on tour so we could keep each other awake on the way to the next city. We're happy to have you along. Get in the Van!
Remember to Subscribe and ring that bell!
Special Thanks To Our Supporters on Patreon!
Patreon is a platform where you can support your favorite artists and content creators and get special exclusive content in exchange for your monthly support. On our Patreon Page we have tiers starting just $1. Your support goes a REALLY long way to ensure we can keep writing articles, produce weekly Youtube content, write new music and release new albums. We couldn't keep going, especially during this pandemic, without the generous support of people like:
Nancy B, Renne T, Spence R, Steve B & Rachel E.
You can get your name added to this list by supporting us on Patreon for just $1/month.
If you'd like to make a one time contribution this month like Jeff C, William H, David M Grass Cutters and Nancy B you can below. We'll have a special thank you package filled with our latest releases with donations from $1-$25 sent straight to your email. Thanks so much! It means the world to us!
Roshambeaux News
We'll go over it a little more in tonight's vlogcast but we're working on a few new songs and putting the finishing touches on a new music video this week! We can't wait to show you! As always, our Patreon supporters will get access to all the new content we're working on before it's officially released.
New Swag!
Fall is here and you'll need to stay warm on those cooler nights hanging out by the fire. We think you should look good while doing it! Check out our new Fall arrivals on our apparel store!
Join The RoshamFAM!
We have a special group on Facebook where we can interact and bounce artistic ideas around. It's a lot of fun and it's free! Click the image below to join!
We started the Van Philosophy blog to satisfy our own curiosities about the world and to hopefully let a few people in to what's it like to be a modern musician touring on the road and now under quarantine restrictions. Since we've started we've had 50 articles. Here's a look back on some of our favorite entries from the last year.
#1 Long Trips, Broken Gear, FCC violations, Canceled Shows & Dan Akroyd's Vodka
Neither of us are superstitious but the next Friday the 13th with a full moon in 2049 we might take the night off.
We hit the road on Friday the 13th around 10 am from Atlanta to make our scheduled 6 pm load in Louisville, KY after finding out the venue had been double booked. Luckily this venue had another location across town so we still had a show (the show in Indianapolis the following night had been canceled weeks prior). We figured we had plenty of time... READ FULL ARTICLE
#10 Dealing With Death, Dealing With Life & Writing About It.
Kyle's Grandfather passed away last week so we've taken a little time off. The tour resumes this Friday and you can check out dates here: www.roshambeauxmusic.com/tour-dates. Here's Kyle's unedited thoughts:
"No one deals with death the same way so it's hard to figure out the right way to do it. There's thousands of philosophies on what happens when we die but the only thing I know for sure is that you leave and people miss you. It's hard losing someone but I feel like I've lost a part of myself. I feel like I should know myself better and where I came from and now I can't. My grandfather was a great man. A man who broke laws because he knew they were immoral. It's because of people like him I can drink from whatever water fountain I want and stay overnight in the next county over. I'm a little... READ FULL ARTICLE
#13 Our Collection of Gibson Guitars & One of The Best Places to Buy Vinyl in Georgia!
We're total Gibson guitar nerds. They're the only guitars we record with and when he caught us eyeing the book he said we could have it. We laid down a few guitar tracks last week so it was cool to get to learn a little history on the guitars we have in the studio. A lot of you have been asking us what guitars we use when we record so here they are. 1958 Gibson 225 T... READ FULL ARTICLE
#21 Snowstorms, When Fans Choose Venues & 8 Things We Learned From The Bhagavad Gita.
This last week to stay awake we've been streaming readings from The Bhagavad Gita, an ancient but strangely practical guide to life according to Hindu theology. Neither of us are very religious and we hadn't been familiar with it. We were very surprised at how hard it hit us. Frankly, there were things we needed to hear, especially as musicians. We're excited to continue studying it. We are by no means, whatsoever, even suggesting that we are experts on any subject written in this book but here are a 8 things that we took from it so far... READ FULL ARTICLE
#39 8 Reasons Why Scientists Say You Should Start "Earthing"
We've all been cooped up for awhile now and while we know it certainly can have negative effects on the brain it can on the body as well. When you stay inside too much you start to feel "off." We always knew this in the back of our minds but over the past few months, being encouraged (and in some cases mandated) to stay at home, it's been way too easy to stay indoors. We figured the reason we feel like crap if we stay inside for too long was due to a lack of Vitamin D. While that may be the case, we found a collection of studies that suggest something else entirely.
We have a Facebook group called RoshamFAM that's an open forum for ideas, art & projects (since we're always pushing ours). One of our fam shared these studies with us on from The Journal of Environmental and Public Health. Shout out to Cheryl. READ FULL ARTICLE
#43 Self Sufficiency: How To Make Soap & Laundry Detergent
Through the continued affects of pandemic life, we've found it really important to find ways to cut cost of living but still maintain a sense of normalcy. As musicians, we knew when we quit our "normal jobs," 10 years ago, we more than likely would have to find ways to make a lower income work for our lives and ensure our survival while we pursued our passion. Back then, we were able to make that decision and prepare our minds for that inevitability but we know a lot of people have been thrown into it with little or no choice because of Covid-19. Through these current trials we're reminded of what it's like to be a "starving artist" again. We imagine a lot of people outside of the entertainment industry do too... READ FULL ARTICLE
Van Philosophy Vlogcast Episode 19
Tonight we'll be chatting about some more about our favorite blog articles from this last year. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube Channel and tune in at tonight @ 8:00pm/est (Wednesday 9/30/20) and tell us about one of the articles you enjoyed and your ideas for new ones! We started the live vlogcast of our Van Philosophy Vlog to recreate those late night miles, driving to next city after a show while out on tour, trying to keep each other awake. We're excited that, in a way, we're able to take you along with us. Get in the Van!
Special Thanks To Our Patrons on Patreon!
As independent artists you can imagine it's not the most lucrative job in the world. So, if you enjoy what we do and it has value to you please consider donating just $1 per month to us on Patreon. It really helps. There's multiple tiers and our $5 per month subscribers get a special request cover music video made just for them every month. There's even a tier to get your own private living room performance every month! Thanks to every one that's already participating:
Nancy B, Spencer R, Renee T, Steve B & Rachel E
and to our one time donors this month: Jeff C, Nancy B, David M & Grass Cutters
You are helping us continue to create music even though we're not able to be on the road this year due to Covid 19 and also helping us find new ways to reach more people online in ways we never would have thought of. Thanks for supporting us and showing you enjoy what we do. It means the world!
Join Patreon
Make A One Time (or reoccurring) Donation
This month, donations over $20 will receive a copy of our latest single "Maybe I Don't Have To," a copy of our latest EP "808s N Chill," and two high quality Roshambeaux face masks.
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We've always been intrigued by video games, not just playing them but their history and how they affect society. We were a part of the first generation that grew up with them. It's crazy to see how they've become so integrated into society in such a short time. Even people that say, "I don't play video games," bide they're free time playing "Candy Crush," or take online quizzes to find out what kind of tree they are. It seems like they're everywhere now so we'd like to take a look at how they started, social problems, benefits and why we're so obsessed with them.
The First Video Games
Most people if they had to guess, would say the first video games came around in the 1970's with primitive electronic home and arcade systems like the Atari. While that was when they started becoming popular their origins actually go farther back.
The Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device.
The earliest video game device we could find was invented by Cornell physicist Thomas T Goldsmith Jr in 1947 called the cathode-ray tube amusement device.This device used an oscilloscope, a device that can graphically represent changes in voltage. The game itself used these "o-scopes" as they were called hooked up to analogue dials that would regulate and change voltage values. The o-scope would make an arc on the screen that would change positions based on where the dials were turned by the user.
This technology was previously used in early radar displays and was turned into a game by bored physicists where the beam now represented an imaginary artillery shell aimed at overplayed plastic targets. At the end of the beam's trajectory, the beam would defocus and blur looking like an explosion. Thus creating the first "3rd Person Shooter."
This repurposing and modification of military equipment led to other games like "Bertie The Brain," "OXO," a version of tic-tac-toe and "Tennis For Two," over the next several years by physicists that were supposed to be working on ways of furthering military intelligence and for the first time in human history someone, somewhere yelled, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING PLAYING VIDEO GAMES? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING!!!"
From then on, we've been struggling to balance our moments of productivity and moments of recreation with electronic devices. However, this technology involving principles of analyzing voltage regulation lead to lots of other inventions including what today musicians call MIDI (musical instrument digital interface), a staple and almost a necessity in creating modern high quality recordings. So... we use it for work too...Mom.
Home Entertainment
It would be a few years until the rest of us would be able to enjoy this technology. In 1967, Ralph Baer and a team of developers working for Sanders Associates Inc invented a multiplayer video game system that could be hooked up to a home television screen called "The Brown Box." Baer licensed his invention to Magnavox who rebranded and sold the device as "The Odyssey" in 1972. The company made 28 games but the video game craze didn't quite catch on for a few years leading to console's decline and discontinuation. However, a few years later in 1975 it gave rise to the extremely successful home console and arcade company Atari, who essentially took their games and added slight variations. Magnavox sued Atari for copyright infringement and won over 100 million dollars. Since Atari was such a success both companies saw it fit to allow Atari to become an official Odyssey licensee over the next 20 years.
A New Art Form.
For itss already almost 30 year history, hardware and software were inherently linked. The games were the consoles and the consoles were the games. In 1979, Activision was the first company to arise as a software developer for games while not making any arcade or home entertainment systems of their own. This was the birth of an artistic revolution where today concept artists, script writers, voice actors, story directors and musicians have a new way to express their art and not have to know how oscilloscopes work.
Historic Mile Stones
1978- launch of "Space Invaders" arcade game
1980- Pac Man debuts in United States
1981- "Mario" character introduced in Nintendo's "Donkey Kong" game
1983- "Video Game Market Crash" (due to low quality, unregulated, unlicensed 3rd party games). Most video game companies went bankrupt.
1985- Nintendo releases 8bit graphic console NES
1989- Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda & Metroid
-Gaming licensing & intellectual property regulations imposed by Nintendo - Nintendo releases handheld "Gameboy"
Hold My Beer, Nintendo!
After the video game crash Nintendo emerged with a new marketing plan for its 8-bit technology, marketing it as a toy not a video game. It seemed like no one would ever catch up or compete with there massive head start and virtual monopoly of the industry.
That was the case until Sega, a company that appeared seemingly out of nowhere launched it's 16-bit (that's twice the bits!) full color console with it's iconic original character "Sonic The Hedgehog." At the time this was a huge technological leap in graphics and hardware capability. It would be like a car company coming out with a model that uses half the fuel, goes twice as fast and sold for about the same price. This started a console war with the two companies essentially trying to "one up" each other over the next several years with other companies like Sony and Microsoft eventually joining the race and giving rise to a multitude of 3rd party developers that are still around today. It's due to this rivalry that video games keeps pushing the limits of computer and graphic technology.
Violence in Video Games.
While it could be argued that the first violent video game was created in 1947 with physicist pretending to blow up imaginary airplanes with a rewired radar display most people point the finger at Sega with their 1990's releases of games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. After several congressional hearings and debates on "Do video games make kids violent?" Sega instituted a game rating council called to provide a description of each games content. This eventually formed into today's game rating system overseen by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board).
Do Video Games Make You Violent?
The short answer is no. There hasn't been any conclusive evidence that video games will make you violent (and people REALLY have tried). The studies conducted over the years have actually suggested the opposite as it seems to provide an outlet for violence that can be redirected into an object rather than another human being. Think of the person that gets mad and hits a punching bag at a gym for a few hours instead of their boss.
What we have to remember is that video games are art and art tends to mimic what society is doing. If we didn't have war, no one would make games like Call of Duty. It would be a foreign concept that wouldn't make sense. Art can and always will be offensive as long as there are offensive aspects in our society. It's a good thing when we get offended by offensive things. Daniel Tosh said it best, "If you don't like my jokes encourage society to make better choices and I'll adjust my material accordingly." Art is a mirror. If you don't like what you see you need to change what the mirror is reflecting. If you break the mirror, that thing you don't like about yourself will still be there. You'll just be less equipped to do something about it.
Do Games Make You Lazy?
Absolutely. At least a lot of them have the potential to encourage it. Many of them (especially mobile games) are also designed to be addictive. These video games are based on the timeless psychology of "Action for Reward." You get a small amount of dopamine with every action. That's why it feels good to complete that level, defeat the the bad guy, put that puzzle piece right where it goes or get that colorful explosion when when you make a row of all gumdrops or candy canes (or however that last one works, we haven't played Candy Crush). It can become a problem just like anything that gives you a certain amount of dopamine for your choice to interact with it, like alcohol, dare-devil fishing or the worst one of all: social media. The WHO classified video game addiction as a mental illness in September 2019... but they also said it's a really great way to stop the spread of Covid 19 and maintain social connection in April 2020... so there's that.
What we need to remember is that it's OK to be lazy every once in a while. It's ok to disconnect from reality every once in awhile and let art take you away in an immersive experience. That's why we're musicians. We want to offer you a distraction every once is awhile. You shouldn't use someone else's art as an excuse to ignore your responsibilities entirely. You shouldn't use ANYTHING to ignore your responsibilities entirely. However, as artists we understand that it's are job to let you have a break for awhile, as often as your responsibilities allow.
Van Philosophy Live Volgcast Episode 18
Tonight we'll be chatting about our favorite games, our not so favorite games and why we're so fascinated by them. We try to be as intellectual as possible but at the same time we'll probably just act like a bunch of nerdy teenagers, lol. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube Channel and tune in at 8:00pm/est, tonight Wednesday 9/23/20 and tell us about your experience with video games. We started the live vlogcast of our Van Philosophy Vlog to recreate those late night miles, driving to next city after a show while out on tour, trying to keep each other awake. We're excited that, in a way, we're able to take you along with us. Get in the Van!
Special Thanks To Our Patrons on Patreon!
As independent artists you can imagine it's not the most lucrative job in the world. So, if you enjoy what we do and it has value to you please consider donating just $1 per month to us on Patreon. It really helps. There's multiple tiers and our $5 per month subscribers get a special request cover music video made just for them every month. There's even a tier to get your own private living room performance every month! Thanks to every one that's already participating:
Nancy B, Spencer R, Renee T, Steve B & Rachel E
and to our PayPal monthly donors: Jeff C, Nancy B & Grass Cutters
You are helping us continue to create music even though we're not able to be on the road this year due to Covid 19 and also helping us find new ways to reach more people online in ways we never would have thought of. Thanks for supporting us and showing you enjoy what we do. It means the world!
All Photos By Roshambeaux Additional Photo Credits
Cathode ray tube amusement device- US Patent 2455992 The Brown Box1967-1968- National Museum of American History The Sega Genesis- Popular Mechanics
Facebook issued some confusing statements last week about its most recent updates to its music policy taking effect on 10/01/2020. Here's what they said:
Lots of musicians panicked reading these statements because they are so vague. It very much seems like Facebook is discouraging any content for the purpose of listening to music. It seemed like live concert streams, music videos, vlogs with music in them will be removed since they constitute a "listening experience" and possibly lead to musician accounts being throttled or deleted.
Since the backlash of users and multiple publications, Facebook has clarified that these statements only apply to specific situations and have been their official policy since 2018. So here's a quick list of what Facebook says should and shouldn't be ok.
What's Allowed:
Music Videos
Facebook has clarified that music videos will not be removed from it's platform as long as the upload contains video associated with the upload.
Bands uploading videos from a concert or streaming a concert live.
Facebook has clarified that showing clips from a concert is OK and even showing a concert in it's entirety is ok as long as there is video associated with it. Facebook has said that shorter videos are preferred.
Solo performances
It seems like Facebook will still allow solo and band performances of cover material for now.
What's Not Allowed:
Uploading a video with "background music" that you do not own or have permission to use.
DJing music you do not own.
Uploading songs or playlists that have no video or only a thumbnail image.
Uploading prerecorded albums (without video).
What's Hazy
DJing Live
Facebook has said it will allow live performances but since DJ's use tracks that have already been recorded and in many cases did not write or do not own, it leaves a gray area. Are DJ's performing covers or are they uploading prerecorded tracks? Since the the Covid 19 quarantine lots of DJ's have experienced issues with Facebook's algorithms and experiencing strikes on their accounts, removal of videos and in some cases having their accounts deleted.
Music Videos As Playlists/Collection
Facebook has stated that the more prerecorded tracks a video has on it, the more likely it will be "limited." Since music videos are considered ok but album uploads are not it leaves a little confusion as to what Facebook would do with a collection of music videos in one upload.
What We've Learned About Social Media As Content Creators
Each social media platform is meant to be used differently and has advantages and disadvantages depending on what type of content you're creating. This is what we've observed so far.
Instagram
Instagram favors good photography because it's about photography. Instagram pages tell stories through photos. Instagram is not meant for passing around information. It is only meant for showing the world what you're up to. There's no "Share" button instagram and there are no links to click on.
YouTube
Youtube is meant for video. It's also the second most used search engine coming in behind Google. It's platform handles video better than any other major social media network. Live streams perform better and videos are clearer as it supports higher bit rates. In addition, it utilizes licensing of content very efficiently, protects artists from piracy and ensures that owners of content receive credit and useful notifications on their creations if someone else uses it later on with or without permission.
Facebook
Facebook does a lot of things well and is a pretty good balance of photography and video but it favors sharing information. Facebook is meant for users to engage with each other and share content. We've found it's best for expressing ideas, discussing opinions and having conversations and it's algorithms seem to favor this as well. As artists we've noticed that viral posts on Facebook usually don't have much to do with our art and have more to do with our ideas.
Spotify
Most people don't think of Spotify as "Social Media," but it very much checks the box for us as musicians. Spotify is only about music. While you can learn a little about the artist you're listening to directly on the platform (their current tour schedule, biography, social media links etc), those aspects are pretty limited but it's very valuable to create a "listening experience" for listeners and forge relationships between audio artists like musicians and podcasters with their listeners.
Patreon
Patreon is meant to share exclusive paid content. It's very valuable to content creators as it allows them to share extra content with their subscribers in exchange for their financial support. Patreon is a very big part of how musicians and other content creators are able to survive in the digital age when merchandise sales or content sponsorships are not always enough to keep them going.
Van Philosophy
We'll be going in to a little more detail on this tonight for our 17th Episode of Van Philosophy Live Vlogcast. We started this live podcast because we were always trying to find things to talk about to pass the late night miles after a show on the way to next city. Be sure to subscribe to our channel and tune in Wednesday 09/16/20 @ 8pm/est. We'd love to get your thoughts and hear what you've been up to. So, get in the van and let's keep each other awake.
Special Thanks To Our Patrons on Patreon!
As independent artists you can imagine it's not the most lucrative job in the world. So, if you enjoy what we do and it has value to you please consider donating just $1 per month to us on Patreon. It really helps. There's multiple tiers and our $5 per month subscribers get a special request cover music video made just for them every month. There's even a tier to get your own private living room performance every month! Thanks to every one that's already participating:
Nancy B, Spencer R, Renee T, Steve B & Rachel E
and to our PayPal monthly donors: Jeff C, Nancy B & Grass Cutters
You are helping us continue to create music even though we're not able to be on the road this year due to Covid 19 and also helping us find new ways to reach more people online in ways we never would have thought of. Thanks for supporting us and showing you enjoy what we do. It means the world!
Roshambeaux Shop
We know sometimes $10 bucks is just too much to spare. Believe us, we've been there. That's why for a very limited time our Live Acoustic EP, "Flat Tops & Wooden Boxes" is only $3.
And... For a limited time all of our premium tank tops are only $20!
While this lends itself to a little more originality, Fortnite was (and still is) the top grossing game in 2019. SO many kids (and parents) sported a character from Fortnite (and probably had to explain what it was to their grandparents).
