tag:thismaddesire.net,2005:/blogs/tmd-news-read-all-about-it?p=14TMD News! Read All About It!2024-03-21T05:46:01-04:00This Mad Desirefalsetag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73702362024-03-21T05:46:01-04:002024-03-21T05:53:15-04:00Law & Order Toronto | True Love Giveaway!<p><span class="text-huge"><strong>Friends, Family, and Co-Conspirators!</strong></span></p><p><span class="text-big">Hope you are doing well in this time of absolute worldwide insanity. “We're chained to the world and we all gotta pull,” quoth Tom Waits. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">Let's get into it!</span></p><p><span class="text-huge"><strong>LAW & ORDER TORONTO</strong></span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/7d1efd685da504a08e2f911d0bded750cb951c94/original/screenshot-20240316-144102-gallery.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" height="769" width="1462" /><p><span class="text-big">I was fortunate to appear at the top of S01 E04 of Law & Order Toronto, which just came out and is available now on any streaming service that supports CityTV in Canada and not sure about the US… As many of you know, outside of my extremely awesome music writing, performance, and other various services, I also exist in the Film world and occasionally, I get to pretend like I can act (and isn't that what acting just generally is??).</span></p><p><span class="text-big">In this case, I am performing in an episode with Ian Tracey who is portraying an addict Toronto Mayor (hello, remember Rob Ford??) and I am set two off from him. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">Very fun stuff! </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/law-and-order-toronto-recap-episode-one-crypto-king-gerald-cotten/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span class="text-big"><strong>TORONTO LIFE article.</strong></span></a></p><p><span class="text-huge" style="color:hsl(0,75%,60%);"><strong>TRUE LOVE MERCH</strong></span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/54a8f3ec4b5de8ad70d05dd7b019010173994745/original/20240318-085349.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" height="4032" /><p><span class="text-big">Hey! Let's not forget our recent singles!! Our latest <strong>True Love</strong> featuring Jessica Magoch, Dan Konopka, Erica Corbo, and Da Fingaz is streaming everywhere. T-shirt available </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/store" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Store"><span class="text-big"><strong>HERE!</strong></span></a></p><p><span class="text-big">Every month, I'm giving away one T-shirt to someone. To be part of consideration, just email me with FREE TSHIRT in the <strong>Subject Line</strong> at </span><a class="no-pjax" href="mailto:macsonfire@gmail.com" target="_blank" data-link-type="email"><span class="text-big">macsonfire@gmail.com</span></a><span class="text-big"> and I'll put your name in for the draw for March. Congrats to Anna Soleseis in Nova Scotia for winning this month. Check out her music too!</span></p><p><span class="text-big">Mac</span></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73574892024-02-26T12:01:30-05:002024-02-26T12:07:06-05:00TMD True Love RADIO ALERT!!<p dir="ltr"><span class="text-huge">TRUE BELIEVERS!!</span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/088728c1edbe7408c13d8cae59fd2caac9a5d440/original/true-love-single-cover-12.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_s justify_left border_" height="3600" /><p dir="ltr">Tune in Tuesday, February 27, 2024, to hear our latest single <span style="color:hsl(0,75%,60%);"><strong>True Love</strong></span> on the radio!!</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big"><strong>Coasting by Johnathan Whitford</strong></span><br>Tuesday from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM</p><p dir="ltr">A Radio Western music show featuring all new music from artists across Canada and the local London community. Grab a coffee and start your morning off right with the latest tracks and your joyful show host, Johnathan Whitford. Every Tuesday morning from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time!</p><p dir="ltr">This show is also drawing attention to Anosmia as part of Anosmia Awareness Day. Anosmia is the <strong>partial or full loss of smell</strong>. Anosmia can be a temporary or permanent condition. You can partially or completely lose your sense of smell when the mucus membranes in your nose are irritated or obstructed such as when you have a severe cold or a sinus infection, for example.</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big"><strong>LISTEN ONLINE AT</strong></span> <a class="no-pjax" href="http://radiowestern.ca">http://radiowestern.ca</a></p><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big"><strong>WATCH THE TRUE LOVE VIDEO:</strong></span></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gSJw1SMQ3RM" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gSJw1SMQ3RM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big"><strong>ABOUT TRUE LOVE </strong></span><br>Written and produced by <strong>Mackenzie Kristjon.</strong><br><strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> (Winner of John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Philadelphia Best Live Act -Jazz) -Vocals<br><strong>Erica Corbo</strong> and <strong>Big John Leacock</strong> -Spoken Word <br><strong>Marcus Manderson aka Da Fingaz</strong> (Disney composer) -News Music<br><strong>Dan Konopka</strong> (Grammy-winning OK Go) -Drums</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="no-pjax" href="/store" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Store"><strong>Get the Tshirt!</strong></a></p><p dir="ltr">Let me know if you agree that True Love is real! ❤️😍🤍</p><p dir="ltr">Yours in music,</p><p dir="ltr">Mac</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big">Mackenzie Kristjon</span><br>thismaddesire.net | 905.981.2373</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big">LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT.</span></p><p dir="ltr">IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? Join DIT (Doing It Together) powered by Indie Week for resources, connections, and more! <a class="no-pjax" href="https://members.ditcommunity.com/share/dokaPXp3tiW0Vz7l" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://members.ditcommunity.com/share/dokaPXp3tiW0Vz7l</a><br> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73499722024-02-12T06:39:17-05:002024-02-12T06:49:36-05:00TRUE LOVE ain't what it used to be<p><span class="text-huge" style="color:hsl(0,75%,60%);"><strong>TRUE BELIEVERS!!</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">❤️❤️❤️ </span><span style="color:hsl(0,75%,60%);"><strong>THIS MAD DESIRE | TRUE LOVE</strong></span><span style="color:black;"> –our 2024 Valentine’s single – is now streaming everywhere! The main message? True Love ain't what it used to be and True Love still means everything to me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Written by Mackenzie Kristjon (moi) on the set of a Hallmark Christmas movie last summer. Joined by Dan Konopka (OK Go) on drums, award-winnimg Philly-based jazz vocalist Jessica Magoch on bg vox, Philly-based singer-songwriter Erica Corbo and Guelph cultural force Big John Leacock providing Spoken Word, and Disney composer Marcus Manderson aka Da Fingaz with some orchestrated news music.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">WATCH THE VIDEO:</span></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gSJw1SMQ3RM" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gSJw1SMQ3RM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><span style="color:#172B4D;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>You can also <a class="no-pjax" href="/music" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Music">purchase the track here</a> or the <a class="no-pjax" href="/store" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Store">T-shirt</a> and if you are into Bandcamp or Artcore, links below.</p><p><strong>BANDCAMP:</strong> <a class="no-pjax" href="https://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com/album/true-love" target="_blank">https://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com/album/true-love</a><br><strong>ARTCORE:</strong> <span> </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://artcore.com/release/69759/true-love" target="_blank"><span style="color:#1155CC;">https://artcore.com/release/<wbr>69759/true-love</wbr></span></a></p><p>I’ve also created a THIS MAD DESIRE Love Songs Spotify Playlist to get you in the mood…</p><p><strong>TMD LOVE SONGS SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:</strong> <a class="no-pjax" href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/72lfN1GmMBb1Ht3zMh89Er?si=b553cab871a447f6" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://open.spotify.com/playlist/72lfN1GmMBb1Ht3zMh89Er?si=b553cab871a447f6</a></p><p><span class="text-huge" style="color:#172B4D;"><strong>ABOUT THE SONG</strong></span><span style="color:#172B4D;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:#172B4D;">In June 2023, I was working on the set of this Hallmark Christmas movie set in Chicago (where drummer Dan Konopka is from) and had a couple of hours between activities so I pulled out my guitar and sketched this out at the site of Hamilton, Ontario's first ever water pump. (Actually it's a pretty cool place at 6am with the sun rising over Lake Ontario and fake snow everywhere...)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:#172B4D;">After lunch, I was working on a completely different movie downtown Hamilton set in Philadelphia (where both Jessica Magoch and Erica Corbo hang their professional music hats) and finished it off. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:#172B4D;">We all went back and forth very quickly across the immense geography of North America to get this done, recording in Hamilton, Toronto, and Guelph in Canada and Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, in the US. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:#172B4D;">As the audio stretches across space, the video takes us through various decades and types of love. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color:#172B4D;">And for those who might be single or going through break-ups or anything like that, I’ve been there too and I know Valentine’s can be a lonely time. Part of the message of this song is that True Love is a Dream That Can Deceive. I’m sure we all know that. We’ve all had our hearts broken at times in all of our lives but the main message of hope that I would dream for anyone to get from this track is that <strong>True Love (is possible and) still means everything to me</strong>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-huge" style="color:hsl(0,75%,60%);"><strong>HAPPY VALENTINE’S XOXO!!<o:p></o:p></strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#172B4D;">-Mac<o:p></o:p></span></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73427392024-01-30T10:10:06-05:002024-01-30T10:10:07-05:00So What Oh Well (Cocaine in the Limo) SNOOP EDITION<p>Word up, homies!</p><p>D to the double G! As it's been a few weeks since we dropped a new song (<a class="no-pjax" href="https://youtu.be/T5L5PM8AXQM?si=FRylh_M86ganwoW_" data-link-type="url"><strong>NEW DAY</strong></a>), I thought I'd release a video for an older track called SO WHAT OH WELL (COCAINE IN THE LIMO) and feature that coolest of the cool MFs, Snoop Dogg!</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/cfef7f590eaced499e88dae97e7f94bb9b14dfaf/original/so-what-oh-well-snoop.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p style="text-align:center;"><i>In a Snoop Dogg universe where everyone is Snoop except his bitches and ho's!</i></p><p><strong>About SO WHAT OH WELL (COCAINE IN THE LIMO): </strong>- wrote this song seconds after getting home from performing at the Knitting Factory in New York City. We were playing in one room and (in a much larger room) was a burlesque show created by the Suicide Girls (basically was and maybe still is an online community of hot women who have tattoos). Being a red-blooded Canadian lad, you know I was intrigued and so met a few of these ladies and organized for one of them to bring me drinks onstage at my gig and generally it's a wholesome New York love story involving cocaine, limos, and burlesque performers. (I did not partake of the cocaine but it certainly added to the wildness of the evening!) Eventually I recorded this version with MARK ZUBEK (Zedd Records, Toronto) and he had lived in NYC and when I said, “Hey Mark! I have a song about cocaine, burlesque performers, and limos.”</p><p>He said, “Let me clear my schedule. I'm in!”</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gpNJXE-1fJ8" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gpNJXE-1fJ8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p> </p><p><strong>Note: Snoop Dogg has nothing to do with this.</strong> This was created using what is called Generative AI and uses likenesses of the Snoop scoured from the internet. He's obviously one of the coolest people on the planet and I'm open to him contacting me to complain but I doubt that will happen. I'm such a small fish in such a large pond. That said, would I smoke a spliff with the Snoop? Of course!! (Partly I'm trying to draw attention to how insane this new tech is…)</p><p>I've released songs already with Leonard Cohen writing the words and I couldn't get permission from his estate's legal team and most recently, The Aliens Have Arrived borrows lines from Margaret Atwood's poem The Aliens Have Arrived.</p><p>Obviously this is all done with the utmost respect to all of these people, and I'm more than happy to work with anyone!</p><p>Anyway, we also have our Valentine's single TRUE LOVE ft. Dan Konopka (Founding Member and Drummer for Grammy-winning OK Go, Nashville), Jessica Magoch (award-winning singer-songwriter, Philadelphia), Da Fingaz (Disney composer, Washington, DC), and Erica Corbo (singer-songwriter, Philadelphia) coming out February 9th so stay tuned, True Believers!!</p><p>Let me know what you think and don't forget to subscribe to the youtube channel!!</p><p>Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73283102024-01-04T12:47:22-05:002024-01-04T17:29:01-05:00New Year? NEW DAY!!<p><span class="text-huge"><strong>E A R T H L I N G S !!</strong></span></p><p>2024 is upon us and so is our NEW track called NEW DAY!</p><p><span style="color:rgb(23,43,77);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/0cf56ab023e379ecad815776bbae61d2b3138f43/original/new-day-cover-dec-2023-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><strong>NEW DAY</strong> was written and produced by Mackenzie Kristjon (THIS MAD DESIRE), Carleen Williams (CARLEEN), and Cas Weinbren (SEE SEE BEATS). Saxophone courtesy Kristen Prince. We hope it inspires a feeling of resilience and a can-do spirit as we all get through this thing called Life. Mackenzie and Kristen are in Toronto, Carleen in Los Angeles, and Cas in New York City. If we can somehow all work together, so can you.</span></p><p><span class="text-big"><strong>ABOUT THE TRACK</strong></span><br>New Day came about while I was writing tracks for my forthcoming full-length <strong>Passing Lanes of Fate</strong>. Cas Weinbren and I had met at an online co-writing song camp and he pointed out that Ceelo Green had given him his sunglasses that he was wearing. We finished that track but it's as yet unreleased (although it's killer!). </p><p>Meanwhile, I had met Carleen at a similar kind of online music industry mixer. We started talking about working on something together and thought it might be fun to try writing a topline (music term for “melody and lyrics”) to something that Cas had already written. He sent me a few tracks and we decided to try working on an instrumental with the working title New Day.</p><p>Over a few Zoom calls, Carleen and I shared some laughs and developed the melody and lyrics. Lyrically, we liked the optimistic idea of a New Day. We used some mountain-related imagery with the idea of overcoming odds and not just surviving but thriving, always giving it one more try. As we've both overcome obstacles in our lives, it seemed a fitting theme that we felt many people could relate to and hopefully feel inspired by.</p><p>We had discussed her own personal history growing up in the Rockies in Utah and the idea of mountain-climbing and always reaching up a little bit more and then even a bit more after that. I had spent a lot of time in Alberta in the Rockies as a child so I could appreciate her idea.</p><p>After we tracked our respective parts, I started mixing it and felt it needed something to tie it together a little more and just give it even more lift. </p><p>Enter Kristen Prince! She had just done some work with my friend Boxcar Ben in Hamilton and so I reached out to her on TikTok. She wound up sending me a couple of improvised tracks on sax for me to comp. I knew Cas would dig this addition as he does a lot of work in the hip hop and jazz community in New York City. </p><p>I would say that for Carleen and me, this song is a bit of a departure style-wise from what either of us normally do but hey, what's a New Day without trying a New Sound sometimes? 😀</p><p>For more info, shoot me an email at <a class="no-pjax" href="mailto:macsonfire@gmail.com" data-link-type="email">macsonfire@gmail.com</a>. </p><p><span class="text-big"><strong>WATCH THE VIDEO</strong></span></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="T5L5PM8AXQM" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T5L5PM8AXQM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p><a class="no-pjax" href="/track/3656380/new-day-ft-carleen-see-see-beats-kristen-prince" target="_blank" data-link-type="track" data-link-label="New Day ft. Carleen, See See Beats, Kristen Prince"><strong>Purchase NEW DAY.</strong></a><br><a class="no-pjax" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>Purchase NEW DAY on BANDCAMP.</strong></a></p><p><span style="color:rgb(23,43,77);"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/d3a637368ec977f6811254150de19b8eb36cde13/original/screenshot-20230318-143433-instagram.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_s justify_left border_" />CAS WEINBREN (SEE SEE BEATS)</strong> is a billion-streaming artist in New York City who has collaborated with many artists and written music for hit Disney musical Zombies 3. He also created a remix for </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/track/3572534/victim-appreciation-night-see-see-beats-remix" target="_blank" data-link-type="track" data-link-label="Victim Appreciation Night (See See Beats Remix)"><span style="color:rgb(23,43,77);"><strong>Victim Appreciation Night</strong> </span></a><span style="color:rgb(23,43,77);">from This Mad Desire's Open Hearts Open Minds album.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(21,19,19);"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/b8f9dce8f19f05a2c7779a1e75e840bab40c731d/original/screenshot-20230318-144011-instagram.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_s justify_right border_" />CARLEEN</strong> is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and educator based in Los Angeles. She was born in Utah, near the border of Arizona and lived on a farm in Idaho. She considers herself to be from all three states. She has just released her debut EP Catalyst, which I really like!! She has also contributed bg vox to TMD track </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/track/3234858/o-come-all-ye-faithful-feat-jessica-magoch" target="_blank" data-link-type="track" data-link-label="O Come All Ye Faithful feat. Jessica Magoch"><span style="color:rgb(21,19,19);">O Come All Ye Faithful</span></a><span style="color:rgb(21,19,19);">.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(21,19,19);"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/86e2a249c12fe1462230706c6979553ef7bcb3bd/original/img-0604-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_s justify_left border_" />KRISTEN PRINCE</strong></span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);"> is a Port Credit based saxophone player and singer. She has performed with many artists including the Arkells, Canadian legend Andy Kim, Lowest of the Low, My Son the Hurricane, and 4-time Juno nominee Tom Barlow. Kristen is busy doing live performances, writing and producing original music/videos, and doing session recordings. </span></p><p>-Mac</p><p> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73238772023-12-24T11:51:57-05:002023-12-24T11:51:57-05:00TMD Holiday Classics Playlist!<p><span class="text-big">Merry Christmas and Happy Holidaze!</span></p><p>Wishing everyone the best this holiday season. If you are looking for a “set it and forget it” Christmas playlist with hours of great Christmas music including old faves and some soon-to-be classic new ones, we've got you!</p><p><strong>TMD Holiday Classics Playlist!</strong><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2absuS5e22FZ5Dnxi86QXI?si=e02b8518de5d42b3" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2absuS5e22FZ5Dnxi86QXI?si=e02b8518de5d42b3</a></p><p>Also here are our videos for <strong>Deck The Halls</strong>…</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="MDo-xlJIJRc" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MDo-xlJIJRc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p>…and <strong>O Come All Ye Faithful</strong>!</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="XzDMAkj6HNo" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XzDMAkj6HNo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p> </p><p>Merry Christmas!</p><p>Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73142382023-12-04T12:04:36-05:002023-12-04T12:04:36-05:00Deck The Halls -New Animated Video!<p><span class="text-huge">E A R T H L I N G S !!</span></p><p>Hope all is well in your area of Planet Earth. Christmas is coming and in a lot of ways, this has been one of my more Christmas-y years on this planet. I’ve worked on maybe 15-20ish Hallmark Christmas movies and acted in at least one Netflix one that I can recall. It’s been Christmas in July and Christmas in February. </p><p>Looking back, I’ve worked beside art crews setting up a bizarre number of homes, businesses, and you name it with full Christmas detail. One time, it was the hottest day of the summer and I was at a massive Christmas tree farm and there was a crew of 10-15 people all setting up fake snow on the ground everywhere for the next day’s shoot. <span> </span></p><p>With all that in my Christmas spirit, I have made an updated Brand New animated video for our track Deck The Halls ft. Jessica Magoch that appears on our TMD Holiday Classics EP!</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://youtu.be/MDo-xlJIJRc?si=9muF8sLajtm5L1XF" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/10d3667b1581ebf9893669f44cfe0d34796baa87/original/tmd-dth-2023-video-cover.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></a></p><p><strong>Watch the Video:</strong> <a class="no-pjax" href="https://youtu.be/MDo-xlJIJRc?si=9muF8sLajtm5L1XF" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://youtu.be/MDo-xlJIJRc?si=9muF8sLajtm5L1XF</a></p><p>(The original video is comprised mostly of old family photos and videos from Jessica’s family and mine. You can watch that one here: <a class="no-pjax" href="https://youtu.be/NixmYpSFsIQ?si=vnz_gLL4aR2L9dFr">https://youtu.be/NixmYpSFsIQ?si=vnz_gLL4aR2L9dFr</a> )</p><p><strong>CREDITS: </strong>Recorded across North America in various locations, our version of Deck the Halls is a collaboration between Mackenzie Kristjon, vocalist Jessica Magoch (winner of the 2019 Philadelphia Live Music Award for Jazz), guitarist Steve Baric, and Dan Konopka (OK Go). Background vocals are provided by renowned Guelph-based folk singer Tannis Slimmon, cottage-core pop star Kari Lyn (Toronto by way of Prince Edward Island), and Calgary country artist Kim Thompson. </p><p><span class="text-huge"><strong>Presents! Gifts! Featured Merchandise!!</strong></span></p><p><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/10a3bb58bca93124d8551545981bc44b71297cb0/original/jessica-with-candle.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></span>Get it together, people! We have T-shirts, Running Wild Running Free Running Shoes, tote bags, and much more at our <a class="no-pjax" href="/store" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Store">TMD STORE</a>. Right now, our featured product is the TMD Holiday Classics Christmas Candle!! See Jessica with hers? Be like Jessica. </p><p><span> </span>Wishing you all the best this holiday season!</p><p>-Mac</p><p> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/73092742023-11-25T13:04:23-05:002023-11-25T13:04:23-05:00Happy Thanksgiving, America! Open Hearts Open Minds!!<p><strong>Friends, Family, Co-conspirators, and Earthlings!!</strong></p><p>Hope you're all well in this season of up and down and who knows what's going on on Planet Earth. Will the aliens make themselves known with peaceful intentions or will war-torn countries continue to rip themselves apart? Anyway with all that is going on in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Latin America, etc. etc. I decided to make a fresh video for Open Hearts Open Minds, a song I released last year, the title track of our Open Hearts Open Minds album.</p><p>I got the idea for the phrase Open Hearts Open Minds one day listening to a radio interview with a US Diplomat on Canadian radio who was talking about efforts to win over hearts and minds somewhere on Earth and thought, “Open Hearts Open Minds is really my theme!”</p><p>This video includes imagery that is apart from Earth, partially in keeping with my recent Aliens-oriented imagery but also to provide a broader perspective. “Thatpalebluedotlookssofaraway!”</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="wBM-zN-zVgc" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wBM-zN-zVgc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p> </p><p><strong>CREDITS</strong> Written by Mackenzie Kristjon. Vocals and instruments by Mackenzie Kristjon. Drums by Dan Konopka. Background vocals by Leslie Ramsey-Taylor, Jessica Magoch, Joyce Aldrich, Erica “Captain” Corbo, Kim Thompson, Glen Macleod, Jason Dunford (Samaki Mkuu), Reinhard Kypke, Brian Doucette, Fluency Grey, Simon Pellett, Sandeep Swaminathan, and Paul Quanthem.</p><p>Wherever you are, spread peace, love, and compassion!</p><p>-Mac</p><p><i>CYBER MONDAY sale: just add CYBERMAC as code for 10% off all merch.</i></p><p><i>P.S. Next week we are back to promoting our Christmas music and soon… our fun New Year's single because 2024 is the year of the New Year, <strong>New Day</strong> revolution, people! We're putting everything behind us and marching forward into a greater day.</i></p><p> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/72899702023-10-19T07:39:58-04:002023-10-19T07:39:58-04:00💥👽🎃 PHANTOM LOVE | Our new Bowie-esque single!<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><span class="text-big"><strong>E A R T H L I N G S !!!</strong></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">As Halloween draws closer, I invite you to consider some spooktacular stuff we've got bubbling over in our boiling cauldron...</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><strong>THIS MAD DESIRE | THE ALIENS HAVE ARRIVED</strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">If you haven't checked out this video, do so now. Those are not costumes! </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">"We come in peace," they said. "Take me to your leader!" they said. Take them to the Halloween party!</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="pl7HlMBh6Rs" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pl7HlMBh6Rs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><strong>THIS MAD DESIRE | PHANTOM LOVE digital single b/w Victim Appreciation Night (See See Beats Remix)</strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><i>Release date: October 20, 2023</i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><i>Featured Artists: Jennifer Yoo, Benek Fajn, See See Beats</i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">This Hallowe'en, your new Monster Mash is a PHANTOM LOVE, the hot new track from THIS MAD DESIRE. Phantom Love holds a Euro/Bowie appeal, which belies its ghoulish and vampiric charm.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">The quintessential follow-up to THE ALIENS HAVE ARRIVED from THIS MAD DESIRE's upcoming full-length PASSING LANES OF FATE, Phantom Love explores a bone-chilling desert romance that lingers ...even from beyond the grave!!</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">Phantom Love was written by TMD's Mackenzie Kristjon in Toronto, Jennifer Yoo in California, and Benek Fajn in Belgium over a Zoom call put on by the kind people at Songistry/MDIIO in Los Angeles. </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">"After we had the basic ideas, the lyrics literally came to me in a dream that night. Ben, Jen, and I quickly organized a follow-up Zoom and made a few adjustments. Ben produced the music with our input and then Jen and I sang our parts in our little corners of North America. It was almost spooky how quickly this all came together," said Kristjon. </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">BENEK FAJN is a European music producer and songwriter based in Brussels, Belgium, who has been releasing music for more than 20 years across various genres such as synthpop, folk, electro and rock. He has been part of a number of musical projects in several European countries, including being one half of the German-Dutch duo "Fratoj Sen Limoj". Phantom Love is his first cross-Atlantic collaboration.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">JENNIFER YOO is a songwriter, composer, and lyricist based in the Bay Area in California. She completed her studies at Berklee College of Music in April 2022 with an Advanced Professional Certificate in Songwriting. Her exposure and in-depth study of contemporary music namely in the rock, pop, and heavy metal genres resulted in an explosion of an interesting sonority of colors which is evident in her most recent works.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">WATCH IT NOW!! </div><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ZUEFcLZdqek" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZUEFcLZdqek?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">Also included is the SEE SEE BEATS REMIX of VICTIM APPRECIATION NIGHT from TMD's 2022 full-length Open Hearts Open Minds. Cas Weinbren (who IS See See Beats) is a billion-streaming artist in New York City who composed music for the smash Disney musical ZOMBIES 3. </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">How Hallowe'en is that??</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><strong>CHECK OUT THE VISUALIZER!! </strong></div><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="BtYg6u6Cvo0" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BtYg6u6Cvo0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><span class="text-huge"><strong>BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!!!!</strong></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">This Halloween, I'm on TV at a Halloween Costume Party at the White House on Chucky S3 E4 -Dressed To Kill. The episode airs October 25 on Showcase and StackTV on Amazon Prime and some other channels in the USA. </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">
<span class="text-big"><strong>Here I am in the trailer!</strong></span><br><span class="text-big"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/9d2f6d93c47127b67a9d1a58734d22c41bb6e40d/original/screenshot-20231002-021347-chrome.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></strong></span>
</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><span class="text-big"><strong>Here is the trailer!</strong></span></div><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="0g0OZc5-xoY" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0g0OZc5-xoY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto">Stay ghoulish, everyone, and be wary of things that go bump in the night. And let me know what you're dressing up as!</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">
<br>-Mac</div>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/72816882023-10-02T14:15:41-04:002023-10-16T10:59:35-04:00THE ALIENS HAVE ARRIVED<p dir="ltr"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/6c36b4d86c541e2c7236ea6b84aecfff1c0cd757/original/taha-single-cover-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_inline border_" />Our first single from our forthcoming album <strong>Passing Lanes of Fate</strong> is now available. </p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="pl7HlMBh6Rs" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pl7HlMBh6Rs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr">If you've been following the inquiries in the US government, you know that the aliens are here -and more are coming! </p><p dir="ltr">Finally we are exposing the truth in this incredible song presented by TMD World Services (our nascent News Service with all the Fake News you can handle) and featuring Disney composer <strong>Da Fingaz AKA Marcus Manderson </strong>from Washington, DC, and Captain <strong>Erica Corbo </strong>who beamed in her observations of alien life from her Secret space station. I understand she rocketed back from somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy just for this.</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big" style="color:hsl(150,75%,60%);"><strong>This is NOT TO BE MISSED!!!</strong></span></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>U.S. recovered non-human 'biologics' from UFO crash sites, former intel official says</strong><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://u648841.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=eiPe5vYnBxp8bMtABf9jy2X1AnhNI2ahzzXf4ScTMA3MyKor7Wd6c0l5zjt3YowA41Q-2F4shPJEAn2l6gSjt3aizbU97HtvjO8cXltsjTBsWl-2FNO2KTlR7toIczUjrMumFWWPj7gwoSiVYFG1ppcQzkzQcqDwOZ6iRDDfkk1i3lyTiUGe2UF0uArdzfa9EBUECF3jemV-2FWtP4HR4eZa3MzSAKMPsamNG7UVcBBlN-2B368-3D_cUq_c9v-2F9LXjqMgpxB-2BKR5-2FqMsaS3OW1lCwbRBNYJXfdqlVVsaJrMi4PsWHwv-2FMWlImpQ5tvpb-2BGYSHS7YfUp8-2FM9j8CLtQ5FZLaheu6Q76020435AeKZ3C5Ar8rPaHZc3BRFxcioCHGWvYANTRI-2FOG-2FDwhmtglDF04GL8Ctjn5jye36ae74pFyOZaybZ1VjL8-2FWQx6FKtwX8dmEr4kxi7iyaZK84adlpMPMeq21r3vXStga2WfqjKeFpFeKN7QDfbCIkuj903gmElEOPeVRbuOLgFBgGpFAoe8hUGGytFKOtteHFezbpygsO-2FLbCJOehwb5UyWI8PJXGkvt0Abtzg5u0a95moAEsCQogFxquoRvgBA-3D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://u648841.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn%3DeiPe5vYnBxp8bMtABf9jy2X1AnhNI2ahzzXf4ScTMA3MyKor7Wd6c0l5zjt3YowA41Q-2F4shPJEAn2l6gSjt3aizbU97HtvjO8cXltsjTBsWl-2FNO2KTlR7toIczUjrMumFWWPj7gwoSiVYFG1ppcQzkzQcqDwOZ6iRDDfkk1i3lyTiUGe2UF0uArdzfa9EBUECF3jemV-2FWtP4HR4eZa3MzSAKMPsamNG7UVcBBlN-2B368-3D_cUq_c9v-2F9LXjqMgpxB-2BKR5-2FqMsaS3OW1lCwbRBNYJXfdqlVVsaJrMi4PsWHwv-2FMWlImpQ5tvpb-2BGYSHS7YfUp8-2FM9j8CLtQ5FZLaheu6Q76020435AeKZ3C5Ar8rPaHZc3BRFxcioCHGWvYANTRI-2FOG-2FDwhmtglDF04GL8Ctjn5jye36ae74pFyOZaybZ1VjL8-2FWQx6FKtwX8dmEr4kxi7iyaZK84adlpMPMeq21r3vXStga2WfqjKeFpFeKN7QDfbCIkuj903gmElEOPeVRbuOLgFBgGpFAoe8hUGGytFKOtteHFezbpygsO-2FLbCJOehwb5UyWI8PJXGkvt0Abtzg5u0a95moAEsCQogFxquoRvgBA-3D&source=gmail&ust=1696274851799000&usg=AOvVaw2Az-m4MEjxvbYICPUITgiY"><u>https://www.npr.org/2023/07/</u></a><a class="no-pjax" href="https://u648841.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=eiPe5vYnBxp8bMtABf9jy2X1AnhNI2ahzzXf4ScTMA3MyKor7Wd6c0l5zjt3YowA41Q-2F4shPJEAn2l6gSjt3aizbU97HtvjO8cXltsjTBsWl-2FNO2KTlR7toIczUjrMumFWWPj7gwoSiVYFG1ppcQzkzQcqDwOZ6iRDDfkk1i3lyTiUGe2UF0uArdzfa9EBUECF3jemV-2FWtP4HR4eZa3MzSAKMPsamNG7UVcBBlN-2B368-3DBIgC_c9v-2F9LXjqMgpxB-2BKR5-2FqMsaS3OW1lCwbRBNYJXfdqlVVsaJrMi4PsWHwv-2FMWlImpQ5tvpb-2BGYSHS7YfUp8-2FM9j8CLtQ5FZLaheu6Q76020435AeKZ3C5Ar8rPaHZc3BRFxcioCHGWvYANTRI-2FOG-2FDwhmtglDF04GL8Ctjn5jye36ae74pFyOZaybZ1VjL8-2FWQx6FKtwX8dmEr4kxi7iyaV-2BcGISIT8I4kIXK86JFzcH-2BmztJNHTpWqzHz3yrRxasCXaWbzEEhho88Ufgw4-2Bmq-2BhE4tlgZWdE62Lbe3HL0Bdx-2Fdb3DwaVHMbaZQWNo35w14OZvOgHZ8R6V-2FRiyXbcA3Nnc0QX097b-2B2EHjvwRnuI-3D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://u648841.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn%3DeiPe5vYnBxp8bMtABf9jy2X1AnhNI2ahzzXf4ScTMA3MyKor7Wd6c0l5zjt3YowA41Q-2F4shPJEAn2l6gSjt3aizbU97HtvjO8cXltsjTBsWl-2FNO2KTlR7toIczUjrMumFWWPj7gwoSiVYFG1ppcQzkzQcqDwOZ6iRDDfkk1i3lyTiUGe2UF0uArdzfa9EBUECF3jemV-2FWtP4HR4eZa3MzSAKMPsamNG7UVcBBlN-2B368-3DBIgC_c9v-2F9LXjqMgpxB-2BKR5-2FqMsaS3OW1lCwbRBNYJXfdqlVVsaJrMi4PsWHwv-2FMWlImpQ5tvpb-2BGYSHS7YfUp8-2FM9j8CLtQ5FZLaheu6Q76020435AeKZ3C5Ar8rPaHZc3BRFxcioCHGWvYANTRI-2FOG-2FDwhmtglDF04GL8Ctjn5jye36ae74pFyOZaybZ1VjL8-2FWQx6FKtwX8dmEr4kxi7iyaV-2BcGISIT8I4kIXK86JFzcH-2BmztJNHTpWqzHz3yrRxasCXaWbzEEhho88Ufgw4-2Bmq-2BhE4tlgZWdE62Lbe3HL0Bdx-2Fdb3DwaVHMbaZQWNo35w14OZvOgHZ8R6V-2FRiyXbcA3Nnc0QX097b-2B2EHjvwRnuI-3D&source=gmail&ust=1696274851799000&usg=AOvVaw0VKyRviGonX5Ojzc9Sd7V7"><u>27<wbr>/1190390376/ufo-hearing-non-</wbr></u></a><a class="no-pjax" href="https://u648841.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=eiPe5vYnBxp8bMtABf9jy2X1AnhNI2ahzzXf4ScTMA3MyKor7Wd6c0l5zjt3YowA41Q-2F4shPJEAn2l6gSjt3aizbU97HtvjO8cXltsjTBsWl-2FNO2KTlR7toIczUjrMumFWWPj7gwoSiVYFG1ppcQzkzQcqDwOZ6iRDDfkk1i3lyTiUGe2UF0uArdzfa9EBUECF3jemV-2FWtP4HR4eZa3MzSAKMPsamNG7UVcBBlN-2B368-3D8ies_c9v-2F9LXjqMgpxB-2BKR5-2FqMsaS3OW1lCwbRBNYJXfdqlVVsaJrMi4PsWHwv-2FMWlImpQ5tvpb-2BGYSHS7YfUp8-2FM9j8CLtQ5FZLaheu6Q76020435AeKZ3C5Ar8rPaHZc3BRFxcioCHGWvYANTRI-2FOG-2FDwhmtglDF04GL8Ctjn5jye36ae74pFyOZaybZ1VjL8-2FWQx6FKtwX8dmEr4kxi7iyadBy4X-2B0s4fJt4FiVCxBQijeaF-2BvojN8G-2FnFYYA-2B-2B3GPfUpQuNSL25P2CEjOum0Fwhr9KBrvXB-2BE4OEliClpYjyOmIAx50-2FK1U9QlP0WyqA00lePVLByeugVx6GCijEV0hvy7srNyEF9-2ByJo9mHgdLk-3D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://u648841.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn%3DeiPe5vYnBxp8bMtABf9jy2X1AnhNI2ahzzXf4ScTMA3MyKor7Wd6c0l5zjt3YowA41Q-2F4shPJEAn2l6gSjt3aizbU97HtvjO8cXltsjTBsWl-2FNO2KTlR7toIczUjrMumFWWPj7gwoSiVYFG1ppcQzkzQcqDwOZ6iRDDfkk1i3lyTiUGe2UF0uArdzfa9EBUECF3jemV-2FWtP4HR4eZa3MzSAKMPsamNG7UVcBBlN-2B368-3D8ies_c9v-2F9LXjqMgpxB-2BKR5-2FqMsaS3OW1lCwbRBNYJXfdqlVVsaJrMi4PsWHwv-2FMWlImpQ5tvpb-2BGYSHS7YfUp8-2FM9j8CLtQ5FZLaheu6Q76020435AeKZ3C5Ar8rPaHZc3BRFxcioCHGWvYANTRI-2FOG-2FDwhmtglDF04GL8Ctjn5jye36ae74pFyOZaybZ1VjL8-2FWQx6FKtwX8dmEr4kxi7iyadBy4X-2B0s4fJt4FiVCxBQijeaF-2BvojN8G-2FnFYYA-2B-2B3GPfUpQuNSL25P2CEjOum0Fwhr9KBrvXB-2BE4OEliClpYjyOmIAx50-2FK1U9QlP0WyqA00lePVLByeugVx6GCijEV0hvy7srNyEF9-2ByJo9mHgdLk-3D&source=gmail&ust=1696274851799000&usg=AOvVaw31nEN8jhdU_-8LHoONK2cM"><u>hu<wbr>man-biologics-uaps</wbr></u></a> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/72456922023-07-22T10:48:30-04:002023-08-03T06:51:43-04:00Army Of Me drops August 4<div align="left">
<p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big"><strong>Fellow Earthlings and other beings from across the cosmos!!</strong></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/fd2e230ff50676e335082256eb5e4fa6bdc8f91f/original/this-mad-desire-secret-covers-v1-album-cover-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Just in time for the Islendingadagurinn (Icelandic Festival of Manitoba), we have released our cover of <strong>Army Of Me</strong> by Iceland's most celebrated musical export, Björk.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The audio is included in our new EP <strong>Secret Covers Volume 1</strong> which drops August 4 on all streaming platforms. Now available for Purchase <a class="no-pjax" href="https://thismaddesire.net/album/2535400/secret-covers-v1" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>HERE</strong></a> or at <a class="no-pjax" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>thismaddesire.bandcamp.com</strong></a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Secret Covers Volume 1</strong> tracklisting:</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>My Shit's Fucked Up</strong> -as made famous by Warren Zevon<br><strong>Brand New Love</strong> -as made famous by Sebadoh<br><strong>Iron Man</strong> -as made famous by Black Sabbath<br><strong>Response of a Lakota Woman to FBI Investigation Circa 1973</strong> -as made famous by Bob Wiseman<br><strong>Army Of Me</strong> -as made famous by Björk</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>ABOUT ARMY OF ME:</strong><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Me" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Me</a></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>WATCH THE VIDEO:</strong></p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="dWLcmEJ_E6c" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dWLcmEJ_E6c?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr"><br> </p>
<p dir="ltr">Stand up and dream again! <br>Questions? Comments? Love Letters? Email <a class="no-pjax" href="mailto:macsonfire@gmail.com" target="_blank" data-link-type="email"><strong>macsonfire@gmail.com</strong></a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mac</p>
<p dir="ltr">P.S. While we are thinking about all things Icelandic, I'd like to remind you that I published a 2-time <strong>Taste Canada</strong> award-winning Icelandic cookbook written by my mother called <strong>The Culinary Saga of New Iceland</strong>. You can read all about it and pick up a copy <a class="no-pjax" href="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>HERE</strong></a>!</p>
</div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big"><strong>Mackenzie Kristjon</strong></span><br><a class="no-pjax" href="http://thismaddesire.net/">thismaddesire.net</a><span style="color:#222222;"> </span><br><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>SOCIALS AND STREAMING SERVICES:</strong></span><span style="color:#1155CC;"><strong> </strong></span><a class="no-pjax" href="http://thismaddesire.net/smartlinks"><strong>thismaddesire.net/smartlinks</strong></a><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://thismaddesire.net/custom-songs-and-music-lessons"><strong>CUSTOM SONGS for Weddings and Special Occasions</strong></a><br><a class="no-pjax" href="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal"><strong>All things MERMAIDS …FOR REAL!!</strong></a></p></div><p dir="ltr"><br><span class="text-big"><strong>LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT.</strong></span><br> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/72358872023-07-02T08:16:29-04:002023-07-02T08:16:29-04:00Happy Canada Day! TMD Live on Toronto Radio Sunday, July 2!!<p dir="ltr"><span class="text-big"><strong>FRIENDS, FAMILY, & CO-CONSPIRATORS!</strong></span></p><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/7ca3ea2136dc08d0e0a1b848ccee01883feb7ae9/original/2020-11-21-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" alt="Happy Canada Day!" /><span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong>Happy Canada Day</strong></span> Weekend and thanks for all the birthday messages! I've been working hardcore long hours on a couple of movies this week so finally celebrated my birthday along with my mother's and Canada's on Canada Day! (On my actual birthday, we were filming car scenes for an action/thriller set in Philadelphia.)</p><p dir="ltr">To keep up the festivities, I will be the featured guest on <strong>The Joyce Aldrich Show</strong> on CHHA 1610 AM in Toronto TONIGHT, Sunday, July 2, at 7pm Eastern Time.</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>LISTEN LIVE ONLINE HERE!</strong><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://chha1610am.ca/show/the-joyce-aldrich-show/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://chha1610am.ca/show/the-joyce-aldrich-show/&source=gmail&ust=1688385537305000&usg=AOvVaw0ppOcLJ6fyImW_98wye_1g" data-cke-saved-href="https://chha1610am.ca/show/the-joyce-aldrich-show/">https://chha1610am.ca/show/</a><wbr><a class="no-pjax" href="https://chha1610am.ca/show/the-joyce-aldrich-show/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://chha1610am.ca/show/the-joyce-aldrich-show/&source=gmail&ust=1688385537305000&usg=AOvVaw0ppOcLJ6fyImW_98wye_1g" data-cke-saved-href="https://chha1610am.ca/show/the-joyce-aldrich-show/">the-joyce-aldrich-show/</a></wbr></p><p dir="ltr">I'll perform a few songs and we'll be having a great time talking about music, movies, art, and Iceland. Who knows? We may even do the Reykjavik Shuffle.</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Tune in and turn on!</strong></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Tidbits from the TMD Extended Universe...</strong><br>Congrats to these three on their recent releases!</p><p dir="ltr">1. From Philly, <strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> has just released her <a class="no-pjax" href="http://jessicamagoch.com/trivialpursuit" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="Trivial Pursuit" data-cke-saved-href="http://jessicamagoch.com/trivialpursuit"><strong>Trivial Pursuit</strong></a> single, which is Bourbon Swing meets Philly hip hop as produced by Joe the Butcher (who produced the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill!). Jessica and I have co-sang some Holiday Classics and she also sang as part of my Intergalactic Choir on Open Hearts Open Minds along with...</p><p dir="ltr">2. Calgary country artist <strong>Kim Thompson</strong> who has just dropped Dear Dolly, a sort of musical fan letter to Dolly Parton. Somehow I nabbed a co-write on this one.</p><p dir="ltr">3. And finally, <strong>Dan Konopka</strong> who drums on so many of my songs also is the drummer in <strong>OK Go</strong> who have a new mix of their classic This Too Shall Pass in the worldwide box office smash -<span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong>Flash</strong></span>!</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Running Wild Running Free,</strong></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Mac</strong></p><p><span style="color:#222222;"><span>Mackenzie Kristjon</span></span><br><a class="no-pjax" href="http://thismaddesire.net/" target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="http://thismaddesire.net/"><span style="color:#1155cc;"><span>thismaddesire.net</span></span></a><span style="color:#222222;"><span> | 905.981.2373</span></span><br><span style="color:#000000;"><span><strong>SOCIALS AND STREAMING SERVICES:</strong></span></span><span style="color:#1155cc;"><i><span><strong> </strong></span></i></span><a class="no-pjax" href="http://thismaddesire.net/smartlinks" target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="http://thismaddesire.net/smartlinks"><span style="color:#1155cc;"><i><span><strong>thismaddesire.net/smartlinks</strong></span></i></span></a><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://thismaddesire.net/custom-songs-and-music-lessons" target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://thismaddesire.net/custom-songs-and-music-lessons"><span style="color:#222222;"><span><strong>CUSTOM SONGS for Weddings and Special Occasions</strong></span></span></a><br><a class="no-pjax" href="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal" target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal"><span style="color:#222222;"><span><strong>All things MERMAIDS …FOR REAL!!</strong></span></span></a></p><p><span style="color:#222222;"><span><strong>LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT.</strong></span></span></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/72276062023-06-16T10:24:27-04:002023-06-16T10:26:07-04:00Jessica Magoch releases Trivial Pursuit<p dir="ltr">Congratulations to occasional TMD collaborator and co-conspirator Jessica Magoch on the release of the title track of her upcoming full-length Trivial Pursuit.</p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/d865e79c7e0352c2eaa1d605ba7eaf69c7158b30/original/screenshot-20230616-073803-instagram.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><p dir="ltr">Jessica describes the track:</p><p dir="ltr"><i><strong>Trivial Pursuit is a mix of Bourbon Street Swing and Philly Hip Hop, a tribute to my favorite 80s board games and to the game of love - a game I hate to play but secretly enjoy... I teamed up with Joe Nicolo, producer of Lauryn Hill's Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (and many others) in his garage with a live horn and rhythm section totally improvised. The song has won the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Love Song of the Week and the Philadelphia Music Awards for Jazz.</strong></i></p><p dir="ltr">Listen here: <a class="no-pjax" href="https://jessicamagoch.com/trivialpursuit" target="_blank">https://jessicamagoch.com/trivialpursuit</a></p><p dir="ltr">And here is Jessica and me co-singing O Come All Ye Faithful from This Mad Desire | Holiday Classics V1.</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="8MQqBEGxzFA" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8MQqBEGxzFA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr"> </p><p dir="ltr">Congrats from Canada, Jessica! </p><p dir="ltr">Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/72161902023-05-26T14:30:01-04:002023-06-01T11:26:01-04:00TMD on the Joyce Aldrich Show! POSTPONED<p>Hey everyone!</p><p><strong>UPDATE!!! Due to technical difficulties, we have had to reschedule this to JULY 2, 2023, at 7PM Eastern.</strong></p><p>I will be the featured guest on The Joyce Aldrich Show on CHHA 1610 AM in Toronto on Sunday, May 28, at 7pm.</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://chha1610am.ca/show/the-joyce-aldrich-show/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong>LISTEN LIVE ONLINE HERE!</strong></a></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/dffd731d4fc81567377208f60fa32f8380b1b2be/original/10-ohom-cover-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Joyce is a jazz singer in Toronto who I met at an online music conference during the pandemic and I am grateful to have her not only as part of my intergalactic choir that sang on Open Hearts Open Minds and Love Is A Glorious Thing from TMD's Open Hearts Open Minds release but also doing a part in a song we have coming out this fall called Ready For The Weekend. In true pandemic/online fashion, we have never met so you can tune in to hear over the airwaves our stunning and historic actual first meeting!</p><p>I'll perform a song and we'll be having a great time talking about music, passion, and art. </p><p>Tune in and turn on!</p><p>-Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/71981192023-04-27T17:14:27-04:002023-04-27T17:14:27-04:00Blizzard of Mack Presents Mack Sabbath's IRON MAN!!<p>Our Secret Cover of Black Sabbath's iconic track Iron Man, out April 28, 2023, takes the heavy metal classic into acoustic territory that is perhaps even more haunting than the original.</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/c8040c6a91b9949e782504adeadf55e2a0f66741/original/tmd-iron-man-cover-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />This "Mack Sabbath" version was recorded a few years ago using a very modest, lo-fi setup. I'm pretty sure I did not play to a click and the only percussion is a tambourine I had on the floor that I occasionally tapped. It made me think of chains that might have been dragging behind this iron man.</p><p>While putting together these Secret Covers, I could not find my original workfile so this mix is the only one we will ever have. It was just meant to be like this.</p><p>My first exposure to this song was from Ozzy's Speak of the Devil album, which is a whole set of live Black Sabbath songs with Brad Gillis on guitar. For a while when I was in the first grade, we were living with my grandparents and I shared a room with one of my uncles who was not much older than me. He would sometimes play this before bed. All these years later, I'm still listening to Ozzy and Sabbath.</p><p>As time wore on, I learned quite a few of Tony Iommi's masterful riffs that form the bedrock of heavy music. I remember playing Sweet Leaf at a marijuana legalization rally in university and all these Rastafarian guys joined in on bongos and whatnot. It was a total trip!</p><p>And of course, I've seen Ozzy numerous times -in Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Toronto and with Black Sabbath once in Hamilton (their last tour). I even saw Heaven and Hell one time (Black Sabbath with Dio on vocals) opening for Judas Priest in Toronto.</p><p>When I was in university, my roommates urged me to call my future music publishing company Blizzard of Mack after Ozzy's Blizzard of Ozz album (which is already a play on The Wizard of Oz). I think I still might!</p><p>I'm sure you can tell that I'm a total fan so it is with great humility that I offer up my tribute to the Godfathers of Heavy Music, Black Sabbath's Iron Man.</p><p>Play it loud and let me know what you think.</p><p>LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!!!</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="/track/3410195/iron-man" target="_blank" data-link-type="track" data-link-label="Iron Man"><strong>LISTEN NOW!!</strong></a></p><p><strong>-Mack Sabbath, Blizzard of Mack Productions</strong></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/71858582023-04-07T11:32:13-04:002023-04-16T11:17:42-04:00Top Secret! Response of a Lakota Woman to FBI Investigation circa 1973 Pine Ridge<div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a" style='-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(5, 5, 5);font-family:"Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;overflow-wrap:break-word;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;'>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"><span class="text-big"><strong>Friends, family, co-conspirators!</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/634f1a53e626c436db9aa3e7790a36f1dfbdd7a4/original/response-of-a-top-secret-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />I've been releasing these really cool Secret Covers this year. I started with <strong>Brand New Love</strong> by <strong>Sebadoh</strong> and a couple weeks ago released <strong>My Shit's Fucked Up</strong> by <strong>Warren Zevon</strong>, who belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so <a class="no-pjax" href="http://vote.rockhall.com" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">vote for him</a>! This most recent one, which just came out on April 14, is called... <strong>Response of a Lakota Woman to FBI Investigation Circa 1973 Pine Ridge</strong>.</div>
</div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style='-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(5, 5, 5);font-family:"Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0.5em 0px 0px;orphans:2;overflow-wrap:break-word;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;'><div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">This is the second song I've recorded from an album by Bob Wiseman called <strong>Presented By Lake Michigan Soda</strong>. (The other song is called <strong>What the Astronaut Noticed And Then Suggested</strong> on our <strong>American Dream</strong> album.)</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style='-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(5, 5, 5);font-family:"Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0.5em 0px 0px;orphans:2;overflow-wrap:break-word;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;'><div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Like me, Bob is an expat from Winnipeg. Winnipeg gets a bad rap because it's brutally cold in winter and mosquitoes can occasionally make summer feel like those COVID masks make sense or we will just inhale those little fuckers. That said...</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style='-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(5, 5, 5);font-family:"Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0.5em 0px 0px;orphans:2;overflow-wrap:break-word;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;'>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Winnipeg is loaded with great people and almost every expat Winnipegger has only the friendliest of Manitoban voices.</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Bob is famous for being an original member of <strong>Blue Rodeo</strong>, pretending to change his name to <strong>Prince</strong> when Prince decided to change his name to a symbol, and loads of great solo records.</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Because my aunt in Winnipeg had expressed her admiration for this off-the-wall keyboard player from Winnipeg, I was curious to check him out when I found out he was playing at the Albion in Guelph when I was in university there. It still ranks among one of the coolest shows I've ever seen. The songs were interesting both lyrically and musically, sophisticated yet oddly simple too. We were blown away and I've been a fan ever since.</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">One time he gave me a piano lesson and the exercise he showed me some really great exercises that I still work on.</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Getting back to Response of a Lakota Woman, I started work on this version about ten years ago. We were discussing maybe having Bob produce one of my records and we applied for a grant but we didn't get it, but at the time, I thought I'd do up a demo of this just to be cheeky, and so it made a lot of sense to me to revisit it now that I am releasing some of my favourite cover versions. I've done some pretty extensive edits and new vocals and so on, and I'm really proud of how it sounds. Also, my version sounds almost nothing like the original. As Steve Martin says in the track, “I've jazzed it up a little bit and given it that pop feel so you might get into the rhythm of it."</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Now….</div>
</div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style='-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(5, 5, 5);font-family:"Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0.5em 0px 0px;orphans:2;overflow-wrap:break-word;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;'><div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Lest you say, "Recording cover versions? Does this mean you do not make your own material anymore??"</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style='-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(5, 5, 5);font-family:"Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0.5em 0px 0px;orphans:2;overflow-wrap:break-word;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;'><div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">The answer is that I have a brand new album almost completed and it's all sounding killer. My friend Bob might even play on the title track. It is, by far, my most collaborative including artists from Hollywood, Nashville, New York City, Utah, Philly, Washington DC, Toronto, and beyond. Basically I'm trying to complete what's left between movie shoots. This week I had intended to see one of my main recent collaborators Julie Neff live in Toronto but I could not get away from set here in Hamilton (the pitfalls of show business!). Honestly, mostly this year, I've been working on these Hallmark Christmas movies (which is pretty fun) but next week I'm in a horror movie set in America during Thanksgiving. And this is Easter weekend! “Live life like it's a holiday!” </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style='-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(5, 5, 5);font-family:"Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0.5em 0px 0px;orphans:2;overflow-wrap:break-word;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;'>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Note on artwork: I attended a Lollapalooza in Minnesota back in the day and this awesome girl I met from Wisconsin (?) sent me all this FBI stuff a long time ago. Finally it's getting some use!!</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Until next time, have a great time and feel free to peruse our online Merch table. We have some fresh new items including My Shit's Fucked Up Wine Tumblers and Drink Coasters in addition to T-shirts, etc. Something for everyone! Fun for the whole family!!</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">Your continued support means everything to me!</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">And anything you want to know or tell me about, Operators Are Standing By!</div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto"> </div>
<div style="font-family:inherit;text-align:start;" dir="auto">-Mac</div>
</div>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/71690522023-03-10T15:06:41-05:002023-03-10T15:06:41-05:00This Mad Desire releases version of Warren Zevon's My Shit's Fucked Up!<p><span><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/a071fa30a46d18d3563467eb695dc4559cd7a349/original/msfu-single-cover-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />My Shit’s Fucked Up by Warren Zevon as performed by This Mad Desire will be released to streaming services March 17, 2023.</strong></span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:black;"><strong>(Hamilton, Canada)</strong></span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:black;"><i>Warren Zevon: "I may have made a tactical error in not going to the doctor for 20 years."</i></span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:black;">According to Wikipedia, "My Shit's Fucked Up is a mournful lament on the aging process and the inevitable decay that accompanies it." The original version appears on a record called Life’ll Kill Ya released in 2000. In actual history, Warren Zevon himself was diagnosed with mesothelioma a few years after releasing this track and shortly thereafter died. His immense fanbase writes about him constantly and from one of them, I learned that he had been exposed to asbestos as a child and this led to his future condition in life. I don’t know if that’s true but it sounds plausible.</span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Norm Macdonald, who recently died of cancer, had appeared on every late night talk show that had ever occurred and one time, he pointed out that going to the doctor is kind of like the idea that “they will say nothing and then one day will tell you something that will completely shatter your hopes and dreams.”</span></p><p>That's the basic story of this song.</p><p><span style="color:black;">I'm sure I will be excoriated by Warren Zevon zealots the world over for this but I want to point out that I was not a fan of Warren Zevon until after I recorded this song, even after singing it for a few years! I had grown up with the idea of Warren Zevon as “Werewolf of London” which I wasn’t into at all, being a KISS fan and into Heavy music. And although I remember one of my many uncles being into “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” and in my teenage years connecting with Odds from Vancouver (his backing band on a tour) and one of my other uncles who was into R.E.M. (who did a whole other thing with Warren Zevon), the whole idea of what Warren Zevon is and represents completely escaped me. </span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Enter random Facebook stuff! One day, someone asked me (and all bajillion of their friends) if they knew some Doctor songs for a playlist. I played along and said, “Calling Dr. Love” by KISS and “Dr. Feelgood” by both Motley Crue and Aretha Franklin. Then I canvassed a select group of people and Bob Wiseman suggested “My Shit’s Fucked Up”.</span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:black;">I instantly loved the song and learned it. I spent time with the original track and also youtube live videos. For the guitarists out there, this is a very unusual track as it involves de-tuning certain strings in unusual ways and once I caught that trick through careful trial-and-error, I caught my way into my version which is a bit more Soundgarden. (</span><a class="no-pjax" href="http://vote.rockhall.com" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:black;">Vote for both at the Rock Hall</span></a><span style="color:black;">!)</span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:black;">The song developed greater personal resonance after I was assaulted and hospitalized in an attack by a meth addict that broke my nose and severely disfigured my face, which explains some of the images on the cover that were taken by my dad. I can't even imagine how horrible that phone call was for him. Great news! I have healed and only part of my cheek doesn’t work but wow the plastic surgery team in Hamilton and the after care (daily bandage changing etc. etc.) really took care of me. I won’t get into the details but it’s great to have public healthcare even just for this reason. (Nudge nudge wink wink, my American friends! No one should go broke because they get sick or assaulted.)</span><p></p></p><p>I've really been enjoying the process of working on these cover tunes and learning other songwriting tricks and so on. Let me know if you are a fan of Warren Zevon!</p><p> </p><p><span style="color:black;">-Mac</span><p></p></p><p><span><strong>LYRICS</strong></span><br><span style="color:#202124;">… Well, I went to the doctor</span><br><span style="color:#202124;"><strong>I said, "I'm feeling kind of rough"</strong></span><br><span style="color:#202124;">He said, "I'll break it to you, son"</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">"Let me break it to you, son"</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">Your shit's fucked up."</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">I said, "my shit's fucked up?"</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">Well, I don't see how-"</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">He said, "The shit that used to work-</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">It won't work now."</span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:#202124;">… I had a dream</span><br><span style="color:#202124;"><strong>Ah, shucks, oh, well</strong></span><br><span style="color:#202124;">Now it's all fucked up</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">It's shot to hell</span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:#202124;">… Yeah, yeah, my shit's fucked up</span><br><span style="color:#202124;"><strong>It has to happen to the best of us</strong></span><br><span style="color:#202124;">The rich folks suffer like the rest of us</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">It'll happen to you</span><p></p></p><p><span style="color:#202124;">… That amazing grace</span><br><span style="color:#202124;"><strong>Sort of passed you by</strong></span><br><span style="color:#202124;">You wake up every day</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">And you start to cry</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">Yeah, you want to die</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">But you just can't quit</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">Let me break it on down:</span><br><span style="color:#202124;">It's the fucked up shit</span><p></p></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/71517852023-02-10T08:58:58-05:002023-02-10T08:58:59-05:00Happy Valentine's, Brand New Love!<p><span style="color:black;"><i><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/c8a3b8cd1de80873deec5b31d0a78e330d848e67/original/brand-new-love-single-cover-3-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Any start could be the beginning of a brand new tangled web you’re spinning. Anyone could be a brand new love…</i></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Whenever Valentine’s rolls around, I try to have a love song to present, which is fairly easy as I have written my share of love songs. This year I present one I wish I had written, the first in a series of <strong>Secret Covers</strong> I’m releasing in 2023, <strong>Brand New Love</strong> as made famous by <strong>Sebadoh</strong>. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Lou Barlow wrote this song and released it initially in 1986 on an album called <strong>Weed Forestin’</strong>, which also contains a song called <strong>It’s So Hard To Fall In Love</strong> –which I’ve also sang around the house a billion times.</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">I probably first heard about Sebadoh from reading Spin Magazine around the time Nirvana was transforming the musical landscape back in the early 1990s. My friends and I were voracious music fiends and chasing down every hot trend we could find back in Winnipeg. I remember buying <strong>Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock</strong> (Sub Pop) at Musiplex downtown Winnipeg not long after it was released and loved everything about it. I loved how noisy it was, how melodic it was, how the music was clearly “in the red” and the sound was distorting everywhere in such a great way. In my mind, it was glorious and the crown jewel was this track called <strong>Brand New Love</strong>.</span></p><p><span style="color:black;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/785fbdf470315750dffed1dbeb52a13d63bc7aa6/original/screenshot-20230209-102836-spotify.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" />At the time, I was learning guitar and after learning all the songs in the Neil Young and Beatles books I somehow was given, I moved onto playing along with records and learned loads of songs by Sebadoh including Happily Divided by Jason Louwenstein, Think (Let Tomorrow Bee) by Lou Barlow, and of course, Brand New Love written by Lou Barlow.</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">I liked that the band had multiple singers and writers, which for a KISS fan just made perfect sense. And I also found it interesting and sort of teenage-ish that they had this ongoing feud with Dinosaur Jr. which was Lou Barlow’s prior band and he was busy writing all these angry songs about J. Mascis and releasing them. It was fascinating. Around that time, I saw Dinosaur Jr. in Minnesota as part of Lollapalooza and, admittedly, I liked them as well. I actually saw J. Mascis play an acoustic show at the Opera House in Toronto one time as well. (Of course, J and Lou have since reunited in Dinosaur Jr.)</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Notably, I’ve never seen Lou Barlow perform in either Dinosaur Jr. or Sebadoh or on his own. These days, I follow him on Instagram and am Facebook friends with Jason Louwenstein, who I also have never seen live (although I thought maybe I had by accident for one hot second when I heard he had a stint in Fiery Furnaces, who I saw in Toronto, but this was after he had already moved on again). Jason seems like a great guy and actually sent me a fantastic recommendation on an app that mimics the idea of holding the exposure button on a manual camera. (If you ever saw live music photography from the 1980s or 90s or before, you would recognize the swirling swoops of light in a lot of photography as you could hold the button in such a way that it would absorb more light into the film –which is static- even though your subject and light are dynamic… The results really seemed to capture the idea of motion in photography, but I digress,,)</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">For the last thirty years since I first heard <strong>Brand New Love</strong>, I’ve been singing it around the house and so for me, it was a no-brainer to include as part of my first Secret Covers EP. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Anyway, I hope that Lou and Jason and the whole Sebadoh camp appreciate the joy that went into making this recording, which is really meant as a tribute to them.</span></p><p><span style="color:black;"><strong>ABOUT THIS RECORDING</strong></span><br><span style="color:black;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/522808/1d9e105200b7761824cd24497a2260295413f584/original/img-20230201-110832-301.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />While I’ve moved on from the 4-track recorders of yesteryear that bands like Sebadoh hipped me to with their extremely Lo-Fi recordings, I still keep it pretty lo-fi. As ever, I’m recording with whatever equipment the Hamilton Public Library has and record all of this in public either in the children’s department in my local branch, which is encased in glass and is not soundproof (LOL) or the slightly more private central library where people often come by and stare at me through the window in the door. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">I then got the idea to include some voices talking about love and opened that up on Facebook. As usual with these things, a lot of people express interest and then not everyone follows through but I spoke to quite a few people about love and “love at first sight”. DJ Wright and Jen Culp are both in the acting community here in southern Ontario and I have yet to meet them on set but I’m sure our paths will cross as I also do a fair amount of work background acting, etc. on all of the shows that are filmed here. From the music world, award-winning indigenous artist Sandra Sutter, based in Alberta, also contributed a couple lines as well as my friend Shareece from the San Diego area who records under the name Darchaild. And then that’s Jeremy reading some of his actual wedding vows, which I thought was really sweet and really reflected this idea that anyone you meet could be a Brand New Love.</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">I’m aware that for some people, Valentine’s Day is a celebration for others, it’s more depressing. I like that this song is about that endless hope that is attached to falling in love. That girl that smiled at me awkwardly in the dentist’s office, maybe it’s true love! Or maybe she has freezing and can’t manipulate her lips correctly. I think it might work out!</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Stay hopeful, stay optimistic, and rock out. Also look forward to future Secret Covers of songs by Warren Zevon, Black Sabbath, Bob Wiseman, and Björk!</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Also, share Brand New Love on socials and let me know what you think of Brand New Love. Operators Are Standing By!</span></p><p><span style="color:black;">-Mac</span></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/71469122023-02-01T10:48:11-05:002023-02-01T10:48:11-05:00Brand New Love | Screen X Screen & more!!<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Friends! Family! Co-conspirators! </strong></span></p>
<p>So 2023 is officially up and running, and things are generally buzzing around here. We’ve got LOTS on the go here and I’ll try to hip you to a few of our current projects and activities. </p>
<p>We recently released <strong>Small Boat</strong>, our collaboration with The Noisy Brain mental health community app and it’s still currently available on youtube, soundcloud, and for sale at our website (as well as T-shirts and Coffee Cups!). That’s been an interesting process and I’ve heard from quite a few people who say they were quite moved by the whole concept and are interested in connecting further with The Noisy Brain, which is fabulous. You can read all about it and immerse yourself in everything Small Boat at <a contents="THIS LINK" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.net/smallboat" target="_blank"><strong>THIS LINK</strong></a>. </p>
<p>(Note I have still not met the poet who wrote the words but we’ve exchanged a few emails and it sounds like we will have a Zoom soon enough once we get our acts together and coordinate between all of our time zones.) </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/c8a3b8cd1de80873deec5b31d0a78e330d848e67/original/brand-new-love-single-cover-3-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="Brand New Love" />Also exciting is our annual Valentine-related song! Most years I’ve tried to put out something whether it was <strong>Paris of Love / Paris Amoureux</strong> or last year’s <strong>Love Is A Glorious Thing</strong>. I went a little further on the concept this year and have been sending official Valentines to select people across North America to celebrate the first in our series of <strong>Secret Covers</strong> called <strong>Brand New Love</strong>. </p>
<p>This track was originally recorded by <strong>Sebadoh</strong> on their landmark release <strong>Smash Your Head On The Punk Rock</strong>. I first started singing it pretty much when it was released in 1992, and I have to admit I’ve been having a lot of fun working up versions of some of my fave songs. The cover I made for this single is also an homage to Sebadoh as they always have made great use of collage –which I also love. Other songs in this series are from Warren Zevon, Black Sabbath and more! </p>
<p>And I also opened it up to some actor and musician friends to say a few words about love in the song. I can’t say everyone because some of this is meant as a surprise but definitely my friends <strong>Sandra Sutter</strong>, an award-winning indigenous musician and filmmaker from Calgary, <strong>Shareece Jones aka Darchaild</strong> from San Diego, <strong>Jen Culp</strong> from the Niagara region, and <strong>DJ Wright</strong>, an actor from Toronto. </p>
<p>BRAND NEW LOVE will be out everywhere on February 10 so keep your eyes peeled. And again, if you want a Valentine, just send me your address. If I have any left, I’d be happy to send you one. </p>
<p><strong>SCREEN X SCREEN:</strong> This Indie Week-related conference is coming up February 7-9 and is a Music + Tech Online Conference. I think tickets are about $80 but I have a limited number of free passes so if you’re someone who is in the Music Industry and want to attend, let me know. Again, first come first serve is the idea. What’s cool about it being online is it is on the Whova app so you can watch sessions on demand afterwards for, I believe, 3 months and you are connected with hundreds of neat people in the industry that you can easily contact or network with. <a contents="http://screenxscreen.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://screenxscreen.com" target="_blank"><strong>http://screenxscreen.com</strong></a> </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>And in the TMD Extended Universe…</strong></span> </p>
<p>Congrats to <strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> on this great podcast interview! We've been blessed to work with her on a few songs on the <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong> release as well as our <strong>Holiday Classics V1</strong> and here she discusses working on her own upcoming album <strong>Trivial Pursuit</strong>. Check it out here: <a contents="https://www.femalediymusician.com/gtkpodcast/episode/7b89cede/ep75-student-success-blowing-a-sync-execs-mind-with-jess-magoch" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.femalediymusician.com/gtkpodcast/episode/7b89cede/ep75-student-success-blowing-a-sync-execs-mind-with-jess-magoch" target="_blank">https://www.femalediymusician.com/gtkpodcast/episode/7b89cede/ep75-student-success-blowing-a-sync-execs-mind-with-jess-magoch</a> </p>
<p>Also you can find out more about her at <a contents="http://jessicamagoch.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://jessicamagoch.com">http://jessicamagoch.com</a>. </p>
<p>Also, really great news for our buddy <strong>Da Fingaz</strong>. We’re working on this really great track called <strong>Ready For The Weekend</strong> for my next album of original music (and if you want to participate in the song by reading a sentence into your phone or singing, let me know!) and we also just worked up some news broadcast music for TMD World Services, our fictional Fake News Agency (motto: the Truth We Imagine!). While we’ve been swirling up all this creativity, he found time to get a music placement on a theme attraction in Disneyland! That’s a whole angle of music creation that had hitherto escaped my radar, so super congrats to Da Fingaz at our TMD Washington, DC, News Division. <a contents="http://dafingaz.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://dafingaz.com">http://dafingaz.com</a> </p>
<p>I should also mention that this brings us up to two co-writers on the next album who have had recent Disney success as of course Cas Weinbren aka Caskeyboardproducer aka See See Beats had a couple of tunes in the recent Disney smash Zombies 3. So lots of Mickey Mouse action going on in the TMD Extended Universe!</p>
<p>And people we have worked with have been releasing music as well, like <strong>MJoy</strong> (who appeared in the Running Wild Running Free video) and I saw Andrew McPherson (producer of our albums Sweetness Machines and Celebration) has a new remix out for his <strong>Eccodek</strong> project. Typically what I try to do is include these songs in my <strong>TMD Listens Spotify Playlists</strong> which I publish <span style="display: none;"> </span><strong><a contents="HERE" data-link-label="TMD Listens: Spotify Playlists!" data-link-type="page" href="/tmd-listens-spotify-playlists" target="_blank">HERE</a></strong> so you can expect to hear those two tracks on upcoming playlists. </p>
<p>That’s it for now, folks. Again if you want a Valentine or want to participate in future music or just want to say hello, reach out! </p>
<p>Operators Are Standing By! </p>
<p>Mac </p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">Mackenzie Kristjon </span><br><a contents="thismaddesire.net" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.net">thismaddesire.net</a><br>SOCIALS AND STREAMING SERVICES: <a contents="thismaddesire.net/smartlinks" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.net/smartlinks">thismaddesire.net/smartlinks</a> </strong><br><a contents="CUSTOM SONGS for Weddings and Special Occasions" data-link-label="CUSTOM SONGS AND MUSIC LESSONS" data-link-type="page" href="/custom-songs-and-music-lessons" target="_blank"><strong>CUSTOM SONGS for Weddings and Special Occasions</strong></a> <br><a contents="All things MERMAIDS …FOR REAL!!&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal" target="_blank"><strong>All things MERMAIDS …FOR REAL!! </strong></a></p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT.</span></strong></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/71351312023-01-09T10:28:03-05:002023-02-01T10:26:29-05:00THIS MAD DESIRE releases SMALL BOAT in association with THE NOISY BRAIN<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | JANUARY 9, 2023 </strong></p>
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/39bf17672f5de4f5ae7b87f36ed6f90680368bd0/original/tmd-small-boat-single-cover-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="This Mad Desire -Small Boat. Photo credit: Glen Martin" />(Hamilton, Canada) This Mad Desire collaborates with The Noisy Brain mental health support app to create new single Small Boat, which will be released to <a contents="Soundcloud" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://soundcloud.com/thismaddesire" target="_blank">Soundcloud</a> and <a contents="Youtube" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://youtube.com/thismaddesire" target="_blank">Youtube</a> January 20, 2023, just before Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 26.The <a contents="track" data-link-label="Music" data-link-type="page" href="/music" target="_blank">track</a> and associated <a contents="merchandise" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">merchandise</a> will also be for sale at <a contents="thismaddesire.net" data-link-label="Home" data-link-type="page" href="/home" target="_blank">thismaddesire.net</a> and <a contents="thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">thismaddesire.bandcamp.com</a> with proceeds going to The Noisy Brain. </strong></p>
<p>Over the past few years, Hamilton-based Mackenzie Kristjon, through his rock and roll brand This Mad Desire, has been collaborating with artists across the Americas to great effect on his latest full-length <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong> and recent Christmas EP <strong>Holiday Classics V1</strong> <strong>ft. Jessica Magoch</strong>, an award-winning jazz singer in Philadelphia, who he met through <a contents="Indie Week" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://indieweek.com" target="_blank"><strong>Indie Week</strong></a>-related festival Indie 101. </p>
<p>Through Jessica, Mackenzie learned about <a contents="The Noisy Brain" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thenoisybrain.com" target="_blank"><strong>The Noisy Brain</strong></a>, an app and online community that provides a safe space for people to discuss mental and emotional health as well as to share writings and art. In many cases, the people sharing poetry have not been involved in organized artistic expression in the past and are knowingly making their writing available to be used as song lyrics by professional musicians. </p>
<p>“I thought this was such a unique idea that I reached out to The Noisy Brain founder Stu Mills immediately!” said Mackenzie. </p>
<p>The Noisy Brain is a steadily growing global community collaboration of recording artists, writers, people with Mental or Emotional Health Issues and fantastic supporters, all helping each other to help others. They encourage anyone dealing with Mental or Emotional Health Issues (MEHI) to express themselves using writing as an outlet for sharing their experiences. The Noisy Brain then takes the words that harm us when they stay inside and turns them into songs to inspire others. Songs are made with the amazing talents of collaborative musicians from all around the world. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/c71bee60d3f69952181f1ca337c7fa0e7c6c79ed/original/screenshot-20230109-090002-instagram.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="The Noisy Brain" />Each shared 'writing' goes some way towards helping and inspiring others to also contribute. These honest, brave stories encourage more open and relatable conversation about the issues that people are dealing with creating further much needed awareness. This simple but important process is raising awareness and provides a somewhat therapeutic creative outlet. </p>
<p>Mackenzie is no stranger to songs about mental health as he has addressed issues of loss and even suicide in prior songs including <a contents="Perfect Ring" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/2874818/perfect-ring" target="_blank"><strong>Perfect Ring</strong></a>, his collaboration with <strong>Leonard Cohen</strong>, which appears on the <strong>American Dream</strong> release. </p>
<p>“I was struck by the lyrics of <a contents="Small Boat" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/3297982/small-boat-noisy-brain-collab" target="_blank"><strong>Small Boat</strong></a>, written and submitted by The Noisy Brain community member NickK. It tells the story of a sailor who is adrift at sea and eventually finds a beach on an island where he can rest and collect his thoughts,” said Mackenzie. “I spent a lot of time on boats when I was young so I could relate to the imagery.” </p>
<p>As NickK explained, “Depression is lonely, yet, at the same time, you long to be alone. The journey in a small boat, away from everybody, seemed to represent this." </p>
<p>Mackenzie then paired the lyrics with a musical idea he had back when he was a teenager, a descending left-hand figure on the piano with drifting chords on top in the right hand. </p>
<p>“Because of the episodic nature of the poem and the free-form thoughts, I added some psychedelic elements that made me think of The Doors. I’m not exactly comparing this to <strong>Jim Morrison</strong> here but I think he wouldn’t have minded this beach we find in the song!” </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<div class="video-container" style="--video-width: 320px"><div class="video-container" style="--video-width: 320px"><div class="video-container" style="--video-width: 320px"><div class="video-container" style="--video-width: 320px"><div class="video-container" style="--video-width: 320px"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="R3fOchENpB0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/R3fOchENpB0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R3fOchENpB0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Mackenzie recorded the song at the Hamilton Public Library with drumming from Dan Konopka (OK Go) beamed in from Hollywood. The cover image was provided by Glen Martin, a Manitoba photographer (and Mackenzie’s cousin). </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/caf0535867675fdbc5355ff9cf15e68917eb509e/original/this-mad-desire-noisy-brain-small-boat-coffee-cup.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="TMD Small Boat Coffee Cup" />Stu Mills, Founder of The Noisy Brain states: "The Noisy Brain gives out a huge thank you to THIS MAD DESIRE for all of your efforts on adopting the writing and creating the new track ‘Small Boat’. We would like to thank Mackenzie Kristjon and his team for being such fantastic supporters of the The Noisy Brain movement. Thanks for all the support and kindness to all involved - you all freakin’ rock. Ultimately, we hope to create a more forgiving world, one lyric, and one song at a time.” </p>
<p><strong>Download The Noisy Brain community app:</strong> <a contents="https://linktr.ee/thenoisybrain" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://linktr.ee/thenoisybrain" target="_blank">https://linktr.ee/thenoisybrain</a> </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="GET THE T-SHIRT OR COFFEE MUG!" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank"><strong>GET THE T-SHIRT OR COFFEE MUG!</strong></a></span></p>
<p>__ </p>
<p>Press inquiries, contact Mackenzie Kristjon at <a contents="macsonfire@gmail.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:macsonfire@gmail.com" target="_blank">macsonfire@gmail.com</a>. Operators Are Standing By!<br><br><strong>SOCIALS AND STREAMING SERVICES:</strong> <a contents="thismaddesire.net/smartlinks" data-link-label="SmartLinks" data-link-type="page" href="/smartlinks" target="_blank">thismaddesire.net/smartlinks</a> </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT. </strong></span></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/71216942022-12-12T14:03:53-05:002022-12-16T13:53:01-05:002022 In Review : Open Hearts and Happy Holidaze!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/e3c2e1210ec4b5b5acdda789d2c41f3e6cd8ed17/original/niagara-transit.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="Beware of Niagara Falls Transit!" />So the night before I wrote this, I was hit by a bus! I’ve been stuck in an elevator, savagely assaulted by a meth addict, and now…</p>
<p>Hit by a bus! I was just leaving a gig in Niagara Falls and not moments later, a transit bus tried to muscle into my lane and sideswiped my car. No one was hurt and damage was minor but it makes you reflect on how lucky we are and how quickly that can all change. So in that spirit… let’s count our blessings for the past year even as we look forward to the next. </p>
<p>Where did 2022 go? I think it’s Running Wild Running Free into 2023! </p>
<p>This year we released both the original album <em>Open Hearts Open Minds</em> and our Christmas EP <em>Holiday Classics V1</em> in addition to the occasional live music performance, videos, acting gigs, and lots of writing and recording for our releases coming in 2023. </p>
<p>I’ll try to recap what I can… </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS –the album, the journey, the aural onslaught!! </strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/dffd731d4fc81567377208f60fa32f8380b1b2be/original/10-ohom-cover-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="This Mad Desire | Open Hearts Open Minds" />Through 2021 (while in full pandemic mode), I coordinated the efforts of around 25-30 musicians around Canada, USA, and Brazil to produce the Open Hearts Open Minds album which I finally released in October 2022 (after releasing various singles through the year). </p>
<p>Through the process of working on this, I worked with many great artists like Dan Konopka from OK Go, Mark Zubek at Zedd Records, Leon Harrison of The Lazys and Bandwagon Hub, Phil Demetro at Lacquer Channel, Kilian Bamberg, and all of my Intergalactic Choir (as “Captain” Erica Corbo has dubbed them) who sang on Love Is A Glorious Thing and title track <em>Open Hearts Open Minds</em>. And Felino!! His remix of <em>Operators Are Standing By</em> stunned me. Plus, his city was declared a Sister City to Reykjavik while we were working together which I thought was a sign from the Viking gods! </p>
<p>I’m very proud of the songs on the record as they represent a wide variety of experiences and emotions both lyrically and musically. Lyrically, there are songs about being locked down (<em>Bon Soir Regrette A Demain</em>, <em>Flaming Doves</em>), freedom (<em>Running Wild Running Free</em>, <em>Storm the Countryside</em>), love (<em>Love is a Glorious Thing</em>), and more as well being written at various times in my life. </p>
<p>The week it was released we were named <strong>Earshot Distro Artist of the Week</strong>. They said this: "Outside the box world views, alt-pop-influenced hooks interlaced with a tinge of garage rock scores with the head & heart."</p>
<p>Earshot Distro distributes music to Campus & Community radio stations across Canada so we definitely thank Earshot and all of the stations that played our music through the year. We were on a few nationally syndicated programs as well as many individual shows in many markets across Canada and even some in the US. </p>
<p>Our lyric video for <em>Running Wild Running Free</em> was also fun to create and included video clip submissions from across Canada and the US and also across species as we received a submission from an actual dinosaur in New York. Thanks, Titanosaur!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="POrlW--MmgQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/POrlW--MmgQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/POrlW--MmgQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>HO HO HO! HOLIDAY CLASSICS V1 </strong></p>
<p>While working on <em>Open Hearts Open Minds</em>, I also recorded our first Christmas single <em>Deck The Halls</em> in 2021 including Dan Konopka on drums and Steve Baric on lead guitar and –of course- Jessica Magoch on co-lead vocals as well as Kari Lyn, Kim Thompson, and Tannis Slimmon on background vox. </p>
<p>This year we completed and released <em>Holiday Classics V1</em> EP. </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="8MQqBEGxzFA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/8MQqBEGxzFA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8MQqBEGxzFA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>While I can’t thank Jessica enough for co-singing with me on these classics, I can definitely encourage you to keep your eyes peeled for her debut album Trivial Pursuit. I know she’s been developing it for quite a while and what I’ve heard is phenomenal. When she first sent me her vocals, I was struck by how her vocal delivery took my ears back to so many jazz greats like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Alice Vaughan. No surprise she won Best Jazz Singer in Philadelphia not too long ago. On background vox are the great Carleen in Los Angeles and Cheryle Dueck here in the Toronto area. </p>
<p>Rounding out our Christmas classics is a new version of This Christmas which I co-wrote with Calgary's Kim Thompson and which features the cello work of Natalie Williams Calhoun from PEI. </p>
<p>Definitely make sure you listen to this great release all throughout the holiday season!! </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>TMD CUSTOM SONGS & TMD LISTENS </strong></p>
<p>Two other ongoing projects I started in 2022 are TMD Custom Songs and TMD Listens in addition to providing online music lessons and songwriting sessions (which you can book <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="CUSTOM SONGS AND MUSIC LESSONS" data-link-type="page" href="/custom-songs-and-music-lessons"><strong>HERE</strong></a>). </p>
<p>The idea behind <em>TMD Custom Songs</em> is I write and record a song in collaboration generally with a couple getting married. I did one for an anniversary as well but the idea is the same. I interview the couple and craft lyrics and music based on their stories and musical interests. <a contents="Here’s a blog post I wrote about it for Best For Bride." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.bestforbride.com/bridal-shop/08/the-essential-guide-to-custom-love-songs-for-your-wedding/" target="_blank"><strong>Here’s a blog post I wrote about it for Best For Bride.</strong></a></p>
<p>Also I started making weekly-ish Spotify playlists that feature whatever I’m listening to that week and then I do up some Liner Notes giving some background on the artists. There’s always good stuff. <a contents="Check out the most recent one here which features as many of my current collaborators as possible." data-link-label="TMD Listens: Spotify Playlists!" data-link-type="page" href="/tmd-listens-spotify-playlists" target="_blank">Check out TMD Listens 35,the most recent one, here which features as many of my current collaborators as possible.</a></p>
<p>This kind of got me back to my roots as a music fan. I used to make mixtapes all the time and love sequencing music, which I used to do when I would occasionally do a radio show when I worked at CFRU 93.3 FM. I love the surprise of the next track being a different tempo, different mood, etc. and I apply all that same logic to developing my live setlists. In fact, some of the tricks I use come from David Bowie...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>A GLIMPSE AT 2023… </strong></p>
<p>I have two main musical projects for next year in progress. </p>
<p>One is my new covers EP <em>Secret Covers V1</em> which includes 5 fun covers I’ve recorded. These are: </p>
<p><em>My Shit’s Fucked Up</em> –Warren Zevon <br><em>Brand New Love</em> –Sebadoh <br><em>Iron Man</em> –Black Sabbath <br><em>Response of a Lakota Woman to FBI Investigation circa 1973, Pine Ridge</em> –Bob Wiseman <br><em>Army of Me</em> –Björk </p>
<p>Another is my next album of originals tentatively titled <em>Passing Lanes of Fate</em>. Through 2022, I’ve been collaborating with various great people across the known universe on the tracks that are going to be on the new album. </p>
<p>I can’t share much about the new songs (other than that they are killer). Awesome stuff with the usual suspects and then also new people in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and more! </p>
<p>In general, thanks to our partners in the industry including everyone at Indie Week, MDIIO, DISCO, Bandzoogle, Printful, Indie Pool, CD Baby, Earshot Distro and all the campus & community radio stations that played our music, as well as the fine folks at the Hamilton Public Library –where I record so much of my work in public! </p>
<p>Also thank you to everyone who has purchased music or merch. We love you! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/10a3bb58bca93124d8551545981bc44b71297cb0/original/jessica-with-candle.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="Jessica with Holiday Classics Christmas Candle" />If you haven’t picked up a TMD T-shirt, tote bag, running shoes, or the TMD Official Holiday Classics Christmas Candle, <a contents="step right up to our online Store." data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank"><strong>step right up to our online Store</strong></a><b>!</b> </p>
<p>If you’d like to be involved in future projects or would like to collaborate on something of yours, please let me know or if you have ideas for future projects, we’re always interested in hearing from you! </p>
<p>Otherwise, my best wishes for the new year. Let me know what you have planned! </p>
<p>Yours in music, </p>
<p>Mac </p>
<p>P.S. Check out this cool <span class="font_large"><strong>vinyl</strong></span> compilation that is finally available to order. It includes our track <em>Reykjavik Shuffle</em> from our 2020 release <em>American Dream</em>. <a contents="https://fleecerecords.ca/shop/ols/products/interlake-all-stars" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://fleecerecords.ca/shop/ols/products/interlake-all-stars">https://fleecerecords.ca/shop/ols/products/interlake-all-stars</a> </p>
<p>P.S.S. Anyone who wants stickers, just let me know. I’ll mail them to you at no charge!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/70955742022-11-04T12:34:17-04:002022-11-12T06:53:42-05:00Happy Holidaze!!! The new Holiday Classics V1 EP<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/a9622ee9d82f97728239454e4b3c8747668a3497/original/this-mad-desire-holiday-classics-v1-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="This Mad Desire | Holiday Classics V1" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Holiday Classics V1 from This Mad Desire is available <a contents="here" data-link-label="Music" data-link-type="page" href="/music" target="_blank">here</a> and on our <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> as well as all major streaming services.</strong></p>
<p>(Hamilton, Canada) Even though we have just released <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>, our latest full-length, in October, we’re also offering up our new <strong>Holiday Classics V1 EP</strong> now in November! It contains <strong>Deck The Halls</strong>, our Christmas single we released last year, as well as our brand new version of the Holiday Classic <strong>O Come All Ye Faithful</strong> and a truncated “Fanfare Edition” of <strong>This Christmas</strong>, an original which I wrote with <strong>Kim Thompson</strong> and which she released last year. Also there are some alternate versions included. </p>
<p>In 2021 when I was recording <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds (OHOM)</strong>, I had invited pretty much anyone across Canada and the United States who wanted to sing background vocals to participate in that album as it was the pandemic and many people were looking for creative outlets during the various lockdowns. At an <strong>Indie Week</strong>-related festival (Indie 101), I met <strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> who sings on two tracks from <strong>OHOM</strong>. I loved her voice and asked her if she wanted to work on a version of <strong>Deck The Halls</strong> as well as <strong>This Christmas</strong>. </p>
<p>I had asked her about doing another one and so we hit upon <strong>O Come All Ye Faithful</strong>. Whereas <strong>Deck The Halls</strong> had more of a lively rock arrangement with a glorious guitar solo from <strong>Steve Baric</strong>, <strong>O Come All Ye Faithful</strong> called out for a more traditional approach. The arrangement here starts very simple and gradually builds and builds until there are finally multiple singers at the end sounding very “joyful and triumphant”. </p>
<p>Singing background on the track is pop singer <strong>Carleen</strong> from Los Angeles. I have been working with her on some material that will come out in 2023. She’s also a great writer and singer. And then there’s <strong>Cheryle Dueck</strong>. She lives in the Toronto area and we were able to get together in person (what a novelty!) to record her impassioned voice. Her husband was also there and was really encouraging her to bring that <strong>Sister Act</strong> vibe to her performance. If Whoopi Goldberg is out there, I hope you enjoy this! </p>
<p>-Mac </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="8MQqBEGxzFA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/8MQqBEGxzFA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8MQqBEGxzFA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> <iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="NixmYpSFsIQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/NixmYpSFsIQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NixmYpSFsIQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p><a contents="GET THE OFFICIAL HOLIDAY CLASSICS V1 CHRISTMAS CANDLE!!" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank"><strong>GET THE OFFICIAL HOLIDAY CLASSICS V1 CHRISTMAS CANDLE!!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/18ed7d64980ff62fee4c43172fb647d9b49fad92/original/tmd-hcv1-candle-display.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="TMDHCV1 Candle" /></strong></a></p>
<hr><p><strong>HOLIDAY CLASSICS V1 PERSONNEL: </strong></p>
<p><strong>MACKENZIE KRISTJON –Lead & Background Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars, Bass, Mixing, Production on all tracks </strong></p>
<p><strong>JESSICA MAGOCH –Lead & Background Vocals on all tracks </strong><br>Jessica Magoch pours a glam cocktail of jazz, swing, hip-hop, and rap. Winner of the Philadelphia Music award for Jazz 2019 and top 20 Indie Songs of 2020 by CFAB Radio. Originally from Queens, NY, and currently in the Philadelphia area, Jessica is working on a new album, Trivial Pursuit, the title track for which won a John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Week Award. <a contents="http://jessicamagoch.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://jessicamagoch.com" target="_blank">http://jessicamagoch.com</a> </p>
<p><strong>CARLEEN –Background Vocals on O Come All Ye Faithful</strong><br>Carleen is a singer, pianist and songwriter based in Los Angeles. She was born in Utah, near the border of Arizona and lived on a farm in Idaho. She considers herself to be from all three states. Because she’s from the Rockies, she likes to think of her music as rocky, too. It’s rock-country or more precisely: alternative-folk-fusion. She is most often compared to artists like Joni Mitchell or Jewel. <a contents="http://carleenmusic.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://carleenmusic.com" target="_blank">http://carleenmusic.com</a> </p>
<p><strong>CHERYLE DUECK –Background Vocals on O Come All Ye Faithful </strong><br>Cheryle Dueck is a Toronto-based gospel singer and Founder of the Gospel Music Industry Hub (GMIHub), an organization dedicated to helping music artists have access to information and connections needed to go further in their music career journey. <a contents="http://gmihub.ca" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://gmihub.ca" target="_blank">http://gmihub.ca</a> and <a contents="http://youtube.com/c/GMIHubOnline" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://youtube.com/c/GMIHubOnline" target="_blank">http://youtube.com/c/GMIHubOnline</a> </p>
<p><strong>DAN KONOPKA –Drums on all tracks </strong><br>Dan Konopka is a drummer and mixing engineer based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the drummer in Grammy-winning OK Go and has become a frequent collaborator on This Mad Desire's recordings. Plus he's met Animal from the Muppets! Who knows? Perhaps next year we’ll do Little Drummer Boy and get Animal and the Danimal to trade off on beats! <br><br> <iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="rKSfMvvQ0f4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/rKSfMvvQ0f4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKSfMvvQ0f4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </p>
<p><strong>STEVE BARIC –Lead guitar on Deck The Halls </strong><br>Steve Baric is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and composer. Having studied classical and jazz piano, composition, and orchestration, as well as having grown up in the golden age of metal guitar, his approach to the creative process is eclectic to say the least. Steve also plays lead guitar on the title track to This Mad Desire’s album American Dream. <a contents="http://linktr.ee/woodsnstrings" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://linktr.ee/woodsnstrings" target="_blank">http://linktr.ee/woodsnstrings</a> </p>
<p><strong>NATALIE WILLIAMS CALHOUN –Cello on This Christmas (Fanfare Edition) </strong><br>Natalie Williams Calhoun currently resides in Prince Edward Island and is a freelance professional cellist, performing with the Atlantic String Machine, the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Symphony New Brunswick and the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra. Prior to living on PEI, Natalie worked with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London Canada and the Brantford Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Williams Calhoun is on faculty at the University of Prince Edward Island (Applied Cello as well as String Techniques). Mac met Natalie at Indie 101 in 2022. </p>
<p><strong>TANNIS SLIMMON –Background Vocals on Deck The Halls </strong><br>Tannis Slimmon is known for her genuine warmth and rare vocal talent and has been a valued member of the folk music scene in Canada and Internationally for over 30 years. Mac met her when he was living in Guelph, Ontario. <a contents="http://tannis.ca" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://tannis.ca" target="_blank">http://tannis.ca</a> </p>
<p><strong>KARI LYN –Background Vocals on Deck The Halls </strong><br>Kari Lyn is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter/”cottage core rockstar” originally from Prince Edward Island. Her debut album was nominated for Top Rock Album at the 2020 PEI Music Awards. She has a new single out this November. <a contents="http://karilynmusic.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://karilynmusic.com" target="_blank">http://karilynmusic.com</a> </p>
<p><strong>KIM THOMPSON –Background Vocals on Deck The Halls </strong><br>Kim Thompson is a Calgary-based country singer whose single This Christmas was co-written by Mackenzie Kristjon and produced by Chris Birkett (Sinead O'Connor, Buffy Ste. Marie, etc.). She also provided background vocals on This Mad Desire’s Open Hearts Open Minds album. <a contents="http://kimthompson.ca" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://kimthompson.ca" target="_blank">http://kimthompson.ca</a> </p>
<p><strong><a contents="LISTEN TO HOLIDAY CLASSICS V1 ON SOUNDCLOUD" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://on.soundcloud.com/iTM7S" target="_blank">LISTEN TO HOLIDAY CLASSICS V1 ON SOUNDCLOUD</a> <br><a contents="LISTEN TO ALL OTHER TMD TUNES ON ANY SERVICE" data-link-label="SmartLinks" data-link-type="page" href="/smartlinks" target="_blank">LISTEN TO ALL OTHER TMD TUNES ON ANY SERVICE</a> <br><a contents="ABOUT OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://thismaddesire.net/blogs/tmd-news-read-all-about-it/posts/7072640/open-hearts-open-minds-album-pre-save-available-now" target="_blank">ABOUT OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS</a></strong> </p>
<p><span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong>Happy Holidaze!</strong></span></p>
<p>Mac</p>
<p>P.S. Part of the 2023 plan is to get <strong>Mariah Carey</strong> involved singing background vocals. If any of you have her number, let me know. Operators Are Standing By!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/70874892022-10-24T10:49:09-04:002022-10-31T23:24:34-04:00Earshot Artist of the Week!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/ec476215300b655b010ebaaeab6b09928df7de60/original/screenshot-20221024-101954-twitter.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="Earshot Distro Artist of the Week!" />Thanks to <strong>earshot! distro</strong> for making us Artist of the Week!</p>
<p><em>In their words...</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Our #EarshotArtistOfTheWeek is #Hamilton's This Mad Desire - outside the box world views, alt-pop-influenced hooks interlaced with a tinge of garage rock scores with the head & heart.</em></strong></p>
<p>!earshot-Distro is an online platform that will allow the Canadian music industry to upload musical recordings to be searched, reviewed, and downloaded by campus and community radio stations to be broadcast across Canada. <a contents="earshot-distro.ca" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://earshot-distro.ca" target="_blank">earshot-distro.ca</a></p>
<hr><p><em>In other news...</em></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><em><strong>The new VICTIM APPRECIATION NIGHT official VISUALIZER!!</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Check out our new visualizer for <strong>Victim Appreciation Night</strong> from our new album <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>. I wrote this song intending it to be the premise of a musical where all of these hard done by victims and ne'er-do-wells get together at the Maudlin Hotel and commiserate about their crazy lives. The idea is there would be some high rolling tycoon who just saw his company's fortunes tank ("the Corporate Whore"), a witch who had survived drowning but they just keep coming after her, and all sorts of freaks and weirdos. The grass is always greener on the other side of Hell! (By the way, if you would like to help me develop this into an off-Broadway sensation, my friend Cas Weinbren in New York City and I are very interested to hear from you!) </p>
<p>On this latest recording, I perform most of the instruments and vocals and Dan Konopka from OK Go plays drums. Dan also mixed it. Phil Demetro at Lacquer Channel Studios mastered it. The artwork you see here was generated by AI based on the lyrics. Pretty trippy stuff and just in time for Halloween!!</p>
<p>And for all of our Parisian friends who loved our Paris of Love songs, the city of Paris makes an appearance in this one too. Tres bien!!</p>
<p>And don't forget to like, subscribe, ring the notification bell on the Youtube app. THANK YOU/MERCI BEAUCOUP!</p>
<p>-Mac</p>
<p>P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for the remix from Cas Weinbren (See See Beats) coming Very Soon!!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="iCXaVqKGwZg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/iCXaVqKGwZg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iCXaVqKGwZg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/70726402022-10-01T13:12:12-04:002022-10-01T13:12:12-04:00OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS album Pre-Save Available NOW!!!<p><strong>Friends, Family, and Co-Conspirators! </strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/dffd731d4fc81567377208f60fa32f8380b1b2be/original/10-ohom-cover-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="This Mad Desire -Open Hearts Open Minds" />Happy Rocktober! Hope you’re getting into pumpkin spice and everything nice this fall season. For the Canadians, we have Thanksgiving to look forward to and Halloween. And everyone in the world can look forward to…. OUR NEW ALBUM!!! That’s right, True Believers, at long last, we are releasing our new album <strong>OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS</strong> on <strong>October 14</strong>.. </p>
<p>There will be loads of interesting stories coming soon about the individual tracks but for now, suffice it to say that we are very proud of the tunage on the new opus. It includes collaborations with musicians across North America and Brazil and includes some people I have worked with before like Dan Konopka from OK Go and Mark Zubek as well as some new people who added fresh energy and vitality to my effort. We have a few remixes that will come out as well through the fall. </p>
<p>For the most part, this was recorded during a month last year during the pandemic A lot of energy and effort went into creating these songs so I’m really looking forward to hearing what you all will think! </p>
<p><strong>OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS SPOTIFY ALBUM PRE-SAVE:</strong> <a contents="https://www.musicgateway.com/presave/open-hearts-open-minds&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.musicgateway.com/presave/open-hearts-open-minds" target="_blank">https://www.musicgateway.com/presave/open-hearts-open-minds </a></p>
<p>Aside from this, we’re also readying Christmas songs (TMD Christmas Classics V1 featuring Jessica Magoch), other new collaborations with cool artists across America (part of my TMD Team-Up Series –more on that later), a covers EP (Secret Covers V1), and another regular album. Plus!!! We are also making… </p>
<p><strong>VISUALIZERS!! </strong><br>Every week or so, I’ll be uploading more Music Visualizers to our Youtube page. If you don’t know what this means, it’s basically a video with elements that pulsate or somehow interact with the music. While you’re listening to our tunes, you can trip out to some psychedelic visuals or just have it on your screen in the background while you are entertaining or whatever. </p>
<p>Here’s a couple to check out: </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>IN THE GARDEN (from the upcoming OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS release): </strong><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="V27m2BT11zo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/V27m2BT11zo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V27m2BT11zo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>ELECTED (from the AMERICAN DREAM release): </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="WuyJztHXbqU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/WuyJztHXbqU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuyJztHXbqU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><em>(Yes this is a cover of the Alice Cooper song. Not long after I released this, I was on a Zoom with Ryan Roxie -Alice's guitarist for the past 20 years- and he was excited to hear that Dan from OK Go was playing on the track because Roxie's a fan of theirs.) </em></p>
<p>I’m really trying to get my Youtube subscriber numbers up so Please Please Please, head over to <a contents="http://youtube.com/thismaddesire" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://youtube.com/thismaddesire">http://youtube.com/thismaddesire</a> and click Subscribe! Youtube is the highest paying streaming opportunity available to independent musicians but it really only kicks in once I have enough subscribers, </p>
<p>That's it for today! Let me know how you all are doing!!</p>
<p>-Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/70516872022-09-02T09:27:46-04:002022-09-08T07:24:31-04:00NEW SINGLE ALERT!!! | In The Garden<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/a0fee9b32e1446ffec46cbabd99b23e98316cbeb/original/tmd-in-the-garden-final-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="This Mad Desire -In The Garden" />Our new single <strong>In The Garden</strong> from upcoming full-length <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong> is available on all streaming platforms, 2022, and is available for purchase <strong><a contents="HERE" data-link-label="Music" data-link-type="page" href="/music" target="_blank">HERE</a></strong> and on our <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank"><strong>Bandcamp</strong></a>!</p>
<p><strong>In The Garden</strong>'s lyrics are a meditation on parenthood and childbirth and were inspired by the birth of my daughter. It considers the idea of where do we end and our children begin (and vice versa). Musically, it is midtempo with orchestral flourishes.</p>
<p>It was actually the first track I started working on for the <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong> release back when the pandemic first started, just before they locked everyone down. When I first sent it down to Dan Konopka (OK Go) to work on the drums, he got back to me and said it reminded him of the Flaming Lips and that I should go even BIGGER towards the end. That led to my adding more oboes and strings, which I think added depth and even a touch of psychedelia to the track.</p>
<p>As usual, I performed most of the track at the Hamilton Public Library and Dan did his parts in a studio he uses in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy the track. Let me know what you think!</p>
<p>Yours in music,</p>
<p>Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/70058162022-07-01T10:50:10-04:002022-07-01T10:50:10-04:00Running Wild Running Free Lyric Video Unleashed!!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="POrlW--MmgQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/POrlW--MmgQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/POrlW--MmgQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Official lyric video for This Mad Desire's Running Wild Running Free from the forthcoming album Open Hearts Open Minds. Video produced by Mackenzie Kristjon with crowdsourced footage from Aquandria in North Carolina, Erica Corbo in Outer Space (but the part of outer space that's in Philadelphia), Glen MacLeod of Crash World in Vancouver, Jon Gustafsson in Iceland, Leon Harrison of Bandwagon Hub and The Lazys in Australia, MJoy in Oakland, CA, Nikkole Couture of Dynasty Four in Toronto, and Titanosaur in New York. Also appearing is Kyla Konopka of By Octopi and record producer Mark Zubek, both in Toronto.</p>
<p>Music and Lyrics by Mackenzie Kristjon and Leon Harrison. Song performed and produced by Mackenzie Kristjon and Mark Zubek (Zedd Records, Toronto). Mastered by Phil Demetro (Lacquer Channel, Toronto).</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69870662022-06-05T09:07:12-04:002022-06-13T09:55:45-04:00WANTED: Video of you Running Wild Running Free<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/20ed034932c5a6800571e3421026423992bfab84/original/tmd-rwrf-single-cover-revised.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />BE IN OUR NEXT VIDEO! WIN A FREE T-SHIRT!!</strong></p>
<p><strong>Deadline:</strong> <span style="color:#e74c3c;"><strong>EXTENDED TO JUNE 15</strong></span></p>
<p>Received some SUPER COOL stuff so far...</p>
<p>Looking for videos of <span class="font_large"><strong>YOU</strong></span> Running Wild Running Free! You could be running wearing a crazy mask, winning a touchdown for your football team, running into freezing water, running on the street with your arms in the air like you just don't care, or anything else you think of! Maybe you have a toddler that looks wildly happy while running. The more creative, the more fun, the mo' better! Video preferred but awesome photos also accepted. Landscape AND portrait-orientation both accepted.</p>
<p>Don't do anything too dangerous unless you are a trained stunt professional. In any case, TMD accepts no liability nor responsibility for any injuries.</p>
<p>But definitely HAVE fun and share on TikTok and other socials any fun you might have. Use hashtags #thismaddesire and #runningwildrunningfree and tag @thismaddesire wherever you are. You can use the track Running Wild Running Free as the background sound too!</p>
<p>Each submission will be in the running for a <strong>FREE Running Wild Running T-shirt!</strong></p>
<p>SEND SUBMISSIONS using dropbox, google drive, wetransfer, etc. to <a contents="macsonfire@gmail.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:macsonfire@gmail.com" target="_blank">macsonfire@gmail.com</a> with the Subject line Running Wild Running Free Video.</p>
<p>Go forth to RUNNING WILD RUNNING FREE!!!</p>
<p><span class="font_small"><em>By submitting you consent to the use of your media-content in any video This Mad Desire makes for Running Wild Running Free as well as for use in any associated social media and anywhere these might be distributed.</em></span></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69817712022-05-28T05:04:39-04:002022-05-30T03:35:37-04:00Running Wild Running Free in Winnipeg!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/89f447765d2fbcbe84b106e11284bbf28e72d181/original/uradio-and-rwrf.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />U Talk on U Radio for U Multicultural in Winnipeg recently interviewed me, which was especially fun as I am originally from Winnipeg. Thank <strong>U</strong>!</p>
<p>From their website: <em>Running Wild Running Free captures the pent-up frustration of living in lockdown—a Universal experience for all Canadians who had to endure the excruciatingly long past two years. </em></p>
<p><em>The single, released by Icelandic-Canadian Mackenzie Kristjon, kicks off This Mad Desire's upcoming album Open Hearts Open Minds.</em></p>
<p>Listen below, <a contents="their site" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://anchor.fm/u-multicultural/episodes/U-Talk-S2E62-This-Mad-Desire-e1j2p37/a-a80dmt8" target="_blank">their site</a>, or on <strong><a contents="Spotify" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3mdcsL2x2S75wxNjN2Lo31?si=fd452cde74864397" target="_blank">Spotify</a></strong>!</p>
<p>Thanks to Ryan Funk for the great interview. In it, we discuss Running Wild Running Free, Iceland, Brazil, NFTs, music technology, the creative process behind the song, and much more!</p>
<p><strong>Running Wild Running Free</strong> is available here, <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com">B</a><a contents="bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com">andcamp</a>, and every streaming service. Access your fave service at <a contents="thismaddesire.net/smartlinks" data-link-label="SmartLinks" data-link-type="page" href="/smartlinks" target="_blank"><strong>thismaddesire.net/smartlinks</strong></a>.</p>
<hr><p> </p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="102px" scrolling="no" src="https://anchor.fm/u-multicultural/embed/episodes/U-Talk-S2E62-This-Mad-Desire-e1j2p37/a-a80dmt8" width="400px"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69717102022-05-15T15:55:33-04:002022-05-19T06:36:29-04:00DIVINE MAGAZINE: This Mad Desire breaks free from lockdown with new single Running Wild Running Free<p><span class="font_large"><strong>New This Mad Desire single updates Jim Morrison for the post-COVID world </strong></span><br><strong>Song co-written with Leon Harrison (The Lazys, Bandwagon) & recorded in Toronto during lockdown</strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/20ed034932c5a6800571e3421026423992bfab84/original/tmd-rwrf-single-cover-revised.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="This Mad Desire - Running Wild Running Free" /><a contents="From Divine Magazine&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://divinemagazine.biz/this-mad-desire-breaks-free-from-lockdown-with-the-new-single-running-wild-running-free/" target="_blank"><strong>From Divine Magazine </strong></a></p>
<p>This Mad Desire’s new single <strong>Running Wild Running Free</strong> from upcoming full-length <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong> will be available on all streaming platforms and for sale at thismaddesire.net on <strong>May 27, 2022</strong>. Written and recorded in Hamilton and Toronto, Canada, during the pandemic, it captures the pent-up frustration of living in lockdown with a catchy, anthemic rock song. </p>
<p>Hamilton-based singer <strong>Mackenzie Kristjon</strong> co-wrote the song over Zoom with <strong>Leon Harrison</strong>. Kristjon had met Harrison through <a contents="Indie Week" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://indieweek.com" target="_blank"><strong>Indie Week</strong></a> which then led to songwriting sessions through Leon Harrison’s Mentoring Platform ‘Bandwagon’. Over a number of sessions, the song was workshopped with the aim of strengthening its core authenticity and integrity. Approaching the writing sessions, Kristjon brought in a guitar riff that had a really classic, Stones-y strut, and he and Harrison crafted a song and lyric about defying expectations to achieve true freedom and to not live in an image foisted upon you by others. You create your own destiny! </p>
<p>With lines about how you’re going to “break on through to your new reality,” the song evokes Break On Through by <strong>The Doors</strong>. “We’ve updated <strong>Jim Morrison</strong> for the new millennium!” said Harrison. </p>
<p>Icelandic-Canadian Kristjon expressed, “Writing with Leon was a real treat. His Aussie spirit combined well with my Viking attitude!” </p>
<p>Kristjon recorded basic tracks at home while in lockdown. However, Kristjon and hit producer <strong>Mark Zubek (<a contents="Zedd Records" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://zeddrecords.com" target="_blank">Zedd Records</a>)</strong> both became aware that the lockdown was going to partially lift in June 2021 and they would be able to meet in person to complete final production in Toronto. </p>
<p>“Honestly, when I spoke to Mark, I was going to be the first artist to come in to the studio in over a year. I think he and I were almost as excited to get out and see real human beings again as to produce an epic rock song!” said Kristjon. “It was actually my first time leaving Hamilton since the lockdown had started in 2020. It was beyond exciting!” </p>
<p>Running Wild Running Free indeed! </p>
<hr><p>For more on Mackenzie Kristjon and This Mad Desire (including photos), visit <a contents="http://thismaddesire.net/epk" data-link-label="EPK" data-link-type="page" href="/epk" target="_blank">http://thismaddesire.net/epk</a>. <br>For more on Leon Harrison, visit <a contents="http://bandwagonhub.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://bandwagonhub.com" target="_blank">http://bandwagonhub.com</a> and <a contents="http://thelazysband.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thelazysband.com" target="_blank">http://thelazysband.com</a>. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>LISTEN</strong></span> <br>Advance access for media: email <a contents="macsonfire@gmail.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:macsonfire@gmail.com" target="_blank"><strong>macsonfire@gmail.com</strong></a>. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>CREDITS</strong></span> <br>Written by Mackenzie Kristjon and Leon Harrison <br>Produced by Mark Zubek and Mackenzie Kristjon <br>Mastered by Phil Demetro for <a contents="Lacquer Channel Studios" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://lacquerchannel.com" target="_blank"><strong>Lacquer Channel Studios</strong></a> in Toronto</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69670342022-05-09T14:27:36-04:002022-05-09T14:28:21-04:00DIVINE MAGAZINE: This Mad Desire Release Open Hearts Open Minds -World Collaboration!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/8fd81aadce3c045aa149b4bfabf6c7128313f615/original/tmd-ohom-single-cover.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="This Mad Desire - Open Hearts Open Minds" />Hamilton-based This Mad Desire’s new single was recorded during the pandemic and involved collaboration with musicians across North America. While attending online Toronto-based music conference Indie 101, singer Mackenzie Kristjon was recording the forthcoming album Open Hearts Open Minds. The album already featured collaborations with Dan Konopka (OK Go) in California and Leon Harrison (The Lazys) from Australia, and so Kristjon thought it might be fun to make it open to anyone who wanted something to do while in lockdown.</p>
<p>For the title track Open Hearts Open Minds released to streaming services on April 15, Kristjon involved singers from Vancouver to Cape Breton in Canada and from San Francisco to Philadelphia in the USA. Around 40 people reached out and around half actually submitted vocals. </p>
<p>The song itself was originally inspired by a parental rights’ organization who were looking for an anthem. They supplied hundreds of pages of documents of the most heart-wrenching stories of parental alienation. However, Mackenzie Kristjon decided to take it in a more universal direction about rising beyond challenges and opening hearts and minds to our shared humanity in all its various struggles. On the day the lead vocals were recorded, Kristjon even crowdsourced lines for the second verse on Facebook, which came from old friend Craig Norris, singer of the Kramdens and morning show host for the CBC in Kitchener-Waterloo. </p>
<p>For the most up-to-date news, visit http://thismaddesire.net.</p>
<p><a contents="Read original article." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://divinemagazine.biz/this-mad-desire-release-open-hearts-open-minds-world-collaboration/" target="_blank">Read original article.</a></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69534942022-04-21T07:13:40-04:002022-05-09T12:13:30-04:00Interview in Authority Magazine!<p>Thanks to Authority Magazine for publishing this interview!</p>
<p><a contents="Read it here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://medium.com/authority-magazine/rising-music-star-mackenzie-kristjon-of-this-mad-desire-on-the-five-things-you-need-to-shine-in-the-907f17c6ed84" target="_blank"><strong>Rising Star Mackenzie Kristjon of This Mad Desire on the 5 Things You Need To Shine in the Music Industry.</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/e1cdcdd3252d5958f1367b8442f542caed1c7f82/original/screenshot-20220421-065010-02.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_left border_thin" alt="" /></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>As long as you are open to it, this industry keeps you on your toes in a good way. Things are always changing which keeps things interesting. There’s always a new delivery mechanism (streaming, CDs, vinyl) or a new social platform (hello TikTok!). Some people find that frustrating as there’s a lot of learning but really, that’s true in any industry, so if you can establish a healthy outlook towards that end of things, it makes it easier not to feel like you’re smashing your head on the punk rock. </em></p>
<p>Asa part of our series about rising music stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mackenzie Kristjon of This Mad Desire. </p>
<p>This Mad Desire, Mackenzie Kristjon’s rock and roll brand, has toured North America, UK, Europe, and Iceland since winning his first national songwriting competition as a teenager. 2020 album American Dream includes production from Toronto-based hit producer Mark Zubek (Zedd Records) and Dan Konopka (OK Go) and an unwitting collaboration with Leonard Cohen. </p>
<p>In spring 2021, during the pandemic, Kristjon recorded a new album –the forthcoming Open Hearts Open Minds- and collaborated with an ever-increasing number of musicians across the planet that were also in lockdown. Currently released singles from the album include Operators Are Standing By (felino Remix), Love Is A Glorious Thing and title track Open Hearts Open Minds, featuring background singers from Vancouver to Cape Breton and from San Francisco to Philadelphia. </p>
<p>For the most up-to-date info, visit http://thismaddesire.net. </p>
<p><strong>Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up? </strong></p>
<p>Igrew up in Western Canada, mostly in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before moving to southern Ontario for university. When I was little, my parents noticed I was having a hard time controlling my hands. If I moved the muscles in my right hand, the left hand moved as well and vice versa. The doctor laughed, “Well he’ll never play the piano!” And of course, the next day, my mother put me in piano lessons –which were an effective physical therapy. Eventually, I started playing guitar as well as writing my own material and started playing in bands in high school. My final year in high school was in Thunder Bay, which is maybe even more isolated than Winnipeg. Sometimes I think that the relative isolation led to more time practicing music. </p>
<p>Aside from music, I played hockey and soccer and felt awkward at school dances. Normal childhood/teenage stuff! </p>
<p><strong>Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path? </strong></p>
<p>Music has always been the most important activity in my life. The sheer joy I’ve felt through playing instruments and expressing myself in a song has not been an easy addiction to cure! It has led to traveling the world, acting in TV shows and movies, and other opportunities both professionally and personally that have enriched my life and hopefully others that I have come across. Even as a young child, I was obsessed with KISS and wanted to know everything about them, which led to my writing my own songs and starting bands. </p>
<p><strong>Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career? </strong></p>
<p>There have been so many! One time I received a call from my friend Barzin who needed someone to play vibraphones on a European tour at the last minute. I had to learn the instrument and the material in a few short weeks. Not a bad way to get an all-expenses-paid European vacation! </p>
<p>Another interesting experience was when I re-launched my career in 2017. I recorded a song called Operators Are Standing By with hit producer Mark Zubek (Zedd Records) in Toronto. I started putting out feelers in the community about how I wanted to put together a really exciting video and was put in touch with Simon Winterson, who owns Digital Canaries Sets + Studios, a prominent film studio that caters to major film companies from Hollywood. Simon loved the song and wound up directing Operators. Within a week, we had a cast of around twenty actors, choreographers, and dancers, and all kinds of crew members. It was a great example of making something from nothing and everyone contributing to a very fun, larger artistic vision! When the choreographer and dancers arrived (who we thought were not coming) showed up and started teaching the cast a dance to my own song, I was in Seventh Heaven. I only introduced myself AFTER they taught us the moves. </p>
<p><strong>Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? </strong></p>
<p>I made many mistakes when first starting out in the clubs. We had this one gimmick where I’d light my lead guitarist’s guitar on fire and it worked out perfectly in rehearsal. The idea was you’d apply some rubber cement to the head of the guitar and then just the rubber cement would burn. This one time in Hamilton, Canada, I lit the guitar and all the strings burned up as well! I guess the moral of the story is that anything can happen in front of a live audience and don’t try this at home, kids! </p>
<p><strong>What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? </strong></p>
<p>In spring 2021, during the pandemic, I recorded a new album –the forthcoming Open Hearts Open Minds- and collaborated with an ever-increasing number of musicians across the planet that were also in lockdown. I was already working with Dan Konopka (OK Go) in Los Angeles, who drums and does some mixing, and I was co-writing over Zoom with Leon Harrison (Bandwagon Workshops, The Lazys) who was in Toronto (but now back in Australia). I thought it might be interesting to open up the collaboration to anyone that wanted to supply background vocals. I wound up with a great mix of professional singers and amateurs from Vancouver to Cape Breton in Canada and from San Francisco to Philadelphia in the US. And we have remixes from artists in Brazil, Canada, and the US that will come out. </p>
<p>Out of doing that, I have started a Christmas album, a covers album, and another future original collection employing the same method of working with artists remotely. Honestly, I would never have thought of working this way pre-pandemic. </p>
<p><strong>We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture? </strong></p>
<p>I personally work with a very diverse group of people in my music and projects. As far as I’m concerned, as a white heterosexual man, I think “the more the merrier”. Representing a diverse set of cultures and backgrounds in art only amplifies the similarities between all of us. In many ways, the theme of our new song Open Hearts Open Minds is about overcoming and being tolerant. I know for a fact that it can feel pretty weird in society when you look up at the screen and there’s no one that looks like you. One of our themes is “We’re All Alive Together”, which is really a message of strength in diversity. In politics, for example, I always say that you can’t fly on one wing. </p>
<p><strong>What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each. </strong></p>
<p>I kind of wish my piano was more in tune when I started. It took me a long time to straighten out my sense of pitch, which I think is because I was playing on an instrument that was always out of tune. More career-wise, I would say that this is such a tough industry and it might have been better to have more tactics for dealing with the insane amount of rejection that exists. If I had realized that it was going to take 100 phone calls to get one gig, for example, I might have had a different mentality about it. In so many ways, this is a business like any other and it is sales-driven and unique (especially nowadays) in that what seems like your main product (songs) is given away for free, for the most part. Also, thinking back, I was stuck in a rut of only listening to certain kinds of music and although I was learning classical and other styles, I was not as open-minded as I could have been to the boundless depths of glory that exist in so many kinds of music. Part of that came from my school dividing into cliques largely based on what bands you liked. It all seems so silly to me now! Another lesson I wish I would have learned sooner is that I am not alone nor are my experiences all that unique. As Maria Bamford so hilariously pointed out, “There’s 8 Billion people on the planet. Chances are somewhat else has gone through the same thing and is currently on a book tour about it.” That kind of perspective is invaluable. </p>
<p><strong>Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? </strong></p>
<p>As long as you are open to it, this industry keeps you on your toes in a good way. Things are always changing which keeps things interesting. There’s always a new delivery mechanism (streaming, CDs, vinyl) or a new social platform (hello TikTok!). Some people find that frustrating as there’s a lot of learning but really, that’s true in any industry, so if you can establish a healthy outlook towards that end of things, it makes it easier not to feel like you’re smashing your head on the punk rock. Also, creatively, I like to challenge myself by working with lots of new people all the time. That provides a steady stream of fresh perspectives and insights which keeps everything exciting. It can be sort of easy to just stick to what you know and get stuck in a rut. </p>
<p><strong>You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-) </strong></p>
<p>Open Hearts Open Minds would be the name of my not-for-profit agency and I’d probably devote a lot of it towards mental health resources. There is a lot of stigma –even now!- surrounding mental health issues and that prevents people from getting help. Also, it can be expensive depending on where you live –which does not help anyone. We’re All Alive Together and we have to help each other out! </p>
<p><strong>None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?</strong> </p>
<p>Mark Zubek who produced Operators Are Standing By the song and Simon Winterson who produced the Operators video quickly come to mind. I had never worked with Mark when I entered his Toronto studio one snowy day. I slipped down the stairs pretty much using my guitar case like a sled. Mark quickly explained that he had insurance and once we determined that I wasn’t dead, we started talking about the track. He wanted to speed it up and change the key. This change in key prompted a new guitar tuning and a very different vibe. It was totally the right call and led to a fantastic video produced by Simon Winterson. Nothing would have come without that song though. Since then, I’ve worked a lot with Dan Konopka from OK Go. We met online somehow and he has been a fantastic person to work with. He drums on most of my tracks and mixes many of them as well. And I guess if this were an awards ceremony, I’d thank my piano teachers Lynn Bryll and Marilyn Wong for endangering the world by giving me the musical tools to unleash my creativity! </p>
<p><strong>Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?</strong> </p>
<p>At the bottom of my emails and everywhere else, I write, “Life is too short. Enjoy it.” That’s definitely one of the slogans I live by. It is sort of like, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” I tend to think that if I won’t care about something in five years, I probably do not need to worry too much now. It’s a way of keeping focused. A couple of summers ago, I was attacked on the street by a meth addict and beaten to within an inch of my life. My face was horribly disfigured and it took a long time to heal. Admittedly, it was hard looking in the mirror sometimes but I told myself, I’d be better off getting back in the saddle, recording new music than throwing myself a pity party. And I also thought that a person with Viking roots should probably have a few battle scars! </p>
<p><strong>Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-) </strong></p>
<p>In the past, I might have said David Bowie or Lou Reed, but since they are no longer available, I would think that Neil Young or Perry Farrell might be my guys. I describe our music as “Neil Young on David Bowie drugs” which came from a British review, and I think that’s pretty fair. Certainly, I learned to play guitar by learning all of Neil’s tunes that I could, and Perry is such a great connector. His festivals are legendary even setting aside his incredible talent as a singer, frontman, and songwriter. </p>
<p><strong>How can our readers follow you online? </strong></p>
<p>The most up-to-date info is always on thismaddesire.net and from there, they can get social with us pretty much anywhere. </p>
<p>This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69487852022-04-15T02:05:18-04:002022-04-15T07:51:52-04:00Open Hearts Open Minds STREAMING EVERYWHERE!!<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/8fd81aadce3c045aa149b4bfabf6c7128313f615/original/tmd-ohom-single-cover.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="This Mad Desire - Open Hearts Open Minds" />Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>, the title track for the forthcoming album <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong> from Hamilton-based This Mad Desire, is now available everywhere! </p>
<p>This Mad Desire's new single was recorded during the pandemic and involved collaboration with musicians across North America. While attending music conference Indie 101, singer Mackenzie Kristjon was recording the album <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>. The album already featured collaborations with <strong>Dan Konopka (OK Go)</strong> in California and <strong>Leon Harrison (The Lazys, Bandwagon Workshops)</strong> from Australia, and so Kristjon thought it might be fun to make it open to anyone who wanted something to do while in lockdown. </p>
<p>Kristjon said, “I felt there might be some benefit to the universe to have all of these people singing the phrase Open Hearts Open Minds in various places while alone in lockdown, it might bring people together in a small but positive way like pinpricks of light in a COVID darkness. And hopefully it provided a worthy distraction from the nightly COVID news report.” </p>
<p>For the title track <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>, Kristjon involved singers from Vancouver to Cape Breton in Canada and from San Francisco to Philadelphia in the USA. Around 40 people reached out and around half actually submitted vocals. </p>
<p>Lyrically, the song was originally inspired by a parental rights’ organization who were looking for an anthem. They supplied hundreds of pages of documents of the most heart-wrenching stories of parental alienation. However, Mackenzie Kristjon decided to take it in a more universal direction about rising beyond challenges and opening hearts and minds to our shared humanity in all its various struggles. On the day the lead vocals were recorded, Kristjon even crowdsourced lines for the second verse on Facebook, which came from old friend Craig Norris, singer of the Kramdens and morning show host for the CBC in Kitchener-Waterloo. </p>
<p>“I sing about having a friend in an old steeltown, which is a nod to Hamilton, where I’ve lived for the past few years, which is also why I included a Hamilton streetscape on the single cover. Although Hamilton is very quickly gentrifying, it still has working class roots and the people are very salt of the earth.” </p>
<p><strong>CREDITS </strong><br>Written and produced by Mackenzie Kristjon. <br>Lead vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards by Mackenzie Kristjon. <br>Drums by Dan Konopka. <br>Mastered by Phil Demetro at Lacquer Channel. </p>
<p><strong>Background vocals (in no particular order): </strong><br><strong>Leslie Ramsey-Taylor</strong> – R&B singer from Toronto, who is a friend of my frequent producer Mark Zubek. She has the greatest voice. <br><strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> – award-winning jazz singer from Philadelphia. She won the <strong>2019 Philadelphia Music Award for Jazz</strong> and just recently won the <strong>John Lennon Songwriting Competition Song of the Week</strong>. AND she duets with me on our version of Christmas classic <strong>Deck The Halls</strong>. Try to imagine if we both did not attend that conference! <br><strong>Joyce Aldrich</strong> – who I met at Indie 101. She’s a talented jazz singer from Toronto. <br><strong>Erica “Captain” Corbo</strong> – another talented jazz artist and pop songwriter from Philadelphia! She performs as a pianist, vocalist and performance artist; both solo and as part of the free improv collective Space Whale Orchestra. I actually met her on Instagram one day when I was randomly researching Philadelphia music. She was organizing her concert series Warp Factor 9 at the time. They would put chairs out on the sidewalk and perform through an open window. I was very impressed! <br><strong>Kim Thompson</strong> – country singer from Calgary, Alberta, who I met at Indie 101. We have gone on to write a Christmas song called <strong>This Christmas</strong> which she recorded and was produced by Chris Birkett (Sinead O’Connor, Buffy Ste. Marie, Def Leppard, etc. etc.). Chris also produces music for Joyce Aldrich (mentioned above). Small world! <br>Glen MacLeod – guitarist/songwriter in the band Crash World out of Vancouver. He’s a very talented guy and extremely friendly. <br><strong>Jason Dunford (Samaki Mkuu)</strong> – Jason is based in San Francisco and this is verbatim from his Wikipedia page: He is a Kenyan Olympic swimmer, media personality, rapper and entrepreneur. During his swimming career, he was predominantly a butterfly and freestyle sprinter winning gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, Universiade, All-Africa Games and African Championships, and reaching finals at the Olympics, World Championships and Short Course World Championships. He also held African, Universiade and Olympic records. He has worked as a broadcast journalist for the BBC, is a co-founder and adviser to software company, Safi and currently serves as the CEO of Baila Entertainment whilst performing as Samaki Mkuu, one half of the rap duo Romantico & Samaki Mkuu. I only learned about all the swimming after he sent in his vocals! <br><strong>Reinhard Kypke</strong> – Reinhard is based in Guelph and very proudly from Berlin. He has been working with me on and off in various capacities for years. We even performed together in Iceland! <br><strong>Brian Doucette</strong> – Brian is a cool singer from Nova Scotia who I met through Mark Zubek. Definitely worth checking out! <br><strong>Fluency Grey</strong> – Fluency is an indie rocker in Ottawa. Very cool guy! <br><strong>Simon Pellett</strong> – Simon is British-born but lives in Texas and aside from being a really great heavy metal guitarist, he also has a podcast called Music On Your Own Terms which looks at the entrepreneurial side of the music industry in addition to mental health. <br><strong>Sandeep Swaminathan</strong> – Sandeep is the frontman/lead singer for an indie band called The Spiral Theory based in Toronto. We’ve been friends since meeting each other at Indie Week back in 2020. <br><strong>Paul QuAnthem</strong> – Paul is a Toronto area singer-songwriter that records under the QuAnthem banner and he definitely serves up some very anthemic tunes! </p>
<p><strong>Lyrics: </strong></p>
<p>Open hearts open minds <br>No surprise what you’ll find <br>I have a friend in an old steeltown <br>He can’t believe what goes around </p>
<p>Times will change and we’ll be strong <br>We may feel lost <br>Barely hanging on <br>And they don’t know how our hearts melt like snow <br>From all those times so long ago </p>
<p>Are you with me? </p>
<p>Open hearts open minds <br>Open hearts <br>Why don’t you open mine? </p>
<p>Take a chance on a new romance <br>I already know your secret plans <br>I have a friend in an old steeltown <br>He can’t believe what goes around </p>
<p>Open hearts open minds <br>Open hearts <br>Why don’t you open mine? <br>Open hearts open minds <br>Open hearts <br>Why don’t you open mine?</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69407732022-04-05T11:29:49-04:002022-04-07T11:45:22-04:00Victim Appreciation Night NFT Virtual Screening Party!! <p><span class="font_large"><strong>Friends, Family, and Co-conspirators... YOU'RE INVITED!!! </strong></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/8ea4d4aaa26bb4910d54895bdc5887b6395ce2dc/original/van-nft-screening-party-sample.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="VAN NFT SCREENING PARTY SAMPLE VIEW" />Next Tuesday, April 12, we are holding our first ever NFT Auction hosted by Kickoff Music. Be the envy of all your friends and secure bragging rights by owning a piece of futuristic history!</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>April 12 AUCTION DETAILS</strong></span><br>This Mad Desire is pleased to partner with Kickoff Music based in Rio de Janeiro for its first ever NFT offerings coming April 12, 2022: </p>
<p>-<strong>Limited Edition of 15 Advance Copies</strong> of our new track Victim Appreciation Night including a <strong>bonus remix from Cas Weinbren, See See Beats</strong>. These will not be released to the public for at least 90 days. </p>
<p>-Each copy will come with <strong>Specialized Artwork</strong> designed specifically for this NFT <strong>using AI technology</strong> that designs artwork based on the lyrics of the song. </p>
<p>-All 15 auction winners will receive a <strong>Personalized Video Message</strong> from This Mad Desire. </p>
<p>-All 15 auction winners will receive an NFT which gives them <strong>life time free access</strong> to This Mad Desire’s concerts (except festival situations). </p>
<p>-Top 5 bids will also receive <strong>Limited Edition T-shirts</strong> with shipping included in Canada and USA. Rest of world would include a surcharge based on country. </p>
<p>Items will be up for auction on April 12, 2022, with a minimum bid of US$30 payable by cryptocurrency or Paypal (that includes all credit cards). <a contents="PRE-REGISTER at http://kickoff.market/en." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://kickoff.market/en" target="_blank"><strong>PRE-REGISTER at http://kickoff.market/en.</strong></a></p>
<p><span class="font_small"><em>*This NFT does not contemplate the transfer of intellectual property of any of its parts, phonograms or art design, and cannot be used commercially by the buyer under any circumstances. </em></span></p>
<p>With lyrics that reference the French Revolution, the Salem witch trials, and our cyborg future while focusing on overcoming our struggle, this upbeat and exciting track that celebrates the victims was recorded during the pandemic in 2021 and features <strong>Leslie Ramsay-Taylor (R&B singer from Toronto)</strong> on background vocals and <strong>Dan Konopka (Grammy-winning OK Go)</strong> on drums. Mastered by <strong>Phil Demetro</strong> at <strong>Lacquer Channel</strong> in Toronto. Victim Appreciation Night has also been remixed by <strong>CasWeinbren, caskeyboardproducer, </strong>owner and manager of <strong>See See Beats</strong>, who is a 46 Million streamed, multi-genre producer and classical and jazz trained keyboardist from New York City. </p>
<p><strong>About NFT’s:</strong> An NFT (or “non-fungible token”) represents a digital asset that is composed of unique data stored on a blockchain, which can prove the token’s authenticity and keep track of ownership. <strong>That probably made your head explode! So... </strong>You can think of it like buying a signed DVD. The buyer does not own the collectible or artwork but rather owns the unique individual copy and gets a certificate of authenticity. (In this case, there are very real T-shirts that are actually manufactured!) As you can probably tell, this is very cutting edge stuff, so you get to be part of the future already now! If you have questions, ASK!! :)</p>
<p>We look forward to hearing from you.</p>
<p>Operators Are Standing By! </p>
<p>-Mac<br><a contents="macsonfire@gmail.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:macsonfire@gmail.com" target="_blank">macsonfire@gmail.com</a></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69249402022-03-17T14:40:19-04:002022-04-04T13:16:47-04:00NFTs, Return to Live, Lessons, Love, and Mermaids!!<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Friends, Family, and Co-conspirators: </strong></span></p>
<p>It’s a topsy-turvy world out there and so we encourage everyone to try to put more peace and love into the atmosphere because Love Is A Glorious Thing. At any rate, here’s a bit of what’s been going on here at TMD HQ behind-the-scenes! </p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>VICTIM APPRECIATION NIGHT: Our First NFT offerings!!! </strong></span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/60ce1d7458f28f70e30b1dc0bb6656c058bee3fd/original/victim-appreciation-ai-art-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />This Mad Desire is pleased to partner with <strong>Kickoff Music</strong> based in Rio de Janeiro for its first ever NFT offerings coming April 12, 2022: </p>
<ul> <li>
<strong>Limited Edition</strong> of 15 Advance Copies of our new track <strong>Victim Appreciation Night</strong> including a bonus remix from <strong>Cas Weinbren, See See Beats</strong>. These will not be released to the public for at least 90 days. </li> <li>Each copy will come with <strong>Specialized Artwork</strong> designed specifically for this NFT using AI technology that designs artwork based on the lyrics of the song. </li> <li>All 15 auction winners will receive a <strong>Personalized Video Message</strong> from This Mad Desire. <br> All 15 auction winners will receive an NFT which gives them life time free access to This Mad Desire’s concerts (except festival situations). </li> <li>Top 5 bids will also receive <strong>Limited Edition T-shirts</strong> with shipping included in Canada and USA. Rest of world would include a surcharge based on country. </li> <li>Items will be up for auction on <strong>April 12, 2022</strong>, with a minimum bid of US$30 payable by cryptocurrency or Paypal (that includes all credit cards). </li>
</ul>
<p><em>*This NFT does not contemplate the transfer of intellectual property of any of its parts, phonograms or art design, and cannot be used commercially by the buyer under any circumstances.</em></p>
<p>This track was recorded during the pandemic in 2021 and features <strong>Leslie Ramsay-Taylor</strong> (R&B singer from Toronto) and <strong>Dan Konopka</strong> (Grammy-winning <strong>OK Go</strong>) on drums. Dan also mixed the track in Los Angeles. Dan has been a frequent collaborator on many tracks on TMD’s last release <strong>American Dream</strong> and also on the upcoming album <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>. </p>
<p>Victim Appreciation Night has also been remixed by <strong>CasWeinbren, caskeyboardproducer</strong>, owner and manager of See See Beats, who is a 46 Million streamed, multi-genre producer and classical and jazz trained keyboardist from New York City. <a contents="http://caskeyboardproducer.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://caskeyboardproducer.com" target="_blank">http://caskeyboardproducer.com</a> </p>
<p><strong>About NFT’s:</strong> An NFT (or “non-fungible token”) represents a digital asset that is composed of unique data stored on a blockchain, which can prove the token’s authenticity and keep track of ownership. You can think of it like buying a signed DVD or something. The buyer does not own the collectible or artwork but rather owns the unique individual copy and a certificate of authenticity. (In this case, there are very real T-shirts that are actually manufactured!) As you can probably tell, this is very <strong>cutting edge stuff</strong>, so you get to <strong>be part of the future</strong> already now! </p>
<p><strong>About Kickoff Music:</strong> Kickoff Music is an NFT distributor based in Brazil. <a contents="http://kickoffmusic.com.br/en/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://kickoffmusic.com.br/en/" target="_blank">http://kickoffmusic.com.br/en/ </a></p>
<hr><p><strong><span class="font_large">RETURN TO LIVE PERFORMANCE </span></strong><br>That’s right! We are finally getting back to performing live, sweaty rock’n’roll in front of actual human beings (and not just one of these “livestreams”). For people in Hamilton, Canada, we are playing at the <strong>Corktown Pub</strong> (175 Young St. Hamilton) with the <strong>Midnight Echo</strong> (from Vancouver) and our friend, local blues-rock legend <strong>Ian Andrews </strong>on April 21, 2022. Doors at 7. $15 cover. </p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>LESSONS </strong></span><br>Now offering remote music lessons over Zoom. I can help with songwriting and instruments like guitar or piano. Send me an email or fill out the <strong><a contents="form on our website" data-link-label="LESSONS" data-link-type="page" href="/lessons" target="_blank">form on our website</a></strong> and we can coordinate from there! In case you are wondering, at one point in time, I ran a Music Academy in Toronto. </p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>UKRAINE</strong></span> <br>Obviously we are devastated by what’s going on in Ukraine and so are donating 10% of the retail cost of any merch/music sales that we make from our <strong><a contents="online store" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">online store</a></strong> during March and April to <a contents="Donate Ukraine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://donateukraine.com" target="_blank"><strong>Donate Ukraine</strong></a>. Further, we have a “Stands With Ukraine” T-shirt for which we will donate 100% of the proceeds. We encourage everyone to donate to the various organizations supplying aid to Ukraine. </p>
<hr><p><strong><span class="font_large">LOVE IS A GLORIOUS THING </span></strong><br>Reminder to check out our most recent single <strong>Love Is A Glorious Thing</strong> featuring a cross-continental choir of singers from Vancouver to Cape Breton and San Francisco to Philadelphia. Streaming everywhere! </p>
<hr><p>As always, anyone interested in <strong>Mermaids</strong> or Cooking should visit <a contents="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal" target="_blank">http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal</a> to connect to the books I designed for my mother Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns! </p>
<p>As always, all of our social connections are available below for anyone who wants to get social with us!! </p>
<p>Operators Are Standing By! </p>
<p>-Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69080382022-02-26T09:43:09-05:002022-02-26T09:43:09-05:00TMD Stands With Ukraine<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/803dc3ef30886f6b26592318b6cab0f0b94ac300/original/tmd-sands-with-ukraine-design.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />We are based in Hamilton near Toronto, Canada, and certainly you would be hard-pressed to find a person here whose lives have not been impacted by people with Ukrainian roots, whether they are co-workers, friends, neighbours, godmothers (as in my case), and so the current invasion is really strongly felt.</p>
<p>We have created a special T-shirt and hoodie and will donate a portion of the proceeds to <a contents="DonateUkraine.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.donateukraine.com" target="_blank">DonateUkraine.com</a>. In fact, for the next few weeks, we will be doing that for any purchase from our <a contents="merch store" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">merch store</a>. We also encourage you to give directly.</p>
<p><strong>FROM THEIR WEBSITE:</strong> Ukraine: A population of 44 million. 14,000 dead in the ongoing conflict. Over 3,000 civilians were killed. Over 3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and evacuation due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. </p>
<p>Help us provide them with the means to survive. </p>
<p>2022 Russian Invasion: Over 130,000 Russian troops have encircled Ukraine creating the possibility of the largest humanitarian crisis since WWII. The NY Times is reporting the possibility of up to 50,000 dead and a refugee crisis in the heart of Europe. </p>
<p>Donations to Donate Ukraine will support humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled. Our mission is to prepare and provide housing assistance to displaced citizens during the unfolding crisis in Ukraine. We work with local NGOs and organizations in the United States to stabilize displaced families. We do not have a political agenda and do not provide lethal aid. </p>
<hr><p>We all hope for the best in these grim times. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Mac</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/69059122022-02-24T09:10:52-05:002022-02-24T09:10:52-05:00New T-shirt and Tote Bags to Support Ukraine<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/08239aa1be4cfa544af4e2adb7c0bb5236a9fd9e/original/20220224-084513-hdr.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />With the frightening events going on half a world away in Ukraine, we have decided to bring back our "Did The Russians Put You Up To This??" T-shirts and Tote bags and will donate a portion of the proceeds to <a contents="DonateUkraine.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://DonateUkraine.com" target="_blank">DonateUkraine.com</a>. </p>
<p><strong>FROM THEIR WEBSITE:</strong> Ukraine: A population of 44 million. 14,000 dead in the ongoing conflict. Over 3,000 civilians were killed. Over 3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and evacuation due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. </p>
<p>Help us provide them with the means to survive. </p>
<p>2022 Russian Invasion: Over 130,000 Russian troops have encircled Ukraine creating the possibility of the largest humanitarian crisis since WWII. The NY Times is reporting the possibility of up to 50,000 dead and a refugee crisis in the heart of Europe. </p>
<p>Donations to Donate Ukraine will support humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled. Our mission is to prepare and provide housing assistance to displaced citizens during the unfolding crisis in Ukraine. We work with local NGOs and organizations in the United States to stabilize displaced families. We do not have a political agenda and do not provide lethal aid.</p>
<p>ABOUT THE T-SHIRT AND TOTE BAGS: While developing the iconography for our last full-length release American Dream, I decided that there should be a political slant to pretty much everything. On the cover, I'm depicted in an actual replica of the Oval Office as the first Canadian President of the United States. When I was imagining we'd be performing shows, I was going to make the merch table look like a Voter Registration Booth and I was going to have protest signs available that had slogans relating to the lyrics on the album. I wound up using them in the various videos I created when the pandemic struck. </p>
<p>Anyway, this one pertains to the lyrics to Antifa and the Supremacists, which has nothing to do with Ukraine whatsoever but had everything to do with Russian spies and fake news and all the insanity that was the American political circus at the time. That said, this is definitely a bit cheeky and is certainly not intended as any form of disrespect to our Russian friends. Actually, on the track is some authentic Russian being spoken by a friend who was born in Moscow, and also includes Dan Konopka (from OK Go) on drums. He also mixed the track. </p>
<p>Maybe a day after he tracked the drums, I was assaulted by a meth addict on the street. Anyway, it's a pretty topsy-turvy world. Stay safe out there!</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><a contents="WATCH THE VIDEO" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/wlRO_jLjxWg" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH THE VIDEO</strong></a>.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>LYRICS to ANTIFA AND THE SUPREMACISTS</strong></p>
<p>I think it was some kind of mass hypnosis </p>
<p>And you find yourself face down in the gutter <br>With a smashed-in face only a mother <br>Could love and for that there’s even some doubters <br>You know it’s true, my sister and brothers <br>It’s not enough to mask your feelings <br>This time they’ve got you hanging from the ceiling <br>It takes a strong bite out of your soul <br>And last time you checked you weren’t safe at home </p>
<p>But you’re gonna get through <br>You’re gonna get through this <br>You’re gonna get through <br>Like this wasn’t happening to you </p>
<p>This internet you love, you thought it gave you a voice <br>Like Coke or Pepsi, illusion of choice <br>Every false headline lives forever <br>In a chaos of questions that binds us together <br>Was it the Russians who put you up to this? <br>The devil made you do it and sealed it with a kiss <br>The antifa walks with supremacists <br>Burns all the witches in street justice </p>
<p>And you’re gonna get through <br>And you’re gonna get through this <br>You’re gonna get through <br>Like this wasn’t happening to you </p>
<p>The Russians put you up to this </p>
<p>Did the Russians put you up to this? <br>Did the Russians put you up to this? <br>Admit it! <br>Did the Russians put you up to this? <br>The devil made you do it and sealed it with a kiss <br>The antifa walks with supremacists <br>Burns all the witches in street justice <br>The antifa walks with supremacists <br>Burns all the witches in street justice </p>
<p>And you’re gonna get through <br>You’re gonna get through this <br>You’re gonna get through <br>Like this wasn’t happening to you <br>Gonna get through <br>You’re gonna get through this <br>You’re gonna get through <br>Like this wasn’t happening to you</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/68911082022-02-07T14:17:08-05:002022-02-07T14:19:18-05:00New Single!! Love Is A Glorious Thing!!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/8b4938682189fae3749520bde0579d8e00467cde/original/tmd-love-is-a-glorious-thing-cover-flat.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="Love Is A Glorious Thing" /><strong>LOVE IS A GLORIOUS THING,</strong> from the forthcoming This Mad Desire album <strong>OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS</strong>, comes out Friday, February 11, 2022, on all streaming services and youtube and is available at thismaddesire.net RIGHT NOW!!</p>
<p>It was written in Thunder Bay and inspired by a Pixies cover of the Neil Young classic “Winterlong”. At the time. I was in high school and writing for my first band Bloodflowers and was busy learning as many Neil Young and Beatles songs as possible. That comes across in the song. </p>
<p>For whatever reason, I have never recorded a proper version of this until last spring (2021). Around March 2021 when it became clear that the lockdowns were going to head into the summer (at least), I decided to rent some equipment and record an album at home. Normally I like to record at the Hamilton Public Library’s Sound Studio, but the pandemic caused them to close those facilities for most of the year. So I headed down to Long and McQuade, rented some gear, picked up a Mac laptop to rent for a month, and I was off to the races. </p>
<p>For the most part, I would record most of the instruments (keyboards, guitars, bass) and vocals and then send things off to friends of mine like <strong>Mark Zubek</strong> or <strong>Dan Konopka (OK Go)</strong> to add their parts from their own home studios. Due to COVID, that was a pretty normal way of working. </p>
<p>While I was working on this, <strong>Indie 101</strong> occurred –which is one of four online music festivals organized by<strong> Indie Week</strong> in Toronto, and I thought that since I was already collaborating with people in Toronto and Los Angeles remotely, I could open up the collaborations to anyone with a cell phone or a laptop. So at Indie 101, I started asking if anyone was interested in singing some background vocals for two songs, including <em>Love Is A Glorious Thing</em>, and quite a few people were interested. A few people contacted me from friends of friends and so on. </p>
<p>We wound up with a really interesting mix of people from everywhere in North America. Some people were very professional singers, some were amateurs, some recorded in proper studios, some sang into their phones. By and large, I only met these people from sharing music. Most of them I’ve never met in person! </p>
<p>I thought it would be an interesting thing for people to do when they are isolated and locked down, like a little bolt of inspiration to get through the day and feel productive and like part of a community. </p>
<p>Mission accomplished! </p>
<p><strong>CREDITS</strong> <br>Written by <strong>Mackenzie Kristjon</strong>. <br>Vocals and instruments by Mackenzie Kristjon. <br>Bass by <strong>Kilian Bamberg</strong> who notably kickstarted my re-emergence into music when he really championed my recording <em>Operators Are Standing By</em>. </p>
<p><strong>Background vocals (in no particular order): </strong><br><strong>Leslie Ramsey-Taylor</strong> – R&B singer from Toronto, who is a friend of my frequent producer Mark Zubek. She has the greatest voice. <br><strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> – award-winning jazz singer from Philadelphia. She won the 2019 Philadelphia Music Award for Jazz and just recently won the John Lennon Songwriting Competition Song of the Week. AND she duets with me on our version of Christmas classic Deck The Halls. Try to imagine if we both did not attend that conference! <br><strong>Joyce Aldrich</strong> – who I met at Indie 101. She’s a talented jazz singer from Toronto. <br><strong>Erica “Captain” Corbo</strong> – another talented jazz artist and pop songwriter from Philadelphia! She performs as a pianist, vocalist and performance artist; both solo and as part of the free improv collective Space Whale Orchestra. I actually met her on Instagram one day when I was randomly researching Philadelphia music. She was organizing her concert series Warp Factor 9 at the time. They would put chairs out on the sidewalk and perform through an open window. I was very impressed! <br><strong>Kim Thompson</strong> – country singer from Calgary, Alberta, who I met at Indie 101. We have gone on to write a Christmas song called <em>This Christmas</em> which she recorded and was produced by <strong>Chris Birkett</strong> (Sinead O’Connor, Buffy Ste. Marie, Def Leppard, etc. etc.). Chris also produces music for Joyce Aldrich (mentioned above). Small world! <br><strong>Glen MacLeod</strong> – guitarist/songwriter in the band Crash World out of Vancouver. He’s a very talented guy and extremely friendly. <br><strong>Jason Dunford (Samaki Mkuu)</strong> – Jason is based in San Francisco and this is verbatim from his Wikipedia page: He is a Kenyan Olympic swimmer, media personality, rapper and entrepreneur. During his swimming career, he was predominantly a butterfly and freestyle sprinter winning gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, Universiade, All-Africa Games and African Championships, and reaching finals at the Olympics, World Championships and Short Course World Championships. He also held African, Universiade and Olympic records. He has worked as a broadcast journalist for the BBC, is a co-founder and adviser to software company, Safi and currently serves as the CEO of Baila Entertainment whilst performing as Samaki Mkuu, one half of the rap duo Romantico & Samaki Mkuu. I only learned about all the swimming after he sent in his vocals! <br><strong>Reinhard Kypke</strong> – Reinhard is based in Guelph and very proudly from Berlin (like Kilian, actually). He has been working with me on and off in various capacities for years. We even performed together in Iceland! <br><strong>Brian Doucette</strong> – Brian is a cool singer from Nova Scotia who I met through Mark Zubek. Definitely worth checking out! <br><strong>Fluency Grey</strong> – Fluency is an indie rocker in Ottawa. Very cool guy! <br><strong>Simon Pellett</strong> – Simon is British-born but lives in Texas and aside from being a really great heavy metal guitarist, he also has a podcast called <strong>Music On Your Own Terms</strong> which looks at the entrepreneurial side of the music industry in addition to mental health. <br><strong>Sandeep Swaminathan</strong> – Sandeep is the frontman/lead singer for an indie band called The Spiral Theory based in Toronto. We’ve been friends since meeting each other at Indie Week back in 2020. </p>
<p><strong>PRIVATE VIDEO LINK (goes public Feb 11):</strong> <a contents="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxDHlIRWEM" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxDHlIRWEM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okxDHlIRWEM</a> <br><strong>GET THE T-SHIRT/HOODIE:</strong> <a contents="https://thismaddesire.net/store" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">https://thismaddesire.net/store</a> <br><a contents="BUY THE TRACK&nbsp;" data-link-label="Music" data-link-type="page" href="/music" target="_blank">BUY THE TRACK </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>LYRICS: </strong></p>
<p>Take me with you anywhere </p>
<p>Wherever you want i don’t care </p>
<p>I’ll grab onto the airplane’s wing </p>
<p>Because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>Because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>Because, because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>And I just want to see how it feels </p>
<p>I just want to see how it </p>
<p>I just want to see how feels to me </p>
<p>Sometime </p>
<p>I could feel it rise up from the sea </p>
<p>This love wash over me </p>
<p>And it changed me completely </p>
<p>And it changed me gloriously </p>
<p>Because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>Because, because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>And I just want to see how it feels </p>
<p>I just want to see how it </p>
<p>I just want to see how it feels to me </p>
<p>Sometime </p>
<p>I’m holding on but it’s moving fast </p>
<p>I won’t let my future crash </p>
<p>I’ll grab onto your airplane’s wing </p>
<p>Because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>Because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>Because, because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>Because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>Because, because love is a glorious thing </p>
<p>And I just want to see how it feels </p>
<p>I just want to see how it </p>
<p>I just want to see how it feels</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/68780882022-01-24T11:08:03-05:002022-01-26T14:10:28-05:00Jessica Magoch Pre-Sale<p>Hey everyone.</p>
<p>Our friend and collaborator Jessica Magoch has a pre-sale going on for her upcoming album Trivial Pursuit. She's a really great award-winning singer out of the Philadelphia area who sings background vocals on our upcoming album and on our recent Christmas single Deck The Halls!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="vimeo" data-video-id="666739119" data-video-thumb-url="https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/1350071354-18133f0a01f3786b9cdc5c5e159aef21f81cad95e7dcbd61b62a50beacbbdfaa-d_640" type="text/html" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/666739119" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320"></iframe> </p>
<p>Check out the pre-sale at <a contents="jessicamagoch.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://jessicamagoch.com" target="_blank">jessicamagoch.com</a>!</p>
<p>-Mac</p>
<p>P.S. The title track from this forthcoming album was just selected as The John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Week. Congrats!!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/68420452021-12-15T14:53:55-05:002021-12-25T16:55:22-05:00Happy Holidaze!! Deck The Halls! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/29937477fa5705a4599c576642ab8340efe33176/original/deck-the-halls-cover-10-flat.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><span class="font_large"><em><strong>FA LA LA LA LA</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Our modern holiday classic is NOW AVAILABLE to stream anywhere and watch! (And if you're so inclined, you can buy it at <a contents="thismaddesire.net" data-link-label="Music" data-link-type="page" href="/music">thismaddesire.net</a> or <a contents="thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">thismaddesire.bandcamp.com</a>.)</p>
<p>Recorded across North America in various locations across Canada and the United States, our version of <strong>Deck the Halls</strong> is a collaboration between <strong>Mackenzie Kristjon</strong>, vocalist <strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> (winner of the 2019 Philadelphia Live Music Award for Jazz), guitarist <strong>Steve Baric</strong>, and <strong>Dan Konopka</strong> (OK Go). Background vocals are provided by Guelph-based singer <strong>Tannis Slimmon</strong>, <strong>Kari Lyn</strong> (Toronto by way of Prince Edward Island), and <strong>Kim Thompson</strong> from Calgary.</p>
<p>Watch the video here: <a contents="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NixmYpSFsIQ" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NixmYpSFsIQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NixmYpSFsIQ</a></p>
<hr><p><span class="font_large"><strong>Personnel: </strong></span></p>
<p><strong>Jessica Magoch</strong> pours a glam cocktail of jazz, swing, hip-hop, and rap. Winner of the Philadelphia Music award for Jazz 2019 and top 20 Indie Songs of 2020 by CFAB Radio. Originally from Queens, NY, and currently in the Philadelphia area, Jessica is working on a new album. <a contents="http://jessicamagoch.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://jessicamagoch.com" target="_blank">http://jessicamagoch.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Steve Baric</strong> is a multi-instrumentalist/composer based in Ontario, Canada. Mac and Steve met in the previous century in high school back in Thunder Bay, Ontario. <a contents="http://linktr.ee/woodsnstrings" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://linktr.ee/woodsnstrings" target="_blank">http://linktr.ee/woodsnstrings</a></p>
<p><strong>Dan Konopka</strong> is a drummer and mixing engineer based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the drummer in Grammy-winning <strong>OK Go</strong> and has become a frequent collaborator on This Mad Desire's recordings. Plus he's met Animal from the Muppets! <a contents="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKSfMvvQ0f4&amp;t=22s" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKSfMvvQ0f4&t=22s" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKSfMvvQ0f4&t=22s</a></p>
<p><strong>Tannis Slimmon</strong> is known for her genuine warmth and rare vocal talent and has been a valued member of the folk music scene in Canada and Internationally for over 30 years. Mac met her when he was living in Guelph, Ontario. <a contents="http://tannis.ca" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://tannis.ca" target="_blank">http://tannis.ca</a></p>
<p><strong>Kari Lyn</strong> is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter from Prince Edward Island. Her latest album was nominated for Top Rock Album at the 2020 PEI Music Awards. <a contents="http://karilynmusic.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://karilynmusic.com" target="_blank">http://karilynmusic.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Kim Thompson</strong> is a Calgary-based country singer whose recent single <strong>This Christmas</strong> was co-written by Mackenzie Kristjon and produced by Chris Birkett (Sinead O'Connor, Buffy Ste. Marie, etc.). A few weeks ago, this was the number 5 most downloaded country song in Canada (and the only independent tune!). <a contents="http://kimthompson.heanow.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://kimthompson.hearnow.com" target="_blank">http://kimthompson.heanow.com</a></p>
<p>Like this recording, Christmas has no borders.</p>
<p>Happy holidaze! </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="NixmYpSFsIQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/NixmYpSFsIQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NixmYpSFsIQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>-THIS MAD DESIRE</strong></p>
<p><strong>LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT.</strong></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/68233842021-11-28T10:06:42-05:002021-11-28T10:18:57-05:00Cyber Monday Sale!!!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/dffd24bd19097a6d324f567ab123e3e3fbb74fb9/original/tmd-cyber2021-older-liz.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" /><strong>Happy Thanksgiving, America!! </strong></p>
<p>We have a <strong>SALE</strong> going on in our <strong><a contents="STORE" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">STORE</a></strong> for CyberMonday! (Starts Sunday)</p>
<p><strong>Enjoy 25% off</strong> anything in the store with discount code CYBER2021 ! T-shirts, tote bags, sandals, coffee cups... Great gifts! Take a look around. Every purchase will also receive a special package with a grab bag of small stuff sent separately. And if you order now, you will receive everything before Christmas.</p>
<p><strong><em>Operators Are Standing By!</em></strong></p>
<p>P.S. Check out the new Operators Remix video (and other ones) at <a contents="youtube.com/thismaddesire" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://youtube.com/thismaddesire" target="_blank">youtube.com/thismaddesire</a>.</p>
<p><strong>-THIS MAD DESIRE</strong></p>
<p><strong>LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT.</strong></p>
<p> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/68057182021-11-11T11:34:34-05:002021-11-11T11:34:34-05:00This Mad Desire Co-Write Released!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/11f9a1d0d73ecd760ecfb919805d9cc600095228/original/kim-this-christmas-3000.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />Congratulations to Calgary-based singer <strong>Kim Thompson</strong> for releasing <strong>This Christmas</strong>, co-written by <strong>Mackenzie Kristjon</strong> and produced by famed record producer <strong>Chris Birkett</strong>.</p>
<p>Not only is <strong>Kim Thompson</strong> a singer-songwriter but she is also an actress, barrel racer, rodeo athlete, barrel race producer, Alberta Music Fest producer, horse trainer, artist, author, charity fundraiser, and current teacher of elementary school with two degrees. </p>
<p><strong>Chris Birkett</strong> is an award winning music producer, singer/songwriter, sound engineer and performer. Collaborations with mega-talents like Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sinead O’Connor, The Talking Heads, Dexys Midnight Runners, Bob Geldof, and Quincy Jones have sold over 100 million dollars worth of music, earning a Polaris Music Prize, a Juno Award, three Juno nominations, and three AMPEX Golden Reel Awards for excellence in the music business.</p>
<p>Listen to the track and find it at all your favourite streaming services at <a contents="kimthompson.hearnow.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://kimthompson.hearnow.com" target="_blank">kimthompson.hearnow.com</a>.</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/67819062021-10-20T15:08:47-04:002021-10-20T15:08:47-04:00Earshot Distro Winner!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/af5bf13e3af1d41fe8b8c30f5a662ddef52c2d29/original/earshot-thank-you.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_left border_none" alt="" />Many thanks to the fine folks over at Earshot Distro (<a contents="earshot-distro.ca" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://earshot-distro.ca" target="_blank">earshot-distro.ca</a>)!! They have just informed us that we won $300 credit in their system which connects great Canadian music to campus and community radio stations across Canada (and eventually the world!). Totally great service for both musicians and radio programmers.</p>
<p><strong>From their website: </strong></p>
<p>The National Campus and Community Radio Association Inc./L’Association nationale de radios étudiantes et communautaires Inc. (NCRA/ANREC) in conjunction with Canadian campus and community radio stations, and the Canadian music industry (record labels, distributors, independent artists, etc.) have come together to develop the !earshot Digital Distribution System. !earshot-Distro is an online platform that will allow the Canadian music industry to upload musical recordings to be searched, reviewed, and downloaded by campus and community radio stations to be broadcast across Canada. The NCRA/ANREC has estimated that $870,000 to $2,000,000 is lost annually by the Canadian music industry when it comes to distributing music to campus and community radio stations. This is due to a substantial number of CDs being rejected by campus and community radio stations due to a lack of storage space. With the implementation and usage of !earshot-Distro the NCRA/ANREC expects to reduce the cost of distributing to campus and community radio stations by 80%, and to dramatically increase the reach and distribution of music to campus and community radio stations. !earshot-Distro is created by the NCRA/ANREC which is a small not-for-profit that represents 112 not-for-profit campus and community radio stations, with 93 of them being licensed to a CRTC campus and community radio station. Collectively, they represent over 54% of the entire licensed campus and community radio sector within Canada. Our volunteer base of 15,000 work to ensure that campus and community stations keep running, and work to promote artists from their local communities, and across Canada. </p>
<p>Cost: Uploads start at $7/song or $50/Album (8-20 songs) Canadian +tax. </p>
<p>!earshot-Distro is currently available for Canadian record labels, distributors, and independent artists to use. </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/67641552021-10-02T12:26:22-04:002021-11-11T13:42:52-05:00New Video!! Operators Are Standing By (felino Remix)<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/06881f46b8d85a04917f70be0238dcfe7c43c5d7/original/operators-tshirt-front.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" />We are proud to announce that our new remix for <strong>Operators Are Standing By (felino Remix)</strong> is now available on all streaming services and in a fun new video! Our friend felino worked with his friend Mag Ludi in Brazil to re-imagine the song that got us back into the music world.</p>
<p>The video "remixes" the original video originally done at <strong>Digital Canaries</strong> and also includes photos from the launch party at <strong>Comotion on King</strong> taken by <strong>Mike Skarvinko Photography</strong>.</p>
<p>Also available are new T-shirts and tote bags that feature both the original and the remix artwork for Operators. Available in our <a contents="Store" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">Store</a>.</p>
<p><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/720159a986c4b30279ecfb836c8e9318488730f7/original/mfr-2-cover.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_right border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Also exciting is the new Mermaids book Mermaids ..For Real!! -Land and Mer-Families Unite! by Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns is also now available on Amazon. Kristin and Mackenzie have been working on this one for quite some time and excited to share this fun piece of tween fiction! Links to order: <a contents="Linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal" target="_blank">Linktr.ee/mermaidsforreal</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="XRWDy8MJhYc" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/XRWDy8MJhYc/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XRWDy8MJhYc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/67445222021-09-13T10:15:10-04:002021-09-13T10:15:10-04:00Operators Are Standing By (Felino Remix) AVAILABLE NOW!!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/f8181c035de960c1b66f4b5d94c88d32fbe95925/original/operator-remix-cover-final-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />Very excited to announce the release of <strong>Operators Are Standing By (Felino Remix)</strong>. Currently it is exclusively available at <a contents="thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">thismaddesire.bandcamp.com</a>. (Streaming services will come later...)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In commemoration of this exciting event, we have also created special edition <strong>Operators Are Standing By T-shirts</strong> and <strong>Tote Bags</strong> which feature both the original artwork and the Remix artwork. You can check them out at our <a contents="Store" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">Store</a>.</p>
<p>As you may be aware, <strong>Operators Are Standing By</strong> was the track which re-launched <strong>This Mad Desire</strong>. Originally produced by <strong>Mark Zubek (Zedd Records), </strong>it spawned a very fun music video directed by <strong>Simon Winterson</strong> of <strong>Digital Canaries Sets + Studios</strong> in Hamilton, Canada.</p>
<p>This remix is the first release that will be part of the forthcoming album <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>, which features exciting collaborations from across the planet, not the least of which is this remix. <strong>Felino </strong>is an artist and producer based in Curitiba, Brazil. He worked with <strong>Mag Ludi</strong> on the remix as well.</p>
<p>The song is about human connection so it's fitting that we've been reaching around the globe to make the world a little smaller. Operators Are Standing By!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/67148042021-08-12T18:47:26-04:002021-08-12T18:47:26-04:00Midsummer Update<p>Hope you are enjoying your summer. Just thought I'd take a minute and get caught up with everyone. We've been hard at work on the upcoming album <strong>Open Hearts Open Minds</strong>, which is almost ready to master. I worked with some people like Mark Zubek (Zedd Records) and Dan Konopka (OK Go) as on American Dream but also lots of new people like Leon Harrison from The Lazys and loads of background singers from all over the place (Philadelphia, San Francisco, Texas, Vancouver, Cape Breton, you name it) and you'll start to see announcements for releases in the coming weeks. </p>
<p>We were accepted into the <strong>Hamilton Musician Development Program</strong> which has afforded us some top notch marketing assistance for this new album so that's been pretty great. Many thanks to Debbie Spence and everyone at the Hamilton Music & Film Office! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/f8181c035de960c1b66f4b5d94c88d32fbe95925/original/operator-remix-cover-final-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />To that end, here are a few things you can look forward to: the next release (release date TBD) will be a remix of <strong>Operators Are Standing By</strong> from Felino, who is a producer based in Brazil. Also on the horizon is the <strong>Interlake All-Stars</strong> compilation vinyl celebrating artists with a connection to the Interlake region of Manitoba (I haven't heard official release date yet). </p>
<p>On a different note, I have been doing a fair amount of song cowriting and music lessons online. I'm happy to work with anyone over Zoom. For example, I've written some songs with a friend in Calgary and I'm writing a reggae/Caribbean-sounding tune with new friends in New York City and San Diego. So if you'd like some help with your own songwriting or you want a guitar, piano, or voice lesson, just let me know and we can arrange a time that works! </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>RANDOM NOTES</strong> </p>
<ul> <li>Save Toronto Music Venues Compilation CD is now available. $10, 22 bands, and that warm feeling that you're doing something for a good cause! All proceeds go to various Toronto music venues. We have even contributed a track. Order at savetorontomusicvenues.com. </li> <li>Buttons, vinyl, and merch! All this plus t-shirts, neck gaiters, coffee cups, etc. are now available on our new store at our main site http://thismaddesire.net/store. And vinyl/digital music is available at thismaddesire.bandcamp.com. Purchasing music and merch is the greatest way to support artists especially as the live music world has been decimated in the past year. </li> <li>My (constant) plea: If you could take two seconds and FOLLOW This Mad Desire on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube, it would make a world of difference to me. In the modern music world, those metrics are important!! </li> <li>Culinary Saga of New Iceland – Maybe cooking is your thing! Check out our award-winning cookbook’s Second Edition(!!) on Amazon! This is a book by my mother which I designed. </li> <li>Mermaids ...For Real!! - Check out this great book for pre-teens about mermaids and ocean conservation by my mother here and don't forget to follow on Facebook! We're actually currently working on the sequel which will be out this fall. </li>
</ul>
<p>Stay safe out there and Stand Up And Dream Again!! </p>
<p>-Mackenzie Kristjon</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/66519932021-06-07T14:48:48-04:002021-06-07T14:48:48-04:00Save Toronto Music Venues Pre-Sale On Now!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/ea4b73f4a013d28f00500791cd11a04f0b8cee99/original/img-20210526-100919-085.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" /></p>
<p>Hey everyone! </p>
<p>Following up on our last post, the pre-sale for the Save Toronto Music Venues compilation CD is now on. $10, 22 bands, and that warm feeling that you're doing something for a good cause! All proceeds go to various Toronto music venues. We have contributed a track. Pre-order at <a contents="savetorontomusicvenues.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://savetorontomusicvenues.com" target="_blank">savetorontomusicvenues.com</a>. </p>
<p>AND Read All About It in Canada's most trusted music source, <a contents="Exclaim Magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://exclaim.ca/music/article/save_toronto_music_venues_compilation_flatliners_organ_thieves_by_octopi" target="_blank">Exclaim Magazine</a>! (We even get name-checked in the article!)</p>
<p>And just a reminder, we have special TMD STMV t-shirts available here at <a contents="our store" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">our store</a>. And again, all proceeds go to Save Toronto Music Venues.</p>
<p>Stay safe and support local!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/66414652021-05-27T10:34:28-04:002021-05-27T10:34:28-04:00Save Toronto Music Venues<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/4fd7ba5965d14d6c1ae74102777af76f6ff7725e/original/stmv-tshirt-design.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="Save Toronto Music Venues T-shirt Design" />Some friends of mine have started something called <a contents="Save Toronto Music Venues" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.savetorontomusicvenues.com/" target="_blank">Save Toronto Music Venues</a>. They are very cool people trying to raise awareness and money for and about the many iconic music venues in Toronto that have been devastated this past pandemic. I have performed more in Toronto than any other city so this cause resonates with me. Toronto has been the most locked-down major city on Earth so you can only imagine how hard this has been on artists and venues.</p>
<p>I have played at and been to on countless occasions the Horseshoe Tavern, the Rivoli, the Mod Club (RIP), the Opera House, Lee's Palace, Sneaky Dee's... the Reverb back in the day, etc. etc. and more dive bars than you can count! So for this <a contents="new T-shirt" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank"><strong>new T-shirt</strong></a> we are now selling, all proceeds will go to Save Toronto Music Venues.</p>
<p>What's YOUR fave Toronto music venue?</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65709712021-03-11T13:29:07-05:002021-05-14T14:02:21-04:00Antifa and the Supremacists UNLEASHED!!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/ffddf351fa88280b1c99dde0ff04ac5358bbc22b/original/antifa-poster-12.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="Antifa and the Supremacists" />This Mad Desire’s new lyric video for <em>Antifa and the Supremacists</em> arrives Friday, March 12, 2021, as the fifth lyric video to emerge from their <strong>American Dream</strong> release, and in a similar style to the other ones employs recent news footage, archival footage, and home videos to reflect on the state of the world over the recent past. </p>
<p> The song itself was recorded in mid-2019 and features <strong>Dan Konopka (OK Go)</strong> on drums (and mixing). Mackenzie Kristjon recorded the bulk of it at the <strong>Hamilton Public Library</strong>’s Dundas branch, which has a music studio in the children’s department –which is encased in glass and is not soundproof! </p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/6315cefcc9bd11aab39b318f266ebe68517e7626/original/20190702-mac-in-hospital.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="Mac about an hour or two after being attacked" /> Around this time, Mackenzie was randomly attacked and beaten very severely by a meth addict on the street. As the song starts with lines about having a “smashed-in face that only a mother could love”, was this a case of Life imitating Art? The timing could not have been stranger and so in the video there are actual photos of Mackenzie’s injuries from the time. </p>
<p> Other themes in the lyrics are very topical and relevant to our modern times touching on the Antifa, the Supremacists, the Russians, fake news, Coke and Pepsi, and more! Yet, as Mackenzie Kristjon notes, “Although we’ve been living through some categorically bizarre times with struggle and despair for many, I like to inject some hope and optimism into my songwriting which is why the chorus message is that ‘You’re gonna get through this’. And there is some very funny tongue-in-cheek footage included in the video.”</p>
<p><strong>About the Artist:</strong> This Mad Desire is Mackenzie Kristjon’s rock’n’roll brand. Mackenzie won his first national songwriting competition as a teenager and has never stopped writing. He has toured through Canada, UK, Iceland and Europe with TMD and with chamber-pop group Barzin. <br> TMD’s most recent album American Dream includes collaborations with hit producer <strong>Mark Zubek (Zedd Records)</strong> and Dan Konopka (OK Go). It also includes cover songs by <strong>Alice Cooper</strong> and <strong>Bob Wiseman</strong> as well as an unwitting songwriting collaboration with <strong>Leonard Cohen</strong>. </p>
<p><strong>RIYL:</strong> Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Arkells, OK Go</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="wlRO_jLjxWg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/wlRO_jLjxWg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wlRO_jLjxWg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65604052021-02-27T10:19:43-05:002021-05-14T14:02:45-04:00Fun Review from the Grapevinyl!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/991f4aa846c9dd3270a07a9e102c83288df6093d/original/screenshot-20210223-151546-2.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here's the direct quote:</p>
<p><em>This Mad Desire - American Dream brings garage, rock, alt, rock, nods to classic rock with a punk DIY vibe. This album has a combination of grassroots meets professionalism that fascinates me, making it stand out from the mainstream sonic experience you are used to. Song themes vary, but I enjoy most the music exploring social and political divides.</em></p>
<p>This is a really hip instagram account that reviews all sorts of albums, many of which have very cool-looking vinyl! Follow <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://instagram.com/thegrapevinyl">HERE</a>.</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65246962021-01-19T08:13:01-05:002021-01-25T10:22:23-05:00More Press | Stand Up And Dream Again!<p>We've come across a few more features devoted to the single/video Stand Up And Dream Again.</p>
<ul> <li>This one is in <a contents="BritishHipHop.co.uk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.britishhiphop.co.uk/features/articles/stand-up-and-dream-again-by-this-mad-desire-is-about-a-rallying-cry-for-a-new-dawn-in-america.html" target="_blank">BritishHipHop.co.uk</a>. That's right! This is a British blog mostly specializing in hip hop!</li> <li>
<a contents="LifeTales" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://public.lifetales.com/story/5b3bb8ec-52df-4b61-af6f-44c2ff01d217">LifeTales</a>. This is a more general blog with stories on a wide range of topics.</li> <li>
<a contents="Breaking &amp; Entering" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://breakingandentering.net/2021/01/17/stand-up-and-dream-again-by-this-mad-desire-is-about-a-rallying-cry-for-a-new-dawn-in-america/" target="_blank">Breaking & Entering</a>. This blog focuses on music from Milwaukee but also includes national acts.</li> <li>
<a contents="GigSoup" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gigsoupmusic.com/pr/stand-up-and-dream-again-by-this-mad-desire-is-about-a-rallying-cry-for-a-new-dawn-in-america/">GigSoup</a>. Ths is a webzine based in London, England.</li> <li>
<a contents="HxppyThoughts" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://hxppythxxghts.com/stand-up-and-dream-again-by-this-mad-desire-is-about-a-rallying-cry-for-a-new-dawn-in-america/">HxppyThoughts</a>. A webzine devoted to creativity! </li>
</ul>
<p>Cheers!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65239412021-01-18T09:38:42-05:002021-08-03T10:49:18-04:00Boost Collective | Stand Up And Dream Again Review<p>New feature... [The video for] <em>Stand Up and Dream Again reflects on the current state of affairs in the United States and the world making use of various news clips of protests and riots. Kristjon shares “Once I decided the title of the album would be American Dream, I immediately thought that Stand Up and Dream Again made total sense as the chorus sounds like a rallying cry for a new dawn in America.”</em></p>
<p><a contents="https://boostcollective.ca/featuring-artists/stand-up-and-dream-again-by-this-mad-desire-is-about-a-rallying-cry-for-a-new-dawn-in-america" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://boostcollective.ca/featuring-artists/stand-up-and-dream-again-by-this-mad-desire-is-about-a-rallying-cry-for-a-new-dawn-in-america">https://boostcollective.ca/featuring-artists/stand-up-and-dream-again-by-this-mad-desire-is-about-a-rallying-cry-for-a-new-dawn-in-america</a></p>
<p>Thanks Boost Collective!</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65226272021-01-16T09:04:27-05:002022-05-16T12:43:23-04:00The Sounds Won't Stop | Review and Interview<p>A new review and interview is up at California music blog <strong>The Sounds Won't Stop</strong>. They review the song and video for <em>Stand Up And Dream Again</em> and follow up with an interview with Mackenzie Kristjon of This Mad Desire.</p>
<p><em>"Stand Up And Dream Again" is a combination of garage rock, classic rock, and more with fuzztone guitars, swelling synths, and a view point of overcoming the struggles of whatever is going on, stand up, and dream again. </em></p>
<p><em>With touches of 90's alt rock, the track gets more intense as it plays on and calls for you to put your fists in the air and sing along.</em></p>
<p>Read the rest at <a contents="http://www.thesoundswontstop.com/this-mad-desire" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thesoundswontstop.com/this-mad-desire">http://www.thesoundswontstop.com/this-mad-desire</a>.</p>
<p>Stay safe out there!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65163182021-01-08T09:09:05-05:002023-12-10T11:33:38-05:00TMD Archives | Sweetness Machines<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/ef36e49efdf3374c6113c2d331bb5838a6dda736/original/karma-repair-archive-series-lores.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /><br>As of January 8, 2021, the <strong>Sweetness Machines</strong> album is now available on all major streaming platforms. The album was originally released on CD in 2000 under our then band-name Karma Repair and has been available on Bandcamp for a while. Featuring Bonar Bulger on guitar, Gerald Taylor on bass, and Dave Bukta on drums, it was recorded by Andrew McPherson at the Monastereo in Guelph, Ontario. The music is fairly progressive and was influenced by David Bowie, Radiohead, and other bands from the era. A real time capsule! Some of the songs date back to the old Bloodflowers band that Gerry and I had in high school in Thunder Bay (Black Star, Razorblade Man). Actually from that same high school era is Perfect Ring on the new <strong>American Dream</strong> album. Some great songs were written when we were teenagers! At the bottom of this page are links to all the major streaming platforms where you can check it out! </p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65126932021-01-03T10:50:20-05:002023-12-10T12:09:00-05:00TMD Quarantimes - Happy New Years!!!<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Friends, Family, Co-Conspirators! </strong></span></p>
<p>Welcome to 2021! Hoping this year will see the world get back on track for success. Anyway, new year, new updated website! With that in mind, I thought I’d take a look back on 2020 and some of the projects I had the pleasure of working on, including the latest This Mad Desire release, <strong>American Dream</strong>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/840ccb91e210a850cd1eff174b24ce810451ce0d/original/american-dream-product-image.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><span class="font_large"><strong>This Mad Desire – American Dream </strong></span><br>Leading up to the pandemic, I put the finishing touches on <strong>American Dream</strong>, i.e. organized the artwork, assembled all the final mixes, arranged the sequencing, and sent all this off to be mastered. After working on this over the previous 15 months or so (including several months off to recover from being assaulted), this was a relief to be at the end of the beginning! </p>
<p>Two of my main collaborators were <strong>Mark Zubek</strong> (Zedd Records in Toronto) and <strong>Dan Konopka</strong> (OK Go in Los Angeles). Aside from our own great songs, the album contains cover versions by <strong>Alice Cooper</strong> and <strong>Bob Wiseman</strong> as well as an unwitting collaboration with <strong>Leonard Cohen</strong> on one of my favourite songs, <em>Perfect Ring</em>, which also features the late <strong>Jim Perry</strong> on drums. I dedicated the album to Jim Perry and included a very unique percussion feature that he insisted on recording. It was a live off-the-floor percussion piece that included me on vibraphones and our friend Sarah on cello. </p>
<p>Since the album’s release, I have issued four Lyric Videos (<em>Stand Up And Dream Again</em>, <em>American Dream</em>, <em>What the Astronaut.</em>., and <em>Reykjavik Shuffle</em>). </p>
<p>Since the summer, we have had features in various blogs, podcasts, etc. including <a contents="Exclaim Magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://exclaim.ca/music/article/this_mad_desire_release_new_album_american_dream" target="_blank">Exclaim Magazine</a>, <a contents="Rock Source Magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://rocksourcemagazine.com/2020/11/12/this-mad-desire/" target="_blank">Rock Source Magazine</a>, and most recently we had a press release get picked up by literally hundreds of blogs and major media outlets across the US and even the Middle East! For example, this is for an <a contents="NBC TV affiliate in the Northeastern US" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.wrde.com/story/43047730/canadian-rockers-release-american-dream" target="_blank">NBC TV affiliate in the Northeastern US</a>. </p>
<p>Most recently, we have finally released a Limited Edition Clear Vinyl pressing of American Dream, hand-pressed by Robyn at Red Spade Records, who is also the only woman in Canada who does this kind of work. There are very few left as most were pre-sold. To avoid disappointment, head on over to <a contents="thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thismaddesire.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">thismaddesire.bandcamp.com</a>. Operators Are Standing By!! (And feel free to ask about the upcoming Operators Remix project! Very exciting!!) </p>
<p>Fun fact! Some of the celebrities/famous characters that somehow appear in these songs include <strong>Quentin Tarantino</strong>, Jesus, <strong>Richard Branson</strong>, Hercules, Thor, and<strong> Bill Cosby</strong>. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/43a63fe28c75ac3a36a4e2904c2f9c6cc507485b/original/mfr-cover-instagram.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Mermaids ...For Real!! </strong></span><br>Very excited to announce that the new youth-oriented classic by my mother Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns (which I designed and edited) is now available for purchase. This fantastic story about mermaids and land-people having adventures and ultimately learning about ocean conservation is currently available exclusively on Amazon. </p>
<p><a contents="Amazon Canada" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.ca/Mermaids-Real-Discovery-Kristin-Olafson-Jenkyns/dp/B08M8DGMJ1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mermaids+for+real&qid=1609688609&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon Canada</a> <br><a contents="Amazon USA" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/Mermaids-Real-Discovery-Kristin-Olafson-Jenkyns/dp/B08M8DGMJ1/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=mermaids+for+real&qid=1609688683&sr=8-8" target="_blank">Amazon USA</a> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/522808/64f16aa660dd649a884350319476c62bc2000ab4/original/cs-cover-for-dad.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Culinary Saga of New Iceland </strong></span><br>Of course, just as the pandemic was getting warmed up, my mother and I released the second edition of the award-winning Culinary Saga of New Iceland: Recipes From the Shores of Lake Winnipeg. In the summer, we were fortunate to receive some interesting press, including this article syndicated by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (!). This article appeared in all kinds of Jewish publications across the world like New York, St. Louis, and Jerusalem, among other places. Very unexpected! </p>
<p>We are always surprised and grateful when people outside the Icelandic community take an interest. Just recently, a family in New Jersey told me they picked up a copy. So neat!</p>
<p><a contents="Purchase the Culinary Saga" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.ca/Culinary-Saga-New-Iceland-Winnipeg/dp/B086B9VCHW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=culinary+saga+of+new+iceland&qid=1609688853&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Purchase the Culinary Saga</a> </p>
<p>At any rate, as you can see, we tried to make the best out of a very strange and challenging situation. Let me know your plans for the New Year and how you intend to make it great! </p>
<p>Love you all! Stand Up And Dream Again!! </p>
<p>-Mac <br> </p>
<p>P.S. We have fun neck gaiters available at our online store. Just click the Merch link above. Stay safe!!</p>
<p>LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ENJOY IT.</p>This Mad Desiretag:thismaddesire.net,2005:Post/65103262020-12-30T14:22:08-05:002020-12-30T14:24:44-05:00New Website!!!<p>Welcome to our new website. May it bring you happy and shiny times! </p>
<p>**************** </p>
<p><em>"Theatrical Acoustic-Alternative Post-Heroin-Chic, kind of like Tim Curry meets Edward Scissorhands meets Karl Wallinger, who’s also a Buddhist. There’s a darkness there that’s not really dark, just real."</em> -Mark Daum </p>
<p>A special message from Jeff Rau: <br><em>..may i also put in my personal request for a revival of drinkme. i know, i'm stuck on the early stuff. i gotta move on to twentyfirstcenturymac.... the mac of the people, no longer pretending to be caught up in the mysticism of the rockstar lifestyle, rather living it with guitar saliently blazing from his pelvis like an extraordinarily massive musical erection. his explosive talent is our joy, and his joy is our wet dream. his makeup is only a crumb of what lies hidden in his pockets. he is....twentyfirstcenturymac.</em></p>This Mad Desire