It is no secret that physical activity has tremendous benefits ranging from weight management and strengthening the body to lowering the risk of certain illnesses and increasing life expectancy. Despite knowing how advantageous fitness is, many people struggle with finding the motivation to exercise as they cannot find the proper workout to keep them going.
If you’re one of those people, you can go the traditional route and run a few miles every morning, hit your local gym, and browse the blog of a nationally known celebrity trainer and nutritionist Lucas James for fitness motivation tips. But if you’d like to be a little adventurous, you could look further into the many available workout options.
If you feel uninspired by your workout, you have innumerable options to spice up your routine. What do you say about pole dancing or aerial yoga? You could also break a sweat with the wild punk rock aerobics or Bollywood-inspired Doonya. Check out the unusual alternatives below and give them a try to see if this is what you’re looking for.
Aerial Yoga
Yoga is a wonderful exercise that can help you maintain your flexibility and build strength. This routine is great for people who want to try something different. It’s also an excellent alternative for those who find it difficult to practice traditional yoga – it’s much easier to reach more challenging poses such as headstands with support.
Aerial yoga combines yoga poses with the use of aerial silks, hammocks, and other objects to help deepen the stretch. The training also incorporates acrobatic tricks performed while hanging from the silks. This allows for an all-over workout that will strengthen the core and improve flexibility.
Pole Dancing
Pole dancing is a type of dance that requires the use of a stripper pole to perform a variety of moves. The sport was initially used as a form of exercise to improve body strength, flexibility, and agility. It has evolved into a competitive sport and is now practiced in gyms and studios across the country.
The moves are both challenging and fun. They involve a lot of core work, which gives you killer abs and lower back. Pole dancing can give you more power, stamina, and confidence, along with chiseled arms and thighs. In addition, this workout will help you tone your buttocks and legs.
Punk Rock Aerobics
If you’re looking to strengthen your body and have fun at the same time, punk rock aerobics may be precisely what you need. Developed by graphic artist Maura Jasper and musician Hilken Mancini, punk rock aerobics is supposed to boost your self-confidence by increasing your overall fitness instead of sculpting the body.
The workout takes place in rock clubs or DIY spaces, so you don’t have to worry about being judged while at the gym. Punk rock aerobics incorporates both choreographed and freestyle moves, which are later followed by resistance training through the use of cinder blocks – everything while listening to upbeat punk music that makes blood rush in excitement.
Bollywood-Inspired Doonya
Equally as exciting as punk rock aerobics, Bollywood-inspired Doonya is another excellent way to get your heart racing. Created by Priya Pandya and Kajal Desai, this routine combines traditional Bollywood dance and fitness moves set to energetic music. If you enjoy Indian music, you’ll undoubtedly love the combination of lively music, Indian culture, and dance.
Although the workout itself is fun, it’s also quite challenging and highly rewarding. You will tone virtually every muscle in your body, including your abs, thighs, and glutes.
Hula Hooping
The next time you’re looking for an easy way to strengthen your core and tone your back muscles, consider giving hula hooping a try. This simple activity involves spinning a lightweight hoop around the hips using the waist and hips.
Hula hooping is a low-impact exercise that works almost every major muscle in your body. It also helps improve your posture and balance, as well as your overall sense of well-being. It’s an excellent exercise for all levels and comes without any risks or side effects.
Capoeira
Capoeira is a form of acrobatic martial art that combines elements of dance, martial arts, and music. This martial art was developed in Brazil and is now practiced by people all over the world as a form of art and a competitive sport.
If you’re interested in trying this routine out, you can attend a class but be prepared to challenge yourself. The workout incorporates movements that work your arms, legs, and core, making it great for burning calories. It’s also fun to learn and perform and offers several benefits, such as improving coordination, flexibility, and strength.
Pogo Stick Aerobics
The pogo stick has long been used as a toy for children, but it can also be used as an effective way to strengthen your lower body and build muscle mass. This may sound like a strange workout, but it’s actually quite fun and effective. Pogo stick aerobics is an intense workout that requires some practice but once mastered, it will allow you to tone your legs, buttocks, abs, back, and arms.
Make sure to choose the right pogo, stick with the correct measurements and stick to safety precautions. You should bounce on solid and even surfaces so you won’t fall. Also, you should wear protective gear such as a helmet, knee pads, and elbow cushions to avoid injuring yourself.
Rebound Exercise
Rebound exercise is a type of exercise that uses a mini trampoline to work the body. It’s a fun way to get in shape as it requires little effort but can give excellent results. This workout is perfect for people who want to strengthen their abs and legs while improving their balance and coordination. You may not be bouncing as high as you would on an ordinary trampoline, but you will still feel your heart rate rising with each jump.
The routine is very simple – all you need to do is stand on the rebounder and bend your knees slightly. Then, jump up and land softly on the mat. Make sure you land on both feet and not on your heels. Once you’ve mastered the basics of rebound exercise, you can challenge yourself by making more complicated moves such as jumps and kicks.
Conclusion
You don’t have to stick to the same boring workout routine when you can find so many exciting alternatives. Whether you want to improve your strength and flexibility or tone your muscles, you will certainly find a suitable exercise alternative.
The workouts mentioned above are a great way to shake up your routine and take your fitness experience to the next level. If you’re looking for an exciting way to lose weight and gain strength, try a few of them out and see which one works best for you.
Hailing from London, deathcrash are a post-rock band comprised of vocalist and guitarist Tiernan Banks, bassist Patrick Fitzgerald, guitarist Matthew Weinberger, and drummer Noah Bennett. After forming in 2019, the group released twoEPs and a 7″ that saw them developing a heavy slowcore sound, moving away from the post-punk-adjacent Speedy Wunderground scene they were associated with early on. Speaking with The Quietus, Tyler Hyde of Black Country, New Road, who they have toured nationally with, explained how deathcrash’s grasp of dynamics helped them make more “impactful” music: “It seemed so obvious, but the simple technique of using extremely quiet parts alongside extremely loud sections helped to produce progressions and narrative-like structures within the tracks.”
With help from their friend and producer Ric James, deathcrash have mastered this approach on their debut full-lenghth, Return, their most collaborative and immersive effort to date. There are echoes of Slint, American Football, Sparklehorse, and Low in the band’s fusion of slow-burning, melodic instrumentals, spoken word passages, and intimate songwriting, but it’s better to hear them tell that story: the album subtly traces their relationship with the music they love as well as their personal journeys, taking us through dark, intense places as much as it lingers on breathtaking moments of hope and beauty.
We caught up with deathcrash’s Tiernan Banks and Noah Bennett for this edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about their dynamic as a band, the story behind their debut album, and more.
How are you finding the response to the album so far?
Noah Bennett: It’s been really nice. Everything we’ve heard has been above and beyond what we would even say about ourselves. It’s been pretty affirming of what we do.
Tiernan Banks: We definitely didn’t have major expectations. I think it establishes a self-defense mechanism where we’re like, “People won’t think much of this. No one’s really going to listen to it.” And then it just turned out that wasn’t true. We know we’re not a famous, hype-y band, you know, we’re never going to be as big as black midi or whatever. We don’t really expect that. But there’s been way more talk about it than we expected, and the people who have been talking about it seem to have really connected with it. We couldn’t really have asked for more than that.
I know you’re on tour at the moment, and one thing that caught my attention about the album was the interview that you’ve included with Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse on the track ‘What To Do’. He’s talking about how depression affected his ability to write and record, but he’s also so optimistic about touring. Could you talk about what his music means to you and what made you want to include that bit of conversation?
TB: That’s a big question. Sparklehorse became a big thing in my life – I think with any musician, they’re there so you can sort of project things onto them, in a way. I think at various points in my life, I was projecting a lot onto Mark Linkous and his life, and probably identifying with a bit too much of it. I just find him a really powerful figure. I love the way he talks about his songs, and I love his attitude to making music. And there’s always that worrying aspect to those kinds of performers because he was obviously an incredibly troubled, sad man, and I don’t want to romanticize that aspect of him at all. But then sometimes when you’re at your lowest, you kind of slightly do that a bit. And that was what I liked about the quote that we use, because it was actually this incredibly life-affirming message from him, from somebody that is famously not life-affirming in the end. I thought it was really beautiful.
And then also, in terms of touring and being a musician, something that is very true in this project and definitely for me personally is that music is a hard thing as well as a beautiful thing that can come from hard moments in your life. I think that quote really gets that across. Music, he’s not been able to do it, he’s not been able to play it, but it’s also the thing that gives him his energy and his life. Similarly for us, touring is really fun and really amazing but it’s also exhausting and weird and stressful and slightly overwhelming. I just thought it has both sides to that in a really beautiful way. And then the fact that it was Mark Linkous – in some ways, I would argue that we’re more inspired by people like that than we are typical post-rock bands that we would get compared to. I’m glad that we found that quote.
How did you find it?
TB: I used to spend a lot of time on the internet finding things that I felt might be relevant to our songs. [laughs] Every sample came out of a six-month period where I was on Archive.org a lot of the time.
Do you remember what the rest of the interview was like?
TB: It’s only like 8 or 10 minutes long. It’s by an interviewer called Toazted in Holland. They just talk more about the record and touring, but there’s this funny bit that I love so much where the interviewer’s like, you know, “This must be the most amazing thing ever, you’re on stage and everyone’s singing your songs…” And Mark Linkous is kind of like, “Eh, yeah.” And the guy’s like, “You’re living the dream.” He’s like, “Yeah, maybe.” That’s always the perception, but not always the reality.
When you have that kind of personal connection with a band, is it hard for you to draw a line between the art and the artist?
NB: I feel like with solo artists you lead people to make that connection a bit more. With him, even though he was doing it under a name, Sparklehorse, it’s clearly just him. Whereas with bands, I would perceive it as, the music kind of stands alone and takes pieces from everyone and you can’t draw direct connections. I think there’s something about various solo artists that maybe point slightly more to connect it to the person.
TB: It ends up being so much more wrapped up in their personal stories often. I think for me and Mark Linkous, I only knew about him since I knew he was dead. I was never into Mark Linkous as a kid, so that personal story is much more important. Whereas there’s so many bands that we love, that we’re just as emotionally connected to, that we literally know nothing about the people involved.
NB: Yeah.
TB: And I quite like that aspect of bands. Sometimes I find it a bit much, like band promos, it’s so much directed around the people in the band, which isn’t always necessary and can sometimes detract from your ability to get what you want from the music, if you’re told too much about the people behind it.
Something I noticed is that for the firstcouple of singles, the press photos, if you can call them that, they’re not of the band – they were part of the artwork by Kaye Song. And then with the final one, ‘Doomcrash’, you could actually see everyone. Was that part of the reasoning behind it?
TB: What was the reasoning behind it? [laughs]
NB: I guess our egos don’t necessarily line up with wanting to have pictures of our faces associated with our music. What we’re focused on is the music itself. And also, we hate photos.
TB: We just hate it. [laughs] It’s horrible. There’s been a few times when we’ve been made to take photos, and it just gets really awkward – for the photographer, for the people who’ve asked us to do it. It’s become a sore point between, like, us, our manager, our label, the PR team. Eventually we gave in because they said that we have to have one, so we said, “You can have one, but our really close friend Kaye has to take it.” Which is what the photo is for ‘Doomcrash’.
Was it different, the fact that your friend took that photo, or was it still awkward?
NB: Oh no, it was still awkward. But it was much better. Kaye is our very close friend, she’s done all of our artwork since ‘Slumber’. She would be the person we would trust the most.
TB: We were in our rehearsal room as well. I think that was also important for us, we didn’t really want a photo shoot where you go on location and create this artificial thing. It just didn’t really seem to make sense for what we care about.
Can you talk about the artwork specifically for this album? How do you feel it ties into the aesthetic of the band?
NB: We’ve been doing the landscapes for such a long time. All those photos have been taken by Kaye. And then for the album, we wanted to tie that together, so all of those photos for the singles – and if you buy a copy of the record, there’s a huge photo on the inner sleeve and on the back – they’re all taken from Hatfield Moors in South Yorkshire.
TB: She’s really thoughtful and talented in what she does. It was this moor that had a peat fire a couple of years ago, and then she went there and took photos. It’s like a place slowly fixing itself again after a pretty devastating fire, and I guess that is relevant to our album in some way. It was really nice as well for the cover to get some of her artwork that wasn’t just a landscape photo, because she does do so much more than photos as well.
NB: We didn’t want a landscape specifically for the front cover. We kind of wanted one thing you could focus on rather than something sprawling and open.
To go back to the research you did, you’ve also included some samples of what sounds like conversations in the background on ‘Matt’s Song’, and ‘Metro 1’ includes a voice recording from someone called DJ Bennett. If you don’t want to talk about where those are from so as to not break the mystery of it, that’s fine, but I was wondering if there’s something in particular that appeals to you about using other people’s voices on the record. Is it a way, again, of separating your voices from the work?
NB: The DJ Bennett sample was another Archive.org find from hours on the internet. We think he has the best voice ever. He runs a little radio show, and similar to the Mark Linkous interview in a way, you can really hear his joy of music in those few sentences. It makes you happy to listen to.
TB: It’s so joyful. And I think that something that’s super important to us in talking about the album and the way the album comes across – it’s pretty obvious, the sad stuff or the dark stuff or the brooding stuff on the record, what we wanted to make clear is how much we all really fucking love music. And that sample really gets that across.
The other thing you said that was just making me think about separating our personal voices from the record, I think it’s a really interesting question because we’re so torn between those two things. I would say our music is really personal and intimate and everything’s very separate, like you can hear Matt, you can hear me, you can hear Noah, you can hear Pat. It’s really just the four of us playing live in a room together, and that’s personal. But then we really do this thing where we’ll step back from it and try and not put too much of ourselves in it. I don’t actually know where we come down on that line, and I don’t think we necessarily know. [laughs] But we really do have that push and pull.
NB: I think it also allows us to have instrumental sections that are longer than you would usually have on modern rock records, which we love. Just from a music point of view, they work incredibly well. And our musical influences, at least for me, like post-rock and emo music has always used samples. It’s tried and tested. And we sit somewhere in the rough sphere of those worlds.
TB: And similarly, ‘Matt’s Song’ is recordings just from your house.
NB: Yeah, that’s just me, Matt, and my friend Amy having a conversation in our living room. Obviously we had to record it in the studio, but that song has come out of Matt’s bedroom and playing it in the living room while we’re cooking dinner or staying around. We were trying to have it recorded very well but put it in its home, I guess.
There’s definitely a precedent for using samples in those genres that you’re pulling from, but what struck is me is how there’s this joyful quality to them that almost contrasts the music. I think another way that your love of music comes through is the references that you’ve interspersed throughout the record. I have to assume that ‘Wrestle With Jimmy’ is a Weezer reference, and then on ‘American Metal’ there’s a Taking Back Sunday reference with ‘My Blue Heaven’. And maybe the final track, ‘The Low Anthem’, is a reference to Low?
TB: There is actually a band called The Low Anthem. It’s a much more blatant reference. The Low Anthem are just a massively important band in my life. Our manager, Joe [Taylor], who runs Warm Laundry Records with me as well, and our other mate Theo [Cooper] who runs Warm Laundry as well, it was like our favourite band when we were 14. And it was basically what brought us together as friends. They are really good, but no one’s heard of them anymore. [laughs] They’re like a slowcore-y folk band. I hadn’t even really listened to Low when we wrote that song, and now everyone’s saying it sounds a lot like Low.
Are those references a way of paying tribute to your influences?
TB: Yeah, there’s loads, right? ‘Unwind’ is a reference, ‘Horses’ is arguably a reference. ‘American Metal’ is a reference to a guitar pedal and American Football.
NB: I guess the way we see it is, we’re making music that’s quite different to other bands that are on “the scene” right now. People will constantly be referring us to other bands in the genre, and I guess there’s something nice about taking ownership of that.
TB: There’s no point hiding it either. We are influenced by a lot of music, and as you say, we really actively try to take ownership of it. There’s no point pretending otherwise. It’s one of the reasons why the album’s called Return as well, these connections that you have with these past people, you’re like in dialogue with them. There’s no point pretending you haven’t had that conversation or that thought about them, and now we’re putting our own spin on it. It’s a continuation of, not a total separation from – it would be unrealistic to presume otherwise.
I read that part of what brought you together in the first place was your love of krautrock. Is that right?
NB: It’s more something we could get in a room and start playing together in a fun way. It was a slightly different group of people at the time. We wanted to play music but maybe didn’t quite know what, and that definitely lent itself to just going into a room, playing for an hour and having a good time.
TB: It wasn’t very songwriter-y. We were quite new as friends as well, we only met at university and wanted people to play music with, so it made sense to play that kind of music. I wouldn’t say we did it very well, but it was fun.
NB: We had our moments.
TB: But it was great doing all that stuff, we played shows with that kind of music and they were quite inconsequential ultimately. We weren’t really pigeonholed in any way, because there wasn’t really much of a scene in uni. That was a great space for us to do that, get a couple of years in playing music together and then slowly form our own identity.
Do you feel like your evolution as a band came partly from just becoming closer friends?
NB: Definitely. We didn’t start off sharing that many ideas. When Matt, our guitarist, joined the band, and as we became close friends, our rehearsals became places to share ideas.
TB: The friendship thing definitely helped because everyone starts to feel more relaxed in themselves. None of us were really suited to making krautrock music, like what the hell were we thinking? Now, I feel like we’re at a point where all four of us are really getting ourselves across in the music. It just slowly worked out that as we got closer together, we also put more of ourselves into it. I do think a lot of it came from Matt, when he started writing like, ‘Bones’ and ‘Bind’, and we were like, “This actually makes much more sense to us.”
It’s natural that as you relax into your dynamic as a group, you’re more comfortable slowing down and drawing out the songs and having that space. I assume it also allows the personal element of the songs to become more pronounced.
TB: That’s taken so long. We’ve all changed as musicians so much, and that is a confidence and relaxedness thing. We used to shout loads in our music.
NB: We used to fill out all the space.
TB: I don’t think any of us were naturally confident in what we did. I don’t know why though.
NB: I think it’s a mix of getting better at what we do and more confident in why we do it. But yeah, I do think it’s about leaving space in the music in between the instruments, in between the beats, rather than frantically filling 3 minutes with sound. Everything is very deliberate.
TB: That confidence as well is really fucking fragile. [laughs] It wouldn’t take much for that to crash down. I think it’s why it kind of has to be this quite insular thing. We enjoy it so much, and we really need as much as possible to tap into that because if you worry too much about what other people are gonna think about it, you know, it’s hard.
One song that stands out for that reason is ‘Wrestle With Jimmy’, because it’s the rare occasion where you do condense all that noise into a two-minute track. There are those screams towards the end of the song, too, although they’re drowned out by the wall of sound and the drums. Why was this the moment that needed to be intense in that way?
TB: Do we answer that truthfully? [laughs]
NB: Well, Matt wrote that song, he wrote in an afternoon in his bedroom.
TB: It was the quickest song we’ve ever written, and Matt wrote all of the parts.
NB: Except the talking.
TB: Yeah, Patt did the vocals on that. We basically got a really terrible review. And it really upset – definitely me, I don’t know how it affected everyone else.
NB: And Matt.
TB: Me and Matt got hit really hard by it. It just said that we were shit, basically.
NB: Yeah, the song was in response to that review. A bit of a middle finger, I guess. And then it turned out to be a song that we thought was awesome.
TB: But Patt’s vocals came after. Matt wrote the instrumental, and we knew that it needed more. We really like Patt’s voice and it’s one of the songs that obviously lends itself well to the talking thing, so we thought it would be nice to have a different voice on the record and to get Patt to tell a bit more of his story. And I think that worked really well with the uncertainty and anger in Matt’s instrumental. And then it was actually Ric [James], our producer, that did the screaming on it. I think the emotions of it tie in really well within the track and within the album as a whole.
I love that one of the best tracks on the album came out of a negative review, and I hope that whatever the review was talking about, that’s exactly what you did more of on the song.
TB: One hundred percent. [all laugh]
You were talking about the things that helped you come into your identity as a band, and you’ve been open about how touring with Black Country, New Road had a significant effect on you as well. Could you elaborate on that?
NB: Black Country were incredibly kind to us just over two years ago, they offered to take us on touring based on very little.
TB: Based on nothing. Well, we played with them in Cambridge, we used to play some shows with them when they were Nervous Conditions, but they didn’t know us personally.
NB: We were very, very new in what we were doing and very nervous.
TB: A lot of things came together, it’s kind of weird. Blank Editions who released their 7”, they told Blank Editions about us and to do a cassette for our EP, which is also the same month that untitlled (recs) asked us to sign a record deal. Which was also the same month our drummer decided he didn’t want to be in the band anymore, and then Noah took over as the drummer. So we’d only played two gigs with Noah before we went on tour with Black Country.
NB: And then we went straight into playing the biggest venues we’ve ever played.
TB: We weren’t ready for it.
NB: But we didn’t collapse at any point. We kind of made it through. I feel like we proved to ourselves that we could we could do it.
TB: What Matt says about that tour which I think is really true, is we were still in this halfway house of not quite knowing what our identity was. And seeing them, we were like, “Wow, they’re so good at what they do.” There was part of us at the time trying to do similar things. Back then, we used to get compared with Black Country way more, we don’t anymore at all. And I think that tour made us realize what we were really good at and what we felt comfortable doing, and what other things actually were just for other bands. After that month, a few things came together and made the project feel a bit more real.
Does it feel strange looking back, especially now that you’re on tour and that both of your records came out so close to each other?
TB: I love that the records came out so close together.
NB: It was so nice. We could listen to their record while we were in the back of the van.
TB: Their record came out on Friday, and then Taylor played with us on Sunday. We have been peripherally involved in each other’s journeys. And I feel quite nice this year with the things that have come out, like the caroline record comes out soon. I like this iteration of the London scene quite a lot.
What do you like about it?
TB: There’s no competitiveness. I’m just interested in what these bands are doing. Particularly with Black Country, we just seem to have a nice relationship. I think we respect each other quite highly.
I was wondering if you could share something that recently made you feel proud, either of yourself, of each other, or just the band and what you’ve been through.
TB: That’s such a nice question. You’ve caught us at a particularly relevant moment for that because the album’s just come out, we’re on this album for, and that is what we’re proud of. Like, two years ago, when we signed that record deal, literally none of this was possible. Not like we’re headlining Wembley or something [laughs], but all of us, all we’ve ever wanted to do is record an album and tour it. And being able to have done that, and we’re not on a big label, one of our best friends is our manager, Kaye lives with Matt and Noah, she’s been involved in the whole process the whole time. Ric is now a super close friend of ours. Everyone involved is a friend of ours. This isn’t like a high-end, business, corporate thing. I don’t think we’ve sacrificed on any principles at any point. We’re just connecting and making music that we genuinely love and are proud of. And whilst all that was going on, everyone’s struggling at various points and so much else is going on, and the music can track that. It’s brought us all together, and it’s been a nice story for everyone that we’re close to.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
“‘Back To The Radio’ feels like a huge introductory hello or a big ceremonial goodbye,” Dana Margolin explained in a statement. “I wrote it at the end of 2019 when we were gearing up for the release of Every Bad and I felt like a lot of things were coming that I wasn’t sure I knew how to handle. The song grew out of a feeling of intense loneliness and being unprepared for what everybody was promising me was about to happen – and a strong desire to escape without knowing what I wanted to escape to. To me there’s a huge feeling of catharsis in this song, of letting go and letting it sweep you away.”
Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky was co-produced by Tom Carmichael, Margolin, and drummer Sam Yardley. “I kept saying that I wanted everything to be ‘stadium-epic’ – like Coldplay,” Margolin said.
Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky Cover Artwork:
Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky Tracklist:
1. Back to the Radio
2. Trying
3. Birthday Party
4. End of Last Year
5. Rotten
6. U Can Be Happy If U Want To
7. Flowers
8. Jealousy
9. I Hope She’s OK 2
10. Splintered
11. The Rip
12. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky
San Antonio-based experimental artist claire rousay has announced a new album titled everything perfect is already here. It’s set for release on April 22 via her new label Shelter-Press. Made up of two 15-minute pieces, the album features contributions from Alex Cunningham (violin), Mari Maurice (electronics and violin), Marilu Donovan (harp), and Theodore Cale Schafer (piano). Along with the announcement, rousay has shared a 5-minute selection from the record, which you can hear below.
Throughout recorded human history, and in every corner of the world, gambling has existed in some form or another. It seems that gaming and wagering is as much a part of our collective cultural heritage as music, folklore, or visual arts.
But while gambling has been around as long as humanity, there have been dramatic shifts in how and why we gamble, and in the societal attitudes towards these activities. Even within living memory, there have been profound changes in how gambling is regulated and carried out, and also in how it is presented and perceived.
Gambling has gone from being widely banned to almost universally accepted within less than a century. Today many people think nothing of searching for online casino sign up bonuses, while the parents of those same people may well have viewed gambling as immoral. How is it that gambling culture has changed so much in such a relatively short time?
A troubled past
For centuries, lawmakers have grappled with how to legislate gambling activities. One the one hand, betting and gaming has long been seen as a vice, a sinful pastime condemned by religious leaders. On the other hand, there is money to be made, and state-run lotteries have long been used as a way to fill government coffers. Gambling taxation is mentioned in historical texts that go back as far as the 4th century BC.
Around the middle of the 20th century, there were some more concerted efforts to formalize gambling laws in both the US and the UK. In the US, it was Nevada that first used gambling as a form of economic relief after the Great Depression, leading to the foundation of Las Vegas as the world’s most famous gambling destination. However, within a few years the city had become synonymous with organized crime, and the association of gambling with vice became even more firmly entrenched.
In the UK, sports wagering was always the most popular form of gambling, especially horse and greyhound racing. In 1960 a bill was passed legalizing many forms of gambling and allowing licensed betting shops to open for business. Since then, high street bookmakers have been a staple of UK towns and cities across the country.
Changing attitudes
Towards the end of the 20th century, cultural attitudes to gambling remained divided, and often inconsistent. Movies like the James Bond franchise popularized an image of casinos as a suave, elegant, and sophisticated destination. For the rich, at least, a casino was synonymous with glamor.
That image was at odds with the more widespread reality. While many European casinos did embody old-world elegance, for the most part gambling venues were far from glamorous. Bingo halls, racetracks, and betting shops were not for the glitterati. In the US, casinos were often dingy halls filled with slot machines, or garish and brightly lit.
The mob still had a grip on Vegas until the mid 1980s, when the long campaign by the federal authorities finally turned the tide on Mafia involvement with casino gambling. This could be seen as the starting point for a softening in attitudes towards gambling. As the Mafia associations weakened and fell away, what had once been edgy, possibly attractive but certainly licentious, started to become more benign in the collective consciousness.
Modern game-changer
Around the world, and in the US and UK in particular, existing gambling legislation remained more or less fit for purpose until the turn of the century. The late 1990s saw the emergence and the rapid ascendance of online casinos, leading to the next big shift in attitudes towards gambling. While all forms of gambling had slowly become more socially acceptable in the preceding decade, this innovation would prove to be a game-changer.
Where once gambling had been limited by location or social status, online casinos made it accessible to all. Gambling became democratized, an effect that only grew as internet access increased. Early regulators and licensing bodies were non-government, like the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, or based in dubious territories.
It wasn’t long before the governments of the world realized that they needed to get some control of the situation. Around the world there have been varying approaches to regulating online gambling, but overall the change has been in the same direction. Cultural opinions about gambling have become far more liberal than at any time in the last century.
The UK in particular leaned into the promotion of gambling culture, passing the 2005 Gambling Act and updating it in 2014. Tax revenue from betting and gambling amounts to around 3 billion British pounds per year. Advertising at sporting events, and on post-watershed television, is dominated by gambling companies from sports betting to bingo.
Where now?
For the time being, it seems that gambling has become almost universally accepted as a form of entertainment, and a taxable source of income for governments worldwide. While some countries have for now decided to forgo formal regulation, the majority of jurisdictions have accepted that internet gambling is here to stay.
Despite some concerns over aspects of online casinos and gambling in general – money laundering, problem gambling, improper practices – the widespread attitudes tend towards acceptance. Already a multi-billion dollar market, the pandemic years saw an even greater number of people turn to online gambling as a leisure activity.
Accurate statistics are hard to come by, but some studies suggest that around a quarter of the global population gamble regularly. This is most certainly a lot more than it was a couple of decades ago. In the US and Canada, individual states and provinces continue to liberalize laws on sports betting and internet gambling. In Europe, each passing year sees more countries establishing their own gambling licensing and regulatory bodies.
There will always be those who view gambling as a vice to be avoided, but the cultural shift has resulted in that being a minority opinion. In 2020, a Gallup poll found that a record percentage of Americans – 71% – viewed gambling as a morally acceptable activity. Not so long ago, such a statistic would have been inconceivable.
Let’s be honest, a man who plays the guitar and sings in a band is sexy. Even if they’re not especially attractive, there’s something about a man who stands out from the crowd and makes his own mark on the world. But, why is it that men who create are sexier than those who don’t? What is it that keeps sucking us in, perhaps sometimes against our best interest? In this article, we’ll delve a little deeper and see if we can figure it out.
Extraordinary
There’s nothing more boring than a man who follows all of the rules. Sure, you don’t want to date a sociopath who mistreats everyone, but it’s nice to be with someone who is a little extraordinary. That’s the great thing about artists: they’re different. Sometimes in ways that are charming, other’s not so much. The trick is to find the right balance of extraordinary Vs. just plain weird and hope for the best.
In-touch with their emotions
Men who are creative tend to be far more in-tune with their feelings. This is an essentiality if you want to build a relationship with someone. There’s nothing worse than dating a guy who bottles it all up and doesn’t understand how to express himself properly. Men who create art on the other hand are far more adept at expressing themselves, often in the most beautiful of ways.
Open minded
Men have a tendency to be quite stubborn and set in their ways which can be a real turn-off. For those who are more artistic however, they tend to have an open mind and are willing to try new things. When someone is open to new experiences, you can rest assured that they will not only evolve with you, but keep things interesting. For example: an artist is much more likely to own men’s sex toys and thus be open to exploring your kinks as opposed to a man who thinks something along the lines of “art is for women”.
Talented
Artists are gifted and there’s nothing quite as sexy as a man with talent. This can come in a wide variety of different mediums: from someone who can cook, paint pictures, write you poetry, or even build a new extension on your house. There are many ways in which a man can be creative but those who are more artistic tend to have the most talent.
Mysterious
Perhaps it’s the mysterious nature of artistic men that makes them so darn sexy. It’s nice to have a man with layers. A man who has emotional intellect and is a little trickier to figure out. On the surface, most men are incredibly easy to understand, however, men who create art tend to have another a layer or two which can be fun to unearth and explore.
Passion
Above all else, men who create art are passionate. Watching a man dedicate himself to something and get lost in his hobbies is a wonderful thing indeed. And when a man brings passion to his life there’s a good chance that he will bring an equal amount of passion to his love life as well
The realities of interrupted supply lines, bare store shelves, and material shortages during the 2020 pandemic have resulted in many people considering their emergency preparedness. Millions of people across the globe were caught with not enough food, medications, or water to survive. This realization has prompted many people to think about how they can prepare for the next global crisis.
While most preppers will tell you that it is crucial to stockpile food and water, there is also a need for medication and supplement supplies. In the event of an emergency, you may not have access to a rounded diet which can lead to malnutrition. Your body requires certain vitamins and minerals to survive. When you can’t get what you need from your diet, having the right supplements on hand can help to support your body.
When it comes to being able to get medications in an emergency, many people may be in trouble. Pharmacy supplies are likely to be looted or have diminished supplies during an emergency. It’s best to stockpile your prescription medications and have the right replacement medications on hand. There are many natural alternatives to modern medications that can be useful in an emergency. For example, opioid pain medications can be replaced with CBD products from Joy Organics. Let’s take a closer look at a few supplements that you should be stockpiling in your emergency kit.
Iron
Iron deficiencies are common across the world. Without enough iron in your diet, you can experience fatigue, muscle weakness, and anemia. Iron is commonly found in meats and vegetables which may not be available during a crisis. A daily iron supplement can help you to maintain your energy levels which can be critical in an emergency.
Zinc
The 2020 pandemic showed us how important it is to maintain a strong immune system. During a crisis, the added stress on your body can affect your immune system’s ability to keep you safe from infection. To help keep your immune system strong, you need to have zinc in your diet. A zinc supplement can help to boost your immune system. For children, a zinc supplement can help regulate healthy growth and development.
Vitamin A
Normally found in dairy products and certain vegetables, vitamin A is crucial to your eye and reproductive health. In the event of a global disaster, you don’t want to experience problems with your vision or your ability to have a healthy child. Vitamin A supplements can help you to boost your immune system to help fight off issues with your eyes and your reproductive power.
Thiamine
Thiamine or vitamin B1 is crucial to the process of turning food into energy. Specifically, Thiamine assists in the process of turning carbohydrates into energy, helping you to maintain your body and fight off fatigue from an abnormal diet. Without enough Thiamine, you can experience extreme fatigue, weight loss, short-term memory problems, and mental confusion.
Folate (B9)
Folate or folic acid is a crucial vitamin for red blood cell generation and DNA production. Most of us get enough folate in our normal diets, but in the event of a crisis where your food supply is interrupted, you may not be getting the Folate that you need.
Vitamin B-12
Many people suffer from a deficiency of vitamin B-12. Serious conditions like pernicious anemia can result in extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and dizziness. When vitamin B-12 deficiency causes are left untreated, you may have difficulty walking due to muscle weakness. In a crisis situation, you will need to be in the best shape possible.
Vitamin D
Most of us get our recommended dosage of vitamin D from sunshine. However, if you are hunkered down in a crisis, you may not be able to get as much vitamin D as you need. vitamin D is especially important for children and seniors, as it encourages strong bone growth and regulates calcium absorption.
Calcium
In an emergency situation like a breakdown of the grid, you will be hard-pressed to find any dairy that hasn’t gone bad without refrigeration. Dairy products are where we get most of the calcium that helps to keep our bones strong. Having a calcium supplement in your emergency kit can help you replace dairy products. Calcium is an important supplement for children as it encourages strong bone development.
Multivitamins
A good quality multivitamin will be worth its weight in gold during an emergency. If you only have room for one type of supplement in your emergency kit, you should make it a multivitamin. Your daily multivitamin will help to keep your body fueled with the minimum nutrients and help prevent deficiencies. Ensure that you have multivitamins that are structured for each member of your family. Include multivitamins that are for women, seniors, men, and children.
Common Medication Substitutes
Many people rely on prescription and over-the-counter medications. In the event of an emergency situation, you may not have access to the medications that you need. The good news is, there are many natural alternatives to modern medications that can be used as a substitute. Let’s take a look at a comprehensive list of common medications and their natural substitutes.
Blood Thinners
Millions of seniors take blood thinners to help regulate their blood pressure and reduce the possibility of a stroke or heart attack. Patients simply take a low-dose aspirin daily as an effective blood thinner in many cases. Aspirin may not be available in an emergency along with prescription medications for blood thinning. If you require a blood thinner to maintain your health, try one of these substitutions:
Natural Vitamin E
Must be natural, not synthetic
100 IU’s of vitamin E can be as effective as a daily aspirin
Ginkgo Biloba
Used to reduce clotting and encourage proper circulation
Water
Increase your water intake to an average of eight glasses daily to help thin your blood
Painkillers and Anti Inflammatories
In the event of an emergency, there is a much higher risk of injury and illness. Prescription medications including opioids will not likely be available for patients. Managing pain during a crisis can be essential. Try these natural supplements that can help reduce pain and inflammation:
CBD Products
Cannabis oil has been proven to be a strong anti-inflammatory agent and can help reduce chronic pain.
Devil’s Claw
Powerful anti-inflammatory for your joints
Successfully relieves the pain of arthritis, joint and muscle pain
Turmeric
Good for pain and inflammation
Ginger
Eating raw ginger or drinking tea can help with pain and inflammation.
Statins
Statins are medications like Lipitor that are commonly used to lower bad cholesterol levels. High cholesterol can increase your risk of stroke or heart attack. If you are on a statin medication, you are going to find it difficult to get your prescription in an emergency. While your diet may improve with the lack of foods available with high-fat content, you will still need to replace your statin medication with a substitute. Here are a few natural alternatives to prescription statins:
Garlic
Red wine
Dark chocolate
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Blood Pressure
For many people, daily blood pressure medication means the difference between life and death. If you are unable to get your prescription medications to control your blood pressure, you will need to find a natural alternative. While high blood pressure can be genetic, it is more often a condition that is caused by an unhealthy diet. Most of the problems can be taken care of with a change in diet. If food availability is an issue in an emergency situation, you can try these alternatives to help you control your blood pressure:
Bananas
Coenzyme Q-10
Magnesium
Calcium
Hawthorne
Reduced Salt intake
Weight Control
Another common health issue that you can easily improve upon and treat with the right supplements is being overweight. While the best course of action here is always to exercise more and eat healthier, there are times when you might find that you need to supplement those activities with the right medication, which is something that a lot of people have to do in that position. Knowing that it is possible to do so is a great feeling to have. For individuals experiencing swallowing difficulties, incorporating a medical diet for dysphagia can be essential for managing weight and enhancing overall health.
Any weight loss program can be improved with the right meds in place, and you should therefore consider whether you want to stock these kinds of supplements along with the other types listed here. It might be that they prove to be especially important for you at some point or another, and it could help to generally boost your health as a result.
Antacids
Chronic heartburn or acid reflux are conditions that plague millions of people worldwide. While antacids can help control the influx of stomach acid and upset, there are natural alternatives that can help calm your stomach. If left untreated, indigestion can cause serious problems like bleeding ulcers. Try these natural alternatives for antacids:
Almonds – naturally reduce stomach acid
Aloe vera juice can help to heal ulcers
Apples
Bananas
Buttermilk
Cinnamon
Chamomile
Ginger
Peppermint
Type 2 Diabetes
There is currently no approved alternative treatment for type 2 diabetes. However, there are many natural foods and vitamins that can help control the body’s glucose levels. In a SHTF situation, there may be few alternatives to proper diabetes treatment available, and having some of these alternatives on hand may be helpful:
Chromium is a trace mineral that helps in the processing of fats and carbohydrates in the system. Chromium also helps to improve cell reaction to insulin.
Magnesium can help control blood sugar regulation
Cinnamon may improve blood sucrose control
When you are suddenly separated from your normal supplies of medications due to an emergency situation, you will be happy that you are prepared. These essential supplements and medication alternatives can not only help keep you nourished, but will also keep you alive. Make sure that you start to stockpile these supplements and natural remedies in your emergency stocks to help you manage any emergency situation.
When it comes to planning your perfect wedding, there are so many different elements to bring together in order to make your dreams come true on the day. We have to think about the food, the venue, the weather, guests and a whole lot more… and one of the biggest things to consider is the entertainment.
Trying to choose the ideal entertainment for any wedding is hard, and this can be made even more difficult if you have a theme. Today we are taking a look at music specifically and how you can choose this to fit in with your day.
Decide on genre
When choosing the music for your wedding it is first important to consider the types of tunes you want to listen to. Everyone has unique music tastes, and whether you like pop music made by people like Freddy Wexler or you prefer obscure Indie bands – this will make an impact on the atmosphere of your dancefloor on the day. Consider sticking to a genre and this will make it easier for you to find a band or a DJ who will be able to provide songs you both live as a couple.
Live or recorded?
The first major question you will want to ask yourself before you choose the music for your big day is whether you will have live music or music on a disc. This will determine whether you look to hire a band or whether instead you decide to hire a DJ who will play classic hits. This is all down to personal taste and it depends on the kind of day you want for yourself and your guests.
Do you have a theme?
If you have a theme for your wedding day, choosing music will be a little more tricky because you will want to ensure that all of the music you choose fits in with your day. For example if you were to have a Harry Potter style wedding with a great hall filled with floating candles; you would want to use music from the films and music which has a connection to magic such as Genie in A Bottle and so forth. Or perhaps your theme brings in classic 70s and 80s decor, and in this regard choosing your music will be pretty easy and this will be a crowd pleaser for most of your guests as well.
Budget
One of the biggest things you have to consider if you want to hire music for your wedding is the budget you have. If you have a lot of money to spare then you can choose a band or a DJ with not issues at all. However if you are on a tight budget you might even want to bring a laptop and some speakers from home and use these to power up your music for the night ahead. It might be a little bit less magical, but at least you have full control over what songs to play!
Space
The type of music you choose to have in your venue will also depend on how much space there is inside the room. If there is no space at all then this can be hard for you if you want to have a band playing, but a DJ or laptop can be great for a smaller space. Consider the ambience of your venue and also think about your guests and whether you have older folk who are hard of hearing, or people who have sensitivity to sound. Although it is your wedding day, making sure that everyone is as comfortable as they can be is a great idea and will ensure people are happy and have the best possible time.
Style
Rock, pop, classic… There are so many different styles of music you can choose for your wedding day and it will be a case of you going through to check which styles will be the best fit for your special day. You will also want to think about everyone else coming to the wedding and make sure that the music you choose will fit in with them and help them to enjoy themselves.
Choosing the perfect type of music for you wedding day can indeed be a challenge, and we hope that our list of tips and tricks will help you to narrow down your options and make the best decision for yourselves and for your guests this year. Enjoy your wedding and have a wonderful time together in 2022.
Following the success of his 2019 album Bae 5, Yung Bae has etched himself into the music scene as one to watch. His magnetic and vibrant style captures an assorted demographic and has set him up for a flurry of collaborations, including with Reva DeVito, AWOLNATION and most recently Cosmo’s Midnight.
To talk about his upcoming album and latest single Straight Up Relaxin’, Yung Bae joined us for an interview.
Firstly, how are you, and how is the music world treating you?
I’m good! Everything has been super busy lately and I’m loving it. Been working nonstop in sessions and getting ready to head out on tour with Madeon next month for tour!
You recently released a new single with Cosmo’s Midnight named Straight Up Relaxin’. How did the idea for the song come about, and what was the process like collaborating with Cosmo’s Midnight?
This track actually took quite a journey. It originally began as a collaboration between me and Honne. We had the track almost to where it is now and then Cosmo’s gave the vocals a try! We immediately loved what they did and it was very clear where we wanted to go with it. The craziest part about this track is that it was all done online. Not one of us met in person to work on this song and it just made it more fun and challenging!
You have a fun and energetic sound throughout your discography. How do you feel Straight Up Relaxin’ fits within your more comprehensive collection of work, and do you think it progresses your signature sound or themes attached to it?
Great question. For me this track made a lot of sense as a single. Leading up to this one the rest of my singles have been a little different than what everyone might be used to but it still feels like me. I really wanted to find a way to take the energetic sound that everyone knows me for but give it my own flair and make it me and this one is easily one of my favourites from the album.
The song marks the fifth single release from your forthcoming album Groove Continental (Side A). Would you consider this the strongest piece yet?
I would! Between this track and the rest of the tracks on the album I spent the last couple years really dialling in every track as much as I could and really keeping an attention to detail. This track is hands down the largest project I’ve ever worked on. By the time we were done I think we were somewhere in the neighbourhood of almost 150 stems. Sonically this track is what I’ve been trying to achieve with my sound so it makes me very proud of what me, Cosmo’s and Honne did!
With the song released, what is the next step for you? Will we see another single before the album drops?
I have one more single coming and then the album will be released into the world!
As an animal lover, I noticed from your social media that you have two cats, so I would be rude if I didn’t ask their names. Are they fond of your sound?
My little boys! Their names are Alvin and Cricket! I’m really hoping that they’re fond of my sound at this point considering they’re at home with me all day. Either way I’m making Alvin the executive producer for the album so he may be able to chat about the album some more.
I’ve also heard you’re into collectables such as Lego. How did the passion for it come about, and does the desire for collecting branch out into other things?
I got really into picking up collectibles and other stuff when I started touring. It was a cool way for me to associate a good time or place we visited every time I see it in my house. I also got VERY into legos again over lockdown! I got them for fun at first and they’ve become one of my favourite ways to chill out and relax.
As for the last question, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians out there looking to break through?
I always say they should stick with what they love. More often than not I see artists switching up their sound or their lane just because it’s the trend at the time, but my ultimate advice would be to stick to what you love doing. Make what makes YOU happy.
On the cover of Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono, the titular artist’s face appears in a pixelated portrait. She’s instantly recognizable, yet the details of her visage remain obscure. This cover artwork encapsulates Ono’s legacy: a figure deeply entrenched in the history of rock music, yet with a tragically underexplored body of work. Ono’s music career, often overshadowed by her relationship with John Lennon, is rich and varied, including explosive avant-garde experiments (e.g. her Plastic Ono Band record, released alongside Lennon’s sister album of the same name) to experimental rock epics (e.g. Fly, a soundtrack to her film of the same name) to piano pop (e.g. her lovely, underappreciated Feeling the Space). The project of Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono, a tribute album spearheaded by Death Cab For Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard (donating all proceeded to WhyHunger), is to excavate Ono’s music from relative obscurity and illuminate the long-ignored genius of her songwriting. While the album assembles a host of talented musicians, these covers lack the creativity which backbones Ono’s work as an artist. Yet ultimately, it’s effective as a tribute album, highlighting the uniqueness of Ono’s music which its (mostly) mediocre renditions lack.
The album begins with Sharon Van Etten’s stab at ‘Toyboat’. Van Etten rewrites the original’s idiosyncratic production into a stripped-down soft rock track. Her vocal performance feels lazy and impersonal singing Ono’s words: a recurring problem throughout the album. For instance, Death Cab For Cutie’s ‘Waiting for the Sunrise’ translates the song into a modern indie rock context, but the results are bland and sung without an ounce of charm. While many of these artists (other prime offenders include Amber Coffman, Jay Som, and Stephin Merritt) succeed in transplanting Ono’s songs into a new musical genre, they fail to capture the emotion, peculiar instrumentations, or sincere vocal performances which define Ono’s music. These are trite covers, playing the right notes with no zest and little apparent affection.
Not every track on Ocean Child is lifeless. Japanese Breakfast’s minimalist piano-and-voice rendition of ‘Nobody Sees Me Like You Do’ is heartbreaking, achieving the same tenderness as Ono’s original with an added rawness. Sudan Archives’ ‘Dogtown’ re-imagines the song as a tense, string-heavy pop song. The track is always developing, yet anchored by a staccato violin melody. Sudan Archives’ voice feels at home singing Ono’s simple-yet-enigmatic words, injecting a certain suaveness into the song. Most noteworthy on the album is Thao (of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down)’s interpretation of ‘Yellow Girl (Stand By For Life)’. The original song is a bittersweet soft rock tune, a highlight from Ono’s most accessible album. Thao’s version, however, is an experimental and jarring deconstruction, built around a glitchy drum pattern and disconnected vocal tracks which often fall out of sync. Janky and occasionally cacophonous, Thao brings one of the few traces of Ono’s own bold and boundary-pushing sensibilities, a carefree originality Ocean Child otherwise lacks.
In the end, Ocean Child raises questions about what constitutes a great tribute album. Few of these artists’ interpretations are memorable. They sing the same words and play the same chords as Ono’s originals yet lack the attention to detail, the sincerity (or the irony) of Ono’s vocals, and the rich, unpredictable production. These songs inadvertently reveal the genius of Yoko Ono: a highly conceptual and eclectic musician, always evolving, poetic yet unpretentious, and with a seemingly effortless ability to mine emotion from even the simplest lyrics. While the songs on Ocean Child are largely vanilla throwaways, Ono’s absence is the ultimate evidence of her genius. Without her, these songs simply don’t work.
