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Showing posts from March, 2022

Spasticity And Stage-Diving: How I Tackled The Mosh Pit With Cerebral Palsy

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  Mosh pits are one of the most crucial aspects of heavy music, but having Cerebral Palsy makes it a whole different ball game…  Mosh pits are like roller coasters: an element of danger that is overrun by the sheer thrill of the experience. It is this element of danger that has kept mosh pits active since the early 1980s. It is a very high sensory experience: you smell the beer and sweat spilling onto the dance floor. You hear the deafening music on stage in front of you. You feel the heat of the other bodies leaping around you. All these elements make for a truly thrilling experience. Even if you have Cerebral Palsy. For those who don’t know, Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination (spastic paralysis) and/or other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth. I was born with CP and it affects my balance, speech, and fine motor skills. I was also born, however, with a fiery passion for music. This of course means th...

Album Review: Cherry Blind - 'Cherry Blind'

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  Cherry Blind were one of the most exciting bands in Auckland’s music scene. Their blend of blistering punk rock and heavy breakdowns gave them one of the most unique sounds in the scene. Their new self-titled album sees them explore this signature sound to its very boundaries, and give us just under half an hour of damn good music. This album is bursting with energy from beginning to end.  ‘Papercut’ opens the album with its fast, energetic and aggressive nature. This song sets the tone for the relentless energy to follow in tracks like ‘Drown’ and ‘Burn’. A track that really stands out on this album is ‘Librium’. In contrast to other songs on the album, ‘Librium’ is largely an acoustic song. It’s the vocal harmonies that really make this song great. One of my favourite songs on the album is the title track. Drummer Mark Tohovaka gives this song plenty of energy with his lightning-fast fills around the kit. I also love the marching-style build-up he plays on the snare drum b...