teknofischzone

New Plans

2007-07-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Decided to try something new with our site, changing it to a blog format - so we'll see what happens :) The transition will be a slow process, so in the meantime I'm keeping the original site up & running so visitors can access articles and links. ~ teknofisch

Interview with A Different Kind Of Cop

2007-07-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

This interview has been in the works for some time now, and I'm happy to say that we finally pulled it together and finished it. I have to point out that the delay had nothing to do with A.D.K.O.C. in any way, all fingers point to Mr. Procrastination here. And the patience Tim has shown speaks volumes about his character... he is not only a very talented artist, but one of the coolest friends I've had the privilege of meeting (even if it was online).So now enough with the sucking-up and on with the interview. Enjoy (teknofisch)
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teknofisch: First off Tim, I’d like to thank you for your time and agreeing do this long overdue interview with us. How are things going for you? Any news you’d like to share?

Tim: My pleasure. Yeah, there are lots of new things going on — not all great, but not all that bad either. The good news is that my wife is pregnant. It's a boy and he's due in April. Also, I got a new job which is very cool — quite a blessing. Last, I just found out that I have to have my gallbladder removed — that happens on January 3. I was curious about the web design business you’re involved with, how is that going? Well, I'm doing web design for a small company right now. My new job delves into more multimedia-oriented stuff. I used to be a computer game producer, so the new job seems like it will really be a good fit.

tEEk: I’m just curious what type of games and how you got into that.

I'll begin with how I got into it. God led me there, basically. I was a college student who needed a job. I had been doing freelance graphic design for a little while and I wanted to do it full-time. One day, while at school, I saw this bright pink piece of paper on the job board -- it was like it was calling to me. I went up and read it and it was for a graphic design position somewhere. I went and interviewed and it went so great. The place was a company that made sounds for synthesizers, but they were getting into making sounds for computers (back when that was not very common). All of the people were very cool -- most of them were musicians in various local bands. It was like it was meant to be! Anyway, as time progressed, we slowly converted from the company that I just described into a full-fledged computer game company. I produced all sorts of things, from screen savers and desktop customization tools, to interactive childrens' CD-ROMs and 3D adventure games. When I left the company almost eight years after being hired, they were making Playstation and GameBoy games. It was a blast, but a lot of work and a lot of stress. I wouldn't stop anyone from working in the computer game industry, but I would always warn about the lifestyle that it can become.

How much did the music process change for you from the time you released “Another Everyday Occurrence” to “God-7 Structure-0”?

Not much, actually. I think the main change was just that I was a better musician and I had a better idea of what I wanted to see in a full-length album. AEO is sort of a mish-mash of various songs that I wrote during a seven-year period of time. G7S0 was written and recorded in a couple of months. Now, it's been five years since G7S0...

I read that the release date for the new ADKOC album got pushed back a bit… how is that coming along now?

Life is the main contributor to that issue. I have been writing the content of the next album over the course of the last five years, but I have yet to finish a complete song.
I did complete one song, “In Loss,” for a Flaming Fish Automata release, but that had to do with the timing being right and the fact that I wanted to do something other than write for the new album (and, as some people have criticized, it sounds a little like it should have been on G7S0). I also did a remix for some friends of mine, Idiot Stare. It was for a single of theirs called, “Ghost” (they released an entire album of remixes of that one song).

How does your faith affect your music?

Like everything in life, I hope my faith affects me in some way, no matter what I'm doing. So, I would say that it affects my music a lot. The first album consisted more of songs that were written as allegories or they came from a more secular viewpoint. The second one was pretty blatantly Christian in my opinion.

Do you consider it (music) a type of ministry, or is it more of an outlet for you? I used to play the drum a few years ago. Well Ok, I would pound on the drums, and that was an awesome release for me… frustrating for family and neighbors, but great for me.
( tEEk: I haven’t had to deal with that yet but I’m sure it’s coming. )

My art is always my outlet, whatever it may be. It's not only an outlet for frustration and anger, but for joy and happiness, sadness and grief... Any emotion. For that reason, art, and my music, is necessary for my emotional survival as a human being. But, sometime ago, I realized that it was a ministry — even if I didn't start off thinking about it that way. So, now, I am fully aware that people are touched by my art and my writing (my Weblog gets anywhere between 1,000 and 3,000 visitors per day now).

tEEk: So do you write for them or for yourself or do you consider that when you work on your weblog?

I mostly write for myself. But, a lot of what I write is topical or thought-provoking, so I know that others will, at least, be interested in some way. A lot of times, I am definitely writing to elicit response. The funny thing is, I can never tell which posts will get comments. Sometimes I write something that I feel should get a lot of response and no one comments. Then, I'll turn around and write something that I think is completely silly and I'll get fifty comments. It's crazy.

From what I’ve read on your site, you seem to stay pretty busy with various projects and work. How do you manage to keep it all balanced?

I don't. That's why it's been five years since my last record. Currently, I am pretty content with some of the web projects I am doing. Plus, I recently finished a short film for my church. Music is still there. But it will be done when it's done, you know? But, balance. I wish. My wife helps me mostly.

What’s your family think of your music career?

My family has always been very supportive of everything I've done artistically. A few years ago, my parents even let me move back into their house so that I could finish art school. I wouldn't categorize my music as a “career,” though. I might have had aspirations of something like that at one time, but I'm pretty honest about the fact that it is more of a hobby now than anything.

Ok, I have to throw in an odd question for you… something that I’ve been curious about for awhile (uh-oh). I remember reading a post on your weblog awhile back where you talked about your Russian heritage, and the origin of your name. So it got me thinking… have you ever considered doing a song with Russian lyrics? I think that would sound great put to some Industrial music.

Ha ha ha! Um... No. That is an odd question. Truthfully, I don't know Russian. My younger brother knows quite a bit, but he's got a Master's Degree in linguistics too. Speaking of lyrics in another tongue, though, I do have a Spanish translation of “Anger Is My Friend” that I've been dying to record for quite a while — maybe as a hidden track on the new CD. You see, I grew up in Southern California, so I'm more fluent in Spanish than Russian.

Any advice for people wanting to get into a music career, whether as a business or an outreach?

First, I think it's got to be something you love before it's any one of those things. If someone gets into music to be a career, then they will be crushed if it never works out. If they get into music just to be a mission, then they will never get anywhere — people will figure out that you're not being honest with them. Music (and any art) must first come from your soul — it must be something that comes naturally and isn't forced. When that happens, market the heck out of it. Send your demos everywhere, hand flyers out at concerts... Give your music away and never expect a dime for it. If you've got something special, it will hit; people will like it. I was amazed that radio stations around the world were playing my music. I loved getting fan mail and emails from people who found out about me somewhere — I still do!

tEEk: Since you consider it a hobby you may not have considered it, but have you ever thought of doing music for movies?

I have considered it. Actually, I have written a number of scores for short films that I have produced (which I haven't even talked about here). I've also lent my production skills to a couple of other Indy films. Probably, most notably, would be that my (older) song "Anger is My Friend" was used on one of the episodes of MTV's Road Rules Europe. That was pretty fun.

Check out A Different Kind Of Cop's official site for more information on the artist or to purchase his CD.

Chain Letters

2004-10-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Chain letters or just about every forwarded email I receive really annoy me. My family would rather send all these things to me instead of sending a real message. You know, a message like "Hey things are great here, how are you?" We have the internet to bring us together when we're seperated by many miles, and this is what we resort to. Spam
I read some of them because they may include a really cool prayer or joke, but when I get down to that part that says "forward this to as many friends as you can and you will be blessed", I feel like sending 100 copies back to the original source.
What really burns me is when it's a message containing something spiritual, for the lack of a better word, and the author has the audacity to say "...if you forward this, God will bless you tomorrow..." What?!!! What kind of superstitious junk is that.
I'm sorry, but my God blesses me everyday of my life, and if I have to rely on junk mail to be blessed...well then, I'm screwed!
People...quit trying to make God into a gimmick.

Stereotypes

2004-10-01T17:25:00.001-07:00

Funny thing happened to me on the way to work...Ok maybe not on the way to work.
I've had the fun experience of being talked about again, concerning my being a Christian and the type of music I listen to.
Now just to clarify things first, 98% of the music I listen to is made by Christian artists. Not all of them sing "praise" music, they're just artists that happen to be Christians. And pretty much all of my friends know that I promote these artists, and know that I listen to them. So...what are they saying about me?
"He's weird. He's a Christian but he listens to this rock music. How can that be?"
People...Listen to me...Not all Christian music is church music, and we all don't run around singing "Kumbaya"!!
Sometimes I do like to listen to the typical praise & worship music, but I'm a gothic:rivethead, and I like the music made by other Christian artists that fall into the Underground genre.
Ok I'll admit that I used to think that once I took that step and accepted Christ, I had to give up my type of music.
I did give up listening to alot of the secular junk that was laced with profanity and nothig but negative attitude. And I replaced it with artists that could actually write music with the same passion and intensity, and not be lazy and rely on 4 letter words to get their point across.
I do understand the mindset of my friends. But they know me, they know what I do. So why the confusion? I don't look down on them for this. I don't think I'm better than them. But I get aggravated because they're stuck in that way of thinking, after all this time of knowing me.
I'm not trying to point fingers here or start trouble, I just wanted to share this with others that may be going trough the same thing. And to point out one of the frustrations of being a Christian that doesn't follow the norm.

Webmasters and Tech Gurus

2004-09-29T02:21:00.000-07:00

Well...I now know why people hire webdesigners for their business or ministries. It's hard work to keep it updated. I don't mean to sound like a weenie, but I think I got ahead of myself with the new content I want to add to our site.
"Jason, no more additions until you've finished your other projects!" Ok see, now I'm talking to myself. Is it time for a break?

whats new

2004-09-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

You know I was thinking, I feel really blessed to have a job I actually
like. I can work alone, play my music, and wear a mohawk. For that I am grateful ;-)

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Another day

2004-09-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Well...here we are again.
It's another day of waking up at 5pm. You know, it get's frustrating when Satan gets into your head and makes you stress out. Even though I know how to keep him from doing it (more prayer, more time in the Word, more trust) I still let him fill it with junk. It's no wonder I can't sleep. I know that I'm a nightowl, but come on! "Ok, quit your whining and start doing something about it!!"

The battle is His and not mine to fight.