Category Archives: Hedonism

Putting your faith in a festival on its first year can be a risky business. With so much choice already out there in the summer festival market, especially with festivals on the European mainland becoming an increasingly more attractive prospect year on year to young dance music fans, the prospect of spending another weekend in the UK can also seem a little dull to many seeking the full festival experience. That said, 7,500 people went ahead and placed their trust in the team behind Wales Gottwood Festival to deliver on a brand new event last week in the form of Houghton, a four-day festival situated on the grounds of Houghton Hall in Norfolk. Its fair to say though that they wont have gone home disappointed, with the weekend leaving me in little doubt that Id just experienced a new benchmark for UK festivals, specifically those geared towards fans of a certain kind of electronic music.

Teaming up with longtime fabric resident Craig Richards, who acted as a curator and the main face for the festival, the team pulled together a weekend that was about far more than its line-up, though that wasnt too shabby itself either, with the likes of Ricardo Villlalobos, Andrew Weatherall, Margaret Dygas, Ben UFO, Joy Orbison, Hunee and many more featuring, the line-up balancing the more obvious ticket sellers on the regular electronic music festival circuit with names that dont crop up on quite as many of the bigger UK festivals line-ups - take Nicolas Lutz, Convextion, Sonja Moonear, Binh and Romanian pairing Raresh and Rhadoo. Richards, who clocked up around 20 hours of playing time over the weekend, in the form of multiple solo sets as well as back-to-backs with Ricardo Villalobos and Nicolas Lutz, could be seen around the site through the weekend taking in sets from other DJs and live acts - it was hard to believe that hed slept a wink all weekend.

Mostly that suspicion will be down to one of the vital elements, amongst a number of factors, that confirmed Houghtons standing as the UKs best new festival, that being their ability to secure a 24-hour license, something that is relatively unheard of at a UK festival. This meant that the music across various parts of the site didnt finish between Friday morning and the very early hours of Monday morning. The soundsystems, so frequently a point of complaint for those at electronic music festivals in the UK, impressed through the weekend too, save for a dip on Sunday night during Hunees closing set at The Quarry - a disappointment no doubt, but also perhaps a small price to pay for just how smoothly the rest of the weekend ran, as well as one of the most generous licenses doled out to a UK festival in recent memory.

A notably friendly crowd as well as a security presence that didnt once seem overbearing over the course of the festivals four days gave Houghton a rare sense of unworldliness that left me feeling completely refreshed by the events end. Empty references to hedonism, as well as the values of peace, love, unity and respect, in dance music and clubbing are all too common today, but looking back over my weekend at Houghton, I can sincerely say that I experienced something very special, and feel blessed to have been one of the first to be a part of it.

UK crowds do have an appetite for 24-hour partying

One of the main selling points for Houghton in the build-up to the festival was its promise of extended sets given to the wealth of DJ talent booked to play - something that was essential in order to fully take in the style of music played by people such as Margaret Dygas, Nicolas Lutz, Binh and Ricardo Villalobos. In an age of festivals packing their line-ups to the brim, as well as the growing popularity of event clubbing from promoters like The Warehouse Project, meaning that DJs frequently play sets of little more than 90 minutes, Houghton offered something different.

Just a few days before the festival came around though, Houghton revealed exactly how they would be accommodating these plans, having procured a 24-hour license which would see the music roll endlessly at the festival site for just under three full, consecutive days. This wasnt without its challenges of course. Planning sleep breaks was made very difficult as a result, something I learnt the hard way after an intended nap turned into an extended sleep and a missed set by Binh.

While not all of the festivals stages ran without a break, there was always plenty to see or do on site across those days. Ben UFO rolled through a four-hour set at The Quarry to see of Friday night, his slot allowing him to shift between UK garage, smooth 90s tech-house and wigged out, Phillip Glass-sampling minimal from Ricardo Villalobos, the extended slot giving him more room to bridge the gap between disparate sounds than he would at most festivals. Romanians Raresh and Rhadoo rolled through around nine hours of classy minimal and house on another side of the site, at The Warehouse, getting started when Ben UFO was an hour into his set at The Quarry and eventually wrapping up sometime around midday.

Nicolas Lutz, one of the weekends sure highlights, brought his trademark sound of electro-oriented minimal and breaks to The Pavilion stage on Saturday night playing for four hours at nightfall and setting the stage suitably for one of the weekends most anticipated sets following him: Craig Richards and Ricardo Villalobos eight-hour back-to-back. Starting at 3am and coming to an end many hours after the sun had risen, the set was a masterclass in tempering energy levels when tasked with an extended slot, starting slowly and building very gradually. An early highlight came as Villalobos teased the opening synths to LFOs self-titled 1991 track for what felt like an age, chopping it in occasionally with another early bleep classic in the form of Detromentals Rewind, also originally released in 1991.

The mixing and selections got more audacious as the set went on - at one point Im sure I heard Villalobos pull off a very clever mix with two copies of the same record, while I was frequently left looking on in amazement at how he would pair other seemingly mismatched records with each other with such flair. Some hours into their set, as the sun rose behind the pair, Richards cunningly offset Villalobos more wonky selections with M Dubs UK garage remix of Body Killin by Vincent J. Alvis, a moment that felt like coming up for air and naturally drew a triumphant response from those in attendance. The Pavilion area started out very busy for their set but with the eight-hour set time, people eventually gave in to rolling in and out, allowing the area some breathing space, with Richards and Villalobos very much remaining in their element throughout, maintaining an engaged audience at the front until they eventually finished playing.

The 24-hour license certainly wasnt Houghtons only fine point, but it was one of its most unique, allowing it to stand out from all other UK competitors. With dancers constantly rotating between the campsite and stages at all hours of the day and night, it seemed that people were grasping the extended partying hours with both hands too, and proved that there might just be an appetite for more 24-hour clubbing opportunities in the UK. Promoters The Hydra were granted a 24-hour license at their former Studio Spaces hub a few years ago but never used it and have now moved on to focusing on Sunday daytime sessions at Londons Ministry Of Sound for the rest of the year. Similarly, fabric only host one non-stop day and night party each year in October for their birthday.

Increasingly, large promoters in London, such as The Hydra, are making a shift to hosting daytime events on Sundays, allowing audiences to catch world-class DJs in clubs and be in bed in time for work the next morning. I understand why this might be an attractive prospect to many, but theres a niggling sense of conservatism about it all sitting at the back of my mind. Complicated licensing negotiations have of course played a large part in ensuring that UK cities dont enjoy the extended nightlife hours afforded to many clubs in Berlin and Amsterdam, but perhaps, where possible, it might be interesting to start experimenting with more extended parties, taking Houghtons lead. We might then start to see the four-hour sets that have become the club standard in Berlin make their way to these shores too.

Location is key

Alongside the 24-hour partying that the festival allowed for, Houghtons setting was also key in creating the kind of utopian atmosphere that could be felt through the weekend with a number of excellently located stages, as well as plenty of room for wandering. With a relatively limited capacity, the campsite was limited to one large field and easy to navigate if you found yourself wanting to get some rest back at your tent, while the main music arena was mostly populated around another field and the lake on Houghton Halls grounds.

Dotted around the lake was a floating restaurant, a tent hosting workshops and life drawing classes and The Pavilion which consisted of a wooden stage sitting directly in front of the lake amongst the trees of the forest. The area hosted standout sets from Craig Richards and Ricardo Villalobos, Nicolas Lutz, Saoirse (whose sleek house and minimal-oriented selections were just the ticket to get people who might have already been feeling worse for wear going again on Saturday afternoon) and Convextion presenting a live set. The closing hours at the stage on Sunday night were handed over to Gerd Janson and Roman Flgel. Janson, the prime candidate for a final night party set drew for crowdpleasers across his three-hour set time, slotting in Biceps Just as well as Pangaeas recent festival-ready edit of Nomad classic Devotion before closing on an edit of Underworlds Born Slippy. With the sound dipping over at The Quarry, a hollowed out bowl which played host to Joy Orbison, Optimo, Andrew Weatherall and more, for Hunees closing set, The Pavilion felt like the right place to see the final night out with Flgel taking a more subtle approach than Janson before him, drawing on more hard-edged techno and jacking house before closing the festival with a remix of Arthur Russells This Is How We Walk On The Moon.

Vladimir Ivkovic and Ivan Smagghe played for around five hours on Saturday night in a small dome, building gradually and making use of the confined surroundings and smaller crowd to go deeper, playing the kind of cosmic chuggers that they can frequently be heard drawing for together, bringing out increasingly outrageous dance moves from those gathered as the music grew weirder and more sleazy. Having spent most of the weekend happily moving around the stages in the main area though, it wasnt until Sunday that I discovered what the secret Terminus stage had to offer. Deliberately left off the site map, with hints left for people to reach the stage by catching a train somewhere on the site, the stage was hidden right near the main entrance to the site, and offered a nice midpoint between the Pavilions leafy surroundings and the Quarrys swampy setting. It was at the Terminus stage that Craig Richards played his final set of the weekend, alongside Nicolas Lutz, just five hours after finishing up his eight-hour set with Ricardo Villalobos. The hours hed already clocked up on the decks by this point still didnt seem to have got to him though as the pair, by now seasoned back-to-back partners, swapped records for four hours, bringing it home with the groove-laden Underground Resistance-released Black Moon Rising from Scan-7 amongst other dazzling cuts.

The Quarry, while perhaps the most obvious setting for most of the festivals headline bookings, unfortunately couldnt handle the demand at peak times with sizeable queues forming each night to catch the likes of Move D, Joy Orbison, Andrew Weatherall and Optimo, and The Warehouse lacked character in comparison to most of the other stages. These are very minor niggles in what was an outstanding first year from Houghton though, with the festival clearly putting a great deal of thought into how to use the location to its fullest potential, even offering revellers sculpture tours of the festivals grounds.

Yurts make for the best party spots

East London bar Brilliant Corners popped up at Baldocks Farr Festival earlier this summer with a yurt complete with an audiophile soundsystem supplied by The Analogue Foundation, mimicking the spotless system that could be found at the bar itself. Hosting scheduled and secret sets across the weekend, many of those at the festival reported back that it was one of the finest points of the weekend this year. The same could be said for Brilliant Corners display at Houghton, once again setting up shop in a sizeable, yet intimate yurt for the weekend, speaker stacks set up around the dome to envelope everyone inside with one of the crispest audio experiences theyll doubtless ever experience at a festival.

Hosting second, more intimate sets from the likes of Hunee and Floating Points, it was a popular attraction with revellers invited to enter the tent via a small opening that required most to bow down to get inside, entering under a lit-up sign just outside reading GIANT STEPS, a reference to the John Coltrane album of the same name. A vintage Technics unit and rotary mixer were set up for each DJ to play on inside with the system and set-up encouraging each DJ to dig deep and draw for the kind of music that would sound best in such a surrounding.

Playing some hours before his closing set at The Quarry on Friday night, Ben UFO made full use of his 90-minute set time starting out slow with balearic ballads such as Blue Gas Shadows From Nowhere before winding up at frenetic jazz numbers in the form of Jackie McLean and Michael Carvins De I Conahlee Ah via sultry reggae and dub such as Ghosts Come Back Again. The tent erupted with every new selection, the intensity ramping up ever further as he further tested the system with Exemens screwface-inducing Far East followed by a volley of jungle including Fracture & Neptunes Colemanism. Fully spent, I wandered out of the tent in an attempt to recollect my head a few minutes before the sets end safe in the knowledge that Id already witnessed one of the weekends undoubted highlights in a truly special setting.

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Things Learned At: Houghton 2017 - The Quietus

Editor's note: This essay is part of an ongoing Deseret News opinion series exploring ideas and issues at the intersection of faith and thought.

If man stops believing in God, he will start believing in anything. attributed to G.K. Chesterton

The Judeo-Christian tradition has many prohibitions against idolatry but few against atheism. Perhaps early theists understood that humans are homo religious religious beings by nature who will always seek out an object of worship. Joshua did not say, Choose you this day whether you will serve, but, Choose you this day whom ye will serve. According to novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, If a man rejects God, he will have to worship an idol of wood, gold, or ideas. Since we all need meaning and higher purpose in our lives, there is no way out of worship, there is only a choice of what to worship (something even evolutionary biologists are now acknowledging).

In our current society, worship of the Judeo-Christian God is being replaced by the worship of a God of History, the deity of the Religion of Progress. This religion permeates our culture, largely shapes public discourse, and has a major impact on popular thinking. It can be summarized in a three-part creed:

1. History is unfolding in a pre-determined direction

2. The enlightened know what that direction is

3. That direction is good

In the past, the Religion of Progress was embodied in movements and theories such as Marxism, fascism, and Hegelianism; today it is alive and well on both sides of our political spectrum. The left pays overt homage to the God of History with the progressive label, while many on the right believe history inevitably points to peace and prosperity under the free market or to universal democracy through American military intervention. In the Religion of Progress, History is an omnipotent, omnipresent force that acts in and through all things, and will bring eventual salvation to society. The arc of history, we are often told, bends towards justice.

But unlike other deities, the God of History makes few demands; just make sure youre on the right side of history. Individuals cant change the God of Historys doings, they can only align themselves with his will, thereby proving themselves to be among the elect.

For most versions of the Religion of Progress, another sign of virtue is powerlessness. This view replaces the mistaken 19th century imperialist maxim might makes right with the opposite but equally mistaken maxim might makes wrong. People who belong to historically powerful or advantaged groups males, whites, the wealthy, Americans are often viewed as inherently evil by virtue of their perceived position of privilege, while anyone who belongs to a historically disadvantaged group women, racial minorities, the poor, inhabitants of the Third World are righteous by virtue of their perceived lack of power. Being born into privilege is the Religion of Progress equivalent of original sin.

Those willing to approach the question of power rationally rather than dogmatically realize that belonging to a group does not, in itself, confer any moral standing on someone there are good and bad people in all groups but the God of History denies agency. People are saved either through identification with an oppressed group or through identification with the Religion of Progress being on the right side of history.

Like most religious believers, history worshippers dont arrive at their beliefs through rational inquiry, but through a faith commitment. The doctrines of the Religion of Progress are final, absolute and closed to further discussion. Just as Christians dont question the will of Christ, history worshippers dont question the will of history. Since those disagreeing with any of these dogmas are clearly on the wrong side of history, they are not to be engaged and debated, but marginalized and silenced.

Since young adults are particularly given to religious zeal, its understandable that the most fanatical history worshippers would be found on college campuses. The high priests of the Religion of Progress (the faculty) convert and instruct their acolytes (students) in seminaries (classrooms) and then turn them loose to stop anyone from polluting the church (university) with blasphemy (dissenting ideas). You cant debate God (history), you can only shut down those who oppose his will.

Accordingly, Charles Murray, Heather Macdonald, Christina Hoff Sommers, Bret Weinstein and others who dissent from the Religion of Progress are heretics to be driven from the temple by violence if needs be. The same religious zeal that led Puritans to persecute innocents as witches in 1690s Salem is leading students to persecute innocents as heretics today. The problem with colleges is not as is commonly believed that they have become secularized; the problem is that they have become temples of a new religion.

History worship is attractive and growing for two primary reasons: permissiveness and popularity. As a matter of doctrine, the Religion of Progress denies human agency and therefore absolves people of responsibility for their actions. Since virtue comes from being on the right side of history, rather than from repentance, adherents to the Religion of Progress can freely indulge in substance abuse, sexual promiscuity and general hedonism. Anyone who condemns such behavior is clearly an opponent of the Religion of Progress and can be accordingly dismissed as, intolerant, bigoted, reactionary, racist, sexist, fascist, imperialist, etc. This gives history worshippers a sense of moral superiority to go along with their hedonism.

The Religion of Progress is not only false but also dangerous. The great bulwark of religious freedom in America has been pluralism, but history worship is approaching dominant status and we increasingly see it imposing itself on society. People who dare defy history (by, say, opposing same-sex marriage) have been harassed, threatened, persecuted and fired from jobs. Gods will must be enforced, they believe, and once a majority concurs, religious freedom will be subject to majority whims.

Since it does not acknowledge itself as a faith, history worship poses dangers that other religions do not. History worshippers, seeing themselves as the enlightened vanguard for a better world rather than the religious zealots they are, feel justified in oppressing and silencing those who disagree. While other religions are subject to legal constraints, such as the separation of church and state which (rightly) denies them public funding, we are all compelled to subsidize the Religion of Progress through taxation (e.g., public funding of universities, media and art).

Because the Religion of Progress combines the authority of reason with the zealotry and dogmatism of faith, we should all be concerned about its growth. History worship threatens to make our society less rational, more politicized and, ultimately, less free.

His views are his own.

Hyrum Lewis is a professor of history at BYU-Idaho and, this year, a visiting scholar at Stanford University. This article is adapted from his book, "There is a God: How to Respond to Atheism in the Last Days" (Cedar Fort Inc., 2017).

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Op-ed: Latter-day Saints beware the false god of 'history' - Deseret News

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WHEN DUBLIN OLDSCHOOL first hit theatres in 2014 it was met with widespread acclaim.

The play written by and starring Emmet Kirwan (Sarah and Steve; Heartbreak) follows would-be DJ Jason (Kirwan) through a drug-fuelled weekend odyssey along the streets of Dublin.

Jason works in a record shop in the city centre. He has plans to be a top DJ but loves going on the session at the weekends: taking drugs, going to clubs and raves and generally just overdoing it.

The play follows Jason along his path of hedonism and self-destruction as he navigates through the weekend. Along the way in between raves, drug busts and longing for his ex-girlfriend Jason meets and reconnects with his estranged older brother Daniel (played by Ian Lloyd Anderson), a homeless drug addict.

Kirwan (left) and Anderson (right) in the promo for the Dublin Oldschool play.

The play was notable in that Kirwan and Anderson were the only two actors occupying a completely bare stage. Dublin and an entire cast assorted, well-sketched characters is brought alive by Jasons quickfire narration and the words and actions.

Fast-paced, descriptive poetry carries the audience along for a wild ride that is both a celebration of youthful hedonistic drug culture and poignant tale about family breakdown the dangers and sadness of addiction.

Fast forward three years later to this week and Kirwan and a cast of youthful actors were wedged into Anseo bar on Camden Street, along with a full production team.

TheJournal.iegot a behind-the-scenes look as shooting has commenced on a movie version of Dublin Oldschool, which will film in locations across Dublin and Wicklow for four weeks.

From play to movie

Kirwan and Anderson reprise their roles as the two lost brothers, but alongside them now will be a full cast each playing one of the excellent side characters.

These are people like Dave The Rave a posh sounding Dublin drug dealer with a one track mind for getting out of his mind.

The side acts are all brought brilliantly to life by Anderson onstage, and aside from the strong emotional centre of the brothers relationship provide the play with its best moments.

Kirwan (left) and director Dave Tynan on set. Source: Allen Kiely

Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful/Ransom), Sena Kerslake (A Date for Mad Mary/Cant Cope, Wont Cope), Mark OHalloran (Adam & Paul/Historys Future/The Virtues) and Stephen Jones (Red Rock/Love Hate) will all feature in the movie.

It will be interesting to see how the ensemble cast adapt and make each character their own.

The movie is directed by Dave Tynan (who co-wrote it), a longtime collaborator with Kirwan.

The mens partnership won much attention earlier this year for the short spoken word film Heartbreak which was written and performed by Kirwan and directed by Tynan.

The video tells the story Young One (played byJordanne Jones) a young teenager who becomes a mother and encounters hardship and hypocrisy as she raises her child.

Heartbreak went viral and won acclaim for both men, with Kirwans words To stand in awe of mn becoming a rally cry for the womens rights movement and the Repeal the Eighth campaign.

Tynan and Kirwan also collaborated on the excellent Just Saying spoken word video way back in 2012, when the recession still seemed like it was many years from ending.

Just Saying written and directed by Tynan and performed by Kirwan as he walks through Dublin at night may give a glimpse into what the pair are looking to accomplish with Dublin Oldschool.

Here we have the same themes of a lost youth culture, references to weekends of drink and drugs, and the whole thing underpinned as Dublin Oldschool is by a deep but conflicted love of Dublin city and all that goes with it.

With a budget this time of 1 million from the Irish Film Board and Windmill Lane Studios, the duo will have a bit more scope to expand on and convey their vision in the feature length film.

The movie is bound to differ in many ways from the play, and is Emmet Kirwans first feature length film. Speaking to the press outside Anseo this week, he was confident about pulling off the translation from stage to screen.

I dont want to give too much away but weve kind of distilled the essence of the play into the film script, he said.

You get to show all the things that youve only talked about.

The good stuff in the play will still be in the film especially the words.

Distribution and sales for Dublin Oldschool are handled by Element Pictures and the film is due for cinema release in 2018.

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Noticed the cameras around town? They're for the upcoming movie about a drug-fuelled weekend in Dublin - thejournal.ie

AS the 96-year-old Communist Party of China (CPC) prepares to hold its 19th national congress later this year, the world is watching how the long-ruling party will remain vigorous in the future.

In fact, the CPCs efforts in self-reform since its 18th national congress held five years ago have provided answers to that question.

Xi Jinping, who took office as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012, has led the efforts to fight corruption, calling on the whole Party to stay fully alert and describing corruption as a threat to the Partys very survival.

Nothing is off-limits in the anti-corruption efforts, and zero tolerance has been shown toward corruption, Xi said at the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) earlier this year.

On December 4, 2012, the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee convened a meeting to deliberate on the eight-point frugality code to address si feng, or four forms of decadence formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance.

According to the CCDI, as of the end of May, a total of 170,400 violations against the eight-point frugality code had been investigated across the country, with 231,100 people punished, including 20 ministerial-level Party officials.

Yang Xiaodu, deputy secretary of the CCDI, said, The tests we are facing now are no less challenging than those in war times, only in different forms. If our Party members cant resist the risks of corruption, they could end up using power for illegitimate purposes.

On April 19, 2013, the Politburo decided to launch education activities within the Party.

The three stricts and three earnests campaign, advanced by Xi in 2014, urges officials to be strict in morals, power and self-discipline, and to be honest in decisions, business and behavior.

The Party also advanced a campaign for members at all levels to study the theoretical and practical issues of Party building in an effort to strengthen ideology and Communist beliefs while serving the people.

The Party has shown hardened resolve in the fight against corruption when the Central Committee decided to investigate and punish senior officials for discipline violations, including Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, Ling Jihua and Su Rong.

The Party not only exercises self-discipline within the country, but also reaches abroad to hunt down fugitives.

Yang Xiuzhu, who was once number one on the list of Chinas top 100 fugitives released in an Interpol red notice, turned herself in to the country in November 2016 after 13 years on the run.

So far, over 40 fugitives on the Interpol red list have either voluntarily returned or been extradited to China, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

In November 2013, the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee required innovation in the disciplinary inspection system, focusing on problems related to corruption, Party rules and regulations as well as the Partys leadership.

The CPC has carried out inspection work covering CPC organizations in provincial-level regions, central CPC and government organs and major state-owned enterprises, according to Li Xiaohong, an official with the central inspection group.

According to the CCDI, from 2012 to the end of 2016, 240 centrally administered officials were investigated, with 223 receiving punishments. A total of 57,000 Party members took the initiative to confess to their wrongdoings in 2016.

Meanwhile, the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, the top legislature, approved a pilot reform program to establish an integrated supervision system that will see the establishment of local supervisory commissions at three levels province, city and county.

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Nothing is off-limits in the Party's anti-graft efforts - Shanghai Daily (subscription)

Time off before university used to mean a non-stop party, but the jobs market demands more now

In years gone by, gap years meant 12 months of full-moon parties in Thailand and cannabis-infused lassi in India. But as students contemplate their future after last weeks A-level results, those considering travelling are taking their break more seriously: these days the gap year is all about your CV.

Its been a really noticeable change, says Tim Fryer of student travel specialist STA. Weve seen a shift away from a gap year centred around hedonism. Now those taking time out after A-levels, or after their degree, are choosing their trip with one eye on what theyre going to tell their future employers. Theyre looking for skills and qualities they can demonstrate. Its almost a stepping stone on your career.

Emma Beynon of the gap-year organiser

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Got past clearing? Now comes the gap year and it's not just about fun - The Times

After a six-year break from the recording studio, Hellbound Glory makes its return this fall, firing twin barrels of swampy country-blues and roots-rock hedonism on the band's upcoming fourth album, Pinball. Released Friday, October 13th, the record finds the group working with producer Shooter Jennings, another 21st-century outlaw with boots planted on either side of the country-rock divide.

On "Sun Valley Blues #3 (Bloodweiser)," frontman Leroy Virgil sings about the seedy underbelly of his adopted hometown, Reno. It's a city of extremes, filled with "well whiskey and hell-raising women" on one end and "sweet cocaine and high-dollar ladies" on the other. Bowers' narrator is half-lit and eager to explore it all, careening across town with "Bloodweiser running through [his] veins." Set to a soundtrack of slide guitars and blues progressions, the song is both driving and dangerous. (Listen to the song below.)

"Sun valley is a place between hell and heaven, where you could go either way," explains Virgil, who briefly toured under his own name before reviving the Hellbound Glory moniker for Pinball's release. "That's where the blues comes from. And when he's there, the only comfort a bluesman can find is in money, a woman, a bottle, or a song but sometimes, all you got is pinball."

Meanwhile, Jennings, whose label Black Country Rock is releasing Pinball, stars in a promotional video for the album's pre-sale. In the clip below, he's taken hostage by one of Bowers' henchwomen, who tells him, "You have until October 13th to deliver the record."

In reality, Jennings jumped at the chance to work with the band, telling Rolling Stone Country, "I've been a fan of Hellbound Glory from the minute I heard 'em. They're about the most shit-kicking band with Bukowski-worthy lyrics country music has ever seen." The band will play a special release show on October 4th at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, with Jennings also on the bill.

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Hear Hellbound Glory's Hedonistic 'Sun Valley Blues #3 (Bloodweiser)' - RollingStone.com

Seven years ago, when Kesha made her dbut, doused in glitter, she occupied the role of pops mononymous misfit with charm. Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack, she sang on Tik Tok, a massive, wacky earworm that effortlessly made its way into middle-school dances and bars in 2010. In the videos for Tik Tok and her other hit, Your Love Is My Drug, her jeans were ripped and her hair was mussed. (Back then, she spelled her name as Ke$ha, a joke about how broke shed been before making it big.) On her first album, Animal, she seemed averse to sincerity; for the most part, she strutted past balladry for the thumping hedonism of late-aughts E.D.M. She barely even sang. More often, Kesha rapped, sort of. Interestingly, there seemed to be no sex in her voiceonly brashness, and a buzzing, single-girl aggression.

When she did sing, as when she wrote songs, Kesha was best at sounding anonymous, and many of her own songs featured Auto-Tune. Slowly, though, and strategically, Kesha began to reveal the original rasp of her voice, exchanging vaguely warped trip-hop for sensual rock. There seemed to be a realization, sometime around the 2012 release of Warrior, that Kesha was more than a fun-house mirror of commercially packaged femininitythat she might be the real thing. A listicle about the number of songs that people probably werent aware she had written, for herself and for other artists, became popular on music sites. (Those other artists include Ariana Grande, Flo-Rida, and Alice Cooper; her talents are strangely malleable.) In 2014, she dropped the dollar sign. It became widely known that her mother is Rosemary Patricia Pebe Stewart, the songwriter who penned Old Flames Cant Hold a Candle to You for Dolly Parton. Old demos surfaced revealing Keshas ear for blues and sorrow. Like Lana Del Rey , or the intrepid young songwriters Charli XCX and Bebe Rexha, Kesha was versed both in party clich and heartfelt testimony.

She has also showed strength. For the past three years, the artist has pursued a suite of lawsuits against the producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald), formerly of Sony, whom she accuses of sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, unfair business practices, and infliction of emotional distress. (Gottwald denies all accusations, and has not faced criminal charges.) Keshas fight to release herself from the terms of her contract has initiated debates about the structural misogyny of the music industry and, more generally, the unchecked ways men may dictate the futures of the women they have harmed. Notably, the ordeal prevented Kesha from releasing any new music. Instead, she has performed covers, sometimes mournfully. Last year, before a court date, she uploaded a video of herself, taken in selfie mode. I cant put out new music, but I can sing a little of someone elses songs, of something that exists, she said, before singing Amazing Grace.

The release of Rainbow, her third album, was facilitated by a court decision allowing Kesha to record without the producer. (The decision upheld the contractual relationship; Dr. Lukes name appears on the albums liner notes.) On the Technicolor cover, Kesha stands like a trippy Venus, naked, in a cartoon pool, her back turned to us. Many have been impressed by the lushness of the albums sound, by the way that her grunts and groans meet soaring piano. Praying, the first single, which came out in July, is, as Rolling Stone put it, triumphant. But Kesha also understands that grungy irreverence has always been her skill, and that it is compatible with the grandiosity of hope. Woman, an anthem track, balances gloss and gravity with a touch of grime. Its an empowerment song of the storied Bills, Bills, Bills ilk, about shaking off no-good men and forging independencethe kind of song that could provide a soundtrack to the sequence in a feel-good romantic comedy in which a woman gets a style makeover. That movie would have an adult rating: no one says the word motherfucker quite like Kesha. On Woman, she sings it and its derivatives over and over again, employing it like a happy cudgel. Im a motherfucking woman, she exclaims, Im a motherfucker. The cursing rings like a genuine release; her profanity lifts the song out of triteness. The funk ensemble the Dap-Kings match her brass, filling the chorus with staccato horns. Around the second verse, Kesha breaks off for a momentprobably giggling about the silly lyrics, loosey as a goosey and were looking for some fun. Its sweet to hear her laugh.

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Kesha's Liberating New Anthem, Woman - The New Yorker

The Scottish bishops have been urged to take radical action after the number of Catholic marriages in Scotland hit the lowest level since 1941.

There were just 1,346 Catholic marriages in Scotland last year, down from a high of 7,066 in 1970.

Mgr Peter Magee, head of the Scottish Catholic Interdiocesan Tribunal, which rules on annulments, said he would like to see better preaching about marriages in parishes, the establishment of a Catholic Marriage Association, and one Sunday in the year dedicated to matrimony.

We need more systematic and intensified preaching and catechesis on marriage, preaching at Mass and catechesis both in Catholic schools and in the preparation of couples for marriage, he said.

Here we need to harness the expert help of communicators, psychologists in line with the Catholic vision of marriage and any other professional class which would help get the message across, including Catholic media, Catholic think tanks and Catholic social media wizards.

Mgr Magee added that Catholic marriages should be a source of inspiration.

This would include examples of marriages from the past and present and ways of enabling solid Catholic marriages to witness to others about the truth of what marriage is, with all its wonders and problems, he said.

New body

The monsignor also called for the establishment of a Catholic Marriage Association.

[This would] have the task of critically analysing the cultural and philosophical trends in our society, in order to demonstrate when those trends are, or are not, serving the true need for love, intimacy, stability, children and interpersonal development of a coupled man and woman, he said.

It would demythologise the lies which are thrown at us concerning love, sex, relationships, happiness and fulfilment and which proceed solely from the self centred needs of the hedonism which has infected and corrupted our culture and our laws.

We need a sensitive but articulate presentation of why cohabitation does not respond humanly, never mind Christianly, to what the human being craves deep down.

Message on marriage

Mgr Magee said we should have one Sunday in the year dedicated to marriage, much as we have one for life and other worthwhile causes.

It would not be just a day to preach about marriage nor to pray for itthese are givens, he said. It would be a day to celebrate marriage in the parish, both liturgically and socially.

It would be a day to issue a message on marriage to the nation in the exercise of our right of free speech and in our sense of duty to present the Christian vision courageously and positively to our sceptical and secularist culture.

He also suggested we need more marriage advisory services on a more widespread basis, closer to local communities.

But those who lead them need proper training in the rich teaching of the Church in such matters, be it for those already married or those curious about getting married, he said.

While the culture around us seems against us, there are probably thousands of young people just waiting to hear the Gospel of Marriage.

[Young people] who would be enthralled and inspired to enter into marriage as God intended it, if someone would just take the time and explain to them, with love, the rich and profound treasure that it is, and that it can only be since it comes from the hands of God.

I realise that much of what I propose requires resources, financial and personnel, but to precisely what other cause would it be more important to do so?

ian@sconews.co.uk

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Radical action urged as Catholic marriages hit lowest level since 1941 - Scottish Catholic Observer

Some film projects just appeal to you on a personal, spiritual level. For me, this is one of those jams. Annie Clark, better known as her stage name as musician St. Vincent, is set to direct an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray for Lionsgate. But thats just the start of the good news. Per Variety, he script will come from Elle screenwriter David Birke, who is also set to pen Screen Gems upcoming Slender Man movie, and theyll be putting a twist on Oscar Wildes classic Victorian novel by gender-swapping the titular lead character.

The first and only novel from the prolific Irishwriter behind The Importance of Being Ernest, Salome, and no less than three of your favorite witticisms, The Picture of Dorian Gray follows a beautiful young man concerned with little more than the pleasures of hedonism who sells his soul to retain his youth and beauty. The libertine commissions a portrait that captures his preternatural beauty, and while he never ages a day as he continues his self-indulgent waysthrough the years, his portrait ages in his stead, revealing every vice and depravity he indulges along the way.

Image via Magnet Releasing

Clark made her directorial debut earlier this year with the female-driven horror anthology The XX, for which she helmed the films most offbeat piece a candy-colored suburban nightmare starring Melanie Lynskey that skirted the lines of the horror label. She showed off a visual acumen as a filmmaker and a refreshing, fluid approach to genre, both of which would suit an update of Wildes oft-adapted tale. More interesting is the gender swap and what commentary the film could reap from it. As it was, Wildes piece was a bit of an inversion on the more conventional Elizabeth Bathory/Evil Queen female tropes of beauty-obsessed villainy. Now, centuries later when both sides of the coin have been so well explored, Im curious if they can find something new to say. Im also very, very curious who theyll cast in the role of the lady libertine.

What do you guys think? Are you as excited as I am? Sound off in the comments.

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St. Vincent to Direct Gender-Bent 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' Movie - Collider.com

I could never really explain my distaste for Jimmy Fallon until I visited Munich during Oktoberfest a few years back. I entered a beer tent to thousands of glassy-eyed revelers partaking in that most hedonistic of human activities drinking until you lose consciousness.

Jimmy Fallon would love this, I thought, and just like that, I understood where my feelings for him came from. Its not to say I have anything against Oktoberfest (on the contrary!) but I realized in that instant that hedonism is exactly what Jimmy Fallon represents. His comedy is the product not of suffering but of having grown up white, male, and economically secure. It has no substance because its not saying anything.

Theres nothing wrong with enjoying this kind of humor and Im also not saying that Fallon himself doesnt know pain, although a knowledge of pain is certainly not Fallons brand. That I dont personally appreciate comedy rooted in happiness is neither here nor there. But when a commitment to keeping it light means failing to stand up for the people who dont have that option those whose rights are in very real and present danger in this country it becomes a problem.

Jimmy Fallon is being lauded for his condemnation of Donald Trump Tuesday night. But what people are missing is this: after months of ignoring the terror the Trump administration has wrought upon this country particularly upon women, immigrants, Jews, people of color, the LGBTQ community it took actual Nazis marching in the streets for Fallon to finally speak up.

Even though The Tonight Show isnt a political show, its my responsibility to stand up for intolerance and extremism as a human being, Fallon said before launching into an admonishment of Trumps refusal to denounce the Charlottesville white supremacists. I was watching the news like everybody else and youre seeing Nazi flags and torches and white supremacists and I was sick to my stomach. My daughters were playing in the next room playing and I was thinking, how can I explain to them that there is so much hatred in this world. They are two and four. They dont know what hate is.

There is a reason we do not watch movies about 1930s Germany that do not in some significant way feature the Holocaust. It would be a bizarre, indefensible, and irresponsible artistic choice to make such a movie, as if the Holocaust didnt intimately affect the lives of every German, Jewish and otherwise, during that period. Though we cannot compare modern America to the horrors of Nazi Germany, we cannot pretend the ascendence of Donald Trump isnt a starkly present backdrop in the lives of all Americans right now. Progress is being undone, civil rights are being challenged, and the threat of white supremacy is more explicitly vocal than it has been in years.

In this world, silence is complicity. This goes for all people, especially those who have benefited and continue to benefit from the very white supremacy those marching in Charlottesville this past weekend are fighting to preserve. But it especially goes for someone like Jimmy Fallon, who has a platform and an audience whose apoliticism the reason, perhaps, many of them choose to tune in to Fallons show must be challenged for the sake of this countrys well-being.

Jimmy Fallons long-awaited condemnation of Donald Trump is appreciated but Im saddened by how long this man took to acknowledge the reality of whats going on in America. It doesnt matter if your show is political or not. It hasnt mattered for a long time.

Becky Scott is the editor of The Schmooze. Follow her on Twitter, @arr_scott

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Jimmy Fallon's Condemnation Of Trump Is Too Little, Too Late - Forward