Survival of the Fittest I woke up, and after morning prayer I started thinking about whether the images portrayed in the media or this innate instinct to survive is the driving force behind our youth gravitating to hard, angry, soulless music? I'm sure acceptance plays a big role in it too but isn't that a form of survival? I guess I'm posing questions that I have no real answer to. I really don't know what is the cause behind all of this; All I know is how I feel when I listen to John Coltrane or Nina Simone and countless in between. And how I feel when I hear another grunting song that glorifies a lifestyle I know nothing about. Right or wrong is not what I'm debating, its whether kids take on the grunt as a form of armor to protect them from criticism till they figure out who they really are. Seems logical in a world where the vast majority are slaves to a minority. Where the slogan of everyday is "Survival of the Fittest!" But what are we given as tools for survival? I think it's obvious that the last thing they want us to have is a strong mind. They want us to draw this false sense of security in things they can sell to us, like a gun or the new 50 cent record(which gives the thoughtless or developing mind a demeanour they can run with), or the multitude of ideas that truly are superficial. Why else is it that when somebody has something positive to say it goes unheard and when someone comes with in idea that promotes ignorance its a best seller? I wish there were answers to these questions!!! But I guess that's all that's left. Enough with the questions let's get the answers. Truly, "Endings start with answers." - Emily Haines, Metric BURN DOWN BABYLON!!!!! 3/28/2006

The Wailers Tour For as long as I can remember we as a band have always dreamed about driving down the west coast in the midst of winter to play shows. When that opportunity was presented to us, without giving it a second thought, we jumped on it. Granted the decision was easy when you consider who it was we were going down to open for, The LEGENDARY WAILERS!!! I think we were a little gun-shy at first, "why would the Wailers, a band that's been around long enough to do 34 world tours, want to tour with us?"(Apparently they heard PD-Atrics and were flipping out) The first night of the tour was in Portland on Bob Marley's birthday. Needless to say it was sold out and the crowd was live. It's always a bit of a mindfuck for the audience whenever we get infront of a new crowd. It takes about 25mins for them to figure out what we're about. We didn't have that luxury this time around, we had to come guns blazing from the first note our set was only 35mins. So we decided on a quick intro, Mad Shrapnomuffin, Peep the Lesson, Strongest Strength, Shine, A freestyle, Stop, Electrify, and Trust US. By the time we got to Strongest Strength I'd say we had them. They were real receptive and just screaming(it was an all ages show) Still the highlight of every night was seeing the Legends take to the stage and just kill it. No matter how good we thought our set went the Wailers would come on and just raise the bar to another level. I feel like by calling the Wailers set a performance almost cheapens the experience. For me it was more like a spiritual ceremony. I've never seen the guys in the band as happy as we were on this tour and I can honestly say it had everything to do with the energy the Wailers exude. Always Positive!! The further south we went the warmer it got(duh!) that does have multiple meanings though. We felt like we were garnering more respect from them, as they would ask us to play longer than we were originally contracted for. (by the end we were playing an hour long set) They started making their way over to our merch booth and "tried" to buy shit(as if I could sell a cd to Family Man!!!) The fans that we made would actually show up to the next gig to support us.(there were some days we would be adding 30-40 new people to our MYspace page)so truly we made our mark in some of the most beautiful towns the U.S has to offer. All in all it was the one tour nobody in PD wanted to come home from. We made some good friends along the way(Moss, Anthony, Christafari, Karen, Mary BLESS UP!!) Everyone in that particular part of the states go out of their way to make you comfortable(one nice girl gave me a massage before our show at Lake Tahoe, it was probably my best show of the tour and I owe it all to the crazy flower child ;) There is footage from the tour as well that should be up in the coming days so if there is anything I missed hopefully it will fill in the blanks. We've been sleeping at the wheel with the blogs.... I will get back on it as of today, SORRY TAH for now DEKNOW 3/7/2006

Beer Convention. Funny but real At a world brewing convention in the States, the CEOs of various brewing organizations retired to the bar at the end of each day's conference. Bruce, CEO of Fosters, shouted to the Barman: "In 'Strylya, we make the best bladdy beer in the world, so pour me a bladdy Fosters, mate." Bob, CEO of Budweiser, calls out next: "In the States, we brew the finest beers of the world, and I make the king of them all, gimme a Bud." Hans steps up next: "In Germany ve invented das beer, ferdamt. Give me ein Becks, ya ist der real King of beers, danke." Paddy, CEO of Guinness, steps forward: "Barman, would ya give me a diet coke with ice and lemon? Tanks." The others stare at him in stunned silence, amazement written all over their faces. Eventually Bruce asks: "Are you not going to have a Guinness, Pat?" Paddy replies "Well, if you fookin' pansies aren't drinkin', then neither am I!" 1/30/2006

Tre Hardson Tour I'd be lying if I said the Tre Hardson Slim Kids Liberation tour has been smooth sailing. It's actually quite the opposite, it's been "tres hard son." We've been playing a lot of really good rooms in some really nice ski towns however due to the fact that we're the opening act of a double bill, we usually finish our set right before the room gets full. It's not all bad though, the two bands that close the night are quite enjoyable to listen to. The Hieruspecs out of St. Paul's Minneapolis are one of the dopest groups we've ever had the pleasure of performing with. They have a tight set and usually get the crowd going. Tre's band has been doing a bang up job closing the evening. The set is definitely catered to the female populus but when they go into Passing Me By, and Runnin, it always gets the men to the front of the stage reciting all the lyrics. Outside of the shows itself we've been battling everything from the elements, to White Lightning(which is to be expected) to each other. Pretty much the whole way we've been caught in some sort of snow storm or extremely cold conditions. That coupled with the short/early set has put our collective will to the test. Some of us don't even want to be out here, it feels more like a war than a tour. There were a couple of days where the van had no heat, seriously! Imagine travelling in a van with 6 other guys who are questioning why they're here when it's -40 outside and White Lightning decides to shut off her heat. I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out emotions have been at an all-time high. Its strange though because the moment you feel like you're at you're lowest is the moment the face of the creator in shown in the form of a mountain of in the stillness of a lake. It truly has been one of the most beautiful drives we've been on in a long time. And believe me it had to be. With our emotions becoming more in tune with the seasons, it's been paramount to witness beauty in its most pure form. Jah Bless 12/9/2005

Tour What up peoples! sorry its taken so long to make another entry but we've been touring nonstop for about a month and a half now, its been hard to keep up but forgive us. Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone that's been coming out and supporting the act while we've been on the road, there's nothing better than coming into a city you haven't been in in a number of years to see that you haven't skipped a beat. The tour itself has had its ups and downs as most do... Strength has been put to the test on more than a few ocassions as we've been asked to endure more than we're used to but this is something we've come to expect with the stakes a little higher. There have been some great shows along the way. Edmonton, Banff, Saskatoon, and Tofino(big up Adam and crew, that was a crazy night as our video blog will atest) to name a few. Vancouver was also good for a number of reasons, it was the first opportunity on this tour the band had to play in one city for two nights. It gave us a chance to connect with our bros Sweatshop Union(unfortunately we didn't get the opportunity to kick their ass in soccer as we've grown accustomed to doing but next time) and we had the pleasure of being apart of the grand opening of the Adidas store(they had red bull ON TAP there!!!) We do have to apologize to our Canmore and Red Deer crew. When you're on tour there are only so many things that are within you're control and falsely advertising shows is definitely not one of them(We have made the necessary calls and assure you that this will not happen again). We will definitely make every effort to visit tou guys in the early spring. This last leg of the tour was a bit of a "male bonding trip." We went from Seattle to Boston in the span of 4 days... spent time in the Badlands which sort of rejuvenated our energy, and made some hilarious discoveries about life in the wild west(apparently Wall Drug is poised to take over the WORLD!!!) Just finished blowing the heads off of U.S colleges and Universites along the eastern seaboard as part of the NACA conference, they basically gave us 20mins to impress, and as most of you know that's way too much time for a band like us! So now we continue with the second leg of the tour which will include dates all over the east coast of Canada. We'll stay in touch and give you an update as soon as there is something to report out here but until then we'll talk soon. DWELLERS 11/22/2005

MUCHMUSIC I'm not one to rant and rave but this is ridiculous!!! I'm sure most of you have seen our video for Trust Us, and I think it's safe to say it's one of the best INDEPENDENT videos Canada has ever produced(yes I'm in the band but still). For reasons unbeknownst to us Muchmusic refuses to put the video in rotation. For those of you that don't know, Muchmusic has four levels of rotation. High rotation which is reserved for artists like Black Eyed Peas, Ashlee Simpson, Eminem, and 50 Cent. Medium Rotation where you might see Weezer, Vanessa Carlton, and Alexisonfire. Light Rotation which features acts like Akon, Blink182(boy have they fallen from grace!) and Michelle Branch. And lastly Optional rotation or Blue moon rotation as we like to call it, which means 'we might play your video if we have nothing else to play.' I guess you can figure out what rotation we got by the tone of the blog, that's right Optional! Now honestly maybe its because I'm too close to the project but I think that video is worthy of so much more than that. A safe argument for them would be to say they just don't like the song but its actually the opposite they do, they just don't like the artistry behind it. (keep in mind that everyone that has seen the video so far thinks its brilliant) What burns me even more is that there are only two people that make decisions about what videos get added and one of the two had already commited to saying that he loves the video when he first saw it maybe a year ago. Granted Muchmusic has already whored itself out to MTV with shows like "pimp my ride" that stupid Funkmaster Flex show and of course the Simpson sister's "reality" (we all know what that means) tv show so the amount of time delegated to playing videos has been slashed severely. They only really play videos on those specialty channels that no one has like Loud, Vibe etc. So in turn there is very little room for videos period let alone Canadian videos. One would think that Muchmusic would try to do everything in their power to aid in the success of its homegrown talent, but I guess they too have become a farm system for the U.S. Maybe we're the ones who have a warped sense of reality and need to put scantily dressed women in our videos in order to gain some sort of support from the powers at be. I really want to know what you guys think about that so please leave your rebuttals in the forums section. What they don't understand is that with or without their support this CAN'T STOP and WON'T STOP!!!!!! The more they try to keep our message from reaching the masses, the more we will continue to kick the shit out of their doors to let us in! Believe that! TO COMMENT ON THIS BLOG PLEASE REFER TO THE BLOG COMMENTS SECTION IN FORUMS 11/22/2005

THE RAPTORS finally WIN!!! For those of you that don't know Red and I bleed Purple and Red(I guess bleeding red is obvious) Being on tour as much as we've been this last little while has kept us from tuning into the soap opera that is the Toronto Raptors. The highlights that I have seen so far have been demoralizing to say the least. No team defense and an offense that can score only on a semi-regular basis equals an 0-9 record. That is until last night! Finally the Raps showed they can compete in this league and looked slightly better than a CBA team(okay that's a little harsh but I'm sure you get what I mean) Say what you want about their current record but I really think they have some quality pieces here my main beef with this team so far has been coaching. Mitchell's rotation suck PERIOD! We had the rare opportunity of watching them play the other night in Boston. I was disgusted watching Mitchell get out-coached by Doc Rivers in the 4th quarter. There is no reason why some dude I've never heard of should be getting mins in crunch time( who the hell is Darrick Martin and why is he getting more minutes in the 4th than MoPete???) Granted there are tonnes of holes on this team, but common sense says that if you're getting killed by one guy(Ricky Davis was on fire), than put your best defender on him to slow him down a bit. Either Joey Graham or MoPete seemed to be the most obvious choice to stop him and neither were in the game. That to me is an example of how a team loses a game from the bench. Thankfully Shaq was injured yesterday or this slide would've reached 10 games. Dwyane Wade was Dwyane Wade we couldn't stop him, but thankfully the rest of the Heat fell asleep after the 1st quarter. I can't say enough good things about Chris Bosh and Mike James. I have to admit Babcock(who I think is a wingnut) definitely stole that trade with Houston for Skip to My Lou, he wasn't a team player and often shot the team out of games. James on the other hand has been on fire to start the season. He's been real explosive and looks like he can take almost anyone off the dribble. We need that, especially if Chris Bosh continues to put in the performances he has of late(his jumper's not quite where we need it but he's grabbing boards and attacking the basket with the best of them!) As for the rookies, both Joey Graham and CVill look like keepers!!! Graham has a defenders mentality, he reminds me of a Artest without the temper of course. And Charlie is starting to show why he was taken at number 7. He eats up a lot of rebounds and can score inside and out. Both he and Bosh will make a formidable tandem for years to come. Anyhow the first win's in the books I expect more for the same in the future. Keep in mind this is a team that is still working in a ton of new players and a new PG so they need time to gel. Let's just hope Mitchell can get his head out of his ass and start coaching to win as opposed to coaching not to lose. TO COMMENT ON THIS BLOG PLEASE REFER TO THE BLOG COMMENTS SECTION IN FORUMS 11/22/2005

PD-ATRICS Cd Release Party Just wanted to drop a line to thank all of our family and friends for their love and support. Friday night was really nice for us. We saw some new faces but mostly familiar ones that have been with us for years and always seem to be there when it matters. That night there was a feeling in the air that a new chapter with the Dwellers was beginning. The next part of the story will probably be a crazy ride but you and the rest of our fans give us a strong foundation to build something great. For that we thank you. Much love Marco 10/5/2005

The Digital DJ On the video blog "Digital DJ" we have our boy DJ Serious on the 1's and 2's. Now Serious is a vinyl junkie. His place is loaded with wax from top to bottom. He's ditch the heavy crates in favor of a powerbook and hard drive loaded with freshly ripped tracks. With his setup, he still uses turntables and wax to cue up his tunes. He's using old skool technique but with a nu skool advantage. The art of mixing is all there...but without the heavy vinyl. Tell us what you feel about this. Is the art losing something? Should we respect the vinyl that it was originally pressed on? Hit us up in the forums and tell us what you feel. holy C TO COMMENT ON THIS BLOG PLEASE REFER TO THE BLOG COMMENTS SECTION IN FORUMS 10/2/2005

A day in the Life of... We're really not in control of our lives as musicians. So much of our success is depenedent on other people i.e labels, media correspondents, managers, agents etc. Yesterday we met with our manager to discuss the plan of attack for the next four months and it became obvious that most of what we want to do is out of our control. There are no gaurantees. First, we find out that our record release will be delayed, which basically makes all the work that was done to set up a September 27th release seem meaningless.(well not really because we needed it get the awareness up) Then we find out that our U.S college booker(the guy that's supposed to make us money) walked away from his job. The funny thing is I don't think it fazed anyone. It was just a day in the life of... (actually my mental was on some 'This has to end with a happy ending, my life depends on it!' shit) Luckily for us it did end happily. Somewhat. In the process I did stumble onto the notion that what keeps us going is the love of entertaining and creating. This isn't new, but it was really driven home yesterday. We're chasing the carrot on the stick not because we love carrots,(I doubt we even know what they taste like! lol) but beacause chasing this carrot allows us to pursue what we really love...... running!(that being the creating and entertaining) I don't know if I'm conveying the emotion associated with that understanding, but I do know this is true for most professions. (particularly artistic endeavours) Our essence is the driving force behind our individual pursuits. It makes up the core of all of us and operates independent of our desires. (nice car, big house, expensive clothes) Is this why art is dying? Have our desires become so important that there is little room left for our essence to shine through? One thing is for certain, the cost of living has made it next to impossible to explore, ("fuck what I feel I need to eat!!") and our young are being weened off of art in favour of commerce. It's as if creativity is being destroyed at its source before it can nurtured and cultivated. When 90% of an advertising/marketing spend is directed at kids, the aim is to make them consumers before they learn fractions. We no longer are inspiring the spirit of improvisation or the science behind developing creative minds. Its being taken out of our schools and viewed as an unimportant discipline to the growth of humankind. So long as we're keeping pace that's all that matters. One might argue that these are the views of a pessimist and I guess its open to debate, but this is not one I wish to have after yesterday. talk soon DEkNOW TO COMMENT ON THIS BLOG PLEASE REFER TO THE BLOG COMMENTS SECTION IN FORUMS 9/22/2005

Shit I'm feelin 10/05 Alright, this is going to be a montly feature with our three top picked discs. New or old/CD or vinyl, this is the shit were feelin' S luv's Picks- k SOLO - Tell the world my name Public Enemy - It takes a nation of millions to hold us back A Tribe Called Quest - Low-End Theory Johnny Quest's Picks- Dave Holland Big Band - Overtime Shirley Bassey - Carnaby Hawksley Workman - Live in Lille (Live performance DVD) holy C's Picks- Dela Soul - The Grind Date - This is by far my favorite album of the year. On the first listen I was hooked. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans - Always been a fan of Ben Gibbard. Robin, our merch girl, made me revisit Transatlanticism while on tour. Forgot all the big tunes on that album. This album doesn't stray off the formula...but what a formula it is. Pocket Dwellers - Conception Mix-tape Vol. II - I think I killed my ipod battery listening to this so much. Sounds biased, but it's got some killer tracks. Nig is spitting some fire on these tunes. Jupiter's Picks- RA the Rugged Man - Die Rugged man die Herbie Hancock - Flood M.I.A - Arular n.i Gel's Picks- Esthero- Wicked little Grrrrrls! Pocket Dwellers - The Conception Mix-tape & P.D Atrics K-OS- Joyful Rebellion Deknow's Picks- I haven't been listening to a whole lot of new music these days, but I have kept a few albums in rotation   Little Brother - The Chittlin' Circuit Mixtape (There are tonnes of big tunes on this like On The Way, Nobody Like Me, Nighttime Maneuvers, Doin Me, and of course The Beginning)   The Dears - No Cities Left( I know he hates the comparison but Murray reminds of Morissey)   Saul Williams - Saul Williams (personally, I loved his first record Amethyst Rockstar. This one is a lot different but really moved me with tracks like Telegram,  and List of Demands.  Black Stacey is my favorite because it reminded me of my youth) TO COMMENT ON THIS BLOG PLEASE REFER TO THE BLOG COMMENTS SECTION IN FORUMS 9/16/2005

Who is the movement? What up Fam, fans, and friends -- or should I say welcome! This section of the site will be used to give you a better understanding of who the Dwellers are on a personal level. We definitely want to keep this section open, meaning you will never be able to predict the next topic. It can go from TV shows, to recipes, to new music from one blog to the next. Ultimately this section, and the rest of the site for that matter, is designed to give everyone who visits a better understanding of what the "Blurring the Lines" movement is all about. (basically a lifestyle void of classification) We want you all to know that you are apart of this. Actually, to put it another way, you ARE this movement, just come as you are. Anyhow we expect to keep this section updated with new blurbs every week or so. Feel free to drop us a note or suggest topics you'd like us to cover in the forums section entitled blog comments Thanks for taking the time to visit our home, and we hope to have you back soon. Pocket Dwellers 9/14/2005