Video

Excellent points Brett, thank you. Actually, I'd go further and say I think you've hit the nail on the head. I thought that if anyone could make me sit back and reconsider my position, you'd be the man, so to speak, which is why I went and found you... creepy, huh? Haha. I was probably feeling a little melodramatic during the recording of this video, I have a tendency towards that and then feel a bit silly later. "I can relate to uneasy feelings towards AI, but I can't relate to the idea of it killing my love for music and making me put the tools down". "I would like to think that your love for music/hiking is the reason why any kind of "product" exists in the first place and that AI could never kill that love". Yeh, you're correct. When you put it that way, my love for hiking and music just for the sake of them in their own right, existed long before I decided to share any of it with others online anyway. So it's a little ridiculous to want to throw in the towel, just because making music is less of a special skill than what it once was, thanks to AI. Truth be told, most of the covers and folk songs I ended up recording started out as me playing to myself in my room, the sole reason being I just liked doing it. I loved the novelty that I was playing old folk songs or Leonard Cohen covers with heavily distorted power chords instead of acoustic strumming. That was the fun part, didn't matter that nobody else was listening (actually that was preferable). I didn't even care about wanting to get them recorded and online, at least not until later, and to be honest I don't get too much pleasure out of the recording process anyway. Certainly not as much as I did just noodling around. And most of the hiking footage I've taken doesn't even end up on CZcams anyway, I just store it so I can come back occasionally on a rainy day, and enjoy the memories I captured. I read your comment this afternoon and spent a few hours pondering it. I realised that maybe I have developed a certain mindset after I spent my formative years around people who could be considered "conservative hyper-masculine" types. A mindset that could be over-simplified to: "If you're not doing something that contributes to society, you're not worth anything to it". That mindset probably still permeates my approach to life, really. (Probably why I still feel guilty if I sit down to watch television instead of doing housework). I remember when I went to study at Vision, a lot of my church friends and workmates were saying: "Studying music? Oh, cool. But... where's that gonna get you in life? How does that pay the bills?" I would say "Oh, I just want to study it, but I'll pick up a trade or something after I've studied". Haha! (Never ended up picking up a trade though... dammit). Yeh I guess the ratio I gave is pretty odd. I won't lie and say it's the same as yours, but really it's probably about halfway in between that and the 60-30-10 ratio I spat out in the video. Maybe 35-60-5, I don't know, haha. Anyway, I actually feel better now! I'll keep a watch out for more of your videos! Great to hear from you, and all the best.

​@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking I'm truly humbled by your reply, Adam. 🙏 I think you'll really love this AI czcams.com/video/WtVknbxzn7Q/video.htmlsi=0PZ-sILs949hhnuN

Haha!

Sheesh, don't do that...

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking Don't worry I live on the ground floor anyway.

Oh, you were just popping out for some milk and a loaf of bread

Man, I gotta say you're making some assumptions here, and you weren't really listening. I never said I hadn't been to live shows myself, did I? As you would say, "How would you know?" I just that I hadn't played any. I also never said I would never play in a live band again, I just listed the difficulties in doing so, and I was feeling down at the time. But it was a rather minor point anyway, this video was mainly about how AI is replacing me as a recording artist. Sure, I should have been more clear that I was talking about playing original songs that people don't know. The shows I have been for local bands, only the cover bands really seem to play regularly. (My sister is in a jazz band, for example). Bands playing originals seem to struggle to attract an audience, at least that seems to be the case in my city. It's not like I haven't gone looking to make a band. I have put out a fair few ads for band members over the years, but besides a couple of drummers, I usually get emails back along the lines of: "I'm not interested in joining a band to play your music, but my covers band is looking for a singer". You're probably going to reply with "why don't you join one of them then", which is true, but not the point I made in the video. Musicians in my country aren't really interested in playing my style.

That lifted my spirits dude

All creative fields are being replaced, not just music. That's why I'm thinking of looking into specialised physical labour jobs, like farming or horticulture. I get to be outside too.

I should have called you over for a look!

They are apparently, but we're too scared to risk it. That Australian woman put us off mushrooms, lol.

Dont eat them, it May look like liberty caps but it is not.

I don't think liberty caps are very common in New Zealand. These are a Coprinellus species, but I don't know what one. Ink caps are generally edible but best not to risk it.

Doesn't pay to be an introvert if you're a mushroom!

Hahaha, make it sow, that's a good one.

Thanks for your thoughts. True, the charts have always been flooded with people with little talent who got by on their looks or connections. But with AI there will be an unprecedented number, and it will have the ability to flood into the more underground scenes as well, not just the top of the charts sort of stuff. It's happening in folk metal, for example.

Thank you! Haha, you could play it every time your bard uses the ability, hopefully the other players don't mind being called the "b" word!

Hadn't heard that album before, just listening to it now... and I really appreciate the comparison, thank you! Now I want to record some more Scandinavian folk songs...

Hopefully you're right. I just hope people who use AI to make music will be honest about it, so that it attracts those who don't mind that it's AI, and those who want more traditional creativity have the ability avoid it. London is too far away though, maybe Auckland or Wellington, or even Christchurch, maybe even over to Australia one day.

Thanks Mark. It's certainly making me reevaluate things. I don't know much about techno, but I do know someone is working using their own compositional abilities to make it. They're not just typing keywords into an algorithm for a fully completed result within 20 minutes.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking A pleasure Adam. I agree mate - the composition coming from the human. So much more value.

Thanks for listening! I have also done metal versions of Who By Fire, Hallelujah, It's Torn, Anthem, Seemed the Better Way, and Dance Me to the End of Love.

Clearly? I don't have to actually use it to know I'm the old model and out of date. Udio might be what the nice AI bro I was talking to uses, but it probably takes him longer than 5 mins because he's writing his own poetry and putting AI music to it. (That's also probably why he was nice to me, he understands creativity). Yeh, RIP to musicians and producers, all those in creative fields, and beyond. I saw a stat somewhere that over half of humanity's jobs are at risk. Everyone will get bored of music eventually, because anybody can do it. Shopping centres will make their own annoying jingles to constantly play songs about their great deals. I'm going to have to start wearing earplugs. Time for me to try to become a farmer. It's not the AI I want to get away from, it's the lazy greedy humans and the way they chose to use it. Can't imagine I would have much competition from the tech bros for those outside sort of jobs once they lose their programming jobs to AI.

Might have to look him up, although I still don't really understand how to use TikTok.

Haha you’d love him he’s like the kiwi David Attenborough.

Yeh that's a good idea. Those guys have cleared plenty of space for a veggie garden at our flat now.

Tack! I guess maybe "lacking direction" might be more accurate description that "boring", haha.

The tech industry will probably still find a way to do it.

Takk, thank you!

I did?

Tack! Maybe I could do it in the original Swedish one day too, although I struggle with the pronunciation a bit.

Lol

Thank you for taking a listen!

Thank you for having a listen!

Thanks! Footage comes from the Waikaremoana hike I did, there's a video up if you're interested.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking Cool, I'll check it out

Thanks Mark. Pretty powerful words, huh? It's no surprise that Leonard Cohen was a poet before he got into music.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking A pleasure Adam. Yeah, he was a wordsmith alright.

Yes, it would've been nice to have clear weather and get a good view of Taranaki. But in saying that, the cloud added it's own epic atmosphere and ambience to the place, which is cool too.

Z Amigos moment.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking You should do a 20 year anniversary cover or something.........people need to know you're in charge of fun

Lol, I think I might upset some former bandmates if I did that! Although it is tempting...

Thanks for watching Mark. Yeh, the evening colours were even more vibrant in real life, it was pretty awesome.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking A pleasure as always Adam. Great to hear of the colors mate.

Haha! Although nothing beats being at a real live gig, though.

Thanks! I've got two or three more to come.

Haha! I had been bugging him a while, excuse the pun.

Thanks Steve. About time we went on another hike.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking for sure!

We're doing the hike into Waihaha hut on the 3rd and 4th of May, if you're keen. I'm also keen for a day one on the 6th of 7th of April (got the weekend off), or even an overnighter (nothing planned as of yet).

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking I'll check the calendar and see whats on that week 👍

Thanks for watching you guys. Hope all is well up there.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking Warming up and getting lighter. Spring is springing.

Had to look that version up, pretty sure my housemate used to play that game.

I do recall seeing a gill print someone had made from Entoloma hochstetteri somewhere online, I can't seem to find it now though.

Thanks Mark. More Leonard Cohen covers to come!

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking A pleasure Adam - they're great covers bro. Peace.

Hey! I had often wondered where you had got to. I'm not too bad. You'll have to give us an update video sometime!

Thanks Mark. Haha, yeh he always mentioned the town he was in when he sang it during a concert.

@@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking A pleasure Adam mate - yeah I think he'd notice too. Have a great week ahead.