The Big Power Outage

The Big Snow Storm

There was a big power outage in Halifax this past week and a large storm, most of the power was out all over Halifax and Dartmouth where I was at. I think this was this past Thursday, I got up early that morning and the power was on at my apartment and I needed to pick up some coffee and sugar etc. so I went out and then went down to the store and had some errands to run. 

To my surprise it was super crazy outside and everything was backed up, it was stormy out but not really that cold. I went to Tim Hortons to get a coffee for my trip to the store and I had to wait in line outside to get it at a smaller location because they were so busy.

After that I went to the store and bought some sugar, then the power went out. I was not impressed, I was at the Westphal Plaza on Main Street in Dartmouth and only managed to get some sugar and the power went out, not only that I needed to find a bank machine. 

I had to stop my shopping trip and then come back home and the power was also off at my apartment, I decided that there was no point in sitting around at home because the power was off and I needed to run some errands anyway and go to the bank machine.

I decided that I would take a walk out into the storm with no power in the morning to see if any other areas of the City had power so I could do my errands. I mean, I still had to do them so instead of waiting for the power to come on at home I just went out to see if the power was on somewhere else.

I walked from Main Street out to Baker Drive and down to the waterfront, a long walk which takes about an hour. There's lots of nice apartments out that way and stores and stuff where the Service Canada is to get your driver's license photo. 

You come out at the bottom of the hill by the Dartmouth General Hospital, from the top of Baker Drive by Portland Street, there's lots of car dealerships there. Anyway, if you know the area that's a long walk. Traffic was backed up all the way and there was no power anywhere. 

My idea was I wanted to be out for when the power came on so I could finish my errands and go to the bank machine, or find a neighbourhood with the power on. There was no power anywhere in the storm but it was a nice walk around the City with no power. 

I got to the bottom of the hill by Halifax Harbour and the only place that had power down there was at Alderney Landing at the bottom of Portland Street at the Halifax Ferry Terminal and they have restaurants and stuff in there. I'm telling you, there's nothing like a nice huge cup of Tim Horton's Coffee at the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal during a large power outage all around the area. 

That was probably a highlight of my walk, finding an open Tim Horton's during a power outage, then I went to Revana Pizza at the bottom of Portland Street to have something to eat during the power outage and I read on their wall that they are the oldest pizza restaurant in Dartmouth which I thought was pretty exciting. 

They also had banks open down there, fearing that I would lose my debit card if it was in the bank machine and the power went out I decided to go to Scotiabank, I knew that if any bank was going to be secure during the storm and power outage it would be Scotiabank. I don't use Scotiabank normally but if I need a secure place to withdrawal my money during a storm I always run right to Scotiabank because you know their money will always be working. 

I had my food which was delicious during the power outage then I walked back up the hill on my regular route by Lake Banook where they have a Rowing Club and the power was back on, and I went to the Atlantic Superstore to finish my errands which was just basically coffee supplies.  

When I got back to my neighbourhood I found the power was back on and when I got home from the look of my digital clocks it didn't seem like the power was out that long, which didn't matter anyway because I had to out to run errands and not all the neighbourhoods had power anyway so you had to go to a different area to buy your stuff so none of that mattered, I had to go find open stores anyway.

The storm itself and morning power outage I give a 10/10 for being exciting during the morning and nice to go walking in on a school morning with all the cars and traffic backed up, I also give Alderney Landing and Portland Street a 10/10 for being open so I could get coffee, lunch and go to the bank machine during a power outage. 

It was just super nice out that morning with all the power out and cars backed up everywhere all over the city with a few small areas open, exciting. 

I spent the rest of the laughing and singing and playing on the internet. 

What I saw on the internet surprised me, bands are crowdfunding to get their music played or plugged on Banger TV from Toronto, that's from the movie "Metal, A Headbangers Journey" so you can go on there and donate them money and they will show your band on the show. 

I posted reference videos to that on my Twitter page, www.twitter.com/jasonmacke , what I saw on the "Quebec Metal" segment was they chose a band from PRC Music in Quebec to represent Quebec Metal. That's my ex Record Label people from my record "Destroying By Design" that was out on The End Records which is now on BMG Rights Management. 

Seeing that on there made me think my band was doing right good because I am way ahead of all those bands, now PRC Music made it onto Banger TV from Toronto making my Great White North Records Tribute page more valuable at www.greatwhitenorthrecords.com and it's sister tribute page Prodisk Music www.prodiskmusic.com . 

Be sure to visit my Great White North Records tribute pages to support my first record "Destroying By Design" , now PRC Music is trying to "climb back up the ranks" and made it on Banger TV, a great promotion for myself and my Great White North Records tribute pages, which helps promote my first record. 

The problem with that though is that it is crowd funded at Banger TV meaning labels and people can pay them to put their band up, meaning if they generate enough "buzz" in the crowd and donate them money then they can get their band on it. Which does work because everyone knows the band's name now but I'm just assuming it came from crowdfunding. 

So to pick the Quebec Death Metal band that represented Quebec in their show I'm assuming they chose the one that had a crowdfunding campaign going to "generate buzz" and get on the show. That's what they picked to represent the scene, and those are small unknown bands over larger bands like Kataklysm on Nuclear Blast Records. 

The problem with Banger TV is that it's too low to the ground from crowdfunding meaning anyone can pay to be promoted on the show by paying, leaving their market open to youth center bands which is what they picked over larger acts like Nuclear Blast Records. 

Clearly, not an accurate portrayal of Quebec Death Metal and more of a low level youth center funded scene they represent.  

Anyway, that aside they got their band up on the show that's good for them I guess, plus I get promoted because it was on PRC Music, ex Great White North Records which I am promoting because my first album was on it and I run their tribute pages to promote my record. 

Not only that all these people go to 70,000 tons of metal all the time the heavy metal cruise like Banger TV and other bands and labels from up here in Canada and they are probably all trying to do business with each other when they go there.  

I mean theirs's probably nothing wrong with going on a cruise, but for youth center kids and bands that's probably a good way for them to see all the Death Metal bands. I mean instead of potentially risking your safety and traveling to a heavy metal concert you can just go on a cruise which is totally safe and then sit down and have all the bands presented to you. 

Then they can just show you all the bands safely one at a time while you sit down on a cruise ship, a nice safe way for kids from the youth center to view heavy metal music. Then later you can crowd fund one of them from the cruise like Banger TV to get your band played on their show like in the Quebec Death Metal segment that featured PRC Music. 

Anyway, a great advertisement for me and my band. 

Make sure to visit my Great White North Records Tribute Page and Prodisk Music Tribute Page at www.greatwhitenorthrecords.com and www.prodiskmusic.com .

I have posted a new logo graphic to go along with this promotional campaign people are running around me and I am promoting my 2011 EP - Collapse - Mechanisms Of Oppression which has been getting a lot of attention recently, visit www.officialcollapse.com . 

www.officialcollapse.com

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