Digital Downloads, Decoding Da Vinci, The Arrogance Of Excellence & Folk Right Off

Guardian Unlimited in the UK features a special report this week on legal downloading of digital music from sites that respect the rights of songwriters & artists in this growing new realm of music industry. Integral to my own music and business interests is the fact that this special report features links and important information on some of the major players currently populating the worldwide digital music download business. Among those download sites represented in the Guardian article are Audio Lunchbox, Sony Connect and eMusic, all of which feature my three available CD's and single songs for purchase.

Downloading Frank Trainor Songs and CD'S Via FRANKtalk
For those of you new to FRANKtalk I invite you to visit my associate music download sites as represented at my InDepth Links sidebar section of this page where my CD's [and single songs] are currently all available through these following worldwide digital download sites: Audio LunchBox, Sony Connect, ItsAboutMusic, Groupie Tunes, eMusic, Sandbar and also coming soon to Amazon and MP3.com!

ItsAboutMusic is my digital distribution record label partner and publishing associate and is responsible for promotions to all major download sites & cool Internet radio programming around the globe. It's a whole new world of music business these days and of course we are still in very early times, but my music is now being picked up at an increasing rate by more of these major digital download sites.

So, thank you all for your appreciation of my songs and for your purchases of my music around the world through these great sites.

DeCoding Da Vinci
As a Catholic I cannot be completely unaffected by the current hype surrounding the abomination known as The Da Vinci Code. However, it is difficult for me personally to raise this ridiculous fairy tale to any level of serious concern based as it is on wholesale fictions, fabrications, untruths, deceits, myths, improbable conspiracy theories and occultist propaganda. It’s a good thing there were no slanderous attacks on Islam or The Prophet in this fluff or there would have been some heads cut off and theatres torched by now.

It's amazing to me how restrained we Catholics are in the face of pure evil's purposes in the deconstruction of our religious beliefs and deep spiritual values. I should think that fact alone would make obvious to anyone the true strength of Divine foundations created to withstand evil and to prevail against the most destructive powers of hell for all eternity. We are not indifferent to offense. We suffer it.

That to me is a faith and a Church worth believing in even if it occasionally requires some defense other than God's own justice.

The chickens are already coming home to roost for our western civilization and they are sitting in full egg dropping position as regards The Da Vinci Code. Amen. But still, we must pray for our enemies. Love conquers everything. Nothing trumps the Truth.

We'll let the critics take the hindmost in this case and shrug a slight movement of our shoulders towards those whose job it is to pithily comment on such current cultural events even though they verge on the reflexive requirement of universal condemnation in response.

I will never view The Da Vinci Code for the same reasons I would not subject my soul to the mortal sin of The Last Temptation Of Christ.

Both movies are blasphemous attacks on The Holy Catholic Church, The Divinity of Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit.

They offend God and all humanity in their cheapness and degradation of The Divine Grace. And they exist for no other purpose but money.

When the heathen money changers get this close to the temple they ought to be driven out with whips, chains and a few cat o’ nine tails.

In light of the movie's stunningly bad reviews and notwithstanding the expected opening week-end box office bonanza hoopla it will undoubtedly experience, you can be rest assured that this vapid, over hyped, superficial cultural travesty will recede to its proper vestigial irrelevance on its way to ultimately occupying the well worn ubiquitous "point of purchase" dustbins of mediocrity at Blockbuster.

Here’s a few links to informed journalistic perspectives on this issue.

Michael Coren's Toronto Sun Column: Da Vinci Code: A Disgrace

MacLean’s.ca The Da Vinci Code: [bad writing for Biblical illiterates]

Pat Buchanan / Whose God May We Mock this is an important piece

The War Room Nicol DuMoulin’s ruminations on Pat Buchanan's piece

I condemn The Da Vinci Code. That’s my clear & unequivocal stand.

Otherwise I’m listening to Jethro Tull and The Allman Brothers Band.

Beyond this, I've got Nothing To Say

'Cause it just ain't my Cross To Bear

Talking Points: Recent comments made about Frank Trainor “Conservative artists tend to be incognito as they "live" and do business in a liberal world & culture. However, that being said, this one decided it's best to be himself, the thought being he would attract his fanbase better, or have a more "open mind" to different ideas if they liked his music. I consider music an art.” [Crusader]

Well, my sincere thanks to The Crusader for those kind words and the recommendation at Free Dominion. It's true, I make no apologies for my Catholic faith, my philosophical conservatism or my prerogatives as a free human being in any respect. Why should I? My talents are true gifts of love from God. Any who reject me don't have a prayer.

Some might mistake such assertiveness and bold confidence for arrogance...not at all...arrogance is based on underlying insecurity whereas certainty and confidence are based on skill and excellence. You might call my confidence "the arrogance of excellence" as my old friend Spero Bassil used to say...heh, heh...what ever you choose to call it; excellence doesn't shrink from mediocrity or political threats.

The mediocre and the politically correct crowd are always fearful of higher purposed spiritual energy that is freely soul giving.

To hell with the crowd. What has the crowd ever done for you?

Which leads me to this little item from The Medicine Hat Folk Club
It's Martha Wainwright's Party And She'll Swear If She Wants To So Conservative Fans With Family Values Can Just "Folk Right Off"

A tip of the fedora to the Medicine Hat Folk Club for expressing its dissatisfaction with cheap vulgarity & relativistic postulating against conservatives and family values in folk music circles. It's good to see that not all folk network allies in music are required or willing to be debased in either their own meaningful purposes or their commercial interests by a few spoiled gutter acts who don't know the difference between low-brow juvenile selfishness and professional decorum.

Spotlight: Our spotlight feature this week is The Iconoclast. You can find The Iconoclast linked at my Scribes & Illuminators sidebar scroll. Check out the photo funnies page. It's hilarious.