SeKtoR 7 Blog

Reasons Why the World Will NOT End in 2011 or 2012

2011-05-19T16:38:00.008-06:00

Hello everyone,

I thought that I would take some time to explain some reasons why I believe the world will NOT end on Saturday or in 2012. We're getting close to both dates and I think that the panic that has been misguidedly provoked into people's minds is starting to annoy me quite a bit. So, as a show of good faith, I'll list off some reasons that I have found through research of professional scientific observation that denounce these absurd theories and predictions.

1. NIBIRU

People have speculated that the UNSEEN or UNDETECTED planet of Nibiru will pass near Earth's orbit and cause catastrophic changes to the planet. To put it simply, that's bullshit! NASA has been scanning the skies for well over the past couple of decades and no object of this magnitude as been seen hurling it's way towards the inner solar system.

2. SOLAR FLARES

Solar flares have been occurring in 11 year cycles since long before humanity has ever existed. Granted, they do have solar peaks during these cycles and the next scheduled peak is documented to happen around 2012 - 2014. However, scientists studying these patterns in solar activity have stated that there is no threat to humanity. The only threat that is liable to happen is that satellite communications go down for maybe a fraction of a second. Scientists have been building devices over the past few years that are able to withstand these solar flares, so there is no immediate threat.

3. MAYAN CALENDAR ENDS

The Mayan Long Count Calendar is in fact ending on December 21, 2012. That being said, the calendar on your refrigerator ends on December 31 every year. YOU'RE STILL HERE. Mayan shaman have even stated that this is just a repeating cycle much like the Julian Calendar repeats every year. They just happened to keep a long count calendar. This is the most ridiculous of all of the doomsday hype in my opinion.

4. ASTEROID COLLISION

Earth has been under threat of asteroid attacks since it was first formed during the creation of the solar system. Nothing has changed since that time except the fact that we can now monitor inbound objects that are coming towards Earth. NASA is on top of it. THERE IS NOTHING COMING TOWARDS THIS EARTH ANYTIME SOON.

5. GAMMA RAY BURST OR EXPLODING STAR

Again, this is something that science is monitoring and keeping an eye on. Nothing is scheduled to happen for a few billion years. When it does, it won't matter anyway. When the star explodes, you'll be long gone before you even know what's happening. Radiation would kill you almost instantly. But like I said, nothing is scheduled for a very, very long time.

6. RECENT CATASTROPHIC EVENTS

I'm not ignoring what has happened over the past couple of decades, but things like that have been happening since the beginning of time. You can look throughout history and see that these events have been happening on and off for hundreds of years to humanity. Whether a major earthquake, tsunami, or any other catastrophic event happens on that exact day is anyone's guess. NO ONE CAN TELL YOU THAT IT WILL HAPPEN ON THAT EXACT DAY. Did we have an idea that Japan was suddenly going to be washed with water?.... No. It just happened. There was no warning or prediction that it would happen on that exact date.

7. PREDICTIONS PROPOSED THROUGH ANALYSIS OF RELIGIOUS TEXTS

People have long since been trying to predict the end of days. There have been many earlier predictions of earlier dates proposed by religious scholars, doomsday theorists, or the lunatic up the street. HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE HAPPENED?.... None. They've always had to come up with some excuse as to why it didn't happen and it makes them look quite ridiculous if you ask me. People will say anything, especially religious people, to insight fear and despair into your minds in order to get you to follow a faith. Humans are finally starting to find errors in religion and the religious leaders and scholars are getting desperate, so they buy into these stupid theories and sensationalize them.

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These are just a few of the ridiculous theories that have been proposed by doomsday conspirators of the past few years. The bottom line is, "Don't let these preposterous theories and conspiracies ruin your day or get you down." Instead ask yourselves, "How many times have their predictions actually failed in the past?" If that isn't a comforting feeling about all of this hype, then I don't know what is. The humor in all of this hype is going to be the ridiculous excuse they come up with when the world doesn't end anytime soon.

Anyways, I just felt like ranting about that subject for a little bit in the hope that it sheds some light on why you shouldn't worry yourselves over all of this hype. Don't get me wrong, the world WILL in fact come to an end someday. That is inevitable. That being said, if you have any kind of common sense, you'll realize that this won't happen for a long time.

Thanks again for reading these blogs.

- Brian

Classical/Orchestral EP

2011-03-16T20:30:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone,

I also wanted to bring to the attention, of those that don't know, that I'm doing an EP. I will start this after The Art of Creation and before The Awakening. I'm picking six songs, from either SKR7 or TAOC, to reinterpret into classical/orchestral songs. I will open a poll up on YouTube, as well as a poll on this blog, after I release TAOC. It will be open for voting for two months after the release of the album. I'm calling it Retraced EP. Below is the album art that I have done for the album.

Like I said, the poll will open after The Art of Creation is released (which is still undetermined). I may be pushing for a November 2011 release. If I can get it done sooner, then I will release it sooner. I'm just still not done writing for it. I promise that it will be unlike anything that you all have ever heard before. Much of the songs are extremely aggressive and it is clear that there is a brutal human/machine confrontation.

Anyways, that's all for now. Thank you all for actually reading these things, as I rarely ever post. Hopefully, I will start posting more when I'm not so busy recording.

Thanks again,

Brian

Looking for Album Art?

2011-03-16T20:07:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone,

This will be another short post. I just wanted to put the word out there that I will do album art for $75. If any musician is looking for a graphic artist to make posters, covers, logos, etc., I will do that as well. Just send me a message via e-mail, YouTube, IM, or leave a comment on this post with your email address.

Thanks again for actually reading these,

Brian

Make This A Holiday For Giving

2010-12-08T17:41:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and reiterate on a subject I covered in an earlier post. I won't be posting a quote for this post because this will be a short one. I touched on the subject of donation in an earlier post. I think it would be a great idea for everyone to donate at least one toy to a child who could use a little hope somewhere. Be that person who changes the life of someone by taking the initiative to give rather than receive. If it is at all possible for you to donate anything that you don't find useful anymore, please by all means do so. What you may see as trash could ultimately be a treasure for someone else. I will also post a list below of some organizations or charities that are donating this Christmas. Don't turn your shoulder. Help someone have a special holiday this year.

If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to ask or tell me. Send me an email at bwortham@sektor7music.com and I will see what I can do. Thank you for your continued support and thoughts.

- Brian

The Third SeKtoR 7 Album

2010-11-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

"In truth, to attain to interior peace, one must be willing to pass through the contrary to peace."
- Swami Brahmananda

Hello everyone,

I know that it's been a while since my last post. I've been extremely busy with family, working on the new album, and other issues. I am happy to say that I have already begun the process of writing for my third album, The Awakening. The quote above is an inspiring saying for this album because it deals with finding yourself after having gone through a devastating and traumatic experience. This quote means that in order for you to find peace amongst yourself, you must be able to accept the opposite. If you can't accept the fact that life is not always going to be a smooth path, then you will never find peace.

I came up with the idea behind The Awakening when I realized where I wanted to be musically following The Art of Creation. I knew that I could counteract The Art of Creation with something that was almost the total opposite of it. I can definitely say that this album will be a very spiritual sounding album filled with long ambient overtones. I guess you could almost say that I'm going for a real meditative sound. I'm not 100% sure if it will be vocalized. I have my heart set on having a little bit of both. The catch is that I'm inviting some other artists in to collaborate with me on this album. I'm still looking for some female vocalists to accommodate some of the serene and more soothing melodies that I have planned. I'm willing to listen to anyone who feels that they could produce this type of sound for me and they would be credited on the album.

I've also just recently finished the album art for The Awakening, shown below.


The Awakening cover (created by Brian Wortham)

I hope this cover gives you all a better understanding of the mood and feeling that will be expressed throughout this album. The lanterns hanging on the dead trees symbolize a kind of "life after death" theme. Also, if you all know anything about me then you know that I am a HUGE space person. I think I even mentioned it in an earlier post. The moon, at least for me, symbolizes an eternal and timeless aspect of the cover.

I also took a promotional picture for the album that will be displayed in more websites of mine as well. It's a picture of me looking at a rainy street from a window in an apartment. I did this to give that real feeling of wonderment and fascination with the world, though you don't want to be mixed in with it. All you can do is gaze out and draw your own conclusions as to why the world is the way it is. You could also say that the rain is a form of cleansing. I wasn't initially going for that, but that is the beauty of photography and art. You can create your own interpretations of what you're viewing.

Anyways, that's it for now. I will post a message on here once I have a set release date for The Art of Creation. I hope you all have a great holiday season and I bid you all a very blessed new year.

Take care....

- Brian

The Story Behind "The Art of Creation"

2010-09-01T21:28:00.001-06:00

"The realization of our true substance and potential is the purpose of creation." - Morihei Ueshiba

Hello everyone,

I wanted to talk today about the story which created the concept for my second album, The Art of Creation. First, I want to talk about this quote though. This means that once you truly realize who you are as a person, a soul, and a being, only then can you determine what it is you were meant to do in life. You must explore yourself in and out to find out who you are. For some, it's a long and depressing road; while for others, it's a matter of simply finding that niche that allows you to do what you do best. My life was a combination of both of these roads and it really drove me to make an album like this. I think this album was always meant to come before SeKtoR 7, but it's funny how things work out.


The Art of Creation album cover (designed by Brian Wortham)

I want to first start off by analyzing this cover. A lot of deep thought and dark ideas went into this cover. Basically, this cover is saying that it takes a lot of negative energy, depressing moments, and horrible experiences to create something so powerful and driven. The orange, plasma-like bolts that are darting into the machine head are meant to symbolize all of that negativity that goes into creating such a dark person. The person comes out on the other end with a lot of anger and rage built up inside them; making them almost indestructible like a machine. In my case, it took a lot of things to make me the way that I am. I'm a very complicated mind. Many of the ideas and influences that I have are seemingly just pulled out of nowhere and from nothing. They're naturally just "all over the place" too. I went through very dark periods in my life (which I won't get into) that pushed me to the limits of my own sanity at times. You'll notice from songs throughout the album that most of the aggression in the lyrics is aimed at myself. Part of that is true; however, I aimed my aggression towards many aspects that I absolutely HATE about humanity. I could create a list that would span the entire Earth about how we mistreat, abuse, and criticize each other to a point that is unbelievably cruel.

This album is a representation of that cruelty. It is a shot at the governments of this world, the people of this world, and the person that I once was. My inspiration for this album came from memories of my past, "The Downward Spiral" by Nine Inch Nails, Doom I & II OST, Iron Helix OST, and many machine-type sounds.

Now, the story behind this album will be told in the very first track titled "The Last Transmission". It is based on a concept that I came up with that I felt mirrored what is happening on this planet. It follows the journey of a soldier from Earth who is stranded on a war-torn planet. He is being hunted by a civilization of intelligent machines who are refusing to relocate. Earth is dying at this point in the future and humans are desperately searching for resources to save themselves. This soldier is constantly in a battle with himself about is reasons for joining this mission, which is being called codename "Reconstruct". He feels that what he is doing is wrong, but it is necessary for his own survival. The machines retaliate and fight back against the humans. With their superior technology and more advanced weapons, they are destroying human squadrons and platoons one by one. Now, this soldier is realizing what a species would do to protect itself and how this mirrors what so many humans have caused to all of the species on Earth.... extinction. "The Last Transmission" is what its title implies. It's the last transmission heard from this soldier before the machines have converted him from a human into a cyborg prototype. The machines saw potential in this human because of his will to survive and fight back. Also mentioned in "The Last Transmission" is the existence of another human who is being held captive underneath the city's surface. This is the base for which these machines conduct their conversions. This base is known as Sector 7 (very clever title.... I know). This human states that he will do whatever it takes to find this person and ensure his survival. We are then left to the second track which will be titled "Deceiver".

I've mentioned before that the imagery for this album would be very graphic and violent. It is meant to portray the consequences of human contamination to a species. There will be pictures of humans with their arms being sawed off and replaced by machine parts. There will be a lot of gore and disturbing imagery throughout the CD booklet, but it will be there for a reason. I'm not making these to gross anyone out or to show off some sense of vulgarity. I'm simply portraying the image that I have of this distorted world.

As you can see, this album just doesn't mirror my life, but the way of the modern world. I'm not sure of a release date on the album yet, as I am still very much into the writing process for it. I have many instrumentals done for it, but I still have to vocalize them. As you can tell from the two tracks that I have on YouTube, "Deceiver" and "No Control", my vocal style is quite different. I think it really interacts with the instrumentals though. It's not a separate entity, but rather a part of the song. In my opinion, not everyone has to be a Whitney Houston or Celine Dion to make a song sound compelling. It all depends on the instrumental that is backing it.

Well, this is it for this blog. I hope you all got a better sense of my purpose, vision, and destination for this album. Again thank you all for supporting me and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this album.

- Brian

P.S. I've already begun ideas for my next album which will be the complete opposite of The Art of Creation. It will be more spiritual and serene. You can almost expect a full scale ambient album with maybe a touch of some drum n' bass here and there. I've decided to call it "The Awakening" due to the end of The Art of Creation which is meant to signify the end of this war. It signifies a new vision and a rebirth into a new world.

Working With Other Musicians

2010-08-16T16:48:00.000-06:00

“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” - Sarah Caldwell

Hello everyone,

I want to take this discussion and express how much I love working with other musicians. I also want to share valuable information to others about how you can work with other musicians and do great work together. First, I want to talk about this quote though. It means that you can never know too much. There is always going to be something to learn from every situation, even if it seems absolutely pointless. For example, if you are having a conversation with a person who you feel is wasting your time, who is immature or idiotic to a point; take mental notes about how this person is acting and take time to correct those flaws in yourself. The point is there is always something to learn.

Now to get on with this discussion, musicians from all over the world collaborate with each other. Over the course of being a musician, I have had the great opportunity to meet and work with many talented and inspiring people. Every now and then, I go to a website called Kompoz. This is a website that allows musicians from all over the world to write music together. I have had a lot of amazing experiences being around these musicians and seeing the approach that they take to their music. The best part of this website is that you don't have to be well known, be signed, or have a great name to be able to contribute. You can simply click on a music project that you would enjoy working on and audition for the part you want to contribute to. Granted, I have never let anyone touch my SeKtoR 7 songs. Those I felt had to be my creation and only my creation. However, I have contributed to others projects and had a great time doing it. I'll provide a link to Kompoz below this discussion.

Another great way to get started, if you have created your own songs, is to go to ReverbNation or CD Baby. These are not labels, but they are distributors who sell your music. Now, you have to understand that by them doing this, they will take a portion of your sells. I think it's pretty fair considering what they're doing for you as a musician. If you're like me, it was never about the money anyways. It was about the exposure and spreading yourself amongst the listeners of the world. I've provided a link to ReverbNation and CD Baby as well.

http://www.kompoz.com


http://www.reverbnation.com

http://www.cdbaby.com

Any musician who wishes to be a part of my label, Solar Records, can certainly send me a few demo tracks. However, for acceptance, you must meet a few requirements. The requirements are as follows:

Solar Records logo (created by Brian Wortham)

You must be different. I don't want to hear anything that tries to fit into a genre or is conforming to mainstream producers' rules.
You must be willing to accept the fact that you may never be a "rockstar", but rather an artist. Artists are what shape and change the world, not rockstars.
You must represent yourself in a clean, respectable, and identifying form. It is great to be different, but when different meets immaturity, there is a problem.
You must be willing to give some of your merchandise sells to some charities and research centers. I will provide most of that merchandise for you through IMPAC.
You must help promote other artists on the label. This is an association, not just a label for you.
Your music must be mixed and mastered. If you are chosen to join the label, I will make sure that it's clean and mastered correctly before I put it out. I know that not all demo tracks are mixed and mastered correctly. They are simply the beginnings of a song; the rough draft.
Most of all, keep an open mind and have fun. Let your ideas flow freely. You never know where you may end up.

I am open to any and every suggestions or questions that you all may have. If you are wanting me to contribute to a song, just send me a message or an email and I'll see what all I can do for you. If you are wanting me to listen to some demo tracks for consideration of my label, send me an email with at least five tracks attached. Thank you all for your support and ears.

- Brian

Donating to Causes

2010-08-14T21:32:00.000-06:00

" The measure of life is not its duration, but its donation." - Peter Marshall

"It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world." - Chaos Theory

Hello everyone,

I'll start off by telling you all what the above quote means to me. I understand it to mean that it doesn't matter how long you live your life, but how much you contribute to that life and to others around you. I chose this quote because I think it adds an introduction to what this discussion will be about. The second quote is a theory that states how even the smallest action can have a tremendous reaction. You will understand why I chose this quote once you've read the discussion.

I've been involved with charities and research centers for some time now. I've always believed that my money was meant for helping and benefiting others who were less fortunate than myself. I use my talents as a musician and an artist to be able to make money, so that I can help others with their lives. I think it would be amazing, if for a whole week, everyone who could spare it would give five dollars to a charity. I'm saying five dollars because the world may be shocked at what just five dollars from everyone can do. Imagine if you got inspired to give back more and more. You may find yourself realizing that the little things you do in life, even the good ones, can cause a tremendous effect. Once you've done it a few times, donating to charities becomes a very good habit. In fact, most donation services now allow you to make monthly donations throughout the year. I have provided a list of some charities that I donate to below.

I think that all of these have a lot to offer to the patients/clients that they support. You'll notice that all of them are international organizations. I've chosen them because I don't think that my help should be limited to just a selected and specified country. I should be focusing on the world instead of problems within my own neighborhood, city, province, or country.

The point trying to be made in this discussion is for you to really look at the world. Look at how negativity and turning your shoulder has effected so many across the globe. That doesn't have to happen. It can be changed and it can be rebuilt. All it takes is for everyone to start thinking more positive and looking for ways to help not just people you care about, but those who need it the most. Find that child who has no parents to look after them and be the light in that child's life. Show them that not all things have to be bad. Show them that there is more to life than poverty, famine, and disease. All it takes is five dollars. You will be surprised with how much as little as five dollars can do for a child, research center, or charity.

I was proposed an idea by a very close friend of mine to start a forum that donates through music. Together we came up with IMPAC: International Musicians Promoting A Change. It is on the verge of becoming real and accessible by all. Keep in mind, you don't have to be a musician, artist, or someone with a lot of money to contribute. You can simply do what you love most, whatever that talent may be, and sell it. That money will be used to donate to the organizations that will accept money from us. I am so close to making this real and it is literally within my reach. All I need is help from you all to make this happen. I need more people involved and aware of these situations around the world. I will be selling t-shirts, hats, cups, etc., to help raise money for these charities. Keep an eye on the Merchandise section on my website for these items to come in. Just by buying those, you are already helping. All of the musicians within my label are participating as well. The logo for the merchandise is shown below.

IMPAC: International Musicians Promoting A Change (logo created by Brian Wortham)

You can click on any of the charities mentioned above in the list to donate or simply see what they're about. Don't hesitate to contact me for any further information regarding those charities, IMPAC, or any of the ideas mentioned in this blog. Thank you all for taking the time to listen, reflect, and act on these matters; and once again, thank you all for supporting me and doing what you can to promote me. I can never express enough to you all how much that means to me. Thank you all.

- Brian

Discussion About What Inspires Me

2010-08-13T20:58:00.000-06:00

"Every ceiling, once reached, becomes a floor...." - Aldous Huxley

Hello everyone,

I think before every blog, I'm going to start off with a quote or idea that really motivates and pushes me. I picked this one because it's been with me my entire life. To me, it means that you can never push yourself too hard or you can never achieve too much. There is always going to be another step you can take in life that will be another milestone for you.

On this blog I wanted to touch upon some topics and ideas that have really inspired me to do the things that I do. My influences range from all forms of art, religion (though I'm not religious, but that's a discussion for later in this blog), astronomy, history, and everything in between.

As a child, I was always influenced by sounds that could really touch your soul; things that could get into your skin and really make you feel alive. I think that's why so much of my musical influence has come from ambient and classical music. I wanted to be overwhelmed with an otherworldly sensation and that kind of music brings that feeling to me. For as long as I can remember, I've always been able to listen to things like that and drift away to another place. I think that's why so many people who meditate rely heavily on ambient background noise to get them to that place in their mind. It's a very calming and sensitive sound that, in a sense, wakes up your subconscious mind. Many ambient songs that I like and listen to involve the likes of Robert Rich, Steve Roach, Crystalline Dream, Tetsu Inoue, Pete Namlook, Liquid Mind, etc. These artists have really earned a place in my heart and in my work.

Another major influence of mine is more set on a cosmic level. I have been EXTREMELY astonished and intrigued by space. If it isn't present already, it will surely make itself known in my third album. I have several digital works that I've done which dwell heavily on cosmic and futuristic themes. For example, A Journey Through Imagination, as seen below, is a spacescape digital painting of a starship traveling through some unknown part of the universe.


A Journey Through Imagination (2009)

I save and collect many art pieces that portray different space scenes and scenarios. Some are shown below.

I think I actually have well over two thousand pictures like this saved on my computer. I also get them printed out and use them as posters to go in my house.

Now let's get on the discussion of my influence through religion. I think it's astonishing that so many people around the world devote themselves entirely to a set of beliefs. I think it can be the driving force for a will towards a goal in life for some and a desperate need for an answer for others. I think that people holding onto something that you have to put years of faith into is amazing. Earlier in this discussion, I said that I was not religious. However, I am a very spiritual person. There is a difference. In my eyes, I have always seen religion as a means of establishing some sort of social order amongst humans. It has been a way for higher authorities to control the population by guiding them with fear, desperation, and hopelessness. Yes, I do believe in God and I believe in Christ. But keep in mind, religion has changed so much over the course of time that it's hardly recognizable anymore. For instance, Emperor Constantine banned over 60 books of the Bible because he felt that they simply did not belong. What ever gave him the authority to banish books that IN HIS OPINION he felt simply didn't belong? I don't think anyone has the right to manipulate a religion. Anyways, I'll stop on this subject now because I don't want to go on a rant.

Well, that's about it for this blog. Thank you all for reading my thoughts and taking an insight into my mind.

- Brian

Why I'm Deciding to Blog

2010-08-12T18:44:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone,

I've decided to give this thing a chance. For those of you who know me on a personal level, you know that I'm not one to be a part of trends. However, this seems like a good idea to spread what I'm thinking and let everyone in the circle of my mind. I'm not sure how much I'm going to be posting here for now, since I've begun work on my second album. I will keep updating this as frequently as possible and we'll see how it goes from there. Keep in mind, this not replacing my website. Thank you all for your continued support.

- Brian