Saturday, October 11, 2014

HOT METRO FINDS: The Great Chicago Fire Festival - 2014

THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE FESTIVAL - 2014

As soon as I heard about this experience I was hooked on the idea. I found a picture on social media about a 1871 style Chicago wooden house set on afloating barge in the river with the sign, “Come Watch Me Burn” and I was intrigued with it. I made it a point to get over there to see what all the fuss was about. Now of course this type of thing was hyped up for months on the radio and social media and it got the locals all riled up. There was a reported $2 Million dollars roped into this deal and some of the residents didn’t like the idea of it getting thrown away on an arts festival.

The idea was to have this floating river festival with these burning houses. To me, that was all I really needed. I might grab some food down there and people watch – you know? No big deal. I disregarded all of the social media yammering from the local, “crabasses”, my new favorite word, (thanks Chicago) and went there for a good time. Lo and behold there was a reported 10,000 people at the river front and the crowds were building up by the minute. This was no small thing and there was a lot of media coverage overhead with helicopters and spotlights. It turns out the locals arrived in droves. Over the river I could see the patio for Dick’s Last Resort and it was jam packed with party goers. There were people celebrating this event on the big river cruise boats and to my right it looked like some people even rented out rooms in hotels and were throwing parties. There was lights, people, and car traffic backed up all around the Michigan avenue bridge and the State street bridge.

Now, you know how this story ends right? It’s all over the news as being one of the biggest busts in Chicago history. But before I get to that part I want to get into the drama of this thing. People were waiting for something to happen. The sky blue and magenta lights were focused on the floating house raft. No fire but we were hopeful. Apparently there was supposed to be some sort of pageantry from the Red Moon Theater people. I was like, “Okay, but hurry it up – we’ve been standing here for almost  an hour already…..”, (we got there early). First this boat comes out with the Chicago Children’s Choir on it singing about theloss of lives to the people who died in the fire. I’ll be honest with you I got a little emotional. I mean I was nice and I got a little weepy. But  damn, they didn’t stick around long they just sort of zipped right though and cleared out of the way fast.



Then we got these kayaks out there with these flaming cauldrons attached to the back ends of them. It was kind of confusing because they were slow. People started cheering and we thought they would light the houses on fire. Nope. They just kind of circled around them while people cheered. I didn’t have the printed program in front of me so I was unclear of the events. There was some guy on the loudspeaker who was narrating the thing but there was no clear objective to what we were supposed to be experiencing. Sometime either before or after the kayaks there was some guy on a boat banging on some kind of gong for whatever reason. I totally didn’t get the reason why or what he was even there for but I’m sure it was significant. I just missed the reference because I had no guide and was just kind of going with the flow but now by this time my foot was falling asleep. I wanted this thing to get on already. It was about 8:45 PM by this point and I couldn’t stick around much longer I had tickets to go see Agent Orange at the Double Door.

There was a weird steamship that came out too. It was zipping around the houses shooting fire out of its steam stack or something. It was odd looking and was definitely homemade for the festival. It has been referred to as the Steampunk ship but it looked out of place with the theme of the festival. Speaking of festival I didn’t see any food trucks or beer tents from where we were standing. I wished I had stood over by Dick’s Last Resort… I’mserious.

Sometime around this point the narrator comes back on and is talking about the actual fire. Back at the time of the Great Chicago Fire the whole city was made out of wooden buildings and wooden sidewalks. There was talk of a drought and how the whole city was a tinderbox. The lights on the houses were now orange and red to give off a firey glow. The music was cranked up and it was a Tim Burton-esque kind of sound on a loop. This horrific music permeated the air for about 2 minutes and I could see the crowd get agitated because by now we were all elbow to elbow and there was still more people coming down the stone staircases to join us by the river. That music continued to blare on and after about 10 minutes it felt like torture. I was worried that it was going to enter into my subconscious and stay there infinitely.

There was an announcement telling us about technical difficulties. There was moans in the audience. I assured the crowd, “Hey I can start a fire faster than these guys can…. Anybody want to see a fire?” the whole crowd cheered, “YEAH !!!”.   It turns out that some rain had damaged the ignition switches on these floating houses and this prevented a fire from happening.



A cow wiped out half of the city. That’s what we have all been told and I’m thinking we should’ve hired a cow to run this thing right. What a disaster. I couldn’t wait around any longer I had to get going so I could get to the show. I had four bands to review so I started to make my way back to the stairs. People were still waiting around for something to happen when I left. There was supposed to be fireworks too. I understand those did happen.

I was looking forward to seeing these houses burn on the river. To me that sounded like a pretty interesting time. But the pageantry or program as it were was a confusing fiasco to watch. The overall experience was that of frustration and confusion and turned into a test of endurance. We stood on a grassy river embankment at an angle so the calves on my legs were feeling great strain after almost two hours of nothing.


There is supposed to be a second annual next year to this thing. So I’ll tell you what. I will be there but will be watching it either from Dick’s Last Resort enjoying a nice drink and some appetizers. I won’t be standing on the riverside waiting for things to happen. I hope next year’s presentations is shaved down to about 30 minutes tops.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

HOT METRO FINDS: Ted Cantu Unleashes Ad Vulture - Commercial Television Meets Social Media

Definition – Social commentary has run amok on social media. Yes, the people have spoken and are making their comments known. They are speaking back to, “Big Daddy” advertisers and are sounding off. These are the –Ad Vultures – who hang mercilessly over the carcasses of advertising campaigns and pick the meat off the bones of big budgeted ads.

THE TRIVAGO GUY – Life On The Outside
Where do I start with this guy? Twitter is having a field day with this guy and rightly so. It’s one of the only places where the people can sound off in real time about the shabbily kept guy who knows the inside track of hotel rooms.  I have a theory and I’m not alone. This poor guy is the by-product of a disastrous, hateful relationship and the only place where he can find solace is in a hotel room. Maybe he is in the middle of two hateful relationships – who can really tell? But he looks drunk out of his mind and has a torn down look and in a few commercials seems to be missing a belt.



Trivago guy knows all about hotel room prices and where you can get the best price thanks to a handy new website. Despite his hobo like appearance he seems to have discriminating taste in his temporary décor.  He knows about the stars and seems to care about the quality of the rooms he calls home. Then after he delivers his pitch he shuffles out of view back to his busy day of avoiding the people he loves – and guzzling Jack Daniels.


Who does this pitch appeal to? Seriously…..

Here’s what the people are saying !!

“Why is a guy who sleeps on public benches pitching hotel rooms?”

“That Trivago guy gives me the heebie jeebies !!”

And my favorite….
I can't believe that Trivago Guy jumped the fence at the White House.


Even comedian Dennis Miller states that the Trivago Guy… “ weirds him out”



** Created by Ted Cantu - Hot Metro Finds. Come check us out for concert reviews, upcoming events and more!!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Ted Cantu and Hot Metro Finds Reviews Band Line Up At Riot Fest 2014

Chicago, IL – Next weekend will begin one of the largest rock festivals in 2014. Chicago is gearing up for Riot Fest 2014 and it willfeature some of the biggest names in Alternative Music and classic rockincluding The Cure, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Title Fight, JanesAddiction, The Grizzly Mighty, Tegan and Sara, The Flaming Lips, Weezer, TheBuzzcocks, Cheap Trick, Television, and many more. The festival is going to also include after parties with extended sets by the festivals performers including Billy Bragg and Andrew WK. This is the largest festival of its kind and will have travelled to two other cities including Toronto and Denver.

Hot Metro Finds and Ted Cantu will be there to cover the sets and to bring feedback to the online fan bases for the festivals entirety. “The idea is to bring the experience to the fans who will not be in attendance. The objective is to give the fans a first person narrative about the shows, the after parties instead of reading a blurb about in the newspaper.” The idea to create a fan experience on the web comes at a time when many bookstores, record shops and newspapers are folding up.

The media outlets are drying up all over Chicago including the demise of Borders Books. This problem is  one of a national concern including the elimination of Barnes and Nobles book store in Royal Oak, Michigan. Upon further investigation the problem of disappearing book stores and music shops is even happening across the UK. “The bands love it, the fans love it and that’s what this project is all about. A lot of great acts never see the light of day simply because nobody knows about them.” Adds Ted Cantu.

Hot Metro Finds is creating a bridge between the fans and the music and is always looking for new undiscovered acts. The site is currently getting material together from indie bands from all over the globe. Some of the music that will be featured in upcoming events will include Calling All Astronauts, Rat Neck, and classic rock tribute bands like Live The Who. This will be presented in a first person narrative and the shows that are reviewed are actually seen in person by one of the writers from Hot MetroFinds.


About Hot Metro Finds
Hot Metro Finds.com is a web site that focuses on music and concert reviews, restaurants, business insight and things that are trending. It focuses on the Metro Detroit, Michigan area.


TED CANTU: Hot Metro Finds Looks At The Fabulous Return Of The Libertines In The UK

London, England –  The UK hard rock sensation, The Libertines, have patched up their differences and have started performing again in front of fans. Pete Doherty and Carl Barat have been through ups and downs that have involved drugs, court cases and bouts of depression. It almost seemed hopeless that the band would ever get things in order but the fans have never let them completely go. Guitarist and singer Pete Doherty even had a breakup with his super model girlfriend Kate Moss. Despite all of the difficulties the band has reunited and have put on shows in Hyde Park in the UK. Now the band is looking at putting on more shows in London.



The reception has been outstanding. There were reports of excited 60,000 fans crashing through barricades causing the show to be stopped two times. The show was allowed to continue as fans eagerly climbed on top of scaffolding and fences around the stage. The band seems to be on solid ground again as more shows are being planned. The only question now is will the Libertines actually tour in the U.S. or not. Hot Metro Finds looks into the history of the band and the trouble that surrounded them in 2003 – 2013.



Hot Metro Finds creator, Ted Cantu, looks into how the band first came to the surface in America despite lack of promotion and almost zero major media presence. The articles go into how the Libertines tracks would be made available through file sharing networks while the Internet matured into the big beast that it is today. Now, with the creation of online video websites such as, YouTube.com the music is more readily available. In addition to theLibertines Pete Doherty’s other band – The Babyshambles is also more readily accessible.


While brands like MTV now center on teen pregnancy the focus of Hot Metro Finds has always been centered on new music. Some of the music is not really radio friendly or even has any commercial like appeal in some cases. Hot Metro Finds has centered on indie bands with cult like followings that have real artistic integrity. The Libertines definitely fit into that category and the music really does have a voice all its own.

About Hot Metro Finds
Hot Metro Finds.com is a web site that focuses on music and concert reviews, restaurants, business insight and things that are trending. It focuses on the Metro Detroit, Michigan area.

TED CANTU: The Buzzcocks Are The Focus On The September Articles In Hot Metro Finds

Detroit, Michigan – The Buzzcocks are back on the road and will be stopping in Detroit at Saint Andrews Hall this month. They will also be playing at Chicago’s Riot Fest 2014 and will be doing a set there on day 2. The event in Chicago is a three day alternative rock festival that will feature many classic acts and indie bands including Weezer, Gwar, Cheap Trick, The Offspring, Anti Flag, The Picture Books, The Afghan Whigs, The World is a Beautiful Place, The Orwells, The Bots,  Face to Face, Saosin, The American Scene, Die Antwood, The Cure, Janes Addiction and many more.



The Buzzcocks hail from the UK Punk movement in 1976 and will be joined by other alumni including The Stiff Little Fingers, and TheCure. Front man Peter Shelley will be joined by another original member of the band – Steve Diggle. This years festival is going to go all out and will be featuring the manic energy from all areas of the punk and post-punk scene throughout the decades. This is sort of a best of from this genre of music. HotMetro Finds will be covering the festival and will be writing and commenting on the sets delivered by these iconic bands.

“The Buzzcocks are a phenomenal act and the contribution made to punk and post punk music is huge.” Says Hot Metro Finds creator, TedCantu. “The singles all the way up to later releases like All Set have brought pop sensibility to the overall sound. The fans love it. Many of those records can be played over and over again they aged well.” Along with the coverage of the live performance at Riot Fest there will also be series of video highlights throughout the Buzzcocks multi-decade career.


There will be other acts from the Buzzcocks era from the NewYork scene including Television and Patti Smith. This event will be a who’s who of punk and post punk and the bands will be set up on multiple stages. The Portland band The Dandy Warhols will be playing in the same time slot as the Buzzcocks on day 2. Both bands have a strong following and the fans will have to decide on who to watch. One can’t lose on Riot Fest 2014 and it should be one amazing event.


About Hot Metro Finds
Hot Metro Finds.com is a web site that focuses on music and concert reviews, restaurants, business insight and things that are trending. It focuses on the Metro Detroit, Michigan area.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Careful How You Bulid Your Site -- Avoid This Blunder.....

My weekend was a total headache.....
A colleague had me review his website. He wanted me to fix it, give it the proper SEO google treatment etc. When I looked at his site it was OK. Then I looked a little deeper and saw the problem up close......

This guy had named every webpage the same name... Every title of his pages were exactly the same. There were about 50 pages on this site. This is where it gets even more interesting. This site was built by some guys in India.... Im sure they meant well but from a search engine standpoint this site is not going to do much on the search engines.

Now I have to go in there and basically... redo a whole 50 page site... just so search engines can see it. This is going to be a real pain in the neck -- because I am busy! But... it needs to get done.

Imagine.... every single page reads... "Welcome to Jones Brothers Real Estate" -- and of course, if you havent guessed. These pages have never been indexed.....

The site is over 5 years old and it is the financial bread and butter for this family......


Ay yi yi......

Do not repeat this mistake.....

Contact me direct!
248-631-9211


http://www.tedcantu.com

Real Estate SEO: What You Need To Know

SEO Web Video Basics: Keep A Squeeky Clean Image ALERT -- AVOID WWW.LIVEVIDEO.COM

When you post your videos online keep in mind that they will get picked up by other video web sites. This is the exciting part of "VIRAL MARKETING". This was something that did not exist even a few years ago. Now that its a real thing you have no real control of where your media will end up at times......

Even if you do sign up for a video site there are plenty of spammers who are going to comment on your video and leave their company information on it. This can include anything from vitamins, money scams, gambling and unsavory adult material.

You will want to track your videos and make sure that these companies are not using your video as an advertising platform for their stuff.

KEEP IT CLEAN - KEEP SELLING

Contact me direct!
248-631-9211


http://www.tedcantu.com

http://www.1searchengineoptimizationrealestate.org