What is Happening at the FUMP

A FuMPFest fundraiser CD is available for purchase.  It is $20 for a two-CD set of over 40 live performances from last year’s FuMPFest.

Two new acts have been announced for FuMPFest as well: Drew Jacobs and TV’s Kyle.  Full list of guests on the site.

Pre-registration for FuMPFest goes up from $35 to $45 on April 1st and the room block for the hotel closes May 19th.

The great Luke Ski joins TV’s Kyle new show on Cartoon Network Might Magiswords as a Storyboard Revisionist.  Here about it on Kyle and Luke Talk About Toons.

Nuclear Bubble Wrap released a video for their song The Agenda.  A little song poking fun at those who fear a “gay agenda.”  It was animated by ThePivottsXX.

Luke Ski released a video for his song The Twilight Zone too.  It is about the TV show Twilight Zone, nothing about sparkling vampires.

Bonecage has done more on his YouTube channel as well.

Carla Ulbrich is using Indiegogo as a pre-sale to fund her next album.  The album is written and mostly recorded already.  Reward levels include skype guitar lesson, handwritten lyrics, concert in your living room, your name in liner notes, and a video of Carla singing, dancing, and raving about how great you are.

Marc Gunn has a Kickstarter campaign for new steampunk album Dragons vs. Pirates.

During February’s Album Writing Month TV’s Kyle wrote an entire album, recorded it, and now has it available for purchase.  You can download it for only $5.

Harmonix announced the release of Rock Band 4 and is requesting song.  Now Devo Spice is trying to get his song The Dumbest Song on Rock Band on there, so he is asking for everyone’s help in requesting it.   Go to the request page, put in “The Dumbest Song on Rock Band” for the title, “Devo Spice” for the artist, and then click Submit.

Top 10 Lovecraft Music List To Lose Your Sanity To

The best known author of cosmic horror stories and the creator of the Cthulhu Mythos, Howard Phillips Lovecraft is perhaps the greatest of all horror fiction writers. His work has influenced many other writers, film makers, and game creators for decades, so is it any surprise that musicians also have come to be influcened by his work.

1. The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets is a Vancouver “punky surf” band whose lyrics don’t just make passing mention to Lovecraft—their entire existence seems to revolve around him.

2. Consortium of Genius gives us some old timey gospel music with What a Friend We Have in Cthulhu.  Several fellow FuMPers appear on the track as well.

3. Jonah Knight takes the traditional “Swanee River” by Stephen Foster with alternate lyrics by H.P. Lovecraft.  Calls it Old Folk Roam.

4. The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing has a little ditty about Cthulhu rising on a beach during a family’s summer holiday to the beach, Margate Fhtagn.

5. Aklo is an ambient music project rooted in the works of H. P. Lovecraft

6. Even Gameboy musicians bow before the might of the Elder Ones, andaruGO spent six months creating a chiptune album inspired by Lovecraft, necronomitron α.

7. The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society gives us Cthulhu Christmas Carols.

8. Tom Smith and the great Luke Ski combine Cthulhu and Lion King.  I have nothing else to say except Cthulhu Fthagn.

9. Randy Clark has scored a number of Lovecraft films and a song called Cthulhu Blues.

10. There are some things man was not meant to adapt to musical theatre, A Shoggoth on the Roof was not one of them.
Honorable Mention: goes to this list of H.P. Lovecraft In Metal Music, cause while Tolkien might be epic for metal, Lovecraft has the darkness and insanity you want. .

 

 

Black Friday Deals

With today being Black Friday, which is not the biggest shopping day of the year, I decided to gather some links to various artists doing special deals.  Most are only good for today, but some go till Small Business Saturday or to Cyber Monday, so hurry and get what you can.

The Whomping Willows Black Friday sale has everything (CDs, t-shirts, hoodie) for just $5 + shipping.

All music at Gamechops is 50% with code “thankyou.”

All Mega Ran music, including pre-orders, is also 50%.

All Mikal kHill products are 50% off this week, plus t-shirts are reduced to $10 before the discount.  Also when you buy any one physical item get an exclusive kHillcast CD-R with special mix of music, unreleased demos, and music from the new group he is starting.  Just use the code ” FUCKWALMART2X”

Abney Park is doing their Black Friday sale this year.  CDs and novels for just $10, figurines for $5, and dog tags for $9.

Get brentalfloss music 55% with code “wishbones55.”

Get all three of the LeetStreet Boys albums for $30, including shipping.

The Black FuMPDay Sale has select items in the FuMP store 20% to 40% off.  Items include albums from Baldbox, Carrie Dahlby, Cirque du So What?, Devo Spice, great Luke Ski, Possible Oscar, Sudden Death, Worm Quartet, and all the Best of the FuMP albums.

Luke Ski also has all his CDs for $8 and DVDs for $12.

MC Lars is also doing a 50% off sell on everything.

Video Game Music Bundles has five albums for $1 or twenty-four albums for $10.

DFTBA is offering $3 shipping to anywhere in the world.  They have albums by Chameleon Circuit, Alex Day, ALL CAPS, Harry Potter Alliance, Epic Rap Battles of History, and more.

Draco and the Malfoys are offering free shipping in the US and half off shipping outside of the US.

Professor Shyguy is selling his two albums for $5 and his acoustic and instrumental albums for $2.50

The Megas have 50% off their digital downloads with the code “blackandblue”.  Plus the Robot Sketch t-shirts are off 50% at their store.

 

Music Madness Melodies of Madicon (something else that begins with m)

Madicon is a yearly gaming/literary convention run by the Science Fiction Fantasy Guild at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.  This year it is at the student center at JMU, March 8-10.  The con has a number of panels, workshops, vendors, artists, many games, costume contest, a LARP, art show, video games, live bird show, and auctions (including the Geek Auction to buy live people) to raise money for the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

Guests for the con are authors: Jana Oliver, Jean Marie Ward, Pip Ballantine, R.S. Belcher, and Tee Morris, plus makeup guest Megan Amberly, voice actor Jon St. John, the 501st Storm Troopers, combat groups Bridgewater College Comitatus, COMARR, and Silverdain.  In addition some great music acts.

The Music Guest of Honor is Johan Knight, who I have written about so much before.  All I can really say is expect good music from him at the con.  Once again he has three concerts, paranormal folk, creepy, and supernatural steampunk.  Plus a chance to talk with him over a cup of coffee.

There is also a several chiptune composers.: Cartoon Bomb, Datacats, and Inverse Phase.  Catch the three all weekend at performances and panels.

Madicon this year has two veterans of convention raves DJ Cutman and DJ Super Sonic.  The rave is on Saturday night and will be filled with 8bit sounds and remixes of all kinds.

Panels include discussions on what different sound chips in old school consoles, about releasing a cover album, learn to write your down chiptune music, and explanation on video games remixes and their scene by DJ Fayt.

Of note, Tainted Reality will be selling Jrock CDs in the vendor room too.

The Sounds of Mysticon

Very late in doing this but I still wanted to post it.

MystiCon is a literary sci-fi con (plus fantasy, pop culture, steampunk, and more) February 22-24 at the Tanglewood Holiday Inn in Roanoke, Virginia.

The Guests of Honor include Peter Davison (5th Doctor Who), Larry Elmore (D&D artist), Orson Scott Card (author of Ender’s Game), Tom Angleberger (author of Origami Yoda), Steven Long (RPG creator), filmmakers, podcasters, authors, artists, costumers, wrestlers, and more. Plus a number of music acts.

The Con’s Musical Gust of Honor is Bella Morte is a gothic darkwave band.  They are headlining Mysticon’s Musical extravaganza on Saturday night.

Special Music Guest The Gothsicles are comedy geek industrial music group who are part of the FuMP.  Catch them both Friday night and on Saturday as part of the Musical extravaganza.

Devo Spice is a comedy rapper and FuMP core member.  He is part of Saturday’s Musical extravaganza. He is also performing at Mysticon’s event at the Roanoke City Main Library on Thursday night.

Jonah Knight has a different concert each day of the con.  Each one shows off his different genre work, Paranormal Folk (Friday), Creepy Christmas Songs (Saturday), and Supernatural Steampunk (Sunday).

Electronica composure Consortium 499 has created his own original score for the silent film Nosferatu, to watch and listen.  His album Pageant and Ceremony of the Coronation will be available at a special discount price during the con.

DJ Drae plays goth events, conventions, and provides music for Strange Aeons Productions’ LARP.  He will doing a dance party on Friday night with a special light show by Eli Mayhem.

Author, editor, music therapist, and musician Danny Birt has a performance and sing-a-long at the con as well.

Other music related events include: Drum Circle on Friday and Saturday night, Belly Dancing workshops, SF Themes in Rock Music panel, Poetry/Filk Open Mic, and an hour with musician/author Gary Rinehart.

Clockwork Dolls’s When Banners Fall Album

The Clockwork Dolls formed in 2007 from a diverse group of theater geeks, side-show performers, and artist with the concept of creating theatrical, grand, epic music for people to enjoy focusing on bygone eras with symphonic rock.  They released their first album in 2009 with Dramatis Personae.

After three years of work their second album “When Banners Fall” was released.  Inspired by World War II, with original tracks and speeches from Dwight D Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill.

The album is only eight tracks long, each of them a powerful orchestral sound and lovely piano work.  The whole thing sounds like it is part of the soundtrack to some major motion picture with huge sweeping visuals and lots of emotional character work.

The first track (The Great Crusade), third (This Poignant Hour), and fifth (May 4, 1945) are recordings from historical speeches with background music that lead into the next track.  Second (Flyboy), fourth (Hold The Line), and sixth (When Banners Fall) tracks all are deep emotion tracks about different things of the war (air battle, holding out against the enemy, victory and what is to come).  They are able to invoke both the romance and tragedy of conflict through both the melody and lyrics.  A little hard to understand the lyrics the first few times through with the almost operatic way they are sung.

The seventh track is a rendition of “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”.  Which although about WWI still fits with the feel of the rest of the album and actually my favorite track.  Truly heartbreaking sounds the way the song has no instruments being played just Colette Lovelace pouring it all out into this simple tune.

The final track is a complete instrumental version of the whole album.  Which is something nice to play in the background and relax with.

Over all I think this a great album and has a real steampunk sound without being obtuse about it.  My only real complaint is that it is two short and a little repetitive.  I would have liked more tracks.

You can buy a physical copy of the album at CDBaby or as MP3 at Bandcamp, which also has their first album for free.  Which I suggest you do.

10 Music Sets for your Nerdy Christmas

With Christmas coming up I thought I share some new songs to sing this season to share your love of fandom.

1. It’s a Fanboy Christmas Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 Luke Ski is a series of Christmas melodies reworked to be about various sci-fi, fantasy, and the like media.  Keep an eye on Luke’s website to see if he puts them up for free or if he releases another one this year.

2. Steampunk band The Men That Will Not be Blamed for Nothing have a Christmas album to check out. A Very Steampunk Christmas is a four track release that comes as 7″ vinly or digital download.  Album includes a different take on a Christmas Carol and punk versions of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Silent Night.

3. Star Wars Christmas by Sci-Fried and Kirby Krackle’s version Rudoph the Red Nose Reindeer both give you some rocking tunes for Christmas.

4. The 8bits of Christmas is a holiday release from 8bitpeoples with 8 chiptune artists using 8 different consoles and computers to produce 8bit versions of classic Christmas songs.  Get it and other albums for free on the 8bitpeoples website and have a chippy Christmas.

5. For some video game related songs we have  Gekkos have Christmas in Hyrule telling about Christmas in the Zelda games, Isane Ian with WOW, Christmas!  sharing how he spends Christmas and feeds his Warcraft addiction, and Pallete Swap Ninja singing about lack of Wii units in Wii Christmastime.

6. For a selection of Christmas wrock music I have found this nice little playlist.  A collection of songs that even He Who Must Not Be Named would find jolly.

7. I also have playlist for Vocaloid covers of Christmas songs and a few originals.  So enjoy some robotic cheer.

8.  There is also Homestuck for the Holidays, I have not even bothered to listen to any of it.  Cause it is Homestuck and I have no plans to find out what those kids at cons are talking about, so enjoy if you care.

9.  Nerdcore rapper Random/Mega Ran has put out a holiday album this year.  A Very Random Christmas is a banging Christmas album that is not all that geeky but is clean and fun plus it is free too, so yeah on free.  Need to check out him reading ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas giving it a more urban slant.

10. and of course  Another Creepy Christmas by Jonah Knight is on the list.  I have talked more about that one previously.

Honorable Mention goes to Bow Down to the Power of Santa from the Invader Zim Christmas Special.  It has become a traditional Christmas song at my house hold ever since it first premiered.

Try playing some of these songs at your next holiday gathering.

SteamStock

A posted about a group using Kickstarter to fund their steampunk music festival a while back.  Well they met their goal and now it is time to talk about what they have planned.

Steam Stock is October 7 at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, CA.  It goes from 1:00pm till Midnight.

It is a is a music festival from another time.  The Woodstock of an alternate past, where airships filled the skies and swing combines with both gothic and electronic, and people were top hats and corsets. There will be music, dancing, vendors, and food carts. Also giant walls of glass to watch the sun set over the bay, the Blue Angels flying over head, and ships racing in an America Cup regatta.

Bands appearing at the fest include the voice of steampunk music Abney Park, 80’s New Wave act turned steampunk musician Thomas Dolby, folk punk cabaret duo Frenchy and the Punk, 8-piece band part rumba band part cinematic chamber group El Radio Fantastique, jump swing from hell by Lee Presson & the Nails, pioneers of steampunk music Vernian Process,  US’s one and only Electro Swing band Good Co., 4 piece post modern jug band 5 Cent Coffee, alternative rock with steampunk visual band Hydrogen Skyline, zombie punk cabaret band Victoria and the Vaudevillains, Industrial Ragtime band Parlor Tricks, folk-punk band Vagabondage, Victorian male singing group Brass Farthing, and DJ JsinJ.

Side show and variety acts scheduled to appear are bellydancer troupes Blackhoodygrrl, the Empress, and Firefly, aerialist Sommer Strangelove, special guest attendees Aether Brigade, and any more they can get before the then.

A large number of vendors will also be at the event.  A special are for children under 6 will be set up for accompanying families to play with them or take care of various needs.

The same weekend there are other events in the area to check out.  On Firday night, Strangelove: Undead Wedding, a gothic party, will be happening at the Cat Club in San Fran.  The Steampunktoberfest Ball is on Saturday at the Masonic Lodge of San Mateo in Alameda.  A unique festival that celebrates Oktoberfest and the Steampunk society.  English dance band Bangers & Mash will play, dance worskops, food and drink, along with a special steampunk-inspired invention exhibition are all part of the festivities.  Passes are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Tickets for Steamstock can still be purchased at $42 for adults and $22.50 for children under 12.  A bundle pass for both Steamstock and Steampunktoberfest is $52.  They also have a list of local hotels on their site.

Sounds like a blast for any steampunk fans, or fans of music in general, who can make it.

 

Ten Pirate Songs and Bands to Pillage To

With Talk Like a Pirate Day yesterday, it got me thinking of pirate music and I decided to bring you ten pirate themed songs and bands to check out.

1.  We have to start off with the official unofficial Talk Like a Pirate Day song from Tom Smith.  It talks of the desire to leave the mundane life and to become a pirate, at least for one.  Also, check out his Christmas themed pirate song, A Pirate Christmas.  A series of Christmas songs changed for the pirate life.

2. Pirates for Sail, the crew of the Drunken Ferret, are a pirate who preform at all kinds of different events performing songs, fire spinning, period firearms demonstrations, general piracy (including history and skits) and, for the kids, face painting and treasure hunts.   Their music combines shanty style singing with guitars, violins, and other classic instruments into some real toe tapping tunes.   Their third album, Dark Side of the Lagoon, came out this year and can be got at one of their shows iTunes or CDbaby.

3. Pirate Song by Jonah Knight.  Mostly known for his paranormal folk songs, this one little track he did has become sort of a signature piece for him; being featured on several podcasts.

4.  Space Pirates! by Gekkos, a little rocking ditty about being a pirate in space instead of the oceans.  Taking pirates to a different place.  For those who want more metal pirate shantys.

5. Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew, a group of rapping pirates.  They have appeared on America’s Got Talent and were described like this, “Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew are a collection of rapping pirates. Their costumes are great and their rapping is decent…”  Personally I think they are a little bit than just “decent”, I have heard worse.  So if you want some fun songs about drinking rum, smacking winches, and capping people with flintlocks, Dan the Scurvy Crew is for you.

6. A Pirates Life by Sci-Fried.  A reggae grooving beat that tells you all about pirates and how ninjas suck.

7. Pirate Ship by TV’s Kyle with Insane Ian and Austin Aeschliman.  A strange song about them selling around on a pirate ship.  I real ear worm, but in a good way.

8. The Brigands, another preforming pirate band with over ten years experience together.  Preforming at all kinds of pirate events up and down the coasts.

9. The quintessal steampunk by Abney Park.  Again bringing you a different type of pirate, this one an airship pirate.  They have a number of songs about their exploits as pirates.  You can also check out the novel based on their story or play their table top RPG.

10. Blow Me Down by Moneyshot Cosmonauts.  A parody of Thompson Twins’ 1984 synth-rock classic “Hold Me Now” that shares some of the demands of being a pirate.  Originally performed by Robert Lund.

Honorable mention goes to the  The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything from the Silly Songs of Veggie Tales.  They even got their own movie.  Again, no idea why I like it.  Guess I am just weird.

And if you want to hear more pirate songs, the German Pirate Party (actual political group) collected a number of different pirate songs from around the world  and put them in a free downloadable album.  You can get here,  but the page is in German.  Just click there on the right for the link.  Takes a while to download since it is from Germany.  I have not gotten a chance to listen to it myself, but it does have Jonah Knight’s song so they do have some good taste.

There it be me hartys.

Kickstarters to Look Check Out

Kickstarter is a great way for acts to finianzie and check people’s opinion on new projects; also great for fans to help their favorite acts and learn about new ones.  Here are a couple of music related ones to check out and maybe support.

The Austin Troubadours first CD – “Mediterranean Journey”

Austine Troubadours are a Medieval and Renaissance music group that plays songs from Italy, Spain, France and Balkan countries, on period instruments.  The group includes Renaissance lute, baroque violin, early woodwinds,  harpsichord, and many other instruments that I have never heard of along with voice.  This albums will include Italian monophonic dances from the “British Library” Manuscript, “Cantigas De Santa Maria” from a collection attributed to Spanish king Alfonso El Sabio, French Renaissance dances from Attaingnant editions, and a few of the oldest examples of songs and dances from Serbia and Macedonia.  The album will try to recreate the sounds and spirits of Medieval Mediterranean.

They are looking for $3,000 and already have $1,819 so far.  Sponsor levels include getting the CD, an invite to the release party, name listing in the album booklet, dinner with the band, and a private concert (for those in central Texas area).  They have 15 more days to reach their goal.

The Slants Need a New Tour Bus

The Slants are an Asian synth-pop band from Oregon with a big following in the anime fandom. In the last four years they have played over 350 shows all across the US and Europe at anime cons, dive bars and tropps overseas.  They need new a new touring bus.  They travel for several months out the year and needs something that can handle the intense touring.  They have already spent most of their money on their latest album and now are looking for help from their fans who have helped them since the beginning.

For $10,000 they can get an old shuttle bus and renovate it for touring.  They will also not have to use a trailer anymore and invest money into their stage show.  More funds will go to an even better vehicle. They have already got $4,232 with 14 days to go.  Various donation levels will get you digital albums, CDs, special songs, personal shout-out, t-shirt, other merch, tour DVD, original art, personalized song, private concerts, and more.

Worm Quartet “Songs of the Maniacs” Album

The one man band from Rochester, New York Worm Quartet (a.k.a. Shoebox) has played on both the Dr. Demento radio show (with the most requested song of 2004)  and a core member of The FuMP is now releasing his long-awaited next album.  He has collaborated with Sudden Death and MC Lars.  In 2007 he won a Logan Award for his song “The Ballad of Dr. Stopp.”

This Kickstarter is to fund the mastering of the albums, license the one cover song, cover printing of the albums, and other assorted costs.

Donation incentives include buttons, downloads, CDs, bonus discs, and exclusive USB flash drives mounted in Atari cartridges and loaded with the entire Worm Quartet discography (available only through this project).

(NOTE:  This is a prototype…the final product will look slightly different.)

Prizes for high levels include personalized songs Worm Quartet/Devo Spice house concerts.

He has already reached the $1,300 goal he was looking for, so he place a stretch goal of $2,600 to buy a new keytar.  He passed this as well. Now if he raises $4,400 he plans to upgrade his “studio” with new equipment.  14 days left on this one too.

Steamstock- A Music Featival From Another Time

Swing Goth has hosted several different events over the last five years like The Bowie Ball, a San Fran and NYC Burton Ball, Gaiman vs. Moore, and others.  They were chosen Best of the Bay in 2009 and its various events have been covered in over 30 newspaper articles, including: New York Times, New York Post, SF Chronicle, SF Bay Guardian, and SF Weekly.  Recently they did nighttime events as part of the steampunk con, Clockwork Alchemy.  Now they want to do a whole steampunk music festival. 

They are planning to have two stages, over ten bands both national and local, vendors, belly dancers, aerialists, fire dancers, and a raised dance floor for partying.  They will do all this if they raise $3,000.  If they get $4,000 they will add ferries to take people between San Francisco and their venue, Craneway Pavilion, allowing you to travel to and from a steampunk event in a boat.  At $5,000 they will add a boat from San Jose.  At $6,000 they will start announcing national level bands.  Raise enough and they will put the bands on the boats.

Bands that have already said they will play the event include Abney Park,Vernian Process,5 Cent Coffee,Blue Rabbit, and Vagabondage.

With 14 days to go they have only raised $737.  For supporting you can get bumper stickers, badge ribbons, a silk cravat, dance instruction DVD, shopping bag, metal badge, hair clip, seed pod bag, hat pin, necklace and earring set, ticket to the show ($40 level), dance levels, and various outfits fitted to you.

You can email them (steamstocksf@gmail.com) to sign up for their mailing list or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.