I’ve just recorded the feature segment for the next Geekmusic Podcast – we talk to Heather Dale about the new game Gates of Camelot – and I’ll be recording the news segment when I’m back from British Columbia, early next week. So get me your news items NOW, and tell anybody else you know who might have geekmusic-related news to get it to me!

Also, if you’ve had problems using the contact form because of bad CAPTCHAs, we’ve fixed it… by turning CAPTCHA off. I don’t know what triggers it, but sometimes the form just starts throwing out the wrong graphic. I thought it had to be cache-related, but turning all that off didn’t fix anything, so yeah, no.

The weird part is that it works just fine for Anna. Exact same plugin. I have no idea why.

Finally, your SFWAdenfreude Update: Mary Robinette Kowal’s PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP to the people she calls the 12 Rabid Weasels of SFWA has really taken off. I tweeted about it yesterday; it’s kind of awesome. Apparently, it made Gawker today, which is kind of a big deal – but I don’t have a link. And Scalzi has put up a co-sign thread for people who wish to declare a harassment-policy policy akin to his. Enjoy the fireworks!
 

laughing at a streetview prank / changed the view to find my place / sudden scent of tokyo bay
#irrationallyhomesick

A reminder that the June 2013 Geekmusic Podcast is up; go listen. We’re also taking material for July. Deadline is July 1st for news and events which will happen late July and August. I’d prefer to need less lead time, but with all the shows coming up (Clallam May, Greenwood, etc) and work on the Bone Walker soundtrack happening, I need more space! Time! Spacetime! One of those.

(Inspector? Why I hardly…)

Also, for some reason last night I dreamt I was staying in a hotel room with Leannan Sidhe and Alexander James Adams, and Alec started playing Gershwin on piano, and wanted it in the act.

First, what act? Second, that wasn’t even Gershwin, except in my headspace at the time. Third, who has giant upright pianos in hotel rooms, anyway?

Honestly, brain, what.

In Monday’s post about clearing out my old glass art studio, I mentioned a completed piece called Water Dragon. A reader on Dreamwidth asked for a photo. This is a phone photo, and the piece is very dusty in it; I’d clean it up, of course, before any sort of handoff:

Water Dragon

I want the unclaimed pieces out, so like I said, make an offer.

ALSO! The YouTube version of Episode 3/June 2013 Geekmusic Podcast is now online, for those of you who like your podcasts with captions. Soundcloud, too. Enjoy!

The Geekmusic Podcast, Episode 3: June 2013 is live! We play a track from Boston band Local Midnight’s first live album, chat with Death*Star and Klopfenpop about music and culture and art and generally cut up in the studio, there’s geekmusic news including a surprising project from The Heather Dale Band, and more. Enjoy!

MP3 download version only, so far; the YouTube version will follow hopefully in a few hours, we hope, but we wanted to get this online right away. YouTube version timing depends upon what happens with the Surprise Plumbing Event today.

You never, ever, want Surprise Plumbing Events. In case that was in any doubt.

Anyway. Clickie!

Hey, everybody – sorry, but the new Geekmusic Podcast is going to be a tiny bit late. I’m still going to try for tonight but it isn’t likely, because we have the talented Sunnie Larsen in today to record fiddle for the Free Court of Seattle/Bone Walker soundtrack album! We’re doing two tracks today, we hope.

Also, I admit, it’s because I didn’t get finished editing last night. I swear, it wasn’t being distracted by Nintendo and Sony doing that doubles dance over the remains of Microsoft’s gaming console reputation. (Goddammit Steve Ballmer, you made Sony the good guys again. YOU MADE SONY THE GOOD GUYS. HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?)

But I digress. In this episode, we have Vicka Corey from Boston band Local Midnight, we play a song from their new live album, and Klopfenpop and MC-3P0 and C0splay come by again as well. I’ll try to finish it tonight, but it probably won’t be uploaded to YouTube until sometime tomorrow. The mp3 will be available as soon as it’s finished – watch the Podcast page!

PS: I used to be a glass sculptor – gallery shows and everything – and I’m clearing out my old studio. Take a look, see if there’s anything you like.

Editing the next episode of The Geekmusic Podcast tonight. I’ve mentioned a few times that it’s about an hour of recording to get 20 minutes of podcast, I think? So if you’ve ever wondered what kind of things get cut out, well, here y’go:

The Soup Digression (mp3)
(C0splay, MC-3P0, Klopfenpop, Solarbird the Lightbringer)

It’s about a minute long. The third episode will be all those guys and me, plus news and stuff, up sometime next week – hopefully the 11th, as usual.

Any thoughts on the podcast, anybody? Anything you might like for Episode 3? You can listen to the first two episodes here; that page has YouTube and Soundcloud links, so you don’t have to download it, and an mp3 link, so you can if you want.

After three episodes I’m going to evaluate the project and see whether to continue it. Is that too early? I don’t really know, I’ve never done a podcast before.

This would’ve been in this month’s Geekmusic Podcast had it come out in time – Alexander James Adams is releasing a series of singles, once a month, online this summer. The first one is live today, at his bandcamp page. AJA fans, clickie!

Episode Two of The Geekmusic Podcast is online now! YouTube, Soundcloud, and direct mp3 download all at the above link. We talk with Rai Kamishiro and Nicole Dieker of Hello, The Future! about musical culture and social expectations vs. art, plus the new Geekmusic News segment, and there’s a First Look at Ardour 3.1.

Have an embed of the YouTube version:

This one’s a lot shorter than the pilot – a trim 40 minutes instead of a sprawling hour and a half – because I like to think we learned better. The downloadable mp3 is accordingly smaller. I made a couple more interstitial and background fill-music pieces (I call them “portalesque” and “cosmic beats,” mostly just because I had to have filenames) so I hope those work. Lemmie know.

The official home is here:

http://crimeandtheforcesofevil.com/podcast

…if you just want the URL.

If there’s anything in particular you’d like to hear in Episode Three, let me know. Enjoy!

Writing up the news and DIY segments for the podcast – I have several via email, thanks, and if you hurry you can still get yours in – and editing the discussion spots with Rai Kamishiro and Nicole Dieker of Hello, The Future!

I kind of remembered but also kind of forgot how far off intended topic Rai and I went. There’s a lot in here about the difficulties of trying to have your art even valued enough for people to bother hitting play (in our cases) at all, and the ways people frame – to devalue, mostly – your art based on their ideas of what your role (in society, in fandom, in whatever) should be, in their minds.

Really, the discussion surprised me several times, in part just because of the shared experiences. It reminded me a little of this article on how what wine tastes like really depends upon what you think of the label.

Don’t worry, though, it’s not all depressing and stuff. Rai’s hilarious and will just go, and I left a lot of that in.

I’m also keeping it shorter this time. I think the pilot episode – which is of course still online for you to play – ran longer than it should’ve, even with my aggressive editing. This episode will be more like 45 minutes. Easier to download, easier to listen to on YouTube, or wherever.

Anyway, last call for submissions! Also, I’m looking for a co-host, if I keep doing this. Are you into geekmusic? Chiptunes, elfmetal, filk, geekrock, nerdcore, whatever. Do have an urge to talk about it? Do you have a reasonably decent microphone and an internet connection? Do you have a superpower or minion card, or, failing that, are a loner with no strong social ties or familial relationships who won’t be missed? If so, contact me! I’m looking for a research subject co-host.