My partner Anna is a writer; her first book – Faerie Blood – appeared a few years ago, from Drollerie Press. It was out as an ebook and selling briskly, so Drollerie planned a paperback release, and to publish its sequel, Bone Walker, as well. But sadly, the founder’s health went bad, and they shuttered before any of these plans could materialise.

So Anna’s decided rather than shopping around, she’ll take matters into her own hands and launch a Kickstarter project to get both books back into print.

I made the video. Video is fun! I’m also her book designer, but not cover artist or editor – those are Kiri Moth and JoSelle Vanderhooft, respectively.

Faerie Blood‘s a good book. It got some great reviews. Something’s Coming is part of the Bone Walker soundtrack. (I also have a tiny, tiny cameo. 😀 ) So go over to the Kickstarter project, read the sample chapters, play the video, and if you like what you’re seeing, support the project.

And pass this around, too. Publishing books is expensive; she needs to hit $4000 in pledges or none of it goes through. She got almost a third of the way there in the first day, tho’! That’s kind of amazing. Girl has fans is what. 😀

So I’ve been working on re-engineering Cracksman Betty this last week. I’ve learned a lot over the last year, I gotta tell you, and that’s awesome. That web album – a collection of live-in-studio and live-at-shows tracks – will sound a lot better when I’m finished. Particularly the live-in-studio.

But then I went and listened to a bunch of little indie band recordings tonight for various reasons, and maybe I’m extra sensitive to it because I’m remastering/re-engineering a bunch of my own learning experiences, but I posted this series of tweets around 1am Sunday morning:

OKAY WOULD-BE INDIE ENGINEERS RECORDING ROCK DRUM KITS LISTEN UP. THIS MEANS YOU. FIRST:

Go to 1974. Buy the song “Pretzel Logic” by Steely Dan. It’s the title track for Pretzel Logic. You don’t need the whole album. STUDY. Now you know how to do aural placement.

Then go to 1984 and buy the song “Only When You Leave” by Spandau Ballet, on Parade. When you can mic like that? Now you can mic drums.

This tweet series brought by FOR THE LOVE OF GOD A ROCK KIT SHOULD HAVE MORE AURAL IMPACT THAN OATMEAL, & hearing one too many mushcordings.

Also, bonus pro tip: reverb is not cruise control for awesome.

Just sayin’.

Because goddamn.

I stand by these tweets, but they’re really basic rock kit micing for pop and rock. There’s nothing bombastic in either, but they’re easy to study, highly competent, and have flairs of art. (I’d swap “I’ll Fly for You” for “Only When You Leave” – same band and album – if you want a drum kit with some folk drums included. My gods there’s so much space and air in the drums in that recording, it’s beautiful. But now I’m diverting myself.)

I want to open the floor for recommendations. It doesn’t have to be drum recording. It can’t be so complex that you can’t learn from it – I pick that Steely Dan track because it’s 1974 and they’ve really figured out stereo by then and have a good grip on it, but aren’t going crazy yet. I pick that Spandau Ballet recording because it’s so very transparent, and also, because mics of the types they’re using which were fantastically expensive then aren’t so bad now. One might even venture “affordable.” Certainly for rental prices.

So. You tell me. What can people listen to in order to learn how to do this stuff right?

I dropped a release candidate video for Anna and her book reprint/series extension Kickstarter earlier this evening; she’s pleased. So far, nobody in her crew is kicking it back, either.

This video stuff is kinda fun. Less of a learning curve than recording studio so far, but I’ve used a bunch of these skills before. Recording live audio for sync was kind of interesting too – I had three sources (on camera true live, on-recorder broad-field mic pair sync sound, on-boom-stand large can cap mic, also sync sound. I ended up using exclusively the large-can cap, but despite it being the least noisy of the three, and despite what seemed to be a pretty quiet room, the uncontrolled environment still creates quite a quality and noise problem.

But I think it sounds okay. It was work to get it there, and it’s not as good as if I’d recorded the sound in a studio and looped it, but… it’s pretty okay. I’ll point at it more closely once it’s public. ^_^

So is it a chat show if it’s only on stage and not broadcast? I don’t even know and nobody else seems to know either. It’s totally the interview-and-play chat show thing, but not on the air – studio audience only, at a theatre. Is there a word for this?

But however you spell it, on April 30th, I have a live guest appearance on The House of Julie with Julie Cascioppo, with other guests including Roo Forrest, Elaine Bono, Jean Mann, and Bill White. Chapelspace, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle. I… don’t know the time! I guess I’ll find out during rehearsal the week before. XD

For bonus points, this means that following my appearance as Paul Schaffer analogue for Norwescon at opening ceremonies (with short interview), I’ll have done two of these in a month.

Opening Ceremonies with Rob Stewart

FAKE CHAT SHOW TOUR WOOHOO! n/ XD

nwcMUSIC just wrapped up its second year. It’s the third year I’ve been running music at Norwescon, having taken over the “filk track” in 2010 at the last minute after the original volunteer had to withdraw from running it, but that was kind of a “year zero,” as far as I was concerned. 2011 was Year One, the start of nwcMUSIC, my attempt to build a pan-geekmusic festival at Norwescon.

We have evolved. And we have a plan.

Plan Does Not Include Mosh Pit

Where do I even start? This was a breakthrough year; what we’re trying to do really started to sink in. Daytime programming turnout – a huge concern, being mostly up in Salon, at the top of the tower – slammed the rooms. Crossover programming on topics like promotion and economics drew much better than last year. The home recording panel drew well for Sunday morning. Cascadia’s Got Talent! drew more audience than last year, though it took a while for them to make their way in, and we’re still having trouble getting entrants.

Everyone is Way Too Happy about the
Science Olympics Trophy for Entertainment

But it was the experimental panels – Introduction to the Irish Session, Introduction to Participatory Geekmusic, and most of all Find Your Instrument – that really outdid expectations. All three leaked into the doors. Introduction to the Irish Session turned into a genuinely hot session, with the musicians expressly sad it only ran an hour. And Find Your Instrument – the most experimental of all – overflowed into and took over the hallway. It was a mob scene.

Alec really liked the Session

Everybody gave good shows. I mean, of course I’m going to say that, but seriously, everybody gave good shows. We had our first dance pit, improvised on Friday night. I knew The Doubleclicks would be a hit, but I did not realise exactly how big a hit. I knew Kirby Krackle would rock, but I did not realise exactly how much they would rock. Rai Kamishiro made a big impression, particularly given her Thursday-sized audience.

Oh Yeah

Srs Bsns Rock

Like some Goddamn Bosses

Electric Children had to cancel at the last minute due to illness (along with at least 17 other attending pros – something nasty is going around), but I was able to get Klopfenpop, who had planned to guest with Ultraklystron, to take over the show – and even updated the posters on site.

Klopfenklystron

I could go on, but I’ll just say there was not one person in our lineup I wouldn’t ask back. Seriously, the last three months, I’ve been looking at that concert slate and thinking, How did we do this? How can we have a concert slate this awesome? And yet!

Which isn’t to say everything was perfect. The convention knows we’re here now, but they don’t always know what we’re doing, exactly. I had to explain to one fan who believed we had some mainstream “rap band” appearing before Vixy & Tony that Ultraklystron was in fact currently laying down about hobbits, and had earlier wrapped up songs about Green Lantern and different ways robots take over the world. I wouldn’t book anybody not geeky, and that seems obvious to me, but it is clearly not entirely obvious that geekmusic could mean anything other than folk-derived filk. And this was not the only fan similarly confused, so, if you’re reading this, don’t feel picked on, it wasn’t just you.

We have identified some process improvements we should make, as well, and some tech changes from next year, most notably related to power – Norwescon TeamTech and Hotels managed to save us on Friday when we needed more power draw than anticipated, and thanks so much to you guys! But we shouldn’t’ve needed to ask. Process can solve this.

The Trouble Clef Jam needs work. We need to figure out how to make it more attractive, so it’s worth coming back after you’ve loaded out your car and checked out of your hotel room. I’d like to turn it into our Smoked Salmon; maybe someday.

Overnight Open Filk seemed to be staging a comeback, but we need even more signage and a little better hotel communication. The Session needed to be longer (by popular demand!), and hopefully, we’ll be more able to help beginners keep up better next year.

And, as always, Norwescon wants to hear what you have to say about all of this.

Oh, what else. Impressions.

Norwescon Opening Ceremonies got run as a Late Nite/Tonight Show chat show, and they dragged me in last-minute to play the Paul Schaffer analogue, playing people on and off. So I did that, and for bonus points improvised a theme, tossing together mix of a couple of instrumentals I already had – most notably “Roughrider” and “Engine Engine Let’s Go.” That was sixteen tonnes of fun.

At Cascadia’s Got Talent, the eventual winner Julie Hoverson – pictured with trophy above – singing Dschinghis Khan in the original German, My Beautiful Assistant Anna yelling out just before the last chorus, “EVERYBODY!” – and everybody actually joining in.

Actually getting to gong some Guy at the Talent show. Also, the entire front row flinching exactly like I’d hoped for this prize:

NTSC Video So Crisp You Can Almost Feel
Gil Gerard’s Disco-Ready Chest Hair

Podorythmie at the Irish Session as a Quebecois partisan brought the footwork. XD

All those signs I kept posting about are good starts, particularly the WORKSHOPS banner and the banner-holders. The OPEN FILK vinyl sign turned out mostly great, except I’d lightened the background anticipating it coming out darker than visually presented (as happens so much of the time) and… they printed exactly what I handed them. So the background was too pale. GODDAMMIT AND YAY. XD

Aimed for this, got… mostly there. I swear to god Adobe must own stock in cyan ink makers. It’s the only explanation.

As always, nwcMUSIC FilkTech – John Seghers, Jen Kilmer, and Ryan Nutick – provided some of the best sound management you’re going to see. Kyle of Kirby Krackle mentioned on stage that he’d never heard himself in monitors so clearly before, in any venue, and his bassist nodded and said he never would again. That’s how good they are.

I’d also asked Mimi Noyes – best known to Seattle fandom as the “Monster Mash” woman – to mash up a mascot, called The Screech, for us, and he went over really well.

SCREECH ON MY HEAD! SCREECH ON MY HEAD!

I didn’t get a proper break until almost 1am Sunday (ish), and honestly didn’t care, because running this thing was awesome.

Yes, This Is The Rock-And-Roll Lifestyle, Promoter Version

But I took advantage of this time off, with Vodka Of The Righteous, Kamikazes of the Just, and lots of time misspent with the Merchants of Deva and possibly also a particular bank.

Plans and tweets were made while drunk. Dismayingly, I stand by both.

…was amazing.

More tomorrow.

Finally prepped for Norwescon 35 and nwcMUSIC 2012. All that’s left is instrument loadout, which is ready but won’t go into the car until tomorrow. Also, um, I forget, what is it – oh yeah, toothbrush. Clothes. I should put some of those in a suitcase. Things like that. XD

The run-up this last week has been full! of! surprises! that I won’t detail here, but then, it wouldn’t be nwcMUSIC or Norwescon without them. If you’re gonna be there, find me, say hi. I’ll be too busy to acknowledge it, but I’ll appreciate it later. ^_^

For now, I’m off to play a meaningful amount for the first time since Sunday night (agh!) and generally try to make sure I get some sleep tonight, because once this thing starts, there ain’t no stoppin’ ’till Sunday. See you on the flip side…!

Sometimes I take traditional songs and modify them or just outright write new versions set in my Republic of Cascadia universe, where Cascadia gained independence in 1973, and a bunch of other things are different too. Despite the way things fell apart in that time in that world, it’s not dystopian – people picked things up and put them back together in new ways, like mostly, people do.

The traditional “High Barbaree” is about an encounter with a pirate ship where the pirates lose, and if you know us, you know that’s not how we roll. I was stuck on this song for a long time, despite having come up with a great zouk riff for it – until a couple of weeks ago, when I finally realised that in this version, High Barbaree isn’t the place, High Barbaree is the ship. And then the rest just came tumbling out.

I’ll be playing this at nwcMUSIC, if I can wedge in time between running all the things. XD

High Barbaree
2012 Crime and the Forces of Evil
Neighbourhood of E

Look ahead, look astern, look the weather in the lee
Blow high, blow low, and so sail we
There’s a lofty ship about us; we sail fast and free
Sailin’ down along the coast on High Barbaree

Oh are we a pirate, or man o’ war?
Blow high, blow low, and so sail we
It depends on who you’re askin’; we’ve been both before
Sailin’ down along the coast on High Barbaree
Oh if you are Alaskan, then we bring you your breads
Blow high, blow low, and so sail we
But the Californians hate us, and they’re after our heads
Singin’ down along the coast on High Barbaree

Runnin’ gun, runnin’ rum, runnin’ iron and gold
Blow high, blow low, and so sail we
And sometimes runnin’ things we don’t wanna be told
Sailing down along the coast on High Barbaree
The Douglas Fir we’re flyin’; this sea it is ours
Blow high, blow low, and so sail we
And should you try to stop us we’ll put flame to your stars
Singin’ down along the coast on High Barbaree

Oh priviteering’s rough, not much pay to be had
Blow high, blow low, and so sail we
The voyage is never ending, and the food’s pretty bad
Sailing down along the coast on high barbaree
But be a Yankee or a Dixie? Oh I’d rather be dead
Blow high, blow low, and so sail we
We’re betting all we’ve got that something better’s ahead
Singin’ down along the coast on High Barbaree
Sailing down along the coast on High Barbaree

So much to do, so little time to do it. Doing some second-crew work for Anna’s book this afternoon, and besides that, nwcMUSIC 2012/Norwescon 35 starts in six days! SO MUCH GRAPHIC DESIGN SO LITTLE TIME.

Hey, filkers, don’t feel left out of the design goodness, ’cause you sure as hell aren’t:

Tonight’s one of Leannan Sidhe’s bardic circle hangouts on Google+, and I’m filling in as guest host! C’mon by if you want to play, or if you just want to watch and listen! It’s usually a mix of musicians and storytellers, but you never know who might show up.

Official start is 6pm Cascadian/Pacific, 8pm Central, 10pm Atlantic, but I’ll open things up before that for testing and sound checks. The Hangout creation announcement and link for joining will appear here, on my G+ page, so watch there for a link.

You need a Google+ account, but you don’t need microphone or webcam to be a listener; there’s a concurrent text-based chat window. Linux, OS X, and Windows are supported.

C’mon out, eh?