Cold Iron progress report

So, I've got two songs in the can. One more that will be in the can in the next couple of days. Lyrics for a couple more--not counting "Aeon's End" which I wrote and recorded some time ago.

I'm having surgery in a couple of weeks which will lay me up for a few days--I want to get as much tracking done as I can before then. I hate leaving a project for an extended period when I'm right in the middle of it, then coming back to it later. It takes me forever to get back into the groove.

Making this one is a little bit like open heart surgery for me--most of the songs are autobiographical, personal, about people and events that shaped my life. Which means it's pretty dark. But there will be some lighter stuff, too, that I hope you'll like. Sure, most of my stuff is about me, in some manner, but most of my stuff is like a story told in the third person. These--or most of them, anyways--are a bit more direct.

So, hopefully the entire Cold Iron song cycle will make it's debut in the next few months. In the mean time, click the links above or to your right to hear my other stuff--the Ashes and Bone song cycle, or the Mythophobia song cycle. Plus some other stuff.

Speaking of Mythophobia, I'm hoping I'll finally find the initiative to dive back into my screeplay for the (hopeful) film with that title and do another rewrite. I guess there's no hurry but I would like to have that in good enough shape to have people look at it. If I can get anyone interested in it enough to read it, that is.

Anyways, watch this space for updated, enjoy the tunes out there now, don't be afraid to let me know what you think. Input is always welcomed! If you love it, especially, let me know. If you hate it, let me know that, too--a strong reaction, even a negative one, is better than boredom. "Boring" is the absolute worst criticism one can level at any artistic endevour. imho

Monday night randomocity

Waiting to get my additional copies of the anthology--gonna autograph some and give them to some people. Should be here by now.

And I've been thinking about my music. The next thing. I'm thinking I'm going to make an adjustment to my style. I've been listening to some stuff that's a little outside my usual and getting some ideas. The next batch of tunes is going to be really heavy--as heavy as I can make them. I'm in the mood to thunder.

I need to start rewriting Mythophobia--my friend has given me some notes and has helped me improve it dramatically. It'll require a tear down and rebuild but that's a Good Thing if it helps. It wasn't bad before (or so I believe) but it'll be really good after I finish this.

My friend, by the way, is set to produce/write/direct her own web series, "Witchy Ways." You can check out the Facebook page here. Be sure to click "Like" while you're there. It's going to be amazing.

Nothing in particular going on with me tonight--done with the day and I'm just chilling before House. How about you guys? Doing anything special on this Monday night?

Projects in the queue

A friend of mine who knows a helluva lot more about the TV and movie industry is giving me feedback on some stuff I sent her--one was a screenplay, the other a proposal for a TV series. She's gonna give me some more on the screenplay, but she gave me enough on the series proposal that I can start revising that. She really dug the series idea, and I value her opinion, so I'm excited about it, too. Anyways, rewriting the proposal is moving up the to-do list. Then I'll probably have more detailed feedback from her on the screnplay and can rework that. I've got a little more I want to add to it now, anyway.

But first I want to finish this song cycle, Ashes and Bone. Got two more tunes for it. I'm maybe two-thirds of the way through the third tune, "Walks Like a Man." I'm hoping to be done with it in the next few days. I'll be doing the vocal today, and maybe some lead guitar work. I know there will be more guitar tracks. Whatever else it needs. I'm digging it, so far, and the further I get into it the more excited about it I am.

After that will be an instrumental piece, "Said and Done," (title may change later). That will close out the Ashes and Bone song cycle, with four tunes. That's when I'll revisit my screenplay and re-enter that world. (The proposal is much shorter and won't take nearly as long so I can fit that in while I'm working on other stuff.)

The next song cycle I'm calling Cold Iron, and it'll be composed of extremely heavy stuff. Like, Black Sabbath inspired tunes, heavy, slow backbeats, thundering, menacing guitars, that sort of thing. I'm realy looking forward to doing that, too. It's the music I love, and while I know I'm weird I also know I'm not the only person in the whole world who digs that kind of music.

So, keep your ears open for "Walks Like a Man," coming up in the next few days! Busy, busy . . .

Here's what's next!

Next project on my agenda is this TV show--an idea that sort of popped, full-blown, into my head about a week or so. I've got some minor details to work out but I think it's a great idea. In a little while I'm going to discuss it with a friend who knows a lot more about the industry than me and we'll see where we go from there. I may actually write a story or two set in the millieu first, just to kind of calibrate.

Musically I think I'm going to bring the Mythophobia song-cycle to a close. Those were all songs inspired in one way or another by the spec script I was working on. Since, at least for now, I'm done with that I think I'm done with the songs, too.

Next is another song-cycle I'm calling Ashes and Bone. No, these won't all be inspired by the TV series idea--that's not what I'm going to call it, for one--though I will include a tune that would serve as a theme-song of the new series. If it in fact becomes a new series. It'll still be a good song, in any case.

Medically, it's official. I'm old. Got to have some minor surgery, but not until my blood sugar gets under control. I'm supposed to have a full physical next week---who knows what undiscovered horrors lurk in my rapidly aging body? At least the prostate indignity is behind me for a year--already got that out of the way. And the problem I had is officially not cancer. There was only something like a 10% chance that it would be anyway, but it's good to be sure.

What am I listening to? Tristania's new CD, Rubicon. You really need to check it out. They are wonderful and thought provoking--lots of fodder there for a receptive imagination, looking for inspiration.

OK, now what?

So, I've done the rewrites on my spec script and sent it off to a friend who knows a lot more about screenwriting than me. She'll look it over and give me her feedback when she gets a chance--she's rather busy at the moment.

At this point I need input on it. I've read and reread it until I'm not actually seeing anything when I read it, except what I expect to see. I need somebody else to look it over with some detachment.

So, until I get her feedback, what do I do? I can't really make up my mind. I really need to be working on something or I'll go out of my mind.

I think my Mythophobia song cycle needs one or two more songs, and there's another song cycle I want to start after that--more on that later. Maybe I'll work on that now. Also have an idea for a story or short film--maybe that's next. All that still needs some development, though.

Now that I've actually written it down I think I'll work on the music for a while, get a few new tunes out. I've done a couple of tunes I'm extremely happy with lately--"Inside" and "Take My Breath"--and those took a lot out of me. I'm not kidding--I was exhausted after those. "Inside" is my "biggest" tune since "Necrotopia"--I don't think I've ever had that many tracks before. "Take My Breath" is just an intensely personal song for me, and that made recording it draining. But, as I said, I'm happy with both songs, and maybe now that it's been a little while I have built up the reserves necessary for me to do some more music. Click one of the links above if you want to hear those tunes, along with several others.

So, stay tuned! Let's see where I go next.

Was it good for you?

I reached a sort of milestone just now--finished the first draft of my spec script, Mythophobia.

I've mentioned how concerned I was about the ending, about how I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pull it off. Re-reading what I've done I think I managed it. It certainly affected me, and I'm not a sucker for my own stuff in that regard. Normally I underestimate the impact of what I've written, so if this hits me this hard then it might be lethal . . . heh.

Actually I doubt it, though my hope is, if this thing ever gets produced, you'll have some tears in your eyes at the end. And your throat will be raw from screaming, too. It is, after all, a horror movie . . .

What I've learned is a good sign, as I've mentioned before, is my complete immersion in it--it took a couple hours for me to write what I did today, which was the finale and the coda, and I felt like it was only a few minutes. Plus, I worked up a good sweat, too. Another good sign. It's hard work, making up stuff like this!

Anyways, I hope I'm not fooling myself with how good it is. It does need a rewrite--there's some stuff I need to tweak, some things that need to be edited, and I want to add a couple short scenes, stuff like that. Plus I need to work on the pacing--my most common complaint with a lot of films is herky-jerky pacing. It should flow, like a symphony--some faster tempo sections, some slower, some moderate . . . a good mix, working towards an overpowering finale. And a sweet, satisfying coda, to finish it off. Let's hope the music I'm making with this thing is something people will want to hear!

Now I need to take a day or so off from it. Gonna watch a movie or three, listen for a few dozen tunes, maybe record something new. I need to get some distance from it so I can be a little detached and approach it with a fresher perspective.



Speaking of music, I found a bit of inspiration in Sirenia's 13th Floor CD. Lots of mythical imagery and interesting dreamscapes to be found in this one. Very helpful soundtrack to assist with creative thought. Check it out!

O, for a Muse of Fire . . .

I got one of those. A Muse of Fire, that is. I'm understanding what Shakespeare was talking about at the beginning of Henry V.

I'm in the final act of this spec script I've been working on, Mythophobia. I've been worried about it for a while now--I felt like it might be a little too big for me. It could be one of those things that elevates this work to a special place, that makes it different from other films.

Or it could be a pretencious piece of crap.

So, with some anxiety I began working on it yesterday. Worked on it some more just now. So far, I'm pleased.

Sure, it's just a first draft, and it'll need some refining. To me, anyway, that's the easy part. The hard part is getting it down in the first place. Once it's out there it's just a matter of massaging it, snipping parts, moving stuff around, adjusting the flow, and all that.

A good sign--I have a huge playlist in ITunes I use, carefully selected music that provides my imagination with a proper context, a soundtrack, something to assist it in creating this stuff. When I checked I was about twenty songs into it before I quit for now. About an hour and a half. I had no clue I was at it for that long. This, in my experience with how I work, is a Very Good Sign.

I think one more session like that and I'll be through most of it--there will just be the coda, which won't be all that much, really. Maybe by tomorrow afternoon I'll be done with this part, and I'll be able to get out my blue pencil and start hacking away at it. Heh.

There is no feeling like this--putting something together, be it a story, a screenplay, a song, whatever. There is nothing like putting together a project and knowing that, even if it never gets published, produced, or whatever, that it is something special, something rare and worthwhile. That you brought something beautiful, truthful, rare and wondrous into the world.

Nothing like it. Nothing.

I like beer. And etc.

Right now, as I type this, I'm sipping my very first glass ever of a Samuel Adams ale--the creamy stout. And I'm enjoying it--as advertised, it's a little creamy, full-bodied, quite tasty. I dig it.

I like beer. I don't drink it very often, but on hot days when I have to be outside, or if I've been extremely busy and a bit stressed, a nice cold glass of something foamy is very refreshing. Just one, maybe two. Plus it gives the added benefit of helping me to relax a little. It also helps to get the creative juices to flowing, to lower inhibitions just a tad, and let those ideas sort of come out past my sometimes over-zealous editor. More than two, though, and I start getting drunk, and that never leads to anything useful.

Haven't done any writing yet. I've been running errands. There were some things I just desperately needed to do, stuff I needed to get, and then when I got home I had an invite to a lunch at work. How could I say no? So I went back to the office on my day off to share a sub sandwich with my co-workers.

Now I'm going to chill for a little while before diving back into the world of Mythophobia. I'm into the final act now, and this is when the true nightmare begins. My favorite part. If done right this could move this baby from the realm of the standard slasher flick into something special.

As such I want to be at a point where I can just sit and write and write and write until I'm done. Interruptions should be avoided at this point. Wish me luck.

Have I mentioned how much I dig Tristania? If you indulge in creative pursuits their music is conducive to the creative process. Really. Give them a shot. You won't regret it.

Now, the waiting begins . . .

I finally resubmitted the story I've been blogging about to this contest. This is the one I had to increase in size, from 1,200 words to 5,000 or so. I finally wound up with a word count of 5,500. Just clicked "send" a few minutes ago. We'll see if the editor loves it as much as he did originally.

As for "Inside," I've decided to do that one as a screenplay for a short film. I think it works better like that. I still need to work on the story, though. There's just something missing. (Again, if you haven't heard the tune you really need to--just click here and click "Inside". It's the first song on the track list. Feel free to listen to the other stuff that's there, too.)

And as for "Mythophobia," I'm going to dive back into that little world in a little while. I want to relax first. I'm just about to get into the really interesting part. To be honest it's a little intimidating, because I know that it'll be quite wonderful. If I can pull it off. If I don't it'll be . . . well, not so wonderful.

I just put a pot roast in the slow cooker to simmer for a while--should be done in about four more hours. Smells good. I'm thinking mashed potatoes to go with it.

I'm listening to Kamelot's Ghost Opera, a nice soundtrack for my current state of mind. Check them out. You'll dig them. And keep your fingers crossed for me!

Friday morning randomocity

So, I was stretched out on the couch last night, watching TV, when bam! The lights went out.

I thought it was a power outage until I noticed that my air conditioner was still running. Open the breaker box--tripped breaker. Problem is, I can't untrip it--I try to turn it on or off and it just flips back to the middle position. Not good.

Last time this happened it was because of an exposed wire in the ceiling fan in the living room. I suspect that's the culprit this time, too.

Usually I can get stuff fixed here in a day or so, but the last time I reported an issue I had to deal with someone who apparently didn't know what she was doing and tried to cover her ass by lying about it. Drives me crazy. If you are new to a job and you don't know how to do something you should ask somebody, instead of telling people you are taking care of whatever and then not doing anything about it, because you don't want to admit you don't know what you are doing.

Here's a hint--when I ask you to do something and you say you'll do it, if you don't do it I will notice.  And I'll let you know that I noticed. Or let your boss know. I'm not going to just let it go.

Sorry about that. I do go on and on about stuff that gets on my nerves, and I just can't let things go. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's also something that's kept me from repeating mistakes. I just don't forgive and forget. I may do the first part, but I don't do the second. I can't. I've tried.

Fortunately, the air conditioner is still working, and the lights in the back part of my apartment work, along with everything else (like the computer I'm using now). So, there are some things I can do.

Poor Atari, I believe, thinks he's done something wrong and I'm mad at him--he's following me everywhere I go. It won't help that I have to shut him up in the bedroom in the off chance the maintenance people should get the work order today. I mean, Atari's going to spend the whole day sleeping in the bedroom anyway, but when I close that door it seems to really bug him. I guess I'd feel the same way--there's a difference between not wanting to leave and being unable to leave.

If anybody's curious, spec script for Mythophobia is coming along. I'm maybe halfway through it. Still got some people to kill off. Things are just about to get frantic again, after a little time to cool off.

And I'm still pretty pleased with my newest tune, "Inside." It turned out almost exactly like I wanted it to. If you haven't heard it you can go here and click it to listen. It's the first song on the list. Feel free to listen to the others while you're there, too. Got some other new stuff and some stuff that's a couple of years old there. Let me know what you think!