solarbird: (asumanga-yay)

The times on the webstreaming site are a little confusing, so: we are being livestreamed 2pm Cascadian/Pacific on Sunday, barring the usual things-running-lateness. And! There are several other shows and events also being livestreamed both today and tomorrow, so drop in for any and all of those, too!

Also Bone Walker is now live on iTunes and CD Baby! We are officially in general release. Yay!

That of course includes Amazon, so if you preordered from there, you should be getting things. And if you wouldn’t mind dropping a review, we’d love that, ’cause they really do help. You don’t have to have bought it there to review it there.

Of course, Bandcamp is where you can stream the whole album uncut (and also where we get the largest share of the purchase price, yay? economics?) and that’s also the best place to get the physical disc.

Yay! We’re official!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)

Anna posted photos of her contributor’s copy of the CD today. The first contributor copies are going out and this really is your last chance to get a pre-order of Bone Walker, the CD – at this point it’s really closer to just an “order” – and have a chance at owning the test disc, too. :D

Long show rehearsal today. Very productive. We have a mini-rehearsal on Thursday and then one at the event and then it’s showtime on Sunday at 2pm! Come see us on Sunday! It doesn’t conflict with the Superbowl, you can do both!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)

holy hell, check out what’s up to number 80 on the weekly Alternative chart on Bandcamp.


Yeah, that’s right. Bone Walker.

I know it’s not a huge pond but it is the pond we are in and it is a chart we are on and with a nontrival number, and we’re still in pre-orders mode. \o/

Talking of, if you prefer AmazonMP3 to Bandcamp for some reason, Bone Walker is up for pre-orders on Amazon now, too.

i’m just like “what?” at number 80. we entered the weekly chart yesterday at 129. today we’re number 80. at least as I type this. I guess I need a @wilw flail gif or something now because that’s what it feels like. :D

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (music)

Meanwhile, on the novel side, Anna just posted good news: Bone Walker (the novel) is now on Amazon for pre-order. She also has MOBI and EPUB versions ready for proofreading/testing – go look at her blog post for details on both.

And since I posted late in the day yesterday; in order not to make the Kickstarter backers wait any longer, we’ve gone ahead with a soft release of Bone Walker the album on Bandcamp only. The general release will wait until closer to the release event, but we didn’t want to make Kickstarter people wait any longer than they have already.

We’ve seen one or two public comments already – if you see any more, post in comments? That’d be really helpful. Thanks!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (asumanga-yay)

So Bone Walker is genuinely ready to go in download form. We’re holding the full release (iTunes, CD Baby, all that) until the book is ready too, closer to the CD release show at Conflikt.

HOWEVER! We realised over the weekend that since we are ready, it’s unfair to keep it back from the Kickstarter backers who have been waiting so long. And since the easiest way to get that sorted was to hand it out through Bandcamp, we’re gone ahead and made the Bandcamp edition LIVE.


Final Wraparound Cover

Yep, THE BANDCAMP VERSION OF BONE WALKER IS COMPLETE AND DOWNLOADABLE NOW. You can also still pre-order CDs, and one of you who pre-order the physical CD will get the little bonus we mentioned before. If you pre-ordered the CD already, you should have mail and download codes in your inboxes.

We aren’t ramping this monster up through the roof yet – the big event will be the book and album at the same time, and all that, and there’ll be the show and it will be awesome, like y’do. But the Kickstarter people have been incredibly patient, and sitting on it another couple of weeks just seemed rude.

It would be really nice if you post a review or comments if you let us know. That would be really excellent of you.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)


The disc is approved. NEXT!

We just signed off on the master (with one small CD-TEXT modification, but that’s nothing). SHIP PARTY AT CONFLIKT! EVERYBODY SHOW UP OK!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-on-the-air)

The test master CD for Bone Walker should arrive today from Mark Yoshida, our mastering engineer in Memphis.

The musicianship on this is amazing.

–Mark Yoshida, on the phone, last night

I’ve never worked with Mark before but he works for much bigger fish than us in Memphis, a music capital, so he knows from what, and apparently, this is what. eeeeeee so excited

eta: It got here. THE PLAYTESTING HAS COMMENCED!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)

Heavy weekend of graphic design and editing here at Supervillain Studios. Particularly the editing – Anna got through the last sweep of Bone Walker the novel today.

The CD case we’re using for Bone Walker the album is wraparound-style! It’s also damn near indestructible. It comes from Australia, so that’s undoubtedly why. But it also means we can do new things with the art:

There’ll be a little booklet on the inside again too, with thanks and liner notes and all the usual. This thing is becoming physical, it’s turning into an object. (An object that, I remind you, you can pre-order. You’ll have a good shot at an extra present, too.) The album is starting to manifest.

…and the book is not far behind. Pre order now, because pretty soon, it won’t be a pre-order anymore.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)

I’ve been talking a lot about Bone Walker as a soundtrack album for the Free Court of Seattle fantasy novel series, because, well, it is.

But I think that creates a misleading impression. People have been after me for a long time to do an instrumental and/or a trad album. This is also that album.

Leaving out the readings, and the tie-in factor, and this is a 10-track album of mostly traditional music. The arrangements aren’t real traditional, maybe – or, as one might say, “that’s all well and good, but it’s not very Irish, is it?” – but it’s still pretty heavily trad.

And that’s mostly just a long way of saying, “You don’t have to read the novels to like the album.” It’ll all make sense without that – well, okay, maybe the readings will be a little bit context-free. But the rest?

This was envisioned as a quick project, something that would take about six months and be a fun Kickstarter reward. But it grew way beyond that. Sure, part of the reason it took so long is because of unpleasant surprises like eye surgeries. But it also took longer because we put so much into it. We pushed ourselves hard. We brought in guests like Alexander James Adams and Sunnie Larsen and Sarah Kellington and Ellen Eades and Leannan Sidhe and Klopfenpop. We invented new process technologies and went way the hell over budget, something I’m not in the least sorry about.

So what I’m saying is: don’t hear “soundtrack album” and think “accessory to something else.” It’s not. It stands on its own. Give the samples a listen, and if you like what you hear, pre-order. Even with the Kickstarter money, we won’t be ahead of this curve on shipment. But I think when people hear it, they’ll know – it was worth it.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)

The soundtrack album is still at the mastering engineer – these things take a while, particularly since we’re having the same people do the replication. We’re using the same people that SJ Tucker uses for her CDs (thanks for the rec, Sooj) and I know their work, it’s quality. We’ll be getting it back in time for the release show at Conflikt, and there’s still time to pre-order it and help us pay for all these things.


Here’s the disc label graphic, as sent to the printer. It’s Kiri Moth’s art. Pretty, no?

All these pre-orders will be signed, and one of them will get a small special present included. Remember that test CD I was carrying around for a while? I posted about it back in October, and talked about carrying it around to places here.

One pre-orderer will also get that test actual CD. There are differences, too – we made mix changes on three tracks. I’ll sign that, too, and include a little note certifying that yep: it’s the one in the picture. It’s unique, a one-off, and if you find those sorts of things interesting, well, this is how you can get a legit shot at one. It’s not super-fancy or anything – it’s a CD-R with sharpie writing on it, I mean, go look at the picture. But it’s the only copy of that exists, and there won’t be another.

You can pre-order here. The pre-order ends when the CDs get here, and I don’t know exactly when that’ll be. So if you want a shot at the bonus stuff, now is the time. Clickie!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (asumanga-yay)

We have sent all files to mastering. Bone Walker is with the mastering engineer as of 22:46 14 December 2014. This is also functionally release to manufacturing, because the same group is doing both. In short: we are gold.

\o| eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! |o/

To celebrate going gold, we’re about the post the Big List of Creative Things our fans have sent in. It’ll follow this post in a short bit; it’s taking a little longer than expected because we apparently have a lot of creative fans, which is super-awesome.

While you’re waiting, consider helping us pay the mastering engineer and printing bill with a pre-order. The minions in particular would appreciate it. You know how excited they get. I can’t blame them. After all, so do I.

Big Post of Creative Fan Arts coming in a few! Check back soon. :D

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: We will be having the official release event for Bone Walker: The Free Court of Seattle Original Soundtrack Album at Conflikt 2015 in Sea-Tac, just south of Seattle, Washington. It will also be the release event for book two in the Free Court novel series, also called Bone Walker.

This is going to be a full-band event, with readings, details of all of which will be forthcoming once everything’s nailed down. Certain key guest players from the album will be joining us on stage, and it’s going to be awesome.

Otherwise, sorry I’ve been a bit quiet, things are happening. More to come soon. Lots more, I hope. :D

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (Default)
whelp, I've slipped to 2:30am bedtimes again. I was just here... last week? About a week and a half ago. And didn't manage to push back it properly.

On the plus side, I got shit done. Two new vocal tracks (harmony chorus), another one fixed up a bit, some mixing challenges - well, one in particular - solved. Second release candidate for "Something's Coming," a kinda-sorta release candidate for "Song for a Free Court/Anarchy Now."

but really that's blog fodder.

I am just not real good at diurnalism. OH, THE IRONY!
solarbird: (korra-smug)

And in this case, the inspiration I need for these vocals is a psychopath who can throw lighting around like confetti. So I made a little shrine to Azula. I got the idea when I spontaneously added the line, “not you, Zuzu” in rehearsal.


“I imported it from the Fire Nation. They make the best red stuff there!”

Also, you might notice I moved the studio closer to the lava core for this track. Fire nation, j0.

Do you have a crazyspiration, or is that just a supervillain thing? You should get one. It’s motivational.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (music)

Eventually when making an album you start mocking it up in players so you can carry it around and play it on random devices and at random people, just to get reactions.

We actually got to that point two weeks ago (less readings and bonus tracks, of course). Here’s a screencap, in iTunes.

It always feels good to get here. Exciting. Particularly when you start playing somebody a really long track, they listen all the way through, get to the next one since it doesn’t autostop, then instead of stopping they keep listening, think they’ve got the idea, reach up to start taking off the headphones…

…and stop halfway up, because oh wait, they don’t. And they keep listening.

I can’t wait for January to get here. :D

PS: LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

PPS: I have like two keyboards that can play idk six or eight different pianos from samples not including electrics and also a real actual piano but I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever recorded actual piano playing.

PPPS: spoiler alert: I am not a very good piano player.

PPPPS: …but I am a pretty good editor. XD

PPPPPS: a clew!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (korra-excited)

All instruments (real, MIDI, otherwise) are complete. Flute was the last to the post, and I got that done over the weekend.

Vocals this week; final mixes next. Fun announcement hopefully shortly thereafter, and maybe not the one you’d expect given all the other things I’ve just said. There may be some surprises included in all this, oh, stuff. But I’m waiting on word from other people.

Once I know, you’ll know.

I have my first outside feedback on this album, or one song from it. A release candidate recording made its way further out than I intended. It leaked, like Doctor Who scripts leaking leaked; I had no idea until I got reaction mail about it on Sunday. So I’ve asked permission to quote that reaction mail, because I don’t mean to brag, or maybe I do, but this is the kind of reaction you really want to quote. It comes from an area pro, someone I know but not super-well, and involves the words “superb” and “addictive” and also “knockout,” and those aren’t all the good words.

Y’know, it’s still not too late to sign up for an Advance Review Copy.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (music)

I listened to the mostly-completed Bone Walker today, seeing what’s left to be done, and the answer is honestly not all that much. We’re still waiting for the readings, I’ve got one (1) more flute track to put down, there’s a special surprise still outstanding, but… yeah. It’s about time for final vocals, and then we’ll be done.

So I’m looking for people who will post reviews (50-100 words or more, about the length of an Amazon customer review) if they receive an advance review copy. DO YOU WANT AN ARC? That could be you!

You don’t have to review music regularly to jump in here, and you most certainly don’t have to promise what kind of review (positive, negative, etc) – just give it some actual words and thought. And it has to be posted publicly online somewhere. PODCASTS TOTALLY COUNT. So does print, I guess, if you have that sort of thing. Fanzines? CAN DO SPORT. I just want a copy. :D

Interested, or have a pointer? Here’s the contact form. Let me know. Thanks!

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (Lecturing)

See, these are simpler, but still better/stronger drums. They also sit better in the mix. This isn’t a final mix even in this sample, but it’s a lot closer than just yesterday. Less is often more, and this is a case where less was definitely more.

At this rate, I should maybe be just playing every possible drum strike and then excising all the ones I don’t actually want, like subtractive sculpture, a giant marble block of drum strikes that I slowly excise in the DAW. I kind of seem to end up there anyway. XD

(You can play the previous version here, for comparison.)

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (pony-dj-pon-3)

Bass has joined mandolin and Irish Bouzouki at the post. Three instruments down. Only two tracks have any instruments left to record here at Supervillain Studios, mostly drums. If all goes as planned, we’ll move onto vocals and final mixes next week.

Drums haven’t reached the post yet, but are getting there. Lukey’s boat has drums, but… they aren’t entirely sorted. I think I need to simplify this drum track a bit:

 
I like them as a separate thing, but they aren’t quite settling properly into this mix. But where they’re simpler, they settle in just fine. Spent a lot of the evening working on getting them closer, though. We’ll see.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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solarbird: (vision)

Mandolin has joined Irish bouzouki at the post.

There’s a lot of blue on this board now. Three tracks are at Release Candidate stage. Call Down the Thunder/Hail the Seelie Court is about to be the fourth.

I want to say bass is done on Lukey, but can’t yet. It’s recorded and timed and I think I like the EQ and effects stack, but I’m not convinced it’s finished. And I will use some automation on the levels, but that’s part of final mix, not track mix, even though it’s applied to the track.

It’s the kind of bass track that can make a song. It’s exciting. I wish it was plucked standup bass rather than electric, but it’s still good on electric. I just hope it isn’t overlooked, though, being, well, bass won’t show up much on laptop speakers.

It’s me and Primus and nobody much else for reasons, reasons which I ignore and carry on, because I am foolish and impractical.

But whether people hear it on laptops or not – it’s still good.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come check out our music at:
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