Sci-Fi Songs: May 2008

Hey Folks,

As per John "SF Signal" DeNardo's suggestion, I'm going to start doing a weekly "Mind Meld" type post here at Sci-Fi Songs called The Interstellar Jukebox. Here's the lowdown:

Each week, I will present a musical question to you. If you feel like you have something to offer, please write up a response and send it to me. Here is my e-mail: 27summers@gmail.com

Please include a short one or two sentence bio and a link to your website/blog in the e-mail. Check out this recent SF Signal Mind Meld post for examples.

As of now, my questions will ask you to search your iTunes library for song titles that contain certain, key Sci-Fi/Fantasy-ish words. For example, if the question was:

What is your favorite "Space" Song?

Search iTunes (or whatever you use) for "Space" and see what you get. My query yielded 24 songs. If I chose "Space Dye Vest" by Dream Theater, I would then write a bit about that song in particular, the album that is is from, or Dream Theater in general. I also might write about Dream Theater's influence on me as a musician, writer, or creative person. You can really write whatever you want, but this is a good starting point.

Besides just being fun, I think that this will be an excellent way to engage our community and start an interesting weekly conversation. It will also help to cross-promote each others' blogs. I'm asking various writers, bloggers, podcasters, and musicians to contribute, so hopefully everyone will be exposed to a new audience.

If you are interested in contributing, e-mail me at 27summers@gmail.com or DM me on Twitter.

About

"A work of Coulton-ic genius. A thing of beauty." -Ken Denmead, Wired Magazine's GeekDad

"I am blown away." -Gregory Frost, author of Shadowbridge and Lord Tophet

"A nuanced and beautiful piece of music." -Kay Kenyon, author of Bright of the Sky

My name is John Anealio. In the summer of 2008, I launched the Sci-Fi Songs Blog as a way to combine my passion for music with my love of Science Fiction. Since that time, I've written, recorded, and released over 30 songs that were inspired by various Sci-Fi & Fantasy novels/movies/T.V. shows.

I've been told that my music sounds like Jonathan Coulton, Weezer, Jack Johnson, & Barenaked Ladies. I just like writing catchy songs that usually feature alternate-tuned acoustic guitar, vocal harmonies, synthesizers, and slide guitar solos.

Lots of my music is available for free, depending on how technical you are. You can get all of it for free if you really try. Please, download as much as you like, but I encourage you to check out the official Sci-Fi Songs CD, or the high quality MP3's available through:

CDBaby

A man has to pay the bills.

Some Cool Things That Have Happened

Pyr Books commissioned a song for Mike Resnick's Starship series of books. The sheet music & lyrics for my song: "The Ballad of Wilson Cole" appear in the appendix of Resnick's Starship:Flagship.
I wrote a Battlestar Galactica influenced song called "Cylon #6" that was noticed and endorsed by actress Tricia Helfer.
My most popular song: "George R.R. Martin is Not Your Bitch" (27,000 downloads and counting) amused both Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin.
Lots of my songs have been featured on a bunch of way cool podcasts like Wired Magazine's GeekDad, The Sword & Laser, Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing, Seattle Geekly, The ForceCast, and Beam Me Up.

Music

Lots of my music is available for free, depending on how technical you are. You can get all of it for free if you really try. Please, download as much as you like, but I encourage you to check out the official Sci-Fi Songs CD, or the high quality MP3's. A man has to pay the bills.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Sci-Fi Songs Album: Available on CDbaby & iTunes

Free MP3 Downloads of Everything Else

Grasping for the Wind: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Sci-Fi Song #14 was inspired by the Book Reviewers Linkup Meme started by John Ottinger III of the Grasping for the Wind blog.

Grasping for the Wind (The Linkup Meme Song)
by John Anealio

Bookspotcentral and the Bibliosnark
SF Signal and the Accidental Bard
The Crotchety Old Fan and Blood of the Muse
OF Blog of the Fallen and Fantasy Debut

Andromeda Spaceways and the Deckled Edge
The Fantasy Cafe and AurealisXpress
The Antick Musings of the Hornswaggler Gent.
A Dribble of Ink and the Galaxy Express

Chorus
I'm Grasping for the Wind
with this Linkup Meme
I don't know where to begin
with these RSS feeds

Speculative Fiction Junkie, Hyperpat's Hyper Day
Cheaper Ironies and Neth Space
Dragons, Heroes, and Wizards and The Wertzone
the Sudden Curve and The Agony Column

Robots and Vamps and the Sci-Fi Guy
Urban Fantasy Land and io9
Adventures in Reading and Galleycat
Cheryl's Musings and The Sequential Rat

Chorus

Dark Wolf Reviews and Darque Reviews
Fantasy Book Reviews and News
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review,
The Spiral Galaxy Reviews
The Highlander's Book Review
Sandstorm Reviews and The Sword Review

Chorus

Enter the Octopus and Walker of Worlds
Rob's Blog of Stuff, The Discriminating Fangirl
Bibliophile Stalker and the SciFi Chick
Hasenpfeffer and the Fantasy Book Critic

Pat's Fantasy Hotlist and Critical Mass
Jumpdrives and Cantrips, The World in a Satin Bag
Fruitless Recursion and the Book Swede
Bookcrastion and Reading the Leaves

Chorus

Dave Brendon's Fantasy and Sci-Fi Weblog
Feminist SF the Blog!
Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin' Blog
and the Fantastic Reviews Blog

Sci-Fi Fan Letter and 7 foot shelves
Author 2 Author, Billion Light-Year Bookshelf
SF Gospel and the Bookgeeks
Danger Gal and NextRead

Chorus

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in Standard Tuning
Washburn Bass Guitar for the walking bassline
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 8 recording software
1. The EXS24 Sampler for the piano, violin, cello, and organ sounds. (I perform all of these parts using a M-Audio Ozone keyboard controller)
2. Logic's included compressor and reverb plug-ins
3. The drum parts were created using Logic's included drum loops

The Millennium Falcon for Christmas: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

The following song is a true story recounting the trials and tribulations that my mother went through in order to get the Millennium Falcon in time for Christmas day.

The Millennium Falcon for Christmas

by John Anealio

My parents took me to the movies

in the spring of 1979

Something happened to me

as we waited on that line

There was a New Hope in my life

Than later in that December
as we got closer to the holiday

My mother asked me to tell her

What I'd want for Christmas Day

There was just one thing on my mind

I just wanted the Millennium Falcon for Christmas

and a season full of cheer

I just wanted the Millennium Falcon for Christmas

but I didn't get it that year

And then in 1980

when the Empire Struck Back
The YT-1300

survived a Star Destroyer attack

I hoped that I was good enough that year

My mother went to the drugstore

and put the ship on layaway

They told her that it would be ready

in plenty of time for Christmas day

but on Christmas Eve it still wasn't there

I just wanted the Millennium Falcon for Christmas

I was good enough that year

I just wanted the Millennium Falcon for Christmas

and a season full of cheer

My mother cried when they told her that it wasn't there

The clerk said he was sorry but he couldn't find it anywhere

Please don't cry, they have one at our store 30 miles away

I'll go and pick it up so you can have it for Christmas day

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in Open G tuning (DGDGBD)
G&L ASAT Telecaster-style Electric Guitar in Open G tuning (DGDGBD)
Washburn Bass Guitar
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 8 recording software
1. The EXS24 Sampler and EVP88 software instrument plug-ins for the synth and keyboard sounds.
2. Logic's included compressor, delay, and reverb plug-ins
3. The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in
4. The drum parts were created using Beta Monkey's Drum Werks V loop collection

Sarene: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Sarene was inspired by Elantris, a great novel by Brandon Sanderson. This song is sung from the point of view of the main character, Prince Raoden. To learn more about Elantris check, out these great reviews and interviews at the following blogs:

Sarene
by John Anealio

The city walls are covered with slime and sludge

It's difficult to find someone to trust

The Shaod took a hold of us and left us dead inside

Every scratch is agony where the pain will never subside

Oh Sarene, I wished I could have known you
Oh Sarene, I'm sorry that I'm gone
Oh Sarene, Your the one I wanted all along

I found a friend in Galladon the Duladen

We organized a union of the denizens from Elantris

We washed the walls and planted seed
and scripted Aons of pure light
A princess came to offer us
a solution to our plight

Oh Sarene, I wish that I could tell you
That I'm the Prince of Arelon
Oh Sarene, you think you're doing the right thing but it's wrong

Hrathen has three months to convert the populace of Kae
If he fails than the people of Arelon will be slayed
by the holy soldiers of the Fjordell Empire as they descend upon the innocent
it's up to use to save them

Oh Sarene, I think it's time to tell you
That I'm the Prince of Arelon
Oh Sarene, I think the time has come to claim the throne

Oh Sarene, we must protect the city
from Derethi monks and warriors
Oh Sarene, it's up to us to stop this massacre

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar for the strummed acoustic parts
Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar

Standard Tuning for the rhythm parts and riffs in the chorus, the Edge-like delay guitar part in the second verse, and the harmony solo in the outro.
Open A (EAEAC#E) for the slide guitar parts in the chorus.

Washburn Bass Guitar
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 7 recording software

The ESP and ES1 software synths for the synthesizer sounds in the beginning
Logic's included compressor, delay, phaser, and reverb plug-ins
The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in

Lonesome October Night: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

This Song is based on Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October .

Lonesome October Night

Jack the Ripper and his old dog Snuff

prepared themselves with a wand and knife

Everything will be changed by the end of The Game

on this Lonesome October Night

Crazy Jill went to the top of the hill

Gray the cat was by her side

they had to open the gate before it's too late

on this Lonesome October Night

Snuff the Dog and his Master Jack

were the only closers there that night

Larry Talbot howled at the moon

to give the openers a fright

The Great Detective had it all figured out

before the clock had struck midnight

The Elder Gods will return and the city will burn

on this Lonesome October Night

Jack and Jill faced each other on the hill

Snuff and Gray were by their sides

Now everything's changed at the end of The Game

on this Lonesome October Night

Angels & Vampires: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Angels and Vampires

She scribbles his order down
to the beat of espresso machines
Adjusts her peroxide crown
Retracts her diaphanous wings

She's obsessive and manic depressive
Carmilla hates what she's become

Gabe looks in her stained-glass eyes
and sings his celestial refrain
Peeks through his own disguise
and gives her a chance to explain

Her defection and lack of reflection
Gabriel waits through the night

And he said that Angels and Vampires hide behind their wings
He said that Angels and Vampires hide behind their wings

They enter the cold night air
and head south on Patterson street
Climb up the cathedral stairs
propelled by the blood and caffeine

Then he mentions he offers redemption
Carmilla can't make up her mind

And he said that Angels and Vampires hide behind their wings
He said that Angels and Vampires hide behind their wings

But she's got to find her way home
But it's too late

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in Standard tuning with a capo at the third fret
Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar in Open A tuning (EAEAC#E) for the slide guitar parts.
Washburn Bass Guitar
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 7 recording software
1. The EXS24 Sampler for the violin, organ, and synthesizer sounds
2. The ES2 software synth
3. Logic's included compressor, delay, and reverb plug-ins
4. The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in
5. The drum parts were created using Beta Monkey's Drum Werks V loop collection

Summer Glau: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Summer Glau

lyrics by John DeNardo, music and performance by John Anealio

See the girl curled up in the cryo
Not a stitch of clothing found in sight
Mal is ticked off wond'rin' 'bout the Doctor
I don't care, cause I'm feeling alright

See the tree branch lying on the cold deck
She picks it up, maybe thinks its fun
Snap us back to now, see the worried crew
Don't look now but River's got a gun

Summer Glau, she makes me feel fine
I can't shake her image from my mind
Summer Glau, she makes me feel fine
I can't shake her image from my mind

See the angel punching and a kickin'
Not really sure what she could do
She's a weapon, a source of destruction
She's a vital part of Malcolm's crew

Summer Glau, she makes me feel fine
I can't shake her image from my mind
Summer Glau, she makes me feel fine
I can't shake her image from my mind

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in standard tuning with a capo at the third fret
G&L ASAT (Telecaster) Electric Guitar
Washburn Bass Guitar
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 7 recording software
1. The EVB3 software instrument plug-in for the organ part in the second verse
2. Logic's included compressor, delay, phaser, and reverb plug-ins
3. The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in
4. The drum parts were created using Beta Monkey's Drum Werks V loop collection

Contact

John Anealio

e-mail: 27summers@gmail.com

Twitter

Facebook

Shows

Coming up: Two shows on the same day with Marian Call!

Saturday, October 16th, 2010
2pm-4pm
Washington Township Public Library
37 E. Springtown Road
Long Valley, NJ 07853
908-876-3596

Saturday, October 16th, 2010
7pm
Nighthawk Books
212 Raritan Avenue
Highland Park, NJ 08904
732-339-8920

Cylon #6: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Cylon #6 was inspired by the Battestar Galactica reboot. I was late to the party on this series, as I didn't begin watching the DVD's until this past December. I was immediately sucked into the series and I watched the entire run in a few months culminating in the recent series finale.

The basic lyrical idea for this song came to me after I had watched the first few episodes of season 1. I had held off on writing the rest of the song until I finished watching the entire series. Even though there are no spoilers in this song, I feel like watching the complete series had a subtle yet significant impact on how the song turned out.

I found the relationship between Baltar and Number Six to be so compelling that I knew it would make excellent material for a Sci-Fi Song. This song is sung from Baltar's point of view.

I hope you enjoy it,
John Anealio
Follow me on Twitter

Cylon #6
by John Anealio

She's six foot tall and platinum blond
and saunters with her red dress on
She has powers of seduction

We had to flee from Caprica
on the Battlestar Galactica
Is she the source of our destruction?

There's 50,000 survivors
racing through the stars

She is Cylon #6 and she is always in my head
they think that I'm a lunatic but they don't seem to understand
That I'm only human and she is only a machine
and they don't seem to realize that she's the angel that we need

She says that she is one of twelve
but how are we supposed to tell
just who's a cylon or a human

We're searching for the 13th tribe
if we can make it there alive
on the journey to their solar system

There's 50,000 survivors
racing through the stars

She is Cylon #6 and she is always in my head
they think that I'm a lunatic but they don't seem to understand
That I'm only human and she is only a machine
and they don't seem to realize that she's the angel that we need

Here are some of the tools that I used to record this track.

Yamaha Acoustic Guitar in Standard tuning
Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar for the power chords and the first guitar solo
Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar in Open A tuning (EAEAC#E) for the slide guitar solo in the outro
Washburn Electric Bass Guitar
Pearl Bell Kit Xylophone
Rode NT-3 microphone for the vocals, acoustic guitar, and xylophone
Apple Logic Pro 8 recording software

Logic's included compressor, delay, and reverb plug-ins
The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in
The drum parts were created using Logic's Jam Pack drum loops

Leodora: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Leodora was inspired by the Shadowbridge/Lord Tophet duology by Gregory Frost. This song is sung from the point of view of Diverus, the main character's musical accompanist. To learn more about Shadowbridge and Lord Tophet, check out these great reviews at the following blogs:

Leodora
by John Anealio

Diverus is my name, we're here to entertain you

I play the shawm while Lea works her puppets

We perform our show everywhere we go

But we're running from the agents of Lord Tophet

Can we live happily ever after walking span to span?

Leodora, don't cry.

Leodora, don't walk away.

Leodora, don't cry

Leodora, don't walk away from me now.

Bardsham was her father, Leandra was her mother

but Soter raised her since she was a baby

She wears a painted mask, she says her name is Jax

now she's the only woman who can save me

Can we live happily ever after walking span to span?

Chorus

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in Standard Tuning with a Capo at the 4th Fret for the strummed parts and the backwards arpeggios in the first verse, in Drop D tuning with a capo at the 4th fret for the finger-picking part in the second verse.
G&L ASAT Telecaster-style Electric Guitar in Standard tuning with a capo at the 2nd fret.
Fender Stratocaster for the backwards guitar solo.
Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar in open A tuning (EAEAC#E) for the slide guitar solo.
Washburn Bass Guitar
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 8 recording software
1. The EXS24 Sampler and EVB3 software instrument plug-ins for the piano, organ, and choir sounds.
2. Logic's included compressor, delay, and reverb plug-ins
3. The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in
4. The drum parts were created using Beta Monkey's Drum Werks V loop collection

Rachel Rosen: Lyrics

This song can be sampled & purchased at CD Baby & iTunes.

Get the CD:
CD Baby

Get the High Quality MP3's
CD Baby

Rachel Rosen
by John Anealio

My name is Rick Deckard, I'm in my hover car
I'm a bounty hunter for the city
There's six androids free, and it's left to me tonight

They're the Nexus 6 and they get their kicks
From singing opera and killing humans
She's got short dark hair and an icy stare, alright

Is Rachel Rosen really an android
Can Rachel Rosen really be alive
Is Rachel Rosen really an android
Can Rachel Rosen really be alive

I give the Voigt-Kampff test to bounty hunter Phil Resch
cause he fears that he might be an android
He's got a laser tube and a bad attitude, tonight

I book a hotel room, I hope she gets here soon
I've got three androids to retire
We share an android kiss at the St. Francis tonight

Here are some of the tools that I used to record the track:

Martin Acoustic Guitar in DADGAD tuning
Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar
Washburn Bass Guitar
Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
Apple Logic Pro 7 recording software

The ES2 software synth for the synthesizer solo
Logic's included compressor, delay, and reverb plug-ins
The electric guitar parts were recorded through Logic's Guitar Amp Pro plug-in
The drum parts were created using Beta Monkey's Drum Werks V loop collection