Sci-Fi Song #15: Leodora

Leodora.mp3

Sci-Fi Song #15 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:

• OF Blog of the Fallen
  
• Fantasy Book Critic
  
• Neth Space
  
• Graeme's Fantasy Book Review

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:

1. 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.
   
2. G&L ASAT Telecaster-style Electric Guitar in Standard tuning with a capo at the 2nd fret.
3. Fender Stratocaster for the backwards guitar solo.
4. Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar in open A tuning (EAEAC#E) for the slide guitar solo.
   
5. Washburn Bass Guitar
6. Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
7. 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

Related Posts:

1. Sci-Fi Song #5: Sarene: inspired by Brandon Sanderson's Elantris
   
2. Sci-Fi Song #6: Rachel Rosen : inspired by Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

I Need Your Ideas for Ten New Songs!

I need your help. I'm considering taking part in this year's RPM challenge. Basically, you have to write and record ten songs within the 28 days of February. I think that this may be a lot of fun.

I'd want to write ten songs based on Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I thought it would be fun to write ten songs based on one subject. I'd like to find some category that included ten different members of a group to write about. The best thing that I've come up with so far is the planets of our solar system (I'd write one about the sun or some of the moons). I'm not in love with that idea, so I would love some suggestions.

Do you know of any science fiction or fantasy related property that has some type of grouping of ten different characters, or animals, or spaceships, or kingdoms, or gods, or elements, or powers, or weapons, or races, or anything else that you can think of?

I'd love to hear your ideas. If you'd like to help, post your ideas in the comments section here, or you can e-mail me at 27summers@gmail.com, or send me a message on Facebook or Twitter. If I use your idea, I'll be happy to link to your site in any of the formats that the songs may appear in.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you might come up with,
John

Remix: Summer Glau (In The Heart of Autumn)

Summer Glau (In The Heart Of Autumn).mp3

Here is a great remix of my song "Summer Glau" entitled "Summer Glau (In The Heart of Autumn)".

This remix was created by Subliminal, a great remix artist who posts his material over at ccMixter. The backing track that Subliminal created reminds me of composer Bear McCreary's excellent work on the recent Battlestar Galactica series. Subliminal combined the ethereal background vocals from Trifonic’s "Sooner Or Later" and the Industrial Drum Kit from PorchCat with a middle-eastern sounding woodwind instrument to create a wonderful piece of music.

Check out more of Subliminal's music here.

Related Posts:
Summer Glau (original version)
"Feel Fine" (a different Summer Glau Remix)

Hope you enjoy it,
John

Help me write the next Sci-Fi Song!

I've been overwhelmed by all of the positive comments and e-mails that I have received regarding "Grasping for the Wind (The Linkup Meme Song). Thank you so much.

As I mentioned in the original post, there was no way to include all of the blogs listed in the meme. I hinted at the possibility of a reprise or a part 2. This is where you come in.

I need your help to write new verses that will include some of the blogs that weren't listed in the original version of the song. Here is what you can do:

• Listen to the original version and check the verse lyrics.
• Check John Ottinger's latest linkup list.
• Try to fit some of the blogs that were absent from the original version of the song into the rhyme scheme of the verses.
• Send the results to the e-mail address listed in my Blogger Profile.
  

I'll then replace the original verse lyrics with some of the new ones that I receive and post the "reprise" mp3 here on the blog.

I will list whoever contributes to the finished product as a co-writer of the lyrics of the reprise. Sound good?

On a related note, The Crotchety Old Fan created an interactive version of the lyrics, here.

Also, talk of making a video has surfaced. I think this is a great idea. Does anybody know how to make screenshots and use them to make a video?

I'm looking forward to hearing what you come up with.

John Anealio

Sci-Fi Song #14: Grasping for the Wind (The Linkup Meme Song)

Grasping for the Wind (The Linkup Meme Song).mp3

Sci-Fi Song #14 was inspired by the Book Reviewers Linkup Meme started by John Ottinger III of the Grasping for the Wind blog. This meme really helped to unite and galvanize the Sci-Fi and Fantasy community. I've been writing and recording music for Sci-Fi Songs since this past summer. In that time, it seems that something happens every few weeks that causes the SFF blogging community to become even more vibrant than it was before. John's meme is a perfect example.

"Grasping for the Wind (The Linkup Meme Song)" is a tribute to all of the blogs that I read and to the wonderful people who I have had the pleasure of connecting with since I started Sci-Fi Songs.

Special thanks must also be given to Steve Davidson of The Crotchety Old Fan blog. His ongoing reviews of the blogs listed in the meme are what sparked the idea to write the song.

A quick glance at the lyrics will tell you that I put together the verses by rhyming the names of the blogs. I apologize if I mispronounced the name of your blog. Also, I'm sorry if I didn't mention your blog in the song. The song is already 5 minutes long, and there was no way to fit every blog in it. If people enjoy the song, I am open to doing a reprise or part II that will list some of the blogs that weren't mentioned in this version.

I hope you enjoy it!
John Anealio

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:

1. Martin Acoustic Guitar in Standard Tuning
   
2. Washburn Bass Guitar for the walking bassline
   
3. Rode NT-3 microphone (to record the acoustic guitar and my vocals)
4. 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

Related Post:

1. Sci-Fi Song #2: Page 123 (another meme song)