The Space Between Notes - a new album by Sunnie Larsen

BEHIND THE MUSIC: Downton
about 5 years ago – Tue, Feb 19, 2019 at 03:09:06 PM

Filk is sometimes assumed to be mostly about sci fi/fantasy topics. Even the Wikipedia article about filk music describes it as "a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction/fantasy/horror fandom". I don't think that means it HAS to be restricted to that; my album does have a number of songs that fit that description, but I also have songs about Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes and Downton Abbey. :) 

I love the Downton Abbey series. The costumes and the characters are so sumptuous and the drama is delicious. Invariably, my favorite filks are the ones that take a song and twist it just slightly to become an entirely new thing, maintaining scansion and form and paying homage to the original, so I thought that using "Downtown" by Petula Clark as the base tune was an incredibly clever choice here.

This is another of the songs written for me by Aron (really the first filk he wrote for me), completed for my set as Conflikt Toastmaster in 2014. He considers it one of his favorites--and it was one of the easiest ones he's ever written, coming together in a couple of days without much agonizing over the lyrics. 

I adore Jela's artwork for it, too (see below)! She took the concept of the slight twist on the original song and extended it even further, putting the characters on billboards in Times Square. I laughed the first time I saw it and it makes me very happy every time I see it.

This is also the first song I released on my Bandcamp site (five years ago!), because I recorded a version to include on the Conflikt lunch CD. My sweetie Marcos came up with the piano part for the original release of this song and has performed it with me several times, and he's updated the part for the album to be jazzier and more intricate. It's really delightful all the way around.

"Just get yourself some zinfandel
And grab a box of tissues.
A healthy dose of fantasy,
Denial of life's issues
Will carry you through

The gaslight's much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles,
forget all your cares

And go to Downton
Things'll be great when you're at
Downton
No finer house, for sure,
Downton
Everyone's waiting on you!"  

BEHIND THE MUSIC: The Wreck of the Martian Observer
about 5 years ago – Tue, Feb 19, 2019 at 03:06:10 PM

Today, NASA officially declared the end to the mission of the Mars rover Opportunity after 14 years. In honor of that, I wanted to share with you another story behind one of the songs on the album, because it's also about a mission to Mars.

The Wreck of the Martian Observer is one of my favorite songs on the album (YES, I love them all, but this one will always have a special place in my heart). I debuted it in my concert at OVFF in 2016, and I know some people were initially skeptical because The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald can be a... polarizing piece in popular opinion. :) But I think the lyrics, written chiefly by my sweetie Aron Wolf with some assistance from me, really capture the intensity of the original song.

It was originally intended to be a funny filk about a mission that didn't quite arrive as intended, because everyone needs a shipwreck song, right? Aron had worked on it for some time, and put it away to percolate when it wasn't quite coming together. When he picked it up again in late summer 2016 it morphed into a more bittersweet song, and the final lines came together pretty quickly after that. We massaged the lyrics a bit together, and the final product is what you have here. 

I have yet to sing it in front of people without tears. It took me several tries in the recording booth. 

There IS a line in there that remains from the roots of the funny start--"And the Mars probes still go with their ground crews below / and their metric conversions remembered". It got a great laugh when I performed it at UK Filk last year, but so far the US audiences haven't really reacted to it. :)

You can hear the rough version of this track on the main page on my campaign (it's a version Jeff and I put together for the Pegasus Awards last year, not the final version that will be on the album), AND it's featured on this week's episode of the FilkCast Podcast! 

Thank you so much to Eric Coleman and Lizzie Crowe for featuring my song. If you like filk music and want to hear more, I highly recommend the podcast. I've already found great new music that I didn't know about in some of the episodes! In this week's offering you'll also hear music from The Misbehavin' Maidens, Efenwealt Wystle (Scott Vaughan/The Blibbering Humdingers), Jen Midkiff, Margaret Middleton, Riverfolk, The Swedish Shortsnouts, Toyboat, and Moldy Filters. Go and have a listen.

As of this writing, we're $219 away from the first stretch goal--where everyone who backed at the $10 and above level will get the PDF version of the chord/lyrics coloring book. I know we can get there and beyond--there's a CD release concert next up in the goals, and I'd love to be able to put that on with room for everyone who wants to be there.

Thank you so much for being a part of this project!

--Sunnie

NEW REWARD LEVEL! $80!
about 5 years ago – Sat, Feb 09, 2019 at 12:28:13 PM

I am so incredibly overwhelmed and pleased by the response to my campaign. Thank you for everything you've contributed so far! With the exception of the original song creations, every reward level between the $40 coloring book and the $600 house concert is already GONE. You amazing people!

I've partnered with my good friend Andrea Wolf of FireWolf Studios to offer a new reward level. Andrea's a wonderful ceramic artist and she's agreed to make a series of handle-less ceramic cups with a beautiful black and blue glaze that looks to me like the clouds of a nebula. 

Andrea calls these "whiskey cups", and they'd also be great for wine, juice, water, or a couple scoops of ice cream... endless possibilities. The cups are approximately 8oz, though as with all handmade items, the exact size and volume may vary slightly. You can see some similar cups below, with a few other things for size reference:

These will be custom items, so they don't exist yet to be photographed, but the glazing will be similar to this set of coffee mugs Andrea made in the past:

The reward level that includes these cups will also include the signed CD, the physical copy of the coloring book, the badge ribbons, the bonus MP3 track, and your name listed in thanks on my website after the campaign ends. 

NOTE: If you like the reward level you're at but also want one of these cups, simply add $40 to your existing reward amount to receive one! I'll work out the a la carte options with the survey at the end of the campaign.

Thank you again for your support. I am blown away!

--Sunnie

BEHIND THE MUSIC: The Space Between Notes (title track)
about 5 years ago – Sat, Feb 09, 2019 at 10:37:45 AM

Each of the songs on the album has its own story. 

The title track is unique for a few reasons: it's one of the entirely original pieces on the album, it's an instrumental, and it was co-authored with my wonderful sweetie gundo!

We were sitting around one afternoon, he with his guitar in hand. As many guitarists of my acquaintance have the tendency to do, he was noodling on chords and picking random patterns as we talked. When a particularly juicy series of chord changes caught my ear, I asked him what it was and he shrugged. "Just a thing, I don't know.. I made it up." 

I could just hear the violin line dancing around it in my head, so I very bossily demanded that he play it again while I recorded it on my phone. :) I took it home with me, and over the next couple of weeks I played around with the various phrases in my home recording software until I had something I liked in a full-length draft format. I sent it back to gundo to listen to what I'd done and asked if he'd mind it being made into a duet, to be the title track for the album. 

We decided on a final structure for the song, and with a re-recorded guitar part I finished the final violin part at Mystic Fig. We're hoping to have Betsy add her cello magic to it, so even we don't know the final form yet, but I'm really pleased to have this original instrumental piece as a part of the album. 

INITIAL FUNDING GOAL REACHED!! What's next?
about 5 years ago – Fri, Feb 08, 2019 at 05:44:39 AM

Dear friends,

Thanks to you, my Kickstarter funded in the first 4 1/2 days! I am so very honored. The album is happening and you made it possible!

This is not the end--there are still 25 days left and I've got a few stretch goals to share with you for the remainder of the campaign:

At $10,000: every backer at or above the $10 level will get a PDF copy of the chord & lyric coloring book! (Also, as a reminder: if you want the physical coloring book and it isn't included in your level, you can increase your pledge by $15 to have it added on!)

At $10,750: I'll be able to hold a CD release concert in the Seattle area (that isn't in my living room!), with special guests (to be named later) and live streaming for remote backers!

At $11,500: I'll create a sticker from some of the artwork and include that for every backer at the physical-item level ($25 and above)

At $12,000: I have more planned... if we get there. :) Details to be revealed once the $11,500 level is achieved!

Thank you, again, for your interest and belief in this project. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I know it's going to be amazing, through the help of everyone involved... and that includes YOU.

With excitement,

Sunnie