Guys, is there any interest in this? (music)

[freiman the minstrel]

Guys,

I had something really interesting happen this morning. A friend of mine who is a perennial small business guy called me and during the conversation, he said that he would be interested in financing an album by me.

But he wasn't interested in the stuff that I have been interested in in the past. I have concentrated on either straight up Irish/American folk and/or blues. He wasn't interested in that at all. He wants to finance a straight up filk album, like Leslie Fish or something (but probably not so good as Fish).

He said "Look, there are lots of good Irish singers and lots of good Bluesmen. While most filk singers aren't very good." He actually used a different turn of phrase, that was a little more colorful.

I did get him to say that he would dedicate part of the net profit to charity, but I got the impression that he would want it to be a small amount. I am positive that all the numbers would be relatively small.

So, I am sniffing around to figure out if it would be worth it. I would be expected to do some of the financing, and right now, I can't afford to go too far out onto the limb. It looks like it would be 12 tracks, possibly more, and it would all be original filkie type stuff, professionally recorded and produced, with all the bells and whistles. It is probable that at least some of the tracks would be in dialect German. A booklet would be available, either on line, or directly in the Jewel case (which is expensive).

Anyway, would anybody be interested? I try to avoid filk, despite the fact that I seem to be noted for it. It would be a little bit of a compromise for me as far as what I want to be known for, but it could be something worth doing with the charity tie in.

thanks,
f

[Strongbow]

What flavor of filk are ya thinking?

[Aharon Silber]

Only if you include "Imperial Compound" on it.....

That being said, Glean Abhann and Meredies would probably buy your stock out. Come to GUlf Wars and hold a "Concert" outside of the Green Dragon Inn.....

You'd sell every freaking one...

[Ceddie]

sure, why not.

[Sinister_Theo]

What total cost are you looking at to produce an album? I have a few ideas on a social business. Contact me anytime mate at my email addy.
robert_blanzy@ yahoo.com

I could be interested in financing the entire thing.

[Agnarr]

I am 100% sure i would buy it.

[Scorpus]

I think it's a good idea.

[Charles the Brown]

Dude, I've been wanting to hear more of your stuff since you let us download those two songs you did a while back.
I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

[BdeB]

Digital has totally changed the medium. It can be a lot cheaper to record assuming you aren't paying Scale for musicians. You can even, with a little footwork and hawking make a small profit on SCA music if you sell at Pennsic and other venues or get a fine merchant like Johennes at Windrose or Efenwealt at Angevin Treasures to stock it for you.

Best of luck, and send me the downloads. I'd be intersted in hearing you.

[freiman the minstrel]

Actually, Strongbow, I was thinking about using entirely original "Neo-Chivalric" stuff for the English stuff, and strict, regional traditional stuff for the German stuff. I don't write well enough in German to write music yet.

The first German piece I want to do is a German (for lack of a better word) Sea Shanty called "Hamburg Fiermaster", which really sort of has to be sung with a heavy dialect. It would have to be learned phoneticaly, as the northern dialects are a little wierd for somebody who hears Bayrisher Hinterlanders all the time. Fiermaster is a loud, fast drinking song, and it doesn't really work in Hoch Deutsche.

For the English stuff, I was thinking Galahad, The Border Raids Song (The I like Coffee Song), A Small and Selfish Declaration, Talon Black (which is a filk of a song that I wrote about fifteen years ago), The Bastard Children of Meridies, I Refuse, Got Me a Little, Billy's song (thought that may be too negative and ugly), Home on Sunday Morning, Giles' Bedlam Boys, and We Must Dissent. With two German songs it would be over a dozen tracks.

Some of the English stuff (like Galahad) is distinctly soap boxy. I decided not to apologize for that, but it is something of a "roughing the listener" foul.

The humorous stuff tends to be below the belt.

Also, the Band that I play with has said that they are willing to record some Irish Dance Sets for an album, and most importantly, they don't need paying. I wont promise that the sets will end up on the album, as they sometimes have real scheduling issues. It's a session band, not a gigging band.

For total costs, it looks like we are looking at about three thousand Euros for the studio and the pressing, with the replication (not duplication) and silk screening running .38$ (US) per copy, with jewel cases, labeling and inserts being more. We are really, really thinking about an insert booklet, but that runs the price up considerably. We will probably go with a web site for lyrics and translations. The cool thing is that because I own the copyrights for everything, I can include the lyrics without having to pay lawyers.

But you can see that to do this right (rather than to half ass it) would be kind of a major undertaking. I had a bad disc of me singing get out once, and it pretty much killed my old band.

It's important to do the German stuff in dialect for several reasons. First, since TV came around, the dialects (which are almost distinct languages) have been disappearing from all sorts of publications. Second, this is how many of the older Germans still actually speak, and when the dialects die, so will those songs.

And I have never done this before. I feel like somehow, doing filk is a compromise with what I want to be but at a certain point you have to admit that you probably aren't going to be a big rock star anyway. My friend says that I am being arrogant.

And thanks guys.

f

[Roibeard MacNeill]

You know all of Marshin Fayne and Shadow Legion would buy a copy or three. As for the idea above of performing in front of the Green Dragon...that would very much rock if you ever come to Gulf Wars again.

You know I personally would buy your music...

[RecklessAgony]

consider two sold to the states........

[Charles the Brown]

Your Galahad is one of the tunes I listen to when I write. Count me in for a copy.

[Tom Richardson]

I would buy two copies.

3 if you added the Macphearsons Lament that posted on here a couple months ago.

[freiman the minstrel]

A German friend tagged me a few minutes ago and told me that the correct title of the German Folk song is "Der Hamburger Veermaster" It's actually spelled using the dialect.

Sorry.

f

[freiman the minstrel]

I would buy two copies.

3 if you added the Macphearsons Lament that posted on here a couple months ago.

I could do that. According to what I have read, Macphereson was hung in 1700, which (if the song were anything close to contemporary) would make the song public domain. I get really nervous when dealing with songs that I don't own outright. the best part of that plan is that I don't have to pay to record it again.

f

[Scorpus]

Dude, I've been wanting to hear more of your stuff since you let us download those two songs you did a while back.
I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I want to hear them, can I get them from some one?

[Helgulf]

I'd buy it. No doubt about it. you tell me when and where to send money and it's there.

[Draven]

Guys,

I had something really interesting happen this morning. A friend of mine who is a perennial small business guy called me and during the conversation, he said that he would be interested in financing an album by me.

But he wasn't interested in the stuff that I have been interested in in the past. I have concentrated on either straight up Irish/American folk and/or blues. He wasn't interested in that at all. He wants to finance a straight up filk album, like Leslie Fish or something (but probably not so good as Fish).

He said "Look, there are lots of good Irish singers and lots of good Bluesmen. While most filk singers aren't very good." He actually used a different turn of phrase, that was a little more colorful.

I did get him to say that he would dedicate part of the net profit to charity, but I got the impression that he would want it to be a small amount. I am positive that all the numbers would be relatively small.

So, I am sniffing around to figure out if it would be worth it. I would be expected to do some of the financing, and right now, I can't afford to go too far out onto the limb. It looks like it would be 12 tracks, possibly more, and it would all be original filkie type stuff, professionally recorded and produced, with all the bells and whistles. It is probable that at least some of the tracks would be in dialect German. A booklet would be available, either on line, or directly in the Jewel case (which is expensive).

Anyway, would anybody be interested? I try to avoid filk, despite the fact that I seem to be noted for it. It would be a little bit of a compromise for me as far as what I want to be known for, but it could be something worth doing with the charity tie in.

thanks,
f

Well, if you are playing entirely original music, and traditionals, it isn't really filk, then, is it? I'd love to buy a copy, I know a few other people that would buy a copy too,.

~Draven

[Gottfried]

I'd buy one!

Gottfried

[freiman the minstrel]

Well, things just got a little more expensive.

It looks like slightly less than two dollars ten cents per disc, with all the bells and whistles.

But, if anybody else hasn't heard the two tracks I put on line, please let me know.

f