For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.
280 music sets! That's only 20 more sets before A Piece of My Mind celebrates its 300th 5 on Friday post. A little mindboggling, really.
So many musical roads I've meandered during these 5 on Friday sets, both by listening to the sets put together by the other bloggers, and by putting together my own.
When 5 on Friday began, there were about ten of us spinning the Friday tunes. I encountered so many wonderful new-to-me tunes, as well as being reacquainted with songs whose title I would never have remembered or even who played them.
Travis, the originator of the Friday blog event, decided to call it a wrap after his 200th set, but Mike Golch and I kept going, and now we're the only two still doing it.
This week's set is a nod to the gypsy caravan nature of 5 on Friday.
You never know where the muse will take you. I just go along for the ride. It's good for my creative well -- in fact, I know my creativity thrives on musical journeys like these.
1 - Spanish Caravan - The Doors
2 - Caravan - Van Morrison
3 - Minor Swing - Russian retro jazz manouche or gypsy jazz band
For a final week, Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
After today, Travis is retiring his four-year-old musical meme which immediately became the highlight of my week and remained so since February of 2010. Putting together my sets each week gives me joy, retaining the sense of play I need in my creative life.
Travis invited the regular 5-on-Friday-ers to carry on without him if we wished, and it appears that Jamie, Mike and I will continue to spin the tunes that we love.
But I just want to let Travis know that in coming up with his Friday musical feature, he has given me hours and hours and hours of happiness. Sending you love and ((hugs)) today as we bid farewell to an amazing run.
Well, we did it. Last Saturday, Shawna Romkey and I gave our first convention panel on Heroes and Villains during Hal-Con 2013.
Thanks to everyone who attended our panel. You asked great questions!
Last week I spun four superhero tunes plus one super villain tune. This week -- since I was giving the villains part of the panel -- here are five tunes that come to us from the villain's point of view.
1 - Devil in Disguise -- Elvis Presley
This song illustrates the sort of villain I mentioned at the panel last Saturday, the sort of character who seems like a 'suitable catch' on the surface -- until you get to know him a little better, and if you're an historical female character, it may very well be too late by then. You may have been married off to what seemed like a strong alpha male character, only to discover he is actually a villain, making all the wrong choices based on fear, self-preservation and self-interest.
This sort of tragic villain character -- someone who sees himself as a thwarted hero -- is shown in the video as Guy of Gisborne from BBC's Robin Hood (played by my fave, Richard Armitage.)
2 - The Sinner in Me -- Depeche Mode
This song perfectly captures the allure of The Gray Character, my favorite. This accounts for the attraction we often feel towards a character who we sense is still redeemable. This sort of villain holds a lot more tension within the story, because we aren't sure whether he'll choose the high road or the low road. A traditional villain will always take the dark choice.
3 - A Criminal Mind -- Lawrence Gowan
I've always loved this song, by Glasgow Scotland-born, Toronto-raised Lawrence Gowan. I love the bald admission given by the narrator: "Ask one who's known me / If I'm really so bad / I am."
This is the sort of internal monologue that would take place inside the traditional villain character. He has no ambitions to change, no desire to reform. He delights in his own horrible rampages.
Strangely, the tone of the song implies a degree of regret -- however, it's clear that the narrator will never make the choices of a heroic character. The greater good, self-sacrifice -- these ambitions won't tempt this villain in the least.
4 - Animal I Have Become -- Three Days Grace
Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time is a massive fave of mine (played by another of my long-time inspirations for a fictional character in one of my works-in-progress, Robert Carlyle.)
What a tour de force of villainy! As the original village spinner character, his descent into darkness through fearful choice-making is something we can relate to. We even hope that this character is still reachable and redeemable.
As the Dark One / Rumpelstiltskin, he is a cool deal-maker, preying on those who will do anything in a moment of need. He is not without emotion, however -- he has a streak of playful mischief-making, and delights in the sword he holds over people's heads.
As Mr. Gold, the contemporary Storybrooke pawn shop owner, he holds the most tension for the viewer, as we never know how this version of the character will react. Mr. Gold shows the most vulnerability, the most rage and the greatest desire to reach for happiness.
5 - Bad to the Bone -- George Thorogood and The Destroyers
The supervillain tune from my set list last week belonged to the Joker (played by dearly-missed Heath Ledger) -- and here he is again, in all his traditional villain glory.
Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
It's Hal-Con time again!
Starting today and running through Sunday, I'll be at my booth on the main floor at the Halifax World Trade and Convention Centre, 1800 Argyle Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you're looking for print copies of my Dark Ages vampire novel Saint Sanguinus or my dark fantasy novel Bound by Dragonsfyre, I'll be signing copies.
Together, we'll be giving a workshop on Heroes and Villains on Saturday, Nov. 9th at 12:45 until 1:30.
In the meantime, the great NaNoWriMo writing marathon of 2013 continues. If you're doing the marathon and you want to find me, I'm NaNo-ing as vamprom.
Let's celebrate all things superheroic. This week's set features songs written about superhero characters, a super villain and one classic hero of old.
Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
The great NaNoWriMo writing marathon of 2013 has begun. If you're doing the marathon and you want to find me, I'm NaNo-ing as vamprom.
For today's music mix, let's go for the chicks. Female point-of-view, and all that.
1 - Bubbly -- Colbie Caillat
2 - Sweet Surrender -- Sarah McLachlan
3 - The Battle of Evermore -- Led Zeppelin with Sandy Denny
This is a combo song, with folk singer Sandy Denny joining with male supergroup Led Zeppelin and lead singer Robert Plant. They compliment each other beautifully. Strangely enough, I'm a big fan of Led Zeppelin, while my husband is an admirer of Sandy Denny.
Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
I've just wrapped up my second annual Spooky Stories Author Series here at A Piece of My Mind. In case you're just finding out about them now, here are the links to this year's interviews with authors who write stories that tend toward the spooky side of things:
Thanks to all the writers who shared their shivery tales and favorite scary movies, and who answered my favorite question from this series of interviews: Why do you think people like to be scared?
As we head ever closer to the spookiest night of all, let's enjoy some tunes that have eerie themes or which have videos with a decidedly Halloween feel to them.
1 - Wide Awake - Katy Perry
2 - What You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani
3 - Li'l Red Riding Hood -- Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs
Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
Oh joy! Oh bliss!
It's writer retreat time again. At this very moment I'm happily settled amongst the early arrivals at the cottage which my writers' group has rented once a year for nearly a decade now. Up soon: lots of conversation, laughter, walks in the gorgeous autumn woods and by the Atlantic ocean, good food, good wine, writer-ish activities like our yearly brainstorming sessions, and timed-writing sessions where we each work on our individual works-in-progress for a set time (often an hour.)
Until then, enjoy these songs which have all became part of the spooky soundtrack landscape after their appearances in these films and television shows:
1 - Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas - from Supernatural
2 - Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival - from An American Werewolf in London
3 - Don't Fear the Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult - from Stephen King's The Stand
4 - Mad World - Gary Jules and Michael Andrews - from Donnie Darko
5 - Twin Peaks theme- composed by Angelo Badalamenti - from Twin Peaks
This piece is a straightforward soundtrack theme written specifically for the series, but it's one of my favorite themes, and one of my favorite shows. The main villain Bob goes down in my personal history as SCARY as heck.
Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
Only nine more 5 on Friday's to go before I hit the magical 200th set here at A Piece of My Mind. Much rejoicing will take place throughout the land.
A few heads' up notices first --
Coming up in one month's time, Blog4Peace is an international peace event held online on Nov. 4th. Join me and hundreds of other peace-spreading bloggers by typing the words 'Dona Nobis Pacem' on:
Your blog
Your Facebook page
Your Twitter account
Your Pinterest page
Anywhere you like to hang out online, please join our day of peace by saying 'Grant us peace' with one voice. Sign up at Mimi Lenox's linky on the big day so you can find the other peace bloggers and they can find you. Travel the world from your computer screen and feel the love.
Coming up a few days after Blog4Peace -- I'll be appearing at Hal-Con from Fri Nov 8th to Sun Nov 10th at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax. I'll be hosting a panel with angels-and-demons author Shawna Romkey on Heroes and Villains. More details on time and location as soon as I have them.
Warp Speed Passes are already sold out. Weekend Passes, Day Passes and Family Passes are still available.
In celebration of all things spooky during October, I'll be featuring interviews with paranormal authors for my Thursday Thirteen series. The first one launched yesterday with Spooky Screenwriter Stephen MacLean. This is my second year for the Spooky Author series which is turning into an annual event. Coming up next week: Jane Slayer and Grave Expectations author Sherri Browning Erwin.
And now, onwards to this week's musical set. The beginning of this spooktacular month brings preparations for haunting trick or treaters and Halloween party-goers. These videos feature costumes as their central focus. Will you be dressing up this year?
Champion of the Arts - I write historical and paranormal fiction, as well as poetry. I love to showcase creative works by artists of all stripes. Blogging from Nova Scotia, Canada
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