What is filk? Hard question. Easy answer: the folk music of the science fiction fandom. Thing is, it doesn't always sound like folk music, and it's not even close to all about science fiction. We've got singers and rappers, guitarists and accordion players, keyboardists and bodhran-wielders. We'll take sad songs about space and ballads from the back pages of Mercedes Lackey novels, songs that are strings of innuendo based on Star Trek, songs about gaming, politics, Shakespeare, Kipling, cats, escapism. Songs to the tune of one song, referencing three more songs, making jokes about a sci-fi convention that happened back in the 60's and speculating about the furture of space travel. It's music fit for Dothraki; it takes what it likes and goes where it will--but it has also become the bardic historian of fandom, and it's one of the most inclusive and accepting musical traditions of Western civilization. We want you, your three banjo chords, and your truth. And by "truth," I mean excess emotions about comic books. This blog aims to educate the uninitiated, bring new music to enthusiasts, and promote anyone who wants to be promoted.
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
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Hey, if you like filk our amazingly talented friend Beth Kinderman has a new album dropping on October 25th (but you can pre-order it now at her Bandcamp!)
We've been hearing Beth perform some of these songs in concert for years and I'm SO excited there are finally gonna be recordings of them available! I love all of Beth's music, but this album has some of her most powerful pieces, the sort of songs that worm their way into your psyche and stay there. If you like prog-rock, references to science fiction and mythology, complex harmonies, and the sort of lyrics that will buzz around in your head for months, check out Sisyphus: Ten Songs About Hope by Beth Kinderman and the Player Characters!
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Happy Moon Day!
The Eagle has landed: July 20, 1969
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Hi! I was wondering how one might be able to join this Filkhaven Discord server that you speak of.
Well hi! Asking us is a good start -- here's an invite that should still be current (and please let us know if it's not). See you there!
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A song I wrote, inspired by Turn A Gundam.
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Lyrics:
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I blink the frost from my eyes
as the sun seeps into my bones
My house is overgrown with vines
I planted ten generations ago
They give me a stallion to ride
and the reins are placed into my hands
I am the moonlight that shines
on these ancestral, long-forgotten lands
I can’t recall my mother’s eyes
nor the features of my father’s face
I’m sure they must have been like mine
but now I’m their only living trace
Long is the history untold
and long have we waited to return
But as our plans now unfold
I start to see peace’s promise burn
And though the great machines have started to move forth without me
I still must bear the consequences of my sin
But now my own reflection in the flesh has dared allow me
to see through others’ eyes and hear the changing wind
And though we come from different places, times, and circumstances
we dance together to the same eternal tune
The past repeats itself and comes back bearing second chances
just like the phases of the moon….
#alright everyone it's been long enough i may have forgotten my tagging system#Elizabeth King#Moonlight#science fiction#lyrics#Turn A Gundam#anime
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Consensus among the filkyeahfilk mods is that this is hilarious and deserves a further reblog.
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I never thought that I could hold you forever Always knew deep down you’d have to go home I can be grateful for these bright years together And I know you miss the salt sea foam If you hurry, you can still catch the tide, my love If you hurry you can still catch the tide.
“Still Catch the Tide” by Talis Kimberley, performed here by Seanan McGuire with Michelle “Vixy” Dockrey, Tony Fabris, S.J. Tucker, and Amy McNally. Lyrics are available here.
This is one of my favorite songs to sing along to when I want to be Sad About The Sea (a specific emotion that I experience with alarming regularity.)
If you want a selkie song with a happy ending, check out “The Maiden and the Selkie” by Heather Dale or “Glass Half Full of the Sea” by Benjamin Newman.
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@mayphoenix Good news! Someone on the filkhaven discord was able to find someone with a copy, and they've shared the lyrics with us! They're pasted in below the cut.
Thanks to everybody who helped us hunt this down!
----- Altair 5 Words by Linda Stoops and Pat Stanley TTTO: Forest Lawn
Oh, lay me down on Altair 5 in a lithium casket With crystal flowers over my head in a silver basket Let a Vulcan Bugle Corps play taps while blasters roar And 15 federation employees sell souvenirs at the huckster's store
Oh, I want to go Fannish when I go And they'll give me a proper funeral there I know They'll bury me in fleece, with Elvish runes spelling "Rest In Peace" Oh, take me when I'm gone to Altair 5.
Oh, lay me down on Altair 5, they understand there They've got a Galactic Choir and a Martian Band there Just put me in their care, I'll find some comfort there 16 blasters in a last salute, we'll drop Spielberg on a parachute
Oh, I want to go Fannish when I go And they'll give me a proper funeral there I know With a hundred spacey things, and Elven Dancers with golden wings Oh, take me when I'm gone to Altair 5.
Oh come, come, come, come, come Come to the woods of Lothlorian Where the songs of the shire we will sing Be as peaceful and trusting as a hobbit would And have Gandalf bury me with the ring!
To find an off-world resting place is my desire To have John Williams play the score comes a little higher A daggit cast in brass, will stand in plastic grass While hidden weights and springs wags its tail to the mourners filing past
I want to go Jedi when I go And they'll give me a proper funeral there I know They'll bury this old fan, with a eulogy by Desert Ben Oh, take me when I'm gone to Altair 5.
Lords of Kobol, pray for me Reassignment finally. Take me when I'm gone to Altair 5!
I am trying to find the lyrics to Altair V, to the tune of Forest Lawn. Co-writer is Linda Stoops. I cannot remember if it was Leslie Fish or Julia Ecklar on the bi-line. It would have been late-70s/early 80s.
Hello! We've been looking into this and had no luck so far, but we've tossed the question to the filkhaven discord and will continue the search.
If anyone who sees this can offer any leads, please let us know!
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I am trying to find the lyrics to Altair V, to the tune of Forest Lawn. Co-writer is Linda Stoops. I cannot remember if it was Leslie Fish or Julia Ecklar on the bi-line. It would have been late-70s/early 80s.
Hello! We've been looking into this and had no luck so far, but we've tossed the question to the filkhaven discord and will continue the search.
If anyone who sees this can offer any leads, please let us know!
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I'm pretty sure ya'll ain't active any more, but, I'm looking to find a song, presumably it is called song of the bear. Basically, I want to find what song of the bear II on fire in the sky by Jordin Kare is a parody of.
[Added in later ask: Never mind, I found it, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGxst2-vNY0]
Sorry, yeah, we haven't been active for a while -- I think all of the mods got a bad attack of Real Life at about the same time, and never picked this back up. Maybe we should ... fix that?
In the meantime, at the very least I'm going to go ahead and post this, with both the original and the parody.
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Hey all! Remember the concert @scribefindegil and I talked about performing back in August that ended up having technical difficulties for folks who tried to tune in to stream? I have good news - the convention posted the official video of our performance (this time with sound!) to their YouTube channel today.
Since this is now the largest repository of our music all in once place (especially some of our newer songs), I broke it down into a tracklist, so if you've never heard our music before, want to check out the new stuff, or just want to listen to a favorite song or two, they'd be easier to find.
(And yes, if you just want to see me play the electric kazoo while dressed as Raine Whispers, I have noted when it made its appearance)
If you haven't heard our stuff before, we're Astrisoni, a two-person viola-and-guitar filk (nerd folk, basically) duo that write songs about sci-fi, fantasy, our favorite stories, and all manner of adjacent topics. A handful of our songs are also available for purchase on our Bandcamp (where and and all support is always appreciated, especially since we're going through a bit of a rough patch)
0:22 - Opportunity Lullaby
One of our most popular songs, a lullaby written in honor of the late Opportunity rover. My sister, who I finally got to perform for at this concert, said it made her cry. (As an endorsement). Also on our EP on Bandcamp!
5:15 - Story And Song
A song about the power of songs -- and storytelling, and TTRPGs, and the creativity lurking in all of us.
9:12 - Pure Of Heart
Probably our most famous song, which was nominated for a Pegasus Award back in 2021 and is also available on our EP. A warning about the dangers of unicorns -- and unrealistic standards.
16:14 - Ancillary
One of our newest songs, Scribe's ode to the Imperial Radch trilogy
21:07 - The World Is Still Here
A TAZ: Balance song about NO-3113
25:35 - Don’t Stop Believing (Redux)
I almost hate to give away what's going on with this one, but. Yes, it is a Don't Stop Believing parody. Yes, it is about cryptids. Yes, it is where the electric kazoo makes its appearance. Lot happening here.
32:25 - You Comfort Me
Our Legolas & Gimli duet inspired by their mirrored lines in The Two Towers
38:42 - Possessing The Text
One of our newest songs, Scribe has described this one as an ode to writing queer fanfiction for stories that don't respect you. But you know, with ghost metaphors.
45:00 - Solidarity Forever (Boiling Isles version)
A Raine Whispers-inspired filk of "Solidarity Forever"
49:15 - Chapters In-Between
An ode to some favorite stories, and the aching feeling of having to wait for a better future even when you're working to make one happen. Noteworthy for, among other things, being the song I finally fit a Pacific Rim verse into.
56:04 - Make This Timeline Brighter
Our most common closer, with a fairly self-explanatory title. This one is also up on Bandcamp.
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A bit of vampire lore that Anne Rice stole from Bram Stoker (and that Bram Stoker made up), and a song that Jodi Krangle wrote about the Anne Rice version. Given today’s Dracula Daily of the captain’s log, it seems like a fun day to post it. Could be considered spoilers for Dracula if you don’t already know this bit of lore…
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Hi there! I am writing with excitement to share that a high quality version of Carmen Miranda's Ghost has been uploaded to archive(dot)org! Link is here! I am also writing with a follow-up about that version of Music Box Dancer! I was able to contact the person who originally uploaded it, and it comes from the My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade soundtrack CD (2006)! Despite the lyrics from this version of this song being scattered across some lyrics websites (as opposed to the Ray Conniff lyrics), I've still found no indication of who actually wrote this version or where it originates. (Unless it originates directly from the soundtrack CD.) Does anyone have any ideas on how I can research and figure out who wrote this version?
Thanks for the news and the link!
I'm afraid I don't have any ideas beyond the obvious googling, but possibly some followers do. Any ideas, followers?
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Hey, followers! Any suggestions on this topic?
do you know any filk songs about robots/ai?
Embarassingly I do not know nearly enough! I'm sure there are loads (which some of my filk-y friends and followers are welcome to add on here) but not many are coming to mind.
My duo, Astrisoni has Opportunity Lullaby (in honor of the Opportunity rover) and The World Is Still Here (which also has a reprise, Scribe usually sings them both together now), inspired by the character NO-1331 from the Balance arc of The Adventure Zone. I know Scribe is also working on a very metaphorical song that leans heavily on Asimov's Laws of Robotics, and I've also been trying to write a robot version of "The Ramblin' Rover" (The Martian Rovers, obviously), but neither of those is finished just yet.
I mentioned Ben Newman's Not All Who Wander Are Lost (In Space) earlier today because I love it, which also features an intelligent spaceship computer/AI, so that might fit the bill for you (lyrics here to go with the mp3 above)
I know that Daniel Kelly has a fun Mars rover song also (Mars Rovers, which is a decidedly filk take on The Wild Rover)
Other than that I am coming up short tonight, but I know it's a topic people have written plenty of filk songs about, so hopefully some other folks will have suggestions for you too!
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NEWh3re is almost here!
Please join us for NEWh3re (pronounced “Anywhere Three!”), June 10-12, 2022, with Guests of Honor Astrisoni (Nate Wulver and Heather Estelme).
Our preliminary schedule grid and song contest announcement have both been posted. And as in previous years, please come join us on the NEFilk Discord server.
Hoping to see you soon at the con!
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Hi there! I hope this message finds everyone well and in good spirits! I don't know if this technically counts as a filk thing, but I couldn't think of a community better than filkers to track down a hard to find track! I'm looking for a recorded version of Music Box Dancer. Not the Ray Conniff version. The one that starts "You walk in the room and you're wearing a frown/You reach for the shelf and cradle it down..." It's the strangest doggone thing! I can find the lyrics just fine, but (1/2)
(2/2) I can't find a recorded version of that set of lyrics, nor who wrote them. (Unless that version is indeed written by Frank Mills.) Instrumental versions abound and I've found the stray recorded Conniff version, but no luck on this alternate version. I'd appreciate any help, but totally understand if it's not possible! Have a great day!
I don't think I've ever heard of this song, but I can signal boost! Hey followers, anyone have any ideas?
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Announcing: NEWh3re 2022!
Yes, folks, we are once more holding NEFilk as an online event in June 2022.
Please join us for NEWh3re (pronounced “Anywhere Three!”), June 10-12, 2022, with Guests of Honor Astrisoni. Check out their bandcamp, and stay tuned for more announcements!
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... That is deeply weird. And it's happening again when I try to embed a link to the right video!
You should be able to click here for the right one, at least.
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When I was a mermaid, my daughter, my dear And a long time before I had you I lived in the ocean a long way from here And some of my stories are true
Apparently, Talis Kimberley’s daughter once pointed at a picture of a mermaid and said “That’s you when you were a mermaid”.
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As someone whos starting their masters degree in cosmonautical engineering of course i fell in love with filk not long ago (especially the space shanty kind). Im kinda hoping i can find someone who shares my love for space and filk here, maybe a penpal :)
I hope you can! Hey followers, sing out if you'd like to meet Anony here!
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