#Filk

[prokopetz]

I wonder how much the usage statistics for online poetry dictionaries are being skewed by folks specifically looking for anapestic five-syllable words beginning with UN- and ending with -L.

[philcon-programming]

Philcon 2024!

Do you love Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror? Are you a Writer, a Gamer, a Costumer, or a Filker? Are you looking for a weekend of distraction in your life? If you’re in the vicinity of Philadelphia- or more specifically, Cherry Hill, New Jersey- there’s an event coming up on November 22 – 24, 2024 that we’d love for you to come check out. If you aren’t already familiar with PHILCON, here’s what you should know: * We started out as a literary-centric SF convention in 1936, but have grown to embrace all mediums of storytelling (movies, television, comics, podcasts, etc) as well as expanding to cover the Fantasy and Horror genres. Most of our participants are authors, and there will be Readings by them and Autograph sessions all throughout the weekend, in addition to their participation on discussion panels. * While many of our Literary panels are about SF, Fantasy, or Horror topics in general, we also have an emphasis on panels discussing the craft side and business sides of writing, for those looking to develop as authors. * One of our content tracks for the weekend is dedicated to Science & Technology itself, not just how it is used in fiction. * We will be screening several movies over the weekend, and Anime will also be shown in our Anime & Animation room at certain times. * There will be Workshops and Demos for Costuming (including "Fabric Manipulation", "How to Make Foam Armor", "Make-up for The Stage", and "A Pox on Patterns!") and Art (including "Using Alcohol Inks", "Block Printing With Your Own Designs", "How to Make A Controlled Color Palette", and "Making Wire-Wrapped Jewelry"), and if you’ve got an outfit you made that you’d like to show off on stage, we’ve got a yearly Costume Contest. * If you are a Filker- or just enjoy listening to other people sing and play music- Philcon has a room dedicated Filk room, and this year’s Musical Guest of Honor is Cecilia Eng. As Cecilia is not often on the east coast, if you’d like to see her play in person, now is an excellent change to do so without flying to the other side of the country. Lynn Gold, another west-coast Filker, will also be joining us this year. There are also Concerts scheduled for Sirens & Liars, Half a Slime Devil, Brenda and Chuck Shaffer-Shiring, and Sara Henya. * Since the Gaming track moved from an upstairs suite to the “Gallery” room on the first floor, it’s had the literal room to expand the number of games it can run, and we’ve got a bevy of them on the schedule for 2024, as well as a bank of games for you to choose from during Open Gaming hours. There's also a LARP Workshop Series being run by Spectacle INK. * Our Artist Guests of Honor for 2024 are Gina Matarazzo and Matthew Stewart. Each will be giving a presentation on our Main Stage on Saturday afternoon, as well as having their art displayed in our Art Show. * Our Principal Speaker for 2024 is MAX GLADSTONE, and we also have Nghi Vo as our Special Guest. Both will be doing Readings, Autograph Sessions, panels, and a main stage Q&A session. An interactive version of our schedule can be found HERE. While a simplified, static overview, organized by track, can be found HERE. Our LinkTree can be found HERE. We would especially value your support this year, as Philcon’s Covid-19 policy in previous years (which required both mandatory masking and proof of vaccination in an attempt to avoid becoming a super-spreader event as several other conventions had) has led to a slow but noticeable decline in attendance. While masking in public spaces is still heavily encouraged, neither proof of vaccination nor masking are required to attend the convention in 2024. We’d love your help in making this year a success, so that we’re in a good position to bring you all something really fantastic for our upcoming 90th anniversary. We’d also love to give you a great weekend right now, for reasons I doubt we need to explain. Here’s to surviving the next few years! ~ Lynati Head of Programming, Philcon 2024

[wordswithkittywitch]

I admit that in the past I've been quite scatty

They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a mess

But every now and then, though I can't promise when

I successfully work through all my stress, true! Yes!

And I fortunately know a little secret

It's a technique that I've recently acquired

And now lately, I'll admit, if I should feel like shit

Verklempt or overwhelmed or just plain tired--pathetic!

Small achievable goals!

[specialagentartemis]

tell me more about classic filk i know a few songs but never got deep into it

Heck YEAH

"Filk" is music (often but not always folk music-style, often but not always song parodies to the tune of famous pre-existing songs) about sci-fi, fantasy, and other fannish topics. Filk circles are popular events at science fiction conventions, and that's really where the genre started. The word "filk" actually arose from a typo in a convention program once, and people just rolled with it ever since!

Some of the most iconic albums in the filk world are the anthology albums "Minus Ten And Counting" (songs about space exploration and the real-life space program), "Carmen Miranda's Ghost" (songs about sci-fi space shenanigans and space ghosts), and "Finity's End: Songs of the Station Trade" (songs set in the world of CJ Cherryh's Alliance-Union novels, and my personal favorite. I've never read any of CJ Cherryh's books, but these songs paint such a vivid world.) "Space Heroes and Other Fools" is another big one, it's more hit-or-miss for me but it's iconic. Other really good and foundational ones are "Divine Intervention" by Julia Ecklar, "Avalon is Risen" by Leslie Fish, and "We Are Who We Are" by Vixy & Tony.

I lean more towards sci-fi and space than fantasy, but fantasy and paganism are huuuugely popular filk topics too.

Some of the most popular names to look into include Leslie Fish (intensely prolific, barely a fraction of her work is on any streaming or music service), Julia Ecklar (famous for her "ose," the filk-world word for sad songs - because they're "ose, more-ose, and even more-ose), Juanita Coulson, Kristoph Klover, Vic Tyler (who just recently died :( rest in peace), Duane Elms, Kathy Mar, Bob Kanefsky, Alexander James (trans, with lots of filk under his previous name as well), Vixy & Tony, and Seanan McGuire. (I like Seanan McGuire's filk music better than her books, hah.) Some other great ones include Cat Faber (most acapella), Astrisoni, The PDX Broadsides, Kari Maaren, and Sassafrass (also mostly acapella. Includes Ada Palmer). Heather Dale, Tom Lehrer, and Jonathan Coulton are kind of honorary filkers too haha.

The best place to get the ones from 80s and 90s cassettes are on the Internet Archive or Youtube; a few filkers who are more currently active have their stuff on Bandcamp.

And I'll leave you with a few of my Favorite Ever filk songs:

"Sam Jones" by CJ Cherryh and Leslie Fish

"Pushin' the Speed of Light" by Julia Ecklar and Anne Prather

"Chickasaw Mountain" by Leslie Fish

"Fire in the Sky" by Jordan Kare

"The Phoenix" by Julia Ecklar

"Freedom of the Snow" by Leslie Fish

"Burn it Down" by Vixy & Tony

"Hope Eyrie" by Leslie Fish, or this Minus Ten And Counting version

"Rocket Rider's Prayer" by Kristoph Klover, Ernie Mansfield, and Cecilia Eng

"Dawson's Christian" by Duane Elms, performed by Vic Tyler or Vixy & Tony

"Somebody Will" by Sassafrass

"Chances & Choices & Fortunes & Fates" by Astrisoni

... my tastes lean sentimental and ose but I swear there's a lot of very funny filk out there too

"Never Set the Cat on Fire" by Frank Hayes (a famous one)

"Banned From Argo" by Leslie Fish (an INFAMOUS one)

"Don't Push That Button" by Duane Elms and Larry Warner

"No More SF Cons" by Juanita Coulson

"One More Ose Song" by B. J. Willinger

everything Bob Kanefsky writes

[thedawner]

Sketchy painting of Filk before bed.

[scribefindegil]

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!

[haveyouheardthisband]

[deepdreamnights]

Is Torgo Funky? (Probably)

I Take Care of the Groove While the Master is Away

Sampling the haunting Torgo theme into a funk/disco tune from the perspective of everyone's second favorite man-goat? You know it!

Suno with human lyrics and editing.

My Soundcloud. My Suno Page.

[gunpowderdtim]

Working on restoring/editing spaceport mahon 2011! :) here is One Eyed Jacks, in the most listenable state i think it ever may have been in!

over the next few days ill be assembling the entirely of Spaceport mahon into (what i hope are) listenable files, rather than what we have in the dropbox alone.

id love to hear yalls thoughts (spesifically on if its too loud. i think its too loud. but others have told me otherwise lmao)

[faolonfiendrender]

There is a place, just west of vegas, it is a road that I know well, Of my trips, I remember just the latest after I went and brought it hell

I'm going there, to find what happened, I'm going there, to fix the empty years I'm just going on my lonesome I'm just going to face what's here

I know a man was here before me I know he saw just what I did I wonder if he can remind me And reveal what trauma hid I'm going there, to face destruction I'm going there, to learn my crime I'm just going on my lonesome I'm just going to face what's here I talked with him and learned what happened I talked with him and stopped his fall I wonder what we might have been I wonder if I'd not delivered hell

I'm going there, to seek redemption I'm going there, to break a soldier's oath I'm just going on my lonesome I'm just going to face what's here

[viinas]

Hey, babes! So on Friday, my first full album released! It's called The Monster That Kept Me and you can stream the entire thing on Spotify! It has a 10 original songs inspired by different stories that I love including:

Supernova (for Musashi Miyamoto | Fate/Grand Order)

Loving Thieves (for Jinx | Arcane)

You Were A Wolf (for Jude and Taryn | The Folk of the Air)

Fireflies (for Okiku | The Girl From the Well)

Hellfire (for Jeanne D'Arc Alter | Fate/Grand Order)

Blood Moon (for Kurapika Kurta | Hunter x Hunter)

Wait For Me (for Ed and Al | Fullmetal Alchemist)

Wish (for Romani Archaman | Fate/Grand Order)

Lights On (for Yukine | Noragami)

Apocalypse (for Gideon and Harrow | The Locked Tomb)

These are media inspired but they can be enjoyed on their own! The album is a love letter to 2000s rock music and early listeners (my friends) have said it captures that vibe so take their word for it!

The album artwork was done by my incredible friend @eerna who I love and has also been one of the main people listen to me talk (complain) about making this thing because she's a gift from above.

[vexwerewolf]

I think I found Calliope: the song. It might as well be called "Molly and Jed's Five Minutes"

https://youtu.be/CNygmubVW3s?si=G_E-pIc1tyqtpoVp

Oh this fucks so hard

[jedimandalorian]

I saw this new nickname for Ezra and it inspired me!

“Easy Breezy Bridger Boy” has the same rhythm as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (the 1941 hit by the Andrews Sisters). I just had to make a filk out of this…

🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺

He was a con artist and a thief from out in Lothal way

He had a street rat style that no one else could play

He was the top boy at his craft

But then his number came up and he was gone with the draft

He's in the Ghost Crew now, a learnin’ Jedi skills

He's the Easy Breezy Bridger Boy of Hera’s Ghost crew!

He met the Mando girl when Hera’s crew took flight

And and now he thinks about her every day and night

That boy’s obsessed with Sabine Wren

That Mandalorian girl

She’s got his mind in a whirl

He’s really got it bad

for Spectre 5, it’s true

He's the Easy Breezy Bridger Boy of Hera’s Ghost crew!

They made him learn the light side ways from blind Kanan

Then Maul tried to take him as his padawan

The captain seemed to understand

Because the next day the cap' went out and gathered her crew

And now the Ghost Crew flies when he calls “Save Lothal!”

He's the Easy Breezy Bridger Boy of Hera’s Ghost crew!

🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺🎶🎺

@jedi-nurse

(I’m sure this song would be a big hit when Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes play a gig on Lothal.)

[specialagentartemis]

Trick or treat!

Happy Halloween!

Here's an eerie song, a fannish classic, and also a total bop about SPACE GHOSTS

[thekalpar]

So first let's pray to Vulcan, ugly god of forge and flame/

And also wise Minerva, now we glorify your name/

May you aid our ship's designers now and find it in your hearts/

To please help the lowest bidders who constructed all the parts!

"Rocket Rider's Prayer" by Stephen Savitzky