"Her Last Seven Seconds" in Rock and Roll Ghost Stories

Greetings! I've been away from the Blog for a while but am happy to return to announce the upcoming publication of my (very) short (true) ghost story,  "Her Last Seven Seconds" which will be
published In "Rock and Roll Ghost Stories:" - Volume 1 edited by Stacy McArdle-Sardelli. The book is coming out this October on Charles River Press and features true Ghost stories by various bands and musicians TBA.

http://www.rockandrollghoststories.com/

Angry Robot Review of Tim Waggoner's "Dead Streets" by T. Reed

Nightmare Sound Laboratory

presents:

The Angry Robot Review for April 19, 2010

“Dead Streets” by Tim Waggoner

“Oh baby, baby it’s a wild world.” ... Cat Stevens

Or at least that’s what the Artist formerly known as 
Cat Stevens might have said about ‘Nekropolis’, the alternate universe inhabited by Matt Richter – Zombie Detective, and the Midnight Watch.  

         Somewhere between ‘Mad Monster Party’ and 
the alter-dimensional Hell of Clive Barker’s ‘Hellraiser’ we find ourselves on the “Dead Streets” of Tim Waggoner’s Nekropolis.

In this world filled with Frankenstein’s abominations, Vampire Lords, Half-bloods, shape-shifters, and Lycanthropes of every imaginable variety, ALL of our childhood’s favorite TV and movie monsters converge with entirely unheard of creatures, most of whom spell trouble for Zombie Detective Matt Richter and his cadre of security professionals. When the neighboring businesses are a “misfortune teller” and a “head shop" – ("new and used, all species, original size and shrunken") – you just know there is going to be more than enough humor and horror to go around in this ambitious tale that starts with a mystery and escalates into an all out monster war.

I started reading this series with “Dead Streets” (Book 2) and felt (at first) as though maybe I should go back and read Book 1: “Nekropolis” before embarking on this path, but ‘Dead Streets’ was the book I was entrusted to review, so onward I forged, to be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which Tim Waggoner brought you right into the story regardless of having not yet read “Nekropolis” already. It’s like picking up right where you left off without ever having been there! That said, ‘Dead Streets’ made me hungry to go back and see how Matt Richter became a Zombie Detective in the first place, and of course, what the next case for Matt Richter – Zombie Detective will be.

Keep tuned in for more: COMING SOON! An audio excerpt from “Dead Streets” featuring a spoken excerpt with the music of the novel’s Banshee led, all monster band ‘Kakophonie’! 

As one might hear on Bedlam 66.6 
Nekropolis’ favorite ghoulish radio station.

Right here @ http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/

Let the ‘Scream Queen’ sing!

~

T.Reed is a Film Composer and Multi-Media Creative specializing in the realm of Horror and Sci Fi Music, Art, and Writing. http://www.taoxproductions.com

Cryptozoology - Poems by "The Captain" @ CaptainPoetryBlog.com

"The Captain" has unleashed some of the most Godawful poetry 

on the planet. His harrowing tales of travel on the high seas and 

to remote locations include battles with Sea Monsters, Giant Sharks, 

Giant Octopus, Bigfoot, and even the infamous Loch Ness Monster!
See posts from 3/24/2010:  

Loch Ness Monster, Unattached, and Bigfoot)
Read if you dare, but be fair warned;)

http://www.captainpoetryblog.com/
Please sign on as a follower and decry the greatness 

or awfulness that is indeed called Captain Poetry! 
Sign up on The Captain's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Captain-Poetry/108007355887553
for even more Maritime fun! Show your support for an old seafaring 

wayfarer determined to spread his stunningly poisonous  poetry from 

shore to shore while battling  beasts and critics from land and sea!

TLR

I Have Joined the Robot Army

Yes, I have done it. I have gone to the Robot's side.
Angry Robot Books that is.
As a reviewer for the UK based genre imprint, I will have the opportunity to preview selections from their growing catalog of SciFi, fantasy and WTF fiction, and bring you the scoop on what's fresh and hot on the table.

First up will be my review for Tim Waggoner's "Dead Streets" from his monster fueled Matt Richter: Zombie Detective series. So keep your eyes peeled here for this and other reviews to come!

Science Fact: Robot /Man - Exoskeleton

     FROM AMAZING SCIENCE FICTION TO SCIENCE FACT! 

The robot exoskeleton and giant mecha warriors, previously the exclusive domain of sci-fi pulp magazines, comics, ambitious Japanese animae and cinema, are now active development projects with functional prototypes. It's all here in this month's robotic feature.  From the serious and militant to a "big kid's" toy for those who can afford the price tag, from the deadly serious to the patently absurd, or artistically odd and even a dose of downright silly just for fun;)

If I didn't know better, I'd think we were preparing for some kind of Mech-War!





I think this guy he thinks he's Tony Stark;)



How do you get this damn thing on the tour bus?



Save up your pennies and platinum for this 300,000 dollar gem;)




Ok, Ok ...It's silly as all get out...But man what a lot of work and fun it must have been to put that costume together, he better just hope it doesn't rain...



Till next time, keep well oiled;)
See ya again, same robot time, same robot channel.

Rock & Roll Ghost Stories

In October 2010 Charles River Press will be releasing 

"Rock & Roll Ghost Stories" 

edited and compiled by Stacy McArdle-Sardelli. 

Stacy was the editor and chief of the music and entertainment magazine Babble and Beat. In this frightful collection Stacy brings together musicians from around the world to share their real life ghostly encounters! Some of the Artists who have provided true ghost stories include:

The Church, Tim Finn, Nosferatu,
Metropol, Screaming Mechanical Brain

and quite possibly a macabre tale from YOURS TRULY,
T.Reed Composer @ TAO X Productions:)

Keep your eyes peeled!

Are you a musician with a true ghost story of your own to share? There is still time to submit your story. 

The Deadline for Volume 1 Submissions is March 15th! 

Submissions for a Rock & Roll Ghost Stories (Volume 2) will be accepted starting in April 2010.

 Want to learn more? Want to pre-order a copy?

Check it out @ http://www.rockandrollghoststories.com

and @ http://www.charlesriverpress.com/horror.html

Winter Updates : Film Festivals, Writing, Remixing

While I must apologize for a month without any new posts, it has not been for a lack of writing .
I have continued delving into Horror Fiction with a short horror story submission for a paranormal romance collection. I wanted to try and defy the stereotype of that genre with a story that was perhaps a bit more horror filled and less traditional romance.
"The Man in the Mirror" was the result:

SYNOPSIS

Sarah lives a sequestered life of abuse at the hands of her less than perfect man. She escapes into romantic fantasy novels from the library where she works, but back at home, she gets a beating, again. At her wits end, Sarah turns to a Jamaican Hoodoo woman who tends to her injuries and sends her off with a mirror, and instructions for trapping her man’s devil inside it. There are two things she must never do...look into the mirror, or break it! Staring into the shattered glass on the floor she wonders what happens when you’ve done both.

Official selections should be made by next month. I will post an update if my submission is chosen for publication. Wish me luck!

I'd also like to announce some info regarding "Four Cups of Joe" a short film written by Steven Baer and produced and directed by Brandon Butrick at Photon Creative, with sound design, Foley, dialog & music editing, and mix by 'yours truly' at TAO X Productions.  We also worked with Composer Steve Moon on this to free up my hands for the sound design and production work. You can see the comedy short at:

http://www.photoncreative.com/films.php
It will also be appearing at the
Beverly Hills Shorts Festival 
March 18 -21st 2010
I will update as new festivals and screenings are added.

I have been busy developing a number of other projects as well, including the music for the current Welcome video commercial on the homepage of the Savasa Fitness website.

I have begun work on a remix for RPM recording Artists "The Vanguard"
for their track "And Then We Dance" which I intend to wrap up and deliver by the end of the month.
You can check out The Vanguard and hear the original track at their website.

And last but not least I have had to put some Hip Hop collaborations, Cinematic Monster Music,  and various other projects on hold while I completed other scheduled work, but I will be returning to these projects and others that I am involved with, in March.
Till the next update, Keep creating!

Vampire Apocalypse - Support Horror Creations!

Nightmare Sound Laboratory supports fellow artists embarked on interesting creations in their own laboratories; and now YOU can too! Vampire Apocalypse is an upcoming Graphic Novel adaptation of the original series written by Derek Gunn. This project features the artwork of Federico Combi and additional scripting by CJ Hurrt. The project is being put together by Eric Mullarky at New Baby Productions.

On behalf of everyone at:

Nightmare Sound Laboratory

TAO X Productions 

Monster Makers Lab

We would like to wish this fairly new Comic company from Michigan and all the Artists involved the best of luck!

Come join together with other Monster Makers and Horror/SciFi Creatives at:

MONSTER MAKERS LAB
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monstermakerslab/

T. Reed - Composer/Producer/Writer/Monster/Robot

X-Mas Special! ZXR RADIO SEADROME on Other Dimension Radio

Other Dimension Radio

The Official 'Other Dimension Radio' Podcast available now!
Program # 1. ZXR RADIO SEADROME  
Almost Live via Biomass Transmitor - Music and Interview!

    Other Dimension Radio 1 - X-mas 2009  by  TAOXProductions
An interview with Sir Devin Starke

Of ZXR RadioSeaDrome

This interview with Devin Starke was conducted via
biomass interface between ZXR RadioSeaDrome
and the Biomass Research Laboratory

of Doctor Stephan Warlock in October of 2009.

Transcript from the desk of Dr. Stephan Warlock:

Recently, while conducting some experiments in Biomass Communications, I stumbled across an unusual signal. I was able to tune in to a broadcast from a strange facility called  ZXR Radio Seadrome.  After some calibration, I managed to pinpoint their clandestine Broadcast Network long enough to reverse a patterned biomass signal and get their attention.

    Only someone with a mind sharp enough to design, build, and operate the Tesla powered SeaDrome broadcast facility would be able to see the code in the biomass feedback pulses and recognize them as a “friendly hello” from someone with the capacity to interrupt their signal.

 It was the first round in a game of “psycho-electro-acoustic/ tag” with ZXR Radio Seadrome. 

For those unfamiliar, ZXR RadioSeadrome is comprised of a partnership between:

·                            Dr. Alex Zarkov (Chief Engineer – Electronics Expert),

·                            Captain Reginald Van Duesenberg – (ZXR’s Commander and navigator).

·                             Sir Devin Starke – (Composer/Musician and ZXR’s Music Director)

And now, streaming through an arcane array of biomass feedback generators and wave converters, I am pleased to bring you delegated representative from the SeaDrome itself …

Sir Devin Starke, Composer extraordinaire:

1.                              Dr. Stephan Warlock:  Greetings Devin, I believe you are it, so to speak.  Could you start by telling us a little bit about the ZXR RadioSeadrome and your music? Give us a general sense of your purpose and style…

Sir Devin Starke: Greetings Dr. Warlock, it’s a pleasure to speak with you. By the way that was pure genius how you intercepted our signal, very impressive work. Dr. Zarkov would like to talk to you about it after the interview. Let me start by saying that the SeaDrome is the world’s only Tesla-powered floating radio station. It roams the Atlantic sending out a one million watt signal capable of reaching halfway around the globe. Being ZXR’s onboard composer and music director I alone am responsible for what goes out over the airwaves. As an artist my sole purpose is to create the finest electronic sound sculptures I am capable of producing for the station. Some may say that I have fallen short of this goal but as the SeaDrome is a unique creation in an increasingly conformist world I feel compelled to create the most unique sounds I can for broadcast.

As for my style I have no name for it. Dr. Zarkov likes to call it lo-fi sci-fi for your Hi-Fi. The style could probably be traced back to the countless hours I spent as a child ‘composing’ on my Muson toy synthesizer which was an excellent source of incredibly cheap-sounding outer space type noises. I still have the Muson but seldom use it anymore for fear that it may finally give up the ghost. It’s at death’s door now.

2.            Dr.W:  How did the ZXR team actually come together…I mean you have quite a unique approach to fusing science, art, and broadcasting.

DS: I first met Captain Van Duesenberg after a midnight performance of my “Wow and Flutter Concerto” at the 42^nd Street subway station in New York. He told me that he was the commander of Dr. Zarkov’s new floating radio station which was to be launched later that week. He also mentioned that they were looking for a music director to join them on the high seas. Having grown rather tired of performing underground I immediately offered my services. The rest as they say is history.

Dr. Zarkov is a brilliant scientist, he designed the SeaDrome entirely on his own. Unfortunately just a few weeks after we launched into the Atlantic the United States Federal Communications Commission began searching for us, claiming that we had no license to operate a one million watt transmitter. This was a ridiculous claim since we were broadcasting in the middle of the ocean far from any government jurisdiction. They continue to hunt for us nonetheless.

 But I would say that life on the SeaDrome is quite groovy actually. Supplies are delivered to us every week via Dr. Zarkov’s private magnacopter and there is always fine champagne and Beluga caviar on hand to fuel my creativity. And Dr. Zarkov’s daughter Alexia spends a lot of time on board where she can be closer to her father. She’s a fascinating young woman and we enjoy each other’s company a great deal, although the good Doctor seems to disapprove somewhat.

3.            Dr.W: You seem to have a great deal of focus on Nicola Tesla and his science, from the theoretical design of your broadcast facility, to the content of your music. You’ve even written a marvelous tribute piece, “Theme for Tesla”. Can you tell us a little bit about how that came together and the involvement of the Tesla Memorial Society?

DS: I had wanted to write a Tesla tribute for a long time but the right idea wouldn’t come to me. Then one day I came across the Tesla Memorial Society website where I first heard the beautiful eulogy speech read by Fiorello La Guardia who was mayor of New York City at the time Tesla died. In my mind I could hear music accompanying the words and immediately began writing the track. I contacted the Society asking for permission to use excerpts of the speech in my recording and I also sent them the track for their perusal. The Society’s president actually wrote to me giving his approval and thanking me for my work on Tesla. I was honoured to say the least.

4.            Dr.W: Besides Tesla, Whom else would you consider an essential influence that inspired the work you do today?

DS: Hugo Gernsback was a big influence on me. He was a prolific publisher of science fiction stories long before anyone even heard of the term. He actually coined the term “science fiction” although he preferred to call it “scientifiction”. As a young lad I was given a rather large collection of his early magazines. They’d be worth a fortune today if I still had them.

Regarding music I would have to say Kraftwerk first of all, I was greatly affected by their early albums. Klaus Schulze’s double album called “X” (“Ten”) was a major influence on me as well. I thought “Stratosfear” by Tangerine Dream was an electronic masterpiece, though I really don’t care for anything else they ever did. And I also spent a lot of time listening to vintage stereo test records. These were highly technical affairs usually filled with frequency sweeps, white noise, pink noise, all different colors of noise, sonic booms and such, really inspiring stuff.

Then there was a guy named Edd Kalehoff who was an early Moog player. The only time I ever saw him play was in a TV commercial but it had a profound impact on me, not so much for the music as for the huge modular synths, tape machines and electronic devices he was using. If you’d like to check it out I believe it’s still on YouTube somewhere. Edd looked like the coolest guy in the world surrounded by all that technology and I wanted to be that guy, minus the moustache and glasses of course, maybe a different shirt too.

5.            Dr.W: You have an unusual tone that is both old, warm and retro feeling, yet new and crisp simultaneously. For some of the ‘techies’ and music producers out there, would you be kind enough to describe a little bit about your recording process and the gear you use?

DS: I have no definitive recording process. I do use a combination of analog and digital devices which probably contributes to the ‘old/new’ feel of many of the tracks. Sometimes I’ll record certain parts directly onto reel to reel magnetic tape for added warmth and saturation before I transfer them into the digital realm. Some parts of “Frequency of Storms” were recorded onto a vintage stereo cassette deck for a truer lo-fi feel. Quite often I find that a digital synth will sound much better when first recorded in analog. Of course it all goes digital eventually but the process does impart a certain ineffable feeling to the track. One could call the tracks “analogically de-mastered” so to speak. Yes, I rather like that term and I think I’ll coin it right now. You’re my witness to this Dr. Warlock, I hereby make my claim as the man who coined the phrase “analogically de-mastered”. All rights reserved, all wrongs reversed and all that.

6.            Dr.W: Could you tell us something about the track you created (“In Robots We Trust”) for the upcoming “Rise of the Retrobots” compilation project? For starters, is that your voice opening the track?

DS: No, that is the voice of Emerson Crosley, ZXR’s on-air announcer. He and I were having a conversation one day when he mentioned that Captain Van Duesenberg once said that he didn’t trust robots because it was impossible to tell what they were thinking. I thought the line would fit the track nicely so I added it. Since this track was to be destined for a robot-oriented compilation project I wanted to create something a bit more in the style of early Kraftwerk as a sort of personal homage. I trust that imitation is still the sincerest form of flattery and not plagiarism!

Dr.W: For those who haven’t heard, “Rise of the Retrobots” is a multi-media compilation being put together by our glorious sponsors here at Other Dimension Radio, Nightmare Sound and

TAO X Productions creating unique, compelling music & sound for film and media. The call for submissions of Robot Oriented Music, Video, Animation, and Art is out there. Find out more at:  www.myspace.com/riseoftheretrobots

 

7.            Dr.W: Considering the brief telling of the legend of your Captain Van Duesenberg’s experience with the ‘Robot Mutiny’ on his trip to Tahiti, I’m just curious what is the official ZXR stance on Robots?

DS: Actually ZXR is decidedly pro-robot. Indeed, some of our best friends are robots such as Victor the Robot whose electronic grooves are among the finest I’ve heard. Captain Van Duesenberg still has some issues with robots but so would you if a dozen of them turned against you in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during a raging storm. Perhaps a better type of electrical insulation would have made all the difference but he’ll never know, will he? As I mentioned it was the good Captain himself whose words were replicated on the track “In Robots we Trust”.

8.            Dr.W: So, are there any new tracks or projects on the immediate horizon?

DS: I’ve been working for quite a while on the music for a new ballet which is to be performed entirely in zero-gravity, but it seems I shall never finish it now as the SeaDrome takes up most of my time these days. I do have several tracks in the works at the moment, one of which is some appropriate ‘please stand by’ music for those times when the station runs into technical difficulties. A seemingly simple track such as this is much harder to do well than one might realize, it’s a matter of creating just the right mood to accompany the thoughts of a listener who is waiting in anticipation for the regular broadcast to resume. Capturing a mood is everything to me. Each track needs to create a certain atmosphere. If it doesn’t then I reject the track.

9.            Dr.W: If there was one piece of gear you could add to the SeaDrome’s arsenal of sonic equipment, what would that be?

DS: Well, there are a lot of pieces of vintage gear that I would like to have. One which comes to mind is a Buchla 700 synth. I believe about twelve of them were made so they’re a little hard to find.

10.        Dr.W: What are your hopes and goals for ZXR Radio SeaDrome and your musical composition over the coming years?

DS: Whether by fate, luck or inclination I am now part of the ZXR crew. My only goal is to continue working as the artistic soul of the SeaDrome for as long at she may sail over the storm-tossed wine dark seas of time. And long may that be.

 Dr. W: At this time I need to thank you Devin, for gracing us with your time and your music, and thank all of you, for tuning in.

You’ve been listening to an interview with Sir Devin Starke of ZXR RadioSeaDrome here on Other Dimension Radio. You can learn more about ZXR RadioSeaDrome at:
http://www.myspace.com/zxrradioseadrome

 I’m Dr. Stephan Warlock bringing you music and sound from Other Dimensions.

Tonight’s fine programming has been brought to you by Nightmare Sound and TAO X Productions.

You can find out what other mad science and musical metaphysics are going down at the Nightmare Sound Laboratories by checking out:

http://nightmaresoundlab.blogspot.com/

For Other Dimension Radio this is Doctor Warlock signing off….

 This program has been sponsored by:

Music Producers - Musical Multiple Personality Disorder

Producer's Journal

The Deep Dark Secrets of Music Production 

Nobody Wants to Talk About

Perhaps only other producers will be able to relate to this dark secret of the business, but many of us suffer from MMPD (Musical Multiple Personality Disorder).
   It starts off innocently through study of music and music appreciation, but like a gateway drug, leads artists to want to actually create music in genres outside their natural areas of expertise, to explore, collaborate, innovate, and finally bend and twist genre on it's head...And then, it's too late; you are hooked.
You start to notice it when you hear a track in a genre you never liked and suddenly have a wave of immense appreciation for the songwriting and production, or worse yet, you can re-imagine the song in an entirely different genre/arrangement. These musical "hallucinations" can have far reaching effects, including a sometimes excessive build up of interesting, but unrelated tracks in one's music catalog.
For producers who come from the performing/recording artist/band world it can be even more traumatic.
An artist with a band or specific solo project already has identity issues, often using one or more obfuscated identities to represent their 'creative selves' versus their 'business selves', and their 'everyday selves'.
   For those afflicted with MMPD, the compulsion to analyze music and engage in unsavory acts like: research, study, practice, collaboration, experimentation and ultimately becoming involved with 'foreign' genres, becomes irresistible, pulling countless producers down a long hard road of musical addiction.
For the performer turned producer, coming down from a 'one genre' focus and having to enter a beginners mind in unfamiliar territories can be a challenging transition, but the lure of "mind expanding" musical experiences often proves too compelling for an artist just leaving the exciting world of long hours, late nights and too much cigarette smoke.
   Side effects of MMPD can be a heavy level of appreciation for cultural diversity and an open mind.
Often times artists with an established following can suffer the stigma of being accused of lack of focus or betrayal of genre/fanbase. Without a community of other producers willing to come out and openly discuss this 'seamier' side of the business, an individual producer can feel isolated and lock themselves in their studios for hours if not days at a time.
If any of these symptoms or conditions sound familiar to you, you may be afflicted. You may be a producer.
Until now, it had been thought that the only cure for this affliction was a steady job doing only one kind of music (or in extreme cases, no music at all!) for the rest of their life...For some, that cure is worse than the disease.
I am happy to be able to reveal to you today, that the real cure is much simpler, free, and readily available!
The secret? Having a good sense of humor, a healthy dose of ambition and perseverance, and finding a supportive place where you can openly declare:
" I am (insert your name here) and I'm a Producer";)

Happy Holidays,
T. Reed - Composer/Music Producer