Review and Mashup: Delta Rae

Like lots of people, I first heard Delta Rae on the a capella TV show The Sing-Off. But it wasn't until I heard their first single "Bottom Of The River" that I truly became a fan. The song and video were so intense and dramatic and well done that I couldn't wait to hear more like it. But I had to wait, since we have bad internet connection where we live. Honestly it's a miracle I'm even able to blog as much as I do (which isn't much, so that's saying something).

Finally, (and coincidentally on the same weekend that their concert on AXS premiered), I was able to hear some of their other songs online, and although I loved their a capella stuff, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of their songs involved beautiful, intricate, and unique instrumentation as well. And when I watched their AXS concert on TV shortly after, I was even more thrilled to see that they actually played their own instruments (a feat that is sadly not seen enough anymore), and that they had such great energy onstage too. I would have loved to have been there live. If you get a chance to see them on tour, I recommend it.

I fell in love with a bunch of their music, especially the songs that reminded me of my own novels as well as my husband's, and when I heard their song "I Will Never Die" (which reminds me of BOTH our novels), it quickly became my new favorite. And I quickly noticed that the vibe and lyrics both seemed to go well with "Bottom Of The River" so I decided to try mixing the two songs together. Turns out, they go together perfectly. I feel like this mash-up takes all the intensity of both songs and just amplifies it. Hopefully you will like it too. And I really hope I got the right lyrics. So many sites butcher lyrics these days, so fingers crossed ;) Anyway, let me know what you think! And be sure to check out their EP "Chasing Twisters" as well as their debut album "Carry The Fire". Some truly amazing music on both. For tour dates and much more, visit their website HERE, and check out the killer teaser for yet another new album from the phenomenal band (coming in April 2015) HERE.

Delta Rae is a force to be reckoned with. Their electrifying energy, their powerful voices and musical talent, and their creativity in using some really unique and awesome instruments, all make these kids stand out as nothing like we've ever seen or heard before, and likely never will again. Some say the band's vivacious lead singer Brittany is a witch. Whether that's true or not, listening to their music definitely does make you feel like you're under a spell, and the more you listen, the more you want. And there's no denying the themes of witchcraft in some of their songs, including the two I mixed together (so of course it's no wonder they remind me of my husband's books). But whether witchcraft is involved or not, I'm perfectly happy to be under their spell. :)

 And now I give you my
Delta Rae mash-up:

Let me know what you think in the comments below! And please subscribe here and on Youtube if you like it (after subscribing to their Youtube, of course) ;)


Be The Lightning,
Kylie Jude.


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New Beginnings - first cover and first logo!

Hey, sorry it's been a while but I've been reeaalllyy busy. And this is one of the many things I have been busy with.

 They say when one door closes, another opens. So, while the Middle Earth saga may be over (at least for now), in this first month of 2015 my husband and I are opening new doors. Not sure where they will lead, if anywhere, but we are opening them nonetheless ;)

Most of you know I've dabbled in music over the years, but most of you probably didn't know I played the penny whistle. 

The penny whistle is a traditional Celtic flute (also referred to as a tin whistle) and is not to be confused with a recorder. 

I started playing the penny whistle when I was 16 (around 13 years ago) after being inspired by Celtic music such as the Titanic soundtrack and a band called The Corrs. 

I have taken lots of breaks from the penny whistle, as other forms of music as well as writing and editing have stolen a lot of my attention, but I always seem to come back to this instrument. I guess I just love the history and culture associated with it. 

While I have written a few original songs on the penny whistle, most of the time I am learning other people's songs on it. Soon after I heard the Misty Mountains song in The Hobbit films, I decided to try learning it on the penny whistle. And by the time the final Hobbit movie came out, an idea was brewing in my mind. An idea to start making cover videos and posting them online. Now I know this is something lots of people do, but hopefully the addition of the penny whistle will spice it up a bit. I do plan to do more covers in the future, so keep an eye out for those, and if you fancy yourself a singer or musician and want to collaborate in the future, please let me know! (I also mixed the audio and love mixing music whether I am in it or not, so I'm open to all kinds of collaborations) - oh and the song at the beginning and end is "The Edge Of Night" (also in the films) so I guess it's not just a cover but a bit of a mash-up too. ;) 

BTS shot from our hike to the rocks (background)

BTS shot of me getting into position on top of the mountain.

I tried to get my husband to perform this with me, and he almost did, but then he didn't. He did, however, do all the filming and directing, and I think he did an awesome job. We wanted to film in the snow, but unfortunately Mother Nature decided to deny us that, so we went with what we had - trees and rocks. And on day 2 of filming, we hiked to the top of a mountain near our home in order to get certain shots, and while on our hike we were blessed with some shots of ice, so at least we had that. It was bitterly cold though. Playing the penny whistle in 25 degree weather? Bad idea. But we survived, and I'm glad we did it. 

A very cold Kylie between takes. Also a tree hugger.

In addition to this being our first cover, this video is also the first to feature our brand new Frozen Creek Studios logo, created and animated by yours truly :) And it couldn't be a more fitting video to premiere the logo in, since the sound effect we used for the tree shaped crack in the ice was actually taken from footage we filmed for this cover (when you see the staff hitting the ice toward the end of the video - that's where we got the sound from). So Anyway, I hope you like it! Let me know what you think. :) 

Shot from the FCS animated logo

Youtube is giving me issues again *shakes fist* so please click HERE to watch the video. Enjoy!

Be the lightning, 

 Kylie Jude. 


P.S. I almost forgot, MORE new-ness. My name no longer links to the about section of my blog, but now to my very own official website! Check it out if you haven't, and keep checking back as I not only have my blog there, but all kinds of different stuff. Stay frosty ;) 

 }i{ 

Making "Coma"

 As most of you have probably heard by now, my husband D. R. Acula and I have been participating in a contest on a collaborative website called TentSquare, and for about a month now it's pretty much all we've been doing. We've now made it all the way to the final round, and for this round contestants were asked to write an original song, using elements of TentSquare's coming film "While You Were In A Coma" in which a man wakes up from a coma to find that aliens have invaded. 

We were told to incorporate a gas mask (which we happened to have anyway), a city (which we did NOT have), and the fact that the main character 'doesn't get the girl' in the end. So we built this whole apocalyptic world based on that little bit of information, in which our characters are in the midst of this war with the alien invaders, and we have run out of bullets so we have to use swords and hammers and such to fight them, and our characters are basically singing to the guy in the coma, waiting for him to wake up and 'help us save the world' as the song states. 

Photo by Kylie Jude

We only had about 10 days to compose the music, write the lyrics, film the video, edit the video, and get it uploaded (which for us is an entire day's work anyway). We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary during the 10 days, and we had to take a few breaks for yard work, road work, house work, and even tearing apart and rebuilding our porch steps. So in reality it probably only took us 6 or7 days to do all of this work. And trust me, it was a LOT of work. 

First he composed the music, which featured elements of the video interview we submitted in the 2nd round, so it wasn't too hard to build on that and make it into a full length song. Then I wrote the lyrics, which I'll paste below in case you can't understand them in the song. Then we recorded vocals and I mixed them into the song, which took longer than it probably should have. 

Then we filmed the video, which took about 3 days, and was a combination of us, some close-up shots of the machines that conveniently decided to work on our road during that time (which never happens here so it was good timing - we figured they could pass for aliens), and footage that people sent us of cities including New York, Chicago, and even from Argentina. We don't have a city near where we live, so we were really lucky to get that footage from them. Then our TentSquare shirts arrived in the mail just in time to go back and film some extra shots for the last chorus with us wearing the shirts. 

Photo by D. R. Acula

Then came the editing process, which was probably the most tedious and time consuming of all, but I love editing and I had fun doing it. As it started to come together, I literally squealed with excitement a few times. LOL.

We both worked harder on this than I think we've ever worked on anything, and it was so much fun to create something like this together. Hopefully we'll be doing more stuff like this in the near future!  

UPDATE: We didn't win the contest, but we did come in second place. We are grateful to those who supported us and voted daily for us, and we hope to do more stuff like this in the future (even if it's not with TentSquare). We will be uploading the music video to Youtube as soon as we can, but for now you can still watch it on the site HERE.

And please let us know what you think!

  Oh! And here are those lyrics I promised: 

When you wake up

We need to talk 

Everything has changed my love 

They came from the skies 

Hell fire in their eyes 

And waves of radiation 

They blew the buildings down 

They blew the lights out 

And now we're left with nothing 

To fend for ourselves 

To fight for our lives 

And only the strong will survive

Are you strong enough to fight 

Or will you give in tonight 

Don your gas mask draw your sword 

Come and help us save the world 

Open your eyes 

Look to the skies 

Death is in the rain son 

Don't be fooled by 

Their coy disguise 

Trust nothing and no one 

Are you strong enough to fight 

Or will you give in tonight 

Don your gas mask draw your sword 

Come and help us save the world 

When you wake up 

We need to talk 

Everything has changed my love 

I'm not yours and 

You're not mine and 

We will never happen 

This is not the 

Time for love - it's 

Time for killing - time for war  

So don your gas mask 

Draw your sword 

Come and help us save the world 

Photo by D. R. Acula

Be the lightning,

Kylie Jude. 

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Fairytale In Red (Malukah Remix)

I first heard Malukah's angelic voice when she posted her very first Skyrim cover on Youtube a couple years back, and since then, I've become hooked. Then a couple months ago when I heard her original song "Reignite" (inspired by and including clips from one of my favorite game series "Mass Effect") I knew she was a star. She has become just that among gamers all over the world, and rightfully so. 

I commented on her Reignite video saying something like "Keep writing songs. That is where your true power lies." THEN I discovered that she had released a whole CD of original songs under her real name Judith de los Santos, called "All of the Above" and what do you know, I was right - her original songs are in my opinion even better than her covers. She puts so much emotion into everything, and this album is no exception. The sound is masterfully produced and the lyrics are surprisingly brilliant. 2 of my favorites from the album are "Covered in Red" which has that dark intensity I always look for in music, and "Fairytale" which weaves words together in a mind-blowingly impressive way. 

The 2 songs seem to have a similar theme, as well as similar notes (each of them still standing alone as separate songs though) so I had the idea to try mixing these 2 songs together. I used "Fairytale" as the base (it plays the whole time) and added clips of "Covered in Red" over it (it's quiet but it's there - I would have made it louder but the drums would have clashed). Mind you, I don't have the best equipment to do stuff like this with, but hey, I tried. And my husband tells me that despite my lack of good equipment it still sounds like one fluid song, which is a huge compliment coming from him (he tells me the truth whether it's ugly or not) so, I hope you guys will like it too! 

 

Screenshot from "Fairytale In Red" (animation)

They say all musicians are capable of hearing 2 songs in their mind at once, and I've always been able to do that. As a result of this bizarre talent, I've been wanting to mix songs together for a few years now (even made a list - lost it since then but it's quickly growing again - this will be the first of many mixes), but I never actually tried it until now. And Malukah was the one I wanted to mix music from first, since that first project is always so special, and Malukah is also so special. Her covers alone have helped me through some pretty hard times, especially "Reignite" (which also got me through beating Dragon Age: Origins for the first time) and not only does she have this amazing talent, but she is one of the sweetest people you'll ever encounter. She always takes the time to reply to people online (which is quite the feat considering how many people interact with her every day) and it amazes me how humble she still is. The following wasn't even in reply to anything, which I thought was awesome of her.

Via Google+

Anyway, since I'd already talked to her a few times, I felt like I needed to ask her permission before uploading this mix. So, I sent her an email and crossed my fingers, not wanting to get my hopes up. To pass the time until I heard from her, I tweeted things such as this to get people excited: 

And I think it worked ;)

Then, to my surprise, Malukah said yes! I was happier than a kid on Christmas morning, and it definitely showed in my posts on Twitter. LOL. And @MarsAmee (a mutual fan) was pretty excited too, which was awesome ;)

I quickly got to work finalizing the project, making a simple lyric video (to clarify which parts I used where) and even adding some animation (which is apparently MUCH harder than it looks) and finally, after much blood, sweat, tears of frustration & tears of joy, staying up until 5am for 3 nights in a row, working on it for most of my birthday (today - New Years Eve), 34 Movie Maker files and over 520 Photoshop files, I'm happy to finally say IT IS FINISHED! I know it's not perfect, but I hope it will showcase her music in a fresh new way and attract even more fans for this amazing musician and wonderful person. :)

 

Screenshot from "Fairytale In Red" (animation)

If you haven't heard the album "All of the Above" you can check it out at Malukah.Com - I recommend listening to each song on its own before listening to the mix. I also recommend checking out her Youtube if you haven't yet. Get over there and see what you've been missing! 

Anyway, enough rambling. Here it is. My mix and lyric video of these 2 amazing songs (I've also combined the titles of the songs to get "Fairytale In Red") - Hope you like it! 

I'd suggest headphones & full-screen. Just saying.

So, there you have it. Remember, this was my first time mixing 2 songs together, and also my first attempt at actual animation. So be gentle with me, but let me know what you think! I loved making this, and I hope I get to collaborate with Malukah (again) in the future. I think this arrangement would make for a great duet (might have to try that if Malu and I are ever in the same town LOL) and I already have a little something in mind (actually kind of a BIG something) for a possible future project with her if she's up for it. Hint: The song in the credits. ;) 

Whatever the future holds, I feel brilliance on the horizon. New year, new passion. I'm so excited to bring you more stuff like this :) If you like it, please subscribe to the channel and also to my channel where I'll be posting some future stuff like this too. 

Happy New Year! 

 Be The Lightning ;)

}i{

UPDATE:

Here is Malukah's sweet and thoughtful response to the blog and the mix: 

   Thanks Malu :)


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Random Revew: Sarah McLachlan

Sarah McLachlan is one of my main musical influences. People used to call me Kylie McLachlan :p Her music was a huge part of my childhood, as my mother & her friends would listen to her album "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" frequently. Basically my childhood consisted of music from The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, & this woman. & to this day she is one of my favorites.

"Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" is not only my favorite album of Sarah's, but one of my favorite albums of all time. It's rare to find an album I can listen to straight through without skipping a single song, & this is one of those rare cases where every single song on the album is a precious jewel. The feeling of it is so haunting & emotional, & the style is unique to Sarah. 

If I had to choose, my favorite songs from "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" would probably be "Possession" (based on a letter from a crazed fan), "Mary" (which i think is about about motherhood & growing old but many see a religious or environmental meaning), "Fear" (a unique ballad in which she hits crazy high notes), & of course "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" (the title track). 

I love listening to this album straight through, especially the last two songs. Here's why: "Fear" is the trembling confession of a little girl who is afraid of love, stating "There's nothing I'd like better than to fall, but I fear I have nothing to give." & directly after that song appears a calm & focused grown woman on the beautiful title track, which states repeatedly "I won't fear love" finishing the album with hope. It's hard not to tear up listening to it. 

It is this perfectly amazing placement of songs, combined with Sarah's beautiful voice & intricate compositions & harmonies, that make "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy one of the best albums of all time.

 

The magic doesn't stop there though. Sarah has released many more amazing albums since then, such as "Surfacing" & "Afterglow" & from these albums some more songs I adore, such as "Adia" & "Witness" from "Surfacing" & "Fallen" & "Stupid" from "Afterglow" but as beautiful & intense as these albums are, my favorite is still "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" & it probably always will be.

Another great album, believe it or not, was the live album "Mirrorball" - I ran that album into the ground. In my opinion, the energy & composition of each song is even better live, which is difficult to find in an artist. Here are two songs from that album to prove it. From the Mirrorball DVD:

Random Review: Beth Quist & Lucidity

Here's my review of Beth Quist from Get Glue:

When I was 10 years old, my mother and I were living in Boulder with my mother's then-boyfriend, who was also a musician and had a little recording studio in his home, and Beth would come over all the time to record her album "Lucidity" which was released in 1995.

I remember sitting there listening to her record one vocal track for a song, then another, and another, until she had beautiful songs filled with intricate harmonies. She also played the instruments. She is really a very talented lady if you think about it. 

Thanks to the daily repetition of recording, I already knew each song by heart by the time "Lucidity" was done, but surprisingly, I didn't get sick of it. I listened to my copy of the CD pretty regularly. My favorite songs were the upbeat and attitude-driven "American Giver" fueled by the drum beats of a doumbek, the sweet sounding "Mourning Dove" which literally sounded like flying, and the sorrowful "Goodbye" in which she hit the high the notes beautifully. "Crazy" and "Prodigy" were also amazing songs.

I haven't heard her newer music, as we moved away and lost touch not long later, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that Beth had more of an influence on me over the years than I thought. I later started recording my own vocal tracks, and then going back and recording another track, harmonizing with myself, until there were sometimes up to 10 tracks of harmony. I guess this idea kind of came from her in a way, so, thanks Beth. ;) 

Below is the only video I could find on Youtube with one of the mentioned songs in it:

Beth is still making music, and she now performs with Cirque Du Soleil! How cool is that?!? You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Youtube. 

This has been a Random Review from your friendly neighborhood Kylie Kerosene. Have a good week! 

 

Random Review: Another Earth & The Saw Lady

Here is the review I wrote of "Another Earth" on Get Glue::

When I first heard about this film during the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, I was immediately intrigued. And when I saw Brit Marling for the first time, talking about the movie, I saw a fire in her eyes that is only found in the most talented of filmmakers, and intrigue melted into determination. I knew I needed to see Another Earth. And today I finally have.

It was even better than I expected, with amazing and unique cinematography, believable and heart grabbing performances, and a beautiful storyline. I was completely sucked into this world, and I found myself surprisingly attached to the main character (played by Marling). This was probably due in part to the way the film was shot (mostly handheld with an in your face technique that many films don't use often), and in part to Marling's stunning and talented portrayal of her character. 

Yes this is an independent film, and yes it moves slowly for the first half, but then it picks up in a big way. I think it's definitely worth watching, especially if you're a fan of science fiction, or just a fan of good movies in general.

Watch the trailer for "Another Earth" here: 

Also, there is a scene in the film where one of the characters plays a saw like a violin. When I saw this, I was floored. Being a musician myself, and having been brought up surrounded by many different cultures and styles of music, I have seen a lot of things, but never something like this. It was one of my favorite scenes in the film. The idea is so unique and innovative, and the music is one of the things that made "Another Earth" great. It's amazing how such beauty can be pulled from a saw.  

Below is a video of "The Saw Lady" Natalia Paruz, 
who played the saw for the film. Prepare to be amazed:

You can find Natalia on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on her website. 

Keep your eye on the sky. You never know what might be out there. ;)

This has been a Random Review, 
from your friendly neighborhood Kylie Kerosene. 
Have a good week!

First. Blog. Ever.

I realized yesterday that it's kind of blasphemous for a writer such as myself to not have a blog. So, here I am. I've been writing for years, but I'm only now starting my very first blog. I feel like a kid. I'm way out of my league. But I figure if everybody else can do it, why can't I? Birds fly over the rainbow, so why can't I?!?

...Anyway... 

Where to start? 

I guess I'll "introduce myself" for those who don't know who I am and what I do.

 I'm a writer (in case you didn't catch that the first time). I began writing poetry when I was a little girl living in New Mexico, then poems turned into songs after my mother and I moved to Colorado, and then I started attempting to write short stories and novels. Back then, they were about things like fairies and princesses. I mean come on, I was a little girl. But now I'm all grown up, and the subject matter has changed. I'm currently working on a novel called Undying. It's the first book in a science fiction trilogy. It's been called "Twilight for robots" among other things. I can't say too much about it, except that it's more epic than I ever anticipated, and I'm so excited to get it out there.

I'm also a musician. Or at least I try to be. My mother (and everyone else in my life) was very musical when I was growing up. She taught piano, played the guitar, and sang. So of course it wasn't long until I was following in her footsteps. When my mother would give her piano lessons in the living room, I would hear them from my bedroom. One day, after a student left, I came out of my room, sat down at the piano, and played exactly what she had been teaching her student, simply from hearing it from the other room. After that, music exploded into my life, and I've been writing songs ever since, while attempting to play the piano, guitar, and penny whistle. I've had a few music projects over the years. My current project is TwinStar, which I started with my husband when we met. We mostly write songs inspired by themes and characters in horror and science fiction films. TwinStar can be found on Facebook, Youtube, and the long-forgotten Myspace. I am also working on getting some of my solo music out there, but we'll see what happens.

And, last but not least, I am a video editor. When I was young, I used to listen to music and make up little videos to the songs in my head. I would annoy my mother and whoever else was around with my little "timelines" of my imaginary music videos. I don't think I even knew what a music video was at that point, much less that I could actually be making them. Then, when I was a teenager living in Lexington KY, a family friend introduced me to video editing, and it was instantly my number one passion. I could finally get what was in my head out there for other people to see. It's been about 10 years, and it's still my passion. I make music videos of movies and video games on Youtube, and I also make videos for my support group R.I.S.E.

Speaking of which, I founded R.I.S.E. (Rape Incest & Suicide Education) in 2008, to help spread the word about these epidemics, and to help victims and survivors RISE above the past and begin healing. I've met some wonderful people over the years, some of which are kind enough to help out with R.I.S.E. I'm so grateful to them. Together, we are hopefully saving lives by helping people see that they are not alone, and that suicide is not the answer. If you're interested for any reason, we are on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. Also, our Spokesperson Rindi runs a blog for R.I.S.E.

I have yet to make any kind of profit from any of the activities above, but I don't mind. It's not about money. It's about doing what I love.

Other than all that, I'm just a woman, living in Kentucky, playing video games, listening to music, and watching movies and television. Wow, that sounds boring. Oh, also, I'm on an eternal quest to find the meaning of life, and to evolve as much as I can while I'm here. But aren't we all? ...Wait... Don't answer that...

In this thing we call a blog, I will post updates on projects I'm working on, random ramblings for your reading pleasure, and movie reviews and things of that nature. I will try to post once a week. But we'll see what happens.

This has been a blog (specifically the first blog ever) from your friendly neighborhood Kylie Kerosene. Yes, I stole that line from Spider-Man. I forgot to tell you I'm also a bit of a nerd. Surprise!