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Friday, May 16, 2008
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Scarborough is going...and going...and going...
Current mood:  adventurous
Category: Music
So, it's the second to last weekend of Scarborough Renaissance Festival's 2008 Season, and boy I am stoked. Things are going really, really well this year. I snagged a small stage act at the Captain's Pub at 5:30 which I call the Power Half-Hour, where I host and have a few guests. The show is right before Pub Sing, so it draws a great crowd and people are in a good mood. The music is astoundingly popular. I'm getting great responses. My shows are ending up being driven by my originals, actually, the ones that I've written myself. The two traditional songs I consistently play are Black Velvet Band (singing with Leza Mesiah, the Moor of Dundee), and Star of the County Down. The original songs I tend to play are as follows:
Trowel In One Hand and Irish Fire, two fairly popular love ballads.
Since those songs, however, I have written several new ones. One is Fortunate with a Side of Shepherd's Pie, an upbeat song about great fortune, drinking apple juice (or beer), feasting, and more that I won't ruin for you...and of course, as much of that tasty Irish dish as we can muster to either eat or fit into a song.
Another new one is a song called the Faerie Medley. It is a mixture of three songs, my own A Smile from Hell Itself, the traditional English folksong Nonesuch, and another one of my own called Fae-Child. It tells a story about a woman of beauty and charm beyond human measures, once a lonely fae-child, now a forest-dwelling seductress who takes the unwary wandering men for her own...and an explanation as to how and why this metamorphosis came about.
And finally, the newest of the new, a happy and heartful ballad called Seasons Rising, which weaves a story and a true account about the wonders of Faire, all and all the magic and music which it holds.
Melanie
7:02 PM
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Monday, January 21, 2008
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A tuppence for your thoughts
Current mood:  amused
This occurred to me the other day...while recording, don't you know it...
The artist's ultimate hindrance is the fear that his or her work will not be good enough.
The artist's ultimate frustration is the knowledge that his or her work is not be good enough.
A tuppence for your thoughts.
In other news...
The 2008 season of Scarborough Renaissance Festival is approaching quickly! Startling just how quickly. Build your anticipations and your excitement! This year is going to be amazing. ScarboroughRenFest.com
6:26 PM
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Sunday, November 04, 2007
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Email list and new EP, Seasons Rising
Current mood: chipper
Seasons Rising, the new EP, is all finished and pretty. I'll be doing my best to make sure that everyone who wants one can get ..) The track listing for Melanie Gruben-Seasons Rising is:
Star of the County Down (traditional)
Trowel In One Hand
the Vampire Song
Magdalena
A Smile From Hell Itself
IRISH FIRE
All are original compositions except for Star of the County Down.
Also, my email list is ever growing, and you should join the fun! Message me to be added or get more information.
Cheers,
Melanie
7:02 AM
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Thursday, October 18, 2007
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NEW SONG! "A Smile From Hell Itself"
Current mood:  mellow
That's right folks! Yet another new song has been posted! It is called "A Smile From Hell Itself". Please feel free to message, comment, and add to your own profile. Thank you!
Melanie
3:37 PM
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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
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MiddleFaire over; New Recordings!
Current mood:  accomplished
Category: Music
After two weekends at MiddleFaire, a renaissance festival, I am worn out and tired, but not without two new songs in the Celtic style. One is called "Irish Fire", and is now up on the profile, and the other is "A Smile Like Hell Itself", which should be up in a matter of minutes.
Please enjoy! As ever, feel free to message, comment, or add the song to your profile. Cheers,
Melanie
9:28 PM
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
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Recording .3 (new demo) done!!
Current mood: accomplished
Yes! It is done. Should be posting the new songs soon.
I recorded:
The Vampire Song
Put It Down
December.
Huge thanks to Paul Alonzo for agreeing to record and produce "#3"!
Can't wait to see what you guys think.
10:24 PM
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
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Recording Celtic music
Current mood:  artistic
Going to do some minor recording on Nov. 1. Probably going to record some of my celtic music so those who haven't heard it will get to hear it!
8:44 AM
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Saturday, August 26, 2006
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New Celtic Music!
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Music
I now have about an hour's worth of Celtic nusic material including the following:
Black Velvet Band
Cockels and Mussels (Molly Malone)
Star of the County Down
the Unicorn
Do Virgins Taste Better
Greensleeves
the Scotsman
Flogging Molly- If I Ever Leave This World Alive
House Carpenter
Three Jolly Coachmen
Spanish Ladies
Health to the Company
Fiddler's Green
Drunken Sailor
Arthur MacBride
Rising of the Moon
Scarborough Faire
Wild Mountain Thyme
Irish Lullaby (Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra)
And, in progress, Danny Boy. (yay!)
Now I just need to make a demo....
Anybody know any fiddlers?
2:00 PM
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
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Press kit done & Scarborough Faire
Current mood:  contemplative
THE PRESS KIT IS DONE! It's a two-page kit with a bio page and a headshot/contact info page. It look real gud! Thank you Courtney! www.myspace.com/CourtneyFairchild
And hey, we also got some business cards done.
SO! Scarborough Faire (I'm sorry, Scarborough RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL) opens in approximately..... NINE AND A HALF MONTHS? D'OH!
Oh well. Guess I'll just have to wait.
BUT THIS YEAR I'M GONNA BE BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!!!
For those of you who don't know, I'm on cast (a character) out a Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, TX. For those of you who don't know what a Renaissance Festival is, it's where you go out dressed up or not, and eat turkey legs and drink beer (if you can) and ride dragons, and watch shows, and buy awesome ren gear.. and meet Fair Folk, and be weirded out by the Touched By God Squad, and most importantly, flirt/be flirted with to your heart's content. Oh yeah. And it's basically a theme park that looks like a Renaissance Village. If you don't know what Renaissance is, a very crude way of saying it is "Medieval, only more advanced and a hell of a lot cooler". If you don't know what Medieval is, GO TO SCHOOL DAMN YOU! If you've already been to school, go back to school. And this time pay attention in history class. Or just go watch some "Epic Battle" movies. But preferably go to school.
....ANYWAY.
7:57 AM
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Tuesday, July 18, 2006
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Press Kit
Current mood:  blah
So there WAS a press kit, but then we decided that it was too long and needed some work, so then we were like, hey, let's make a new one or two. And now they are in the making/editing. Thank you James Hargrave. www.myspace.com/NamedJames
Oh, and by the way, I saw the good friend Ariel for the first time on stage tonight (www.myspace.com/princeelizabeth) and she absolutely rocked it. Check out her music, it's good stuff. Kind of Placebo/Cranberries pop/rock alternative.
Keep checking back...
9:05 PM
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