Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

How to Get Involved in Filk

This started over on filk and I couldn't resist reprising it here. If you want to learn more about filk (folk music with science fiction, fantasy, and horror themes) then try these things:

1) Watch relevant LJ communities such as filk and musiclovers for filker posts. Follow the interesting people back to their own blogs and track down their music.

2) Listen to some albums by major filkers like Tom Smith and The Great Luke Ski. This will help introduce you to some of the best and most famous material.

3) Write reviews of the filk albums you like, and post them online. allreviews is one good place. Send copies to the filkers and their publishers. This will help you make a lot of friends.

4) Make insightful replies to posts about filk. Bonus if you can explain exactly why a given song works or doesn't work for you.

5) Play to your background. Pick a day -- Mondays are good -- and every week post to your blog with an essay about some aspect of filk as it touches on your interests. If you're a historian, write about using history as inspiration for filk, or funny historical mistakes in filk songs, etc. If you're a rocket scientist, discuss filk songs about space exploration. That ought to build up an audience in a hurry.

6) Hang out with musicians and lyricists. You can help each other hone your skills of composition and performance.

7) For composition ideas, try a fishbowl in which you write songs based on ideas that people give you.

8) Look at folk songs or listen to some at a festival. Imagine what would happen if you added a science fiction, fantasy, or horror complication.

9) Watch F&SF television shows and movies. Pick a character and tell the story from that perspective, in song. If something stupid happens, mock it in song.

10) Go to filk conventions and concerts when you can. Introduce yourself to filkers. Make friends. Invite people out for dinner or a drink, if you can afford to. Put yourself on people's mailing lists.
Tags: fantasy, music, networking, science fiction
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  • 2 comments
lukeski

lukeski

July 24 2008, 00:35:38 UTC 12 years ago

11) Eat copius amounts of bacon.

12) Write a song about bacon.

13) Fans start bringing you bacon at live shows. :D

Thanks for the mention!
ysabetwordsmith

Hello!

ysabetwordsmith

July 24 2008, 03:52:13 UTC 12 years ago

I didn't know you were on LJ! Hi! *pounce* *hugs*

You would've loved our last potluck. A friend of ours made fresh pineapple bits wrapped in bacon, dipped in barbecue sauce, and baked. Mmm, bacon! Two days later our whole house still smelled like barbecued bacon.

Anyhow, everybody else go listen to lukeski who is one of the best satirical lyricists I know.