Drake Oranwood
As I posted recently, I’ve made a commitment to reflect and share about each of the 11 tracks on Hold the Door Open as a way of promoting the album a little more, and providing myself with closure on the project. A “deep dive.” So let’s go. Track 1: “I Must Be Silent.” (Click on one of the icons below to listen to the song on your platform of choice.)
I released Hold the Door Open last June, and I wanted to plug and promote it the way any sensible artist would, as a work I’m incredibly proud of, and the product of significant time and effort and collaboration. But I never really did. I promised myself I would do a geeky deep dive into the inspirations and the process for each of the tracks. And each time I thought about starting to type, a voice in the back of my head would tell me how people would just be reminded of how wrapped up in myself I am. And that, honestly, no one really cared about my musical aspirations, or why I released it under this ludicrous made up stage name, which just would make it harder to find. And I would find something else to do, and feel my heart sink a little.
We just got back from Pennsic (and boy is our everything tired). We’re extremely happy with our decision to only go for peace week this year and manage our risks. More about that later.
While I was at war, I debuted my newest song, “Homecoming”, which I finished last Friday, just in time for Pennsic. I was able to share it at a couple of bardic circles and a number of private performances for friends and chosen family.
Hi all! I had the chance to teach my first new class in a long time: “The Pleasures & Perils of Making Filk”. I had a lot of fun, and it was well-attended. Eventually, I’ll have to see what I can do about teaching it again and getting that recorded, but in the meantime, feel free to check out the class notes.
I had a great time teaching “Songwriting to Tell a Story” on Sunday. Thanks to everyone who came out for it. For those of you who missed it, the recording is up on my YouTube channel:
Friends,
I’ll be teaching my “Songwriting to Tell a Story” class this coming Sunday from 4-5:30 pm EDT.
Class description: Principles and guidelines for constructing tight, compelling, original songs that capture (and hold) an audience. The focus is on lyrics, song and story structure. How is writing a good lyric different from writing a good poem? Create a singable story that is entertaining, engaging, and will hold the attention of a SCAdian audience, who enjoy period material, but still prefer a song that runs 5 minutes or under.
While the class is focused on creating folk music in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), the principles are universal. Open to all.
To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/pyb-jvpi-yqr
Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 806-410-3532 and enter this PIN: 656 359 101#
To view more phone numbers, click this link: https://tel.meet/pyb-jvpi-yqr?hs=5
(Feel free to check-in on the Facebook event page to let me know if you’re interested.)
Cheers, Drake
I wish to share in this space that, as of this summer, I have made a permanent change to the lyrics of “Lady of the Rose”, and added a footnote to the page explaining the change. The lines that said “Open your petals to fullest display” now read “Bloom in the sunlight to fullest display”. Someone I care about shared with me that the original lines carried sexual undertones that made her uncomfortable hearing the song, though she knew that was not the intent. Whatever else one may feel about the piece, that sort of discomfort has no place in it, so I have made this change accordingly. This is the only version of the lyric I will perform going forward, and I invite anyone else who enjoys the song to adopt this change as well.
[EDIT: I have also updated the song notes at the bottom of the page to reflect that, while it is overwhelmingly composed of women, the Order of the Rose is in fact gender neutral.]
I finally found the time to add the song page for “Shine, Child”, and tell the story behind the writing of the song (commissioned by Lady Angela Mori for her daughter Thora) in the notes. It’s a very personal and special piece.
Checking in. After last K&Q Bardic, I made my traditional long in-depth post, and at the end, I made a number of pledges about actions I planned to take. I wanted to share that I have made progress on several of these:
The song page for my first original Elizabethan-style composition, “I asked of thee a boon”, is now available.
Drake Oranwood