MarcoPolo, a solo acoustic live performance preview!

Not sure if I'll be able to update the blog much in coming weeks, so I figured I'd do something this evening. Here, then, is a performance video-- not something I've done much of (or any of, actually). The song is MarcoPolo, the Gedankenband version should be out before too long (hopefully), as detailed in my previous post!

Upcoming Single Release: MarcoPolo

With April and National Poetry Writing Month in the rear-view mirror, it's back to putting music in the Imperturbable Music blog. So I hope to get a single up on the Bandcamp site in the next few weeks.

The A-side (or what would have been the A side if there were such things any more) will be "MarcoPolo", a song written about the proposed European asteroid sample return mission MarcoPolo-R (MPR). It was a request of the MPR Principal Investigator, who liked Down on Vesta well enough to commission a song from me at a group dinner in Barcelona. Or maybe it was all the alcohol.  Regardless, I found someone to sing the French verse and the whole Gedankenband lends their vocal as well as instrumental...stylings to the song.

I'm planning on pairing two B-sides with MarcoPolo at this point. The first is a proper recording of Liara, my tribute to a fictional blue alien babe, which appeared here in a demo version just after it was recorded. The second is a solo acoustic version of OBAFGKM. That one, at least, is done.

I'm hoping to get permission to use some artwork from the MPR mission, so with luck that'll happen quickly.  We'll see if that'd be lucky for you or not. :)

Post-NaPoWriMo Bonus Poem

First, thanks for all the support during National Poetry Writing Month.  It's been wonderful to go through the experience with colleagues old and new and read some great new stuff.  As difficult as it was at times, I'm already looking forward to next year.

With that, I wanted to post one extra poem.  It seemed a bit too...something to end the month on, so I'll just start May with it.  After all, the point of NaPoWriMo isn't to write or post poetry in April alone. :)  So here's one I wrote early in the month, inspired by a friend's professional travails and a phrase she used in describing them.

-----

science is a sometimes friend
the kind who'll encourage you
to sit down at the popular kid table
then laugh at you behind your back
for your pretension.

science is a sometimes friend
who'll poke you when you daydream
and tell you should be working harder
and ask you why you aren't Einstein.

science is a sometimes friend
who'll tell you that your'e not all that
and who'll drive away people
you really like
so that they wonder
if you'll still like them
even if they can't be friends with science
because it broke their hearts
too often.

science is a sometimes friend
who'll sneak into your dorm room
late at night
thinking you're asleep
and whisper "i love you"
but you hear and remember every word.

----

Again, thanks for your support! I expect to go back to mostly posting homemade music of varying quality until next April, hopefully you'll return to listen to that stuff here and at the Gedankenband website, too.  :)