Westercon/Conchord concert set list.

[seanan_mcguire]

The combination Westercon/Conchord was wonderful, and I had an amazing time, full of joy and delight and wonder. I am so very grateful to have been their Music Guest of Honor. As is the standing tradition around here, I now present my concert set list, including annotation and lyric links, because that's what makes it useful.

The Westercon/Conchord list, with arrangement notes, was as follows:

1. "Counting Crows." (Seanan, vocals; Paul Kwinn, guitar; Maya Bohnhoff, backing vocals.)
2. "Mama Said." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, backing vocals; Beckett Gladney, harmonica.)
3. "This Is My Town." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, Paul, backing vocals.)
4. "The Snow Queen Dreams." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar.)
5. "Jack's Place." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, backing vocals.)
6. "Fox Hunt." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, backing vocals; Beckett, harmonica.)
7. "Death Danced at My Party." (Lyrics and music, Talis Kimberley; Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, backing vocals.)
8. "Maybe It's Crazy." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar.)
9. "Vampire Slayer Blues." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar, bastard Watcher.)
10. "What a Woman's For." (Seanan, Maya, vocals; Paul, guitar, innocent scientist.)
11. "Dear Gina." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, backing vocals.)
12. "My Story Is Not Done." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, backing vocals.)
13. "Wicked Girls Saving Ourselves." (Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar; Maya, backing vocals.)

ENCORE: "When I Go." (Lyrics and music, Dave Carter; Seanan, vocals; Paul, guitar, vocals; Beckett, harmonica.)

The bridge for "Wicked Girls" was...

"Now Beckett's an artist, and Vixy's run off with the fairies,
And Kathleen keeps careful account of the treasure she buries,
Sue poses riddles, and Kristine plays tricks,
While Maya sings songs, see which one that she picks,
And the rules that we live by are simple and clear..."

It was a very good set, and I enjoyed it immensely. Thanks again to the sound crew, for keeping everything running silky-smooth, and to my stunt musicians, who went above and beyond the call of duty.

As always: "This Is My Town" is on Pretty Little Dead Girl and Stars Fall Home. "Maybe It's Crazy," "What A Woman's For," and "Dear Gina" are on Red Roses and Dead Things ("Maybe It's Crazy" is also on Pretty Little Dead Girl). "Vampire Slayer Blues" is on Pretty Little Dead Girl. "Counting Crows," "Mama Said," "The Snow Queen Dreams," "Jack's Place," "Fox Hunt," "My Story Is Not Done," and "Wicked Girls" will be on Wicked Girls.

"When I Go" is on When I Go, by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammar. "Death Danced at My Party" is not currently available.

Thanks again to everyone who was there, to Westercon/Conchord for having me, and to Nick, for excellence in cat-herding as he wrangled Kwinns, McGuires, and many, many more.

See you next con!

Comments

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

"Death Danced at My Party" is not currently available.
That sounds like a more fun version of "The Masque of the Red Death."

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hee!

[angel-vixen.livejournal.com]

...and to Nick, for excellence in cat-herding as he wrangled Kwinns, McGuires, and many, many more.

Cat-herding is a vastly underrated skill-set (she said knowledgeably). Kudos to him!

AngelVixen :-)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

He did quite well.

[jen-qoe.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this - had never heard your music before, and, wow, am now suitably converted. :-D
Have now ordered Stars Fall Home, but the most important question - when's Wicked Girls out? Want! Need!
:-)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Wicked Girls is currently slated for (hopefully) release in October of this year. I'll announce it when the pre-order period opens.

[aliciaaudrey.livejournal.com]

I have to tell you that normally I don't like filk. I am not, one could say, a filk fan. I blame a bad experience at Boskone 2001 or 2002 (I forget which--those early-twenties years tend to kind of blend in my head), in which I got trapped in a packed room full of filkers (I had been in the room for a panel, and I didn't flee in time, and then I couldn't get to the door). It was a filk session dedicated to Douglas Adams and DeForest Kelley, who had both fairly recently died. I swore to God if I had to listen to one more off-key rendition of "A Simple Country Doctor in Outer Space" I was going to do something undecided but drastic. Go screaming mad, maybe grab somebodies guitar and beat my way out of the crowd with it. It was a bad experience. I don't like crowds in enclosed areas, I don't like music that's out of tune, and I detest excessive sap. It was a bad hour and rather soured me on the whole phenomena.

That being said, your wit and ability to sing in tune are enjoyable, and I might consider rethinking my "Don't come anywhere close to me with that. I will hurt you. I know kung fu." stance on the topic. I've been listening to your samples on CDBaby and I find them rather pleasing and I feel a compulsive need to buy Red Roses and Dead things specifically so I can play your song about the Black Death to my friend Amber-the-evolutionary-biologist because she would absolutely scream with delight. Good show!

[dornbeast.livejournal.com]

I got trapped in a packed room full of filkers (I had been in the room for a panel, and I didn't flee in time, and then I couldn't get to the door). It was a filk session dedicated to Douglas Adams and DeForest Kelley...

Gaaah. Something like that would put me off of showing up to filk panels for a while, and I don't have a problem with crowds.

If you feel adventurous, try taking in a filk concert. People who can get concert slots with their name in the program are rarely off-key, and if you arrive early and stake out a spot close to the exit, you can get out if it's too crowded or too sappy.

You will probably want to avoid open filk like it's trying to rip out your soul.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

You will probably want to avoid open filk like it's trying to rip out your soul.

What an apt way of putting it.

[aliciaaudrey.livejournal.com]

Definitely noted. Thanks for the advice. :)

Sad thing: I no longer remember what panel I'd attended. I was late because I was having a lovely discussion with someone. I no longer recall who it was or what it was about. It's all lost to A Simple Country Doctor in Outer Space. It's the song that haunts my nightmares. (http://www.ovff.org/pegasus/songs/simple-country-doctor.html)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I can break through at least a little of your understandable aversion! If you ever want a list of CDs and artists to take a look at, let me know.

[aliciaaudrey.livejournal.com]

That would be awesome. Thanks!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I shall do this thing.

[aliciaaudrey.livejournal.com]

This is because you are awesome. Thank you. :)

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

Kathy Mar's cover of Death Danced at my Party is on her new two-CD + DVD set. (Also Life of the Party, Kanefsky's filk of it.)

It would be nice to have a Talis recording of it, though.

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

Could you remind me please who published that? I would like a copy for my collection! I never heard Kathy do 'Death Danced'...

I have a wonderful recording of it (imho - no, really, it's rather nice) which I should very much like to make available again in due course - I need to run some things past my fellow performers on that particular, and slightly ancient, tape run... it appeared on the 'Mythical Beasts Undubbed' tape, I was at that time performing with JJ and Kieran, and I'm still very fond of it.

And hey! I did sing it last month in Chicago! And nobody at all commented on the fact that I included the spoken Spanish intro I'd always wanted to add...

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I have an MP3 that I made from that tape run, in fact, and I treasure it greatly.

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

Apparently Love Song Productions (http://www.love-song-productions.com/), but you could probably also contact Kathy through her website (http://www.xocolatl.com/kathy/)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

True, but she does it so differently from Talis that I tend to not remember that it's there. I suck that way.

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

Remember your Star Trek fan novels! A song done differently enough, to someone who knows song-language, is an entirely different song!

(I love that book so hard)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hee.

[ldwheeler.livejournal.com]

Talis has a live version of "Death Danced at My Party" on the FilKONtario 7 disc "Why Can't Penguins Filk?"

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that! I've been trying to pull together an up-to-date discography, and I think I'd forgotten that one...

[ldwheeler.livejournal.com]

That was my introduction to the song, which is probably somewhere in my 30 or so favorite songs, any era, any genre.

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

Why, thank you, sir!

I will be making it available again in some format, before too long, really truly.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

True, and it's excellent.

[a3starmom.livejournal.com]

I love all your songs and stories but I do have to say,I have never heard anything like "Death Danced..." The melody,the musical talent, and the VOCALS,,OMG.Just thinking about and remembering it now, gives me goosebumps. Thank you Seanan, Paul, Maya & Beckett for letting me be "a fly on the wall." Love ya all

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

I truly hope I get to hear it some day. It's a song I've always enjoyed performing, and it was very easy in the writing - as though the song were there and I was the fortunate soul to whom it happened..

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

If nothing else, I will grab Paul, and we'll just record it for you in his living room.

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

Bless you! If the opportunity arises one day, I'd love that. I shall fill your inbox with strange things.

[it-aint-easy.livejournal.com]

I would be pleased to accommodate you. It wasn't just a random whim to include that song; it's always been a big favorite of mine. Thank you, Talis.

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

You are most assuredly welcome, my friend. Thank you!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay, strange things!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Mom.

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

Seanan dear, sorry to hijack your blog like this! As ever, you do me great honour in choosing to sing one of my songs when you have so many wonderful ones of your own. Thank you.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Sweetheart, you never hijack my blog. You are a welcome and wonderful presence in these virtual halls, and I love "seeing" you.

Wait until Gafilk; then I'll have somethin' to sing ya...

[talis-kimberley.livejournal.com]

Ooh, temptress!

[it-aint-easy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for letting me be part of it, Glamorous GoH. :{)} I always have a good time in your sets.

(I think I should have a "backing vocals" on "...My Town", too. But I love my other vocal credits. :{)} )

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Whoops—updated! Thank you for pointing that out, darlin'.