Hey, if you like filk our amazingly talented friend Beth Kinderman has a new album dropping on October 25th (but you can pre-order it now at her Bandcamp!)

We've been hearing Beth perform some of these songs in concert for years and I'm SO excited there are finally gonna be recordings of them available! I love all of Beth's music, but this album has some of her most powerful pieces, the sort of songs that worm their way into your psyche and stay there. If you like prog-rock, references to science fiction and mythology, complex harmonies, and the sort of lyrics that will buzz around in your head for months, check out Sisyphus: Ten Songs About Hope by Beth Kinderman and the Player Characters!

A song I wrote, inspired by Turn A Gundam.

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Lyrics:

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I blink the frost from my eyes

as the sun seeps into my bones

My house is overgrown with vines

I planted ten generations ago

They give me a stallion to ride

and the reins are placed into my hands

I am the moonlight that shines

on these ancestral, long-forgotten lands

I can’t recall my mother’s eyes

nor the features of my father’s face

I’m sure they must have been like mine

but now I’m their only living trace

Long is the history untold

and long have we waited to return

But as our plans now unfold

I start to see peace’s promise burn

And though the great machines have started to move forth without me

I still must bear the consequences of my sin

But now my own reflection in the flesh has dared allow me

to see through others’ eyes and hear the changing wind

And though we come from different places, times, and circumstances

we dance together to the same eternal tune

The past repeats itself and comes back bearing second chances

just like the phases of the moon….

Hey all! Remember the concert @scribefindegil and I talked about performing back in August that ended up having technical difficulties for folks who tried to tune in to stream? I have good news - the convention posted the official video of our performance (this time with sound!) to their YouTube channel today.

Since this is now the largest repository of our music all in once place (especially some of our newer songs), I broke it down into a tracklist, so if you've never heard our music before, want to check out the new stuff, or just want to listen to a favorite song or two, they'd be easier to find.

(And yes, if you just want to see me play the electric kazoo while dressed as Raine Whispers, I have noted when it made its appearance)

If you haven't heard our stuff before, we're Astrisoni, a two-person viola-and-guitar filk (nerd folk, basically) duo that write songs about sci-fi, fantasy, our favorite stories, and all manner of adjacent topics. A handful of our songs are also available for purchase on our Bandcamp (where and and all support is always appreciated, especially since we're going through a bit of a rough patch)

0:22 - Opportunity Lullaby

One of our most popular songs, a lullaby written in honor of the late Opportunity rover. My sister, who I finally got to perform for at this concert, said it made her cry. (As an endorsement). Also on our EP on Bandcamp!

5:15 - Story And Song

A song about the power of songs -- and storytelling, and TTRPGs, and the creativity lurking in all of us.

9:12 - Pure Of Heart

Probably our most famous song, which was nominated for a Pegasus Award back in 2021 and is also available on our EP. A warning about the dangers of unicorns -- and unrealistic standards.

16:14 - Ancillary

One of our newest songs, Scribe's ode to the Imperial Radch trilogy

21:07 - The World Is Still Here

A TAZ: Balance song about NO-3113

25:35 - Don’t Stop Believing (Redux)

I almost hate to give away what's going on with this one, but. Yes, it is a Don't Stop Believing parody. Yes, it is about cryptids. Yes, it is where the electric kazoo makes its appearance. Lot happening here.

32:25 - You Comfort Me

Our Legolas & Gimli duet inspired by their mirrored lines in The Two Towers

38:42 - Possessing The Text

One of our newest songs, Scribe has described this one as an ode to writing queer fanfiction for stories that don't respect you. But you know, with ghost metaphors.

45:00 - Solidarity Forever (Boiling Isles version)

A Raine Whispers-inspired filk of "Solidarity Forever"

49:15 - Chapters In-Between

An ode to some favorite stories, and the aching feeling of having to wait for a better future even when you're working to make one happen. Noteworthy for, among other things, being the song I finally fit a Pacific Rim verse into.

56:04 - Make This Timeline Brighter

Our most common closer, with a fairly self-explanatory title. This one is also up on Bandcamp.