But you've only got half a day or so to buy it.

The audio is not perfectly mixed and mastered; the songs are mostly live bootlegs.  The CD label will be nicely handwritten and autographed by me, with your name on it as you please, and the track list & credits will be printed on the printer here at WWR.  If you want a lipstick smooch on it, please specify when you order.  This is homebaked music — as in, burned on my laptop.  This is INDIE MUSIC IN ACTION.  The CD’s come with Marian’s homeburn guarantee — if the disc doesn’t work, I’ll make and ship you a new one from home, cuz I actually care about you since you’re ordering something weird like this.

For SerenityStuff fans who remember the Sing a Song of Saffron contest, her second entry, "Never Did Catch Her Name," is included. Check her blog for a track list and more details.

Head to WholeWheatRadio's Marian Call page and scroll to the bottom. The CDs are $12 plus shipping, and will only be available from 8pm tonight till 10 a.m. tomorrow (Alaska time; that's 9 pm to 11 am PST or midnight to 2 pm EST). (By the way, I love that WWR's page includes a running tally of how many CDs she's sold. Go Marian, go!)

This is an excellent way to support a truly talented and witty musician, and indie music in general. Go check out the live concert tonight, if you need more (free!) encouragement to support Marian.

There were only 1,000 CDs pressed and they're signed and numbered by Marian herself. After they're gone you'll be able to buy the songs electronically.

Just $15.95 for a fantastic collection of 'Verse and BSG-inspired tunes. You can find sample tracks here.

And don't forget to check out my interview with Marian from last week.

Not only does she have an incredible singing voice, not only does she write haunting, intricate, and funny lyrics (yers, it's possible), not only is she a talented musician, but she's a geek, and a proud one.

You remember her from our "Sing a Song of Saffron" when she won, rightfully so, for her smoky song "It Was Good For You, Too." Since then she's been embracing her obsession and writing more geek-friendly songs, and now thanks to QMx she has a whole CD of them debuting just in time for her live performance coming up at Creation Entertainment's Tribute to Firefly and Serenity, November 22-23 in Burbank, CA. And I got to ask her questions!

============================

So what's a nice girl like you doing in a 'verse like this?

I never meant to be a fan of any show, ever — but enthusiasm sort of caught me by surprise and opened a wormhole in my personal solar system. On the other side was an awesome 'verse full of like-minded folks who were unafraid of enthusiasm and nerdiness.

When did you discover "Firefly"?

Exactly two years ago now, in November 2006. A despondent friend swore she had to watch it as therapy, and so I let her put it on at my house while I worked on my computer. But I gradually got drawn in, and at the end, sheepishly asked, "Can we watch another one?" When I finished watching "Objects in Space" for the first time, I wrote the song "Dark Dark Eyes" in about five minutes. When I watched it with Joss's commentary, something clicked, and I thought, "I can do this. I can be an artist." The next day I booked two weeks in a recording studio in Tacoma, and my first album, Vanilla, was born several months later. The only way I can describe what happened is to say that I finally got brave after watching the show and learning about how it was made.

How did family and friends react to you "coming out" as a geek?

They always knew. You can't fool people close to you — mostly you just fool yourself.

I always wanted to be "normal," so from the time I was very small I would pretend to be bad at reading and deliberately misspell words so that I would not stand out in school. That longing persisted through college, and I learned a certain regiment of self-suppression that never really worked. I feel a lot more free now. Though I still apologize when I bring sentences to a grinding halt by accidentally using phrases like "false yet pertinent dichotomies" in all seriousness.

Why Alaska? What's the attraction over the lower 48?

You have to go there to know there. It's the true Outer Rim. You either enjoy the freedom and wildness and weirdness of the Outer Rim, or you don't. I'm a city girl myself — but I like to think of myself as a resident of Persephone rather than Ariel.

You've always been very open with fans, posting regular blog entries and offering free song downloads every month. Your nature, a business decision, or both? (More to the point, will you forget us when you win a Grammy?)

I really wish I had a secretary so I could spend ALL of my time interacting with the friends and fans I've met on my journey so far. It's my nature AND a business decision. And it's partially inspired by the way Joss, Nathan, Jewel, Greg Edmonson, and some of the other cast & crew have chosen to interact with their fans. I was encouraged by their very different take on "celebrity" and being in a performance-oriented career. I saw that being on stage did not preclude being friendly and polite, and I thought, "If I can do it that way, I can do it."

Which came first, the singing or the geekiness? And when did you start to merge the two?

That's a chicken-and-egg question. My geekiness knows no beginning, and I've been singing since birth. And they've always been merged — I've always loved musicals, early jazz, Gilbert & Sullivan patter songs, Pre-Renaissance polyphony, difficult modern compositions, and other nerd music. My college degree was in composition, which is basically thinking and talking about modern orchestral and chamber music. And there's nothing geekier than that. Except for musicology.

When did you decide to move to living on a bus? And how is that working out for you? Is this a Partridge Family thing?

Comparisons to the Partridge Family may exit to the rear, thank you. Husbandface has always wanted to live in a converted bus, and I want to be a full-time musician. The timing just worked out this year that we could do both. He and I decided to take a crazy gamble and merge dreams when we bought the Millennium Tortoise. It's massively inconvenient, but it's also terribly convenient. And it's a great adventure. I am expanding and revising my definition of faith.

How would you describe your style?

This has always been hard for me. People ask me what king of music I write, and I answer, "What kind do you like?" I've done everything from Gregorian chant to Australian Aboriginal bitonal throat singing, and I incorporate everything I hear into what I do. But nobody's music is above blurbification. So that's why I go with folk funk or alt-jazz or pop fusion, and I usually try to throw in something about rhymes or lyrics, as well as being indie and lo-fi and recording in other people's closets.

Have you ever heard from any of the BDHs about your work?

Nope. But I'm doing this for me and for the great folks I've met over the last two years of being a Browncoat, not for approval.

Wait, I'm not being entirely truthful — I got one sentence from Christina Hendricks about my "Sing a Song of Saffron" entry. I believe she said my impression of her didn't suck or something along those lines. She's wonderful.

(Well, close. Christina Hendricks' actual quote was "She sounded just like me! It was fantastic, I really thought it was a good song even if you don't know the character. That song and 'Undressed' by Zane Stafford were the two I thought would make fantastic pop songs. I thought it was amazing!")

How did this CD come about?

I met Andy Gore of QMx last time I was in LA, and he is very interested in finding professional artists who happen to be fans. And when he finds them he sometimes turns them into professional fan artists. That's what happened to me. The whole project developed very, very quickly, and I wound up creating the whole thing — from writing songs to sending off the master — in about two months. (By the by, there are many reasons you shouldn't try to complete a whole album in two months. I can list them all now.)

I asked about all of the songs on the new CD but she said there'd be a lot in the liner notes, and she was too wordy for an interview (not true). But here's a couple of them.

"Good Old Girl": This song was inspired by Starbuck, but like all my songs, it's really about human nature. So it very much applies to other characters, like Laura Roslin and Zoe Washburne. I also wanted to write something about the battle-weary ships themselves, and the love they inspire.

Incidentally, since I finished this song, I have come to think of it as being about our vintage bus or our beat-up Alaskan Jeep. Or my dirty, dented laptop.

"Don't Try": There are so many frustrated romantic relationships in Firefly and BSG — there must be, otherwise the shows wouldn't be interesting. This is about some of the awkward male characters, like Billy and Simon. But at its core it's about Mal and Inara.

"It's Good to Have Jayne on Your Side":This is the song that's most literally about Firefly, and ironically, it's the song I didn't write. This was written by an Anchorage cowboy who had never heard of Jayne Cobb. He wrote it about his friend Shane, and when I heard him sing it at an open mic, I nearly fell out of my chair. I tracked the author down and got permission to cover the song, without hardly changing a word. This is just to demonstrate that Alaska really is the outer rim — because this song is not about Jayne, it's about a real Alaskan man.

"Got to Fly": I wanted to write one song about why it's important to tell these stories — why comic books and sci fi and fantasy and gaming matter to us. I don't want to spend my life on escapism — but I think it's important and telling that we dream up worlds where things are more dramatic, more meaningful, more decisive, where we might be capable of great things. That's a good dream, and a very human one, and that dream is what the title track is about.

What can fans expect from a Marian Call concert when they see you at Creation's Firefly con?

My shows are usually punchy and funny and a little weird, and I tend to close my eyes and gyrate arhythmically while singing as hard as I can. But the music still comes out OK, so don't mock my unconscious dancing, please. I play with a typewriter and a rain stick (from the San Diego Browncoats), and I love meeting and talking to fans (who often wind up friends).

At Creation, I'll be playing at the same time as the guests (=stars) come out to mingle with the fans over dessert, so I expect I'll be background more than the main attraction. After the mingling is over, though, I'll present some of the songs from the new album, which have only been heard in public once or twice. And I'll play as long as they'll let me. My band, the Independents, have come a long way for this concert, and they're excited to play. BTW, I'm playing in LA all week and even on the Sunday night after the con ends, so folks who aren't going or who can't afford the gold ticket can come to one of my other shows — listed at www.mariancall.com.

============================

The CD, "Got to Fly"  will be available for the first time at the con. There will be 1,000 CDs made and hand-signed, for $15.95, and then digital downloads will be available.

If you want some free samples, and of course we do, go to www.qmxonline.com/gottofly to check 'em out, and don't miss her concert! You can find more information about Marian at her MySpace page, her website, or on Twitter.

(Photo of Marian Call by Brian Adams)

Last year she also released a CD of her work called "Vanilla," with a special Browncoat edition that included the winning Saffron song along with her other amazing music.

And now QMx has declared her their "QMx Artist of the Month" in their latest Insider newsletter. Way to go Marian! And if you haven't gotten her CD yet, there's only about 30 left of the Browncoat version. E-mail her at mariancall@mac.com to get one, and ask about autographs. You can also visit her site at www.mariancall.com, or listen to her music at www.myspace.com/mariancall . And really, you should. She'll be big soon, and you'll want to get the CD now before it's going for hundreds on eBay.

Marian won the contest with "It Was Good For You Too" with unanimous praise from the judges, and with damn good reason. She has the voice of an angel: pure, clear, strong, and capable of wiping out a city. Talent, great song-writing ability, and a sense of humor: Marian Call is the anti-Britney.

There's a strong Firefly feel here. "Dark Dark Eyes" is about River, the stray "gorram" pops up, and these songs have a goal we identify with: there's a strong female character here. A lot of them, really. There's the one who's afraid she doesn't love enough, and the one that surrenders her heart completely. There's the one who rather wistfully wishes she was sexy and the one who delivers a verbal smackdown to a phony. My favorite songs are "Vanilla (I'm Not Sexy)" which describes my wife's self-image perfectly, and "Flying Feels Like" which should be riding the Top 40 if Billboard had any taste left. And you will be unable to not sing along with her cover of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning." Just give in, you'll get a headache trying to hold out. Head to her MySpace page for some samples, and more will be available at her web page soon.

(A quick description for Buffy fans: if she had been doing this 10 years ago, Marian would have been on stage at the Bronz, with the kind of lyrical songs that would have continued to play even as focus moved to Buffy and friends wrestling with personal issues. Also, she rocks.)

"Vanilla" comes in two editions. The limited First Run edition includes her winning Saffron song. There aren't many left, so if you order a CD make sure you e-mail her at mariancall@mac.com and let her know you want that one. But don't miss out, get these quick before she gets a Grammy and you have to hunt it down on eBay.

Sounds of the Verse from The Persephone Pickers fills the desperate need I saw on countless Browncoat forums over the last five years. Namely, variations of "Where can I find music like on Firefly?" Greg Edmonson being unavailable for parties — as far as I know — folks were zipping through bluegrass collections trying to find the right mix of string instruments that was so damn evocative while we were watching Serenity soar. We needed them for the car, for our shindigs, to be a soundtrack to our role-playing games. There were a few here and there, but aside from maybe the theme song to "Deadwood" nothing really came close enough. Till now.

Officially this would be considered "Folk/Americana" but we know these 17 tracks for what they are: Firefly music. Inspired by the different people and locations in the 'verse, when those guitars and violins start I get tingly. You got jaunty, sad, Celtic, Western, ballad. Some songs express a feeling, like the haunting sorrow of "Serenity Valley." Some describe a person, like "Kaylee's Theme." Some set the tone for a place, like "Mudders Milk" and "Trading Post." Some tell a definite story, like "Just Floating." And some are just damn fun, like… most of the rest of 'em. Warning: if you play this in the car, turn it down, otherwise "See You in the World" will cause problems unless you can explain to the policeman that you weren't speeding, you were attempting re-entry.

Sample some songs at their MySpace page and then buy it at CDBaby. If you're in a rush, you can buy a download copy and get it right away.

More music on the way, but this'll get you started in style.

And about time, too. Actually I have to confess, I've known the winners for two weeks now, but while I knew which songs were chosen by Christina Hendricks, Cedric of The Bedlam Bards, and myself, I was really hoping to include Ms. Hendricks' actual notes. She gushed over them all (sample quote: "God, these people are amazing! I was telling Morena about it, it's just fantastic. I want a CD of this!") but wanted time to flesh out her notes since she had jotted them down whenever she had time. However, her new show "Mad Men" (Thursday nights at 10 on AMC) is getting huge reviews and record-breaking ratings — and richly deserves both – and she's been a bit swamped, so rather than keep everyone hanging I'm going to announce the winners and add the rest of her comments whenever they come in. 

First off I want to say that I'd have been happy with any of the songs winning, they were that good. I know, everyone running a contest says something schmaltzy like that, but come on. These were way beyond what I was hoping for, and I had pretty high hopes. I got exactly what I wanted out of this contest: some great songs about a lady who definitely deserved them. So…

Best Original Song

Winner: "It Was Good For You, Too" by Marian Call
The song I thought captured Saffron better than any other. Can't you just see her in a slinky dress, sliding across a piano and singing to you, making you fall in love with her before you realized your gun was gone? Some nights I can't see anything else…
Christina: "She sounded just like me! It was fantastic, I really thought it was a good song even if you don't know the character. That song and 'Undressed' by Zane Stafford were the two I thought would make fantastic pop songs. I thought it was amazing!"
Cedric: "This song really captured the character of Saffron. The singer's vocal quality and delivery even recalled that of Christina Hendricks. I could see an audience that has never heard of Firefly liking this song quite a bit. Also, stylistically, sexy blues is not all that far from some of the bluesy elements in the Firefly soundtrack. Well done."

Runner-up:

"Everytime You Stow Away" by Jesse Graber
The judges were unanimous on their reaction to this. "I have to say this one made me laugh out loud," Christina said. "It was great!" Cedric said. "Well-performed and lively, this tongue-in-cheek reflection of Mal and Saffron's relationship made me laugh out loud. I liked the easy references to the show, not to mention the uke with a wawa effect. I wish I'd written this song." And I agree. Of all the songs, this one got the strongest and strangest reaction from me the first time I heard it.

Best Filk Award: "She Said Her Name Was Saffron" by Marc Gunn
I can totally hear this coming from a hotel room late one night after the dealer rooms have shut down (and I bet I will). This is what Mal sang to himself when no one was on the bridge. From Cedric: "It's concise, well-phrased, and funny."

Best Filk Award, Runner up: "Saffron" by J. M. Harmon
He didn't win by attrition, although he and Ziv Gur-Arye both certainly tried. But the style was good, the original song was very appropriate, and the lyrics were perfect. I want to see the music video for this. And from Cedric: "I'm not always a big fan of this type of filk, but JM Harmon does seem to have a talent for it. The choice for the original song was very appropriate, and the parody was well handled."

And the winner of the Browncoats Choice Award, chosen by you, was: "Yo-Saff-Bridge" by Ziv Gur-Arye. Ziv will receive a "YoSaffBridge Husband's Club" tee from BlackMarketBeagles.com and an autographed photo of Christina Hendricks. Thanks everyone for voting!

The songs are still available here and will be for a while yet. Thanks to all the musicians, and thank you double for your patience! Prizes will go out by the weekend, along with the marriage certificate packs that go to everyone who entered. Next time I'll try to set an announcement date when I start the contest.

Oh, there'll be another song contest. Despite the unexpected problems with MP3 hosting, online polls, and scheduling, this was still way too much fun not to. Let's see, what should the next subject be…?

Well, she caught my eye on Daedelus
And I couldn’t look away
Imagine my surprise when she told me
That she felt the same way
That night she promised she’d be mine
And she swept me off my feet
And for eighteen golden hours there
My rapture was complete

Then I woke up hog-tied
Lyin’ in my own bed alone
My gun was gone, and so was the safety box
of my Savings & Loan
She took my boat, she took my dog
She damn sure took my pride
And broke my heart in a million pieces
when she told me I was number twenty-nine

But I never did see such a fine lookin’ thief
In all my lonesome life
She’s a dirty low-down deceiver
I was a right fool to believe her
I never did catch her name, but she’s my wife

Well I tried to forget that wench
With brawlin’ and with beer
With empty threats of cold revenge
That she’d no need to fear
‘Cause that little redhead spins me ‘bout
When I think of her still
She has my watch and she has my heart
And I expect she always will

But I never did see such a fine lookin’ thief
In all my lonesome life
She’s a dirty low-down deceiver
I was a right fool to believe her
I never did catch her name, but she’s my wife

I met her husband number twelve
Says she’s a nympho thievin’ whore
Says she’ll run you in or sell you out
Like with every man before
But damn, she’s pretty with a gun
Just makes me love her more…

‘Cause I never did see…such a lovely thief
She’ll rob you blind…she’ll learn you grief

Oh, I never did see such a lovely lookin’ thief
In all my lonesome life
She’s a dirty low-down deceiver
I was a right fool to believe her
Still I couldn’t ever leave her
Sweet little what’s-her-name, she’s my wife

=====================

From the creator:

"This is a more traditional country/western "she done me wrong" lament, ostensibly penned by one of Saffron's many husbands who can't seem to forget her.  Husband number twelve, mentioned in the bridge, may (or may not) be Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

"I butchered a guitar track to another of my own songs to get this chord progression (my apologies and thanks to Eugene Black, the instrumentalist).  And I had to sing it myself for want of a male vocalist, so you can either pretend I'm a guy or you can pretend that gay marriage might be legalized sometime in the next half-millennium, whichever suits you.  Saffron doesn't seem to be choosy about the gender of her victims.  If any bands out there with male lead vocalists care to do a proper version, though, do get in touch."

The Saffron MP3s are now at imeem.com. You have to be a member to hear them there (registration is free) but I've also collected all of them on a page here at SerenityStuff and that's where you'll find new ones as I get them. I do want to set them up so they can be downloaded easily; I'll keep checking around for hosting.

And you'd better check back, they're coming in fast now. Just added three more: "Soliloquoy" by Satori (a smoky torch song), "Every Time You Stow Away" by Jesse Graber (a barbershop number), and "It Was Good For You Too" by Marian Call (a bluesy piece).

And a couple more filks: Ziv Gur-Arye contributed "The Husbands’ Lament" (to the tune of "Early One Morning") and "Yo-Saff-Bridge" (to the tune of "Mandy"), and J.M. Harmon continued his filking dominance with "Somebody to Love" (to the tune of "Somebody" by Depreche Mode). 

Just 11 days left! I've heard some big talking from people still working on theirs but time's running out…
 

Don't you cry now, sweetie
Just you put that gun away
All I did was play the part
you wanted me to play

You thought that you were handsome
and strong, and good in bed
I just agreed with you
and you swallowed every word I said

Oh honey, did you really think
you were special dear, unique
And did you really think I was
so needy and so weak

I robbed you blind, I left you cryin'
I played you for a fool
BUt you're the one who let me, admit it
It was good for you too

I had a better hand this time
You'll win some other day
It's a cruel game, but just the same
it's one that we all play

I've seen you force your hand before
You're no angel either, dear
So put your hands where I can see them
and let's get one thing clear

You're pathetic; did you really have to
spring for that new tattoo?
Did you really think that I
would choose to stay with you?

I gave you what you wanted
You returned the favor, too
We both made out quite nicely, admit it
It was good for you, too

Oh, admit it, admit it,
it was good for you too
I won't apologise because I know
that it was good for you, too

==================

From the creator:

"I saw the post about the contest and I already had half the song in my head by the time I finished reading the rules.  So very excited that I can contribute!