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Maybe fame and probably not fortune…

Just in case anyone thinks the money and fame may go to one’s head, I’m posting my earnings from CD Baby. 😉  Some of the amounts are fascinating. As you can see, artists are brutalized by the pricing of their works on Google Music and iTunes, which make a big difference.

Support an artist through their own website, and you’ll generally help them be able to make more music. <3 (Studio time is expensive, and it’s hard to do that when iTunes pays half of what you charge on your own website.)

Of course, I am grateful for anyone who has purchased my music, or even listened to it in a streaming venue, as the pennies literally add up, but this might show a little what it’s like to be selling music in the modern, digital age.

$10.92 for album download of Aneleda Falconbridge: I Am of the North
$10.92 for album download of Aneleda Falconbridge: I Am of the North
$10.92 for album download of Aneleda Falconbridge: I Am of the North
$6.37 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$6.37 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$6.37 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Apple iTunes
$5.92 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Amazon MP3
$2.55 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Apple iTunes
$1.86 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes-Canada
$0.64 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Apple iTunes
$0.64 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Apple iTunes
$0.47 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.38 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.30 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.24 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.18 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$0.13 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$0.11 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.09 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.08 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.08 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.08 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.08 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Locker
$0.07 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.07 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through YouTube Music
$0.06 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.06 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.05 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.05 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.05 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.05 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.05 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.05 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.05 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.04 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes Match – Americas
$0.04 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.04 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.04 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.04 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.04 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes Match – Americas
$0.04 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.03 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.03 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.03 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.03 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.03 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.03 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Locker
$0.03 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Locker
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.02 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes Match – Americas
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes Match – Americas
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes Match – Americas
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes Match – Americas
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Google Music Store
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through Spotify
$0.01 for DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION SALES through iTunes – Apple Music – Europe

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L’ouseau

L’ouseau – a modern chanson de’ toile based on the “Laustic” of Marie la France by Aneleda Falconbridge 2016

From the first moment I read a summary of this story while researching, I was captivated. It was such a perfect summation of the themes of courtly love, in many ways. A woman is married to the wrong, often tyrannical, husband, likely for political reasons. She sees a nobleman (or vice versa). They woo from afar, maybe never speaking –the vision and imagination of each being enough to sustain a “love” which ultimately is discovered and brings about an end of the romance, typically with tragic fallout.

As a performance piece, it’s a challenge – it’s a long work, yet it needs to be for the fullness of the story. It’s also terribly sad, so the “right” moments are rare. After performing it at Ymir in Atlantia, I was encouraged to record it since some folks apparently want to sing very long songs that make people cry. It was recorded in February 2020 to that end. The recording is included in this post.

L’ouseau – FalconbridgeDownload
Continue reading “L’ouseau”
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You Never Know

I was elevated this past weekend to the Order of the Laurel. I’m overjoyed and I’ll probably start writing about all of my thoughts as they come but first, I will give you that which was, seriously, the most frequently given piece of thought given in my vigil, because it’s relevant to all of us. It’s basically a distillation of the “PLQs” — Don’t Be A Jerk.
 
While that last word varied, the sentiment was the same.
 
The other thing I want to share is this:

You Never Know.

I was given a tiny frog with a charm attached to it, which read “You Never Know.” Those words came back again and again in their relevance and reflection on the day – and I want you to have them.
 
There was one story that came up on a few occasions in my vigil – one story more than any others. The nature of it surprised me because it was not about a success, a triumph, a great work, but about a very public failure.
 
I entered a Bardic Champions event two years after I’d served in the role of royal bard. I was singing a piece that was meaningful to me, that I’d written. I’d practiced my fingers off to create a harp accompaniment for it. I knew and respected all the judges, loved the sitting royalty, and while it was an exhibition for me, it was important. And the performance was in honor of a friend who couldn’t be there. I was well respected, I had a little mythos around me after my time as Champion. People knew who I was.
 
I tanked. Spectacularly. My fingers failed to find the notes. I was sweaty and lost confidence. I lost my key. Then as I desperately tried to correct, I started forgetting the words. It was like losing control of a jet, then when you try to regain control, you pull off the steering mechanism instead. Then looking back, you see the tail is on fire and the wings are falling off. I could have ejected but instead, I laughed the laugh of the damned in the middle of the song, girded my loins, and the rode that performance straight into the ground where I buried it in twelve feet of mud and when done, I crawled out and stood on its smoldering wreckage. It was so terrible that my friends just stared in disbelief, trying to look more polite than horrified. There was video, but it was so bad that the videographer wouldn’t even share it privately with me, saying that some things are better left alone. It was actually the worst performance of my life. (And I’m not even kidding.)
 
After my bow, I walked off the stage and started laughing. It was just so amazingly horrible. It was so bad that people didn’t even pretend that it wasn’t to be polite. (I’m laughing now so hard that my eyes are watering.)
 
It was that performance, above all my other (solid, good performances), which affected people who were there the most.
 
Why? It was an inadvertent ode to failure and risk. It went from tragedy to lesson because I laughed. It was so far from perfect – the polar opposite. But it was a reminder for me to not take myself seriously and I laughed because really, what else is there to do in the face of failure?
 
You Never Know.
 
I didn’t know until my vigil how many people reflected on that moment when they were undertaking something new, something they felt unconfident about.
 
That failure proved inspirational. (!) Because I could fail (ha! often! just not so publicly!) and that at the end I laughed at myself. Bearing witness to that spectacle gave them permission to go ahead and try something and if it failed – it’s ok. If it’s not great at a contest – it’s ok. If it isn’t taken seriously – it’s ok. Even if people give you a little pity for it – it’s ok. Just do the thing.
 
At the end of the day, it’s about you and your art and what makes you happy.
 
So, my friends, share your process and failures. Show others what you’ve learned in those failures. They’re possibly more important than your successes – because that’s how learning goes.
 
And also…
 
You Never Know.
 

 

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AoA for Brynhildr

In the Eastern lands ruled great King called Brennan and also his wife Queen Caoilfhionn. Brynhildr Amsvarsdottir had come to serve their longhouse and was sent to guard the land’s most precious treasure, the Queen. It was the fiftieth year, on the seventh day of nóvember, after Gormánuður but before Ýlir, that Brynhildr was called to the Crown Tournament in the holdings of the Hersir of Bergental. Because she had served with joy and abundance, she was given the right to bear arms, ____________________________________ and take the title Hefdharkona. The King had his poet and scribe make for her a ring of word-gold to be read and seen that day.

The linden of the battle-wall  

lifted her slender hands

to join the Njords of swords.

Shield-bearer now arms-bearer

Silver-goddess of the raven-field

You are worthy to hear an ode

war-valiant one, wrought for you*
King Brennan and Queen Caiolfhionn made their names on it.

 

Brynhildr is a fighter and man-at-arms to Sir Brennan, who has been a brother to me. I was thrilled to be able to write text for her. Norse sagas frequently used prose and then called out a poem of praise (or insult, on occasion too!). I used the same technique to do this. I had to edit mercilessly – the original wanted to be longer, but sometimes we just have to live by the word count. I pulled directly one line from the Sagas of the Warrior Poets, because I wanted her to have that direct connection to the past in this piece. (I try to do that with pretty much all my text.)

Below are my working notes to produce this piece.

(The longer piece)

In those days the ruler of the Eastern lands was a great Chieftain called Brennan. Beside him ruled his wife Caoilfhionn. Now Brynhildr Amsvarsdottir had come to serve the King and was sent to guard his most precious treasure, the Queen. Brynhildr wore a shirt of silver plates against which her dark hair shone like trees against the moon. After she had served for a full year and more, at the Crown Tournament in the holdings of the Hersir of Bergental. It was held on the seventh day of nóvember, after Gormánuður but before Ýlir. Brynhildr was called to court that day where she was given the right to bear arms

________________________________________ and be called Hefdharkona. The King had his poet make for her a ring of word-gold and it was read.

You are worthy to hear an ode

war-valiant one, wrought for you*   (31 in Sagas of the Warrior Poets)

The linden of the battle-wall  (the shield maiden)

has lifted her slender hands

to join the Njords of swords. (the gods of the swords)

Silver-goddess of the raven-field

from shield-bearer to arms-bearer

  1. Gormánuður (mid October – mid November, “slaughter month” or “Gór’s month”)
  2. Ýlir (mid November – mid December, “Yule month”)

 

http://oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-riddle-of-odins-ravens.html

kennings:

Linden birch goddess

Holder of the king cup

Shield sister

Man at arms

And so the king bade a verse to be made for her

1,2,3, 1234 / Sagas of the warrior poets

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Cooking the Real “Garbage”

Garbage recipe, a photo of it on a table“Garbage” is a 15th century recipe for a thickened broth made of…well, garbage. Why?

It was the annual chicken harvest at the Packards’ house. A few SCA and non SCA folk gather and harvest the chickens raised over the summer. This year there were 49 chickens. Last week Anya and I made chicken foot stew loosely inspired by the Garbage recipe to make a potluck dish at the Endewearde Hunt. We used last year’s frozen chicken feet. But – behold – it was chicken killing day! There were all KINDS of chickens and ample “garbage” about so we decided to make the recipe today with all the fresh garbage we had.

The recipe from the late 1400’s goes like this:

Garbage. Take faire Garbage, chikenes hedes, ffete, lyvers, And gysers, and wassh hem clene; caste hem into a faire potte, And caste fressh broth of Beef, powder of Peper, Canell, Clowes, Maces, Parcely and Sauge myced small; then take brede, stepe hit in the same brothe, Drawe hit thorgh a streynour, cast thereto, And lete boyle ynowe; caste there-to pouder ginger, vergeous, salt, And a litull Safferon, And serve hit forthe.

http://www.bl.uk/learning/images/texts/cooks/transcript838.html

It’s from “A composite and miscellaneous volume put together by John Crophill (d. in or after 1485), medical practitioner and bailiff of Wix Priory in Essex.” This is the original manuscript. I first encountered it on Daniel Meyer’s website, medievalcookery.com.

Recipe

Livers and gizzards in a bowl
Gizzards and Livers.

We cooked based on the above recipe, and redacted it as we cooked. We didn’t formalize it, but this is what it was.

14 chicken feet
7 chicken heads
5 chicken livers
5 chicken gizzards
 
12 cups beef broth (we used “better than bouillon”)

Herbs and knife
Spices and herbs.

ground herbs as follows:

black pepper and ginger each- to fit in the hollow of the palm
cinnamon and clove – about half a palm (2tsp?)
mace – about a quarter palm (1tsp?)
 
fresh herbs as follows:
broad-leafed sage, chopped finely – to fit in the hollow of the palm
carrot tops, chopped finely – to fit in the hollow of the palm
 
cider vinegar – about 2tbs

Process

heads washing and feet and stuff on a plateBecause we were slaughtering, there were lots and lots of parts of chickens. Agatha saved feet, gizzards, livers, and some heads for use in the recipe. (I was plucking.)
I carefully cleaned the livers and gizzards and feet. I then plucked the heads as much as I could be motivated to (I figured that medieval people may have also been lazy!) and cleaned them as well. It began to rain heavily, so I fled for a while, and when I returned there was rainwater in the bottom of the cast iron pot hanging over the fire. I added to that steaming water livers and gizzards and feet. Anya brought out the broth and added it. When the broth was in, I added the heads and herbs, except the ginger. Put the lid on. Let it boil.
After it had boiled, I added the ginger to it and stirred. We decided to hold on the bread and that the saffron was likely for color, but we didn’t have any anyway. It looked horrible but smelled ok. Put it back on the fire and let it heat up again.

Another hour later or so we checked on it.
 1017151614It looked a lot like it had been appropriately named.
Here we decided to deviate from the recipe.
We added the ginger and chose to strain the broth, and then to not use the bread to thicken it. Instead we’d serve it with bread, so people could dip bread into the soup. (This felt like a good idea, since we had people with gluten issues anyway.)
I removed all the parts, separating the livers, which we used to make a pate with butter and onions. The “garbage pate” was well received and many ate it on toast and praised its rich taste.
Ultimately we just dipped bread into the soup and ate the bread. We then canned all the remaining broth. The assessment was that it looked horrible but it was very tasty.
It made sense to not waste things that could make a good and fatty broth, which we did and which made for little waste. It was especially good on a day when we were deeply in touch with our older time agricultural heritage – killing and gutting and plucking by hand made the process seem ancient and rooted. Gathered around a fire, sharing a spoon of broth, tearing off large pieces of bread and dipping them into soup or putting thick smears of pate on them, felt like an old, old fellowship.

I’m glad we made the Garbage. It was fun, entertaining, thrifty, and tasty. We have put some away for leaner times (or feasts) and that felt right too.

1017151926
Anya canned the remaining Garbage, of which we now have five pints!

 

Eating, singing, laughing – this is the stuff of a good life. I call this experimental archeology project a smashing success!