My next Heaven Forbid graphic novel, "Journey Into Her Story," comes out next month. Included with the book is a suggested soundtrack. It includes songs which fit the story or were influential to me while I worked on the book. I tend to put the logos of bands I'm listening to on the shirts of characters. I figure that it's a nod to people who also like the bands or it may introduce people to them. Most of these bands are featured on shirts in the comic.
Here is a list of the songs and links to where you can buy/download them:
1. Destroy Nate Allen- We Talk Occasionally On The Internet
Band Camp "With Our Powers Combined" by Destroy Nate Allen
2. Huntingtons- She’s Alright
3. Huntingtons- Rock n’ Roll Girl
4. Huntingtons- She’s Comin’ To The Show
5. Huntingtons- She’s Probably Over Me
Amazon MP3 "1-2-3-4 The Complete Early Years Remastered" by Huntingtons
or for different recordings of these songs
Amazon MP3 "Rock and Roll Habits For the New Wave" by Huntingtons
6. Watashi Wa- Tumalo
Amazon "Lost a Few Battles... Won the War"
[out of print, but you can get the record used]
7. Halo Friendlies- Don’t Wake the Cat
8. Halo Friendlies- Hush
Amazon "Acid Wash" by the Halo Friendlies
[out of print, but you can get the record used cheap]
9. Jump Ship Quick- As We Overcome
Amazon MP3 "Where Theives Cannot Tread" by Jump Ship Quick
10. Outer Circle- Manifesto
Amazon MP3 "Outer Circle" by Outer Circle
11. Blaster the Rocket Man- Tundra Time on Thulcandra
12. Blaster the Rocket Man- Venus at St. Anne’s
Amazon "The Monster Who Ate Jesus" by Blaster the Rocket Man
[out of print, no mp3's, but you can get the record used]
or Amazon MP3 "The Anatomy of a Monster" by Blaster the Rocket Man has a live version of "Tundra Time on Thulcandra"
13. The Dingees- World’s Last Night
Amazon MP3 "The Crucial Conspiracy" by The Dingees
14. Wonder- Surrender
15. Wonder- The Journey
Band Camp "Stroke of Difference" by Wonder
16. Stryper- Carry on Wayward Son
Amazon MP3 "The Covering" by Stryper
And now a bit about the songs.
I saw Destroy Nate Allen play a show in Denver during the time I was working on the book. I really enjoyed the show. It was a lot of fun and Nate and his wife Tessa have a great fun punk diy aesthetic. This song is an especially fun one and is also on their split 7" with Blaster the Rocket Man [more on them].
Huntingtons- I said in Heaven Forbid vol 2: Awkward for Everyone that Huntingtons are the soundtrack to Heaven Forbid. They may also be the soundtrack to my life, at least my teenage years. Their sound is classic and all of their records are solid. I opted to choose four songs which I thought thematically related to "Journey" the most. I think it is a lot of songs by one band, but they're short. You can get a few collections at great prices. "Rock 'N Roll Habits for the New Wave" is one of their best and features re-recordings of their early material which had become quite rare. The re-mastered "1-2-3-4" made the early recordings more readily available. All songs but, "She's Comin' to the Show" [which is only on 1-2-3-4] are on both. Also: I especially picked songs with "she" or "girl" in the to fit with the theme of the title of "Journey."
Watashi Wa was a band that released a number of successful records. I really dug their first one, which was on Bettie Rocket Records. It had great comic like album art. I think the feel of that record relates to how the characters in "Journey" feel during the book. "Tumalo" is a great pick from that one. I like the lyrics of many of the songs, especially this one. They have a youthful boldness to them, including anti drinking/drug themes.
Halo Friendlies- I dug their first record and never heard too much of their last one which was on Tooth and Nail. But, my favorite of theirs was "Acid Wash" from Jackson Rubio Records [more on them later]. I tend to like EPs by bands a lot, because they often times have a small amount of solid songs. I chose two tracks off of this one because I really like them both and I think their feel also relates to some of the less happiness in "Journey." They were also featured on the 2003 Freaky Friday soundtrack. I had forgotten about that. Apparently one of their members also joined the Smashing Pumpkins.
Jump Ship Quick is a band I suppose I don't know too much about. They are getting a fair amount of press in diy Christian punk circles, although I don't believe they play live. Their lyrics are bold, espousing straight edge values, and other hard core truths I don't hear too much in punk anymore. Listening to their record reminds me of music of my younger years. This is good for me, since I tend to not like too much new music. [more on that to come]
Outer Circle is one of multiple bands fronted by Mark Salomon. The Crucified and Stavesacre are probably more well known, but I may enjoy Outer Circle the most. I've dug their record for years and this track is one of my favorites. I like the energy of the music and challenge of the lyrics. "I've heard your speech, it didn't tell me anything I haven't heard before. You've gotta give me something more, something more." I think that's how Chelsea feels much of the time. A couple years ago I found a new band whom I liked a lot. They were called Neon Horse and were kind of eclectic and kind of new wave. I thought [one of the] vocalist[s] sounded familiar. It turned out Neon Horse was another band fronted by Mark Salomon. I finally had found a new band to like and then realized that it was just another reiteration of a singer I'd been listening to for years. What are you gonna do, right?
Blaster the Rocket Man are another group who was on Jackson Rubio. Their record "The Monster Who Ate Jesus," may be the best Christian punk record. Their lyrics are great and so is their music. I chose two of the songs which I thought fit the book best and also ones I like a lot. They are some of their calmer tracks, actually and I really dig their lyrics. I've been able to be in touch with their vocalist/lyricist on facebook lately, which has been really cool, too. Also: "Thulcandra" relates to the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, a common theme on "The Monster Who Ate Jesus." The Turkish Delights band name is a reference to the candy in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, so that is another connection.
The Dingees have been one of my favorite bands for many years. I've never seen, or had the opportunity to see them play, however. I especially love their third record, "The Crucial Conspiracy." [Actually, I especially love all of their records, all for reasons unique to each one.] My favorite track on that one is, "World's Last Night." The music is glorious. The lyrics are great. I've heard people say that the Dingees were not Christian enough or whatnot. I never understood that. What I found with the Dingees when these records came out was that they were singing biblical lyrics that many folks probably didn't know. They were singing out of Isaiah and Revelations and references that many Christians probably didn't even catch. They have a newer record which you can download for free from Jamendo called, "Rebel Soul Sound System." It's really good, too. It is free and I believe it was self produced. So cool.
Wonder is awesome. These are the only rap songs on the soundtrack. I'll admit, I've never been too much of a rap fan. But, I love the music of Phil "Wonder" Porto. I don't know much about the beats of rap music, but I find his to be more interesting than most rap I hear. Beyond that, his lyrics are amazing and incredibly encouraging. You're pretty much listening to a Bible study with very clever wording. He espouses straight edge values, too. I love it. I came into contact with him when he asked me to do some designs for him and I was thrilled to do so. In fact, if you go to the bandcamp link above, you'll see my artwork on display.
"Carry On Wayward Son" by Stryper may be a weird choice. I'll admit that I may like the original Kansas version better, but I also like Stryper. I had already used a Stryper shirt which Carter wears in the book. When I was trying to decide which Stryper song to include on the soundtrack, I remembered this cover song. So, this song plus Stryper= win win. It is also quite rocking. My daughter really likes when we play this song [the original] on Guitar Hero [although she thinks the lyrics are "baby son," instead of "wayward son"]. Plus, the song [again original] is in the movie Gentleman Broncos which is a movie I've enjoyed while working on "Journey."
In many ways, this is a soundtrack to me. I've picked songs which I've enjoyed for years and new ones I've liked. There are other favorite bands of mine I could have included, but didn't have specific songs to include which related to the book. I already have plans for some of these for future stories.