The New Album is Written
I finished writing the new album tonight, which will in all likelihood be called “The Ghost of John Henry.” If you are not familiar with the legend of John Henry, it goes like this, more or less:In the 1870s, as technology was rapidly advancing and railroads were linking the United States in a way that […]
Playing Live
The past six weeks have been full of live performances. I was tallying it up today, and I think I’ve played somewhere every week for the last six, from a pair of shows with the expanding band lineup, to a few solo acoustic sets, and the odd open mic here and there. It occurred to […]
New Members, New Songs
New things are afoot in the realm of Sci-Fi Romance. Kurt Bloom has come on board as our drummer, and we played our first show together last week in Hollywood at the Pig N’ Whistle. We are also rehearsing with a cellist to fill out the live sound. Upcoming shows will roll out these, and […]
So when you say “Death Metal…”
I’m quick to let people know that I used to play drums and do backing vocals/growling for metal bands. The most prominent of these — not that any were terribly prominent — was Black Spiral, and we put out our one-and-only album, Defeat, back in ’99 or 2000. Something like that. I played in other […]
Steamfolktronica – The Video!
There is now a video posted for the Mission 13 remix of When Breath Becomes Visible. It’s sort of abstract, with a lot of bubbles, and some water, and a lot of words. You know. And it’s in HD and everything.
Steamfolktronica!
Mission 13 has remixed the track “When Breath Becomes Visible,” otherwise known as Track 3 on …and surrender my body to the flames. For those of you not in the know (which, honestly, is probably everybody) Mission 13 has provided original tracks for films of mine like The Return of the Forest Monster, Dali’s Hairs, and Anatomy […]
The Agony of Love and the Album Title
The phrase “…and surrender my body to the flames” is Biblical, and I can’t say why it’s always stuck with me, but it has. If you’ve been to a wedding, you’ve probably heard the famous passage from 1 Corinthians 13 that goes like this: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it […]
Babies and Inspiration
After my daughter was born, I got it in my head that I would die before she got old enough to remember me. I think this is a common-enough fear for parents. But what stuck with me was the thought that she might not remember my voice. As an infant, and with her older brother […]
About the Name – Sci-Fi Romance
When I decided that I was going to make this album and release it, I had to decide if I wanted to release it under my own name, or come up with a “band” name…even though it’s just me. My last name, Kotrla, is Czech, and therefore lacks what most people would consider the actual […]