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Archive for the ‘David Petersen’ Category

David Petersen–Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard (2011)

Posted in Adventure, Alex Kain, Alex Sheikman, All Songs Considered, Children's Books, Christmas Album, Craig Rousseau, David Petersen, Death, Fantasy, Fears, Garfunkel and Oates, Guy David, Jason Shawn Alexander, Jeremy Bastian, João M.O. Lemos, Karl Kerschl, Katie Cook, Lowell Francis, Mark Smylie, Military, Nate Pride, Scott Keating, Sean Ruin, Short Books, Ted Naifeh, Terry Moore on December 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

legendsSOUNDTRACK: GARFUNKEL AND OATES-“Year End Letter” (2010).

gandoGarfunkel and Oates are a wonderful comedy team.  I’ve enjoyed so many of their songs, but this was the first time I ‘ve heard this Christmastime ditty.

We always enjoy reading people’s year end letters with an eye towards the attitude in this song–slightly mocking and yet also thinking:

“You’re right, your family’s better than mine
And it seems you make a lot more money.”

But now with the advent of Facebook, people post their year end letter info every day.  And I am very sad to see that we got virtually no year end letters this year.  So even though we tease, now we miss what we once mocked.  At least G&O can remind us what they all contained.

And since I cannot figure out how to embed a vimeo video, you’ll have to click this link to watch it.

[READ: December 20, 2013] Legends of the Guard

This book is a collection of short pieces written and illustrated by some of the greats in independent comic books (with a shocking number of them being from Michigan).  Evidently many writers contacted Petersen and wanted to work with him.  He didn’t want to mess up the arc of his story so he devised this idea.  Set in June’s Ale House, all of the mice are tasked with telling a story.  The one who tells the best will have his bar tab erased (for some that is quite a deal).

And so, these stories or legends are set at any time in the past and do not impact the chronology of our Mouse Guards.  And man, are they good. (more…)

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David Petersen–Mouse Guard The Black Axe (2013)

Posted in Adventure, All Songs Considered, Children's Books, Christmas Album, David Mead, David Petersen, Death, Fantasy, Fears, Garfunkel and Oates, Harvey Danger, Military, Short Books, South Park on December 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

blacaxeSOUNDTRACK: HAVE YOURSELF A SULLEN LITTLE CHRISTMAS–NPR (December 19, 2013).

charliebrown_wide-ac0b12e7fc8f83eb302cc221a37ba8592ccc2e63-s40-c85NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson and Travis Larchuk hop onto Morning Edition to talk about Christmas songs that are melancholy sad and downright sullen (which is quite a lot of them, if you really listen to the words).

They talk about some new(ish) songs that are depressing  Like David Mead’s “The Smile of Rachael Ray” (which would be bad enough, but that’s just a lead in to the bummer within), Harvey Danger’s “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes),” Garfunkel & Oates’ “Year End Letter” (which is quite funny) and the song “Dead, Dead, Dead” from the South Park holiday album Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics.

Of course, dark Christmas songs are nothing new.  There are plenty of dour holiday standards that originate in the 1940s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “Blue Christmas”  are major downers.

When I try to compile Christmas mixes I try to leave off the bummer songs, but it’s really hard.

Stephen Thompson gives an excellent summary of the season: “Christmas is the one day a year when we’re all supposed to be happy, and so you’re hyperaware when you’re not.”  I hope everyone has a Happy Christmas this year.

[READ: December 10, 2013] Mouse Guard The Black Axe

This book features a preface by Terry Jones.  It doesn’t say a lot, but it’s worth a mention.

The Black Axe begins after the events of Winter 1152 (it is set in Spring, 1153), but the bulk of the book is a flashback to the origin story of the Black Axe.

As the book opens we learn that Lieam, one of the Mouse Guards has been missing for the last three months.  We also learn that even though the Winter was a dangerous time for the mice, the Spring proves to be equally treacherous as all of the predators are awaking from hibernation. But despite the current crises, Gwendolyn’s thoughts turn to Spring 1115 where the story of Celanawe begins.

We see Celanawe on an island building a house.  Suddenly a crow approaches.  On the crow is Em, a mouse who can communicate with the crows and who reveals that he she has been looking for him. (more…)

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David Petersen–Mouse Guard Winter 1152 (2009)

Posted in Adventure, All Songs Considered, Children's Books, David Petersen, Death, Fantasy, Fears, Matt Wilson, Military, Short Books on December 15, 2013| 1 Comment »

mouse winterSOUNDTRACK: MATT WILSON-“You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” (2010).

mattwiklsonI don’t know who Matt Wilson is, (surprisingly, he is the drummer of the trio and the album is called the Matt Wilson Tree-O (ha)).  Man, I love this version of the Grinch’s theme song.

What’s fun about it is that the main vocal line is played on the upright bass.  While the harmony lines are played on what I suspect is a baritone saxophone.  There’s also some simple snare and brush work for drums.

It’s really simple and it’s pretty much guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.  I haven’t heard anything else on the album, and I’m not entirely sure I need to.  This song ranks up pretty high on my Christmas music list now.

[READ: December 10, 2013] Mouse Guard Winter 1152

Winter 1152 follows on the heels of Fall 1152.  The Mouse Guard have traveled off to various cities to find supplies for the winter.  While they have dispersed in different directions, we are following only our friends from the previous book: Kenzie, Celnawe, Lieam, Sadie and Saxon.  Through tremendous snow (for a mouse) they make it to Sprucetuck, where they seek the elixir which Mistress Gwendolyn needs.

Although offered rest and comfort the mice are on a deadline and must make it back home with their supplies.  But on their way home they are attacked by an owl.  Sadie gets off a great shot that blinds the owl and the mice are free.  But just as they feel that they are safe, they walk into a hole in the snow.  And three of them fall through.

Saxon, Kenzie and Sadie find themselves in an underground tunnel which proves to be a (presumably) abandoned weasel tunnel.  They are nervous of course, but press on in the direction of home as there is no easy way for them to get above ground.  Meanwhile, Lieam and Celnawe proceed above ground.  There is talk of allegiances and who is rightly in charge of these missions (Celnawe, as the elder axe wielder, is testing Lieam’s mettle).  Then both parties encounter some trouble  The underground team finds a bat roost–and the bast (I love the way they speak as a kind of collective) are none too happy to see the mice down here. Meanwhile, as the snow continues to pile on the above-ground mice, they decide to settle in for the night by making a burrow and starting a small fire.  But something awaits them at their opening. (more…)

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David Petersen–Mouse Guard Fall 1152 (2007)

Posted in Adventure, All Songs Considered, Amiina, C., Children's Books, David Petersen, Death, Fantasy, Fears, Lee Hazlewood, Military, Short Books on December 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

mouse fallSOUNDTRACK: AMIINA-“Hilli” (2006).

220px-HilliThis song (and the single version which features a spoken word track by Lee Hazlewood) was featured in NPR’s 2007 Holiday Music special.  I’m not exactly sure that there’s anything particularly Christmassy or Holiday about it, but it is certainly pretty.

Amiina are an Icelandic band who are known mostly for their strings.  They have played string accompaniment with Sigur Rós on albums and on tour.  I had known about them as a string quartet so I was surprised by this beautiful song which has no real strings (at least quartet strings).  The “strings” sound more like hammered dulcimers and plucked violin strings.  It has a very simple melody played delicately.  And then the voices–layers of sweet female voices–sing notes over the music.  It is calming and a perfect antidote to hectic Christmas time and treacly Christmas music.

I still don’t know if it has anything to do with the holidays, but it’s part of my holiday music collection now.

[READ: December 5, 2013] Mouse Guard Fall 1152

I saw this book in the library and decided to get it for C.  But I also thought the artwork looked amazing so I decided to read it for myself.  I feel like he may be a tad young for the book (it’s kind of slow and vaguely “political”), although I’m sure he’d like the artwork (and some of the fighting).  But I thought the book was absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed every page of it.

The story itself is quiet simple (and feels like it could be much much longer).  It covers six books (and an epilogue) and is all about the mice of Lockhaven as they struggle for survival in the Fall of 1152.  Now these are normal sized mice—their homes and mansions and everything are hidden from view inside trees and ivy, but their problems are very real.  And very dangerous.

So dangerous that they have formed the Mouse Guard.  The Guard is there not only to fight off intruders but also to assist citizens as they wander through the territories.

This book follows three of the Guard: Lieam, Saxon and Kenzie as they become aware of a traitorous plot that threatens all of Lockhaven. (more…)

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