Of course, you can listen to all the songs on The Mahogany Door's Original Music Soundtrack here on the blog. But if you want to download all or some of the eight songs on the CD, here are your choices. Take your pick!
iTunes (US, Aus/NZ, Canada, UK/Europe, Japan, Mexico)
Amazon MP3
Deezer
eMusic
Fox News
GetPlaylists
Guevera Coming Soon
iLike
Immergent
InMotion Entertainment
Intertech Media
La Curacao
Last.fm
Wal-Mart (Liquid)
MediaNet
MOG
Moozone
Myspace
Myxer
Napster
Nokia
Puretracks
Rdio
Rhapsody
Secure Media
Simfy
Spotify
Synacor
Tesco
Thumbplay OTA
Virgin Mega
WaTunes
We7
Zune
Showing posts with label CD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CD. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
In The Media:
Fantasy Book Review: The Bruinduer Narrative Trilogy - A New Fantasy-Adventure Book for Young Readers
"The Mahogany Door,” book one of J. Mark Boliek’s The Bruinduer Narrative series, is told by an unnamed grandfather who captivates a group of children with his fascinating story, first out on a beach then huddled around the fireplace of a beautiful mansion by the shore as a fierce thunderstorm rages outside.
Click HERE to view the entire article.
In The Media:
YA Fantasy Guide, Small Press section:
"The Mahogany Door by J. Mark Boliek"
Click HERE to view the entire article
Press Release:
The Mahogany Door: A New Fantasy-Adventure Book for Young Readers
Split Rail Books releases the first book in The Bruinduer Narrative Trilogy
May 23, 2011 (Durham, NC) -- After the last Harry Potter film is released this summer, what will young fans of fantasy-adventure fiction have to look forward to? Split Rail Books in Durham, NC, suggests its new title, “The Mahogany Door,” the first novel in a new fiction-fantasy-adventure series written by J. Mark Boliek of Durham especially for young readers.
And it comes with an original-music soundtrack CD.
“The Mahogany Door,” book one of Boliek’s The Bruinduer Narrative series, is told by an unnamed grandfather who captivates a group of children with his fascinating story, first out on a beach then huddled around the fireplace of a beautiful mansion by the shore as a fierce thunderstorm rages outside.
The story centers around three friends, separated years ago by a traumatic event, who are compelled to reunite so that they may once again pass through “The Mahogany Door” and into the fantasy Vryheids world of Bruinduer. They must fulfill a destiny they left undone nine years before to keep Bruinduer from collapsing. One of the friends lost his parents and his memory in a horrible accident and has no idea what to expect. One knows too well and has tried to forget. The third friend’s insistence that they must return to Bruinduer is mysterious and suspicious.
The friends’ journey back to the world behind “The Mahogany Door” leads to the book’s “teaching moments,” which resonate with the author’s own life – about things in life not always being what they seem, about the value of friendship and the importance of completing tasks, and about the secret to tapping into the power of a their only “guide” along the journey, a monstrous being they call “Billy.” And the end is designed to leave young readers anxious for book two.
Author J. Mark Boliek is a former football player and military man, a computer programmer and musician, and the son veteran broadcast journalist Dave Boliek of WTVD-TV. He began working on The Bruinduer Narrative nine years ago. His initial 157-page draft turned into three distinct stories in which the first tale, “The Mahogany Door,” evolved into a 353-page children’s fantasy novel. He is currently working on the other two books in what he expects to be a trilogy.
“The Mahogany Door” features cover art an interior illustrations by California artist Lauren Gallegos. It is published in paperback with a typeface and size optimized for young readers ages 10 and up. The songs on the accompanying CD, written primarily by the author, reflect certain themes in the book, from “All Alone” to “Here Is My Anger, Here Is My Pride.”
For more information about “The Mahogany Door” by J. Mark Boliek, published by Split Rail Books, go to www.jmarkboliek.com. Each track from the accompanying CD can be heard at www.jmarkboliek.com/the-music and the book with CD can be ordered directly at www.jmarkboliek.com/cart.
Facts about The Mahogany Door:
Author: J. Mark Boliek. Publisher: Split Rail Books. Publication Date: May 2011. Genres: Fantasy-Fiction, Adventure-Fiction. Illustrator: Lauren Gallegos. Age Group: 10 and up. ISBN: 978-0-9832900-0-1. Paperback: 353pp. Retail Price: $24.95. Currently available: www.jmarkboliek.com.
Fantasy Book Review: The Bruinduer Narrative Trilogy - A New Fantasy-Adventure Book for Young Readers
"The Mahogany Door,” book one of J. Mark Boliek’s The Bruinduer Narrative series, is told by an unnamed grandfather who captivates a group of children with his fascinating story, first out on a beach then huddled around the fireplace of a beautiful mansion by the shore as a fierce thunderstorm rages outside.
Click HERE to view the entire article.
###
In The Media:
YA Fantasy Guide, Small Press section:
"The Mahogany Door by J. Mark Boliek"
Click HERE to view the entire article
###
Press Release:
The Mahogany Door: A New Fantasy-Adventure Book for Young Readers
Split Rail Books releases the first book in The Bruinduer Narrative Trilogy
May 23, 2011 (Durham, NC) -- After the last Harry Potter film is released this summer, what will young fans of fantasy-adventure fiction have to look forward to? Split Rail Books in Durham, NC, suggests its new title, “The Mahogany Door,” the first novel in a new fiction-fantasy-adventure series written by J. Mark Boliek of Durham especially for young readers.
And it comes with an original-music soundtrack CD.
“The Mahogany Door,” book one of Boliek’s The Bruinduer Narrative series, is told by an unnamed grandfather who captivates a group of children with his fascinating story, first out on a beach then huddled around the fireplace of a beautiful mansion by the shore as a fierce thunderstorm rages outside.
The story centers around three friends, separated years ago by a traumatic event, who are compelled to reunite so that they may once again pass through “The Mahogany Door” and into the fantasy Vryheids world of Bruinduer. They must fulfill a destiny they left undone nine years before to keep Bruinduer from collapsing. One of the friends lost his parents and his memory in a horrible accident and has no idea what to expect. One knows too well and has tried to forget. The third friend’s insistence that they must return to Bruinduer is mysterious and suspicious.
The friends’ journey back to the world behind “The Mahogany Door” leads to the book’s “teaching moments,” which resonate with the author’s own life – about things in life not always being what they seem, about the value of friendship and the importance of completing tasks, and about the secret to tapping into the power of a their only “guide” along the journey, a monstrous being they call “Billy.” And the end is designed to leave young readers anxious for book two.
Author J. Mark Boliek is a former football player and military man, a computer programmer and musician, and the son veteran broadcast journalist Dave Boliek of WTVD-TV. He began working on The Bruinduer Narrative nine years ago. His initial 157-page draft turned into three distinct stories in which the first tale, “The Mahogany Door,” evolved into a 353-page children’s fantasy novel. He is currently working on the other two books in what he expects to be a trilogy.
“The Mahogany Door” features cover art an interior illustrations by California artist Lauren Gallegos. It is published in paperback with a typeface and size optimized for young readers ages 10 and up. The songs on the accompanying CD, written primarily by the author, reflect certain themes in the book, from “All Alone” to “Here Is My Anger, Here Is My Pride.”
For more information about “The Mahogany Door” by J. Mark Boliek, published by Split Rail Books, go to www.jmarkboliek.com. Each track from the accompanying CD can be heard at www.jmarkboliek.com/the-music and the book with CD can be ordered directly at www.jmarkboliek.com/cart.
Facts about The Mahogany Door:
Author: J. Mark Boliek. Publisher: Split Rail Books. Publication Date: May 2011. Genres: Fantasy-Fiction, Adventure-Fiction. Illustrator: Lauren Gallegos. Age Group: 10 and up. ISBN: 978-0-9832900-0-1. Paperback: 353pp. Retail Price: $24.95. Currently available: www.jmarkboliek.com.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
All Alone, In the Afternoon, Here is My Anger, Here is My Pride
Hello All-
A few days until the The Mahogany Door, the first book in a series of fantasy-adventure books for young readers, is available at www.jmarkboliek.com. We are in the process of making it available at other outlets. But at the moment, if you order from my online store, you get a signed copy, the CD, and free shipping. I hope to be able to sign your copy.
"All Alone" and "In the Afternoon" are pretty special songs to me for the sole reason that I wrote them. It is a pretty cool thing to put something together that you never thought you could and it actually sounds pretty good. Of course I had a LOT of help. Jon Murray let me borrow his pipes by singing the two songs because I can promise that I would not have sounded up to the part. As my wife tells me, "Mark, you can sing, but you should never be recorded."
Scott Jackson lends his music ability on the guitar and my wife lends her voice for the backing vocals. Of course, without the skill of John Plymale's engineering and producing, well, none of it would have been good.
I picked "Here is My Anger, Here is My Pride," which Scott and Jon wrote for a former band they were in because the original song was very powerful.
What is so interesting is that I really liked the sound of its hard rock flare. But one day last year, Scott played it on his acoustic guitar, and I actually liked that sound better. So we started to fiddle around with another arrangement. Originally, the song was only vocals, acoustic guitar, and strings. But John Plymale felt that it needed balance so he added an R&B flare beat. I think it came out great, which proves that the song is so strong that it can work in different styles.
When I heard the finished arrangement, I felt it described my antagonist -- named Charlie -- exactly. I felt that the argument in the song the singer has with God not only speaks for Charlie, but it also speaks for me when I found myself in a very dark time in my own life some years ago. I almost felt that God had abandoned me. In reality though, it was I who abandoned God. My anger and pride got in the way of what is truly important in this life: my relationship with others and my relationship with God. I thought my way was the only way, and it got me in some pretty nasty trouble.
I hope you like these songs we'v inserted on the player. Jon Murray provides the vocals with a little help from my wife, Jill, on "All Alone" and "In the Afternoon." They will be up for a couple of days, then I will preview the entire album for you in context and order as we release the book.
OH YEAH! Another thing that makes "In the Afternoon" so satisfying is that Jill hated it when I first wrote it on an acoustic guitar. But now, with all the bells and whistles of production, it is one of her favorites. Nice!
As always, thanks for your support,
Mark
http://www.reverbnation.com/themahoganydoor
A few days until the The Mahogany Door, the first book in a series of fantasy-adventure books for young readers, is available at www.jmarkboliek.com. We are in the process of making it available at other outlets. But at the moment, if you order from my online store, you get a signed copy, the CD, and free shipping. I hope to be able to sign your copy.
"All Alone" and "In the Afternoon" are pretty special songs to me for the sole reason that I wrote them. It is a pretty cool thing to put something together that you never thought you could and it actually sounds pretty good. Of course I had a LOT of help. Jon Murray let me borrow his pipes by singing the two songs because I can promise that I would not have sounded up to the part. As my wife tells me, "Mark, you can sing, but you should never be recorded."
Scott Jackson lends his music ability on the guitar and my wife lends her voice for the backing vocals. Of course, without the skill of John Plymale's engineering and producing, well, none of it would have been good.
I picked "Here is My Anger, Here is My Pride," which Scott and Jon wrote for a former band they were in because the original song was very powerful.
What is so interesting is that I really liked the sound of its hard rock flare. But one day last year, Scott played it on his acoustic guitar, and I actually liked that sound better. So we started to fiddle around with another arrangement. Originally, the song was only vocals, acoustic guitar, and strings. But John Plymale felt that it needed balance so he added an R&B flare beat. I think it came out great, which proves that the song is so strong that it can work in different styles.
When I heard the finished arrangement, I felt it described my antagonist -- named Charlie -- exactly. I felt that the argument in the song the singer has with God not only speaks for Charlie, but it also speaks for me when I found myself in a very dark time in my own life some years ago. I almost felt that God had abandoned me. In reality though, it was I who abandoned God. My anger and pride got in the way of what is truly important in this life: my relationship with others and my relationship with God. I thought my way was the only way, and it got me in some pretty nasty trouble.
I hope you like these songs we'v inserted on the player. Jon Murray provides the vocals with a little help from my wife, Jill, on "All Alone" and "In the Afternoon." They will be up for a couple of days, then I will preview the entire album for you in context and order as we release the book.
OH YEAH! Another thing that makes "In the Afternoon" so satisfying is that Jill hated it when I first wrote it on an acoustic guitar. But now, with all the bells and whistles of production, it is one of her favorites. Nice!
As always, thanks for your support,
Mark
http://www.reverbnation.com/themahoganydoor
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Picking Songs... "Goodbyes" and "Rear View Mirror"
I absolutely love some of the questions I have been getting lately. The biggest question is always, "How does the soundtrack fit with the book?" I still don't have a really good answer for that, so I'll go to another that I can answer without sounding too idiotic:
"How do you pick the songs for the soundtrack?"
That's tough to answer as well, but to tell you the truth, the songs kind of fell in my lap.
Over the years I've written many songs, and I wrote those songs as I was writing The Mahogany Door, the first book in a series of fantasy-adventure books for young readers. But I never had the idea of putting the soundtrack together until late in 2009. (That's right. We've been working on the CD since October of that year).
The first bit of music I put together for the actual book was a small piano riff that was playing for my under-construction website at the time. It was called "It's Our Time," I still like the song, but I've never completely finished it. Maybe later.
The idea to do a complete soundtrack for the book popped in my head while I was riding around Greenville, NC, one day with my brother-in-law, Scott. We both were pretty psyched about the idea, but then realized we had no idea what kind of music we would put on it. The idea started with a song per chapter - not a good plan as there are 29 chapters, which would means 29 songs. And really, the nine we will have on the final CD were hard enough to create as it was.
Enter Katie Basden. Katie is a former student of my wife's choral program. Through the years, while Katie was in high school, her mom, Anne, and my wife not only shared a common bond with Katie but a common bond with music. Anne helped my wife tremendously with the choral program by playing the piano at shows and doing all kinds of other things. Naturally, a friendship started between the two, which is not at all surprising considering the fact that, if you ever meet my wife, she'll know everything about you by the end of the conversation.
Some time before that, Katie decided she wanted to be a songwriter. Many of her heroes are not just good singers, but they are also great songwriters. I found this out.
Thirteen years ago, I wrote a song called, "Goodbyes" after some pretty bad things happened in my life. My sister is a natural poet, so, as the story goes, I snuck around her in diary and found this poem called, "Goodbyes." It was very emotional, and it captured everything I was feeling at that time. I'd bought an old guitar from a pawn shop some years before so I started fiddling around with some chords and finger picking. I think I put together a pretty good song. I really liked it but I never sang it to anyone.
One afternoon as I was deciding what songs to put on the soundtrack, I realized I really wanted to include "Goodbyes." It fits nicely with a scene at the end of the book. The problem: I can't sing. (Never let my wife try to convince you that I can. She had a Freudian slip one day and said, "Yes Mark, you can sing, but it should never be recorded." Thanks.)
So I needed a singer, and Katie was the first person I thought of. Her voice is something that has to be heard to be believed, and since she wants to be a country singer I thought she might like to sing "Goodbyes." She could add it to her catalog.
Nervously, I played -- and sang -- the song for her one afternoon. Lucky for me, she liked it and went home to practice it. The same afternoon, she played a song for me called "Rear View Mirror." I was blown away. Right then I asked if I could use it for The Mahogany Door soundtrack. She said yes. I was elated! The problem was, I didn't know if it would fit the book. I read through some chapters and found one scene that the song could possibly fit with, but I wasn't sure. So I changed the book to make the song would fit because I simply love the song. And it makes my story better.
So that's where picking the songs came into play. I pulled some old songs I had been messing around with out of my head and started putting some other stuff together. Then my brother-in-law Scott jumped into the fray and it went from there. He added to the music the only way he knows how.
When I woke up on Christmas morning in 2009, I discovered that my wife had bought me a beautiful Fender acoustic guitar. "If you are going to be playing around here writing songs, you need to throw that old guitar out," she said matter-of-factly. "It sounds like crap."
There are more stories like this for the other songs, and I will be posting those as we go along here and on the website at www.JMarkBoliek.com. (The website isn't quite completed, but hopefully will be ready soon.)
It's been pretty cool to have watched the songs progress from very rough to almost perfect polished. April 12th is the date it should all be mastered and ready to go. One pretty special thing about the soundtrack that I'm really appreciating is that it is a very eclectic mix of styles: country, pop, rock, and even a bit of classical thrown in.
Oh yeah - I do play the Fender on "Goodbyes" on the soundtrack f you were wondering. But you will never hear my voice.
Talk to you later!
Mark
Chapter 7 Illustration copyright Lauren Gallegos Illustrations 2011
"How do you pick the songs for the soundtrack?"
That's tough to answer as well, but to tell you the truth, the songs kind of fell in my lap.
Over the years I've written many songs, and I wrote those songs as I was writing The Mahogany Door, the first book in a series of fantasy-adventure books for young readers. But I never had the idea of putting the soundtrack together until late in 2009. (That's right. We've been working on the CD since October of that year).
The first bit of music I put together for the actual book was a small piano riff that was playing for my under-construction website at the time. It was called "It's Our Time," I still like the song, but I've never completely finished it. Maybe later.
The idea to do a complete soundtrack for the book popped in my head while I was riding around Greenville, NC, one day with my brother-in-law, Scott. We both were pretty psyched about the idea, but then realized we had no idea what kind of music we would put on it. The idea started with a song per chapter - not a good plan as there are 29 chapters, which would means 29 songs. And really, the nine we will have on the final CD were hard enough to create as it was.
Enter Katie Basden. Katie is a former student of my wife's choral program. Through the years, while Katie was in high school, her mom, Anne, and my wife not only shared a common bond with Katie but a common bond with music. Anne helped my wife tremendously with the choral program by playing the piano at shows and doing all kinds of other things. Naturally, a friendship started between the two, which is not at all surprising considering the fact that, if you ever meet my wife, she'll know everything about you by the end of the conversation.
Some time before that, Katie decided she wanted to be a songwriter. Many of her heroes are not just good singers, but they are also great songwriters. I found this out.
Thirteen years ago, I wrote a song called, "Goodbyes" after some pretty bad things happened in my life. My sister is a natural poet, so, as the story goes, I snuck around her in diary and found this poem called, "Goodbyes." It was very emotional, and it captured everything I was feeling at that time. I'd bought an old guitar from a pawn shop some years before so I started fiddling around with some chords and finger picking. I think I put together a pretty good song. I really liked it but I never sang it to anyone.
One afternoon as I was deciding what songs to put on the soundtrack, I realized I really wanted to include "Goodbyes." It fits nicely with a scene at the end of the book. The problem: I can't sing. (Never let my wife try to convince you that I can. She had a Freudian slip one day and said, "Yes Mark, you can sing, but it should never be recorded." Thanks.)
So I needed a singer, and Katie was the first person I thought of. Her voice is something that has to be heard to be believed, and since she wants to be a country singer I thought she might like to sing "Goodbyes." She could add it to her catalog.
Nervously, I played -- and sang -- the song for her one afternoon. Lucky for me, she liked it and went home to practice it. The same afternoon, she played a song for me called "Rear View Mirror." I was blown away. Right then I asked if I could use it for The Mahogany Door soundtrack. She said yes. I was elated! The problem was, I didn't know if it would fit the book. I read through some chapters and found one scene that the song could possibly fit with, but I wasn't sure. So I changed the book to make the song would fit because I simply love the song. And it makes my story better.
So that's where picking the songs came into play. I pulled some old songs I had been messing around with out of my head and started putting some other stuff together. Then my brother-in-law Scott jumped into the fray and it went from there. He added to the music the only way he knows how.
When I woke up on Christmas morning in 2009, I discovered that my wife had bought me a beautiful Fender acoustic guitar. "If you are going to be playing around here writing songs, you need to throw that old guitar out," she said matter-of-factly. "It sounds like crap."
There are more stories like this for the other songs, and I will be posting those as we go along here and on the website at www.JMarkBoliek.com. (The website isn't quite completed, but hopefully will be ready soon.)
It's been pretty cool to have watched the songs progress from very rough to almost perfect polished. April 12th is the date it should all be mastered and ready to go. One pretty special thing about the soundtrack that I'm really appreciating is that it is a very eclectic mix of styles: country, pop, rock, and even a bit of classical thrown in.
Oh yeah - I do play the Fender on "Goodbyes" on the soundtrack f you were wondering. But you will never hear my voice.
Talk to you later!
Mark
Chapter 7 Illustration copyright Lauren Gallegos Illustrations 2011
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Coming month or 2
Working hard on the soundtrack CD for The Mahogany Door. It's getting a little difficult, but I'm sure that goes with the territory in making quality music. Lauren and I approved the cover art sketch, and she's back working on it over the next few days. In the next month or two, look for a few unveilings of new music and the cover art (hopefully) - as well as an a special interview with Janeen Free-McKee, ELS, editor of The Mahogany Door.
Thanks so much!
Mark
Thanks so much!
Mark
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