The Thirteenth Hour Podcast

Originally released May 27, 2019.

This week, instead of focusing on "Many Miles," which I'm still working on, I thought I'd do a little intro to the last Empty Hands track, which is an ode to the ending themes of 80s action movies as well as the intros (and sometimes closings) of 80s Saturday morning / after school cartoon shows.  In other words, its cheesy as hell, but in the right spirit, hopefully it will be fun.  The lyrics hark back to the elemental philosophy discussed in the book (earth, wind, water, fire, and void), itself taking inspiration from Japanese esoteric Buddhism.

NEW!  This page formerly had what I affectionately dubbed a "starving artist" section on little side hustles you could do (mostly on the internet, often with a phone) to make a few bucks here and there, often in gift cards.  Well, now you can listen to this show (as well as other podcasts) and get paid to do so!  Check out https://www.podcoin.com/ to listen to the show and start earning points that you can redeem for gift cards (Amazon, Target, Starbucks, etc) or donations to a number of charities.

If you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2019/05/27/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-198-musical-interlude-starting-on-and-now-we-are-one/

Originally aired May 20, 2019.

This week, I'm adding a synthesized accented track to the vocals and backing track of "Many Miles."  Inching closer towards completion!

I'm also basically done the instrumental melody of  "Dragons' Eyes" as a short (~2 min) fill for Empty Hands, which has a little scene referencing the song.  There's only one more track to be done for the soundtrack to be done.

Speaking of which, for those of you on the mailing list, check your inboxes for a message asking for volunteers to help with the finishing touches of the upcoming martial arts fantasy novella, Empty Hands.  Your suggestions and critiques are most welcome, and not only will you get a free copy of the book and soundtrack, your name will be in the acknowledgements section of the book.  If you're not on the mailing list but are interested in joining and/or helping out, here's a link or just email me directly, and I'll be in touch with further instructions.  Thank you!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Speaking of music, if you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!
[spotify id="spotify:user:jsblum:playlist:0UEHg7euO45dtmZTbH1akD" width="300" height="380" /]

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-197-musical-interlude-reworking-many-miles-part-8-dragons-eyes-instrumental-part-3/

Originally aired May 13, 2019.

This week, I've finally come to the point of having a rough initial draft of "Many Miles" that I started a long time ago.  It will play at the end of the episode.  While still a work in progress, it's definitely farther along than last week.  It's been a tedious process indeed to get it to this point.

I've also included the second part of working on a long lost instrumental melody that would later become the folk ballad "Dragons' Eyes" in The Thirteenth Hour.  This is a tune that I would mess around with as a kid and in college, where there were pianos all over.  I never had a name for it but wrote the first few verses of the song in the novel to its melody.  I figured reworking to make a short fill for Empty Hands, which has a little scene referencing the song, would be a nice way to come full circle.  This week, I'm doing it to a slow (~70 bpm) beat.

Speaking of which, for those of you on the mailing list, check your inboxes for a message asking for volunteers to help with the finishing touches of the upcoming martial arts fantasy novella, Empty Hands.  Your suggestions and critiques are most welcome, and not only will you get a free copy of the book and soundtrack, your name will be in the acknowledgements section of the book.  If you're not on the mailing list but are interested in joining and/or helping out, here's a link or just email me directly, and I'll be in touch with further instructions.  Thank you!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Speaking of music, if you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!
[spotify id="spotify:user:jsblum:playlist:0UEHg7euO45dtmZTbH1akD" width="300" height="380" /]

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!

Originally aired on May 6, 2019.

This week, I'm continuing to work on the vocal part of a track called "Many Miles" that I started a long time ago ... I'm a little farther along than last week, but it's still slow going.  Here's the first part.  There's still some parts in the middle that don't quite sound right with the timing, so I'll keep working ...

However, I'm starting to experiment with a long lost instrumental melody that would later become the folk ballad "Dragons' Eyes" in The Thirteenth Hour.  This is a tune that I would mess around with as a kid and in college, where there were pianos all over.  I never had a name for it but wrote the first few verses of the song in the novel to its melody.  I figured reworking to make a short fill for Empty Hands, which has a little scene referencing the song, would be a nice way to come full circle.

Speaking of which, for those of you on the mailing list, check your inboxes for a message asking for volunteers to help with the finishing touches of the upcoming martial arts fantasy novella, Empty Hands.  Your suggestions and critiques are most welcome, and not only will you get a free copy of the book and soundtrack, your name will be in the acknowledgements section of the book.  If you're not on the mailing list but are interested in joining and/or helping out, here's a link or just email me directly, and I'll be in touch with further instructions.  Thank you!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Speaking of music, if you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!
[spotify id="spotify:user:jsblum:playlist:0UEHg7euO45dtmZTbH1akD" width="300" height="380" /]

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-195-musical-interlude-reworking-many-miles-part-6-starting-dragons-eyes-instrumental/

Originally aired on March 18, 2019.

This week, I'm finally finishing the last music track to accompany The Thirteenth Hour novella, Empty Hands, an introspective instrumental piece called "Memories of a Better Time."  I thought last week would be it, but after having listened to the outcome, thought there was still something missing, so this week, we're adding a short whistled intro.

The novella the song will be embedded in is basically done in terms of its initial skeleton, though I'm putting the final edits on the first draft and working on the illustrations.  This past week, I worked on more of the latter as well as the little blurb that accompanies the book when it's listed online - arguably (for me) the hardest part to write since it's typically what people use to decide if they want to invest the time to read something or not.  The second draft, by the way, is typically where I send portions out to other people for critique, so if you'd like to be a part of that, I'll be sending out an email to the advance readers group on the mailing list (link below) soon.  Much appreciated!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Speaking of music, if you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!
[spotify id="spotify:user:jsblum:playlist:0UEHg7euO45dtmZTbH1akD" width="300" height="380" /]

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-188-musical-interlude-making-memories-of-a-better-time-part-4/

Originally aired on March 11, 2019.

This week, I'm finishing the last music track to accompany The Thirteenth Hour novella, Empty Hands, an introspective instrumental piece called "Memories of a Better Time."  It fits in with a piece of the novella where the main character,  Logan, is thinking back to his childhood friend, Aurora.  It also has some similarities to the track "Empty Hands," also for the novella, which we did in episode 175 and the same descending note progression that we used there as well as in the song "There's a Wild Heart Beating."  Today, we are adding the flute section.

The novella the song will be embedded in is basically done in terms of its initial skeleton, though I'm putting the final edits on the first draft.  The second draft is typically where I send portions out to other people for critique, so if you'd like to be a part of that, I'll be sending out an email to the advance readers group on the mailing list (link below) soon.  Much appreciated!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Speaking of music, if you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!
[spotify id="spotify:user:jsblum:playlist:0UEHg7euO45dtmZTbH1akD" width="300" height="380" /]

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!




https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-187-musical-interlude-making-memories-of-a-better-time-part-3/

Originally aired March 4, 2019.

This week, I'm working on the last music track to accompany The Thirteenth Hour novella, Empty Hands, an introspective instrumental piece called "Memories of a Better Time," which harkens to the love theme we made back in episode #120.  It fits in with a piece of the novella where the main character,  Logan, is thinking back to his childhood friend, Aurora.  It also has some similarities to the track "Empty Hands," also for the novella, which we did in episode 175 and the same descending note progression that we used there as well as in the song "There's a Wild Heart Beating."  Today, we are making the backing track and attempting to add the flute section.

The novella the song will be embedded in is basically done in terms of its initial skeleton, though I'm putting the final edits on the first draft.  The second draft is typically where I send portions out to other people for critique, so if you'd like to be a part of that, I'll be sending out an email to the advance readers group on the mailing list (link below) soon.  Much appreciated!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Speaking of music, if you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!
[spotify id="spotify:user:jsblum:playlist:0UEHg7euO45dtmZTbH1akD" width="300" height="380" /]

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!

https://13thhr.wordpress.com/2019/03/04/the-thirteenth-hour-podcast-186-musical-interlude-making-memories-of-a-better-time-part-2/

Originally aired on February 25, 2019.

This week, I'm working on the last music track to accompany The Thirteenth Hour novella, Empty Hands, an introspective instrumental piece called "Memories of a Better Time," which harkens to the love theme we made back in episode #120.  It fits in with a piece of the novella where the main character,  Logan, is thinking back to his childhood friend, Aurora.  He isn't terribly happy at this point in his life, as he is a reluctant soldier at best, though his time in the military gives him a window into a life that, as an orphan from a sleepy hunting and farming town without any resources or land of his own would have access to. This coming of age angst and ambivalence is what I was hoping to capture in the theme.

The novella the song will be embedded in is basically done in terms of its initial skeleton, though I'm putting the final edits on the first draft.  The second draft is typically where I send portions out to other people for critique, so if you'd like to be a part of that, I'll be sending out an email to the advance readers group on the mailing list (link below) soon.  Much appreciated!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Speaking of music, if you haven't checked out "Arcade Days," the song and video Jeff Finley, Brent Simon, and I have been working on the past year, click on the link below to do so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MD6UCYeQ4

You can find more pictures and preview clips of "Arcade Days" on IG as well as this podcast's FB page.

Between Two Worlds, the synth EP follow up to Long Ago Not So Far Away is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

The bonus track, called "Flight of the Cloudrider" has a 80s movie mashup music video (see if you can identify all the movies!) which is available on youtube.   This app was largely created with the iphone app Auxy.

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!
[spotify id="spotify:user:jsblum:playlist:0UEHg7euO45dtmZTbH1akD" width="300" height="380" /]

As always, thanks for listening!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

•  Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
• Have this podcast conveniently delivered to you each week on Spotify,  iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, Tunein, and Googleplay Music.
• Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
• Listen to Long Ago Not So Far Away, the Thirteenth Hour soundtrack online at: https://joshuablum.bandcamp.com/ or Spotify.  Join the mailing list for a digital free copy.  You can also get it on CD or tape.
• Website: https://13thhr.wordpress.com
• Book trailer: http://bit.ly/1VhJhXY
• Interested in reading and reviewing The Thirteenth Hour for a free book?  Just email me at [email protected] for more details!