Song Song Song

CONTEST CONTEST CONTEST

There's a song in The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal.

It's called We're In the Movies, and it's about the common experience of feeling like we're the stars of our own movies, ipod buds blasting the soundtrack while walking to the corner for a soda.

I have a version of the song here. My friend Michelle Girouard has another here. I'll be discussing in a later post what the connection is to the novel of The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal, including what possessed me to write a song for a novel in the first place.

But for now, the important thing to report is this: There's a contest for the song, being sponsored by the Other Press. Aspiring performers are being asked to record their own take on it, for a prize of 500 dollars and a copy of the book. I'm really looking forward to this, especially since I like the song but I'm not particularly fond of my own singing voice.

Enter by May 1, 2009, by joining the Lacuna Cabal group on YouTube and uploading your video. The top star-rated videos will be judged by a panel, apparently including me, to determine the semifinalists. Semifinalists will be announced on May 9, and the Grand Prize Winner will be announced the week of May 19. Official contest rules are here. There's an age restriction: 13 and above with parental consent. Otherwise 18 and above.

Sheet music here if you like, a bit anally rendered perhaps (by me) and with maybe a few errors. It will probably be easier to learn it by ear. And feel free to change the key.





Caveat: This song was never meant to be performed by me with a long-neck banjo and a stripy toque in a youtube video on the internet. Aside from it being mildly embarrassing, the point was for the singer to be young, not old.

But I'll get ot that in a later post. And anyway, it works either way. Still, I hope you can do better.

The video above was filmed and edited by my wife, filmmaker Katerina Cizek. James Thomson appears on bass.