THE BONE ASYLUM - Full Length Concept Album

We began this journey a long time ago, and many things have changed. This album took

the better part of 12 years to complete. Now, don’t envision us chained to our instruments

for 4,384 days. We did a lot in those 12 years. We toured for the last album, we got married,

bought a house and settled into domesticity. We worked on music now and then, but life

has this strange way of getting between you and the things you really ought to be doing.

We also had a very grand vision for this album. Maybe too grand. It was our original

intention to create the music in conjunction with a comic book. The comic would tell the

story in between the songs, and the songs would enhance the themes in the comic.

In the end, trying to find artists, production questions, and other concerns sidetracked us

until the point that we realized we had two choices: put the music out without the comic,

or put the music onto a shelf somewhere in our archives and never talk about it again. We

decided to put the comic on hold and release the music.

If it becomes possible in the future, we’ll release the comic with art to match. For now,

we’ve included the script in these liner notes for your reading pleasure. There are select

images included, mostly from the appropriate single covers, and the script refers to the

songs when they come into the story.

This project can be enjoyed one of several ways. Either you may listen to the music and

disregard this script, you may disregard the music and just read, or you may listen and read

together. Think of it as a follow-along book for grownups.

The story is really three stories. It takes place in three countries, three eras. The first story

is that of Orpheus and Eurydice, and it takes place in Ancient Greece. The second takes

place in Europe in the Victorian era, where John Orpheus, an Englishman, loses his wife

Elizabeth in childbirth. The final piece of the story takes place in modern-day America,

where John and Elizabeth’s great-granddaughter, Olivia, is coping with the loss of her

partner of 10 years, Alan.

Throughout all three stories we see repeating themes and motifs: death and grief, love and

longing, and the communion between the living and the dead, and between rationality and

superstition.

In Kutna Hora, an ossuary near Prague, generations of residents have assembled the bones

of their dead into decorations for the church. Though this practice may seem morbid to an

outsider, the people who began this practice saw it as a way to honor their dead.

During the last 12 years, we’ve had plenty of time to honor our own dead. Wa’s

aunt Connie died in 2004. In 2008, his mom, Nola Jean, got a third bout of cancer and

finally succumbed to it three days before Thanksgiving, 2009. In her grief, Nola’s sister

Louise suffered a stroke a few months later. Just when we thought she would recover, she

died as well. And in the summer of 2013, we got a call from Jess’s mom that her grandma

was dying, and if we wanted to see her before she passed away, we should get to Wyoming

as soon as possible.

We made a road trip to see my grandmother, and drove through Yellowstone Park.

Amidst the trees and buffalo, we talked about finally putting aside all our concerns and

releasing this album.

So we present this to you. A labor of love and loss, and of grief and gratefulness. We

thank those who helped us, and honor those who aren’t here to share it.

With love,

Wa Conner

Jessica Griffin Conner aka Raven Nightshado

Shadowcroft House

September 26th, 2014

Check it out at the following places.

 Feel free to add any of the THE BONE ASYLUM songs to your YouTube videos. And be sure to review her at the any of the following sites!

Keep checking back here, as we have another special thing that will be released soon that you will want to accompany your copy of THE BONE ASYLUM!

Apple Music & iTunes:

Google Play:

Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk:

Spotify

Apoplexy

Cover image by Stephen Randall, aka StrawberryR at Deviantart.com

 

The new single from Dead Poets Society, “Apoplexy,” delves into the maw of madness. Eurydice, filled with hope and innocence in the moments after wedding her beloved, Orpheus, the son of Apollo, is chased by her husband’s drunken, lust-filled cousin, Aristeus, son of Dionysius. Aristeus falls upon Eurydice, violating her, and throws her body from the jagged cliffs of Thrace onto the seashore below. As the waves lap at her broken form, Orpheus discovers his love and collapses into grief and madness, anguish, and Apoplexy.

In this soul-rending instrumental track, Dead Poets Society gives us a chilling and rage-filled look into grief, loss, and pain.  

Music by Wa.

Cover art image provided by Stephen Randall, aka StrawberryR.

Cover art design by Dead Poets Society.

Madness by Aristaeus.

Death by Eurydice.

Apoplexy by Orpheus.

 

Now available on CDBaby,  iTunes, Rdio, Google Play,  Amazon, Spotify, and soon on all of your other favorite digital juke joints.

Ocean of Wire

“Ocean of Wire” by Jessica Griffin-Conner

Happy New Year!  As we begin our journey into the unknown that awaits us in 2013, I hope you join us on this epic journey with our couples Olivia Orpheus/Alan Fitzgerald, John Orpheus/Elizabeth Harmon, and Orpheus/Eurydice with The Bone Asylum.

Ancient Greece:

Shortly after wedding one another, Orpheus is forced to part from Eurydice as he joins Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece.

While Orpheus battles Sirens with song on vast seas far away, Eurydice waits in misery, and with eager anticipation of his return.

“Ocean of Wire” is the fourth single released from Dead Poets Society’s ambitious concept album The Bone Asylum.

The Bone Asylum tells the story of three couples who live in different eras, but are connected by a common tragedy, that leads to one question: “Can Olivia Orpheus overcome her tragic destiny?”

“Ocean of Wire” is available at Apple Music, CDBaby, iTunes, Google Play, Rdio, Spotify, Amazon, Rhapsody, Nokia, Muve Music, iHeartRadio, Bloom.fm, Great Indie Music

The Wedding (Sinfonia Morfine)

 

The Wedding (Sinfonia Morfine) cover designed by Jessica Griffin-Conner

“The Wedding (Sinfonia Morfine)” is the third release from our concept album THE BONE ASYLUM.

 

  Our three protagonist couples make vows to their partners.

In ancient Greece: Orpheus and Eurydice wed.

Late 19th Century London: John Orpheus and Elizabeth Harmon wed.

21st Century Portland, Oregon: Olivia Orpheus and Alan Fitzgerald exchange vows to
one another and begin living together.

 

Now available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, CD Baby, Spotify, and Rdio.

"Eclipse"

The 2nd song from our new concept album The Bone Asylum, we are proud to release “Eclipse” featuring guitar performances by Michael Angelo Ormando. Available today on iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon.com,  Spotify, Google Music Store, and soon on and many other fine digital outlets.

Dead Poets Society - “Eclipse”, cover design by Jessica Griffin-Conner

At this stage in our story, Olivia Orpheus is wracked with grief after the loss of her lover Alan to terminal cancer. She seeks out answers. She ponders what, or even IF there is a future for her:

 

lyrics

black sun dawning on my technicolor day
old goths never die they only fade to grey
blackness surrounds me but I’m not the only one
I recognize resentment in the eyes behind the sun.

don’t take away this love I have longed for
please take away this pain….
My heart is filled with untouched emotion
eclipsed by endless rain

white orb light fills me and I am complete again
if wholeness can be measured when your barely even sane
killing my presence until there is nothing left to see
nothing but the emptiness you’ve left inside of me…

don’t take away this love I have longed for
please take away this pain
My heart is filled with untouched emotion
eclipsed by endless-

rain beats on my window
a million stars descending down
shattered drops of crystal
burst on the pavement with no sound
in these tears I wander
my essence dead but mortal bound
without your sun my shadow
is hidden in this earthly shroud

don’t take away this love I have longed for
please take away this pain
my heart is filled with untouched emotion
eclipsed by endless rain

don’t take away this love I have longed for
please take away this pain
my heart is filled with untouched emotion
eclipsed by endless rain

———————-

lyrics by Jessica Griffin-Conner
vocals by Jessica Griffin-Conner
guitars performed by Michael Angelo Ormando ( aka Michael X of The Dragonflies/The Raven Trybe)
mixed and engineered by Wa Conner and Jessica Griffin-Conner
produced by Dead Poets Society

"Gates of Hell" *updated*

Fans have been able to stream this song for years, but you’ve never been able to officially purchase a copy. We are proud and very excited to announce that after nearly ten years of work, you can finally get your own official digital download of the first single from our next album THE BONE ASYLUM from CDBaby  Amazon,  iTunes,  Spotify, and Rdio.

THE BONE ASYLUM, the third full length release of Dead Poets Society, is a concept album that tells an epic story about love, loss, and grief. It is our most personal album, and is sincerely the one of which we are most proud. When we created Dead Poets Society way back in 1998, this was the album that we had always envisioned crafting.

“Gates of Hell” is intensely grooving electronica that is topped off with guitars, synthesizers, and piano, drops you right in the middle of the action as you experience the determined journey of Orpheus to recover his beloved Eurydice, who is being held hostage Hades the God of Death and King of the Underworld. The piano leitmotif is Orpheus, and the string leitmotif is Eurydice.

After many disasters, personal crises, and life adjustments, Dead Poets Society almost didn’t make it to this point. We think that you will agree with us that the wait was worth it.

We will be releasing more singles from THE BONE ASYLUM over the next few months, including many that no one outside of the band has ever heard before. We hope to have the album available for digital download by late 2012 or early 2013.

 

Dead Poets Society: Gates of Hell

 

 

 

 

Dead Poets Society singles available through Paypal!

Remixes and Rarities by DPS. Painting by Edward Walter

If you have a valid Paypal account, you can purchase from here a few of our albums, and many of our singles (including some previously unavailable for purchase singles from our forthcoming album The Bone Asylum) with nothing more required than a valid Paypal account. At $.75, you cannot find a cheaper price for our songs on the net.

This store has our albums, The Electric Haze, Deprogramming, and our limited edition album Remixes and Rarities.

10th Anniversary of Dead Poets Society' Album, THE ELECTRIC HAZE

It was exactly ten years ago today that we released our debut album, The Electric Haze. In celebration of this date, we’ve slashed 25% off of the price of physical CD and digital copies for a limited time at CDBaby.com!  If you have never picked up a copy, now is the time to do it!

 

"Drumeria", the new Dead Poets Society single from the "Synners" video, is now available!

In late 2010 we announced that we would be releasing a handful of tracks that had not been released widely, or were tracks that we enjoyed but felt did not fit well into the new album, so we decided to release these separately as singles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Drumeria” is the third of these singles.

 

In 2002, we debuted our Dead Poets Society music video, “Synners”(which you can check out here if you like), at the first annual Parkdale Film Festival. 

 

In order for the video to meet festival requirements some end credits were added, and this track was composed to back those end credits.

 

The image on the cover of the single is a still from the film festival edit of the “Synners” video, and features Ryan Mann from Hotboxed (who performed guest vocals on the song, and co-wrote the story for the video). Ryan Mann, performing live with Hotboxed.

 

The track has been requested by fans over the years, and we are proud to have finally made it available in high quality sound. 

Enjoy!

Currently you can only grab a copy at iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby, but eventually you will be able to get the song at all of the usual places: Last.fm, Napster, Rhapsody, Emusic, MediaNet, and Verizon.

We’ll update this post with the links as they come in. So be sure to visit again, if it hasn’t appeared on your favorite spot yet.

 If you’d like to support the band, in addition to picking up the song, you can also help by writing a review on iTunes, CDBaby, and/or Amazon

Happy Pi Day!

"Fire Bolt (live)" Now Available Everywhere!

Earlier this past October we announced that we would be releasing a handful of tracks that had not been released widely, or were tracks that we enjoyed but felt did not fit well into the new album, so we decided to release these separately as singles.

Fire Bolt (live) is the second of these tracks. It was recorded while we performed at The Zebra Lounge in Bozeman, Montana during our 2002 West Coast tour.

This performance features Wa Conner on drums and percussion, Jessica Griffin-Conner (aka Raven Nightshado) on keyboards and synths, and Eric Drake on keyboards and synths.

It is available through CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon, Last.fm, Napster, Rhapsody, Emusic, MediaNet, and Verizon.

We hope you enjoy it! Happy Holidays!

For A Limited Time, Amazon.com is Giving Away 3 Free Mp3s

This offer expires November 29th, and is unfortunately only available to accounts within the United States, but if you visit this page on Amazon.com and follow the instructions, they will credit your account for up to three free Mp3s at .99 a piece.

 

May I suggest that this might be a good way for you to pick a few of our songs for free?

Here is a link to our songs on the MP3 Store at Amazon.com

 

All Because of You!

Due to the overwhelming support at Jango, our band was recently awarded additional plays on their radio channels! Thank you so much! You guys rock! If you haven’t been over there yet, the link is here.

 

Plus, we’ve added “The Endless Shore”, which is another track from our next album, The Bone Church, for you to check out, and add to your music stations there.

Fans, once again, thank you very much!

New Dead Poets Society Songs on Jango!

Just in time for Halloween, you can listen to four new tracks, “Karma Factory”, “Despair and Despondency”, “Apoplexy”, and “This Vast Ocean of Wire” from our forthcoming new concept album, The Bone Church, right here on Jango.com (the free internet radio station).

This is the only spot you can hear them for now! Please be sure to “Fan” the band. We would love to hear comments about the new songs.

New Dead Poets Society Single "Schoenfeld" Available Now Worldwide!

“Schoenfeld” by Dead Poets Society

“Schoenfeld” is the first of a batch of singles that Dead Poets Society will be releasing over the coming months. As we’ve worked endlessly on the new album we discovered that there were some tracks that didn’t really fit on The Bone Church, but they were tracks that we liked, and thought that they should be made available to you.

Schoenfeld was inspired by the incredibly positive impact that Wa’s maternal grandmother, Leola, had on his life as a creative person. If she were alive, she would have been nearly 107 years old. The album cover is a photo of her taken around 1928. Her maiden name was Schoenfeld, which means “shining field” in German.

This track is an instrumental juxtaposition that takes that shining field and passes it through the pressure infused context of today’s modern world, much as the personality of Leola Schoenfeld once did. She was an unconventional woman, and this is an unconventional instrumental mix of electronica, rock, and jazz. We sincerely hope you enjoy it.

“Schoenfeld” is available for digital distribution through CDBaby , iTunes, Amazon Mp3, Amazon.co.uk,  Zune, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, Last.fm, Jango.

We welcome your impressions and reviews of “Schoenfeld” on Facebook, Last.fm or CDBaby.

Sincerely,

Wa


Another Cozy Digital Home For DPS Music

Like children, our songs keep finding new places to live on the net, and never call us on Mother’s or Father’s Day. Fortunately, being able to find our songs in the markeplace for the device or favorite website of our fans makes them happier. We like happier fans. So, you can now find our music in the Zune Store. So if you have a Zune, you ALSO happen to have access to our music from our first two albums. Go you!

 

Zune: Before you ask, we have no idea why our album Deprogramming is listed twice. (Twice as tasty maybe?)