Rinse the Blood Off That Money, and Send It to WFMU and My Castle of Quiet!

Notice I said "rinse." No need to go overboard.
Starting tomorrow night at midnight, you'll be treated to a "spit-shined" version of My Castle of Quiet radio, with shorter, punchier selections, and more frequent (but briefer) mic breaks. These are the most obvious ways in which I modify the program, ever-so-slightly, to accommodate the atmosphere required for fundraising. It's an enjoyable test, to modify a ridiculously uncommercial program for a slightly "easier feed," such that myself and co-host Diane "Kamikaze" Farris can rapport and illicit chuckles, as we implore you for your contributions, and do drawings for show-appropriate prizes and such. Diane has contributed to My Castle of Quiet in immeasurable ways, in terms of our live-music broadcasts; her recent live sound for Lady Piss, Castevet, Raspberry Bulbs, and the Black Twilight Circle tour made those appearances special recorded documents, ones we'll be revisiting on the show over the next two weeks.

Now, onto the MCoQ premium for this year, yours for a pledge (during this week or next week's broadcast, or at any time during our marathon) of $75 or over to My Castle of Quiet, you automatically receive a copy of the limited CDr, tracks rare or completely unavailable elsewhere, all donated by the bands themselves. It has been this way for the last three years; I create compilations (or "mixes") for friends often enough that I just figured, "I know these bands/artists, why not just ask if they have an unreleased track to spare for the station?" It made it enjoyable for me, pulling the donated tracks together, considering their sequence, and generally fashioning a collection of various artists in the way those preparing something for mass-market, commercial purposes would do. But this one is only available to WFMU and My Castle of Quiet's listener/contributors.

I'm pleased that this companion CD for the show (which is what these things are meant to be, I believe, and I imagine many of my colleagues at the station would say the same of their premiums) is the most black-metal yet of all the Castle's collections, with tracks from Lord Time (Epileptic Onset Delirium); Harassor (Devoured By Time); Kavra (Cleanse); Malkuth (Mors Irruens Hic Extremas Instru); Moonknight (Supernal Dew); and Glass Coffin (Antichrist Enthroned.)

The "noise" contributions are all unbelievably strong, dynamite donations from every artist - Daath Valley (Hospital Music For Queen Sebastian); Grasshopper (Demonic Tutelage); Lea Bertucci (Rods and Cones); Mr. Matthews (I Walk Down City Streets of an Unsuspecting Human World); FUN (Dedicated to My Castle of Quiet); Decimus (Vittorio Veneto); and Demonologists (Vile Prey (Religious Fluids)), and when I use the term noise, it's hopefully with the understanding that the term has been rendered obsolete by most of what gets shoved under its banner these days.

Then, there are the oddballs, the artists that more than passing the Castle filter, manage to in perhaps the strongest way define it - Wretched Worst (Women In Jeans); Enslaved By Owls (Frozen Basement); and NRIII (Bonedust.)

A tremendous thanks to all the bands and artists who contributed this year. We could never do any of what we do without you.

The amazing front and back cover paintings for the collection were done by Sarah Zahn, a freelance painter, frequent voice on our playlists, and a personal friend. Click the thumbnail of the back cover, up top, to see it in greater detail. The amazing front cover you're just going to have to pledge to see. (Actually, I think WFMU may have a small thumbnail up somewhere.)

So, I hope to hear your names read aloud tomorrow night, and I also want to thank those who have already pledged pre-program, the noble few. The pummeling begins tomorrow night at midnight.