As I was digging in a customer's garden this week, listening to "Alestorm" on my iPod (other MP3 players are available), it occurred to me that I listen to a lot of music to inspire me when I'm writing. More than that, because Of my background, I tend to write like a film script in my head. I have always had specific tunes in mind for certain scenes. People always ask an author "Which actors would you cast in the roles in your book?", but never "What music would the film of your book have?"

So here goes, some musical choices that compliment my books perfectly. Even if you don't read my stuff, check out these tunes anyway.



I'll start with the easiest. If I were a Space Pirate and I hung out in a rough bar full of salty old sea dogs and huge bosomed wenches, I could do worse to have "Alestorm" as the house band in the bar. I first happened across them by chance while walking through a record store in Manchester one day. A sign in the new music section read "Scottish Pirate Metal". I bought the album "Black Sails at Midnight" on spec, just because of that sign and the awesome cover artwork. I'm a big rock and metal fan anyway so it wasn't so much of a stretch. I was expecting something interesting with maybe one or two good songs. What I got was a faultless album from start to finish. I cannot emphasise the genius of a Scottish metal band performing raunchy pirate songs. Particular favourites of mine are "The Quest", "That Famous Ol' Spiced" and "Wolves of the Sea". I've become a massive fan and bought several other albums since. Their music is rated "Arrrrrrrrrrr!"



Another band that I listen to for inspiration, and are so good that I've seen them live twice and have their bumper sticker on the back of my white van, are "Rammstein". I first discovered the German hard rock group with the song "Feuer Frei" which is used in the film "XXX". That lead me to buy the album "Mutter" (Mother) and the love affair with their music was confirmed. Although I don't speak German, my love of their music has lead me to translate their song titles into English on my iTunes and root out their lyric translations. Practically everything they write could be used in a battle sequence and a particular favourite is the song "Morgenstern" (Morning Star) from the album "Reise, Reise", for obvious reasons to my readers! Their music is heavy, they have two lead guitarists, plus bass and drums and a mental keyboard player who plays while running on a conveyor belt. Their stage shows are more like theatre than a concert, with huge set pieces for each song. They specialise in fireworks and flame throwers. If you've never seen the chin mounted flame throwers that they use during the song "Feuer Frei", then you have to find this song on YouTube straight away!



In Mike's Bar (where everybody knows your rank) on the desolate planetoid Cairn, there is often an Irish band paying on the fiddle and the Bodhran. I like to think that the band would be comprised of Alan Doyle, Sean McCann (shanty man) and Bob Hallett from the awesome Newfoundland band "Great Big Sea". My pal and almost brother-in-law, Mike (of Thumbnail Design) introduced me to them one Christmas. They are from St Johns which has an Irish ancestry and so their band is a mix of Irish folk and Canadian rock. They are simply awesome! I tend to lean towards their folky stuff more than the modern songs, but it's all good. They even inspired me to pick up a Bodhran and learn how to play one. If you want an album to start with, choose "Courage, Patience and Grit" which is a live album and shows them doing what they do best. If you're having a kitchen party, invite them round, you won't be sorry! You will probably already know Alan Doyle as he is a good friend of the actor Russell Crowe and plays the musician "Alan A'Dayle" in the 2010 film version of "Robin Hood".



I could ramble on forever about music, my iTunes has something like eight thousand songs on it, but I'll finish with a band that my Sister's partner Alex (Scotty) got me hooked on. Front Line Assembly will not be to everyone's taste. They are an Industrial / Electronica group, again from Canada. Their music is dark and has lots of samples and electronic synth sounds. I saw them live at the Academy in Manchester where the music was so LOUD that my trousers were vibrating in time with the beat! If you're going to use electronic music in a science fiction film, they are perfect. Their music is moody, aggressive, and the fast numbers are perfect for fight scenes. Some of my favourites are from the 2007 album "Fallout"', but they have so many albums and remixes it's hard to choose. I can easily imagine the Japanese assassin swinging her Wakizashi short sword around to one of these fast-paced tunes!

Well, that's enough from me. I hope you liked this blog and that you try a couple of the bands that I've suggested. The word "eclectic" was invented just for my iTunes library. If you don't like one of these bands, try another. They're all so different, all so good!

Lets rock!