ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes

ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes

by Susan Helene Gottfried

A band’s demo tape is intended to introduce listeners to their music. Likewise, this collection of short pieces allows readers into the fictional world of Trevor Wolff and his band, ShapeShifter.

Originally published online between April 2006 and March 2007, The Demo Tapes — Year 1 brings together the moments that parallel — but never encounter — Susan Helene Gottfried’s debut novel, Trevor’s Song. Arranged chronologically and with introductions to each, this is a must-have volume for anyone who’s ever wanted to hang with a rock band.

Genres: Fiction, Music

First published September 20, 2008

About the author

Susan Helene Gottfried is the heavy-metal-loving, not-disabled-enough divorced Jewish mother of two. A freelance line editor to authors of fiction by day, her select roster of clients tend to hit bestseller lists, and more than a few have quit their day jobs. It’s not entirely her doing, but like does attract like.

Susan holds a BA (University of Pittsburgh) and MFA (Bowling Green State University) in English Writing and Fiction, respectively.

She lives with a couple cats in the Pittsburgh suburbs, just West of Mars. Visit her at http://WestofMars.com and http://TalesFromTheSheepFarm.com.

Reviews

[nimrodiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what goes on backstage at a concert? Have you ever wanted to see the inner workings of a well known band? Did you ever wonder what forces shape a band into a powerhouse of music? Well, with The Demo Tapes: Year 1 you can find answers to these questions and more.

The Demo Tapes: Year 1 is a collection aimed at introducing readers into the fictional world of the band ShapeShifter. All of the short fiction pieces in this collection were first published online in the author’s blog between April 2006 and March 2007. The stories all parallel Susan’s currently unpublished novel Trevor’s Song. The Demo Tapes came into existence because author Susan Helene Gottfried was tired of people not being able to read the intense story that she had created starring the band ShapeShifter. The West of Mars Blog was born through these frustrations.

Along the way, her short fiction and musings on her blog Susan gained a following of loyal readers. Her groupies (as they call themselves) stared clamoring for her writing to be published. Because of their push, Susan took matters into her own hands, and self published The Demo Tapes: Year 1 using the services of Lulu.com. The collection cleans up the quickly written outtakes from the blog, and arranges them chronologically.

I’ve been reading the West of Mars blog from its conception. I read each of these pieces when they were originally first published on the blog. I found ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes: Year 1 a fantastic and fun way of revisiting these older stories. I’m hoping that Susan publishes The Demo Tapes: Year 2 in the near future. I look forward to reading more adventures of Trevor, Mitchell, Keri, and the other band members and fans. I also hope that the Demo Tapes becomes a stepping stone for Susan’s debut novel Trevor’s Song to make it through the gamut of the publishing industry and be available for purchase in bookstores worldwide. Susan has created a wonderful collection of characters in a full fleshed world, and it would be a shame if it was never published.

Places you can find The Demo Tapes: Year 1:
Amazon.com
Lulu.com
Author Susan Helene Gottfried’s web site: West of Mars the Meet & Greet

[Carol Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short pieces that were originally published at the author’s blog between April 2006 and March 2007. I didn’t start reading the West of Mars – Meet and Greet until early this year, but have come to adore Trevor and his band Shapeshifter. I was delighted to read this book, because I missed all of these the first time around.

As a teenager, and even now to be honest, I was a fan of the big hair, hard rock bands. This was like peeking into their world, seeing all the fun and disasters that happen behind the scenes. Even though ShapeShifter is fictional, these glimpses into the characters’ lives are funny and occasionally touching. I fell in love with Trevor, Mitchell, Kerri and the rest. I have to admit to having a few favorite bits, like Green Hair Week, simply because I was at a loss the first summer my daughter’s hair turned green, and Hearts, because it was so romantic.

As the blurb on the back says, “this is a must-have volume for anyone who’s ever wanted to hang with a rock band.” It’s just a blast. I’m looking forward to reading the second year and, when it’s published, Trevor’s Song. In the meantime, you’ll find me stopping by the blog every few days to see what’s going on with my favorite fictional band.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shapeshifter: The Demo Tapes, Year 1 will be unlike any other books on the market because it is a short volume of material from author Susan Helene Gottfried's blog.

These snippets and scenes take readers behind the scenes of a band in the beginning and on the road, providing 100 pages of sheer entertainment, laugh-out-loud moments, and pure joy. Whether readers are fans of 80s hair bands and heavy metal or not, the plight of these boys on the road will have them shaking their heads or laughing right out of their chairs.

In one section of the book, Gottfried uses vivid, snappy descriptions to bring Mitchell's green hair to life on the page after than band spends three days in Phoenix at the pool.

"'How'd you make it worse?'

Mitchell jerked up so fast, he cracked his head on the faucet. He let out a wordless yowl and jumped up and down, a hand clapped to the spot, until the first jolt of pain faded." (Page 80)

In a variety of demos, Trevor, Mitchell, Eric, and Daniel are introduced, complete with their outrageous behavior and the tensions often prevalent in a band of young men. Shapeshifter: The Demo Tapes, Year 1 will whet readers' appetites and have them salivating for more, like so many record companies waiting for the next biggest band.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes: Year 1 is a collection of short stories about band life. The focus in the stories seem to primarily be on Trevor, but my interest resided more with Mitchell. I may just be more of a lead singer type of girl though. This collection is like an appetizer to wet your appetite for the book, Trevor's Song, and it's very successful. It's fun, it's real, it's got some edge and it's totally rock and roll. It really made me want to read Trevor's Song. Year 1 was an easy read, written in a conversational tone that made it very relatable. If you were ever in a band or just dreamed of being in one, you'll love this insider look at ShapeShifter.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder what happens behind the stage of a rock band? Well, while you might not find out, you can certainly have a few laughs and find out what a fictional character would do! These are the “out takes” – the things that didn’t make it into a book that the author is writing. The little things that I’m sure just add to the story once the book comes out, to make you want more :)

This was a cute little collection. I liked the intros to each story, telling us how it came about… I’m in my 30s and, yes, folks, I’m a Trevor groupie. *hangs head in shame*

Seriously, though, this was a fun book… well worth a read or two.

[Cindi Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I read most all of these blog posts that year, I still enjoyed rereading them in a more chronological order. Plus there are some scenes that are favorites that I can keep coming back to read.
The chocolate scene at the end of the book with Kerrie and Mitchell is by far my favorite. Green Hair week and soy sauce where great too. My other favorite happens to be the death by cheese. Can we guess why? ;-)
Thanks Susan. It was nice revisiting with the guys. Trevor was peeking while I was taking my bubble bath tonight. Naughty boy! LOL

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to be in the music business, back in the dark recesses of time.

With this collection of short stories, author Susan Helene Gottfried provides an entertaining and accurate description of life on the road, conflicts among band members, and even burgeoning family life. The members of ShapeShifters, Gottfried's fictional band, and their families are drawn with depth and sensitivity.

Very entertaining and highly recommended. I can't wait to read "Demo Tapes (Year 2)

[Mary BookHounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Susan's blog for several years now and I love the fact that she put all of these short stories together in one easy to read place. Year One gives you a great background on the start of the fictional Metal band, Shapeshifter, how Trevor and Mitchell became friends and their developing personalities. Year Two furthers these thoughts and will make you want to read TREVOR'S SONG.

[Stacy Juba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this before the full length book Trevor's Song, which features the same characters, and it instantly drew me in. I liked how the author introduced the stories and snippets with explanations about why she wrote them. The stories are quick and enjoyable to read and provide further depth into the characters from Trevor's Song.

[Shaunesay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great teaser to the band that is Shapeshifter! This will eventually be a great companion to "Trevor's Song", helping round out the characters, rather than just giving you a small taste of what's to come.

I love Green Hair Week! So... when do we get year 2 Susan? ;)

[Ann (Noumena12) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommend reading this as a supplement to Trevor's Song!!

[Florinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be honest about a couple of things here. ShapeShifter is the kind of band that I'd probably know existed, and I might like a couple of their songs if I encountered them, but I'd be unlikely to seek out or own much of their music; I'm just not into the head-banging metal stuff. My musical orientation is toward more melodic sub-genres, and songs that I can sing along with. Having said that, the idea of "hanging with a rock band" has long fascinated me, and it's the hard-rocking groups that best capture this mystique (and one reason why Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies) - although, being honest again, I'd never be one of the "I'm with the band" girls. I might work with the band's manager and be lucky enough to a favorite object of teasing by the guys in the band, but that would be as close as it got.

Susan Helene Gottfried launched her blog West of Mars - The Meet and Greet as a place for "outtakes" - short scenes and sketches - involving the characters and situations in her not-yet-published novel about a rock band called ShapeShifter, Trevor's Song. Susan has assembled and published the first year of outtakes in this book. While the outtakes make fairly random appearances on the blog, Susan has assembled them in chronological narrative order here, and has written additional introductory material for each sketch, giving more context about how it fits into the overall story of ShapeShifter. This is not a novel in itself - while the stories are placed in sequence, they don't have a plot thread tying them together - but if you haven't met the band before, it's a great way to do it.

I have met the band - I've been a regular reader at Susan's blog for months, although I accidentally discovered we had a prior connection through BookCrossing - but this helped me put some of the pieces of their story together...and I want more. I want to fill in more of the gaps, I want more of the backstory, and I even want to know more about their music although I don't think I'd like it much. I don't know nearly enough about who Trevor, Mitchell, Daniel and Eric are, let alone Kerri, Lyric, Chelle, and the other women in their orbit, but I know that they are characters that intrigue me, and since I'm a fan of character-driven fiction, that's what matters. Susan is already at work on compiling The Demo Tapes: Year Two, and with luck all of this will help move the master plan - publication of Trevor's Song - forward. I hope it happens; I definitely want to spend some more time hanging out with this rock band.

This was a fast and fun read, and if it's the kind of subject matter that appeals to you, visit The Meet and Greet and check out a few of the outtakes for yourself.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories introduces the reader to the world of Trevor Wolff and Mitchell Voss, and their rock band ShapeShifter. They were originally published at the online blog of author Susan Helen Gottfried, The Meet & Greet at West of Mars, so many of the visitors to that site—fondly referred to as groupies—might already be familiar with them. Since I never really liked reading online, I wasn't much of a groupie myself, so I was happy to see this collection come out so I could find out what all the fuss was about. ;)

Trevor's the kind of character you love to hate... he's rude and obnoxious, but underneath it all, has a heart of gold. There's not a whole lot of substance to most of these stories, they're just sort of the day-to-day of these characters, an introduction in preparation for the book she later published, Trevor's Song. That's not to say that Trevor, Mitchell, and the gang don't have fun, or manage to get themselves into some funny or sticky situations. For that they certainly do, but it's hard to critique this book like a book when there wasn't really a plot or anything. So just take it for what it is... and if you like the characters enough to want to follow along and see what happens from here, pick up the next 2 years of Demo Tapes, along with Trevor's Song. Actually they're all being offered FREE (in digital or ebook format) at Smashwords until the end of July. Refer to each individual book page for the code to add to your cart. I grabbed them myself and since this was a fairly quick read, plan to catch up more on Trevor and the gang over the course of the next year. :)

PS - Up until I read this book, I was convinced Trevor was a werewolf. I mean, who wouldn't with the surname of Wolff and band name of ShapeShifter, right? But this book set me straight and I was a wee bit disappointed to discover the characters were just regular joes like you and me.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, one true measure of a book is whether or not you want to continue reading the book through stressful events. Recently, The Demo Tapes, was put to this test by yours truly and passed with gold stars and a bottle of Ping’s soy sauce.

The husband took me into the doctor and the book I grabbed to read just so happened to be The Demo Tapes. Right from the beginning, I was drawn into the lives of the ShapeShifter band as well as the people who loved them. I’m not a rock n’ roll chick by any means, but I found the well-formed characters to be endearing right from the start. People I couldn’t help but want to get to know more.

I didn’t want to put the book down, even as I sat waiting for an x-ray – and not even when I sat down later to wait to hear the results of the x-ray.

Gottfried’s writing style is easy and relaxed, so the reader’s focus is exactly where it is supposed to be: the characters.

Even if you aren’t familiar with Trevor Wolff and ShapeShifter, you can enjoy this introduction to the band. The fly-on-the-wall vantage point you get in this book will make you feel like you’re hanging out with the guys on tour, stopping over at the Voss house to hang out and laughing it up with them as they experience life.

[Susan Gottfried]

Of course I love it! I wrote it.

[Susan Gottfried]

Of course I love this. I wrote it!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories about Shapeshfiter. Gives you back story to Trevor's Song.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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