Over ninety minutes of music ranging from chilling and disturbing to ethereal and warm, emotionally gripping to totally heavy, we’re so proud of our work and grateful to Drew Daywalt for pairing our sound with his intelligent, intense, beautifully filmed, scare-the-pants-off-you style of horror. Yes, there will be a soundtrack CD as well as some free digital downloads, which we’ll share with you when the series goes public.

Needless to say, when Drew invited us to score his next indie project, we jumped at the chance to work with him again!

And so begins our 2010. We’re especially excited to share this short film with you because it will give you a very good idea of what lies ahead with CAMERA OBSCURA.

We hope you enjoy SUICIDE GIRL!
The language is NSFW, and the film might make you afraid of the dark.

-G9 and NiNi

SUICIDE GIRL Makes Horror Headlines:
@ FEARnet
@ TheHorrorGeek.com
@ BloodyDisgusting.com
@ ShockTillYouDrop.com
@ DreadCentral.com

In the meantime, here’s some crunchy little nuggets of CAMERA OBSCURA goodness to tide you over… enjoy!
-NiNi + G9

CAMERA OBSCURA TRAILER:

Camera Obscura Trailer from MWG Entertainment on Vimeo.

CAMERA OBSCURA SET VISIT & REAL GHOST STORIES:

Camera Obscura: Drew Daywalt set tour from Bender / Helper Impact on Vimeo.

[ More Monsters at FEARnet.com ] [ More Exclusive Set Photos at Dread Central ]

And finally, this week, we can show you a little CAMERA OBSCURA, because sneak peeks of the series have started rolling out at some great sites, so enjoy the features below. Although this teaser video will give you a hint of how the series is looking, the music in the teaser is not by CORVO. Nope, you’ll have to wait until the actual episodes begin airing to hear OUR demons, so… stay tuned, because we’ll keep you posted as we get closer to the October premiere!

A MOTHER of a Scene from CAMERA OBSCURA:
[ E-News Subscribers, click on this link to watch the video ]

Camera Obscura: teaser from MWG Entertainment on Vimeo.

In each exclusive below, is a different set of behind-the-scenes images!

• [ FEARnet Exclusive Interview with Director Drew Daywalt ]
• [ FEARnet Exclusive - Great Creature Pix ]
• [ DreadCentral.com Exclusive - Jack Klugman and More Pix ]
• [ Exclusive CAMERA OBSCURA - Creepy Hospital and Set Pix ]

^v^ + <3,
NiNi + G9

The scoring process for Drew Daywalt’s webseries CAMERA OBSCURA has begun! It’s been an exhausting but satisfying first week, and the music for episodes 1 through 3 is now complete. We can’t reveal many details about what’s happening onscreen during these opening chapters, but we can say that you’ll get to hear a new CORVO track titled “Where” [written and sung by NiNi] in Episode 1, as well as some creepy dark ambient compositions by G9 and a surprise performance that reveals NiNi’s inner Beelzebub.

Studio photos will probably be posted within the next week, including the recording of “Where,” G9 surrounded by his weapons of weirdness in the newly revamped Crow’s Nest, and some other odds and ends. Video footage from the studio may also be popping up in a future update, beginning with some revealing footage of “studio kittehs” Batty and Wylee practicing their own variety of forced shiatsu.

Inspirational visuals have been playing round the clock during this weekend’s recording sessions, including EVIL DEAD II, DEADTIME STORIES and the first season of THE ADDAMS FAMILY.

The series will be launching very soon (in plenty of time for Halloween), and we can’t wait to see the finished product!

G9 + NiNi

[DOWNLOAD CORPUS CORVI MP3]

Okay, so we can’t give too much away about the work we’ve done so far on the CAMERA OBSCURA score, but it won’t be naughty to tell you that we’re definitely getting in touch with our “ancient primal” sides these days.

This is NOT a CAMERA OBSCURA track, but a little something we conjured up in preparation for the series. It all began as an experiment with new percussive elements we’d planned on using, and then, as always around here, a twisted fairytale evolved from the music, which then became a video, which then became a piece of digital art.

The story behind the song involves a sensual, Lovecraftian, “Raven Cult” called The Corpus Corvi, and the woman you see is the High Priestess. The visuals were definitely inspired by Dario Argento’s LA TERZA MADRE, and musically, we were both inspired by the ravens constantly flapping their wings in our skulls. It is our hope that this will make your imaginations run a little wild with ours, and if not… well, that our weird little stories will at least entertain you!

-NiNi + G9

CORVO has been hired to score CAMERA OBSCURA, the new web series from Emmy-nominated filmmaker Drew Daywalt. Drew is well known among horror fans as one of the founders of Fewdio, a collective of experienced Hollywood insiders who have been creating award-winning short horror films for the web – and now on DVD (their first disc NIGHTMARE HOUSE made its debut at this summer’s San Diego Comic Con).

Slated to launch next month, the 17-episode series revolves around a young woman (Reagan Dale Neis) who inherits some strange artifacts from her late grandfather (Jack Klugman – yes, THAT Jack Klugman!), a crime-scene photographer. One is a magical camera capable of capturing the images of ancient, demonic creatures who prey on humans, and the other is a “scrapbook” in which he kept the creatures imprisoned in photographic form. When she unwittingly destroys the book, the demons are released, and… well, let’s just say that the script alone had us sleeping with the lights on for more than a few nights.

This is major news for us, because we’re not just licensing a song or two, but composing and performing the score for the entire series!

Post-production is now underway, and the recording process officially began – appropriately enough – on 09/09/09. Expect some studio updates from The Crow’s Nest very soon!

G9 + NiNi

[ FEARnet Exclusive: John Carpenter Talks 'Prince of Darkness" Soundtrack Re-Release" ]

Speaking of Telltale, yes, we are still recording and working very hard on the debut album. Without the backing and money of huge label-dom, we’re truly on our own with this album bizness, and learning that although rewarding and exactly where we want to be, the DIY music process can feel like stone ages pass between “official” releases, which can be frustrating to us and to our fans! However, 2009 is already turning into an extremely prolific year for Corvo, which you will see this week, because we have “more where this came from!”

For now, we really do hope that upon hearing The Devils (Telltale Cut), you’ll feel like Telltale will be worth the wait, because that’s our goal. As the song gets added to more podcasts, playlists, sites and stores, we will keep you posted! For now, the download is FREE, so pass it on to your friends and enjoy! xxx, NiNi

Listen/Download/Favorite At:
MySpace
Facebook
Last.FM
iLike
Our iTunes Podcast

If you’ve read/seen/heard any of the items I’ve blurbed here, I’d love to hear read your thoughts in the comments… but you can write more than 13 words if y’want! -NiNi

RATINGS SCALE:
5 Slashes = Best. Thing. EVER. Will you marry me?
4 Slashes = Will probably become 5-slash material after a few more tries.
3 Slashes = Totally fun, and worth the time and money.
2 Slashes = Only deserves this much because it had some entertainment value.
1 Slash = Why did I waste my time?

TWILIGHT (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 1) [ Stephenie Meyer ]

Brooding, swooning teens not your style? Keep reading! Vampire-life after high school rocks.

[ 3/5 SLASHES ]

NEW MOON (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 2)

Worst. Birthday. Ever. Vegetarian vamps get human-hungry. There’s hope! Werewolves have more fun.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

ECLIPSE Special Edition (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 3)

The series page-turner. Bizarre love triangles, werewolf and Cullen family histories slayed me.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

BREAKING DAWN (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 4)

Vampire revolution becomes species evolution. Read between the lines for thought-provoking social depth.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

UROBOROS [CD] [ Dir en Grey ]

A jaw-dropping work of art. Brutally experimental, but plenty of J-Rock hooks linger.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT [DVD]

Aqua Net, spandex and booze? ‘80s metal “represent!” A real-life head bangers’ ball.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER [ Angie Fox ]

Buffy with Willow’s personality. Once you’ve loved a griffin, you can’t go vamp!

*Bonus: NiNi’s Biker Witch Name is Lusty Lucinda Fast Pants [Boo-Ya]!
What’s your biker name? [ Take the quiz ] and let me know!

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

SERVANT: THE AWAKENING (SERVANT The Series, Book 1) [ L.L. Foster ]

Urban Gothic powerhouse with delicious sexual tension, and a riveting anti-heroine with heart.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

Has TV brought any great “monster families” to our homes since the ’60s-era Addams Family and Munsters? Anyone? I myself will have to think about that one and get back to you. Or maybe I should be working on a TV pilot script! What kind of “monster family” would you want to see on 21st Century Television? Not too long ago, we at The Crow’s Nest completed The Addams Family DVD collection, and this week, moved on to collecting The Munsters. Busier than hell [and hell's working overtime these days], we don’t have much time for TV anymore, so TV series DVDs tend to be “drool in front of the telly” material for us… usually at 3 or 4am. And of course with Corvo, the monster, the merrier!

It’s been wicked-fun watching both shows again as if for the first time, caught up in many “aha” moments that were most certainly missed through childhood eyes. Of course, with the Addams’, it’s all about sex. It’s amazing how coming of kinky-kooky-spooky age puts a whole new spin on a gleeful reference to “the rack” between a darkly amorous husband and wife. With The Munsters, the “aha” moments arise out of being a total horror nerd now, which I couldn’t have been at a young age, because my parents were a bit overprotective. To be fair, they were cool enough to let me watch Creature From the Black Lagoon in 3D, but that was about it for childhood horror… my horror geekdom really didn’t start until junior high, when I was able to sneak away to slumber parties that involved lots of snacks, lots of ’80s crap slasher films, and rampaging in grave yards in night gowns [that's a whole other blog entry]. Ah yes, the good ol’ days when Clive Barker’s hellraising seduced me and Wes Craven’s nightmares made me fear our friendly neighborhood Elm Street. But I digress. Now that I’m all “horror growed up,” I watch The Munsters and think, so many Universal Monsters, so little time! Hey, why didn’t I ever appreciate the raven clock [voiced by Mel Blanc aka Bugs Bunny]?! And lots of Hollywood pop culture references in general that I wouldn’t have quite understood at the time, including the rights to use a Beatles song ["I Wanna Hold Your Hand"] in season one, when a rock band uses the haunted homestead as a party crash pad, and then it turns into “open mic night” with the town beatniks.

As an adult viewer, I feel a sort of… irony of the eras when I watch The Addams Family and The Munsters. That the very things that tend to frighten conservative people now, were actually disarming during “The Pleasantville Era.” The families’ strangeness, fashion sense included, was disarming and charming, rather than alarming to mainstream, prim-and-proper audiences. I often wonder what some people must have felt at a deeper level while laughing at the fiendish families’ reckless abandon, gleeful irreverence, open sexuality and acceptance of “fringe” people, like beatniks, Bohemians and rock stars… hell, The Addams’ invited Russians into their home! This was during the Cold War! *gasp* Did some people wish that they could be so bold and brave, and so effortlessly? I have a feeling I would have.

While reveling in the strange, macabre, yet innocent world-view of the families and feeling both shocked and disarmed, did some “Ward and June” types feel a little wistful? On the inside, did they kind of wish that mom had more of a “say” in the family, and that kids could be treated like little adults, and that uncles could light up a room with their mouths, and that “honey, let’s build a ‘honeymoon torture chamber’ to spice up the bedroom” could be freely suggested? Did they understand just how much The Munsters and Addams Family poked fun of their “vanilla” lives, or was it just another sitcom? In a sense, looking at it now with an analytical view and as one that works in art and in television, it feels like these shows were “crossroads shows” that depicted a shift in some people that were brave enough to go against a conservative tide and start pursuing a path that wasn’t quite up to “Ward and June” standards. [Fuck The Cleavers, right]?

I’d always considered myself more of an Addams Family enthusiast than a Munster-maniac, but I’ve gotta say, I really underestimated the intelligence of The Munsters. Make no bones about it, The Munsters will always be the more slapstick-y of the two, but at the black heart of the show, there’s some pretty clever stuff in there, if you look for it. What I enjoy most about The Munsters now is that they shot the show on The Universal lot, and being a Universal show, they [of course] were able to cash in on the Universal Monsters franchise, from sets to characters, which I wouldn’t have recognized as a kid. So from time to time, you’ll see a couple of members of “the family” stop by, like The Creature From the Black Lagoon and The Wolfman. It was also interesting to watch the pilot episode of The Munsters. The original Lilly Munster looked a hella lot like Morticia Addams [pretty smokin' hot], and the show was actually more mean-spirited in its original concept, with Eddie acting more like Cujo, and Herman and Lilly relating to each other like Fred and Ethel rather than Lucy and Ricky. It would have grown annoying really fast, and the powers that be were smart to play it fun, lighthearted and naive… but again, if you look for it, there’s more sharp writing in there than you’d think, most often tailor-made for the ever-biting delivery of the brilliant Al Lewis as Grandpaw.

It seems to me that both shows accomplished what great macabre art, horror and comedy always tend to accomplish: find the pulse of a new social heartbeat and bring it home in sarcastic, sardonic, satirical layers…even today, The Addams Family and The Munsters are a breath of fresh air to watch, and with each viewing as an adult, I have so much fun being a monster-loving kid again.

[ Filterbank Abusers Unite! ]

KEYVO says: I think my brain just exploded, i love it.

MADDSKEELZ says: I really don’t care that this has limited vocal samples. This is completely amazing. It reminds me of one of the Closer remixes. Singlehandedly the best industrial mix on here. Absolutely gut wrenchingly scary. Well freakin done.

Favorite GHOSTLIGHT MIX Comments…

PD17 says: so beautiful it sends chills down my spine

MALOK THE MULE says: I love this sound…the name pretty much directly describes it too, ghostly as it is. Its beauty all over. Great stuff.

JANUX says: Now THIS is what im talking about. Something unique! I love it. It doesn’t sound like everyone else. -Travis of Janux

We did not “win” the Celldweller SWITCHBACK remix contest as far as prizes or placement in the top three. We also did not make it onto the remix CD, at least not yet… I’m not even sure that a remix CD will be made, honestly… it seems that Klayton prefers widgets these days [as do most indie musicians, ourselves included!], so maybe at some point, we could wind up being featured on the Celldweller widget. That would be awesome, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine by us, because the contest benefited us above and beyond widget-stardom or CD placement in ways we could not have predicted when we first created the remixes.

It’s an honor that we were welcomed as a featured remix artist, which thrilled us about as much as [if not, more than] getting on a CD. We also received some great compliments from the Celldweller community, a few favorites are posted in this entry. But most importantly, the one outcome we could not have predicted was that it showed us what we’re really, truly capable of as musicians. We took a few risks, mixed together some genres that typically aren’t “supposed” to work together [what did we have to lose?] and made them work… I mean, really, really work. In essence, dissecting SWITCHBACK helped us further evolve our signature sound: beauty and beast [GHOSTLIGHT=Beauty, SOULSNATCHER=Beast], a mix of symphonies, choirs, crunchy guitars, fucked-up drum kits and frightening electronics… and we continue to explore that crazy Corvo concoction with each track as our debut full-length TELLTALE unfolds.

So thank you, Klayton, for letting us dive into a song you’ve written that we’ve always loved… you continue to inspire us as indie musicians, and through your work and embrace of independent musicians, we… well… know it sounds hokey, but… we sort of found ourselves.

-NiNi + G9

I have never in my life experienced a concert more perfectly than at Apocalyptica’s very first show in Dallas, TX [at the House of Blues]. At first, I was just going to string together a few videos and a bunch of photos my new-found front-row friend Shelby had captured on her camera, but then… this video just took me on an artistic journey of its own, and I couldn’t stop it [nor did I want to]! Enjoy this fan documentary, and let me know what you think of the video. Finally, if you ever get the opportunity to see these guys in concert, don’t let it pass you by… it’ll be one of the best shows of your life, I promise.

Have you seen Apocalyptica live? What do you think of the band? What are some of your favorite Apo songs? Who is your favorite band member?

[ @ YouTube ] [ Right Click For MP4 ] [ Right Click For FLV ] [ Apocalyptica.com ]

“White spotlights appeared one at a time to highlight each player as he launched into the enigmatic opening strains of the title track from Worlds Collide. The cheers built to a deafening crescendo as Mikko’s thunderous toms launched the song’s first explosive synchronized cello riffs. I felt a physical blast of compressed air from the amp stacks as the low-end vibrations kicked in, hammered home by a machine-gun double kick.” ~From G9′s FEARnet Review of the Show

If you only have time to listen to one track on this widget, I highly recommend Scorpion Flower [track #4] featuring the amazing voice of Anneke van Giersbergen. To stream the album, just click on the middle “slot” when you mouse over the widget image. You can click on individual songs… the player doesn’t confine you to listening to the whole album, although… if listening to the whole album is “confinement,” throw away the key, because in my opinion, this is a perfect album… at least, perfect for me!

My thoughts in “real time” as I listened to the stream:

Holy Jeebus, I’m only on track one ["At Tragic Heights"] of Moonspell’s new album, Night Eternal, and I’ve already decided to buy it the moment I get paid Friday. See? Label streams entire album online, consumer is willing to buy said album. It’s called “the new era of music sales,” and it’s really not that difficult to let people listen for free as part of the whole purchasing experience. Of course, it’s gotta be a great album if the label’s confident enough to let people “try before they buy,” so that alone is a no-brainer for we who devour music… free online album streams and embeddable widgets are the new “perceived value” of music pricing. But enough with my “industry research” observations and onto the album…

Oh wow, [ex-The Gathering's] Anneke van Giersbergen [one of my vocal heroes] contributes to the song “Scorpion Flower?” Right on! I’m really digging the female vocal seasonings throughout the album… I’m going to spring for the special edition if it hasn’t already sold out. I’ll definitely do a follow-up on the actual [physical] CD soon…

Make no mistake about it, we plan to “try before buy” Telltale… wonder where we could score a nifty l’il widget like this one? I bet SPV had to pay a pretty penny to MySpace for it… but what a worthwhile investment.

On Track #3 now, and wetting my pants… I looooove this album!

The flash player is of exceptional audio quality, too.

Uh oh… now on Anneke’s song, “Scorpion Flower”. It’s breathtaking! I would buy the album just for this song alone. [Loved it so much, had to post the lyrics].

Finished the album stream: fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!

Can I steal your mind for a while?
Can I stop your heart for a while?
Can I freeze your soul and your time?
Scorpion flower, Token of death
Ignite the skies with your eyes
And keep me away from your light

Surrender tears to your mortal act
Flower cursed be thy fruit
Of your courage last
Of your grand finale
Flower crushed in the ground
In your empty heart
In the breast that feeds
Flower worn in the dark
~From SCORPION FLOWER, Moonspell Featuring Anneke van Giersbergen

Happy Friday the 13th!
<3 + ^v^
-NiNi + G9 [Corvo]

The Music: It’s not every day a band gets to talk about being commissioned by a #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author to write a theme song for an upcoming book release, but with Christine Feehan and CORVO, that’s exactly what transpired. TURBULENT SEA is the 6th novel in Feehan’s popular Drake Sisters series, and the song is the official theme written for the character Joley, who is a rock star and… a witch!

The band wrote the song to be Joley’s fictional “hit single” for her “music video,” in which Christine’s daughter is the face of the heroine, and NiNi is [literally] the voice. Since the book series is considered supernatural romance, G9 wrote the song in a more romantic, Gothic pop style, completely departing from CORVO’s signature romantic horror rock sound. This is not the permanent direction the band has taken while recording debut album Telltale, rather, a unique work tailor-made specifically to fit the story and the main character.

From NiNi: Turbulent Sea has been one of those projects that as a musician, is a dream come true. It was like writing for a movie, but even better, because it’s so unique to write a song for a book , and to connect with the main character through singing! G9 and I both feel that Christine is doing something really special by crossing from literature into music and also into video for her readers, and we are honored to be part of that. I hope I’ve represented Joley’s voice in a way that will connect this beloved character even deeper to Christine’s readers. I bought the first book in the Drake Sisters series, because now I’m so personally attached to them, I’ve got to read their stories!

About The Novel: Number one NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author Christine Feehan returns to the “erotic, exotic, and suspenseful” world of the paranormally gifted Drake sisters with the wildest sister of them all: impulsive, celebrated, worshiped… and in danger.

About The Star: Joley Drake was born with a legacy of unexpected magical gifts, but it was the gift of singing that made her an overnight sensation—a rock and roll goddess trapped by fame, fortune, and ambition. Heated by the flush of success, Joley could have any man she wanted. But there’s only man who can give her what she really needs… [ more about the novel... ]

darkness lives inside me
a secret that I hide
the light from all the rest is
lost upon the tide…

a touch of lightning, magick
leaves me marked and cold
I want, I crave, love that sells my soul

LIKE A TURBULENT SEA
PULLING AT ME
IN PASSION AND IN FEAR
I’M DROWNING…

the wave crashes in my heart
darkness follows, light departs…

LIKE A TURBULENT SEA
PULLING AT ME
IN PASSION AND IN FEAR
I’M DROWNING…

Turbulent Sea:
Book 6 of Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters Series Coming This Summer
Official Theme Song Written and Performed by Corvo
Original Lyrics © 2008 Sheila Clover, Circle of Seven Productions
Lyrics Adapted For Music by NiNi of Corvo
Reprinted With Permission

1. There is an International Association of Exorcists? It was founded in 1993, it’s very difficult to become a member [damn darn damn], and there’s an annual conference held every year. In 2004, 500 members attended the conference held in Mexico. [Fly-on-the-wall-powers, *activate!* Shape of: a fly. Form of: a spy.]

2. Italian is The Devil’s Tongue.
“I speak with the devil every day. I talk to him in Latin. He answers in Italian. I have been wrestling with him, day in day out, for 14 years.” -Father Gabriel Amorth, World-Famous Exorcist [Italian? I thought for sure it would be something more romantic, like... oh I dunno, Dagonese? What, you've reserved that language for me alone, oh Infernal One? Ia! Ia! Kutulu Zi Kur!]

3. Not necessarily a piece of demonic trivia-nuggetry, but quite possibly one of the best article names I’ve ever read, ever: SO YOU WANT TO PERFORM AN EXORCISM: HERE IS WHAT IT TAKES

4. Exorcists will not be out of jobs any time soon. Again, feeling a bit bummed that it’s so difficult to join the *IAE. [*Abbreviation = I'm all savvy and insider-y about exorcists professional exorcists now].

5. Hell is in Michigan. This means that Hell freezes over at least one season a year.

And now, I leave you with a final demonic image. While frolicking about the interwebs searching for a deeper understanding of exorcism and demonic possession [with great Monster Mondays comes great responsibility], I found it in black-and-white. Google’s *deal* with You-Know-Who [yes, Yahoo and Satan] for world domination revealed through Ad Sense [Is that a yes or no question?]

“I speak with the devil every day. I talk to him in Latin. He answers in Italian. I have been wrestling with him, day in day out, for 14 years.” -Father Gabriel Amorth, World-Famous Exorcist