Bard Groups - suggest music?

[gurgleflep]

Heya folks! Sorry ahead of time if I'm not asking this on the appropriate part of the forums.

I'm searching for music that has an old-timey take on a modern song. I'm currently using stuff like Metallica on the bagpipe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqL8pSzjIgQ) and AC/DC on the ukulele (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2KsHXyJ-is), but that's about the extent of what I've found.

If you're wondering what these will be used for, I'm going to be using these songs for various bard groups that play at local taverns and inns scattered across the world. The examples given were rather crude, but I'm trying my hardest to entertain my party when they're in taverns, bars, inns, pubs, the kings court and the like.
And remember, It's D&D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgOB7VWjlSQ), so it's all for fun!

[Toy Killer]

Vitamin string quartet has a variety of music all done... well, through a string quartet.

Including Linkin Park, Cold Play, Perfect Circle, Dashboard Confessions, Korn, Evanessence, Marilyn Manson and others.

[The Viscount]

2Cellos is a similar group. Rodrigo y Gabriela have done a few all-guitar covers of songs, and the guitar is a rather timeless sound. It might work.

[kladams707]

Probably not quite what you're looking for, but somewhat old-timey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3vvGeCE7to

[gorfnab]

Here are some suggestions.
Corvus (http://www.corvuscorax.de/) Corax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvus_Corax_%28band%29)
Wolgemut (http://www.wolgemut.net/wolgemut/home.html)
Rondellus (http://www.rondellus.ee/) - specifically their Latin covers of Black Sabbath, SABBATUM
You could also just have Ancient FM (http://www.ancientfm.com/) playing in the background.

[gurgleflep]

Vitamin string quartet has a variety of music all done... well, through a string quartet.

Including Linkin Park, Cold Play, Perfect Circle, Dashboard Confessions, Korn, Evanessence, Marilyn Manson and others.

Evanessense? Okay, I've gotta listen to these :smallsmile: Thank you!


2Cellos is a similar group. Rodrigo y Gabriela have done a few all-guitar covers of songs, and the guitar is a rather timeless sound. It might work.

I'll look these up now, thank you :smallsmile:


Probably not quite what you're looking for, but somewhat old-timey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3vvGeCE7to

Ha, Gregorian. Funny thing: I just found out about them yesterday, the song they're playing at the beginning as well! Thank you :smallsmile:


Here are some suggestions.
Corvus (http://www.corvuscorax.de/) Corax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvus_Corax_%28band%29)
Wolgemut (http://www.wolgemut.net/wolgemut/home.html)
Rondellus (http://www.rondellus.ee/) - specifically their Latin covers of Black Sabbath, SABBATUM
You could also just have Ancient FM (http://www.ancientfm.com/) playing in the background.

Thank you for the links and suggestions, I quite like the wound of Wolgemut.
I wasn't aware there was an FM for that :smallredface:

[Duke of Urrel]

You should hear "Light My Fire" by the Bobs, if you haven't already. This zany "new-wave a cappella" quartet, a favorite group of mine, has done a masterful Renaissance-style cover of the Doors classic. You can check them out on You Tube.

[gurgleflep]

You should hear "Light My Fire" by the Bobs, if you haven't already. This zany "new-wave a cappella" quartet, a favorite group of mine, has done a masterful Renaissance-style cover of the Doors classic. You can check them out on You Tube.

I'll listen to it now, thank you for suggestion :smallsmile:

[Lazers etcetera]

Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan would be amusing, and an incredibly groovy instrument for a bard anyway.

Prickly Thorn But Sweetly Worn by the White Stripes has bagpipes and mandolin, it sounds anachronistic and otherworldly.

You could go for metal, but it's a bit obvious and boring in D&d circles, something like Tanzwut.

Your best bet is going for interesting folk music. Richard Thompson, woody Guthrie, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull (!), Waterboys

Maybe a bit of early blues, you can pretend it's a lute. Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson etc.

It's a stretch, but you might be able to get away with interesting takes on other folk music. Try some of Bartok's spins on Hungarian folk.

I am biased though. It is my quest to get D&d players to listen to stuff other than metal and anime soundtracks.

[Lazers etcetera]

Here you go.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DstutUPNo7g

Get a bit of Bartok in your life.

[Duke of Urrel]

If you like Bartok, you may also like Carl Orff. Carmina Burana is already a favorite of movie fans (especially fantasy movie fans) because of its ominous Latin chant "O Fortuna," which I believe you are sure to recognize when you hear it. However, the various other pieces in Carmina Burana cover a variety of moods and all have a very "medieval" flavor. (Actually, all the lyrics are authentically medieval, mostly Latin but also medieval German, the dialect of the minnesingers.) They run the gamut from drinking songs to love songs to folk dances to one plaintive song sung by a swan as it is being roasted over a fire.

[Duke of Urrel]

Here's another idea. There's no music I know that sounds more like it has elven origins (to me anyway) than the Finnish songs sung by the all-female group Värttinä. Check them out, especially the number "Kylä vuotti uuta kuuta," which blew me away the first time I heard it. This pop-folk fusion group uses mostly acoustic instruments and favors close harmonies and odd meters, such as seven-beat or five-beat rather than four or eight-beat patterns. I'd recommend anything by Värttinä, especially from their album Seleniko.

Southeastern European folk music (Greek, Romanian, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian et c.) has similar close harmonies and jaunty rhythms, both of which give it a very folksy and ancient feeling.

You can hear more straightforwardly folksy (i. e. less weird, from a Western perspective) music from the Swedish group Triakel.

Beyond this, if you're into this kind of stuff, I would recommend anything Celtic. Try any number from the Putomayo World Music album From Dublin to Dakar: A Celtic Odyssey for an interesting Afro-Celtic mix.

[Mephibosheth]

It's a little bit less serious than a lot of the other suggestions and perhaps not quite the kind of old-timey that you're looking for, but it's hard to go wrong with the Gourds' cover of Gin and Juice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hGSR5njZE) by Snoop Dogg*! It always makes me laugh.


*Don't listen if you dislike profanity, drug references, and other questionable lyrics.

[Krobar]

Just to give you an idea of some other stuff to look for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXLo1l5gS-I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb-qTICkmF0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d78zwwHDdO8


I can't help it. I like the harp.

[Gazebo's Bane]

Ahem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKnXvJE3NoU

:smallsmile:

[A_S]

Old-timey take on modern song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxgr-Ebpidw

[Duke of Urrel]

I wonder if you belong to the age group that'll remember this?

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPbfk6Vbqls#

"This" being the Podlings' dance from The Dark Crystal. It's straightforwardly medieval in style until the gelfling Jen starts to play his double flute to add some Mystic harmony to the music.

[ArcturusV]

I always preferred things like Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUOhdgnJIi4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV8x2HKTRdM

Stuff like that. But personal taste I realize, and note quite what you are looking for.

[Logic]

I hate to be so generalist, but perhaps searching youtube for "instrumental" of artists you like would help? Or maybe "classical covers?"

Apocalyptica was originally famous in the states for covering Metallica on classical instruments, mainly cellos. I recommend looking them up as well.

[Lazers etcetera]

Do see Apocalytica live if you get the chance (they tour all the time), for they have a terrific show. I saw them on holiday in Berlin, rocking out with a load of German metallers, it was very \m/

[The Boz]

For bards? That's easy.
Apocalyptica (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqOydrSqgN4), Blind Guardian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Cxyd3VxbQ), Van Canto (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agWwSsCP6KI).
Also, Dethklok (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdnjqGvRYJA) can fit certain parties.