Christy Moore, Viva La Quita Brigada.

Singing this today.

Music Saturday: Maginot Line-Geoff Berner

Geoff is too much fun and I recommend an evening with him if you dig politically charged punk accordion klezmer tunes. Which I grant to some, may be an acquired taste.

Today, I'm sorting out some figs to eBay and sell and found some WW2 French to market. So 'natch my crusty ol' brain thinks of this song.  It's really a good sing-a-long.

To coffee and untold wealth from eBay!

Remember to point your guns the right way.

-TV

General and Majors: XTC. 11/11/12

Wu Man, DBA and rants.

It's been a while since a music post. So here's my latest music-crush. 

Wu Man on the pipa. 

Transcendant.

Have a go, listen. 

Close your eyes. It's like speed metal. But dreamier.

Need context? Go paint some Warring States sorts or contemplate Rugged Manly Adventure in Asia Mostly Involving Nazi Punching.

In Villa Visigoth things are pretty busy. I've finished up getting the Garamantes to market. Have you seen them yet? Did you want the chance to play one of the coolest looking North African Tribes of Antiquity? Did you want a chance to play the most funky DBA army ever?

 TAKE A LOOK.

A big commission was finished. Lots of painting for a very sweet and patient dude.
 Whew. NEVER AGAIN. 

Bloody hell.  Vikings...

Now, getting all sorts of wacky love for Early Pre-Dynastic Sumeria and Shang China.

So to curb that off I have some wee Egyptians I'm working on.  Gorgeous little 'strip' era Minfigs courtesy of Paul Hannah.  The little menfat bastards are primed and ready to go. Get ready to kick some Hyksos tail.

Make sense? 

Sure...

What else is up my craw...

Yeah, the state of DBA. Pissing me off. Stupid 3.0, 2.2 and what the hell you have.

I was ready to write the game off until FallCon and then I had the chance to play some solid games with really awesome guys. And DBA delivered. Short, decisive, dramatic and FUN games.  I realized why I love this system I've been playing since 1992 so much. 

Life is good, and bitching that your favourite ancient miniatures is currently wallowing in an 'Intermediate Period' with a decided lack of cohesion is trivial. But we are humans and should be excited about trivialities. It's what makes our species strong viable. 

As far as DBA goes, I found my 1.1 rules. Much like how I rant about the first Specials album as being the apotheosis of ska awesomeness or how much I like drink that begin with 'Cabernet'... I think 1.1 is the best DBA rule-set ever.  Sure, some loser armies were skipped, (hahaha Bithynia) but it DELIVERED and terrain was placed by gentlemen according to wit and wisdom.

(Go on Grandpa, tell more, it's helping us sleep...)

Alright, here's picture from last weekend when my Iberians Freedom Fighters face down Mark S's Carthiginian Oligarchic Capitalist Army.  Game ended when a feint turned into a killfest resulting in  a 4-2 bloodbath. The Spanish massacring the Gaulic mercenaries.  Could have gone either way.

'Come on you Numidian dorks'

 Happy Games,

-TV

Wizardcore for the 'Win'

Stuff like this makes Baby Uther Pendragon cry. 

Like I said in a previous post, I love all incarnations of the Arthurian myths.

I just might make an exception with this. 

OK, that's a little mean, obviously this was done as a labour of love by enthusiastic sorts. Let's join their fun time.

-tv

Tachanka!

Ahhh, a bit of stirring Revolutionary Tunes for the weekend.

Take 5 and watch this gem. Now even if you don't like vintage commie art and bombastic vocal chorus (me? I love both) this is worth your time and has more schmaltz than Disney. 

Animation nerds will also appreciated how this stilted style of animation is returning with the use of Flash software.

I need to paint my Copplestone Russian Civil War guys. Time, I need more time...

-tv

Bonnie Light Horseman, Kate Rusby 11/11/11

When Boney he commanded his army to stand
He levelled his cannon all over the land
He levelled his cannon his victory to claim
And he slew my light Horseman on his way going haim

So broken-heated I will wander, broken-heated I'll remain
For the loss of my lover, in the wars he was slain
Broken-hearted I will wander, broken-heated I'll remain
He is my Bonnie Light Horseman, in the wars he was slain

The dame she laments for her man she will fly
Oh where, tell me where is my darling she cries
And where in this wide world is there one to compare
To my Bonnie Light Horseman who was lost in the war

So broken-hearted I will wander, broken-hearted I'll remain
For the loss of my lover, in the wars he was slain
Broken-hearted I will wander, broken-heated I'll remain
He is my Bonnie Light Horseman, in the wars he was slain

Oh and if I were a small bird and had wings to fly
I would fly o'er the salt seas to where my love doth lie
And with my fond wings I'll beat over the grave
And I'd kiss the pale lips laying cold in the clay

So broken-hearted I will wander, broken-hearted I'll remain
For the loss of my lover, in the wars he was slain
Broken-hearted I will wander, broken-hearted I'll remain
He was my Bonnie Light Horseman, in the wars he was slain

edit: It is important that you collect everything Kate Rusby has ever done. Go here.

Well, I've made it through half of the course. If it wasn't for the Velvet Underground and pots of Oolong tea I'd have snapped.

I can't share tea with you...

So here's the Velvets.

I did add some Jacobites to the 'for sale' section. There's a conditional offer right now, but I 'll let everyone know if that changes.

Highland Clearance....I'm so witty. I also hear guttural muttering and skean dhu being sharpened in the distance. SO! time to move on.

Up soon, plans for FallCon and more damn Vikings.

-Sean

Dream Date '78

Debbie Harry, Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett.

Pretty busy 'round Villa Visigoth these days. I'm getting ready for a school in May. Going to be a pretty intensive 4 weeks, so don't expect too much on the bloggo.

So in the meantime please enjoy this picture of Debbie Harry, Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett.

If you'd rather look at pictures of little lead men, we seriously need to talk.

OK then...my friend and co-conspirator Pattus Magnus did a sweet little article on HoTT dwarfses.
Excellent pics and ideas for conversion. (I know it's heresy in some parts, but you don't need to use the all the same figures from the same manufacturer...)

yours in crimson and clover,

-TV

Never Mind the Mountain Indians

New additions to the Book II gallery.

Please have a look at my beloved Mountain Indians.

Music and painting tip for the day:

Never mind the Bhangra This collection totally got me through the work. Brilliant. Assuming the Sex Pistols and Bhangra are your cuppa Chai...

Blatant Cross Promotion.

There's a new link on the sidebar.

My beautiful partner/girlfriend/ significant Margo has finally started getting her music on line.

I hope her brand of improvised neo-roots folk gets the attention  it deserves. As well since I'm the guy doing the engineering...it sorts of makes it a little mercenary on my end.

Drop by the Reverbnation site and have a listen. We only have one song so far, but there are more to come.

-Sean

Tunes for the Republic

A quick tunes plug.

I've pretty much glued my ears to Spain in My Heart: Songs of the Spanish Civil War.

Well obviously they're all songs from the Republican and International Brigades, since fascists can't write songs worth crap. :) The standout track is Lila Down's version of El Quinto Regimento, but that's just me. I think she's pretty incredible.

Now I just need to get cracking on those Miliciano's.

-TV  

2010 in review.

The custom in these parts...a look back.

It's a been a bit of while since my last post. The previous month has been a bit of a crap-fest.
I could belabour you all with tales of woe and post-modern angst, but who here among us does not bear such stuff.

Suffice it to say it was all crap, and then our dog died.

Nugget. 1997-2010

Nugget, our brave and relentless companion on the snowshoe and running trails, slipped from us fast and peaceful. We miss her. Strangely, it has messed up my painting. Creatures of habit that we were would go for a late night run and do an easy 3-5K. We'd come home, she'd curl up, I'd make tea and do an hour of slapping paint on lead. Now that has changed.

Just lately I've been back putting brush in paint and making the little men dance. Always good to have a project and a deadline isn't it? So I created one...

King of Canadian Tyre
The wonderful Don Ray and I bumped heads on a Fanaticus discussion on the hows of making a I/35 Cypriot and Phoenician army. See the gripping discussion here (I whine most pathetically) : 
http://www.fanaticus.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=10492

Well it's begun. I'll be posting more in a separate article for those who want to see more of the project. Suffice to say..they'll be more Faux-necians than anything, but it will be grand.

Notches on the Paint Brush
2010 was pretty light in the production end. I did complete a Mongol Conquest army and another Early Samurai army. Both these were for my FallCon production of Samurai Night Fever. Pictures? Yeah, got lots, just need to make up the galleries. Soon I promise.


I struggled with my Early Muslim and North Africa and Sicily army. I finally slammed it through last week. All praise to the dip.


Still working on the 28mm Warring States project. Lots of wonderful figs to paint there. But sheesh, I've squat for time for all the projects on the queue, the hordes of Zhao and Chu get stuck on the hold.


Liam the Pre-Teen Visigoth and I finished up the Evil Emo Elf Empire for HoTT 28mm. They've yet to take the field but their monster supported bladey goodness will be most fun.


I goofed around painting some Super-hero sorts. Making up lame-ish supers is a favourite game around here. The Pre-Teen Visigoth and I are working a project for HoTT that will have such amazing heroes like NINJALICIOUS, THE VISOR, and KING  KONGBAT doing battle with SANDTRAP, THE BLUE MEANIE, and THE 42ND STREET NINJAS. Pictures to come.


Distractions
2010 has been more about music for than minis. Well, that and finding a decent job. I'm back and school learning digital audio and studio recording. I love it and spend way too much time 'twidding knobs' then painting.

We all know the cycle of distraction grief we gamers get into. We get bored with big project so find something else to do. Then we get annoyed that we aren't getting done what we need to so we go back to our big project, out of duty and not passion. Boredom follows...

I've been in a huge reading storm too. I even read a book on WW2. GASP. Those of you who know me know of my half-hearted contempt of wargaming most of everything post 19th Century. So yeah, broadening out. Plus I think I have learnt everything I REALLY need to know about Merovingian jock straps and Chandragupta's tent flaps.

And I do like Russian tanks.
I do promise to get over my BT-7 fixation. Soon...But just watch this video.


How can you not love these tanks? Even the cute blond chick digs them and the guy at the end was totally stoked.


2011 projects.
Well for DBA it's all about Book One for the first half of the year.  Lykians, Phoenicians, Egyptians of all flavours, more Indians, and Early Macedonians are all ready to get pigmentized.

Don't take my 'I hate 20th Century stuff' too seriously. The Spanish Civil War still grips me. Admittedly more for the music than anything else right now. But a few of us are indeed actually co-operating on this project. Watch for micilianos!

Of course, the joke was I started this blog just after New Years. Took me that long to finish it up.

Good painting and good times for 2011.

I leave you with Lila Downs...



The Republic may have lost, but they had the best music.

Songs for the Barricades!

Aside from the DBA, I do muddy my fingers in other games and periods...

For example:

The Charming and Very Evil Mark I. is continually trying to entice me into Napoleonics. Particularly the Pennisular Campaign. I have almost buckled. Something about Spain.

But my Spanish thing right now is the Civil War of '36-'39. (I got over the Second Punic War fever back in '07, still working through the Reconquista and Visigothic Spain.)

There is interest and momentum in our circle of comrades right now for some SCW action.

Don Don, another Calgary Camp Follower with some Iberian fever instigated the mess and it revealed a great deal of percolating interest in many of our group.

One of our prime movers Neldoreth has just done up some Anarchists

http://www.hourofwolves.org/?view=armies&which=scw&pic=4

Those of you who are familiar with his work should not be surprised. Those who are not should stop wasting their time on this blog until they have gone through his most masterful site top to bottom...Good, back now?

My contribution will be some scruffy Irish Internationlists. Maybe some Republican Regulars as well. (There is no truth to the rumour that I used to claim to have ancestors who fought with the Irish volunteers and the Mac-Paps in order to get free pints from sympathetic ears)

The whole period is full of myths, stories and legends that somehow transcend the truly violent period it was. Like many 'young punks' I was introduced to the period and particularly the Republican cause by the Clash's 'Spanish Bombs' from the London Calling LP. It suddenly made my upcoming book report of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' make a lot more sense. I really haven't looked back.

I was charged to find these guys from Spain keeping the faith. Play loud. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL9vAqQC1ys&feature=related

Those of who do not share the expressions of solidarity and resistance displayed in such a song with such vigor, I present a fascist baby-soldier paper doll for you.

Have fun at the barricade of your choice!

Next up some battle reports, painting and why Charlemagne was such a tool.

-Sean