Astral Flame

META: Due to conflicts in the time scale between face to face and e-mail this entry has slipped in time. and some events are future to the current e-mail game.
A band of outsiders. A literal band playing alternative to metal to kind of the Eagles sort of style. In short, their own thing.
Astral Flame was first encountered as a weird unknown band posted on YouTube, playing to the backdrop of some seedy desert motel. Some months latter they played the Vanguard Club to rave reviews. A month after than it was the Roxy Theater where Astral Flame brought the house down, almost literally with their rendition of the First Saga of the Hell Cycle. Willis Blackmane the lead guitarist knocked the microphone stand over, jammed a huge sword into the stage and used that as his microphone stand. The epic thunderclap at the end was not staged. 
The Hollywood Bowl concert was one of the weirdest and wildest in memory. The band unusual in both style and appearance took LA and then the nation by storm. Downloads of their music are passing previous all time leaders,Their CDs are even flying of the shelves with fans raving about the crisp fresh sound*. They have wowed Conan, took the Tonight Show by storm, owned the Colbert Report and are getting more offers than they can take. They have played the South Lawn of the White House.
In interviews Willis Blackmane has said that the core of the band, Orane and himself start in their wanderings in some place call Wildspace. The paid their tab as they went with music. He perfected his guitar style and she learned the drums on the way. The rest of the family got willingly dragged in.
Orane has stated that Willis is modest and adds a number of highly improbable tales of their travels. Then again, can you discount it?
==The Band==
*Willis Blackmane -- male Tanuki. Lead singer and guitar wizard. He has a high tenor voice with a slight vibrato that is a natural occurrence in Tanuki.
*Orane Blackmane -- female Sauroi. A 14.5 foot draconic woman. She has a sub-basement bass growl that metal bands would kill for and plays drums. She is not the fastest drummer, but might be the loudest.
*Candilee -- female Centaur. Alto-tenor voice with a sweet quality and massive projection. She can hold a note seemingly forever. (Centaurian cyclic breathing methods mean she really can.) She plays a decent keyboard.
*Zarra -- female half Elf. Sweet high soprano, she plays a decent bass.
*Tendee -- female Mink Exotic. A decent alto. Back up guitar.
*Dania -- Tanuki, gender shifter. Voice shifts all over the place. She plays keyboard, mainly custom synthesizers.
===Other===
*Martin Steen -- VC-Earth agent. Any more of a Queen and he would need a crown. His EA keeps a fire extinguisher handy. Martin knows everyone. He has the connections to get you in the door. Your talent must do the rest. After all, if you don't make money he doesn't make money, and he likes money.
*Lulu Ringtail -- Agent from Tune, a Tanuki world. She is a sight to see. She wears a jacket with super wide shoulders, nipple piercings that have lights that rotate around her nipples. The inner lining of her vulva glows. Less shocking is the weird colored hair and hair styles. Due to Willis having a talk with her she does wear clothing that conceals her more "shocking" body mods when not at home.
*Betty Ashby -- "Shacking up" with the Band. She came for Willis and stayed for the rest. She is not part of the band but certainly is part of the family. She sort of seduced Willis on their first encounter. (Jumped his bones is more like it.) It was a boy she found sexually attractive. Good thing Willis is about the nicest guy you will find.
*Blackmane Productions --An accidental production company. After an encounter with an RCA agent that nearly cost the guy his life.(He set Mancrist on edge. He did end up cursed to crap his pants every time he told a hurtful lie. This will make him popular at contract meetings.) They decided that they would have to find a way to produce their own music. They did so with a little help from their friends.
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==The Concerts==
It is noted that the band hits some club, some place about twice a month. These are never advertized. You show up at your favorite club and Astral Flame is the band that night.
The More formal Concerts:
===The Holoywood Bowl===
2011 After two club appearances they played the Hollywood Bowl to rave responses. The Band nailed the perform check with a nat 20. 
===The White House===
2011 A small affair on the South Lawn primary designed to distract the public from the failures of the Seven Deadly Sins missions. It did the band good however.
===Concert for Japan===
2011 San Francisco and Tokyo. A pair of concerts on the quick to aid the Japanese earthquake relief. Japan gets the first look at Astral Flame. Instant fanboys.
===North America; the Conquest===
2012 New York, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, St., Louis, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, LA, Honolulu, 16 cities, 64 days. The band took it easy. Two performances a city, two days off between cities. They curtain walled to each location sleeping at home. The tour rocked the whole country and their albums are shooting to the top of the charts. Their inclusion of Canadian cities was noticed North of the Border and is boosting their popularity in Canada. The tour posters are of the band in armor holding weapons that yes, look like they know how to use them, and they look used. They are way to comfortable in armor. The poster is a popular item both off the net store and during the tour.
The tour was marked by minor protests in some cities. Anti-alien sentiment mostly. The protesters to a one were unwilling to face the band itself. The group is intimidating when they like you.
===Japan Kamikaze Tour===
2013. Japan shuddered with nerdgasms. Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kobe, Kyōto, Fukuoka, Kawasaki, Saitama, Hiroshima, Sendai. A similar schedule to the North American tour. Demand pushed the schedule to three concerts per city. Astral Flame fever swept the country. Posters on a similar theme to the North American Conquest. The band in Japanese anime themed costumes with a storm behind them, windblown hair etc. Disks and merchandise cannot be kept in stock. The band got in sightseeing along with the concerts. Nothing that could be classed as a riot happened. An enjoyable run other than a weird desire of some people to weight Wilis' balls.
===European Tour "The Mystic Conquest"===
2014 London, Liverpool, Dublin, Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, Marseille, Rome, Athens, Budapest, Prague, Oslo, Stockholm, Madrid, Moscow, Keiv, Belgrade, Zagreb, The Hague, Rotterdam. Three concerts per city. 
Advertisement posters of the band in more mystic less barbarian poses are selling like crazy. The posters, t-shirts, and other merchandise is outselling the last two tours combined to date. There is a larger fan base now.
Ticket demand was not as high as Japan. It was at least equal the North American Conquest and a bit higher in advanced ticket sales. The Concerts were threatened by Humanists. Astral Flame has refused to back out of any city and has hired extra security on its own dime. There was an incident in Frankfurt that didn't make the press. A gang of skins got burnt and bisected. The survivors were arrested.
===Frozen "Tour"===
July 2014 the band, bringing it's own domed theater, played the Antarctic bases in the dead of winter. Yea, slightly popular. It was tossed together on a weekend whim. No admission was even charged.
===North American Tour 2015 -- Late 2015===
A second tour of North America. It has been three years. The fans are vibrating. Newark, Tampa, Montgomery, Cleveland, Montreal, Des Moines , Kansas City, Huston, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Portland, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, San Diego, St John, Anchorage, Honolulu, 18 cities, 72 days. Two performances a city, two days off between cities. They curtain walled to each location sleeping at home.
==Music==
===Astral Flame===
Twenty songs from sweet love ballads to pounding metal. The range of the Band is explored. Most of the lyrics are not English.
===The Hell Cycle: Saga One===
Four disk set of the whole of the first saga of Kirt Hellreaver. Driving metal epic poetry. Disk one and two are in the original Quenya. Disk three and four are an Arilaner rendition, mostly English. The whole saga is 160 minutes long. The liner notes say the music is transposed from the original intended for a single Bard with a lute or such instrument. The tale itself is a true telling by Riley O'Fearsom late champion of Erin, a Bard that was there.
===The Red Album===
The cover is Orane's chest between her nipples. The music is mostly English lyrics but their typical eclectic style of music. 
 
===Concert for Japan: Live===
A last minute concert to aid the quake victims. Profits from the album go to Japan relief. Two disk set in English and Japanese. The English set was done in San Francisco, the Japanese set in Tokyo.
===The Conquest===
A deluxe multi disk set of live music from the tour with a DVD of the best performances in each city, back stage moments candid shots and so forth. The album first pressing was sold out in one day. The chained mouse can barely keep up.
===The Hell Cycle: Saga Two===
Similar to the first saga. A four disk set of the whole of the second saga of Kirt Hellreaver. Driving metal epic poetry. Disk one and two are in the original Quenya. Disk three and four are an Arilaner rendition, mostly English. The whole saga is 157 minutes long. The liner notes say the music is transposed from the original intended for a single Bard with a lute or such instrument. The tale itself is a true telling by Riley O'Fearsom late champion of Erin, a Bard that was there.
===Kamikaze!===
Like the Conquest album. A deluxe multi disk set of live music from the tour with a DVD of the best performances in each city, back stage moments candid shots and so forth from their sight-seeing stops. Selling as fast as they can be made.
===Do Teghthel (For Family)===
A gentle cycle of songs for children. Tales from the classic children's folklore of Coranth. They are sung in the Coranthian language with English (or your country here) translations in the CD book. The album is packed with a story book of the tales translated into the language of the country of sale.
===There's Money in It!===
A collaboration album with Weird Al Yankovic. Only three of the songs are Astral Flame parodies. The rest are original music, words by Al, music by Willis.
===Ón an Chroí===
"From the Heart" A solo album of Willis doing his thing.
===Mystic Warriors===
A deluxe multi disk set of live music from the Mystic Conquest tour with a DVD of the best performances in each city, back stage moments candid shots and so forth.
===The Hell Cycle: Saga Three===
Third in the six saga series. A four disk set of the whole of the third saga of Kirt Hellreaver. Driving metal epic poetry. Disk one and two are in the original Quenya. Disk three and four are an Arilaner rendition, mostly English. The whole saga is 162 minutes long. The liner notes say the music is transposed from the original intended for a single Bard with a lute or such instrument. The tale itself is a true telling by Riley O'Fearsom late champion of Erin, a Bard that was there.
===The Club Scene===
A live album of songs from the band's various club appearances between and since the last tour. About half music that was not previously released. Loose live sets with on stage commentary.
===For the First Time: Together Again===
A Double length collaboration album with The Ravens. The two bands weave their unique talents together in an exceptional way. 
===America 2015===
Similar to the other concert albums. New music, the usual DVD or concert moments, and back stage hijinks. Includes some long interviews with band members. It is not all the Willis and Orane show.
===The Hell Cycle Saga Four===
Fourth in the six saga series. A four disk set of the whole of the third saga of Kirt Hellreaver. Driving metal epic poetry. Disk one and two are in the original Quenya. Disk three and four are an Arilaner rendition, mostly English. The whole saga is 170 minutes long. The liner notes say the music is transposed from the original intended for a single Bard with a lute or such instrument. The tale itself is a true telling by Riley O'Fearsom late champion of Erin, a Bard that was there.
===The Club Album Two===
More live club performances. Little of the material seen previously.
===In the House===
A joint album with the returned from the dead Elvis. Astral Flame does rockabilly and does it well.
===Studio Sets 2016===
Polished versions of music that has not been seen in such an album to date. A lot of new music.
===Astral Jackson===
Like the Elvis album, this one with Michael Jackson. Mostly his music.
===Hunt for the Jade Dragon: Album of the Movie===
All music from the Astral Flame Movie. All new songs.
===The Hell Cycle Saga Five===
Fifth in the six saga series. A four disk set of the whole of the fifth saga of Kirt Hellreaver. Driving metal epic poetry. Disk one and two are in the original Quenya. Disk three and four are an Arilaner rendition, mostly English. The whole saga is 165 minutes long. The liner notes say the music is transposed from the original intended for a single Bard with a lute or such instrument. The tale itself is a true telling by Riley O'Fearsom late champion of Erin, a Bard that was there.
==Other Media==
===The Astral Flame Movie: Hunt for the Jade Dragon===
Dizney: A rocking jaunt as the members of Astral Flame gets drawn into the chase for the mystical Jade Dragon. They chase after some broadly drawn bad guys in the form of international relic thieves. The tone is mostly lighthearted and some incredible background scenery for the musical numbers. The film did well if not critically acclaimed as a great work of art.
==Cultural Impact==
Largely positive. The Members of Astral Flame have presented themselves as Joe Greyhawke. A representative example of the kinds of people that you find there. Not so much the races, but behavior, manners, and culture.
The music itself defies categorization. The recording industry dinosaurs would never have signed them as being "too vague as to genre". The public loves the original sound that is Astral Flame. The original internet video of the band has passed all others in number of hits. 
===North America===
North America has accepted without any over the top enthusiasm. This is primarily among the young that listen to that kind of music. Older Adults might even like the stuff without realizing that aliens did it. 
Arch-conservatives have decried them as a publicity stunt. Of being in former President Russel's back pocket and being used to hide the fact the country is sliding to ruin. Faux News actually dissed the band on the air, then turned around and praised their latest album (The Red album) in the cultural review section. I think that editor got fired.
More liberal commentators love the idea of a band of aliens touring the world. Astral Flame is an in demand commodity on various talk and comment shows; TV, radio, or podcast.
Canada loves the band in general in that warm Canadian understated way. Who are we kidding. they jump around like idiots. 
Mexico is too busy to have an opinion. The music is popular enough among those that consume foreign language music. Local criminals would love to kidnap one of them for ransom. It would cut down on local criminals.
===South America===
No tour has yet been planned here. The music is penetrating slowly due to the lack of Spanish. The bare breasts are both popular (with young men and surprisingly young women) and unpopular (with parasitic authority figures in dresses (priests) and political figures mindful of said priestly opinions.) Conservative political pressure could well keep Astral Flame out of the Continent.
===Asia===
Japan is more than slightly nuts over the whole idea. You would think the Japanese invented them. This enthusiasm is spreading to the Japanese sphere of influence. The Western Pacific rim and the Chinese states. 
Officially Indonesia hates them. The Islamisists in government have labeled the music degenerate and the band themselves Jinn. This has assured that the music will be popular. The internet assures that the music reaches those that want it. Even the physical objects cannot be kept out. Welcome to the 21st century guys.
The Chinese states are pumping out counterfeit goods as quickly as they can, at least while the guys doing it can. There is a high rate of sickness among them and the goods themselves are notably inferior in inexplicable ways.
===Europe===
The initial reaction was cool, but the EU is warming to the idea. The music is good, the band itself interesting. 
Racist elements are up in arms. They threatened all sorts of mayhem trying to get governmental ninnies to back off allowing the concerts. In places like England you do not need an actual riot, just a potential riot to get the local council to cave.
Reactions on the continent are warmer. German cities were determined that the concerts would happen, and if they had to bust a few skinheads, so be it. They might invite Orane out to "reason" with them.
===Africa===
In the areas the music has penetrated it is a hit. The majority of the continent is dirt poor, and awareness of aliens limited. 
===Antarctica===
Penguins will willingly dance to it.
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*The "crisp fresh sound" is the result of not jamming all of the performance into the top third of the dynamic range of the compact disk. If people want their music loud, they have a volume knob for a reason.
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