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We've worked for several years on The Mighty Mikko: A Finnish Folktale , our first full-length musical. Now, it's on its third cast performance. What a journey! What's more, we have some exciting news: the studio soundtrack is on its way! Featuring vocal talents from Abbey Daniels, Randall Kempton, and more, the studio album will feature professional recordings of all the tracks in the musical. Our composer has worked directly with talented performers to produce a fantastic n

Halloween is coming! While I'm not one for gore or horror, I do enjoy folktales---especially folktales from around the world. I gathered a few of my favorite monsters and wrote a book about them. Here it is! Sarah Bjork lends incredible illustrations to 10 terrifying monsters----everything from basilisks to sigbins. These sketches are harrowing. If you'd like your own copy of Fearsome Folktales: 10 Terrifying Monsters from Around the World, it's available on Amazon.

From Starpants LITerature Since this song is written by one of the only authors on the entire album who is still alive, we humbly redirect your attention to his website and the works therein , most of which represent the fantasy genre. "Bridge Four" is a reference specifically to a group of soldiers in  The Way of Kings​ , the first book in The Stormlight Archive,  as well as a tribute to alt rock.  My favorite part of this song was asking people, "Hey, do you want to scream

In my head this post has a Batman-esque logo somehow linking to the original Gutenberg printing press. Pretend this is that picture. Photo by Wendelin Jacober If you haven't heard, the Gutenberg project makes public domain texts available at no cost to---well, the public. Hooray! Here are a few books I love that are available on Gutenberg. The Blue Castle , L.M. Montgomery A lesser known work from the author of the Anne of Green Gables series, the story of Valancy Sterling a

From Starpants LITerature We don't mean to get salty, but it was either this or a white whale, which we still might do later. In any case, we're happy to present "The Sea Wolf" titled after one of our favorite and lesser-known works from Jack London, more commonly known for The Call of the Wild  or White Fang . We wrote "The Sea Wolf" as a sea shanty, heavy on banjo and catchy chorus. Originally, Jack London wrote The Sea Wolf  to pit competing philosophies against each other

Now that the weather is finally starting to fade to fall (hooray!), it's time to curl up with a few good books and a mug of steaming hot herbal tea or cocoa. Here's a few of my favorite reads for stormy days. Photo by Vlada Karpovich The Emma M. Lion Series , Beth Brower I love a book I can recommend to anyone, anytime. This book has gone out for birthdays and passed hands between my friends and family. It's a cozy pseudo-historical read with a sparkling protagonist, a dry vo

It can be lonely, being a reader. (Imagine "It's Not Easy Being Green" from the Kermit Unpigged album playing in the background.) And, in the genre of trucks, babes, and loneliness, we present "All My Friends (Are Dead)" as an intro to our first album, Starpants LITerature . (That genre, to be completely clear, is country, not beer.)  In this album, we wanted to introduce the listener to great books and stories, many of which don't receive their due. So, the lyrics of "All

It's straight outta the library and it's ready to swing---nearly. The album is nearly finished! Here's a brief look at what to expect once it's ready to drop. All My Friends (Are Dead) Style: Country Genre: Original Track A catchy introduction to the album as a whole with rich harmonies and absolutely no screaming. Catcher in the Rye Style: New Age Genre: American Lit Airy and contemplative with an achy soul chorus. The Raven Style: Bluegrass Genre: Poetry Quoth the Raven: pl

From musicals to full studio albums, Lucent Studios features products we're proud of. But how did it start? We really should have seen it coming. The Scarlet Pimpernel, Wicked, Fiddler on the Roof, Cyrano de Bergerac, King Lear, Crazy for You, The Drowsy Chaperone  didn't seem life-changing at the time. (Okay, maybe some of them did. Let's be honest.) But mostly we grew up appreciating theater without any plan to pursue playwrighting or composition as careers.  Many years lat