Inspiration Through Music: Peter Mulvey

If you’ve been following the Monstrum Chronicles blog for some time now, you’ll know that I love discovering new music and writing alongside said music. Recently, my boyfriend introduced me to a musician whose style can only be described as part Ray LaMontagne, part phenomenal guitar, and part…sunshine and coffee. Have you ever listened to someone sing and been able to practically see them smile through their voice? Peter Mulvey is this musician.

I was lucky enough to meet him at a recent performance in Hallowell at the beginning of June. He’s one of those people with a charming personable presence, the kind who can entertain with word and song and that you can never grow tired of listening to. He’s become my go to for car rides, down time in the house, and yes, even for certain story ideas. As I’ve been thinking more and more about starting a sequel for Night Time, Dotted Line (my dramedy), I’ve found that Mulvey’s voice resonates with both of the main characters, Calleigh and Spencer, well; particularly with Calleigh though.

Today, I’m going to share a few of Peter Mulvey’s songs with you along with some of the images that his songs conjure in my mind. This is a fun little exercise that you can do in your own spare time. Just take a pencil and paper, play to the songs below, and see what comes to mind when you listen. Enjoy!

Advertisement

Inspiration Through Music: The Last of Us Soundtrack

Once again, we find today’s subject of Inspiration Through Music is a story-driven, emotional, and beautifully designed game. The Last of Us, which debuted last year for Playstation 3 by Naughty Dog, is among one of my top favorites in video games. The story of a childless father and a parentless girl as they cross a post-apocalyptic America, hiding from people and frightening creatures is portrayed so realistically that it locks you into the gameplay and immediately makes you care about the characters and their journey. And of course, like every other game I’ve mentioned, the music adds an extra layer of immersion to this stunning game. They couldn’t have picked a better composer than Gustavo Santaolalla, who can pinpoint even the most difficult human emotion to emulate through music and make it dig right into you.

Inspiration Through Music: Aurah

As of late, things have been kind of crazy. I’ve been trying to set up numerous events for the fall, whilst trying to get a summer photo contest underway, attempt to edit my novel, and write two more at the same time. I’ve been waiting on a few email replies as well. Nothing seems to be more aggravating than waiting for an email… especially if it is an important one. So, one night last week, I returned home and eagerly logged on, hoping that I had finally received word about something so that I could put it to rest. No such luck. There was an email, however, from someone telling me how much they loved my Inspiration Through Music blogs. I appreciate this gesture more than you can imagine. Up until now, I wasn’t even sure people were reading these posts because of how little feedback I got in terms of likes and comments. Anyway, they gave me a recommendation for a little band that I hadn’t heard of at the time, Aurah. I listened to their song, Khorwa, and was absolutely blown away. How had I not heard of these guys before? This is exactly the kind of thing I love to listen to while writing.