Feeling Slightly Dead

Like a well-oiled machine, it takes several dynamic parts working smoothly together to create quality music. When you listen to Terribly Happy’s latest release, Slightly Dead, you’ll find a variety of creative elements working well together. There’s a mix of electronic rock, pop punk, a range of vocal techniques, and hauntingly relatable lyrics.

The song names on this album all share in the macabre: “Slightly Dead,” “Mummies and Regretful Sophomores,” and “Feeling Like a Ghost.” But the songs aren’t scary in a traditional sense of horror. They are haunting, though, but they are haunting because of their poignancy—you relate to them, feel them. You, too, are slightly dead.

Take a closer look at the album’s artwork, a perfect visual representation of the music you’ll hear. These songs are about sadness, but not in a stereotypical “my life is so hard” kind of way. The sadness is bottomless, nearly tangible in each note of the guitar and pound of the drum. In the middle of a carnival stands a young man. He’s surrounded by ice cream, games, and rides, and one must ask, so why is he sad?

Because the carnival is a show. It’s all about flashing lights and thrills that excite the innocent minds of children, not heart-broken souls. We know the lights and thrills are cheap, but we long for them anyway. We long for the happiness that we felt when we were young.

Listen to Terribly Happy's Music here!
Photography by Brittany Wagley

Haven’t you ever felt slightly dead and full of regret? Haven’t you ever felt like you walked alone, like a ghost? That no one was really there for you and that everyone only cared about themselves? Those are the unforgettable themes of the album.

In “Slightly Dead,” Terribly Happy perfectly captures sadness and pain. “I’ll trade my wounds for your regrets,” they sing. This isn’t a simple relationship song. It’s so much deeper. This is a song that understands the complexity of pain. It’s the kind of song you’ll want to listen to in the car with the windows rolled down while you shout the lyrics, or late at night in a lonely bedroom with nothing but headphones on your ears and tears in your eyes.

Be sure to like Terribly Happy on Facebook!
Photography by Brittany Wagley

I love a song that ends and begins with the same line to preserve a powerful idea, and that’s what happens with “Mummies and Regretful Sophomores.” This song is like the fast, dangerous ride at the carnival. It’s full of an almost calm rage, which is far more terrifying then reckless rage because there’s a purpose and plan behind it. This is song you’ll sing while holding up your middle finger at those who have wronged you. “Here’s to hoping you’ll always be lonely,” they sing. And that’s the worst of punishments as it’s also loneliness that also haunts them.

“There is nothing in this bedroom,” the song opens and closes. And repeats and repeats. The terror here is that nothing can be just as frightening as any real monster.

That leads perfectly into the third and final song of the EP, “Feeling Like a Ghost.” The title alone resonates with anyone who has a pulse. Who hasn’t felt like they didn’t matter or that they were invisible? “Maybe I’ll stay . . .  maybe you’ll stay . . .” There’s a back and forth in the song, a contrast that their music here epitomizes. The drums and guitar blend well at first, but then the drums get hard, yet the guitar remains smooth. It’s like that so often in relationships, a conflict of interests, an opposites attract, a back and forth, and you’ll feel this in the music. It’s the paradox of love and pain.

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the album today here at terriblyhappy.bandcamp.com and support authentic, hard-working artists. You can download the album for just $3.00 or even order a CD that comes in a jewel case.

Be sure you listen with your headphones on. Lock your door, too. But not because of the monsters that are outside. Because this music unleashes the monsters hiding in your head and behind your heart.

About the author:

Joe Chianakas is the author of the horror novel, Rabbit in Red. Follow Joe on Facebook, and check out his website for more about his writing career. 

More articles about Terribly Happy:

"Enter the Rabbit"

"An Energetic Inspiration"

The Best Horror Art

The first step you need to take to become a real artist is to stop “aspiring to be.” Whenever I come across a student, for example, who tells me that they are an aspiring writer, I ask, “Do you write?” If they say yes, then I tell them to drop the “aspiring.” You are, in fact, a writer.

I wrote the draft of my first horror novel, Rabbit in Red, on a crappy laptop with no inspiration but my imagination. I thought of the advice I gave students, and I decided, as I was revising the novel and seeking publishers, that I needed to treat myself like a real writer. I deserved the rewards I wanted.

I always imagined, if I were to be successful, that I’d have this great office complete with horror collectibles and art to inspire me. I simply decided that I wasn’t going to wait. I was going to treat myself to the kind of inspiration I always wanted, publishing contract or no. 

Some of Lee's horror art. This is what hangs in my office.

That’s when I discovered the amazingly talented artist, Lee Howard. Lee’s art covers one side of my office wall, and I will certainly add more. Lee’s art looked over me as I finalized my horror story and earned a publishing contract. Sometimes you need a little inspiration, and today I want to talk to you about Lee’s work. In short, it’s some of the best horror art I’ve seen. It’s affordable, fun, and sure to be a hit in your home or office. If you’re a horror fan like me, you’ll fall in love with his work immediately. But he does more than horror. He has all sorts of pop culture art!

Like me, Lee has been a horror fan since he was a child. I interviewed him for this article, and he told me that when he was ten years old, he saw A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2, and it was “love at first sight of blood.” Since then he’s consumed all things horror, and he’s had quite a few success stories! 

This past year, his art was featured in the monthly horror mystery subscription box Horror Block. 

Every subscriber received a gorgeous canvas of Pinhead, and it was such a huge success that the company (Nerd Block, which has several blocks: Horror Block and Arcade Block are two) acquired another original piece for the launch of their brand new block, the Sci-Fi Block! It’s a top-secret piece, too, as Howard wouldn’t tell me what it is (hey- it is a mystery box, after all!). 

I asked Lee what his favorite piece is, and he told me that he had a couple, but that they are usually paintings that represent “evolutionary leaps” in his art. I’ll post some of his favorites below!

Janet Leigh, Psycho, one of Lee's favorites

Keifer Sutherland from The Lost Boys, another favorite

Jack Nicholson's Joker

Lee Howard's Catwoman

Of all of his art, his bestsellers are the movie icon paintings, which have 15 in the series as of the time of this post. He also has popular mugs, on one of which he’s posted a comic-book style art of six horror icons with blood splattered on the handle that is constantly selling out. (I know what I need to take to work now for my morning coffee!)

I have to get this mug!

Lee has quite a following for his Quiet Room Bears collection, too. This idea started with a Halloween party his family hosted. It was a Rosemary’s Baby themed party, and there was a contest where each guest had to bring the demonic baby a gift. Lee thought that every Satan child deserves the most hideous of teddy bears, and they were a huge hit! He sold a few on eBay, and they gained popularity quite quickly. The name is derived from the quiet room in A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3, another of Lee’s favorite films. Now the bears all have session numbers (instead of names) that connects to the quiet room institution.

Lee told me, “the inmates have their 'sessions' inside the Quiet Room and are placed inside there with teddy bears, knives, string and things like that, and at the request of the room itself, they literally put pieces of themselves, as well as their madness, into each Bear. When the bears get to into the world, people seek them out, not knowing why, and when they get one, it slowly drives them mad, turning their lives into a nightmare.” I’m not creeped at all. Really. (What was that noise?)

What also jumped out to me about Lee was that he uses his art for good (see advice for artists below). Most recently, he’s donated art to a Kickstarter campaign for a documentary. The documentary is titled Scream Queen, My Nightmare on Elm Street. Lee’s friend Mark Patton, who played Jesse in Nightmare 2, is making the documentary. It’s Mark’s story about building an acting career in Hollywood in the 80s as a gay man. It also explores the deeper subculture of gay Hollywood in the 80s and how the backlash of the film affected Mark's life. Lee is making cover art for the film, and he also donated a cool piece with Freddy’s glove holding up a bloody tiara. The film is looking for donations, and even $5 helps. Check out the Kickstarter campaign and learn more about that documentary here. 

Some other fun facts about Lee:

Favorite horror films: The first three A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, The Shining, Universal monster movies, Pontypool, The Exorcist, Session 9

Advice for other artists: “Never stop creating!” Lee advises artists to post their work constantly on social media for exposure, and to know that success is extremely hard. But Lee makes art on the good days and the bad. He never stops creating. Perhaps one of my favorite things he said to me: “Art has literally saved my life a couple times, so it's incredibly important and powerful, so make sure and use it for the forces of good haha.”

Animals: Lee has a cat named Bruce Wayne.

First job: Taco Bell

Secret Identity: He told me he’s actually Batman. 

Visit Lee’s store here! Lee has a new painting series releasing soon as well as a monthly release of his Quiet Room Bears, so don't miss out.

Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, too!

From this author to all of you: whether you’re a horror or pop culture fan or an “aspiring” artist, it’s okay to reward yourself! Go get some of Lee’s art. Get your friends’ children a nice Quiet Room Bear for their birthdays. I think that would be sweet.

Learn more about Joe Chianakas and his book, Rabbit in Red, here. You can also follow him on Facebook.

Terribly Happy: An Energetic Inspiration

If you want to know what the secret of success is—a prediction of great things to come—then look at a person’s enthusiasm and ambition. There’s something absolutely infectious about one’s desire to succeed and make a difference. I found that contagious energy in the unique talents of three young guys who make up the band Terribly Happy.

But success isn’t solely based on enthusiasm and talent. It’s also a result of relentless support for other arts and artists. One look at the Facebook page of Terribly Happy reveals both of these characteristics—an unparalleled drive for success and an immeasurable amount of support for other local bands and artists. Terribly Happy is constantly working, creating, and performing, and throughout all of this, they find time to connect with other bands, support their work, and even take on unique endeavors—like working with a local author. Collaboration is one key to success, and the distinct talents of each band member coalesce to form vigorously creative music and performances. But they don’t limit themselves to just one another. Their vocal support of all music and artists is what truly pushes the boundaries of collaboration. They are, in fact, a terribly passionate trio destined for great things.

Their dreams of performing and making a band date back to their middle school days. All three band members—James, Kyle, and Logan—attended different schools and didn’t meet until college. Like fate, their passion for the same genre of music, pop-punk, eventually steered these three talented individuals together. More than a similar interest, each has unique musical talents, the combination of which has sparked electrifying and exciting original music.

The name Terribly Happy came from a brainstorming session between Kyle and James. They tossed around all sorts of clever names from Buffalo Flow to Roshambo. On a Google search for unique movie titles, James came across a Danish Noir film titled Terribly Happy, and the name has stuck ever since.   

** Band Member Spotlight **

KYLE HAMON

Position: guitarist/vocalist

How he learned music: Kyle started playing bass and then switched to guitar. He taught himself how to play, and the first song he ever learned was “Blackbird” by the Beatles.

Favorite band: The Front-Bottoms, an acoustic pop-punk band

Favorite song by another band: “The Secret of Life” by the Dead Milkmen

Favorite Terribly Happy song: “Out of State, Out of Mind”

Favorite Terribly Happy Lyric: "If I could buy anything, it'd be the memories. We could watch them together,” from a song titled “You and I aren’t Heroes”

Five unique things about Kyle: He has an extensive retro video game collection and games to boot, he started off as a folk musician, he’s a cinephile, he originally went to culinary school when he started college, and he likes to switch between rhythm and lead guitar in the band!

JAMES WYLIE

Position: bassist/vocalist

How he learned music: James taught himself how to play bass by looking up song tabs online and practicing them over and over again.

Favorite band: Blink182

Favorite song by another band: a tossup between "Everlong" by The Foo Fighters and "Flag Pole Sitta" by Harvey Danger.

Favorite Terribly Happy song: "So Rad" due to its personal nature with himself

Favorite Terribly Happy lyric: "In this fucked up world, you're my silver lining."

Five unique things about James: He is left handed, was born in Colorado, is very much into fantasy football, loves anime, and likes raccoons!

LOGAN KIESEWETTER

Position: drummer

How he learned music: He had formal lessons and private drumming lessons when he was younger, but also learned to teach himself when he was older.

Favorite band: Blink 182

Favorite song by another band: “Natives” by Blink 182

Favorite Terribly Happy song: "Alpha, Beta, Chedda."

Favorite Terribly Happy lyric: His favorite comes from two different lyrics sang by Kyle and James at the same time from a song called, "Sinking Sand." Kyle sings, "Man down ooooh, everyone flees. Oh yeah they fled from it all. They felt the ocean breeze. It felt too good, like we shouldn't feel as we could." And James sings, "The cold is setting in, it's time for winter to come again. And I'm here to remind you that I'll always be near."

Five unique things about Logan: Logan is a graphic design and film-making major, he’s obsessed with science-fiction and fantasy stories, he’s learning how to do horror airbrush make-up, he loves comic books, and he’s named one of Terribly Happy’s songs.

****

Terribly Happy started as a two-person acoustic duo with James and Kyle, and they met Logan a few years later. The three were a perfect fit and are currently a trio. They released one EP titled Sprinkles With That earlier this year in March. Currently, they are working on their next album and first official music video for their song, “Shut Up, Let’s Go.”

Although they are exploring all sorts of different sounds, such as emo, straight-punk, and folk-punk, pop-punk music is their primary genre. Bare bones pop-punk is a style with energetic music and catchy melodies. They love this style because—for all three—it influenced them when they were younger, and now they want to contribute to the same field of music that has been so meaningful for them.

Catch a live performance of Terribly Happy! Updated performances are available on their Facebook page, but some you can catch soon include: 1) the Marquette Heights Men's Club'sFreedom Fest on June 27^th, which will be their longest performance to date as they will play a two hour set. You can catch them from 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. at the pavilion, and 2) the Warp Zone Show on July 16 (performances begin at 5:00 p.m.). Click the links to learn more about those individual performances. Their favorite places to play vary with each member, but they all love house shows, which produce energetic crowds in intimate settings.

Terribly Happy also has a very unique creative process. Generally, they will start with an acoustic competition and then turn it electric and the song evolves from there. Other times, they like to jam electrically first and then form the song. They’ve been known to pump out a couple new songs a week as the creative juices flow high, or they’ll take a few weeks or longer to really perfect a favorite song.

When you see them play, you’ll recognize that their greatest strength is the chemistry between the band members. They are very close when they perform, and they feed off of one another’s energy as well as the crowd’s. Their chemistry also enhances the creative process as they bounce a variety of ideas off of one another.

I asked what advice they’d give to those looking to start their own band. What they told me: “Be friendly and grateful for any love and support given to you in your local scene. Don't personally have a big ego among your band mates and, as a band, don't have a big ego out in the scene among other bands.” This is great advice for all artists, and one reason I personally admire Terribly Happy. Once again, success comes from supporting others, and Terribly Happy models that. In any artistic scene, the success of another is a win for all.

 

After interviewing the band, I asked one final question—anything else you’d like readers to know? Terribly Happy said, “We love you and please support the local music scene.”

You can show your support by liking the Terribly Happy Facebook page here, and even more so by attending an upcoming performance. Subscribe to their YouTube channel to receive all of their new music!

Check out some of the music in the videos posted below!

About the author: Joe Chianakas is the author of the upcoming horror adventure series RABBIT IN RED. You can like his author page and learn more about the book on Facebook, Twitter, or his author website at www.joechianakas.com. Why did a horror author write this article about a local band, you may be wondering? Well, just wait and see! Terribly Happy and I, as you can tell, understand that collaboration enhances success. We’ve got some fun projects up our sleeves, and I’ll tell you more about Terribly Happy and those projects in a future article! Stay tuned!

"Shut Up, Let's Go," Original Song

 "Out of State, Out of Mind"

Rabbit in Red Art & Trailers

As of today, I am officially in the double digit (finally!) count down till my book Rabbit in Red is published!

To celebrate, I wanted to create a short blog post where I would post all of the Rabbit in Red media to share with you, in case you've missed any of these awesome things. There are a lot more side projects in the works-- a couple of big collaborations I've very excited to share with you in time.

I also want to thank anyone who is reading this. I've always written, but a lot has changed since this time last year. In fact, it was about this exact day last year (I remember it being the first week of my summer classes) when I sat down in the backyard to read a book. A few pages in, I got this incredible idea. Art inspires art! In one afternoon, I outlined Rabbit in Red and spent every day writing. Thirty days later, I had 70,000 words. I was that passionate about this project.

It's a very different story from that last summer after too many rounds of revisions to count. As they say, first drafts are pretty much always complete shit :) But you have to start somewhere.

One book that's been over a year in the making-- that's how writing and publication work.

It releases September 18, 2015. I hope you'll be as excited to read it as I am to share it with you.

Please follow my author pages here on Facebook and Twitter if you haven't already!

And now, to celebrate: here's a collection of Rabbit in Red media so far.

A possible Rabbit in Red logo

Rabbit in Red is the name of a movie production studio that turns out to be oh so much more in my story! This is the art one of my best friends, Brandy Kennington, drew for me. 

Unofficial Trailer #1

The above is the first trailer I created-- watch for a preview and I hope you catch all the horror references!

Bill's Nightmare

This great drawing was created by Tracie Verkuilen. You can read more about it and her here.

Unofficial Trailer #2

Once I had some art work, I had to make a second trailer-- check out the above. I love the scary music (credit for that goes to iMovie, of course). 

Jaime and Tara Stein

This is a cool drawing made by Toni Ritchie. Jaime Stein is a major character, and her little sister will play an important role as the story progresses. You can read more about that and Toni here.

Rose Dawn

Meet Rose Dawn, another important character. This sweet sketch was designed by Kim Loan. Read more about the character Rose and the artist Kim here.

Once again, thanks for following and reading! Please consider sharing this post and liking my author Facebook and Twitter pages to support. 99 days and counting, friends!

You can also check out my official website-- www.joechianakas.com-- for more content and a cool countdown! 

Artist Kim Loan Provides First Look at Rabbit in Red's Rose Dawn

I had the pleasure of interviewing another fantastic artist who contributed some art for my upcoming novel Rabbit in Red. Today, I’d like to take some time to introduce you to Kim Loan.

Kim creates mostly anime, cartoons, and any kind of creature or imaginative thing living deep inside her head. She remembers drawing shapes all the way back in kindergarten and being absolutely mesmerized by art. She moved from simple shapes to more challenging concepts very quickly. By the time she was in second grade, she would draw Pokémon characters. In the summertime, she would often draw from the moment she woke up until bedtime. Art is clearly her biggest passion.

-- Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for the latest Rabbit in Red updates!--

When she’s not drawing, Kim loves hiking, biking, and playing badminton. She also loves playing video games and watching anime. Her current goals are to improve with charcoal and with drawing more realistic looking people. Kim plans on being a hair stylist, but will never give up her love of drawing.

For Rabbit in Red, she drew the character of Rose Dawn. Here is part of the excerpt from my novel that Kim read before drawing Rose:

When asked why she entered the contest, Rose looked shy on camera and said, “I enjoy being behind the camera. Not on it.” A seventeen year old New Orleans resident, Rose’s name matched her face: soft, short red hair, a petite body. Her eyes were hard and dark, as if guarding a secret, but her face was cute in a little-sister kind of way. She may not stand out in a crowd, except for her hair and a little black purse she held tightly against her side, but she possessed a deeper beauty, something harder to see for most people.

She spoke quietly into the camera but never looked directly at it. “So you want to be a filmmaker too?” a reporter asked.

 “Yes.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I like it.”

 “And you want to make horror films? Why horror?”

“Horror needs art, and I like art. I think JB would agree,” Rose answered simply.

For multiple reasons, I thought Rose Dawn was a perfect character for Kim to draw!

Kim also shared with me her favorite drawing, pictured on the right. You'll see a butterfly with torn fabric wings and a ribbon-like tail. Next to the butterfly, Kim drew a hummingbird with a mermaid-like tail and butterfly wings. They are surrounded by flowers and a stream of water. She had a very unique inspiration when drawing this. This art represents the idea that everyone belongs in this world, no matter how different they look or act.

Finally, I talked with Kim about other interests such as books and movies, since she drew some art for my book. Her favorite horror film is Thirteen Ghosts, and her favorite book series is Gregor the Overlander, which she says is action packed with adventure and creativity from the beginning until the end. Plus, there’s a bat that can fly you around and the roaches in the book can talk!

Thank you, Kim, for your beautiful portrayal of Rabbit in Red’s Rose Dawn. If you would like to message Kim, just leave on comment here on this blog article. 

Rabbit in Red is scheduled to release in September of 2015. Be sure to follow along on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.