"Hush" (a Japanese ghost story)

Support this song here! Thank you!

Happy Obon! ヘ(･౪･ヘ)
Summertime is the spooky season in Japan (chills keep the heat away) so I’ve created a song to reflect a Japanese ghost story. I originally wrote a little portion of it a long time ago and wanted to flesh it out fully. Obon is a holiday to honor the dead and is more sacred and fun for families than scary, so the song reflects the rest of the summer when scary stories are told. (Obon was my deadline!)

I wrote lyrics that were creepy to me, but my native mother-in-law says my Japanese is too cutesy to be scary to her, so this was a good lesson in cultural horror! ("hai hai? like a baby's crawl? that's too cute.") Special thanks to her for language consultation and to my very dear, very patient brother for mastering it!

I do hope you enjoy "Hush" as I put my heart and soul into it, and had so much fun taking on a creepy little persona. If you are in Japan (or Hawaii) during this time, I hope you dance at Bon Matsuri!

"Forever With You"

This was a romantic piano commission for an Italian client, and was so fun to do. 

In fact, I'll be releasing another romantic song soon. 

ALL the lovey dovey! 

"Forever With You" © Ashley Serena

image © respective owner 

"Double Double Toil and Trouble"

I was struggling with recreating this lovely seasonal piece;
I adore John William's medieval sound so much, but it was making me stuck!
So, Knorr swooped in and saved the day,
turning this piece from its original whimsy
into a more melancholy, Carmen feel -- meeting our Halloween deadline!
(Isn't his organ playing fantastic? Gives me shivers!)



This is my first piece produced with Pro Tools.
Still much to learn, but I'm getting there!
Happy Halloween!

Arranged and performed by Elegarde (Ashley Serena & Knorr)

Warpaint

Toulouse approached me with the idea of creating a song based on her warrior character, Blue Kitsune. "Asian and sad" were keywords in what she wanted, and hey, those are my comfort zones! :D After seeing her sketches, I developed a very folksy, almost dance-esque version of this song. We agreed it needed more bite, and that's when Korozjin was brought on board. He took my tune, revved up his guitar, and pushed this song to a level I never thought it could reach. It's been such a privilege to work with these two incredible artists!

Support the music!

悲しみという (The thing we call sadness)

落ちた涙 (Is but fallen tears)

魂が燃える (Our souls ignite)

染んだ体 (And color our bodies)

Grief will always burn with tears

Charring us, ash and dust

Souls ignite over the years

Painting rust, staining us

誰様形作る生活、素描？ (Whose life am I molding, this rough sketch?)

僕、絵筆を全部持つ (Only I hold the brush)

誰でもない (No one else)

Painting my true colors now

In the air they can breathe

You are asking yourself how

Your eyes could be deceived

我心には (Within my heart)

彫った涙 (Are engraved tears)

永遠にこのまま (I will stay this way forever)

痛んだ体 (A body full of pain)

Whose life do I draw and mold in my hands?

Paint to dust, glass to sand

I hold every brush known yet to man

So I am alone

吠えてる (I'm crying out)

聞いてね (Please hear me)

痛いので (Because this hurts so much)

Daring to believe more than what I see

Is how I glimpse eternity

この染んだ世界の香り (The fragrance of this painted world)

Is all that matters to me

この染んだ世界の意気 (The spirit of this painted world)

Is all that matters to me

Vocals, lyrics, koto, choir sounds, background instruments © Ashley Serena
Guitar, drums, bass, mixing, mastering © Korozjin
"Warpaint" artwork © Toulouse

Heart Core

Fire inside of me
It helps me grow
It sings a tempo
Change is what I know
It's how I live
It's how I let go

Oh, I know
We are who we choose to be
Oh, it seems
I can refuse my mother's legacy

We are given the sun
To learn to shine
I will never fear dawn
I will glow on
We are given our fears
To learn to choose
I know there are good tears
I will be strong

Though tonight may carry on
I can sing my song

We are given the sun
To learn to rise
I will greet every dawn
I can fly
Fire burning my heart
Lights my way
Now it's time to start

A third soundtrack commission from the lovely Riversaw, this one about a skinchanger. I wanted the song to shift like she does, shedding its old skin and becoming something brand new again and again. The shapeshifter is a past, present, and future, so many things sewn together. And so, this is four songs in one.

"Heart Core" instruments, lyrics, vocals © Ashley Serena

"One Eternity"

My good friend Chris Knorr teamed up with me to produce this piece.

Playing Mass Effect 3, I was intrigued by the idea of Synthesis. 

Organic life enhancing via synthetic implantation, 

giving them obvious advantages and helping synthetic life 

understand organic motivations and thought processes. 

So, I made a little story from it and turned it into a song. :)

Stars are calling

Calling to me

From this galaxy I came to be

One drop of starlight stirred with

One eternity

Breathing here I

Feel I always

Knew you bled a different color

Stardust Human

Inside all of us are galaxies

We have all the answers here

Eyes are full of hope and fear

Time is turning

Turning inside

Us, we have eternity to

Find what makes our hearts beat faster

Make these galaxies

Always let your

Heart sing louder

Beat your strange new blood that faster

Stars at night will tell you we are

One eternity

You are calling

Calling to me

From our galaxies we came to be

We are each other's starlight

One eternity

Instruments, lyrics, female vocals © Ashley Serena

Male vocals © Knorr
Images © respective owners

"Haru Ni Aki 春に秋"

I have a fascination with traditional Japanese music.

Typical melodies and lyrics are so pregnant with loss and longing,

but are presented so poetically that they make you ponder
your own heart's journey. 

蝶の羽に
急に降霜
僕の心

寒い内に
凍る意気
初恋心

Atop a butterfly's wings
Sudden frost
That is my heart

So cold in here
Spirit of ice
The soul of first love

{"Haru Ni Aki 春に秋" © Ashley Serena}

{images © respective owners}

"Hush"

You are walking home alone. 

The trees groan as they reach for you, their branches strained by the wind... 

or mayhaps something more sinister? 

A chill follows you through the door, 

and even when you crawl under thick blankets,

it lingers beneath your skin. 

In the black of night, 

the hallway floorboards creak, 

rousing you from your restless sleep, 

inviting you to see exactly what has wandered home with you. 

真夜中に
In the dead of night
なんか物が
There are things
その目、満月のように開けてて
They open their eyes as wide as the moon
君を見つけて
And find you

I adore folklore and legends more than anything else in cultures.

This piece is influenced by wayward Japanese ghosts. ～(ヘ-_-)へ The obake.

Happy Hallowe'en!

{"Hush" © Ashley Serena}

{"The Ghost" © Sultan}

{"Lover, You Should've Come Over" © Danataur}

"Once Upon a Moonrise"

Lycanthrope, λυκάνθρωπος, Werewolf
The stories of men morphing to mutts have always held me captive.



While watching the "Tooth and Claw" episode of Doctor Who,
I doodled this on the piano, fleshing it out once the show was over.



In generations ancient and young,
lies an undeniable bond between man and dog.

{"Once Upon a Moonrise" © Ashley Serena}

{"Moonrise" © Jens Hackmann}

{"Lifetime Collective Fall/Winter 2011" © Salazar}

{image © respective owner}

"Mercede's Lullaby"

This is a song I've been dreaming of covering for a while,  but just didn't quite know how to approach it.  Finally, I decided to write a poem:

Wild the fairy garden grows
Twining 'round like mistletoe
Poison sweet as berry wine
Fauns know which one is kind

There are no such things as leaves
Only baby fairy trees
Branches grow as strong as horns
Ones that fauns can adorn

Do... do you dare
Secrets everywhere

A special thank-you to my dear friend and fellow musician, Chris,  for coaching me on Castilian speech and translating my lyrics.  {He sure makes a creepily beautiful Pan, methinks.}

MP3 Download

Instruments, lyrics, vocals: Ashley Serena

Translation, Pan's vocals: Chris Knorr

"Mercede's Lullaby" © Javier Navarrete

"Pan's Labyrinth" or "El laberinto del fauno" © Guillermo del Toro

"Two Worlds"

After commissions today, 

I stretched and wrote whatever my heart felt like saying. 

Hope you enjoy this little relaxation piece. (⌒-⌒)

"Two Worlds"

Sometimes the 

Heart can see 

Far past what eyes claim to be 

That is when

Two worlds learn 

To cross their lands, and blend their seas 

And should you ever lose your way again 

Our roads lead to one, they'll deliver you 

When two worlds are one 

"Two Worlds" © Ashley Serena

Lyrics inspired by H. Jackson Brown Jr., "Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."

images © their respective owners

"Walk This Earth Alone"

A villain theme commission for a werewolf author, 

this came right at the time I was thinking of exploring ethnic compositions. 

There are patterns that successful pop songs follow, 

but because this is a tribal piece, I broke from conventions 

and finished the song with a soft bridge leading into a louder, alternate finale. 

"Walk This Earth Alone"

I'll fulfill all your prophecies

Wrote them all in blood

I'll haunt you as much as you expect

Wrath comes with a flood

Everyone thinks themselves heroes

In the books they write

What divides a man and immortal

Is his will to fight

Don't defy the deity inside your skin

Against man the powerful will always win

When you're young you burn with fire

Nothing spills your blood

But those of us with more desire

Cross the line of "should"

Think outside the box a moment

Think above the ground

I've betrayed too many chances

To turn around now

Don't defy the deity inside your skin

Against man the powerful will always win

There might have been

A window of

Little summer's light once for me

But now it's rain

And hail regret

Everywhere my eyes can see

Now that I'm gone

It's all wrong

Oh, the light

Stole my song

I can never return

Always winter

{"Walk This Earth Alone" © Ashley Serena}

{images © respective owner}

"Music Commission Pricing"

I am so grateful for the chances I get to work with creative minds, 

whether I'm composing a theme, crafting lyrics, or chirping vocals, 

I love making music with you. 

And because of these growing opportunities, 

my commission prices are also having a bit of growth. 

Though I wish we could all do away with money, 

it is the nature of this and all business. 

{Those whose commissions I've already accepted will maintain the old prices, as is fair.}

Every artist needs to support themselves.

And hopefully, someday, 

this will be my only line of work!

{images via WeHeartIt}

"Remember Me"

Here's a little composition I made for my novel, "Petrichor".

One of the most heartbreaking moments in life is when something you hold sacred is forgotten.
{"Remember Me" © Ashley Serena}{"Memoirs of a Geisha", "House of Flying Daggers", "Game of Thrones" © Respective Owners}{image © Jaime Ibarra}

"Marriage of the Fox {狐の嫁入り}"

An old Japanese superstition 

keeps people from the forest 

when the rain is falling 

the same moment the sun is shining. 

For that is the time 

when foxes wed in the woods.

{"Marriage of the Fox (狐の嫁入り)" © Ashley Serena}

{image © respective owner}

"Tell Our Story"

A little piece I recorded as a de-stressor when I got home today.

I wanted a dilapidated music box atmosphere.

I hope, one day, 
to make a music box for my children
and embed one of my songs inside.

May you be filled with dreamstalgia.
whilst you listen. ♥

{"Tell Our Story" © Ashley Serena}

{image © respective owner}

"The Root of Fear"

There are many different shades of fear, 
and people react to shocking situations in strange, and altering ways.
How do you handle things that frighten you?

{"The Root of Fear" © Ashley Serena}

{image © respective owner}

"Metal and Flesh"

I'm half of a two-man music group called, Elegarde.
Chris composes lovely melodies,
and I mesh on lyrics and vocals.
Here's a preview of our newest project, "Metal and Flesh":

I am metal, you are flesh

My fingers, cold against your chest

Nuts and bolts, bones and blood

These must never mingle, no, they never should

Find a spark to share between

They said we would never make a team

Spark-boom-rocket, circuit to your heart

You have veins, and I have a chart

{♫ "Metal and Flesh" © Elegarde}
{"Beautiful Robot" © Muh Ihsan}

"Facebook Page"

{shameless self-plug!} 
I have a Facebook page now, 

where I post covers & original music. 

Here's a little taste
{something I wrote before bed last night}:

"Ambrosia in Her Veins"

For music updates,
and my work with Kami-Con and others,
press the "like" button on the right side of this site -->
or go here: Ashley Serena
♪ヽ( ⌒o⌒)人(⌒▽⌒ )v ♪

"I Love My Piano"

"When she started to play, Steinway came down personally

and rubbed his name off the piano." -Bob Hope

So, I love my piano.
But I mostly made this video because I just bought iLife '09...
...and I wanted to play with it. =D
Now I'll be even more camera-happy!
{Watch out, friends and family.}
And abundant joy--I can still play the piano, even with a broken finger. Waha!