I have set up a competition for you. You could win a signed copy of our album Hour Of The Wolf and more if you enter. Read on to find out how.
Today is the second anniversary of the death of legendary film maker Ingmar Bergman. Why do you need to know that? Ingmar Bergman made a film called Vargtimmen which translates as “Hour Of The Wolf”.
Our album is not exactly named after this film – we didn’t know much about the film until after the name was picked and I am still the only band member to have watched the film. But the root of the concept behind the name of both the film and our album is the same.
The “hour of the wolf” comes from Swedish folklore and refers to an hour between midnight and dawn from perhaps 4 until 5 in the morning. It is said to be the time when most people are born or die. It is when insomnia hits at its worst, revealing the haunting fears and demons that lurk in the deathly silence.
Our song tilted Hour Of The Wolf is about insomnia and indeed its working title was Insomniac. The film Hour Of the Wolf is about an artist who goes mad as he cannot sleep until dawn – the hour of the wolf presenting him with surreal and terrifying imaginings.
I’m sure you will have had some experience of insomnia. Perhaps you sleep badly on occasion. Maybe you are stalked most nights by the endless awake. Whatever your experience, I know you will have at least one good story to tell about a sleepless night. Did you wake up and couldn’t return to sleep, frightened of the shadows? Were you up all night and nothing could rest your mind into the land of slumber?
Whatever your story, we want to hear it. The best story wins a copy of the new album Hour Of The Wolf AND a free pass to the Album Release Show in Wellington on August 15th at The Tugboat*.
I am going to start off this story telling session by sharing my common experience of the hour of the wolf.
I so often manage to get to sleep by midnight only to wake up at 4am and suddenly am wide awake again. Nothing can change that moment, once I’m awake, I’m awake. I’ve given up trying to get back to sleep, it just aggravates the issue. So I usually get up once I wake these days and hope I feel tired again some hours later. But it can take 4 or 5 hours before that happens sometimes.
However the mindset that occurs at this time I can use to my advantage. I’ll focus on the silence, the darkness and the ominous calm. Underneath that potential for deep fear is a place of wonder, a dreamland that is normally only permitted in sleep.
Accessing this lets me create. Words, music, an ugly scribble, it doesn’t matter. Something is revealed from the depths in this hour of night. I have written my best music and lyrics in this time all the while groaning about how tired I will be when the sun comes up. But it has to been done. I have no choice. This is my hour of the wolf.
Comment below to tell us:
What is your hour of the wolf?
*If you win but are not in Wellington for the gig or can not make it that night, there are alternative prizes for you along with the album give away:
Entry to a future gig when we soon tour the country can be arranged or a copy of our Mind Estate EP.
The band will judge which story is deemed best and the judge’s decision is final.
Cut off date for entries is August 7th 2009 at 12:34pm NZST
Winner will be announced August 10th – winner will be contacted by email so make sure you put a valid email address when you sign in to comment.
Good Luck!
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We are mere days away from the official worldwide release of Hour Of The Wolf.
