Angels and Astronauts, Alien Bliss, Elvis novel series: Home
Please allow me to introduce myself. . . .
No. Wait a minute. It’s not what you think! That is, that's not what I meant . . . ! Oh hell. Here’s the scoop. My name is Michael Hodjera. Once upon a time I made a record in Europe for United Artists. Since then I’ve created my own label, Halo Records, and written and produced about a dozen CDs for it. I sing. I write. I crawl on my belly like a reptile. I play all the instruments I need to play to make my records go. I record and produce all my own material. I like tapioca pudding. Occasionally, I work with other artists on their projects. As Alien Bliss, I write and record upbeat pop songs for listening, giggling, wriggling, wiggling, and just plain wigging. As Angels and Astronauts, I write and record atmospheric, eclectic, yet soothing, instrumental music intended as an adjunct to relaxing, working, driving, sunning and. . .well, just about any other kind of activity one could imagine.
I'm very pleased to announce the release of the new Fun House Mirrors CD! It's unequivocally the hardest rocking set I've put out to date and indeed ranks as a personal favorite. It features the talented and dynamic Pat Hughes tickling the skins. If you like hook-laden, guitar-based power pop and the skewed worldview of the Alien Bliss projects, be sure to check it out. The CD is now here at the site to audition in its entirety and can be bought from CD Baby or downloaded at all the usual outlets. Watch for the second FHM CD around December of 2009!
From time to time I front a band called Mostly Human, which performs mostly Hodjera songs and has done so for many years. Since none of us likes to tour much, Mostly Human performs mostly locally. We have been known to make a trip down the coast now and again. I'm excited about the release last year of Mostly Human's first studio project, "We Are Mostly Human," which can be heard here at the site. It's basically a high spirited, pedal-to-the-metal retrospective sampling of songs I've written over the last three decades and includes music that doesn't appear anywhere else in my catalog.
In addition to the musical endeavors, I’ve written and published a series of three Elvis novels: The Return of the King, Bright Light City, and The Fear Merchant, which was chosen as first runner-up for the Darrell award for best novel of 2008. All feature the present day adventures of the King himself, Elvis Presley, newly returned from exile and currently living incognito on the Big Island of Hawaii. If you’d like to know more about the books click on the "Buy" button to read a synopsis of each book and look for the links to my publisher, iUniverse. You'll find additional information there, along with sample chapters, ordering info and so on. (The books can also be ordered through any bookstore or online at the usual locations.)
Buckle up and get ready to blast off into the mild unknown with Fun House Mirrors, Alien Bliss, Angels and Astronauts and Mostly Human. With me, Michael Hodjera, as your guide we are going on a magical mystery tour of the mind of, well, Michael Hodjera. In the pages that follow there will be info about the various projects, music clips, lyrics (eventually), links to cdbaby.com and iUniverse, a bio of sorts of yours truly, news and performance dates. Keep breathing.
Thanks for looking in.
Note: The player at the top of this page is a new feature and can be paused any time if you want to listen to other songs under the "Music" heading. Currently playing is a special macabre Halloween selection that includes tracks from the Fun House Mirrors and the Alien Bliss' "Vampire Surfers" CD. I'll be spinning songs from other CDs in my collection periodically, so come by often to see what's new!
More about the music. . . .
Alien Bliss–pop, power pop, rock pop, folk pop, ska, rock-a-billy, surf, etc., etc.
Chronologically, the Alien Bliss CDs included here are: "Alien Bliss," "Bandito D'Amore," "Time and the River," "Vampire Surfers," "Island Girl," and "Peace In Our Time." (See the complete catalogue in the "Books and CDs" section, including CD artwork and song lists. Listen to the songs in the "Music" section.) Find links directly to each Alien Bliss CD at CD Baby, the largest independent music retailer on-line, under the "Buy" button above. CDs and downloads of individual songs can be purchased there.
The self-titled Alien Bliss CD harkens back to the ancient mid-nineties, being the first of a string of power pop Alien Bliss CDs that followed. The songs were written in the eighties and early nineties and designed to get people thinking, chuckling and moving in equal measure. Many are still featured prominently in Mostly Human’s set list, usually generating a smile or two and some frenzied, uncontrollable booty shaking in our live performances.
The "Island Girl" project includes music written and recorded during a year-long sojourn on Hawaii’s Big Island and includes island and non-island themes.
There is a story here about the inception of the Elvis books. While I was living in the remote reaches of the Big Island near South Point a few years ago, I heard a rumor that Elvis Presley had once shot a film in a fishing village in the area. I looked into the matter and, yes indeed. I learned that the King had come to the tiny coastal town of Milolii to shoot the 1962 movie, “Girls! Girls! Girls!” It was at this juncture that I had the first inkling that there was a potential fictional story lurking here somewhere. In no position at the time to begin a novel, I decided to write and record a song instead. “Elvis In Milolii,” which is included on the "Island Girl" project, was the result. It wasn’t until I was back in California in 2004 that I began to write the outline of what was to become the first book in the series, "The Return Of The King: an Elvis novel." The book was published in December of the same year.
The newest Alien Bliss CD is now available at cdbaby.com. Entitled "Peace In Our Time," it is unlike any Alien Bliss CD that has preceded it. It began early this year as an Angels and Astronauts project "Dreaming The World"–Angels and Astronauts being the ambient, instrumental arm of Halo Records. But then something curious happened. The music began to suggest lyrics and melodies and alternate treatments. These became the basis of the new Alien Bliss CD. The music diverges from the traditional Alien Bliss pop format and instrumentation, introducing into the mix the more opulent orchestral stylings that characterize the Angels and Astronauts projects. There’s still a fair amount of rockin’ going on though. Have a listen--all the music is here. To order this CD or download songs from the it, click on the link under "Buy."
Angels and Astronauts was conceived in the late nineties as an opportunity for me to make music free of the constraints of lyric content. This exclusively instumental music features "big" orchestral synth compositions and piano and guitar based pieces. As such, it represented a departure from the pop oriented rock that I'd been putting out as Alien Bliss for several years. "Music For Relaxation and Inspiration" was composed and recorded during a particularly productive two week period in 1998. I had so much fun making it that I launched "Into The Wild" a few weeks later. It took me until 2006 to write and record a follow up to what has been a particularly well received series of recordings. "Dreaming The World" is the most ambitious A and A project to date and represents, in my humble opinion, a quantum leap in terms of scale, sophistication and hi fidelity. Like it's precedessors, it's about creating a musical environment that is both listenable and a welcome adjunct to just about any kind of activity (or inactivity). Enjoy!
Angels and Astronauts CDs included here are "Music For Relaxation and Inspiration," "Into The Wild," and "Dreaming The World."
Click the "Buy" button above to find a links to each Angels and Astronauts CD at CD Baby, where music can be purchased in CD form or as downloads.
Under the "Music" button above, you'll be able to hear any and all of the Alien Bliss, Angels and Atronauts and Mostly Human music available for purchase at cdbaby.com
A reminder: Click on the "Buy" for more information about the books and the music and direct links to CD Baby for online purchases of music, and to iUniverse for online book purchases respectively. (The Elvis novels are also available for download as e-books at an astoundingly low price!)
About the artwork:
Juliane Hodjera is an internationally acclaimed Laguna Beach painter who has been generous enough to let me use several of her paintings in the artwork design for both the Angels and Astronauts and Alien Bliss CD projects (mum's can be like that!) Check the "Books and CDs" page for a comprehensive look at some amazing CD artwork, as well as song listings for each release. If you'd like to know more about Juliane Hodjera's artwork feel free to contact me (see the "Contacts" page) and I'll do my best to answer your questions or refer you to someone who can.