#kat wright

Dreaming of a Bluegrass Christmas, Kat Wright Delivers “Silver Bells” with Brett Hughes

Christmastime in the city was positively rural when Kat Wright and Brett Hughes turned “Silver Bells” into an uptempo bluegrass number.

Backed by banjoist Will Seeders and Tyler Bolles on the double bass Dec. 12 in Vermont, vocalist Wright and guitarist and harmonizer Hughes made “Silver Bells” shine with a souped-up arrangement that matches the song’s imagery better than the downcast music that typically accompanies it.

Add enthusiastic vocals, Seeders’ rolling banjo and Hughes’ sweeping chords and holiday shopping sounds almost - but not quite - fun.

To complete the fandom cycle: 

I, who falls into almost the exact same demographic as Kat from That Vampire Show (created by Marissa as an exploration of fandom), find Warren to be a more interesting character. 

Why? Because Kat’s angst hits too close to home. I can’t enjoy angst about college applications and parental expectations, because I’m neck deep in that hellhole IRL. But Warren? A guy who at his best sucks, who’s ruined his best relationships for his career, and who is probably about to commit copyright offences on AO3. That has nothing to do with me. That’s angst that feels good to consume.

oops, we stumbled onto canva and made book cover versions of all of the fan fic mentioned in the first episode of That Vampire Show.

(if you don't know, That Vampire Show is our interactive fiction podcast about fandom and its relationship with mainstream media. Kat Wright, high school senior and fan fic writer for her favorite TV show, Bloodlines, wins a writing contest hosted by the network that makes the show. Her winning fic is called "A Life Stolen," and it's about reaching for things the two characters she ships think they might never have -- immortality and humanity, redemption, peace.)

The first cover is Kat's winning fic -- the other three are the ones Warren reads snippets of before getting to A Life Stolen in the first episode.

We really can't believe it -- the first episode of That Vampire Show is here!

Our new audio drama follows Kat Wright, a high school senior who wins a fan fiction contest for her favorite TV show. (It's called "Bloodlines" and it definitely won't remind you of shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, Supernatural, or anything like that.) Unfortunately, when she gets to meet Warren Young, the creator, things go way worse than anyone could have expected. The experience derails Kat's senior year, and changes the future of "Bloodlines" forever.

This show is about the internet and fandom, made by people who grew up on fandom. It was created by Marissa Tandon, and the writer's room included Gabriel Urbina, Alex Whisenhunt, Cassidy Lu Jones, Matthew Riccardi, and Newton Schottelkotte.

We also want to tell Kat's story the way she would tell it -- which is why we've gone a little meta. (Like, more meta than a tv show within a podcast.) You can find Kat here on tumblr (@9lives6ftunder), on Twitter, and on, you guessed it... AO3. If Kat's feeling something in the show? You can bet you can dive into her real deep thoughts on the subject on her accounts.

This show is for you if you've literally ever logged into this website, so we really hope you'll enjoy it and take a chance on our show!