One of the supporting characters in the comic is Bunny808, a teenage girl who is the frontperson for the most popular underground band of the future (which is also named Bunny808).

As I've been developing the Nixon comic, I've toyed with the idea of actually creating the music played by this imaginary band. There is one major stumbling block in my way, however: it has been a long time since I was a teenager, and despite what some assholes in my youth have implied, I've never been a girl.

Hence, this page - a longshot attempt to find someone to be a vocalist for an imaginary band. Read further, and you will find out about what type of music this band produces, and (if you're female) what you would need to do if you're interested in helping me with this project.

It is suggested that you read the Nixon comic for deeper insight into the band and its characters (links to relevant pages will be forthcoming). But here's the capsule version: Bunny808 is a disaffected teen, the product of wealthy and divorced parents. Turning a nihilistic viewpoint into an artistic drive, she formed the band Bunny808 with two other girls (a pair of elf-fetishists who had themselves surgically altered to resemble elves). They pioneered a style of music dubbed "prog-tech" - a blending of elements of progressive music and techno-industrial music. They self-released their music at a time when the youth culture was looking for something new, and their music caught on big. At the time of the start of the Nixon comic, they have released several albums and are very wealthy, and still are independent, not signed to any of the major corporate music labels.

"Prog-tech" is a term I've coined for a style of music that probably already exists, but I don't know if anyone's really doing much of anything with it. Even if there other musical acts doing this sort of thing, at least it isn't something done by the mainstream at the moment.

In my music collection, there are examples of what is called "progressive" music - a term which may mean different things to different people. For me, the best examples of this music are the mid-80's albums by King Crimson, the Tarkus album by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and some of the earlier music by Yes. The thing I like about much of this music is its willingness to play around and experiment with certain elements of music, in particular rhythms that fall outside the 4/4 beat structure that defines most pop music.

Another genre represented in my collection is a bit more amorphous. I like techno music, and particularly techno with a more aggressive edge. Industrial music is also something I like, though the definition of "industrial" ranges from albums of beatless, non-melodic noise to music with almost heavy metal overtones. For my purposes, "techno-industrial" is stuff with a strong electronic feel - Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, Nitzer Ebb, and Front 242 are good classic examples. (It's also often called EBM - electronic body music - for people who think "techno-industrial" an overly-bastardized term.) Of course, there's a lot of slide around these definitions in my record collection. Crystal Method and Overseer are techno acts I like that aren't quite industrial; Throbbing Gristle and Einsturzende Neubautin have techno-flavored moments but often make very un-techno noise recordings. Ministry went to a very hardcore metal sound after a few techno-flavored albums. Cabaret Voltaire varies from album to album.

Having said all that: "prog-tech" would, then, feature elements from both genres. Progressive time signatures and polyrhythms grafted to the harsh electronic sounds of techno and industrial.

Since, as I write this, I haven't actually composed any of the music yet, the music of Bunny808 is widely open to interpretation.

In this world of the future, there are no more governments of any sort, and immense corporations control nearly everything. The rich live in the higher reaches of the cities, which have become denser and taller. Down in the lower depths, the poor live in squalor, hidden from the sun. Girl-gangs roam the streets, killing anything that gets in their way (which often includes each other). A "live fast, die young" mentality is prevalent.

Bunny is a girl that was raised in wealth, but grew disillusioned with the mainstream quests for power and status. She became fascinated with the nihilistic lifestyle of the girl-gangs, and abandoned the upper levels of the city to be closer to an existence she felt was more "real" (if a bit destructive).

There are several seeming paradoxes in her personality: she rejected status, but still took her own personal wealth into the city with her (and with the success of her band's albums, has become even more wealthy). She speaks out against the corporate lifestyle, but endorses the girl-gangs, which can be even more ruthless and greedy than executives. What ties all this together is a punk-rock inspired "fuck it all" stance.

See the lyrical guidelines for further insights.

So, now that I've detailed the fictional frame of the music, what do I need from anyone interested in becoming the vocalist for "Bunny808"?

First off, the ability to sing. (This is more complicated than it sounds.) I'm looking for someone with a high, girlish voice - as examples of what I'm not looking for, Alison Moyet and Annie Lennox are female, but you can hardly mistake their voices for teenagers (especially Moyet, who has sometimes been mistaken for male). Hitting the notes accurately is desired. Enunciation and clear tone is not so critical. This is aggressive music, so ideally the vocalist should be prepared to put a lot of raw energy into the performance, belting it out, screaming if appropriate. Sarcasm and meanness in the delivery are desirable traits.

The vocalist should be able to adapt to odd time signatures, such as 5 and 7-based beat structures (or even more exotic if need be).

Because of the loud nature of the music, it follows that the vocalist must be able to perform the singing at an appropriate level - so if, for instance, the vocalist lives in a building where shouting and screeching would disturb others, that would be a disadvantage.

On a technical level, the vocalist must have the ability to handle the recording of her own voice. Ideally this would happen on the vocalist's own computer, and files of the vocal tracks would be sent to me. In a pinch there are things that can be worked around, but the more accomplished the vocalist is at handling recording equipment and software, the easier it will be for us to collaborate.

The vocalist will have to already own a certain minimum standard of equipment, as I cannot afford to provide expensive microphones, hardware or software. Knowledge of recording techniques, in particular multitracking, is very useful. A high-speed internet connection is recommended for the transmission of audio files. A Gmail account may be provided for data exchanges.

It should be noted that, as a person of very limited means, I cannot be counted on to provide any financial assistance with the vocalist's part of this project. All candidates should be prepared to work on the project solely for the enjoyment and challenge of it. (See below for a more detailed description of how this project will screw any participants.)

I am prepared to compose all music and lyrics for the songs of Bunny808. However, if a vocalist candidate has musical talent of her own, I'm willing to consider expanding her role. If a vocalist feels she can write lyrics for the songs, I may let her contribute in that way. Refer to the lyrical guidelines for more details.

If the vocalist can play an instrument, that may be incorporated. The ability to compose, improvise and perform lead guitar parts is highly desirable.

I compose music using the program Reason; ability to work with this program will help any vocalist who wishes to incorporate her own keyboard/synthesizer performance into the music.

Anyone wishing to compose lyrics for Bunny808 songs must consider the setting of the comic. For instance, since there are effectively no more governments as we know them in the story, it doesn't make sense for Bunny808 to be singing a song about how the United States government sucks. This includes all arms of the government, such as police, the courts, all that stuff. That is the main "no-no" as far as lyrics go.

Another thing to remember is that this story is set in the future, and just as cultural references from the 1950's wouldn't make a lot of sense to today's average teen, so too would things from modern days not be on the minds of teenagers in the future. The exception is that some items become so repeated and enduring that they last throughout the ages. People know Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Wizard of Oz, Mickey Mouse. Any modern cultural icon with the same lasting appeal would be remembered in the future. The latest passing fad, starlet or pop star of 2004 probably would not.

Also: Bunny808 does not write "love" songs.

Bunny808 is cynical and nihilistic. The following subjects are likely to be featured in Bunny808 songs:

Sex (in favor of)
Violence (in favor of)
Drugs (in favor of)
Money (and the acquisition or theft of)
Religion (mostly against)
The "System"
How much People Suck

These subjects can be combined in any number of ways. These are not the only subjects a song might be about, but they are likely to be dominant themes.

As stated before, I currently have very little in the way of wealth and finances. I cannot pay anyone for their performance in Bunny808 songs, and I make no guarantees that there will ever be any money or compensation for anyone who participates.

What's more, Nixon is released under a Creative Commons license that makes the comic, and all derivative works made from the comic, effectively in the Public Domain. This means that Bunny808 (as a derivative project from the Nixon comic) will similarly have a very loose copyright stance (in effect meaning that people will be able to copy and trade Bunny808 music without paying the "band" a single dime). Any vocalist candidate must be willing to agree to these conditions and all the consequences of said conditions.

That said, if there were some sort of substantial financial gain that came about for the Bunny808 project (like a recording contract or album sales, for example), the vocalist would be given a cut.

My original thought was to offer a selection of Bunny808 music as an "extra" for readers of the Nixon comic. That could be as links to the music in the pages of the comic. The possibility of releasing Nixon on CD-Rom has been considered; Bunny808 tracks could be featured as an audio portion of the CD. If a print version is made, an Audio CD might be attached to the book.

If reaction to the Bunny808 music is favorable enough, and enough material is recorded, the possibility exists for an actual album release - at this point, most likely as a self-produced CDR.

To get an idea of what sort of music I would be trying to create for Bunny808, you could listen to the following albums. These would be influences; there would be no attempt to directly imitate any single album or artist mentioned, but to incorporate bits and pieces from all this and more.

King Crimson: Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair (Later albums such as Vrooom, Thrak, and The Construkction of Light are also worthwhile)

Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Tarkus

Captain Beyond (self-titled)

Yes: The Yes Album, Fragile

Regressive Aid: Effects on Exposed People

Skinny Puppy: Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse, Rabies, VivisectVI, The Process, The Greater Wrong of the Right (heck, almost all of their albums have at least a few killer tracks)

Ministry: Twitch, The Land of Rape and Honey

Nine Inch Nails: any album

Nitzer Ebb: Belief, Showtime, As Is, Ebbhead

Front 242: Official Version, Tyranny For You, Still and Raw

The Damage Manual (self titled)

Cabaret Voltaire: Code

5F_55: I, II

The Crystal Method: Tweekend, Vegas

Overseer: Wreckage

Wire: Send

For serious candidates, a disc of selected tracks might be provided.