Vampires of South Dakota by Forget the Whale Featured in Movie

The track Forget the Whale consists of Alishia Taiping (vocals, bass), Dan Pieraccini (bass, keys), AJ Zienowicz (drums), Pete Durning (guitar, harmonica), Dan Landers (saxophone, percussion), John Sequeira (trumpet, trombone) and Amy Elise (keyboard, harmony). They have been sharing music on FMA since 2016 and created a catalog of over 50 original tracks, free to and ready to use.

Bobby Canipe Jr. has been active in the film industry for over a decade now, with eight films under his belt and three on the way. Bobby's love for the horror genre has led to an award at the Stranger Days Independent Film Festival 2022 as Honorable Mention winner for Intinction but outside that genre he has obtained the award for Best Documentary at Spring Lane Film Festival 2023 for Mom n' Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s/90s.

The FMA team reached out to Dan Pieraccini from Vampires of South Dakota is twofold: Alishia, the lead singer, and I took a road trip during the summer of COVID and the George Floyd protests, out to the Midwest of the United States. Often called the Flyover States, from Wisconsin to Wyoming, this collection of states, I think, is a remarkable cross-section of the U.S. and really displays a diversity of landscapes, natural features, and people.

I had also recently watched, for the first time, the famous 80s cult classic Lost Boys, and that movie ends with a great line spoken by the grandfather. He says, "One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach; all the damn vampires." I love that coda for the movie because it suggests that they were aware of the vampires all along, so instead we chose to start the song with that ission: “Yeah, people are saying it’s a real problem / vampires out here in Dakota – believe it or not, we’ve got ‘em!” The whole scenario sets up this us vs. them mentality that, unfortunately, is so prevalent in what is often called our divided America.

What is the musical process of Forget the Whale when creating a song like Vampires of South Dakota?
Forget the Whale/Dan Pieraccini: Like most of our songs, we begin with the story, the scenario. So, of course, once I explained this to the band, the object was to mash up the Badlands and midwestern Americana imagery with traditional vampire lore. That’s how you get little gems like “Badlands Beaujolais,” “undead rodeo,” the “Black Hills Elysium,” and a new interpretation of “staking your claim.”

Musically, our guitarist Pete loves rockabilly, so he was the driving force there in capturing the Americana sound at the core of the tune. Then, for the bridge, our horn players decided to pull from their understanding of vampire and horror genres by creating a more eastern European-style movie score that led to my envisioning the whole thing as a B-film horror giallo, a concept we tried to convey through the single’s album art.

The track is licensed under CC BY NC. How does Forget The Whale decide on license use?
Forget the Whale/Dan Pieraccini: This might be an unpopular opinion, but we’d rather get our music to the most ears possible than try and create some kind of paywall. Our society has devalued the art of music (both live and recorded) and therefore, the easier it is for people to access our creation, the more likely they might consume it, use it, feature it, and ultimately enjoy it.

We don’t make any money personally from our music, so live shows, merch, and licensing for commercial projects fuels our equipment, marketing, and recording efforts. Forget the Whale is largely a self-sustaining hobby for its , but thanks to the Creative Commons licensing, so many creators have now taken an interest in our music, and feature us in videos, podcasts, and short film projects. It's the Non-Commercial designation helps us negotiate with independent creators on what their budget is, if they do choose to commercialize their project, and allows us to work with artists on a fair compensation for our songs, since they have to us for any commercial use.

Bottom line, Creative Commons and the Free Music Archive have been hands down the greatest vehicle to get our music to the most ears.

What tips and advice can Forget The Whale share to other FMA artists when such opportunities come in?
Forget the Whale/Dan Pieraccini: First of all, every artist should consider putting their music up with a Creative Commons license. People will stream your tunes on FMA. I think it’s important to find out what the going rate for a festival license might be and then go from there. We only ever ask what we’ve been paid before for a license or a show, so we stay grounded in what our music or performance might be worth.

Bobby, how did you find the track Vampires of South Dakota? Is this the first time you are using FMA?
Bobby Canipe Jr: I was editing my film Grandma and there's a montage in the film that I felt needed a fun track that was unique. I had never used FMA, but being a low budget filmmaker, I found my way to the site through normal searching and looking online. While there, I listened to several tracks from different artists, etc., until I happened to come across Vampires of South Dakota. I thought it had a fun, unique vibe and fit the scene.

What is your process when looking for tracks to feature in your films?
Bobby Canipe Jr: Typically I use music of friends. I have a lot of people in my circle who have either played in bands or are currently playing. However, with this scene, none of the typical musicians fit, thus I headed to FMA.

Were you already aware of Creative Commons licenses and how to use them?
Bobby Canipe Jr: I wasn't really aware of CC licenses and how to use them. I read over everything and kinda figured it out myself after coming across FMA and the track.

Can you share any tips/advice for FMA artists interested in creating tracks for films?
Bobby Canipe Jr: I highly recommend it. I would have never found this track if it wasn't for FMA. I've also realized that other editors and directors occasionally use FMA as well, so if you're a band that wants their music played in a film, definitely put it on FMA and promote it because we are definitely looking!

What is your recommendation to other filmmakers in search of tracks for their films?
Bobby Canipe Jr: Check out FMA! It works great for musicians and on the flip side it's great for us. You're able to find unique tracks that can fit that unique scene where other genres might not fit. There is SO much music on FMA that filmmakers could utilize easy and effectively.

How, and where, can the FMA community find and watch your film Grandma?
Bobby Canipe Jr: Grandma is currently available on VHS via LunchmeatVHS.com and on DVD/Blu-ray via AstronomicStudios.com

The film has been picked up and licensed for streaming, we just haven't received the date announcement for when it launches, so definitely stay tuned for that! If anyone wants to follow the progress of this and other films, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram are all great avenues. We are Astronomic Studios on all 3!

Get Forget the Whale's catalog on FMA!