Public service announcement courtesy of EarnThis.net!

The short version: a talented new indie band from the Netherlands is now accepting short story submissions so that they can pick one and write a soundtrack for it.  Read their official announcement here and see details below.

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All Shall Be Well (And All Shall Be Well And All Manner Of Things Shall Be Well)… is a long name for a band.  Those words were said to have been spoken by God to a 14th-century mystic named Julian of Norwich.  “Mystic” is a good word for describing the sounds on the band’s 2011 debut album, ROODBLAUW, available for name-your-price download at their bandcamp.  Go ahead and stream it there, and also check out their one music video, which right around 3:15 starts doing one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in a music video.  If you’re down with high-quality album packaging, you can also check out their limited-edition 40-page booklet and cd, which can find its way to America for around $20 all told.

Even for a fan of the instrumental post-rock genre like myself, comparisons to Explosions in the Sky seem unavoidable here.  The style is very much the same; “sedate” is not the right word, since songs tend to peak at gale force, but there is nothing jarring or angular.  Dynamics transition smoothly over long periods of time and vamps ensconce you like warm blankets.  The biggest selling point of All Shall Be Well to me is that they are essentially unknown, which means music fans get that exciting opportunity not only to discover something new but even to touch it and become a part of it.

You didn’t write Friday Night Lights.  (H.G. Bissinger, if you’re reading, please comment.)  Explosions in the Sky probably won’t ever write a soundtrack to your story.  But All Shall Be Well will.  And how many submissions do you think they’ll get?  If their video has 4,500 views on YouTube, and each fan has watched it X times, and only Y% of fans will try submitting anything, and you can write better than half those guys anyway…

So, find or write a narrative short story of 1,000 words or less, in English or Dutch (just in case), and send it in to storytellers@allshallbewell.nl by Thursday, March 15.  If you get famous off this, make sure to let us know!  And maybe see if you can get an extra free t-shirt for me?

Good luck!