Off Centaur Publications
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| Genre | Filk |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 United States |
| Founder | Teri Lee Jordin Kare Catherine Cook |
| Defunct | 1988 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successor | Firebird Arts and Music |
| Headquarters | United States |
Off Centaur Publications was the first "commercial" filk label.[1] It was founded in 1980 by Teri Lee, Jordin Kare, and Catherine Cook,[2][3][4] and was based in El Cerrito, California.[1] The label produced high-quality recordings of some of filk's best performers, and changed the course of filk music.[5] It was dissolved in 1988,[1] and Teri Lee would go on to found Firebird Arts and Music.[6][7]
Like some other filk labels the name was a pun upon the idiom "off center" meaning eccentric, odd, or unusual—all of which could be considered legitimate characterizations of filk music. (Other filk labels have included Wail Songs, Unlikely Publications, and Random Factors,[4][8] illustrating the style of self-deprecating humor common among these publishers.)
Because of the dissolution, releases from this label are very difficult to find. At an Interfilk charity auction at FilKONtario, a copy of Julia Ecklar's Horse-Tamer's Daughter was sold for CA$400.00. Off Centaur tapes are considered "unobtainium" since few have been republished or re-created.
Off Centaur Publications was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 1995.[5][2][3] Lee and Kare passed away in 2021 and 2017.[6][2]
Notable albums and performers
[edit]- A Wolfrider's Reflections, Songs Of Elfquest, (1984), including songs by Mercedes Lackey, Leslie Fish, Cynthia McQuillan, and Julia Ecklar[9]
- Cold Iron (1983) sung by Leslie Fish, lyrics by Rudyard Kipling[10]
- The Best of Chi-con IV (1982) anthology, recorded live at the 1982 Worldcon[11]
- Minus Ten and Counting: Songs of the Space Age(1983)[12] including songs by Leslie Fish, Roy Torley, Julia Ecklar, Ross Douglas, Doug Olsen, Cynthia McQuillin, Catherine Cook, Sandy Rittenhouse, and George Spelvin[6]
- Space Heroes & Other Fools (1983) by Julia Ecklar, Anne Harlan Prather, and Leslie Fish[6]
- Horse-Tamer's Daughter (1983) by Julia Ecklar[13]
- Singer in the Shadow (1983) by Cynthia McQuillin [6]
- Captain Jack and the Mermaid (1984) by Meg Davis[6]
- Lovers, Heroes & Rogues (1988) by Michael Longcor[6]
- On a Bright Wind (1984) by Kathy Mar[6]
- Murder, Mystery and Mayhem: Songs by Mercedes Lacke (1985) anthology, lyrics by Mercedes Lackey[6]
- Past Due (1986) by Bill Sutton [14][6]
- Rebel Yells (1986) anthology, recorded live at the 1986 Worldcon[15]
- Where No Man... (1987) collection of Star Trek filk songs[16]
Songbooks
[edit]- Westerfilk Collection[17]
- A Wolfrider's Reflections, Songs Of Elfquest (1984, 1987), edited by Teri Lee[18]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c McGath, Gary (2023). "Tomorrow's Songs of Today: The History of Filk Music" (PDF).
- ^ a b c "Off Centaur Publications – 1995". FilKONtario. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ a b "Off Centaur Publications - Special Collections Finding Aids - BGSU University Libraries". lib.bgsu.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ a b "Interfilk Songbook: The First Ten Years" (PDF). Interfilk. 2002.
- ^ a b "Off Centaur Publications - 1995". Filk Hall of Fame. FilKONtario. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Collection: Buck and Juanita Coulson Collection of Filk Material - Special Collections Finding Aids - BGSU University Libraries". lib.bgsu.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Firebird's President Responds". The New York Times. September 16, 1996. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Cynthia McQuillin – 1998". FilKONtario. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "A Wolfrider's Reflections - Songs of ElfQuest". ElfQuest. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ "Collection: Buck and Juanita Coulson Collection of Filk Material - Special Collections Finding Aids - BGSU University Libraries". lib-2023.bgsu.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ Vintage Filk Preservation (2020-07-04). The Best of Chi-con IV (1982). Retrieved 2025-04-06 – via YouTube.
- ^ Off Centaur Publications (1983). Minus Ten and Counting: Songs of the Space Age.
- ^ Julia Ecklar (1983), Horse-Tamer's Daughter, retrieved 2025-04-06
- ^ "The Listening Room #2: Passing Through by Bill Sutton". www.aphelion-webzine.com.
- ^ weyrdmusicman (2012-04-20). Rebel Yells 01 - Come All You Knights. Retrieved 2025-04-06 – via YouTube.
- ^ Where No Man..., 1987, retrieved 2025-04-06
- ^ "Content listing of the songbook in the FilkDB".
- ^ Pini, Richard. "A Wolfrider's Reflections - the Songbook: An Introduction to the Songbook (1987)". ElfQuest. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
External links
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