While much of the internet is still reeling from the news that the next installment of George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire will not be coming in the spring—or, as far as we know, ever—the fantasy nerd set could really use a little pick-me-up. Some sort of heroic anthem to rouse us from our doldrums and give us the strength to fight (or wait) another day. In that regard, the timing of the release of “Ode To Snow (A Campaign Trail Song)” could not have been better timed.
The guitar-and-flute instrumental was recorded by Valyrian Steel—a spin-off project of Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass—to pay tribute to the character, who was was just elected to lead The GoT Party in an online election HBO held in an effort to keep people excited about Game Of Thrones between seasons. Snow, along with his running mate, 10-year-old Lyanna Mormont, just barely beat out the ticket of Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister with 35 percent of the vote. Petyr Baelish and Sansa Stark were a close third with 31 percent, and Cersei Lannister and Qyburn were essentially Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka with just 2 percent.
Gass recorded the ode to the King In The North with regular Tenacious D touring band members John Konesky and John Spiker. Jack Black, who normally co-heads the group, is presumably busy playing a different kind of royalty as the star of The Polka King, which he’s also producing.