I am caught.  Front 242 playing at Chicago's Congress Theatre! The venue last famous for having the plaster falling off the nicely designed ceilings during the Chemical Brothers Show in 1998.

I go with some friends of mine, Sam and Tish, a very travel worthy couple who are as happy to get out of the local scene for a night as me!   It was a breeze, we managed to get the pre-sale price at the door, do to some problems we had with ticket-bastards.   It only saved us $15, but that Is enough o splurge on dinner.  There is just the right amount of chill in the air, and the excitement is building.  I have been in the wrong place/wrong time for about a decade making it impossible to catch the Belgian bringers of industrial dance-hall death.  As a promoter/DJ sure I am burned out on the classics (except "Don't Crash" ) , but this is live!  Oh the expectations.

With dinner done, and a good ride on the CTA, we head over to the Congress, and It Is a breeze,  take reflective ticket out of pocket, hand It to the girl, rip.  We are In.  No line?  Yet lots of people,  the show Is set up rave style, and the lobby area of this massive building Is hosting It's own dance party.  The line to get a beer, shows us how long the outside line once was.

I am slammed with a barrage of Blue Monday mixed into some Nitzer Ebb.  I can handle it.  I could hang here and get all danced out, but past the red carpet treatment there is another area.  There is the Theatre.  A promoter earlier told us the time for 242 to go on stage, that time Is now!

We are on the floor, we get ourselves settled in just as the curtain rises.  There was a good number of people already there. Yet not too many.  Not so many that we can't get a good look at the stage.  Sam Doty has brought his camera, and is more than happy to share his pictures with us.

At first the smoke and lights are hitting a scrim.  Very nice touch, you can see the outline of shapes from behind it, as if they are swimming in Vaseline.  I was really happy with the lights and the effect of this, but the crowd is anxious.  So up with the scrim, and here are the boys.  FRONT 242, in all there Belgian glory. The crowd was ready for a slam-fest.  So I did not get a set list, (nor is my memory up to the task...)  I do remember the spirit hitting fairly high during "Body to Body."  This did nothing but provoke the whole 'slam-dance' feel of the evening.  It became apparent that I'd have to use some punk-rock maneuvers to keep up with this very male audience.  I really liked where I was, and so I glued my feet to the ground, and got my elbows ready.  Security was a bit antsy.  They had their own light show going from the flashlights.  I am not sure what they were going to accomplish by pointing flashlights at the slammers, but I don't think that they did. Even during the double feature of Headhunter, and Welcome To Paradise, the security was very center stage.  I was a bit tired of them, and the boys in the band seemed to be as well.  Up for another round of 'Body to Body'?  why not?  I am not sure but I think 242 replayed this song, because they really enjoyed inciting the audience, this seemed to keep security from hogging the stage.  (They became too busy keep us 'safe' from one another. )

OK I am heading to the back for the rest of this,  there is enough of a light/stage show to justify a scene change (plus I'm getting too old to fight off moshers.)  A sweet 'Hispani-Goth" beckons me to stand (or bounce) on the chairs toward the beginning of the 'orchestra pit'.  I can see the full stage.  Drummer, two keyboards, and two men with microphones.  O.K. I should have been better about who is in the band now, and all that.  It didn't seem to matter though.  Speed Angel rips through the old Theatre, and we are in our own 242 heaven.  The beats have been reconstructed, and the ambient noise, that makes each song recognizable, is wafting up like it belongs to another place, another time.  This effect shows how "hard-core" into techno beats, that this incarnation of Front 242 has become.  Every word. every move from the stage, has the right effect.  If they weren't a band they'd be arrested for inciting a riot.  If I didn't dance, bounce, bob, and try to keep up with all of it.  I might have more details.  Well at least Sam brought his camera.  Thanks Sam.

"... and four you catch the man."

Chicago Show link:
http://front242chicago.com/
 

The Gorey Details
Century Center for the Performing Arts
111 East 15th Street, New York, New York
December 3, 2000
~reviewed by Kevin
(Photo Credit: Brad Fowler from TheaterMania.com)

Although he's best known for his haunting pen-and-inkillustrations, Edward Gorey also had a long and fruitful career in theatre.  As early as 1951 Goreywas a founding member and art director of the "Poet'sTheatre," a Cambridge collective which included such luminaries as Thornton Wilder, Frank O'Hara andWilliam Carlos Williams.  Later he would receive wide acclaim for his design work in "Dracula," (which racked up an impressive 925 performances on Broadway, and garnered Gorey a Tony for the costumes) and for "Amphigorey."

"The Gorey Details" sprints through almost 20 Goreystories, published and unpublished.  It begins with Kevin McDermott as narrator Ogdred Weary (an anagram of Gorey's name, in the finest Gorey-tradition),introducing us to Gorey's strange, twisted, and wonderful world. And what a world it is! Barbershop quartets about children freezing to death, tots abandoned in theattic and rescued by bats, murder, mayhem, unwelcome guests, stalking opera fans and an admonitory hippopotamus... all in 90 minutes.

If you've seen Gorey's opening animations for *Mystery,* or have read his books, you'll immediately recognize his sardonic humor.  If not, imagine a Tim Burton version of Grimm's fairy tales and you'll get the general idea.  The music, by three-time Emmy winner Peter Matz, fits in perfectly with the mock-lugubrious, silly-serioustone.  Using only a piano, drum kit and cello, the musicians create an appropriate atmosphere for all the onstage goings-on, with a score that's one part dinner theatre and one part faux-classical -- like DarkwaveGoth with a sense of humor and irony, if such a thing can be imagined.  The costumes are in the best Gorey tradition and kept this Vintage-Whore drooling in his seat.  (Where DID Martha Bromelmeier find those gorgeous Roaring 20s clothes?) The cast was exceptional.  Particularly noteworthy was Clare Stolak, whose voice is as well suited for opera as for dinner theatre and whose comic timing is impeccable; I'd love to see what she could do with Gilbert & Sullivan.  Allison Crowley's Theodora, the little girl abandoned in the attic who later goes onto a career in show biz with the aid of her bat friends, also stood out.  Finally, Kevin McDermott's narrator kept this "Musicale" collection of moments united and kept things moving at a brisk clip.

If you get a chance to see this (it will be closing in New York as of December 10; if there is any justice inthe theatrical world "Gorey Details" will go on the road), don't hesitate.  Edward Gorey is one of the Founding Fathers of the Goth Aesthetic, and his play does his dark vision justice.  If you pass this one up, may Admonitory Hippopotami and Victorian stalkers dog your footsteps.

Information on the Artist
http://www.goreography.com
Includes pictures from the play
http://www.theatermania.com/NY/shows/goreydetails/
Interview with composer Peter Matz
http://theatremania.com/news/feature/index.cfm?story=1072&cid=1
 

GRAVEYARD 2K
Millvale Industrial Theatre –Pittsburgh PA
October 27, 2000

Featuring:
BREATHLESS
CHIASM
VAMPIRE NATION
PARVULUS INFECTUS
LOW SUNDAY

DJ’s:
IMPERIUM
ARIANNA
 
Much to my dismay, I was not armed with a camera for this event.  Though disappointingly under attended, the lengthy night of exceptional performances was an unmistakable treat.  This was the first show I have attended in Pittsburgh for quite sometime, and I was overwhelmed with the energetic performances of all five bands.
 
First, local shoegaze/indy rockers Low Sunday took the stage at around 9 PM.  It had been almost a year since I had seen this band perform.  In the meandering time, Low Sunday had dropped the ‘Ghost Machine’ from their moniker and more importantly, unveiled their sophomore release “Elesgiem.” I was anxious to hear these songs in a live format.  Furthermore, Low Sunday were one of the first Gothic related bands I had ever seen live, and a wave of nostalgia always overwhelms me when I see them.  Armed with a new line up, the band was fresh, and made a deep impact as they always succeed in doing.  Fronted by humble vocalist/guitarist Shane Sahene, the band continues to expand and grow.  He founded the band in the mid nineties, and though they have had their flashes of success beyond the perimeters of the tri-state area, I am of firm belief that Shane’s vision will carry the band into a respectable immortality within the dark alternative music genres and further.
 
I was certainly not disappointed in the least, as they played a round about mix of classic tracks such as “For A Moment” and “Static,” culled from the self-titled debut and also performed my favourite track entitled “Zuff” from their newest release.  A few nice surprises were delivered, as Low Sunday debuted a new track, which ventured away in approach from their enveloping 4AD inspired sound and treaded into a more aggressive, pseudo-death rockish realm.  The band’s characteristic mood was not in the slightest way disturbed, but a unique edge was invoked.  With distortion in full swing, the dueling guitars traded some driving riffs and the drums snapped and thudded away in the background.  I was very impressed with the song, and if this is the direction the band is heading, I am twice as excited.  Low Sunday is without a doubt one of Pittsburgh’s unsung heroes, and I hope readers will look them up and delve into their melodic brand of emotion-fuelled music.
 
Another local group of artist’s stormed the stage next, the infamous Parvulus Infectus. Characterized by a harsh yet disturbingly engrossing melding of noise, violent electronics, and performance art, this project held the small yet dutiful crowd spellbound.  For a little over a half hour, the band bashed, banged, sampled, shouted, and split aural atoms in two, by aborting a sound scape that could be compared to early work by Download and DVOA, with hints of forefathers Throbbing Gristle and the like.  Seeing these misanthropes perform is both spectacle and journey.  Admittedly, they were not as outgoing as usual.  In the past the band has been celebrated for smashing electronic appliances to smithereens and in good fun, showering the crowd in sparks generated from grinders and other useful power tools.  One of the more memorable moments (which I missed but heard much about) was when the force of the grinder sent a storm of rose petals from a decorated table into the crowd.  At first, the audience was distraught and thought they were being assaulted with metal chips or sparks, but soon realized what had exactly been flaking down upon them.
 
The performance tonight was then more of a musical journey, one that you could not have resisted if you were present in the room.  The band just hooks you, and sends you through a crash course of moods.  It’s like generated mania.  Starting with a steady drive of angst-ridden screams, static modulation, and apocalyptic keyboards, the focus on rhythm took the upper hand. Supplied by both live percussion and programmed drumming, the band built up the momentum and then plunged into a surreal yet uneasy calm.  Some chilling delayed clean guitar effects and ‘batwing’ scratches drew goosebumps and erected the hairs on the nape of my neck.  They lingered upon the minimalist gloom for a bit and gradually crested to reach an explosive finale, and as they usually do, left me and many others in want of more.  Indeed, such tricks are nothing new, but for the small starving Pittsburgh scene, it was a nice treat for the faithful rivet heads and experimental junkies that were in attendance.
 
The last of a trio of local performers followed not long after Parvulus closed up shop. The path was cleared to make way for the solo project of Frederik Von Hamilton a.k.a. Vampire Nation.  Frederik has been making music for nearly five years now, and a great deal of controversy has surrounded him as well. It is relatively safe to say that Frederik has struggled for his music to be accepted, not so much for his musical abilities but sadly, for personal conflicts within the Pittsburgh Gothic scene. Admittedly, some performances in the past tended to drag and were somewhat monotonous, but regardless, Vampire Nation has prevailed and is finally carving out a niche of its own.  One of the most notable things about VN is an amount of unpredictability, as you can never really guess what the mood of the performance will be.  Having been crafting a new release, entitled “Wise Ta-Nech” over the past few months, Vampire Nation has returned with it’s strongest, most powerful, and downright kick ass music to date.  The performance was remarkable, as one man and his keyboard generated a mood of dark, hard-hitting techno fused with ethereal, new age atmosphere.  Gregorian chants and Eastern choirs drifted and swirled atop thudding EBM back beats and a virtual blanket of awesome sound immersed the audience.  It was a pleasant surprise and certainly, VN’s most memorable performance yet.
 
It was well past the witching hour at this point of the night, thus, the anticipated performance of Britain’s legendary band Breathless was bumped up from the closing slot.  Breathless is fronted by Dominic Appleton, well known to fans of 4AD for his vocal work with the cult super group This Mortal Coil, which was often comprised of members of Dead Can Dance, Modern English, the Cocteau Twins, Simon Raymonde, and other noteworthy mid-eighties art-rock artists such as Cindytalk and Colourbox.  Dominic’s distinctive voice soared at the helm of most of This Mortal Coil’s material and famous tracks such as “The Jeweler” and “Strength Of Strings” should be springing to your mind if you know your archives and uber Goth history.
 
Needless to say, this was a very special performance, being one of the few stops on a limited tour through the US to promote the band’s newest release “Blue Moon.”  Sadly, the band was greeted by the grim concrete walls and cool cement floor of Millvale’s Industrial Theatre and a few loyal fans stirred up the disappointing monotony.  Thus, we swayed are arses off to the band’s superior set, marked by washes of Gary Mundy’s brilliant shimmering guitars, Ari Neufield’s distinctive and thick bass chord strumming, and the catchy swing of Martyn Watts’ warm hollow percussion. I bashfully admit that I was unaware that Breathless was even still together, and I am quite unfamiliar with the band’s material. I do know that the majority of the songs performed were from the bands newest release “Blue Moon” and also the band’s most recent three-song single, and they included the track “Don’t Just Disappear.” With my lack of hipness aside, to hear the vulnerable and unique voice of Dominic Appleton was an overwhelming moment for me, as classic This Mortal Coil albums such as “It Will End In Tears” and “Filigree & Shadow” have scored my darker, more sedate moments for the past three years.  I never thought I would hear his voice in a live setting and that was enough for me to realize and appreciate the performance.  I was instantly embraced to their sound, and was lost in the blissful maze it created, as it was indeed pleasingly similar to the divinely regarded sound of TMC.  The musicians were fluid and meshed together well, from slower buoyant moments to starker rhythmic jams.  The band would reach a crest of melody, and then crash upon a more somber shore, invoking an effect much like falling backward into churning nighttime waves.  Rarely does a band come across with as much conviction and can elevate the senses like this.  Most atmosphere-based bands have a hard time coming across live, but there was a genuine hook to Breathless’ show, and I was honoured to have been in attendance.
 
Much like the experience of reveling in a passionate afterglow, I was ready to call it a night (at roughly 3AM) and head home for sleep, but there was one last performance to go and I was not about to miss Detroit’s Chiasm. Having had idle small talk with the very personable band throughout the night, I was very anxious to see their performance.  I was very pleased to say the least.  Chiasm is the tormented vision of Emileigh Rohn, and barring the occasional appearance of a guest guitarist, she carried the show utterly on her own.  Usually, I am rather skeptical of live pre-programmed music, but again, for the second time in one night, a solo artist delivered the goods and in some ways, out shined the stage show of fully assembled bands.  With monitors at both wings of the stage, and an unholy amount of candy smoke, Chiasm made for some sweet eye candy.  The monitors flashed disturbing cuts of autopsies, the evening news, frustrated lab mice, a menacing, predatory cat, and live shots of the band.  It was very artistic and well put together, and helped balance the spectacle.  Emileigh was amazing, stomping around and putting her whole body and soul into the late evening performance for the sparse audience.  The music was harsh, hard hitting, and one track in particular spun heads with its blistering BPM’s and barbed wire electronics.  Emileigh closed the show with “Kitty Song” a hysterical offering from her side project Fleidermous, which featured samples of her beloved cat mewing and high-sped chipmunk vocals.  It caught a boisterous response from the crowd, and Emileigh could barely suppress her laughter while she purred and meowed the songs tongue-in-cheek lyrics.  I was mightily impressed by Chiasm, and can not wait for COP to release the project’s full-length release this December.  Rivet heads, synth pop fans, and electronic music lovers look out!
 
And at last, nearly seven hours after I had arrived, the night finally wound down and we all departed happier and satisfied trick-or-treaters.  After witnessing three Pittsburgh bands at their peak a newly found hope for the scene’s potential animated my outlook.  Not to mention, the gift of seeing the legendary Breathless and the legends in the make Chiasm, I was glad I emerged from my hermitage and had enjoyed my evening.  A big thanks to Aaron’s lush community bottle of Amorretto and to my DJ partner in crime for supplying the atmosphere between sets.

The evenings DJ Playlist:
DJ Imperium *
DJ Arianna (A)
Dominion - Immortal Reign *
The Gathering – Amity *
Theatre of Tragedy – Fragment *
And One - Wasted (a)
Covenant - One World, One Sky (a)
Butterfly Messiah – Transmigration *
+ LOW SUNDAY +
God Module - Sight (a)
Attrition - Acid Tongue *
Sneaky Bat Machine- Boneshaker (a)
Ministry - Everyday is Halloween *
Skinny Puppy - First Aid *
Absurd Minds - Deception (a)
Rosetta Stone – Shout *
Beborn Beton - Another world (a)
Das Ich – Der Schrei *
+ PARVULUS INFECTUS +
Swans - Alcohol The Seed *
And Also The Trees - A Room Lies In Lucy *
Cocteau Twins – In Our Angelhood *
Christian Death – Sick Of Love *
Legendary Pink Dots – Black List *
+ VAMPIRE NATION +
Tiamat - Lucy *
Wolfsheim – The Sparrows & The Nightengales  (a)
The Damned – Grimly Fiendish  (a)
Samhain- Halloween II (I HAD TO!!!) *
Nightmare Before Christmas - This Is Halloween (a)
Type O Negative – All Hallow’s Eve *
+ BREATHLESS +
Hungry Lucy - Bound In Blood (a)
Beborn Beton- Bittersweet (a)
Necare – Juliet Consigned To Flames Of Woe *
Collide – Deep (Christ Analogue Remix) (a)
+ CHIASM +
Web Addresses:
BREATHLESS:
http://www.breathless-uk.com/
THIS MORTAL COIL:
http://www.evo.org/html/group/thismortalcoil.html
CHIASM:
http://listen.to/chiasm
http://www.mp3.com/chiasm
VAMPIRE NATION:
http://www.vampire-nation.com
http://www.mp3.com/vampirenation
http://www.hexagonrecords.com
PARVULUS INFECTUS:
http://members.xoom.com/impercept/
LOW SUNDAY:
http://www.lowsunday.com
MILLVALE INDUSTRIAL THEATRE:
http://www.mit.telerama.com
PGH GOTH.COM:
http://www.pghgoth.com
COP INTERNATIONAL:
http://www.copint.com

Paul Mercer
live @ Nomenclature Museum
~review and photos by Brian

Paul Mercer is a violinist Prodigy best known for his work with the ethereal quintet The CHANGELINGS. He recently released some solo work on an album called Ghosts.  To help promote and celebrate it Paul, Damon Young of The Changelings and Maldorora, Paul's fiancee transformed Nomenclature Museum in Atlanta into a Victorian funeral home complete with "Pan de Los Muertos" Mexican "Bread of the dead".

On this decadent evening Paul played a variety of stringed instruments while Damon Young manipulated those sounds to
create the tones and sounds of time's before.  One of the first pieces he played was "Frost" which features one of the earliest modern stringed instruments, a 1732 Viola d' amore which was converted in the 19 century to a viola. By detuning the strings to a medieval pitch, Paul is able to evoke the drone of late medieval, early renaissance music and recreate the hum of a now-gone sympathetic strings.

Another piece that was performed was "MusicBox" which was played on a beautiful imitation old Violin from the turn of the century Tyrol(W.Austria and N Italy) This was my favorite piece it was a short and sweet, time was puncturing the past to evoke the sounds that were being displayed. On this particular song Paul use a style known Pizzicato which is like plucking the string to create a sound that is haunting and sensual at the same time.

It was a night of great music, food  and history .  Throughout the Museum there were many ancient and priceless artifacts -- one of my favorite was a Undertaker's Makeup kit 1920's Americana piece. It was a fitted case containing items used to prepare a corpse for wake and services. Containers of ivory, tortoiseshell, and onyx celluloid contain traces of pomades, various flesh tones. Among the 50 or so items there also was a Ceremonial Kimono from Japan late Meiji to early Taisho Era. It was crafted out of red silk and ornamented with gold thread.

Paul and the Changelings most recent performance was Anne Rice's Halloween Ball.  This was there 5th time being asked back. You can check Paul's website for his next show. As for the Changelings -  it might be awhile before you see them out as they are working on there new album.
email and web info:
Paul@changelings.com
Changelings.com
www.ghosts.8k.com
Pandora's Box
 

Peter Murphy
The ShowBox, Seattle
November 21, 2000
~reviewed by BlackOrpheus

I had a lot to be thankful for the week of the show.  I was grateful that Thanksgiving hadn't become the commercial whore that Christmas has.  It was still an opportunity to acknowledge everything of value in ones life.

Tuesday, November 21st saw Peter Murphy's third return to Seattle's venerable ShowBox this year.  By the looks of the capacity crowd, no one was complaining.  The opportunity to see Peter Murphy is always a very singular experience, each and every time.

His voice and words convey as much of the intimate and divine, as one might hope to find outside a cathedral choir.  The experience meant that much more, because I shared it in the company of my esteemed friend and editor of StarVox, Blu.
After imbibing of some curious libations, and the exchanging of pleasantries, the show began.

It opened with a rare public screening of "The Grid." This is a Joanna Woodward film, that was first seen on Bauhaus 1980 UK tour.  It had a very German Expressionist feel to it, filmed in black and white and featuring the inimitable Peter Murphy.  The score was a curious indeed.  I really liked it, though I fear it was lost on most of the crowd.

Peter opened with "Cool Cool Breeze" to a crowd, hungry for the nurture of his words.  "All Night Long,"
and "Indigo Eyes" followed soon after, and I was moved to rapture on his powerful articulation.  The addition of violinist Hugh Marsh (Loreena McKennitt) was incredible.  The magic he wove upon its strings, wed with Murphy's voice was incredibly moving.  His guitarist Peter Distephano contributed fine work as well.  For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the aim of this tour, it was a stripped down approach.  It featured a guitarist, violinist, and Peter of course.  You know what?  It worked, wonderfully well.  It is a blessing to share a moment like this.  It is enough to restore a man's faith.  The rest of the show was replete with old favorites, and some of the less familiar from his great solo albums.  The crowd was well behaved with the exception of some very ill mannered individuals near me.

When he left the stage at the end of the night, the crowd beat upon the floor with their feet, summoning up the ghost of Peter past.  He re-emerged to revel them with an enthralling rendition of " Cuts You Up, and "Time Has Got Nothing To Do With It," at which point he took his leave once again.  At their very loud insistence, Peter emerged yet again.  This was the greatest moment of the show for me.  I love the old music, because it can never really age.  More than anything, I appreciate the unveiling of a new piece of music.  "Just For Love" was that new piece of music. It was amazing, and the connection with it was immediate as with nearly all his work.  Just For Love, happens to be the name of this tour as well.  It was an apt name.  I felt the love, what other reason can there be to do anything you enjoy?  Catch the tour if you can, it just might change your life if only for a moment.

Set List
Cool Cool Breeze
All Night Long
Keep Me From Harm
Indigo Eyes
Subway
I'll Fall With Your Knife
Marlene Dietrich's Favorite Poem
Strange Kind Of Love
My Last 2 Weeks
Big Love of a Tiny Fool
Gliding Like a Whale
Encore #1
Cuts You Up
Time Has Got Nothing To Do With It
Encore #2
Just For Love

Peter Murphy Website
http://www.petermuphy.org

Peter Murphy (at the Showbox) photos and interview at
http://pandomag.com/Gallery/petermurphyPic1.htm

The Hand Of Doom
~By Matthew Heilman

As with all great musical monarchies and legacies, the throne of Doom was first erected in England.  Where, in 1968, a band by the name of Earth sought to shake the very foundations upon which they tread with the darkest, most ominous melodic rumblings yet known.  They later donned the moniker Black Sabbath, and became the premier heavy metal band to inspire legions upon legions of faithful successors.  At a time when music was perfumed in flowers and emitting rays of optimistic sunshine, this quartet of Birmingham lads invoked an eclipse that has yet to be penetrated.  They spiraled into an abyss of depressive psychology, occultism, and fantasy, and indeed took political and anti-war stances with such classic gems as “War Pigs” “Electric Funeral” and “Children Of The Grave.”  Yet their message was not diluted with the faux optimism of the then contemporary rock bands, but rather imposed a sincere realism and pessimistic preparation for the worst.  The legitimacy of Sabbath’s approach was seen in their lyrics which intimately warned the dangers of hard substance abuse (“Hand Of Doom” and “Snowblind”) as well as a light-hearted tribute to the “sweet leaf.”

Sabbath were complex, outcasts, and shocking for their time.  Yet with the unholy wail of Osbourne paired with the consumptive walls of dense guitars and vibrato licks of Iommi set to the bass backbone of Geezer Butler and thunderous pound of drummer Bill Ward, the standards were etched in stone for the future of heavy metal.  Like contemporaries Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly before them, Sabbath took the meshing of hard rock with blues and stirred in another ingredient of decayed emotion.  Instead of upbeat rock n’ roll jam sessions, they churned out sluggish dirges, birthing something menacing and pungent with gloom to forge the darker, left-hand path of metal music.

Sabbath lurched throughout the 70’s, self-destructing in 1979 to close the legendary chapter of the band with “Never Say Die,” the last mediocre album that Osbourne appeared on.  Sabbath and Ozzy parted ways, Sabbath to recruit Ronnie James Dio of Rainbow fame and Ozzy to pursue a monumental solo career.  The rest is history.

With that I take you through the late 70’s and early 80’s. Skipping over the important yet not particularly relevant topic of the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) with Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and treading over the thrash metal explosion led by Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, to reach an important milestone in Doom metal history.  The aforementioned bands took metal to new heights as well, evoking epic grandeur while relying more on technicality and speed, yet their bastard miserable brothers were the bands that resisted that temptation and strove for the antithesis.  By way of stark minimalism, bands such as Candlemass, Celtic Frost, St. Vitus, and the latter 80’s/early 90’s bands like Solitude Aeternus and Cathedral, were more concerned with density, heaviness, and basic rhythmic structures.  Less flashy, painfully slow, and interested more so in the emotive potential of their music, these bands were arguably the first formalized acts accredited to the ‘doom’ metal genre.  Further expanding the boundaries of the music, Candlemass and Celtic Frost began to integrate orchestral elements to the music, with very subtle keyboards, rare female back up vocals, and an application of classical composition.

It is rather presumptuous of me to really attempt to pigeonhole these bands as they all had their differences and went opposing directions from one another.  But one thing remains for certain; these bands foreshadowed and inspired what was to come, taking the work of Sabbath and contributing an even more unique quality to the music, and paved the way for the most striking metamorphosis of the genre.

 ‘Twas again in merry ol’ England (a pun?) where dark metal underwent a significant and drastic change.  The misty moors and rich literary history fostered the emergence of three bands that were to change the face and potential of doom metal forever.  In late 1989, Paradise Lost appeared first upon the scene, a quintet out of Halifax that took the sluggish pace and mood of doom metal, fused it with the vocal grunts and angst of death metal, and introduced a more elaborate use of symphonic keyboards and female back up vocals.  With their debut release “Lost Paradise” and the aptly titled follow up, “Gothic,” the band blew the doors of innovation wide open.

Following shortly thereafter the second of the ‘big three’ arose, and the world was introduced to the mournful melodies of Anathema.  Perhaps the most intensely melancholic ‘crestfallen’ assemblage of dark metal material appears on the bands debut release “Serenades” and the succeeding EP “Crestfallen.”  Fueled by despondent twin guitar harmonies, loathsome death growls and lethargic clean vocal harmonies of Darren White, the band courted a destructive bleakness otherwise unknown to the average metal fan.  Depressive yet undeniably beautiful, Anathema was absolutely awe-inspiring at their emotional intensity.  Further experimenting, the band released “Pentecost III” which to this day is one of my own personal favourite CDs of all time.  Resplendent watery guitar arpeggios, woeful recitatives, and overwhelming ghosts of harmonized guitar swells made the CD an uneasy listen and an immortal milestone in sorrow-fueled music.  The album housed such tracks as “We, The Gods” and “Kingdom” and marked the last appearance of Darren White as vocalist.

Backing up only a few years however, just at the same time as Anathema and Paradise Lost cast their shadows o’er England, a sextet of broken-hearted balladeers appeared, none other than My Dying Bride.  My Dying Bride could be regarded as the most ambitious of the big three, in terms of experimentation in some respects, in that their distinctive blend of blistering death metal and traditional doom was accentuated by the use of a live violinist.  In doing so, the symphonic element became more organic and genuine and added a blissful touch of avant-garde atmosphere, marked even further by the archaic, Shakespearean inspired prose housed within the lyrics.  Drawing from Epic Literature and mythology, vocalist and lyricist Aaron Stainthorpe defied the limitations of traditional death metal lyrics to evoke a more classical, tragic style on the debut “As The Flower Withers” and the two early EP’s “The Thrash of Naked Limbs” and “Symphonaire Infernus…” It is because of this, and the undeniably hypnotic mood of the music and the lyrics that earned the tag ‘Gothic metal.’ Not as many mistake as an influence from the punk/new wave ‘Gothic’ of the Sisters Of Mercy or Bauhaus (not yet anyway), but more from a literary standpoint.  The music of My Dying Bride and Anathema could easily serve as a score to the Gothic tales of 18th and 19th Century works of Matthew Lewis, Horace Walpole, Shelley, Byron, Coleridge, and others. The beautiful is wed to decay, the anguish of death personified in the monstrous vocals and the drafty mood evoked by the pale Romantic melodies.

My Dying Bride has once been quoted on their lyrics as saying: “It is one thing to write about chopping off someone’s head and playing football with it, but it is altogether different to write about picking up the pieces after death.”  The band achieved their first triumph with the second full-length “Turn Loose The Swans,” where all the elements that made up My Dying Bride were perhaps at their most piercing.  By volleying between both dark death growls and an unsteady lovelorn tenor, increasing the roles of piano and violin, and strengthening the fluid impact of the guitar work, My Dying Bride perfected their trademark sound and released an unparalleled CD that was instantly hailed a cult masterpiece.

All three bands matured an ventured off into their own destined territories, never losing touch with the genuine emotion that fueled their music, but began to explore other ways to express their visions.  Their impact upon the dark music scene caused a veritable floodgate of creativity to burst throughout Europe.  Scores upon scores of bands picked up on their ideas and formulated their own unique interpretations of the ideas crafted by these bands and the atmospheric Gothic Doom Metal scene of today was born.  First with Sweden’s Tiamat, Finland’s Amorphis, Celestial Season, and The Gathering in the Netherlands, Moonspell in Portugal, and perhaps the most eloquent and extreme art to emerge was Norway’s Theatre Of Tragedy, a septet of epic orchestral grandeur and theatrical melodrama.   And on through the mid nineties, spearheaded as well by the semi-commercial success of Type O Negative in the US, and hosts of new blood by way of Katatonia, 3rd & The Mortal, Within Temptation, Tristania, Skepticism, Orphanage, Decoryah, Sadness, Morgion, and Crematory.

By now, the scene has exploded.  And though it is still rather controversial and hard for many to accept that any kind of heavy metal music could be considered romantically depressive, sad, or beautiful, there are many bands that are proving it is more than possible.  More and more bands are experimenting with melodies and symphonic elements, and many of the aforementioned bands, most notably Tiamat, Moonspell, and The Gathering, did in fact cull influences from traditional Gothic rock and contemporary Darkwave/Industrial music.  In fact, with these bands often acknowledging their Gothic influences, many metal heads were first introduced and learned to appreciate the works of Goth rock related bands such as Fields Of The Nephilim, Christian Death, Swans, Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance, and the Sisters Of Mercy.
Indeed, it is tedious and often extremely controversial to attempt to categorize, pigeonhole, or define these bands. And it is here that I will not to avoid bias that many bands did not catch the wave of Gothic inspiration.  Instead, fueled from Sabbath and St. Vitus’ groove oriented sound, a breed of ‘stoner’ metal branched off and is still widely successful today.  Bands such as Cathedral, Amorphis, and sadly Celestial Season took this cue and integrated a more 70’s prog rock feel to their music and abandoned the atmospheric trappings all together.

They, among many do not feel that Gothic/Symphonic elements belong in metal music, especially now as these themes have crossed over into the Black Metal scene largely due to success of the outrageous and controversial Cradle Of Filth.  Indeed, there are several bands that sprung up throughout the craze and were obviously jumping on a bandwagon, and churned out passionless drivel that mocked the integrity of the genre, but they faded and faded fast.  Regardless if all approve or enjoy the fusing of these styles, there are many that find an important amount of solace within this music, and a place to escape.  Leading record labels such as Century Media, Nuclear Blast, Relapse, Napalm, Peaceville, and Dark Symphonies recognized the success of these bands, and have consistently helped keep the experimental metal barge afloat.   Thus, atmospheric Gothic metal is accessible to legions of faithful and solitary fans on all continents, which embrace the genuine beauty of the music.

And thankfully, this next generation is responding by producing their own original contributions to the longevity and expansion of the genre.

Mp3.com, the most widely used downloadable music Internet site, is perhaps the hottest source for the newest and most promising Gothic Metal bands.  Within the past month alone, I have accidentally stumbled across some of the most passionate, inspired, professional, and overwhelmingly gorgeous Gothic Metal bands I could ever hoped to imagine. In many ways, they seem to be grasping back to the origins of older Anathema, Paradise Lost, and My Dying Bride and picking up where they would have left off.  There is about a fifty/fifty split between these more traditional doom bands and those that have taken to the orchestral, symphonic tendencies.  However, both styles of bands use their gifts with restraint and eloquence. For more in-depth reviews of Gothic Doom metal releases, please see our CD REVIEW section, though for now I would like to turn the spotlight on the future leaders of the Gothic Doom metal scene.

The most strikingly pensive and bleak newcomers are without a doubt Virginia’s Necare.  Honourably inspired by Anathema, Saturnus, and Septic Flesh, the project began as an emotional outlet for principle songwriter Ryan Henry.  With themes inspired by unrequited romance, mutability, and the eloquence of Edwardian and Pre-Raphaelite art, Necare take abrasive early Gothic Doom and blend it with soothing guitar melodies.  Ryan paired up with drummer Greer Cawthon, a session viola player and back up female vocalist.  Gathering all the elements, with a steady focus on guitars and light on the symphonic touches, Necare recorded an EP entitled “Ophelia” late last year.  Having only recently been added to Mp3.com, the band has generated a number of hits and downloads, setting the Doom metal charts ablaze with preview tracks such as “The Mourner” and “Eleanor” from the debut full-length “Rite Of Shrouds,” which is due for release in late December or early January.  With their conviction and eloquent artistic presentation, it is certain that fans of dark metal will be hearing more from these guys in the near future.

Throughout the month of October, the number one Gothic Metal chart position has been dominated by Forest Of Shadows, a duo of musicians from Gothenburg, Sweden.  The music of Forest of Shadows, is not exactly the standard Gothenburg style, but rather a despondent brand of colossal Gothic Metal, compiling the stark romanticism of twin guitar harmonies, weeping violin passages, deep death vocals, and gorgeous vocal passages sung in a choir like fashion.   The multitude of acoustic guitar breaks, galloping power metallics and epic lengths of their tracks recall some of the higher points of Opeth yet the appearance of violin, overall mood, and lyrical content is certainly along the lines of My Dying Bride and the like. There is no question as to why the band has been reigning at the top of the charts, having made over $3,000 on Mp3.  Their music is majestic, absorbing, and painfully beautiful. Truly an awe-inspiring band!  Three short EP’s are available from the band, two of which are available as DAM CD’s at Mp3, and hopefully it will not be too long until they release a more concise and longer collection of both old and new material.

Cincinnati’s Thorns Of The Carrion have been recording music sine the mid nineties, and have just recently released a five song mini-CD entitled “Eve Songs.”  But it was their monumental 1997 release “The Scarlet Tapestry” that their niche in the Gothic Doom metal scene was carved.  Smothering the listener with woe, the 73 minute opus was a testament to forlorn Romanticism, as heard on such shining gems as “The Tragedy Of Melpomene” and “Bleak Thorns Laurels.”  TOTC pair the foreboding vocal styles and standard rhythmic elements of death/doom metal with exquisite melodies, acoustic guitars, harps, and flutes.  In doing so, the band triumphs in creating a sullen mood of rapturous bleakness.  Both the full-length CD and new EP are available directly from the band at their website.  Look for more information and reviews of Thorns Of The Carrion in future issues of Starvox, but until then, brave the descent into their world on your own!

Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Season Of Mourning are yet another American band raising eyebrows in the dark metal underground.  A guitar driven seven-piece, capped by a somber male voice, sparse female vocals, and subtle violin, the band blends the groove-oriented elements of doom with ambience and flashes of traditional Gothic Rock.  Despite the absence of guttural vocals, the band’s crushing guitar crunch likens them to the heavier, less keyboard drenched bands of old.  Nonetheless, Season Of Mourning sport a strong blend of atmosphere with deathly doom metal. The occasional violin passages are done only when they seem most necessary and even the upbeat Sisters Of Mercy-esque “Blood Like Wine” still comes across as heavier such a comparison would suggest.  For Season Of Mourning, density is the key, and the thickness of their sludge is utterly remarkable.  The band handles and promotes their own material, and with one short EP “In Praise Of The Dark” under their belts, they have begun to earn a name in the eastern PA area for their reputed liver performances.  The debut EP is now available through the band’s official website.

Featured in Starvox this past Spring, another Virginia based band has been causing quite a stir in the progressive metal genre, the female fronted Rain Fell Within.  Signed to Dark Symphonies records early this year, the band has released the immaculate EP “Believe” which features perhaps the most feverish displays of operatic female vocal potential within the genre. Vocalist Dawn soars above majestic galloping guitar riffs and sweeping keyboards, for an uplifting charge of driving intensity.  The band is currently at work on their first full-length release, and have had several East Coast concert appearances over the past few months, as well as this past year’s Milwaukee Metalfest.

One of the more unique additions to the atmospheric metal roster are New England’s Maudlin Of The Well, a progressive and unpredictable cornucopia of sullen music.  Also featured in a Spring issue of Starvox, the band still hasn’t received the recognition I believe they deserve.  Head on collisions of thrash metal, space rock, progressive jazz, and of course Gothic doom help Maudlin stand apart upon their own sacred island in the dark metal world.  Their amazing track “Catharsis Of Dream Sleep” is simply breathtaking.  The nine-minute plus song yields some arresting guitar and clarinet arrangements that segue into a harsh old school death/doom break.  From their the song crests to reach a heart wrenching, sluggish finale.  This and many more tracks appear on their mp3 site and on their debut Dark Symphonies release “My Fruit Psychobells…A Seed Combustible”

Yet again, another surprise from the States by way of Novembers Doom.  Having formed in the mid nineties outside of Chicago, the band has released two full lengths and one EP, and they are just getting ready to unveil their latest opus through Dark Symphonies records, entitled “The Knowing.”   November’s Doom stands apart quite a bit from other doom acts, and it is almost hard to pinpoint exactly how.  Though the style of guitar playing and multiple dark Gothic/guttural voices and such are all pretty typical to the genre, all these elements are delivered in a very unique and unexpected way.  They are pure Gothic Doom from head to toe, but their brand of darkness is unlike any other.  Keyboards are not relied on to keep the band afloat, save for a few random interludes or intros to songs; rather dense atonal guitars carry the mood along atop shifting, complex rhythms and pounding drum dirges or swinging groove oriented breaks.  The band had promised that the newest release is to be their best and most diverse work yet, and that is without question an accurate prediction.  Dark metal fans can be assured that November’s Doom will be a force to reckon with in this genre for years to come.

Perhaps the most popular of acts stirring up buzz over the past few years are Norway’s Sins Of Thy Beloved, an overwhelmingly theatrical outfit. They may or may not need an introduction to some, but there are still many who are missing out on their brand of energetic Gothic Metal.  Similar in the duel male/female vocal trades of Theatre Of Tragedy, TSOTB stand out for a devilish and frenzied fiddle player, that fuses a Celtic and Classical virtuosity to the tightly woven guitar heavy drive of the band.  Their debut CD “Lake Of Sorrow” turned heads instantly with its fresh energy and approach, and further solidified its hold as leaders in the scene with their recent CD “Perpetual Desolation,” both of which are products of Napalm Records.

A brand new band has surfaced from Austria, also on Napalm Records, however not as grandiose in scope as label mates Tristania or Sins Of Thy Beloved.  Rather, Darkwell deliver a nice blend of power metal and somber Goth rock inspired ambience. Fans of traditional Goth music might want to note that Darkwell are barren of harsh male vocals, opting instead to push the soft, honeyed vocals of Alexandra Pittracher to the forefront.  Stirred up only by occasional spoken male parts and symphonic keyboard work, the band does still retain a mid-paced drive and genuine heaviness as the guitars make up the bulk of what you hear in the band’s sound.  A truly pleasant mix of styles, catchy hooks, and memorable melodies comprise the band’s debut “Suspiria,” which was just released this month by Napalm.

From Spain, the outfit Growing Cells hearken to the heydays of traditional thrash and heavy metal, and wed it with female fronted power metal.  Melodic serenades are stirred by unexpected blast beats and raspy sandpaper screams, but a great concern for melody is not overlooked.  A self-titled demo debut appeared in 1998 and the band is currently at work on their next CD, which will further experiment with the styles and approaches they began to explore.

Hailing from Croatia, another great export comes by the way of Ashes You Leave.  A somewhat obscure band, though puzzling as their music is quite ambitious and distinctive, due mainly to deeper, brooding female lead vocals.  They also make use of the violin, and are most characterized by eerie harmonizations and plodding drums.  I haven’t heard much from the band, barring the title track from their last release “A Passage Back To Life.”  However, Ashes You Leave is one of those rare and special bands who deliver an inescapable claustrophobia that is irresistible, despite its tendency to unsettle.  But that is the beauty of doom metal though isn’t it?  Judging from the cut on Mp3.com, I do not think it is a one-shot deal with these guys.  Be on the look out for their newest release “The Inheritance Of Sin And Shame.”

The last of numerous US projects to be seduced by the romanticism of Gothic Doom metal is the Pennsylvania project, All Hope Lost.  Though still in the early developmental phases, All Hope Lost is quite an ambitious project with three full length CDs and one EP to their credit, and two more full-lengths slated for an early and mid 2001 release.  With a heavy lyrical focus on unrequited love, the project’s mini CD "The Glow" deals with the beauty and promise of love in its infancy ('the glow' of a new relationship) and then its gradual deterioration until its very bitter end.  Though limited in its home-recorded analogue production, the project is currently at work on improving the quality of sound and strengthening the impact of dueling male/female vocals.  It is quite possible that once graced with a more professional production, All Hope Lost may rank among the next wave of atmospheric Gothic Metal spearheaded by the dozen aforementioned bands featured above.

Thus, with the creep of Winter chill and the Autumnal trees dying in beautiful colours along the landscapes the world over, rejoice in the isolation and despair offered by these hardworking new artists, as well as their forefathers if you have yet to experience their brooding symphonic metal mastery.

Black Sabbath:
http://www.blacksabbath.com
Candlemass:
http://www.geocities.com/~sulinski/candlemass/candlemass.html
Celtic Frost:
http://www.celticfrost.com/
Solitude Aeternus:
http://www.solitudea.com/
Cathedral:
http://www.geocities.com/~witchblaster/
Paradise Lost:
http://www.paradiselost.co.uk/
Anathema:
http://listen.to/anathema
My Dying Bride:
http://www.mydyingbride.org
Theatre Of Tragedy:
http://www.theatreoftragedy.com
Tiamat:
http://www.wildhoney.org
Moonspell:
http://www.butterfly-fx.com
Katatonia:
http://www.katatonia.com
3rd & The Mortal:
http://home.nvg.org/~thomasr/mortal/
Type O Negative:
http://www.typeonegative.net
Necare:
http://www.geocities.com/Tiphareth231/necindex.htm
http://www.mp3.com/necare
Season Of Mourning:
http://www.seasonofmourning.com
http://www.mp3.com/seasonofmourning
Forest of Shadows:
http://www.mp3.com/FoS
http://darkmetal.com/forestofshadows/
Thorns Of The Carrion:
http://www.mp3.com/thornsofthecarrion
http://www.geocities.com/carrionthorn/
Novembers Doom:
http://www.novembersdoom.com
http://www.mp3.com/novembersdoom
Growing Cells:
http://growingcells.cjb.net/
Rain Fell Within:
http://www.rainfellwithin.com
http://www.mp3.com/rainfellwithin
Darkwell:
http://www.darkwell.org
http://Darkwell.cjb.net
http://www.mp3.com/darkwell
Sins Of Thy Beloved:
http://www.tsotb.com
Ashes You Leave:
http://www.mp3.com/ashesyouleave
All Hope Lost:
http://www.mp3.com/allhopelost
http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/allhopelost
Nuclear Blast Records
http://www.nuclearblast-usa.com
Century Media Records:
http://www.centurymedia.com
Relapse Records:
http://www.relapse.com
Peaceville Records:
http://www.peaceville.com
Napalm Records:
http://www.napalmrecords.com
Dark Symphonies Records:
http://www.darksymphonies.com
Hand of Doom Logo by Simon Marsden
http://www.marsdenarchive.com
All images are gracefully borrowed, and are copyright and property of the artists and the owners of their official respective websites.  Neglectful use is prohibited.

Lunch With Glampire
~by Blu

Having written a feature story on Glampire in our March issue (see http://www.starvox.net/crypt/march2.htm), done reviews and having since had many email conversations with publicist Vyolet6 and Glampire himself, I must admit, I was hooked. My car was donned with sparkly Glampire stickers and I devotedly brought up his name whenever I could. I watched his "My Own God" video over and over and subjected every visitor to my house with a viewing of it. I tortured my preppy co-workers with week-long doses of his CDs (contrary to my many attempts to annoy them, they seemed to like it). Not only were both he and Vyolet very personable and generous in correspondence;  Glampire was talented and very different from the hundreds of CDs we see here at StarVox with a drive to create that rivals many bands out there. So I thought I had it figured out; thought I liked him as much as anyone could. Until Pat Briggs said he knew him and the plan to invite Glampire to Glitterdome took form. You couldn't have made me believe how much MORE I would like Glampire after spending a weekend around him no matter how hard you tried. That, I would have said, is simply not possible. Besides, when you finally meet people you've idolized from afar, they let you down a bit and why? Through no fault of their own but because they're a real person and not quite the god-like icon you've created in your mind. Or that's the case *most* of the time anyway.

Glampire used to play at Squeezebox in New York city with Pat way back in the day -- before Glampire became the first international rock n roll star without a contract or label (via the cyber-networking of the internet and a complex group of fans). Pat likes to take credit for introducing him and Vyolet. Good times were had by all it seems and any of them will readily muse on fond memories of those times if prompted; not to mention the occasional inside joke or embarrassing story. Eventually Pat and Glampire went their separate ways -- Pat to host and co-create Club MakeUp in Los Angeles admist touring with his band Psychotica and Glampire to spearhead his own solo musical project. They always kept in touch though and when Pat was searching for performers for his new night in Atlanta, Georgia -- Glampire was an obvious choice.

Word soon got out that Glampire would be appearing at Glitterdome. Etc. magazine did a front cover shot and inside story on Glampire. Steven Holiday from Gothic Beauty magazine made plans to drive down from the Chicago area and a group of hard core fans from North Carolina and Virginia said they'd be down just to see him. Add to that a healthy chunk of the Atlanta goth scene and he had his own personal black-clad cheering section.  There were however, some Glampire fans under 18 who could not get into the Chamber to see him perform and soon my mailbox was full of requests begging me to some how "get them in" to see Glampire. An idea sparked -- perhaps we could get Glampire out in public somewhere to see these kids.

The day they arrived in town I cheerfully agreed to go pick them up from the hotel and to take them to rehearsal at The Chamber. Double dose of luck -- I also got to pick up Joey Arias who was also performing at Glitterdome. I was in heaven. Despite the horrible heat and humidity and my car's poor attempt to chill the air, everyone was in good spirits and chitchatted quite happily. At one point Glampire and Joey were talking about musicians they admired and about life in New York and Vyolet mused to me, "Wouldn't you just die to have a tape recorder right now?"  Indeed I would.

Rehearsal went well and everyone soon disappeared to do their makeup and to get dressed for the evening's performance. At 10pm the doors to the Chamber opened and freaks from all walks of life showed up and started dancing to the retro-glamrock tunes spun by DJ Tiny Tears. Before the main Glitterdome performance we were treated to a Glampire extravaganza in which he took the stage solo - guitar slung across his shoulder and performed some of his famous songs including the appropriately titled "Halloween in July" (this was the July Glitterdome coincidentally).  Camera's were snapping a mile a minute and the fans danced in a trance in front of the stage. His music was just as powerful live as on the CDs - his voice strong -- sometimes whimsical, sometimes bitter and angry, the emotions translating from the very core of his being to those listening with rapt attention at his feet.  At one point Steven looked over at me beaming and said, "he's incredible isn't he?"  During the main performance Glampire performed the Cure's "Just like Heaven" to delight of the goths and afterwards obliged many of them with photos and conversation.

At some point I had asked Glampire and Vyolet about possibly having lunch with the kids that couldn't attend Glitterdome and to my surprise they both whole-heartedly agreed it would be a good idea. Infact, they said that if they had known, he would have brought his acoustic guitar and treated them to an impromptu live concert. Plans were made to meet at Apres Diem - a fancy French restaurant with a lovely lounge area that the Atlanta goths are fond of and I put out the word on the email lists that he'd be there Saturday afternoon for all who wanted to stop by.

We had about 20 people drop by that afternoon for lunch. The lounge of Apres Diem was the perfect setting - overstuffed comfy couches and chairs, coffee tables and oriental rugs gave the whole afternoon the feeling of luxurious laziness. Glampire held court over a long table that most of the guests gathered around munching on the always appetizing food. He slide in out of conversation from one group to the other and even made time to do an interview with Steven out on the patio. I listened and smiled and watched him interact with his fans. Younger, inspiring musicians asked him questions about the creation of music and about technical aspects of performing. He talked about people that inspired him and when one boy made a comment about worrying over the technical aspects in his own music so much that it clouded the original intent, Glampre said, "That's one thing you have to keep in mind about music. Its not air traffic control. If you mess up, no one is going to die. If it doesn't work, go back the next day and try something else." A world of weight seemed to lift off the boy's shoulders at that advice and you got the impression his creative soul was just given permission for flight.

Through out the weekend Glampire and Vyolet were gracious and kind. I even got treated to some Glampire advice when somehow the conversation got steered in the direction of my harboring grudges against my ex. "Sometimes people really do change and you just have to let that stuff go," he said, and I knew he was right.  He is, in a way, like your own personal gothic Buddha. His sensitivity and ability to listen to people and to sincerely take in what they say is overwhelming in person. I watched him connect with his fans that afternoon in a way many musicians would have steered away from. And indeed, when they left that weekend and hopped on a plane back to New York, I liked him more than I had before, and that's kind of rare.
Glampire's Official Webpage:
www.glampire.com

Complete page of Glampire photos from Glitterdome can be found here:
http://www.theglitterdome.com/photos/july.htm

Glitterdome Website:
www.theglitterdome.com

Pat Brigg's Psychotica
http://www.psychotica.net

Gothic Beauty Magazine (Glampire's interview is featured in their first print edition)
http://www.GothicBeauty.com/
Photo Credits:
-Glampire on-stage at Glitterdome by Blu
-Pat Briggs, StarVox writer Brian and Vyolet backstage at Glitterdome, photo by Brian
-Glampire on the cover of Etcetera Magazine
-Joey Arias at Glitterdome by Blu
-Glampire performing "Just Like Heaven" at Glitterdome by Blu
-Glampire with Chamber door-nymph Marcy, photo by Cyclops
-Punzy, Vyolet and Glampire at Apres Diem, photo by Blu
-Music enthusiast Nathan and Punzy, photo by Blu
-dedicated fans and Vyolet, photo by Blu
-Glampire and Jeff talk music, photo by Blu

In Perpetual Motion
Living up to it’s name
~by Mike Ventarola

To the average citizen in Detroit, Michigan, Bob Perye is just another soul wandering on this planet. In the underground net world, he is known as DJ Mac or Macross and is the irreverent host of the widely popular In Perpetual Motion Internet Radio found at www.gothicindustrial.com.

Having been a fan and listener from the inception of this program, I can recall how many in the net goth movement initially took pot shots at this young upstart who came in a blaze of glory to start this station. Many e-list subscribers complained that the show was not totally goth or that a particular artist did not belong on the station and Mac usually replied in print and on the air in a rather humorous way that it is "MY SHOW."  His on-air monologues with that line are now classic! As always the case, someone in the underground always seems to have to create some sour grapes about anyone new doing anything that will help this music out.  Undeterred, Mac, along with the help of a very talented DJ and Color Commentary team consisting of Kris+alis, Prototype, Produkt, Pfrank, Kelly, Eric, Shoshana, Emileigh, Bryan, Christina, and an others, continued to broadcast 6 hours worth of music and mischief each week and now, December 2000, marks its second year of production with the anniversary show to be recorded on December 27th and aired on December 29th.

IPM is a little of everything really, from silly mayhem and sour cream  reports to live band interviews. The latest developments now includes  ICQ communication with the listeners as well as web cam antics. Just recently, web cam viewers witnessed the scotch- tape mummification of Eric.   Behind it all is the music. Mac and the IPM staff's undying devotion towards the bands and their music is always evident with their lengthy playlists which features some of the hottest unsigned artists in the business. Despite his humility about not thinking his show was responsible for helping to jump start the popularity for some musical careers, many bands would contend that this show helped push them to a wider audience than they dreamed possible in such a short amount of time.

Two years later with 4 shows a month at six hours each. Well,  you do the math. IPM is more popular than ever and grows a larger audience worldwide each week. Many other stations have cropped up over time to either imitate or emulate this show, but there is only one IPM.  The show is a work of love that is not without financial risk, whose entirety is paid for by Mac himself from his own pocket. As an independent station, creative and artistic freedom are its main objective, and there are no paying sponsors helping to foot the bill to get the show on the air and across the world. Thankfully Mac has kept going to keep "HIS SHOW" the one that the world tunes into weekly for up to the minute underground music and comical buffoonery.
 

MV:  In Perpetual Motion is celebrating its second year on the net. How do you, as its creator, plan to   celebrate this landmark event?

Mac: By recording a show of course. ;) And perhaps a good bottle of scotch and  some good wine for those who prefer. We're planning on recording the anniversary show on December 27. Hopefully all the active DJs and staff members will be able to get together in the studio at once for it. I've also gotten word that IPM Magazine originator Marc Church may be dropping by to talk about the early years of the print magazine and spin a set or two with us. I'm very excited about that.

MV: How did the entire concept of IPM come about?

Mac: IPM was originally a print publication written by Marc Church, Dean Peltier and others in the Detroit Industrial scene in the early 90's. I had inherited the name from Marc around 1997 with the intention of converting the magazine to a web format and incorporating the multimedia tools of the time.

In December of 1998, I abandoned the whole zine concept and started the IPM Radio show, following in the footsteps of Tommy T's Cyberage show, which served as my inspiration. Over IPM's first few months I began to receive promos not from big labels, but from indie artists in the netgoth scene. I began working with my friend Marcus Pan of Legends Magazine ( www.legendsmagazine.net) and IPM's focus sharpened from there.

Things finally gelled this past summer with the ASCAP problems and IPM became 100% independent music, and one of  the premier vehicles for indie artists in the gothic, industrial and electronic genres to get their music heard by the masses.

MV:   Tell us some of the details about the ASCAP problem for the readers who were not aware of this.

Mac: In a nut shell, IPM was playing music by artists who were licensed through ASCAP and BMI for public performance. Since IPM is nonprofit, I couldn’t afford to purchase annual licenses to play the music on the show, nor after reviewing the fine print of the contracts would I want to. The simple solution : remove the licensed works from IPM's playlists, and make IPM 100% independent. Since IPM was moving in that direction anyway, this was actually a blessing in disguise.

MV: Share with us some more information about the other colorful staff members and how did their presence start to surface as a regular part of the show each week?

Mac: ChrisZ and Carah (Violence) were the first two full time staff members besides myself. They came over one evening in early 1999 to see what all the fuss was about, and began contributing to the show as DJs a few weeks after that. Two other original DJs are Frank, whom I went to high school with, and Jeremy. The original color crew consisted of Girl-Chris and Joel, and my ex-roommate Monica.

Since that time, several faces have come and gone for one reason or another. The current staff mix seems to be a winning one, Consisting of myself, Sara (Sexxx), Steven (Prototype), Carah (Violence), Frank Pfrank), Jeremy (Produkt), Kelly, Eric, New-Chris & Shoshana. There's also a handful of folks who come to hang out occasionally - Frank's S.O. Erika, My sister / Jeremy's S.O. Laura, Christina, Brad... to name a few.

MV: What history can you give us about the other IPM members?

Mac:  Almost all the IPM staffers that DJ started out just coming over one night to see what all the fuss was about. "You sit around and do WHAT every week?!?"  and the color personalities are just friends who came with and liked it so much they started coming back every week.  Other regulars started off as coming out for interviews and just kept coming back.

MV:  When did it click for you that the current lineup for IPM was a good match for the station?

Mac:  I know things are going well when people leave with smiles on their faces, they come back every week with out my having to ask and people write to us and comment about how we all sound like were having a great time.  The lineup has been in a bit of a flux lately with older members moving on and
new voices joining the routine,  the effect has been positive though, and IPM continues to improve.

MV: How did you go about selecting the other members to appear on the show?

Mac:  Everyone is a friend of someone else already on the show. DJ selection is done on a per case basis, depending on the current needs. Otherwise, if someone comes out and clicks with the group, it's all good. IPM is as much a bunch of friends hanging out as it is a semi professional group of radio personalities.

MV: How many listeners are you attracting on any given week and where is the largest group coming from?

Mac: The last time I checked the site was getting about 28,000 unique visitors a week with about 2000 of those actually connecting to the current show and listening, and several hundred listening to archives. Most are naturally from the US and Canada, but there are hits, email and promos coming in literally from all over the globe. We even have a media partner in Mexico.

(Editor’s note: the station recieves upwards of 350 hits daily)

MV:  There are internet stories floating about that IPM is also a CMJ station, can you elaborate on any of this?

Mac: If it is, no one told me about it. If a collaboration with CMJ would be beneficial to both IPM and the artists, I'd certainly be open to discussing it with the powers that be.

MV:  What is the factor behind the stations continued popularity?

Mac: My theory is that it's no holds barred fun. Any given week it's just another party going on here, listeners can connect to the site and hear music they won’t hear anywhere else, and hopefully be entertained by the psycho’s behind the microphones.

MV:  Elaborate on the amount of time and effort it took to initially set up the station and what it takes to keep it running.

Mac:  IPM is currently recorded every Wednesday night. The show is on average 6 hours in length. Updating the website and sending out playlists takes about 2 hours every Thursday evening, and the rest of the week I spend an between one and six hours a night reviewing new material, communicating with bands and labels and tending to the equipment in the studio. Since everything is paid for out of my pocket, I do my best to patch things together as long as possible. IPM runs on a steady supply of dedication and elbow grease for sure.

MV: What type of set up and equipment do you currently use to get the station broadcast to the world at large?

Mac:  The latest revision of the main studio equipment includes a PC with a sound card & bit disk drive, a Gemini PMX3500 Mixer, A Radio shack SSM-60 mixer, 7 Microphones, a Denon DN-1800F CD deck, a Yamaha DJ-X synth and an old phonograph player made of wood. There are also a few other computers to run the webcam and ICQ, etc.

The show is recorded with Realaudio's 5.1 encoder software and then uploaded to a linux based webserver that lives somewhere else.

MV:  Since IPM has first aired, many more goth/industrial stations have cropped up on the net. Has the competition helped or hurt the station?

Mac: Since IPM isn’t fighting for any advertising dollars (Still non-profit!) I really don’t think of the other stations as competition. While I'd certainly love for IPM to be regarded as the best show on earth, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the state of technology makes it easy for everyone to have their own show to go with that opinion. In the end, it all helps the artists and that’s what counts.

MV:  Would you consider going commercial, i.e. advertising dollars, or are you mainly content being non-commercial for the artistic freedom?

Mac:  I have and continue to consider the options for bringing money in to help keep the show going. I am very afraid of the appearance of "selling out", not to mention the moment I draw a profit I would most likely have licensing problems again. It's a slippery slope. Losing artistic control is a very frightening thing & I won’t even consider a plan of action that included that risk.

MV:  One of the best things from IPM in my opinion was the CD-ROM that you made available as a promo which is great for folks at work without an internet connection. Will this be something that will expand in time or is it only a once in a while PR CD that you will create?

Mac:  The IPM archive CDs were created as a courtesy only. I still burn the files to CD for those who request it, but I felt it was best not to advertise it on the website anymore. While no profit was ever made from the CD ROM’s, I'm sure someone somewhere felt I was ripping off the artists by providing the
realaudio files on CD for the cost of postage.

MV: What is the best and worst moment(s) with IPM?

Mac:  The best moments would have to be opening the emails from bands and listeners who really appreciate the efforts here, and especially meeting people face to face who enjoy the show.

The worst moments are the ones where the equipment goes all to shit when a band is sitting in the studio waiting for the show to start so they can be interviewed. I've been regularly embarrassed by some of the tech problems that have occurred. Fortunately, things are improving little by little as I have the money to fix and replace things.

MV:  Would you care to elaborate on any particular letter that sticks out in your mind that really made your day?

Mac:  Any time I get an unsolicited letter from a fan or a band it brightens my day. The outpouring of support from all corners of the globe during the threat of legal action from ASCAP for example really helped us all get through that rough time.

MV:  Who started the "Sour Cream" report that seems to have become a staple on the station at times?

Mac:  That would be me. In a bit of tipsy mic time, I decided it would be funny to talk about. I eat sour cream with a spoon, and I have specific brands that I like and dislike - thus the report was born.

MV:  So who has the all time best sour cream at this point 2 years later?

Mac:  The Meijer house brand is my usual preference. For a special treat I'll get a pint of Breakstone’s but it's too heavy for daily consumption.

MV:  Who is the greatest success story to come from the airwaves of IPM and into the hands of an indie label?

Mac:  I really don’t think airplay on IPM was solely responsible for any one band's rise in the ranks. The hard work is all theirs. IPM just gives a helping hand.

MV:  I believe this may be modesty on your part. Your station was highly instrumental in getting airplay to a number of bands which eventually helped to drive the traffic. Gossamer and Backspace are 2 that come to mind. Surely there must be others that you just KNEW were going to start a commotion in the underground once folks heard their music.

MV: Not that I'm aware of. I really cannot let IPM take credit for the rise of Gossamer. They have been around as a band for longer than I have been in the scene, and it was through dedication and years of persistence and quality work that they began their ascent. Backspace - which coincidentally was the
band Marc Church was in for the duration of it's existence got much of their exposure from playing live and networking with other artists.

MV:  Which band is not receiving the amount of attention you think they deserve?

Mac: ALL of them.

MV:  Who are your particular favorites now?

Mac: Lately I've been really into synthpop. I can’t get enough. I go gaga over just about anything on the A Different Drum label, and I've also found dozens of marvelous indie synthpop/Europop artists on mp3.com and similar sites.

MV: Where do you see IPM five years from now?

Mac:  Ideally in a studio in the metro Detroit area with a mackie console, good condenser mics, and broadcasting live as well as recorded with the same winning combination of on air personalities and great music. I can only hope that IPM and shows like it aren’t regulated and legislated out of existence by then, which is something I'm sure the RIAA would like to see happen.

MV:  On Nov. 24, 2000 in the New York Times, there was an article on the vampire/goth underground that was somewhat positive. One could see this as a potential to make goth music trendy the way New Wave was at the peak of the 80's.  Will some element of "commercialization" help or hinder the goth scene and how has the  scene evolved from your vantage point in the last 2 years since the station began?

Mac: The music has certainly gotten a lot more popular - the same technologies that enabled me to create IPM have enabled musicians to get their music to the world in more ways than ever. The downside of that popularity is the obvious commercialization of the genre. I don't much care for the monsters of goth rock that MTV has created, the sound got too watered down and the fashion has become rather trite. I came into the "original" scene during what could probably be considered the sunset years before mainstream
commercialization, and despite my relative youth, I still miss the "old days" of the early 90's.

MV:  What elements must a song or band have for it to be considered an underground hit?

Mac: I don't think there is an end all be all formula. One thing that I would say is absolutely essential is understanding music and having working knowledge of the tools at hand.

MV:  How do you manage your time to listen to all the demo's that are submitted and have a regular "day" life?

Mac: I have a CD player on my goldwing, in my trucks, at the office and the studio monitor is audible from every room in the apartment. Music is my constant companion, even when the TV is on. I'm always listening to something. The demos and the albums I occasionally buy are all an inseparable part of my "day life."   IPM is part of my life for that matter.

MV:  What band would you really like to have on the air for an interview?

Mac:  All of them. Everyone who has appeared on the show so far has been absolutely wonderful. The invitation is always open to all musicians. The first band we had on was Pete Grecko of Delien back in 1999. Since then, Chinadoll, CeoXime, Function13, Attrition, The Cruxshadows, Chiasm, Silvercord and by the time of this article Morfiouz have all been to the IPM Studio & had a great time.

MV:  Which band would you like as a return guest and why?

Mac:  Any and all of them. Chinadoll has been to the studio twice already, Chiasm is supposed to come back this week and we're all very much looking forward to the next Cruxshadows tour, and hopefully Attrition, Delien and all the rest.

MV: Are there any closing props you would like to send out?

Mac:  My eternal gratitude goes to everyone who's ever listened to the show or come out to see myself or the other IPM DJs spin live, to each IPM staffer, past and present for their support and hard work, to all the zine editors who have given me the opportunity to work with them in some capacity and to every musician on the planet for the fruits of their labors.

http://www.gothicindustrial.com/
Photo Credits:
-Mac courtesy of the IPM site
-Spinmistress Batty and Mac DJ on the cruise at C6 in Seattle - photo by Blu
-Abbot - Mac's guinea pig and station mascot, RIP
-a full-house: at the station courtesy IPM webcam archives

"I'm a Queen!"
Lourds Sweeps both coasts and charms the crowds at Glitterdome and The RockGrrl Convention
~written by Blu
photos by Blu, Karen and Mikey Nichols

I first met Lourds sitting on the bar at the Chamber with Pat Briggs the night before her first performance at Glitterdome - Pat's monthly circus for the freaks in all of us that has done nothing short of taking the Southeast by storm. Button-nosed, cherubed-faced and hair wrapped in little knobs that reminded me of Bjork, Pat introduced her as his friend from NY.  I liked her immediately. She has this innocent child-like grin that's countered by wildly sparkling and mischievous eyes. And yes, she's beautiful - but that's not what she's about. Pat failed to mention she's perhaps the most disarmingly powerful woman in underground rock n' roll... but I'd soon find that out for myself.

Her performance at Glitterdome the next night, although in the company of great performers like the guitar-goddess Brigit Brat, stole the show and had the crowd eating out of her hand. Clad in overalls, hair in wildly colorful strands, she performed "Devil Went Down to Georgia" and stunned the crowd not only with her firey attitude but with her exceptional violin playing. She has an incredible command of the violin and passes an energy onto the crowd that is indescribable. You cannot help but smile when you watch her. After the show she was kept constantly busy by new fans who clamored for just a word from her. Smiling and obliging them all she handed out promotional copies of her CDs and booklets with more information.

That was August. I moved to Seattle and in October there was The RockGrrl Convention sponsored by RockGrrl Magazine. In the local paper they ran a full-color page advertising it and they mentioned and had a picture of Sophia Ramos -- another performer I had met through Pat at Glitterdome. I scoured the paper but couldn't find where she was performing, so if you're like me, if all else fails you go to the internet. I looked up Sophia's Page -- no mention of her performing here. So I found the RockGrrl page and a list of performers. No Sophia anywhere. Seems as though her attendance was not, infact, a fact. And just as I was about to click off the website, a familiar name caught my eye... LOURDS. She was here -- playing at the Bad JuJu lounge... in two hours!  I went looking for Sophia and found Lourds and witnessed an incredible show.

The crowd was a mixture of rock n roll grrls, frat boys, freaks and club kids. She was the last performer that night in a long list of talented women. As she took the stage in a floor-length, high collared black coat and adjusted microphone, I heard the expected, "man she's HOT!" in the crowd. I giggled to myself only guessing at what lay in store. She opened up singing solo - the raw power of her voice catching the crowd's attention and quieting them down and the first indication of "this woman means business" was felt. There was a momentary break, the music kicked in and she ripped off her jacket to reveal a black dress - torn in just the right places and pieced together by safety pins. From that moment on, it was an emotional ride powered by guitars, drums, amazing violin playing... and that VOICE.

The one thing that overpowered me was her openness on stage -- her undeniable effort to emotionally connect with the crowd whether it be songs about lost loves or earned pride over being a "misfit."  At one moment she had the entire audience -- even the drunken frat boys, chanting "I'm a QQQQQQUEEN!" with her loud and proud and the next, she asked us to be quiet as she was going to sing "a quiet song that's a true story..." and before it was over, I had tears on my cheeks.  Perhaps my favorite song she did that night (and yeah, I'm a wimp and it made me cry again but with a smile on my face) was a song about that feeling you get when you feel like you've known someone forever. She said, "Whenever I'd meet someone and I got that feeling, this same little tune would pop into my head. I finally did something with it -- I made a song."  I went home that night singing, " I love you now, I've loved you always..."

Most recently Lourds made a second appearance at Glitterdome where she performed a very unique rendition of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" complete with her violin ripping the guitar parts to shreds leaving many wondering why it wasn't played on violin to begin with. I've been getting reports all week from captivated audience members. There is something magic about her when she performs. Before the end of the RockGrrl Convention the idle whispers about how good she looked were replaced with awe-inspired compliments on her performances. From the deep South of Georgia to the rainy Pacific Northwest, she's managed to win over everyone that sees her - without a label, without any trappings of a star -- only the desire to perform and to make people happy. A musical prodigy from childhood, she broke from the strict regimen of classical performance to persue her hearts desire - rock n'roll.

She lives and performs in New York most of the time -- if you're in the area you'd be terribly unfortunate to miss one of her shows. For more information, music samples, background and updates (she has a e-mail list too) visit her web page at:  http://www.lourdsmusic.com/

Mickey Nichols, free-lance writer and Glitterdome regular, wrote an article on her for Southern Voice that you can read here:
http://www.southernvoice.com/southernvoice/news/record.html?record=11709

You can also see more pictures of her from her Glitterdome performances here:
http://www.theglitterdome.com/photos/kaug.htm
http://www.theglitterdome.com/photos/mnov.htm

**Special thank you to Mikey Nichols for sending over pictures from Glitterdome.
 http://www.mikeynichols.com
**make up at Glitterdome by Dan Henigman

Skully Records CD Release Party
Gothabilly: Rockin' Necropolis
October 28th
CBGB's - New York
~reviewed by Kimberly
photos by Kimberly and courtesy of Kevin at Skully Records

When I got an email from Blu asking me to review the Skully Records Gothabilly show on October 28, 2000 at NYC’s CBGB’s, I was ecstatic. It’s so rare to hear decent live music lately. It’s such a gamble whenever I walk into a live music venue if I’m going to walk out after twenty minutes. There was a time where no matter where you went on a Saturday night, the band was almost always guaranteed to be good. Its just not the case anymore. But Cult of the Psychic Fetus was playing. They were incredible when I saw them before, and the Ohio-based band wasn’t even headlining. Plus, the genre itself (think the Cramps with horror lyrics) is a welcome change from the standard Goth fare I usually review.

It was a festival more than a show, a ton of bands were playing. There was no way to take the time out and write about all the groups without this article either turning into a dissertation or a laundry list. Since I hadn’t really heard most of the bands before, I mostly only reviewed the bands I interviewed. That’s certainly not to say they were the only good bands who played. Like The Gettin Headstones from Atlanta, who had outfits as good as their real rock’n’roll music- they all wore 3-D glasses, hair slicked back into a pompadour. The singer looked like Elvis and wore a white jacket with red covering the shoulders and dripping down the lapels. Other bands were The Cryptkeeper Five (Trenton, MN),  The Hammerdowns (Seattle, WA), and Eight Ball Grifter  (Lansing, MI).

The Deep Eynde was the first of the bands I reviewed. I’m not a huge fan of L.A. in general, I was definitely curious to see how they’d sound in the quintessential New York City club. Which, by the way, was the perfect venue for the show. It’s a punk institution, with flyers of past bands wheatpasted on walls that look like they’ll cave in at any moment; and the notorious basement bathrooms with mirrors long gone from the frame above the sink, and broken locks on the bathroom doors.

The band opened with “Suicide Drive”, which I liked. I tend to judge a song based on its lyrics, and the words (“Dead or Alive/ Suicide Drive”) matched well with the pop beat mixed with a darker edge. I’m not sure if the band’s put the song out as a single, but they should. The shining entity of the song, and the entire set, though, was the extremely gifted guitarist, The Fly. The bridge that he played really made the song stand out. The tune sounds like it should have been playing in James Spader’s car in “Less Than Zero”. The song threw me off, though, in that it was being played at a Psychobilly show, and The Deep Eynde seems to be a Goth band with rock tendencies.

Something was off about the band’s performance the night I saw them, which I’m hoping can be attributed to the band being exhausted from just getting into town. Each individual member played fine, but just weren’t tuned into each other. Obviously worn out, Fate Fatal (vocals) just didn’t connect with the audience. To his credit, though, when I saw the band again the next Saturday night at Albion/Batcave, Fatal seemed more relaxed and able to joke with the crowd.

The band’s song, “13th Floor”, on the Skully Records compilation was notable. It’s a fun Psychobilly tune, which is the reason, I think, that they played the show. Fatal affects the neo-Elvis voice, and its definitely a tune to bop your head to, reminiscent almost of The Stray Cats.

I was getting a beer when Ghoultown took the stage. As soon as I saw the bassist, with stacked heels and spurs, I had to check the group out. When they first started playing, I had to review them and let everyone else know how good they are.

You can definitely tell the band’s from Dallas, and not just from their Western-inspired dress. How can you not be riveted by a band that has its trumpet player in whiteface and a huge sombrero? The set is heavily influenced by both Spanish and Western music, stuff that I don’t normally gravitate towards. But by the time “We Have Come” was fully in gear, I was bopping up and down by the front of the stage. The tune was good and rocking and angry. I can’t read the lyrics I have written on the scrap of paper I was writing this review in the dark on, but I have “devilish” scrawled down. They sound like a bizarre blend of Cramps (but all the bands have that about them), and Johnny Cash with deathrock lyrics, with maracas thrown in for good measure.

“Wicked Man” would be prefect to crank up to eleven while driving on a lonely stretch of highway, letting the notes linger in the wind. “Ghostriders in the Sky” was the perfect cover of the Johnny Cash song. The cover didn’t stray too far from the original, but the band definitely took it as far as they could, flavoring the tune with a heavier rock influence. Trust me, it definitely works. I have written al over my notes, “Need this album!” Unfortunately, I think they only have a three song sampler right now, but should have something out soon (I hope).

I’m not quite sure what to say about Cult of the Psychic Fetus. I saw them play at the night Long Black Veil and I thought they were amazing. In fact, it was because of them that I got all excited about reviewing the show. Truth be told, I only caught about half the show because of the amazing interview with Fatal that ran long. But CB’s isn’t soundproof, and I heard the music from downstairs. The bassline fore each song seemed to be heavily borrowed from “The Munsters” theme. I don’t know what happened, but they just lacked the charisma from the show the previous month. However, they don’t claim to be anything more than a goofy horror rock band. And they definitely have the look for it.

Its hard to figure out which band I liked the most- Ghoultown, or the last band of the night I reviewed, Psychocharger. The New York band (via Florida) totally rocked. I’d interviewed them before they went on, which was incredibly fun, so I was really looking forward to their set. I wasn’t disappointed. It was starting to get late, and a few people started to leave. Sucks for them.

As you can tell from the pictures, their outfits were original, to say the least. I don’t know if you can tell, but those are cow hearts and chicken feet around their necks. And the singer, Jimmy, was indeed naked under that loincloth. While they were playing, all I had was a fantasy about Jimmy, fastfowarded to the good parts. But since this isn’t Penthouse, I’ll just stick to the review.

The band is totally sweaty rock in the edgy way that Elvis was in his time. The music is totally influenced by The King, combined with strong riffs, dripping with sweaty sexuality. The band itself was tight, and just worked incredibly well together. As you can see, they unquestionably have a unique persona. The one title of the song I caught, “Electroshock” was also on the soundtrack for the movie, “Rock’n’Roll Frankenstein”. I’m glad they’re local, because I can’t wait to see them again.

I can’t remember the last time I had such a good night seeing live music. I wasn’t even fazed by how cold it was outside. All I could do was grin, and practically skip to the car on my way uptown. Since you weren’t there, do yourself a favor and go get the Skully Records compilation (available at skullyrecords.com) and try to get a taste of what I was lucky enough to bask in.

For a complete set of Photos click here

Skully Records:
www.skullyrecords.com
Cult of the Psychic Fetus
http://www.ravenworldwide.com/cultof.htm
The Deep Eynde
www.jps.net/deepeynde
Eight Ball Grifter
www.eightballgrifter.com
Grftr8Ball@aol.com
Sex With Lurch:
http://monstergirl.com/lurch
Ghoultown
www.ghoultown.com
The Kewmen
http://www.rmmusic.freeserve.co.uk/
Mr Badwrench
http://members.aol.com/MBadwrench/page1.html
Psycho Chargers
http://www.psychonauts.com

vidnaObmana, Steve Roach
and special guest Jeffery Fayman
The Old Church
Portland, Oregon
November 9th, 2000
~review and photos by Blu

Being one of only four stops on this U.S. tour and sponsored by the highly esteemed ambient label Soleilmoon, expectations were high for this performance. Accomplished ambient/electronic/experimental Belgian musician vidnaObmana has made a career of consistently pushing new ground in the musical landscapes he creates in. StarVox was lucky enough to have an interview with him prior to this concert (see our archives at: http://www.starvox.net/crypt/2oct4.htm) in which he alluded to but did not give too much information away in regards to what was instore for the crowd on a chilly night in November. It was as if the musical gods had smiled down upon Portland, because not only was Steve Roach (an accomplished ambient/ethereal musician himself) performing with vidna at this particular stop, but the night of the show, circumstances were just right to allow Jeffery Fayman to join them (see our Fripp and Fayman CD review here: http://www.starvox.net/crypt/august.htm).

Arriving at the venue, I found the line, to my delight, from the front of the Church wrapping down the sidewalk and around the corner. What a wonderful turnout! The crowd was a nice eclectic mix of middle-aged ambient enthusiasts, people from public broadcasting in Portland, I suspect a music professor or two,  sprinkled with a smattering of goths dressed in their finest winter coats and local bands the likes of Sumerland, Dreams in Exile (who played a big part of arranging and hosting this event) and Diao. The Church itself was beautiful inside and out and was a perfect setting for the musical journey that was to take place there. We were greeted inside with warm lights, coffee and a abundant offering of CDs being sold by the musicians themselves as people clamored to buy them and to talk to the performers.

Inside the cathedral, in front of a huge pipe organ were two distinct "work stations" set up - groupings of keyboards/synths, microphones and various sound making devices - new and old, making a strange collage of wires, ropes and organic materials. Cedric (drummer from the now defunct band Diao) commented, "They each had a slew of geek-ware (mo-stuff, you know, wires, and knobs and all that stuff I don't understand) and they also had a ton of truly low-tech instruments... conch shells, a weird double flute-thing [the fujara flute], shells, shakers, the dige.  This blend of low-tech and high tech is something I truly appreciate, as it grounds the high-tech music with pre-historic integrity." With such a set up, mouths were nearly watering by the time vidnaObmana obmerged from the shadows.

He opened the 2+ continuous hours of performance solo. I found myself nervous wondering just how he'd ease us into this world of sound amid hundreds of votive lights adorning the stage -- the air wrapped in incense, and suddenly it began...

Echoes of nature and mechanical blended and weaved, new world verses old forming something otherworldly in the aftermath. The fujara flutes that he used ranged from absolutely bone-chilling calls that swelled and rose from some place deep in your subconscious to primitive calls of life. He mixed in sparse vocal effects, distorted and swelled - haunting screams lost in the recesses of forgotten memories, brought to life only for a moment at a time. Drawing on what seemed to be the themes explored in his latest double CD effort, The Surreal Sanctuary and The Contemporary Nocturne, we were repeatedly sent adrift on unresolved chords only to be brought down gently and slowly by their resolution and subtle submission.

Eventually Steve Roach and Jeffery Fayman quietly took their places on stage and stepped into the atmosphere that vidna was in the middle of weaving - Steve behind the second grouping of instruments and Jeffery in between the two with a drum. At this point it became an ambient dream jam session - each player taking subtle clues from the others, watching, listening, going with instinct, all ad-libbed -- letting the music take us where it may. It rolled and swelled, pitched us into a lusty frenzy driven by Fayman's live drumming. Rhythms were sampled, looped live and built upon layer by layer until your head swam and suddenly, as if rehearsed on cue, there was resolution and all quieted down to the minimalists factors and sometimes what seemed like an eternity was spent in the overpowering sound of silence before some one picked up a flute or a rattle or the digeridoo and started us on another path of exploration. In those moments of nothingness you were afraid to breath - afraid to utter one sound that would break the hypnotic trance. Sound, its dissonance, its resolution and silence were all equal players that night.

Cedric noted, "Ethereal doesn't even begin to explain the thick, gorgeous, continuous atmosphere...There were some really BEAUTIFUL trancey-tribal beats in there, and Vidna's signature ambiance made it anything-but-techno...This almost seems to me to be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.  It was truly magnificent."

The night itself was unique and never to be repeated - a journey of sound, emotion and atmosphere for both the audience and I suspect, for the performers as well; interacting on such a personal and intuitive level. The technical probabilities to pull such a show off without a glitch are astounding and to have been able to witness it for myself, I consider a privileged thing indeed. To be lost in the flurry and flow of ambient music performed live in such a setting is about as religious as I get. As Enrique from Sumerland noted, "this kind of thing is good for the soul."

A hearty thank you to all those in Portland who over saw the details of this event, to Kirk and Corey from Dreams in Exile for involving me in this event and to the incredible musicians - vidnaObmana, Steve Roach and Jeffery Fayman, who shared their world with us that night.
 

vidnaObmana
music ~ photography ~ events
www.vidnaobmana.org
info@vidnaobmana.org
experience the vidnaObmana anthology at mp3.com/vidnaobmana

Dreams in Exile Official webste:
www.dreamsinexile.com

Sumerland
http://www.sumerland.com