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Gregorian chants have floated down the corridors of time
to land gently in the velvet-covered lap of goth. Goths adore such evocative
sounds: a cappella voices that emulate the soul drifting from the body,
that evoke images of funeral processions and angels hovering above tombstones.
This is otherworldly stuff, transcendent material. That the human voice
can beckon spirits is amazing—feathered angel wings for the ears.
It was Pope St. Gregory the Great of the sixth century for whom these
chants are named, because he promoted the use of religious chanting. Chants
are voices singing the same line of music together, without instrumental
accompaniment, melody only, no harmony, the words Biblical. The lines
of singing are based on breathing, which is the natural break point. Consequently,
the lines could not be counted, which limited the presentation. The overall
effect was termed "plainsong," hauntingly spiritual sounds most
goths adore.
In 1098, a true visionary was born, and a particular goth favorite among
the chanters. Hildegarde von Bingen appeared on this earth, tenth child
of a knight, and at the tender age of eight entered the coed (for the
day) Benedictine monastery Mount St. Disibode to be educated. This particular
monastery was of the Celtic tradition, which must have influenced her
later
work. At eighteen Hildegarde became a nun, and twenty years later they
named her Abbess of Rupertsberg, on the Rhine at Bingen, Germany.
Hildegarde was an amazing woman, far ahead of her time. Besides being
a writer, and in her spare time enjoying religious visions, she cranked
out some pretty wicked music, which she intended that the sisters at the
convent would sing at liturgical and other functions. Known as "The
Sibyl of the Rhine," she received rave reviews, including this excerpt
of one from Master Odo of Paris in 1148: "It is said that you are
raised to Heaven, that much is revealed to you, and that you bring both
great writings, and discover new manners of song."
During that tricky Romanesque era (850—1150), great changes began
to occur in all of the arts. Painting was developing the science of perspective.
And in music there emerged a major stylistic change. Polyphony involves
regular meters, which produce a steady beat that allows lines of musical
notes to be counted, and music measured. For the first time, everybody
counted the same measurements, enabling different voices employing more
than one distinct melody to keep together so harmony could blossom. The
music we enjoy today is only possible because of polyphony.
Between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, the music of northern
Europe entered the Gothic phase. Such schools as Ars Antiqua, Ars Nova,
and the Burgundian school emerged. Instead of chanting monks, choirs and
organs began to fill those Gothic cathedrals the French were building.
Individual composers took charge of compositions, and works became complex.
Goths love dark music. Those who enjoy Norse mythology appreciate Richard
Wagner (1813—1883)—perhaps the most controversial of classical
German composers. Wagner called himself "the most German of men,"
and "the German spirit." Wagner was considered an anarchist
and socialist, as well as an anti-Semite and a proto-fascist. His reputation
was not enhanced when his music was adopted by Austrian madman Adolf Hitler,
who took over Germany in the 1930s, followed by much of Europe, and almost
single-handedly led the world to a major war and helped pave the way for
changes in weaponry that have brought us to the point where annihilation
now looks promising. Hitler, a favorite with skinheads but shunned by
goths, was responsible for the deaths of many millions of human beings,
hating them if they were Jewish, gay, Gypsy, or simply non-German. His
goal was that the planet would be populated with a pure Aryan race. The
THE GOTH BJBLE
78
stigma of Hitler is attached to all Germans by those over fifty, and German
goths must fight this stereotype. That country has produced much Industrial,
techno, and electro music that makes many people instantly think military,
then: Hitler. But German goths, like goths everywhere, are not looking
to take over the world, militarily or in any other way.
Other classical composers speak to goths, especially Handel's ethereal
tones.
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Goths also love many modern musicians who evoke other worlds, even if
they are not goth-specific. Current goth favorites include the German
group Enigma, whose meditative repetition of sound and lyrics strongly
resembles Gregorian chants. Another goth favorite is Canadian songstress
Loreena McKennitt, whose hauntingly beautiful sounds glow with Celtic
myth and fantasy; a perennial goth music-to-dream-by is "The Lady
of Shallot," based on the poem by nineteenth-century English poet
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (see page at right).
Many other musicians who are not goth speak to goths, for instance, the
late Johnny Cash, the original Man in Black, whose rendition of "I
Walk the Line" could have infected Alien Sex Fiend's version. Leonard
Cohen has always found the poetic words that convey goth emotions. Vintage
Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, and David Bowie have also ridden the time
continuum into the goth world.
fHE LADY OF SHALOff
(EXCERpf)
r)card a carol, mournful holy,
Cbantcd loudly, chanted lowly,
OH ber blood n>as frozen slowly,
And ber eyes were darkened wholly,
Curn'd to towcr'd Qmelot.
for ere sbc reach'd upon tbc tide
tbc first bouse by tbe water-side,
Singing in ber song sbe died,
Cbc£ady ofSbalott.
Cinder ton>er and balcony,
By garden-mall and gallery,
A gleaming sbape sbc floated by,
Dead-pale between tbe bouses bigb,
Silent into Camclot.
Out upon tbe wharfs tbcy came,
Knigbt and Burgbcr, £ord and Dame,
And round tbe prow they read bcr name,
Cbelady ofSbalott.
Wbo is tbis? And what is bere?
And in tbc lighted palace near
Died tbc sound of royal cbeer;
And tbcy crossed tbcmsebcs for fear,
All tbe Knigbts at Camelot;
But £ancclot mused a little space
fjc said, "Sbc bas a locely face;
God in bis mercy lend ber grace,
Cbc£ady ofSbalott."
- Alfred, £ord Ccnnyson (1832)
then there nus gotb music
Everyone seems to have a slant on where modern goth music originated.
Most people concur that goth is a darker offspring of punk, and the bastard
pansexual cousin of glam, emerging from the mists in England sometime
in the mid-1970s.
Deacon Syth was born in England and now lives in Canada. He hosts a popular
goth radio program, The Embrace, and is founder of an annual Vampire Ball
in St. Catherines, Ontario. He also does guest DJing. He talks about the
murky beginnings of goth in the UK, and the Big Four:
"In the late 1970s, England's social and political climate was one
of drastic change — thanks greatly to the punk scene spearheaded
by the social commentaries of groups like the Sex Pistols and the Clash,
and aided by the theatrics of bands like the Damned, suddenly England's
youth were
79
IriUSiC OF THE ITlACABRE: in THE BEGinninG
becoming more aware of their social surroundings, and wanted to stake
a claim for themselves—they wanted to count as people, too.
"A new sound of music erupted from the post-punk holocaust of Britain.
A sound that took punks' aggressive attitude and intellectually aware
story telling, but also drew on something else from England's past—that
of the flamboyancy of the glam rock scene, specifically Ziggy Stardust
himself, David Bowie. If this new subculture of youths wanted to be noticed,
they wanted to be seen for their fashion and appearance as well as for
their viewpoints and ideals.
"In fact, in an interview regarding his 1974 album Diamond Dogs,
Bowie himself referred to it as 'gothic' in its styling. He gave no explanation,
but the word was suddenly applied to music.
"The term popped up again five years later on September 15, 1979,
when members of Joy Division where interviewed on the UK television program
Something Else, and their music was referred to as 'gothic in comparison
to the pop mainstream.' Joy Division's manager, Martin Han-nett, later
stated in a Factory Records press release that Joy Division's album Closer
was 'dancing music with gothic overtones.' And in the same interview,
Joy Division bassist Bernard Albrecht cemented the term in description
when he compared their music to his love of the film classic Nos-feratu.
Albrecht stated that 'The atmosphere [was] really evil, but you feel comfortable
in it.'
"But the largest initial impact on the scene arguably arose from
the work of four musicians from Northampton, England, who united together
as one musical project in 1978, when gangly David Bowie and T. Rex fanatic
Peter Murphy joined the band The Craze (featuring Daniel Ash, David J,
and Kevin Haskins) and the four renamed themselves Bauhaus 1919. They
soon dropped the '1919' and became known simply as Bauhaus. These four
created the blueprint, musically and visually, for a generation of gothic
bands. 'Bela Lugosi's Dead,' their hit single released in 1979 on Small
Wonder Records, was fueled by Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash's love of erotic
vampire imagery. This song began the fascination and connection with the
undead for the scene that would become goth.
"Two years prior to Bauhaus's inception, a former member of the Sex
Pistols' entourage, Susan Dallion (known around the clubs as Siouxsie
Sioux) formed her own band, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Her fashion
80 4- THE GOTH BJBLE
r r
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sense was astonishing to behold, and her bizarre style of dress is still
one of the most copied by female goths. The Scream, released in 1978,
is officially the first full-length release in the genre of goth.
"Also in 1979 the Cure released Three Imaginary Boys (later released
in North America as Boys Don't Cry). Robert Smith's tender sensitivity
and melancholy romance—which contrasted with the stark sexuality
of Peter Murphy—struck a chord with the disenchanted youth of the
UK. If Peter Murphy wrote about the sexual exploits of Dracula, Smith
told the story from Mina Marker's standpoint.
"The last of the big four who initiated the UK scene is Joy Division,
lan Curtis, the band's troubled frontman, was a poster boy for all things
goth would come to stand for (though largely in stereotypes). His morbid
fascination with things gone wrong led to the conclusion that life was
a losing game. Curtis committed suicide May eighteenth, 1980, becoming
goth's first tragic folk hero. Although Joy Division's music was probably
the least gothic of the four, they have had a lasting impact on the scene.
"It's ironic that the early big four of Bauhaus, the Cure, Siouxsie
and the Banshees, and Joy Division never acknowledged that they were involved
with what became the goth scene, despite their obvious influence, visually
and musically. Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash always assumed Bauhaus was
just another glam band, albeit a dark one. The Cure's Robert Smith always
said his band was nothing more than a pop band. And Siouxsie and the Banshees
and Joy Division believed they were more directly related to punk than
to the foundation of a new goth movement.
"The goth scene in the UK has always gone in waves of severe winds
of change to quiet lulls, but never completely disappears. The goth scene
was essentially created through the drunken coupling of the punk and glam
rock that ran rampant in Britain's streets throughout the 1970s. But this
child became a powerful alternative for those who felt like outsiders
in a largely spoon-fed bubble-gum-pop-and-manufactured-happiness musical
cosmos."
Deacon Syth is also the front man for the Canadian band Angels of Addiction,
and has this to say about the Canadian goth music scene:
"One arena you would expect more from is the Canadian goth music
world. The reason such expectations would be so high is that Canada has
had an immense impact on the Industrial scene, a scene with close ties
to the goth community. Such heavyweights as Skinny Puppy and Front Line
As-
81
rtlUSiC OF THE ttiACABRE: in THE BEGinnmG
THOITIAS THYSSAII'S "top GERjnAn BAIIDS
Deine Lakaien Project Pitchfork
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the Fair Sex
Wolfsheim
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Lacrimosa Terminal Choice
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Murder at the Registry
New Days Delay
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sembly created a monstrous impact on the grinding assault of the Industrial
revolution, influencing such bands as Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. But
as for the darker sister scene of goth, Canada has remained, unfortunately,
more of a sideline player.
"That's not to say Canadians haven't had their share of musical contributions.
One of the earliest would be the Toronto band Vital Sines. Their gloomy
New Wave romanticism was often tied in with the burgeoning goth scenes
of the world, due in part to the dreariness of their lyrics and their
fashionable affinity for all things black. The foundation of two great
Canadian industrial bands can be traced out of a neo-goth new wave band
of the early 1980s called Images in Vogue—Kevin Crompton (aka cEVIN
kEY of Skinny Puppy) and Don Gordon (of Numb) both started out in this
Vancouver pop outfit. But, as with the UK's 'Big Four' (Bauhaus, the Cure,
Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division), these two bands may be hard
pressed to admit to actually being members of this young scene. And one
of the UK's earliest outfits, the Southern Death Cult (shortened later
to the Cult), had a young transplanted Canadian named lan Astbury as their
founder and frontman (Astbury moved to the UK from Hamilton, Ontario,
in his early teens).
"Through the decades many Canadian bands have helped out the cause,
some with a great degree of success throughout the world, some merely
content ruling their own cities' pantheons. Bands such as Rhea's Obsession,
Mona Lisa Mescaline, Exovedate, Ariel, Masochistic Religion, Santeria,
Sex Without Souls, Western Dream, and the gothability band Vampire Beach
Babes have all made sizable contributions, just to name a few.
"But this seeming black hole has actually made Canadian goths an
educated lot. By not having an overabundance of goth heroes to call their
own, Canadians look to other countries' scenes for more music to tempt
their dark palates. By embracing foreign scenes and blending them with
the limited scene that Canadians have at home, they create an ideal potpourri
of goth culture and have managed to create a unique 'gothic biosystem.'"
Besides the UK and Canada, Germany has had a tremendous impact on goth
and especially goth-Industrial music. Much of what we know as Industrial
has come out of Germany. Thomas Thyssen—a freelancer who writes
for all three of Germany's major music magazines—Zillo, Sonic Seducer,
and Orkus—and also DJs at Germany's oldest and most traditional
goth club, Zwischenfall, is also one of The f Section. With his brother
Ralf,
82
THE GOTH BIBLE
WE'RE TIRED OF HEARINCS
THIS OLD GOTH STUFF PLAY SOWBTHIN3 NEWER
y WRITMB. PEOPLE ARE
IT UP WITH SOME DANCy INDUSTRIAL STUFF OX**
"Writhe and Shine" music comic
Copyright by Robert Tritthardt
he runs the ongoing Pagan Love Songs events, which bring in goth bands
from around the world. He has this to say about goth music in Europe:
THIS NEW «OTH STUFF ISN'T
0V8N OOTH I CAN'T Betl&VE
yOU OWN ANY OF IT WELL.
EXCEPT FOR VOCTAIRil
CAN YOU PLAY SOME NON -DANCy ATA1OSPH6RE
SO THAT I CAN DO My
'INTERPRETIVE VANCS OF
THE FALLING LCAVES'?
"It's hard to describe the evolution of goth music in Europe. Taking
into consideration that the goth scene has been in existence for more
than twenty-five years now, it is even harder to realize that it still
doesn't get the recognition it deserves from either the mainstream media
or mainstream audiences. I truly believe that the influence of goth on
the overground has been totally underestimated.
"The first indicators of what would later become known as goth can
be found in the year 1979. The music scene in the late seventies and early
eighties was much more diverse than nowadays, more than today's music
fans would ever believe. Besides lots of punk splinter groups, there was
the Ska revival, the beginning of the Industrial era. Psychobilly was
still hot and running, and the seeds for New Romantic were planted. Out
of this bizarre mixture the early goth bands gradually emerged, but they
weren't called 'goth' at the beginning, though their musical style was
referred to as being gothic as early as 1979.
"One of the forerunners of this particular genre, and to my knowledge—besides
Joy Division—one of the first bands ever to be termed 'goth' was
the British positive-punk outfit U.K. Decay. This may surprise the vast
majority of goths, who tend to believe that bands like Sisters of Mercy
or Fields of the Nephilim invented goth. Those bands have to be considered
as the second or even the third wave of bands inspired by Joy Division,
Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and U.K. Decay. Compared to later
goth-acts, early artists were much edgier, livelier and, yes, more punk
rock, and they were pigeonholed as Positive-Punk.
"The debut albums of Siouxsie and the Banshees (The Scream 1978)
and Joy Division (Unknown Pleasures 1979) should be treated as milestones
for a genre that has lasted until today. Bauhaus's debut twelve-inch—the
classic "Bela Lugosi's Dead"—also did its best to help
categorize the band as a goth-act, due to its somber content, creepy rhythm,
and Peter Murphy's haunting vocals.
"In 1980 and 1981 a second wave of bands emerged out of the shadows
of the earlier influences. Acts like Play Dead, The Danse Society, Sisters
of
83
music OF THE rtiACABRE: in THE BEGinninc
Mercy, and Robert Smith's Cure created their very own vision of gothic
music, which is now far more popular then the original sounds of the first
crop of bands. Andrew Eldritch's sinister deep vocals are as characteristic
of goth as Robert Smith's painful and melancholic chants. It's a shame
that high quality acts like Play Dead never got the attention they deserved,
while Sisters and the Cure literally became pop stars over the next years.
"The crucial period in the development of goth into a full-fledged
subculture was mid-1982 to mid-1983, particularly 1982, the year the new
movement suddenly started receiving major media attention, with, for example,
the grand opening of the now legendary Batcave club in London. It was
that event which brought the attention of the mainstream press and media
onto this new subcultural movement, which from then on spread widely throughout
England.
"The evolution from punk into goth in Germany was in some ways identical
but in other ways absolutely different from in the United Kingdom. The
first very raw German punk bands, for example Male (headed by Juergen
Engler, who later founded the famous Die Krupps) or KFC (headed by Tommi
Stumpff, who later on became a prominent solo-artist) were as important
for the goth movement as the first German New Wave and Industrial artists,
like Einstiirzende Neubauten, D.A.F. (German American Friendship), Malaria!,
Abwaerts, and Fehlfarben. Small, independent record labels like Atatak
and Zick Zack released tons of great avant-garde records, which are considered
rare nowadays, and very expensive.
"October 1981 saw the release of the first seven-inch of X Mal Deutsch-land,
called "Schwarze Welt" ("Black World"). Although the
band never considered itself goth, this record can be seen as a real milestone
in Germany's goth history. X Mal Deutschland went on to become Germany's
most famous goth act worldwide during their stint with the legendary 4AD
label in the '80s.
"What began in the late seventies as the German version of New Wave
gained interest with the mainstream record companies as well, so that
they began to bill the most popular acts from this era as "Neue Deutsche
Welle" ("New German Wave"). The problem with this development
was that soon the industry began churning out its own plastic pop bands,
which had no artistic or dark aesthetic background—a necessity for
goth. They were just there in order to make money, and therefore they
were in complete contrast with what punk and new wave stood for.
84
THE GOTH BIBLE
"Ironically, goth did not get big in Germany in the eighties, although
there were lots of great bands, like Asmodi Bizarr, II. Invasion, Unlimited
Systems, Mask For, Moloko f, and Maerchenbraut, among others. It wasn't
until the early nineties with the founding of Zillo magazine that goth
underwent a huge renaissance in Germany. Backed by a new bunch of bands,
for example, Deine Lakaien, Project Pitchfork, and Das Ich, Zillo magazine
was responsible for the first nationwide networking of all the splinter
groups that were still into that kind of music.
"Today all those acts are highly successful artists, regularly climbing
into the Top Ten of the German media-controlled charts, with heavy rotations
on the German music-TV stations.
"I have watched these developments, on one side happily, but from
a highly skeptical perspective on the other. Due to the huge influence
of techno and dance music on this scene—which still calls itself
goth—I am not able to follow all the newest trends and musical evolutions.
To me, incorporating sounds, styles, and ideas from something that isn't
fresh anymore is not evolution. It would be better if people would stick
to their roots, but that directly leads to another big problem in Germany.
"Most of the people who call themselves goth today do not really
know where this term comes from and what it stands for. VNV Nation is
not goth, and in my humble opinion it won't be long before this overblown
thing which is now termed the goth scene will splinter into many different
subdivisions. Tom Stach, singer of the underestimated German deathrock
band Murder at the Registry, once told me that he dreams about something
like a subsubculture, a new underground movement in which people redefine
themselves without the pressure of the music industry. Hopefully this
is where the road will lead us ... maybe someday!"
European Industrial music information comes right from the source. Germany's
Sonic Seducer editor Pee Wee Vignold tells us all about it.
"As we all learned from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, there are
slight differences between Europe and the United States that make all
the difference in the end. Unfortunately, writing his notorious 'Quarter
Pounder vs. Royale' speech must have gotten him so excited, he forgot
to have Vincent Vega tell Jules how he went to a small record shop after
his McDonald's visit, and that Industrial record he bought there didn't
have any beats or guitars or bass lines on it, not even proper songs.
Nothing but pure noise.
"Then again, it wouldn't have been as good a laugh as the burger
tale,
85
music OF THE rnACABRE: in THE BEGinninc
but the fact is still true: While nearly all commonly known musical genres—rock,
pop, metal, etc.—define a certain style of music that follows the
same or at least similar rules wherever in the world you look for it,
Industrial barely has the same face in different places.
"In the United States the term was mostly defined by Nettwerk (Vancouver)
and Waxtrax (Chicago), two independent record companies dedicated to hard-edged
electronic music. Besides releasing North American-based acts like Skinny
Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Ministry or KMFDM, Waxtrax soon started licensing
European acts like Front 242 and Clock DVA and brought their 'Electronic
Body Music' (as it was called in the old world) to the US audience and
dance floors, where it soon got the 'Industrial' label.
"But when that day in the late seventies came, when cut-up terrorist
Monte Cazazza stated his immortalizing 'Industrial music for industrial
people' line, he gave a name to something that was actually intended to
destroy dancing. What he meant had to do with the subversive sonic threats
and audio-visual assaults of Throbbing Gristle and the 'information war'
they declared on the free world. Armed with big stacks of electronic noise
producers and lots of disturbing images and films to screen at their performances,
Throbbing Gristle intended to be a wake-up call, and they did their best
to flood their audiences' senses with something they couldn't ignore.
They mostly succeeded, and their shock tactics, consisting of brutally
loud anti-music that pushes to the limit as well as disturbing video projections
that do the same, too soon became the basic formula of a whole next generation
of Industrialists whose definition of Industrial already moved on to 'music
as hard as the world we live in.' It wasn't only the untrained ears that
realized it couldn't get much heavier. The peak reached its max very soon,
and musicians found themselves at a dead end from which there was only
one way out: going soft. Metaphorically, that is.
"As so often happens, it took Japanese help to crank it up some more.
But even though the spirit of Throbbing Gristle, as well as their formal
legacy, carried on in Japan and spawned the so-called 'Japan Noise' genre
(ironically enough, the biggest difference between original industrial
and Japan Noise are those very names), the western European definition
of Industrial opened up to become more accessible, listenable, and later
even danceable. Bands like Current 93, Coil, or Psychic TV took it to
a spiritual level and made the music part of magick rituals while others
discovered a
86 *J- THE GOTH BJBLE
different kind of heaviness involving distorted beats. Like Esplendor
Ge-ometrico from Spain, whose rhythmic noise loops and monotonous beats
are reminiscent of the sound of heavy machinery and influenced Dirk Ivens
(singer of the Belgian minimal electronic pioneers the Klinik) to create
Dive and later Sonar. Both are still some of the biggest names in modern-day
Industrial, which meanwhile has almost lost all of its artsy aspect and
become credible dance music with an attitude, or Power Noise. When Techno
came along and reanimated the DIY spirit of Punk with new, cheap technology,
Industrial in a way also became what Punk could never be—a vivid
antithesis to pop that keeps changing its face fast. New influences show
up, new subgenres clip off and form something new again, and even after
twenty-five years it all happens unseen by the public eye. And once a
year they all gather at the Maschinenfest in Aachen, Germany, which can
be seen as the ongoing 'annual report' (as Throbbing Gristle's first album
was named) of the Industrial movement. For three days and nights in a
smoky bomb shelter, Industrial people from all over the world come together
to see and hear the status quo of present day Industrial, ranging from
ritual-style ambience to heavy power electronics, and all that lies between.
Submitting themselves to the next generation shock tactics, finding out
they are actually alive, remembering to party, and to dance. It's a hard
world, you know."
One other country that has made exceptional contributions to goth music
is the United States. Joshua Gunn is a goth lover, and he is also professor
of communication studies at Louisiana University. For many years he has
run a site that discusses goth music. He is also author of the article
"Dark Admissions: Gothic Subculture and the Ambivalence of Misogyny
and Resistance" in the academic book Goth: Undead Subculture, edited
by Michael Bibby and Lauren Goddlad (Duke University, 2002). And he has
published several provocative academic papers on goth music, including
"Marilyn Manson Is Not Goth: Memorial Struggle and the Rhetoric of
Subcultural Identity." This is how he sees the evolution of goth
music in the US:
"The trouble with genres, especially music genres, is that they are
labels that only make sense in retrospect, often a long time after a particular
kind of music has expanded to include sounds and styles its label fails
to include. This is the case, of course, with 'gothic' music. During the
formative heyday of gothic music in Europe and the United States, it was
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OFTHEftlACABREiinTHEBEGinniriG
called—rather unimaginatively—'Postpunk.' To many, Postpunk
referred to the abandon of political posturing in addition to the more
melodic turn in sound. Postpunk music replaced a rage directed against
the outside world with a lyrical introspection that bears some similarity
to the psychological focus of Gothic literature. The ephemeral nature
of music rags and fanzines is the reason why no one really knows how this
music, originally typified by eerie guitar effects, strong bass lines,
and morbid lyrics, came to be called 'gothic.' (Some fans maintain the
label was first deployed in print by NME [New Music Express], who borrowed
the term from one Siouxsie Sioux while she was describing her band's sound.)
Yet the music's lyrical preoccupation with love and death and the deliberate
'spooky' theatrics of many Postpunk bands are the most likely reasons
for why the label 'gothic' stuck.
"Although the history of gothic music is usually told with numerous
references to the UK scene in the early 1980s (Bauhaus, the Batcave, and
so on), musical artists in the United States unquestionably contributed
to gothic music and gothic aesthetics long before the release of 'Bela
Lugosi's Dead' in 1979. Arguably, the first 'goth' was Screaming Jay Hawkins,
an R&B artist from Ohio most known for his 1956 ditty 'I Put a Spell
on You,' in which he obsesses about a lover in drunken howls and moans.
The huge underground success of Hawkins's single in the US led him to
adopt the onstage voodoo chic for which he is most known. Hawkins's spooky
theatrics did not emerge again until the mid- to late sixties with bands
like the hearse-riding Tombstones from Canada, mostly as a part of the
mainstream whitewashing of R&B music. Indeed, one element that is
frequently absent from discussions of gothic music is its reliance on
musical elements that originated with people of African descent (e.g.,
the reggae bass lines of Bauhaus's albums).
"As with rock music in general, many sounds often identified as part
of the gothic music repertoire have their origins in the United States.
The 'acid rock' and 'art rock' genres of the late sixties and early seventies,
in particular, introduced a number of somber songs that we might label
'pre-goth.' Jefferson Airplane, for example, experimented with gloomy
melodies and chilling lyrics in a number of their songs, such as 1967's
'White Rabbit,' a popular cover among gothic bands. The Velvet Underground,
however, are likely the most significant precursor to the emergence of
gothic music in the West, despite the fact that the band was
The f Section on Marilyn Manson
"I like 'Coma White,' because it's an
accurate description of the reasoning
behind much drug use in younger years.
He seems fairly intelligent. But his
capitalizing on something that was
meant to remain underground and
sometimes scorns its own capitalization
was rather a slap in the face to a lot of
goths. When I first heard him, I thought
he was a poseur, and a terrible musician.
I still feel that way."
angel "I respect him as a businessman.
He is very intelligent and articulate.
Some of his music is good. His live
shows are amazing to watch, very
theatrical."
biogotb "I rather liked the first couple
of MM albums, but after that it got silly
and self-indulgent. Honestly, I think
they're kind of irrelevant these days."
"I can't
stand his followers. He knows how to make money. But he's not goth, and
bastardizes the goth look for shock value. It hurts the goth scene, because
now we have all these kids in MM T-shirts and white face paint claiming
to be goth and
88
THE GOTH BlBLE
short-lived and only released a meager four albums before their breakup
(a career path that would be repeated by Bauhaus a decade later). The
band's first album, The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967; it's the one
that features Warhol's cheeky, obviously phallic, banana on the cover),
contains a remarkable number of influential songs that proved to be many
years before their time: with John Gale's eerie viola, Lou Reed's monotonous
drones, and Nico's mysterious moans, songs like 'All Tomorrow's Parties,'
'Venus in Furs,' and 'The Black Angel's Death Song' showed a much darker
brand of songcraft that would inspire the Postpunk and so-called New Wave
movements in the late 1970s.
"Despite these important American influences, gothic music is unquestionably
a British import, however much we might claim it is repackaged. One part
Hawkins and Lou Reed, one part New Wave (as Punk was originally dubbed
in the US), one part British Punk, and one part Glam Rock (especially
David Bowie), American goth began to take hold in two different sorts
of venues: punk clubs and disco clubs. The music did develop in the US
in ways that are stylistically distinct from what we might call 'Eu-rogoth.'
On the East Coast, the darker Punk of bands like the Ramones would become
associated with gothic subculture and inspire even darker punk bands in
Europe such as the Damned. It was the tongue-in-cheek 'ghoul rock' or
'Deathrock' movement in San Francisco and Los Angeles, however, that marks
a uniquely American version of goth. In the early eighties, bands like
T.S.O.L., 45 Grave, and the more musically limited Misfits (actually from
Lodi, New Jersey, but frequently lumped into the Deathrock subgenre),
mixed gloomy chords, gothic topics, horror-show theatrics, and, for some,
rockabilly riffs, carving out a sound and aesthetic that gave goth a comic-book
spin. Combined with the more serious-minded California Deathrock acts
like Kommunity FK, the California scene created the kind of supportive
culture that sustained and nurtured the most influential American goth
band to date: Christian Death.
"Formed by the late Rozz Williams in Los Angeles in the early 1980s,
Christian Death started as a morbid punk band and evolved into a distinctly
unique enterprise (currently managed by the very hairy and sex-obsessed
guitarist Valor, to the chagrin of many early waifified and twinkified
Christian Death fans). Lyrically, a preoccupation with religious themes
gave the band a thematic focus beyond the mere 'doom and gloom' of other
Deathrock and goth acts in the 1980s. Williams and a re-
making the majority of people think what they're about is goth."
"Manson is a genius at
manipulating the media. Writes some
good songs, does a fine stage show.
Had he not attained the success he
enjoys, he would be much more popular
in the goth scene."
•»!*
Johnny Jornulfcebyto "I can't
stand his followers. He knows how to
make money. But he's not goth, and
bastardizes the goth look for shock
value. It hurts the goth scene, because
now we have all these kids in MM T-shirts and white face paint claiming
to
be goth and making the majority of people think what they're about is
goth."
KAtroonun "His public image is very silly, but I like it, and I do
like his songs and videos. Interviews reveal him to be an intelligent,
well-spoken showman, making a clear distinction between his public image
and real life. However, if I knew a thirteen-year-old was listening to
his music, I'd explain that Manson's fantasy is not how you should actually
live your life; life really isn't about shocking people all the time."
HisibUc "No one who entered the goth
scene before 1990 will identify this band
as goth, guaranteed."
89
(TlUSiC OF THE [tlACABRE: in THE BEGlnnlnG
volving number of contributors developed unique musical arrangements and
experimented with spoken word, giving their music a kind of artsy (if
not playfully pretentious) feel lacking among their Deathrock cohorts.
Blasphemy and obscenity soon became the choice aesthetic of the band,
which helped to increase their popularity among the gothic faithful in
the United States and Europe. After the demise of their popularity, similar
sounds and arrangements would be explored and furthered on small record
labels, principal among them Cleopatra, which has helped to keep a number
of Deathrock bands on vinyl and which continues to promote newer, electronic
innovations in goth (e.g., Switchblade Symphony, Rosetta Stone), and the
now defunct Tess Records, a label that promoted more European-sounding
gothic bands. Tess bands like Faith and the Muse, This Ascension, and
Autumn dropped the obscenity and blasphemy in favor of the more 'ethereal,'
Romantic stylings becoming popular in Europe. (The back catalog has since
been picked up by the Metropolis label, which is most known for its EBM
[electronic body music] and Industrial acts).
"From the 1990s to the present, US gothic music has continued to
evolve newer sounds. Although Deathrock remains an important subgenre,
the second most influential musical development stateside is Darkwave,
an expansion of the rather limited gothic repertoire into electronica
and, in a way, the US answer to the 'ethereal' subgenre that developed
in Europe (e.g., Dead Can Dance). Anchored by Sam Rosenthal's now New
York—based record label, Projekt, Darkwave music is less rock and
more roll, supporting bands who tend to emphasize folk songcraft, hushed
vocals, ambient experimentation, and synthesized sounds more akin to the
brief 'shoegaze' moment in alternative rock than the punk styles of early
gothic music. Significantly, whereas Deathrock is largely centered on
male vocals (45 Grave being an important exception), women have a much
larger role in Darkwave and ethereal goth music. Projekt bands like Love
Spirals Downward and Lycia are among the most popular of this subgenre.
"Of course, this brief chronicle would not be complete without mentioning
those acts that some consider goth 'crossovers,' particularly Nine Inch
Nails and Marilyn Manson. Most goths would consider Nine Inch Nails 'Industrial
rock,' and Marilyn Manson 'heavy metal.' In part, denying Marilyn Manson
and Trent Reznor the goth label has to do with the absence of key 'gothic'
sounds (eerie guitar effects, bass high in the mix,
t).\M.\ "I can see why he appeals to
younger people, but I don't listen to his
music myself. I find it rather sad that
the prevailing social conditions and
moral climate in the US has forced
Manson to adopt a 'pantomime bad guy'
persona that I feel is beneath his obvious
intelligence. All the same, I admire him
for taking on the Moral Majority."
"I remember when he
was just geeky Brian and hanging
around Orlando clubs. I think he is a
walking gimmick. Nothing against him or
his fans, I just don't care for his stuff."
ReytuU>o "Who says Manson is a
goth band? I thought he simply made
cool alternative music."
Qoist "I like his music a lot and what
he says in his lyrics, but I think he's
exploiting the goth aesthetic to make
money, which is kinda ironic considering
the aesthetic is art-not money-driven."
tbysscn "He is a hypocrite, a guy
who uses ideas and the creations of
musicians from more than twenty years
ago, repackages them and sells them as
something new. Manson is crap."
Zcrstoerte "I like his music, and I think he's a brilliant media
whore, but
overall he really is a twit. He's done
more to bring negative attention to the
gothic community than made it more
acceptable. The inflated ego isn't very
attractive either."
90
THE GOTH BlBLE
and so on). But denying these acts the label is also an attempt to resist
the mainstreaming of 'goth' by goth fans. Although recent NIN material
is thematically and musically Darkwave (e.g., 1999's The Fragile), Reznor's
past musical history continues to place him in the Industrial rock or
Industrial dance category. And despite his use of gothic aesthetics and
lyrical themes—especially the blasphemy shtick more intelligently
explored by Christian Death—Manson is doggedly denied gothic status
by goths because of what is perceived as a kind of stylistic and aesthetic
theft. For many goths, Manson's failure to produce anything other than
heavy metal, Industrial rock, or glam rock means he has stolen a gothic
look and aesthetic without promoting the gothic musical tradition, an
unforgivable sin for the gothic faithful."
When it comes to Marilyn Manson, The f Section—and likely most goths—are
completely split down the middle. No other musician seems to evoke such
extreme emotion. Feelings about Manson are intense, and many of The f
Section hold both positive and negative feelings.
What does Manson think of goth? He tells us in his autobiography, The
Long Hard Road Out of Hell.
origins of the species
Six goth bands discuss what it's like to be a goth band. These are the
boiz and gurrls in the trenches, recording the CDs and the music videos,
performing the shows, creating the music goths love to listen and dance
to.
Bella Morte: "Gopal and I [Andy Deane] started the band because we
were pretty much the only goth kids in town. We needed a creative outlet
and happened to have a few broken amps and a drum machine lying around.
We've been around for over five years now, though we didn't get very serious
until a couple of years ago. When we started I was playing guitar and
singing, but we decided that having a guitarist would free me up on vocals.
We brought in a Punk named Frizzle who stuck around for better than a
year before leaving to form his own Oi! band. Then we brought in bn to
cover guitar and he stuck around for a couple of years before leaving
to start a family. Our latest guitarist is Tony Lechmanski, and it looks
like he's going to be here for a long time. Now we need to find a drummer."
BELLA MORTE:www.bellamorte.com
Charlottesville, VA
Band Members: Andy Deane, Gopal
Metro, Tony Lechmanski
Releases: Remains; Where Shadows Lie
Style: old school goth, deathrock,
darkwave, synthpop
Selected discs and videography:
• Remains
• Where Shadows lie
• The Quiet
FEAR CULT: www.fearcult.com
Hollywood, CA
Members: Matt Riser, Van Shock, Secret
Sin, Nikki Star
Releases: A Bouquet of Songs; Your
Darkest Romance; Drop Dead (EP);
various compilations
Style: gothic-visual-cyber-death-rock
Selected discs and videography:
• A Bouquet of Songs
• Your Darkest Romance
• Drop Dead
• She Loves Me Not
• Visionary Complex
91
OF THE PTlACABRE: In THE
Fear Cult: "The band was started by me [Matt Riser] some ten years
ago in Arizona. I've always been involved in some form of artistic expression,
and this was just another way to present my art. I've never thought of
myself as a musician; it has always been purely art to me. Why I feel
the need to create things such as Fear Cult is a mystery to me, and I've
stopped even trying to figure it out, I just do what I'm compelled to
do, and I'll let the rest of the world try to decipher the reasoning for
it. There have been numerous incarnations and changes throughout the history
of Fear Cult. First of all, it started out as a solo project, and over
the years has slowly grown into a fullblown performing band. Various members
have come and gone, and the sound has changed and evolved quite a bit.
But for the most part the same ideas and philosophies of the original
concept are all still alive. And samples and synthesized sounds have always
been present."
Masochistic Religion: "I [Mitchell D. Krol] was playing in a punk
band in the late eighties, and found the Punk thing to be a bit confining
and wanted to do something else. I was doing a lot of drugs, getting heavily
into the S&M scene, and spending a lot of time with my friend Malissa
X. One dark and stormy night I played her some of my music, and it really
turned her on. Next thing I knew, we were having heavy sex, and doing
music! I mean, it really worked! So we came up with this concept of a
Masochistic Religion, a sort of dark S&M theater thing done to music.
All the lyrics were about sex, death, religion, pleasure, and pain, and
the show was heavy, real, and probably illegal, but we didn't care; we
were young, stoned, and horny, and there was nothing like it out there.
It went on like that for a while, until I lost Malissa, and changed the
concept a bit. Our first release was in 1988, a tape called Cosmic Dancer;
that was after Malissa split, and Andy Yue joined the band, but we were
around before that. I've been in the band since the beginning, but with
every incarnation it evolved, and continues to evolve. After Malissa,
I straightened up for a while, and the music became a bit more rock 'n'
roll. I've heard it called our Velvet Underground period, but I thought
we were just noisy. We recorded a pile of music then, and were playing
all the time, famous for smashing our instruments and destroying clubs."
Sera de Morte: "I am an artist who performs and makes CDs to share
my music. This is a profession. . . . It's what I do. I started on mp3.com
with
MASOCHISTIC RELIGION:
www.masochisticreligion.co.uk Montreal, Quebec, CANADA Members: Mitchell
D. Krol, Mopa Dean, D'errol Flynn, Julie Seddon Paris, Martine Matthews,
Harry Simpson Releases: Sonic Revolution-Evolve;., .and from this broken
cross... our misery...; The Litanies of Satan; limited editions: Bum in
Hell; Prelude to the Apocalypse; In Noctun Concilliam (with Annahav);
The Raven & others; In a Nightmare without Cease; The Piano Style:
Deep goth, scary goth, cerebral goth Selected discs and videography:
• THE VAMPIRE
• The Litanies of Satan
• The Piano
• The Raven and others...
• And from this broken cross our misery
• Sonic Revolution-Evolve
• Burn in Hell
92
THE GOTH BJBLE
Stiffff Kitties. Very popular with the goth mp3 crowd. As I was the sole
writer and producer of Stiffff Kitties, I'm taking it solo now."
SEVEN 13: "It was in the summer of 1997 that I [Amanda Adams] began
seeking out individuals to help bring my compositions to the life that
they so desperately cried out for at the time. I began working with a
gentleman by the name of Teisan Russell. He collaborated on several of
the pieces. The first name of the band was actually Coven 13. It was in
2000 that we decided to change the name to SEVEN 13. We believe the name
represents the balance and unity present within our music."
Umbra et Imago: "Umbra et Imago were founded in 1991 by me [Mozart]
and from the very beginning had a concept of mystic, erotic S&M-oriented
music with strong visual elements. There were several changes in the lineup.
The first two albums were of a much more electronic nature. After the
second album came a dramatic change when all the other original members—Michael
Gillian, Nailz, Torsten B.—left. I relaunched the band in 1995 and
Lutz Demmler joined me as songwriter. Nowadays he is also producing the
band. The current lineup has been stable for about four years now."
pUying polyphony
Bella Morte: "My first record was a live KISS album! And you know,
I still love that stuff. . . just never could get it out of my system.
My introduction to underground music came by way of metal and Punk, with
goth following a few years behind. As for training, I studied opera for
about five years."
Fear Cult: "When I was three, my older brother and I were given lessons
on the violin. I have only vague memories of this, mostly consisting of
someone placing my fingers in the appropriate spots on the instrument.
I can also recall myself standing in my living room screeching out something
that resembled 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.' Years after that my mom
forced me to take piano lessons, which I absolutely hated, and pretty
much blew off."
Sera de Morte: www.stiffffkitties.com/ Yourtown, USA Members: Sera de
Morte Releases: Choose Style: gothic attitude with Industrial/dance beat
Selected discs and videography:
• Witches Dance
• Mya's Book of the Dead
SEVEN 13: www.seven13band.com
Boston, MA
Members: Amanda Adams,
Lauren Doucette, Kenneth Michaels,
Brian Verrochi
Releases: Book of Shadows; Unleashed
Style: Melodic, progressive,
darkwave rock
Selected discs and videography:
• Unleashed
• DRINK
• Book of Shadows
93
OF THE mACABRE: in THE BEGinnirlG
Masochistic Religion: "I started with violin and contrabass in school,
and at the age of thirteen discovered the guitar while on acid at a party
somewhere. Since then, I am self-taught on cello, piano, bass, and various
stringed and percussion instruments, and of course now the computer. When
I first picked up the guitar, theory didn't interest me. I listened to
rock and roll, and wanted to play rock 'n' roll—why bother with
books or lessons? I picked up the theory thing later. My father was a
bit of a beatnik, and my mother into jazz and blues. There was always
music playing in the house, often scary music, and when I went out, I
had a radio glued to my ear."
Sera de Morte: "Piano since three years of age and a B.A. in music
performance."
SEVEN 13: "My musical background started very early in life at the
age of four. My mother decided to teach me the keyboard scales on her
accordion. Yes, accordion. She laid it sideways on her lap and began teaching
me. I graduated to a piano and started lessons immediately."
Umbra et Imago: "I am an autodidactic learner. In '93 I ran a small
place called Spirit Cafe near Karlsruhe and a small label, Spirit Records.
My band before Umbra was Electric Avantgarde, and we wore Rococo clothing.
Now I am also involved in the management of the goth club in Karlsruhe,
Kulturruine, where Twilight Studio, the studio I have with Lutz, is also
based. It's a perfect home base for a band. I never studied music, and
I have no classical background. Lutz and I have our own kind of language
when we are in the studio. In the last years I have also produced a lot
of newcomer bands, most of which are Goth Rock or Medieval Rock."
souno philosophy
Bella Morte: "I wouldn't say that we have one defining philosophy.
We have quite a few different themes running through what we create. We
tell lots of stories about ghosts and zombies, for example. We try not
to mention anything that would pinpoint a specific time in history as
well, which gives the songs a kind of timeless feel. And while there are
a lot of mellow goth acts and a lot of Deathrock acts, few tend to cover
as much territory in the scene as we do. We love our diversity of sound."
Umbra et Imago:
www.umbraetimago.de
Karlsruhe, GERMANY
Members: Mozart, Lutz Oemmler, Freddy
Stiirze, Migge Schwarz, Lisa and Nadia
Releases: Traume, Sex und'Tod; Infantile
Spiele; Gedanken eines Vampirs; Mystica
Sexualis; Hard Years; Machina Mundi;
Mea Culpa; Ounkle Energie; Die Welt
Brunnt; Die Hand Gottes; Speichel und
Blut; Ein dunkler Traum
Style: Gothic-metal
Selected discs and videography:
• Dunkle Energie
• Mea Culpa
• Traume, Sex und Tod
• Infantile Spiele
• Gedanken eines Vampirs
94 *J*
THE GOTH BIBLE
Fear Cult: "The main philosophy of Fear Cult is the age-old idea
of doing what you want when you want without letting other people stop
you."
Masochistic Religion: "Our philosophy? Sex & drugs & rock
'n' roll. Reality sucks, make your own reality. The band members have
always just followed their hearts. It just worked for us. I guess you
could say we follow the nineteenth century ideal, the Baudelaire concept
of beauty in decay, poetry in sadness. Or Poe, he had it down. They both
died poor. Music is like any other art form, any composition, it has a
beginning, a middle, and an end. It just depends what colors you use to
paint it. What words you use to say it. And always remember: it can have
quite an impact, good or bad. We write the songs that make the whole world
sing ..."
Sera de Morte: "The need to be heard and recognized is universal.
Maybe by my efforts with a major label release, I can open the door for
goth to be heard by a more diverse audience. People want this, and no
one has given the goth community, my family, any real major push in society
. . . but we're here."
SEVEN 13: "We believe that music can, does, and will effect change.
We do our best at every show. We never feel that one show is more important
than any other. Music is our art, our fortitude, and being given the opportunity
to share it with our fans is the best reward."
Umbra et Imago: "One thing Freud discovered that really struck us:
Everything in our lives is about sexuality. S&M culture is the most
intellectual way to cultivate sexuality by adult role-playing games. Nietzsche
said that there are just some people beyond color bars, operating at a
different speed. They don't have that sense of being cattle, and they
drop out of their role and become outcasts. As such they will be crushed
to death by the masses, or they can become outstanding personalities,
especially in the arts. Religion in itself, in our eyes, contains a strong
intolerance, even fascist elements, which keep leading to bloody orgies
in which human beings are ideologically oppressed. God doesn't need any
hypocritical religion. All those elements are things that every thinking
person should be able to make up their mind about; if you want to call
that philosophy, please do so. We call it healthy common sense! There
is a certain quality to gothic people,
95
OF THE rtlACABRE: itl THE BEGmninG
I
their way of questioning in depth, not believing everything they're being
told, defining themselves by certain characteristics and appearance, in
a way casting themselves out. They also develop some kind of more intellectual
sexuality that is feared and loathed by society just as much as the goth
scene itself. Umbra et Imago has been a driving force in that development,
at least in that this form of sexuality is taken for granted within the
scene."
the good, the tuft, the unbearable
Bella Morte: "The best parts? The shows of course, and meeting the
fans afterwards. As for negative, I'd have to say that getting to California
and finding that we only had thirty dollars between us was a little scary,
but really, not too much bad stuff has come our way."
Fear Cult: "The creation process is the most rewarding and positive.
It's that moment when you hear the finished recording of a song that you
can't even believe you yourself wrote. I don't think there is anything
more rewarding than creating something beautiful. I think the most negative
experiences come with all the "business" and "politics"
that are involved with a band. Sometimes it becomes really hard to keep
everyone happy and excited during the down times. There is pressure from
within the band, as well as from the Label and even the fans. Also there
is just a lot of work that needs to be done like photo shoots, press releases,
Web site updates and things like that which are really not related to
the art of creating songs and are often rather boring and tedious. It
often feels like you spend 95 percent of your time doing these kind of
things and only 5 percent actually having fun as a band. Ultimately you
are doing something that most people in the world only dream about. You
are on stage performing, and traveling, meeting and becoming associated
with some of the most interesting people on the planet. And on the flip
side it's a ton of work. You tend to miss out on a lot of things due to
a recording schedule or rehearsal schedule. While everyone else is out
in the club having fun, you are backstage getting ready for a show. But
I think it all evens out in the end."
Masochistic Religion: "Being on tour playing shows and seeing the
world rocks. The worst part? Being in a tour bus. Or dealing with record
96
THE GOTH BiBLE
companies. I've had my fair share of insane fans, some harmless, some
not, but that's too creepy to get into. As for being in a band, anybody
from any band will tell you that This Is Spinal Tap is closer to reality
then we would like to admit! The first time we used pyro onstage, D'errol
was controlling the blasts, but he missed his cue, and lucky me was standing
in the middle of a twelve-foot column of flame. Apparently it looked incredible
to the audience, and just as I was catching my breath, he did it again!
Fooooffff! Look, it's a flamin' goth! I don't know how, but I didn't catch
on fire, even though I had very flammable hair that day. Needless to say,
I built a foot controller for our pyro after that, and control it myself
now. It's weird, when you create a piece of music, and release it upon
the world, you no longer own it. It has a life of its own, making its
own relationships, hurting, or enlightening others, changing lives, whatever.
Then, when you see it again, it's as if it grew up on its own, and has
its own stories to tell. ... I grew up in Masochistic Religion, and I'm
almost an adult now."
Sera de Morte: "Well, the positive is I met my current producer,
Kim Morrissey. I've learned so much about music and the record business
from Kim. Negative? I did a show in a bar in Florida. The crowd was great,
but the sound, promo, even getting paid, from a packed house, was a nightmare."
SEVEN 13: "Every show that SEVEN 13 puts on is described as a 'journey
through life.' We take the audience through many emotions such as love,
hate, lust, jealousy, joy, and wonderment. Because of our unique presentation,
we have received wonderful drawings that one fan made for each song after
seeing our show. That was truly a gift."
Umbra fit Imago: "Being able to express and share my feelings this
way is the best part. Having to make compromises when you're really into
something sucks. I think some really scary experiences can occur with
some fans who have totally lost themselves and look up to you as some
kind of god. They see everything in you that they are craving but can
never reach because they've already lost themselves. There is no way to
communicate with them, and I can tell you it's not so easy to deal with.
But there are also a lot of positive experiences that come with working
with the band. ... Extreme
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