Greetings and Dark Salutations!

I’d like to apologize for my lack of new material lately.  After a year of  sending out resumes and interviewing, i was offered a job near Raleigh, NC.   It came rather suddenly, and the past few weeks have been very hectic.   I will be moving this week.   The Eccentrik festival was fabulous, and I give a very heartfelt ‘hats off’ to DJ Mouse and crew. This was a wonderful event that reminded me of the old days, with both camaraderie and the quality of the event.  I was fortunate enough to see The Ghost’s Project; NIcki Jaine; JIll Tracey; and more. An event review and cD reviews will be forthcoming as soon as I get settled in somewhat in NC.  I will also be working on out backlog of interviews and CD reviews.

We experienced a long hiatus of about a year, so it is truly good to be back online. We lost our webmaster due to a serious medical condition, and I didn’t have the tech skills to keep everything up. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who followed us to our temporary site and gave us their moral support, especially Lucas Lanthier, Karlheinz, and the bands who graciously interviewed with us and sent materials for review. Most of all, though, I’d like to thank our readers. My deepest appreciation and thanks goes to DJ Delicti. Without his help this new incarnation of Midnight Calling would not be possible. DJ Delicti embodies the principles of community that the Goth/Deathrock scene was always really about.

We have uploaded the recent interviews and reviews from our temp site, and in commemoration of the past FIVE YEARS OF MIDNIGHT CALLING EZINE, I have pulled some of the great interviews and articles from our first two issues in 2003 and included them here as well. We have some fantastic interviews and reviews in the works, so check back often. We attended the Heavy Rebel Weekender in Winston-Salem, NC, and the 13th Annual South Florida Tatto Expo. We look forward to the Ecentrik Festival in October, hosted by the indefatigable and talented DJ Mouse and co.

I hope everyone enjoys the reviews, interviews, and articles!

“It’s all about the music!”

Deepest and Darkest Regards,

Aiden

Mauerbercher is a music collective headed by Rane Knudsen. Characterized as medieval/electro/world, Knudsen’s music encompasses world music, neo-folk, and neo-medieval, all of which are represented on “Wilderness”, and more. Whenever I see the term “neo-medieval”, I have feelings of intense trepidation, bordering on impending doom. With Mauerbercher, this was thankfully unwarranted.

“The Heel of Winter” has a Middle Eastern sound, with synth drones that (surprisingly for me to say) do not detract. “Daz Die Milton” has a spooky horror-movie intro, that turns into a medieval epic, with spoken lyrics and plodding percussion that lends a sense of foreboding. “Nerve Candy” is an electro piece with a harpsichord-ish sound reminiscent of folk hymns or even holiday music. “The Holy Sepulcher” is another somewhat Middle Eastern sounding track, with both traditional instruments and electronics. “Helas Medame” written by Henry VIII is next, with mostly traditional instruements and strong percussion that lends a dramatic air. “Coming to Rocamadour”, one of my favorites, is truly epic, and would not be out of place on a soundtrack. This is a perfect song for gearing up for the Renaissance Faire or sword practice. Play it loud. In the same vein, “Son ar’ Merc’hed” is another mix of electro and traditional instruments with a decidedly medieval feel. “Elfin glades” is a haunting, plaintive air, with harp dominating. “Wilderness” is dark and ambient, with a steadily mounting sense of suspense. “Eske Litle’s March” finishes the CD with another grand epic style, with military percussion, hurdy-gurdy, and other traditional instruments that invokes a medieval army on the march or arrayed for battle with standards waving. ‘Wilderness’ is a very atmospheric CD that is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys early music, particularly those who are not ready for the purely period pieces, or those who seek a bit of variety in their medieval musical fare. But you don’t have to be a fan of medieval music to enjoy Mauerbercher. It will lend an air of majesty to any musical collection.

www.myspace.com/mauerbrecher

http://www.fossildungeon.com/fossildungeon/

Niyaz calls their music a “21^st Century global trance tradition” and others have called them a “fusion of eastern and western musical styles”. Neither description really does this CD justice. Nine Heavens is a seamless blend of medieval Persian mystical and South Asian poetry and western rhythms and electronics. Azam Ali’s vocals are simply captivating, superbly complimented by the arrangements of Carmen Rizzo and Loga Ramin Torkian. Guest musicians include none other than Tony Levin of King Crimson. Traditional Middle Eastern instruments are finely balanced with electronics in a way that I would have deemed possible until listening to Nine Heavens. As a longtime fan of Medieval music, I have always been skeptical of attempts to merge Medieval poetry and melodies with modern instrumentation. There are some bands who manage to do this quite well, and whom I enjoy immensely, but generally speaking, they sound like…well…attempts to merge medieval music and the modern electronics. I will gravitate towards the more traditional sounding songs, and bear with the “dance” material.

But Niyaz have succeeded admirably in capturing the essence of ancient Sufi and Persian songs, while adding electronics and modern rhythms without diluting the effect in any way. Azam Ali’s haunting vocals weave amid the hypnotic percussion and electronic arrangements with traditional instruments, transporting the listener through the centuries and back again. As an added bonus, for those who prefer the music without electronics, a second “acoustic” CD is provided. I never thought I would say this, but I like the electronic versions as much as the acoustic ones. The acoustic CD does not have the same track order, which makes it seem almost like another album.

The CD begins with the irresistible “Beni Beni”, an 18^th century Turkish Sufi poem with strong percussion and lutes that is one of my favorite tracks. ‘Tamana” is an 18^th century Urdu poem that opens slowly, then glides into a raga bridged by atmospheric electronics. “Feraghi- Song of Exile” is an evocative lament that conjures epic spaces of both terra firma and the soul. “Ishq: Love and the Veil”, an 18^th century Urdu poem by Khwaja Mir Dard is eminently danceable, with a complex mixture of driving percussion, trance, and traditional instruments melded with Azam’s vocals. The very Middle Eastern sounding “Allah Mazare” is a traditional folk song from Khorassan with rich layers of vocals and instruments. “Iman” a lullaby written by Azam and Loga for their son, evokes a sense of longing and reflection, with sort of a New Age minimalism.

“Molk-E-Divan”, a song by 13^th century Persian mystic Amir Khosrau Dehlavi, has hypnotic rhythms and urgent vocals with traditional string instruments.  “Hejran”, a wonderful instrumental, is a veritable tapestry of percussion and strings.  “Sandrang” another poem by Amir Khosrau, finishes up the CD with Azam’s mesmerizing vocals backed by effective electronic drones, deep percussion, and strings.

“Nine Heavens” is truly a wonderful CD that will appeal to fans of World Music, Trance, Medieval music, and more.

http://www.niyazmusic.com/

The 13th Annual South Florida Tattoo Expo, held Aug 16-18 at the Deerfield Beach Hilton Aug 16-18 2008, featured over 80 tattoo artists, vendors, bands, suspension shows, and a car show. We attended the 11^th Annual expo and had a blast, so we were looking forward to the 13^th. However, unlike the show two years ago, our experience at this one was rather less than thrilling. When we arrived on Saturday night, parking was virtually non-existent. No one was directing traffic at all, and cars were lining the shoulders of the road as far as the eye could see. We found a space about a quarter of a mile away, and considered ourselves lucky.

There was a beautiful tiger on display outside the entrance, and we hoped he was just sleeping and not sedated. (Cats do sleep most of the day.) At the front door, no signs were in evidence pointing to the ticket booth. We later found that there was a sign taped to a pillar, but it was obscured by the mob congregating in the entrance. A large sign suspended from the ceiling, or at least high enough to be seen above the crowd, would have made things much easier. Nevertheless, the ticket staff and corridor monitors were very nice.

We wandered around, going from room to room to see the vendors.

There was a delightful monkey in the hallway, who was very sociable and a lot of fun to watch. We were greatly looking forward to seeing Slip and the Spinouts, South Florida’s best Rockabilly band. Looking for the band stage, we discovered it was outside by the pool area. The stage area was dark, cramped, and filled with chairs which had been jammed into a huge mass by the passing crowds. After all, this is South Florida in August, so it was humid and hot outside, more so by the stage since it was under cover and not conducive to catching the rare breeze. I do not think it was a good deal for the bands, either, who took a back seat to whatever exhibitions were going on by the pool. We finally found a couple of seats and sat down to wait for Slip and gang to perform.

There was a suspension act going on, and to the crowd’s horror the artist suddenly plummeted 12 feet, breaking a leg. Immediately the stage crew, roadies, or whatever they were shouted for people to move began pushing chairs away from the wall, apparently to allow EMS access to the accident scene. We immediately complied and moved away. A few minutes later, they yelled that the entire stage area had to be cleared. We tried to go out by the door by the stage, but it was blocked by staff, who waved us towards the pool. One of the staff yelled “We need everyone to move to the other side of the pool!” We dutifully tried to comply. First, we headed for an entrance door to the inside corridor, only to find it blocked from the inside by a mob of people. Staff were making no attempt to clear the blockage, so we moved to the left by the pool, knowing another door was there. Suddenly, one staff member, festooned with tattoos and bandanas, accosted us and yelled in our faces. “WE DIDN’T SAY MOVE TO THE SIDE! WE SAID GET BACK INTO THE CONVENTION CENTER! NOW! ”, he shouted. No, jerkwad, that’s not what you said. You said “move to the other side of the pool”. That’s what we were doing. If they had cleared the nearest entrance, we would have already been inside! Finally we got inside the inside corridor, and then staff began shouting for the corridor to be cleared of people. Since this was the central passageway linking ends of the show, mobs of people began surging towards opposite ends of the expo. Having enough, and being unwilling to wait for who-knew-how-long until the bands were playing again, we left. Upon leaving, the EMS vehicles were just pulling up.

However, they did not stop at the entrance to the hotel. They parked directly behind the pool and disembarked, so obviously there was an entranceway nearby. Why the interior corridors were cleared was beyond me.

We were very relieved to later learn that the suspension artist had been successfully hospitalized and is expected to recover. Our thoughts are with him. But we can only shudder at the thought of a dire emergency occurring such as a fire or catastrophic incident. Obviously, the staff were ill prepared. There appeared to be no central plan, and every person was shouting contradictory instructions. For the future, I recommend that all staff be trained in emergency procedures. Employees should be uniformed or clearly identifiable as security/event staff. Someone should be in charge of specific areas, and everyone should have a clear role in crowd control. Before screaming at people to leave, make sure the avenues are open so they can do so. Less shouting and more doing.

The Tattoo Expo was certainly raising money for a great cause, the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and we wish them well in the future. If it’s better organized next year, maybe we’ll check it out.  Otherwise, we’ll just send our check in the mail.

This (lengthy) article is in response to Douglas Haddow’s article, “Hipster Culture: The Dead End of Western Civilization,” which can be found here:

http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

Hats off to Douglas Haddow.  His recent article on hipster culture pretty concisely sums up the reason why most people hate them.  Hipsters summarily piss all over everything that every subculture has hoped to achieve in the last 55 years, and it is a legitimate gripe.  However, what is more disturbing and less-known is how the shaping of hipster culture not only derides our past, but is rapidly accelerating its undoing.

Most of us know by now that hipster culture is strongly anti-subculture, sort of a “sit down and don’t be counted,” culture if you would.  It is amazingly simple in execution and its appeal: subcultures, especially old ones, are often quick to judge, and put exceptionally high barriers of entry towards acceptance.  To be fair, these old cultural warhorses have seen repeated attacks and piracy by the constantly stagnating music industry, and if not for these routine assaults, would probably not be as exclusionary as they are today.  However, be that as it may, some of these protective measures, however superfluous and irrational looking from the outside, have paid off.  If not for the visceral infighting that has paralyzed the goth scene in the past, we would find goth clubs full of freaks in Hot Topic gear dancing to tuned-down, terribly-played commercial rock today.  Other examples for other subcultures exist, and are plentiful.

(In)Security Blanket

However, it is this fear of rejection, or more so perceived fear of rejection, that has helped shape hipster culture to begin with.  Every crowd has its snob, and this dynamic has been molded into a stereotype that directs hipsters away from preexisting subcultures.  Combine this with tell-tale stories from hipsters being snubbed in their youth, and it solidifies it.  I have made several attempts in the past (and will in the future) to promote my night to this crowd, and the most common messages I get back are, “It’s not my thing,” “Goths are too snobby for me,” in addition to all sorts of sundry excuses as to why a bunch of people who love Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, The Chameleons UK, and The Jesus and Mary Chain would never show up to a night that plays these gratuitously.

The truth is that if you snuck into a club with a fake ID at 16, you probably did something embarrassing before the end of the night - even if it was a “top 40″ club.  However, in the world of socially-awkward arts kids, this experience of rejection is curiously amplified.  Add into the mix the sad reality that we live in a world obsessed with instant gratification, and no effort, perceived or otherwise, becomes worth it to a generation that is used to hundreds of TV channels and parental-approved rebellion just waiting to pander to them.  Hipster scenes are as welcoming as they are superficial; as long as you’re not passionate about music, you can party with them and pretend you’re passionate about music all night.  For the insecure, wanna-be music fan in an ADHD world, this must seem a little bit like heaven; no barriers, no commitment, just a wink and a nod and everyone ignores the irony staring them right in the face.

Ahh… but you ask, so why is this so detrimental to independent music?  Haven’t kids always done things that piss off previous generations?  I’ll get to that, but first a little bit of history:

The Cutting of Ties

In case you haven’t noticed, since their inception in the 70’s, college radio stations have been the last bastion of independent voices.  This has been explicitly by design, and for once we can thank the government for protecting our civil liberties - go ahead and do it, you won’t get too many other opportunities.  In the world of music, this has led to a natural progression.  College stations play independent music, the better of which is picked up by minor, independently-owned radio stations.  Eventually, through charting from the college stations and airplay by the independent stations, the majors pick and choose what independent artists will “break,” and offer them contracts.  Assuming the indy band actually wants to play with the majors, they then sign on board, sell music, tour, and in theory everyone makes money and lives happily ever after.  Of course, the truth is quite different, but this rouse has kept this cycle going for decades.

The first bump in this process was the introduction of SoundScan, and its popularity can be (somewhat infamously) be credited to Nirvana.  SoundScan tracks actual record sales and bills this, of course, as equally important to airplay and college radio charting.  Nirvana was SoundScan’s first major success, and the two were mutual powerhouses in the rise of grunge and genrefication of otherwise loosely-classified independent music.  We are still seeing the effects today; radio-friendly “metal” these days is nothing more than louder, angrier grunge, and everything new that comes out now already has a genre sticking off of it like a price tag.  You might find this hard to believe, but there was a time when this was not the status quo.

The second bump has been the buy-out of independently owned radio stations by media giants like Clear Channel Communications.  Thanks to the loosening of anti-trust laws with the music industry, corporate behemoths have been able to gobble up independent radio stations at an alarming rate.  SoundScan’s persistent dominance in the marketplace, which reduced the value of independent radio, has actually made many of these stations more than happy to be bought.

What this has left us with is college radio isolated and seemingly out of touch with the rest or radio.  With charting left as its only form of leverage, college radio has little to offer the music industry or the independent artists it supports.  While ultimately college radio is still better than nothing, it is not that much better, after being almost completely neutered by this two-prong assault.  This has forever changed the paradigm through which independent music gets out to the people who want it.  Already, independent labels have sensed this and started to slowly back away from college radio stations, and conversely, the major labels have been more than willing to fill the gap.  However, there is still hope for rapid proliferation and distribution of independent music, but it is a vacuum we must fill before the majors take advantage of that, too.

Squandering Our Last Chance

Right now the music war is at critical mass.  Whether you know it or not, the music industry and RIAA are pushing harder on Congress than ever to change the laws solely to their benefit.  With college radio on the disabled list, and independent radio stations largely gobbled up, one of the last bastions of independent media is web radio.  The RIAA has recently pushed through legislation to triple the royalty rates that were already preventing web radio from being a major player in the music industry.  The new rates may destroy the majority of web radio completely.

With these new rates, the obvious solution is no longer a solution at all.  Clearly, if web radio wants to promote independent music, why not just play independent music that the majors have no right to the royalties on?  One of the lesser-known clauses in the new legislation mandates that web radio pay royalties on all music, independent or not, to the RIAA, and then it is the responsibility of the artists to come to the RIAA for their payment.  This supersedes any deal for royalty-free music that web radio stations may have with independent labels.  The new bill is very clear: pay the majors royalties no matter what, and let them sort it out.  Under this burden, most independent outlets with limited budgets will be forced to close, and most independent artists won’t know how to get their royalties to begin with.  Purely speculation?  Ask the guys at WDOA radio what they think of the new rates - they’re already off the air.

This is where hipsters come in.  With their anti-scene culture, the traditional flags to rally around are being removed.  This makes organizing for independent art even harder.  Without genres to advertise with, web radio stations are left without valuable “keywords” and “marketing terms” to attract people to them.  Robbed of the semantics to help find and gain supporters, web radio faces an extreme uphill battle.

Worse still, as hipster culture isolates younger music fans from older ones, music knowledge is not passed down, or ignored.  I won’t get into details of obvious DJ requests I’ve made at hipster nights that have been greeted with blank stares, but I can say from personal experience that hipster culture is deliberately and necessarily a disorganized mass that is swallowing artsy types with the lure of style over substance.  The directionless music culture of the hipster scene explains the bizarre mixes found out their nights.  Why not play pop music back to back with 80’s underground, followed by hip-hop?  With no guiding force and no way reasonable way of acquiring desperately-needed music knowledge, hipsters are left to agree on whatever the DJ plays as the current incarnation of “cool;” doing otherwise requires the ability to take a stand, dissect a genre, and risk rejection - the avoidance of all of these is a hallmark of hipster culture.

It is important to note that hipster culture is highly commercial, and the same people who are selling youth culture to hipsters are the same people who stocked the shelves at Hot Topic, and the same people who used Nirvana to obliterate independent music in the early 90’s.  That is, of course, the major labels and the music industry.  If they can keep us separate and disorganized, then we have no voice and no way to win the fight.

Hipster culture is the majors’ latest assault on our last front, in a war that should be entirely winnable by either side.  With this door closing, we will be left with nothing but the same tired beat that drove the Ramones to put on leather jackets and play the music they wanted for people who wanted it.  Only this time, will there be anyone there to listen?

To find out how you can help, go to:

http://www.savenetradio.org/

Well now, here is something!  While the rest of the world is busy learning the steampunk aesthetic, the Unextraodinary Gentlemen stand out as one of the few bands not content to merely dress in worn-out Victorian garb, but actually make a sound of things.

5 Tales From God-Only-Knows starts off slowly but surely, with triangle strikes and travelling bass on Black Iron Road.  It gradually introduces violin, keys, and Malcom Shreeck’s full-bodied vocals.  We are immediately transformed to a melancholy, haunting world of Victoriana-dipped technology.  Locomotives, pox, and of course, black iron all make lyrical appearances, and tell us that this is not going to be another typical album in new outfits.

Next, Mr. Soot’s Little Black Book gets rolling with Shreeck shouting “gather round, gather round!” although we are already quite obliged to.  The tempo picks up, while the lyricism remains nostalgic and the musical elements stay intact.  No where else will you hear stories of old-time prostitution described with words like “strumpet,” or “trollops,” but I believe the Unextrodinary Gentlemen wouldn’t have it any other way.  Open Arms, Empty Air introduces more synths and conjures images of airships.  Airships, of course, are a quintessential steampunk theme, but indeed a welcome one here.

By the time we get to the slinky, dance-y Skeleton Comes to Town, we begin to appreciate the real excitement that is behind steampunk right now.  The Unextrordinary Gentlemen are not merely rehashing familiar fantasies, but creating entirely new ones.  Creativity, at last!  Harpischord, violin, and swing-inspired drumming is not what you may first think of when you think goth/deathrock, but that’s exactly the point.

While the album ends with the much more danceable Ants Under Glass, dancing is still clearly not the obsession, and the song retains its artistic edge.  5 Tales From God-Only-Knows tips the iceberg that is steampunk music, and is as unique as it is accessible.  If you have looked down your nose at steampunk in the past, I suggest you don a top hat and spectacles and learn to enjoy the view.  Then you should pick up this delightful little treat and get ready for what is next - if this is the beginning, we should all be so lucky as to see it through to the end.

www.unextraordinarygentlemen.com

www.myspace.com/unextraordinarygentlemen

Note:  You can catch the Unextraordinary Gentlemen alongside musical steampunk pioneer Vernian Process at this year’s Eccentrik Festival. The entire lineup is quite spectacular, and I suggest you check it out.

Hick’ry Hawkins tears up the stage!

Billie of the Bo-Stevens

The Bo-Stevens Rawk!

The Lords of the Highway:  Attack of the Killer Bass!

Samantha and Bunny

MC: What has GLBD been up to lately?

phillip: “Well, just recording but it is finally coming to an end and re-issue of the first CD will begin print next month with 3 new tracks that we are excited about. The release will follow up with a video, an official site, and tour. Plans for us are very big. 2009 should bring GLDB to world Goth community in a major way. We are very confident.”

MC: GLBD has a truly classic lineup: Reverb TV, Necrodolly, Stone 558! How did you get together?

phillip: “Reverb Tv and Necrodolly performed with Human Drama at the Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood many years back and we became friends…Stone 588 guitarist is friends with my bass player and we just hooked up on my ideas.”

MC: The foundation of your music is definitely from the “classic” Goth era. I think this is interesting because GLBD formed in 2004, when a lot of new Deathrock bands were emerging, but not a lot of people were drawing on, say, the Sister’s era. In certain quarters, people say that the classic Goth sound is “passé” , but I think bands like GLDB are living proof that this isn’t so. You show that it is indeed possible to built on the classic elements and synthesize them into a modern, relevant sound. After all, it was popular then because it was good music, and it’s still good music! What are your thoughts?

phillip: “Most definitely, my view is the same and was exactly the thought process going into the GLDB concept back in 2004. the classic elements have always been basic rhythms and melodies with not a whole lot going on…it gives room for less creativity (yes, I said less creativity) so you have to really focus on the hooks since there are usually only 8-16 tracks in a song as apposed to the new styles that probably level 24-40 tracks just to make a song. So, bass lines are very important for the mood and drum rhythms are basic and just keep the whole theme together (not much going on) guitars are very simple to keep the mood and all these simple elements allow me to focus on the lyrics and vocal tracks. So far, everyone seems to like the GLDB formula that has heard us.”

MC: Anyone who has read some of my tirades about electro may be surprised to hear that I see nothing inherently wrong with it, just the execution in some cases. Like many of the classic bands, GLBD shows that you can have electronic elements that enhance, and do not overpower the spirit of the music. Was this a conscious development of your music, or just how it evolved naturally?

phillip: “this was an actual conscious development as to not overpower anything and to just keep the mood and elements of classic Goth music. You can hear basic electronic ideas with not really much going on in the song “slim float” which is a real good example of this.”

MC: GLDB has balanced “dance” elements with the more atmospheric songs. I think this is the best of both worlds. A lot of bands seem to get obsessed with having an album full of dance floor hits, but I think this is unrealistic and sort of stifles the possibilities of an album. What do you think?

phillip: “Most definitely! The album feel and concept should always be the main focus for a band or artist unless you are a computer bedroom dj playing with software after school or work. There is nothing wrong with an all dance floor hit release of any kind, I personally love it! But bands and artists should stick to what an album should be about which is a concept…all the songs should flow together and the album should reflect a meaning. Dancing to songs off an album is just repercussions of good rhythm and melody in the songwriting.”

MC: How do you create your music? Do the songs evolve, or spring from single concepts?

phillip: “My favorite question! They are all single concepts. They are contrived from my own real experiences in the Goth world. Views that stem from dead girls and ex’s and being in and out of the clubs for many years. Some songs are just my own way of getting out my own pains and views on others like the song “shallow narrow” being a good example of this.”

MC: How can fans get your music?

phillip: “For now Myspace and Soundclick and download. But the real deal cd and itunes/rhapsody/amazonmp3 gig will be next month along with the official site and video and tour info.”

MC: I love the songs “Jane” and “Kristeen”. Are there any storied behind them?

phillip: “this will take a while…Kristeen is about someone I knew a long time ago that was very sad and i cant really talk about it unfortunately but I hope everyone gets there own interpretation from it.

The song Jane is about another girl I knew that was very sad and the lyrics speak for themselves. But mostly, I think many girls can relate who have been down the dark path, so to speak. I felt the need to write a song about it because i know a lot of sad dead girls. it was my way of saying I understand.”

MC: How has the internet worked for you, getting exposure and reaching fans? Do you think sites like Myspace and Soundclick enable bands to effectively bypass the traditional routs of signing with a record company, etc.?

phillip: “Well, I used to think that. The internet is very powerful but sometimes even if not for money, a reputable record company can save you a few years of beating the pavement and the internet waves.”

MC: What is in the future for GLDB? Are any tours planned?

phillip: “Most definitely! Touring in 2009 should have us at some of the famous festivals and we are looking for bookings at great venues with others and some headlining if the video helps us take off.”

MC: Is there anything else you’d like to add? Thanks so much for doing this interview!

phillip: “Of course! Just to thank everyone and yourself for the interest in GLDB and we plan to keep up what we are doing and look forward to new material and more albums and tours on into 2010-11 and we will go from there.”

http://www.myspace.com/girllovesdeadboys

Despite working on independent movie soundtracks and even a collaboration with Death In June’s Douglas P., Thomas Nöla et Son has remained one of the criminally neglected bands of this decade.  If you are not familiar with Thomas Nöla et Son Orchestre’s work, I recommend picking up their albums “So Long, Lale Andersen,” and “¡Vanity is a Sin!” immediately.  Yes, right now; it’s that good.

Thomas Nöla et Son usually combines experimental percussive elements with cello, occasional synths, and Thomas Nöla’s baritone croon in a foreboding but strangely inviting trip through ragtime, new wave, and other musical permutations.  From the samples of children laughing on “So Long, Lale Andersen” to songs like “Kinderbund” and “Children in the Fall,” there has always been a indelible presence of dystopian childhood Thomas Nöla’s works.

Here, he deviates musically, while diving even deeper into this landscape, and morbid tots everywhere can rejoice.  “Songs for Children, vol. 1″ is comprised completely of Nöla playing layers of Hammond Organ.  What we get is not the same organ of the Doors or the Animals, but rather an eerie, sinowey sound closer to what you may expect coming from the speakers at a haunted house.  When first receiving the album, I was entranced by song names like “Ice Cream Zeppelin,” “Twisted Ankle Theme,” and “Child Removal Claw.”  Impressively, these titles are entirely accurate and, as in the case of “Ice Cream Zepplin,” immediately bring to mind the image the title dictates.

“Songs for Children, vol. 1″ departs radically but sensibly away from Thomas Nöla et Son Orchestre’s previous work, and is definitely not for some one looking for a continuation of (or introduction to) their existing albums.  For Thomas Nöla’s fans, however, this album will likely not be a surprise.  If you’re enjoying the current small resurgence of minimal synth, or looking for dark ambient that doesn’t go on forever (most songs are less than three minutes), this is an album you absolutely must get.  At $4 for 8 songs,  you also have little excuse not to.

http://www.eskimofilms.com/

http://www.myspace.com/etsonorchestre

The Heavy Rebel Weekender 2008 was held in the fabulous Millennium Center in downtown Winston-Salem, NC. This was the 5^th consecutive HRW I have attended. Unlike some festivals, I enjoyed this one just as much as the first. Due to other commitments, we could only attend on Friday. Last year I had vowed to attend all three nights, but alas, this was not to be.

The parking garage where we usually park was closed, but a block away I easily found parking. The usual vintage cars lined the street, including several that we had not seen before. A very cool chopper with a coffin shaped gas tank was by the steps leading into the Millennium Center. The door staff was very pleasant, as usual, and we were inside the venue in no time. There was lots of room for the vendors, who sold a wide variety of interesting items from vintage clothes to full size concert posters and buttons. The official merchandise tables were moved into the vendor’s area, and a small cafeteria line was set up in the space they had occupied last year. There was a nice selection of food which was actually vegetarian friendly, and if we had realized this we would have arrived earlier without stopping for a meal before heading to the venue.

The first band we saw was Gojira X, who thrilled the crowd with their own brand of rock n roll. Downstairs, Hick’ry Hawkins was rawkin’ like a madman. To paraphrase David Allan Coe, “if that ain’t Rockabilly, you can kiss my a**”! In the jailhouse, the Motorpsychos added more than a touch of metal to their punkabilly, and there was a whole lotta thrashin’ goin’ on. We dashed upstairs and caught Los Rudos as they thoroughly stoked the crowd in the Underground on our way up, and succeeded in hitting the beach in time to see Reverend D-Day and the Shockers as their fiery sounds of salvation rent the night.

The Bo-Stevens were next, I parked myself right in front of the center stage, determined to have the best available vantage point. Richard recognized me, and even though their set was bout to begin, he was nice enough to walk over and shake my hand. The Bo-Stevens are as talented as they are friendly, and their show was simply awesome, even surpassing last year’s fine performance. Richard belted out the songs with abandon. Billie was a virtuoso on the bass. Mark kept up a frantic pace on the drums. Greg truly jammed on guitar, and Jeff picked on the mandolin and steel petal with the best of them. Putting the ‘tonk back in Honkey-Tonk with a vengeance, the Bo-Stevens belted out classics such as “Red Neck, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, and their own great material. I was thrilled to hear “Baby Got Gone”, my favorite song from their first CD, and songs from their new release as well.  Reluctantly leaving the main stage after the Bo-Stevens’ set, we saw the Crank County Daredevils in all their glory, but couldn’t get close because they were packing them in!

Meanwhile, I chatted with my brother, who said that Jimmy and the Teasers were a blast. Remembering their show last year, I hated to have missed them. The Lords of the Highway had the standing-room-only crowd worked into a frenzy. Sugar did things with the bass that had to be seen to be believed! The Lords were so rousing that a couple of people started moshing. What happened next is one of those things that exemplifies Heavy Rebel for me. In stark contrast to most Punk and Psychobilly shows, and even a Deathrock festival that I attended, the moshers were just having fun, and didn’t try to show how big and bad they were by attacking bystanders. The surrounding crowd good-naturedly kept the guys in their improvised pit, and when the song ended everyone turned back to the stage. The music was too good to miss! Afterwards, we wandered upstairs and caught the end of Dexter Romweber and the New Romans, as they jumped, jived, and wailed. We decompressed for a while, resting our feet and chatting with friends and strangers alike.

This is one of the things that makes the HRW so great. People are friendly and considerate. Even when the Underground was jam-packed, people left a path for people to get through. If someone wanted to get by you, they gave you a good-natured pat on the shoulder, with none of the shoving and belligerence that I’ve encountered at other events. A number of people stopped to compliment us on our outfits, which was very cool. No matter how you were dressed, either to the nines or casual, there was a sense of community. At HRW, I have never seen the fashion-show mentality and snobbery that characterizes other “scenes”. In much of the Goth scene, for example, if you don’t dress up people look down their noses at you, but if you dress to the hilt they squall that you are “elitist”. Go figure. (Maybe everyone should just go naked. No, wait…that’s’ the Fetish scene!) Anyway the point is that the Heavy Rebel Weekender has about the friendliest crowd of any event I’ve ever attended, and that alone is worth coming back for. The music is fun. There is none of the pretentiousness that I’ve seen in some bands who just take themselves far too seriously.  (You know, the kind of bands who stop talking to you because you don’t smooze with the ‘right’ crowd.) At Heavy Rebel, It’s not about who you are, who you know, or what you wear. It’s about the MUSIC, and the camaraderie of people who support it. That’s what ‘community’ is all about, and that’s the hallmark of The Heavy Rebel Weekender. We can’t wait for HRW ‘09!

http://www.heavyrebel.net/

http://www.myspace.com/heavyrebelweekender

A worthy successor to “Can’t Never Could”, “A Little More Road” features the current lineup with Billie Feather on the double bass. The Bo-Stevens explores their old-time country roots even further, with 14 great original songs. Ranging from rousing honky-tonk numbers like “Honky-tonk Saturday Night” and “I Need A Drink” to slower classic-country sounds of steel pedal guitar on ”I’m Over You” and “Stop”, the Bo-Stevens display their prolific talent that spans the entire range of Country music. But it doesn’t end there. The nearly Bluegrass-style harmonizing on “One More Town”; the haunting ballad “Lace”; and the Gospel-inspired “Companion” round out the CD even further. Billie and Richard alternate vocals on “Honky Tonk Woman”, while “Satisfied” has a bit of a more modern country touch. “A Little More Road” is a great CD, and fans of old country and honky-tonk should definitely have this in their collection. And, by the way, don’t miss the Bo-Stevens if you have the chance to see them in person!

http://www.myspace.com/thebostevens

Hick’ry Hawkins: Unleashed

After catching Hick’ry Hawkins live at The Heavy Rebel Weekender, I simply had to have this CD. Hawkins can throw down some of the most rawkin’ Country Honk you’ll ever hear. Nothing on CMT compares to this! “Unleashed” captures the energy of his shows, with 16 tracks and an interview WAMC radio. Songs like “Wildest Trailer” “Devil Train” and “Appetite” are meant to be played LOUD. The Fetish crowd will appreciate “Let Me Love You Til It Hurts”. “Goodnight John” is a tribute to one of my personal heroes, Johnny Cash. “My Name is Hick’ry Hawkin’s” is a well-deserved dig at Mr. Corporate Nashville. As for “Fireman of Love” and “Panty Song”….well, you need to hear them to appreciate them! Hawkins has a droll sense of humor that in no way detracts from the music, which not many people can successfully pull off. There are no fillers here. This is an awsome CD in the best of the DIY tradition.  I’ll never figure out why Hick’ry Hawkins has not been signed to a label. Screw ‘em. Hawkins might indeed be a little bit too strange, a lot like Morrissey, but he’s truly keeping the name of Johnny Cash alive. That’s a lot more than the “big” Country stars can say.

http://myspace.com/hickryhawkins

Carolina Rockabilly, Vol. 1

I stumbled across this Cd at the Heavy Rebel Weekender, and I was glad I did. This is a compilation featuring some of best Rockabilly bands of the Carolinas. There are tracks including a bonus cowpunk song. Some of my favorites are “”Put me in My Grave” by the Defilers; “My Kitten is Up a Tree” by The Tremors; and “Vegas Bound” by the Truckstop Preachers. But they are all great tracks. “Carolina Rockabilly” is indispensable for any Rockabilly fan.

www.rockstarincoprorated.com

Brian Setzer is one of the central figures of both the Rockabilly and Swing revivals. The Stray Cats brought Rockabilly into the modern mainstream; and the Brian Setzer Orchestra did much the same for Neo-Swing. As a fan of both genres, I awaited the new Brian Setzer CD with much anticipation. The cover of “13” is classic Setzer, with very Rockabilly inspired artwork. On the back, Setzer is featured mid-leap in a classic “Rock this Town” pose. The opening chords of Drugs and Alcohol (Bullet Holes)” were fraught with promise. But alas, that promise was to remain unfulfilled. You will find precious little of either Rockabilly or Swing on “13”. Most of the music is in the classic rock mold. For example, “Broken Down Piece of Junk” has guitar licks that remind me of Aerosmith. “Everybody’s up to Something” brings back shades of Rick Derringer. Oddly enough, “Bad, Bad, Girl (in a Bad, Bad, World)”, for me at least, has a hint of Devo. You get the picture. “Really Rockabilly” is a cynical, biting commentary of the commercialization of the Rockabilly scene. Maybe this explains Setzer’s departure from the genre, but this is nothing but mere speculation on my part. Sometimes the old Setzer does shine through. “Mini Bar Blues” might just be able to pass on a Swing Dance night. “When Hepcat Gets the Blues” has sort of a Swing/Hot Jazz feel that grows on the listener. “The Hennepin Avenue Bridge” has some charming ban, ukele and tuba, somewhat reminiscent of Leon Redbone. Fans of classic rock will enjoy this CD.  But if you are looking for the old Setzer style Rockabilly and Swing, you won’t find it here.

http://www.briansetzer.com/

Interview with Ming of Sleepmask

MC: Sleepmask certainly draws on a wealth of experience! What are some of the differences between the music scene on the east and west coasts that you guys have observed? How did you get together?

Ming: Well i did move to NYC originally to put something together on the sleepmask material, but i can’t say that i’m an authority on the scene out there.  But i can tell you a bit about the formation of the band.  i had written much of this music while still playing in a band in Los Angeles called Faculty x, but i began to notice the material was more melodic and the instrumentation was drifting from the danceable deathrock we were doing and a shoegaze influence was surfacing.  As i felt strongly that it was good material but needed a different feeling band to pull it off, i left for new york.   That proved to be a bit of a stretch for me.  i knew no one and had no connections there, all of my contacts were here in Los Angeles, so after 8 months or so of seeking players and some way to make money, i came back here to L.A. somewhat discouraged.
i had known our drummer Charlie Woodburn from playing a show with him when his band at the time opened for  Fac X.   We had done some recording together working on a side project of mine called les enfants terribles so i knew he was very talented and his style is mature, a real percussionist and not just your average bashing ‘concussionist’.   i bumped into him on the street almost immediately off the plane from NYC and we talked about working together again.
Adam Dzurilla responded to a Myspace add i had posted some ago searching for a bassist.. he is actually a great guitarist and singer as well, but felt he was into working with bass again, and i’m so pleased he answered the call because he quickly mastered the sliding sleazy lumbering feel i wanted..
We are in the midst of auditioning guitarists to round out the foursome and in fact i believe i’ve found a great fit just last night… i play guitars and sing but want a second player as many of the parts are two lines meshing to make a wall of sound approach to the higher frequencies.

MC: I see you are interested in such diverse figures as Rimbaud, Camus, and Crowley. It’s refreshing to see a band these days with this kind of literary tastes. Have these poets and authors influenced your music? What are you reading these days?

Ming: Oh absolutely.. i didn’t begin playing music seriously until after i finished getting a degree in philosophy, and in fact it was my studies on aesthetics that forced me to realize that it was time to take part in an artistic dialogue, rather than remain a musicologist and appreciator of the arts… I was very interested in the frankfurt school of critical theorists, writers like Habermas and Marcuse, deconstructionist philosophy like Derridas, the dada art movement, and Roland Barthes’ work on aesthetics.. i had also read lipstick traces by Greil Marcus, the music critic, and his tying of philosophy and socio-political critique with music analysis enthralled me and empowered me with ideas that led to my dedication to music as my artistic medium..     Rimbaud, Baudelaire and other romantic poets, as well as certain occultists for their dark aesthetic became the next wave of inspiration as i began to write lyrics.. imagery is paramount to me in songwriting, much more than linear narrative… which i find pedantic and cliche.

MC: I think Rimbaud’s life, i.e. giving up poetry, trekking into Africa, and returning home to die, can almost be a metaphor for a lot of underground poetry and music scenes. Do you think this is a valid comparison, or is this too far out?

Ming: no certainly, perhaps the first rock icon of the live fast die young ethic. his life became a source of inspiration from artists as diverse as jim morrison, iggy pop, kurt cobain, and perhaps even sid vicious unconsciously mirrored his life along the lines of the tragically romantic…
i remember when i was younger being devastated that my youthful music was falling on deaf ears, i wanted badly to shine brightly and then dissipate back into the aether… but now i am grateful that my more sophisticated voice is the work that is starting to get attention… as much as i admire the youthful prodigies that explode with their early brilliance, there is something to be said for the late blooming work that achieves depth with the accumulation of broader perspectives..

MC: I’ve always considered Aleister Crowley to be a vastly underrated writer. I think his sardonic sense of humor goes right over people’s heads, and he was incredibly witty even when writing about the most serious of subjects. What do you think? I’d love to hear your observations!

Ming: Indeed! He carries a stigma that is unwarranted. i love his talk of murdering millions, which many take to mean chronic masturbation! but yes in general the somewhat rambling and flowery language as is his want often masks the humor implied in many of his best passages.. i liken it to the sense of humor embodied in the work of the sisters of mercy, which is so perfectly straightfaced in delivery and tone that few hear the dark humor that pervades their best songs…

MC: Your music is available digitally on Myspace. How has that worked out? Do you plan to release these tracks on a ‘traditional’ CD?

Ming: Without the internet this music would be languishing still in my bedroom… i am extremely grateful that we all have this resource that allows us all to share our work and in turn discover one another.. however we can’t say we are earning our keep this way.. music has become more of a calling card it seems these days, and people can own songs now whether they are for sale or no..
i am very excited though, to record these songs as a band.. the music one can hear now is in fact home demos recorded by me at home, and i am anxious to capture the performances of my band mates who bring depth and fury, and sublime grace that has yet to be captured for listeners..
i am also a great fan of artwork included with music.  There is something about holding a cd or better yet vinyl, with the artwork lending even more suggestive mood that can lead listeners into regions they might not drift toward without some context.  With that in mind we are eager to release a full length release. we have some exciting prospects being batted about and may be able to deliver something sooner rather than later if all goes well!

MC: “Choose that Girl” sounds almost like British Invasion meets Postpunk, with the harmonies and the awesome guitar lines. It’s a very cool song. Where did the concept for this song come from?

Ming: Thank you… people do seem to be responding to that one.. that is definitely an apt take on that song… it is a sort of response to the Beatles early pop songs that were always so saccharine and buoyant … i feel compelled to expose that sort of sentiment as fraudulent and naive.. i need to reveal the seedy underbelly of that kind of rosy cheeked optimism somehow,  so i wanted to take a song like that and make it dark and dreamy and threatening.  i  was also inspired by the early scenes of ‘the hunger’, the choosing of one’s victim in the night rather than choosing one’s love..
i also have always loved the edginess of Linkwray’s snaky surf lines, i wanted to find a song to incorporate a great surf hook and this one seemed to jump out..
the bass line is usually where i begin when writing, in this case it came first using a keyboard given me by Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns…it is definitely influenced by my earlier work when we were both playing with Mount Sims, a great electro artist now living in Berlin.. i didn’t realize that the portamento bar was broken when i wrote it and it was in no tuning known to man.. instead of replaying it i tuned all the other instruments to it.. asking the band to learn it was cruel as they couldn’t figure out what tune it was in!

MC: What do you think of the current state of the music scene? Do you see a divergence of the “real” underground and the “media” underground?

Ming: uh, yeah.. well first off music has been split into so many sub genres, mainly because the ‘industry’ needed to find labels for easy marketing and demographic targeting.. but music is just music is it not?
the internet is a wonderful thing, in that a true ‘underground scene’ can flourish beyond geographical limitations.. without media support, who are often tools of the marketing wing of corporations… true notes from the underground come from artists like you and i doing it at home without attention and support from marketers, labels, media.. and people can still discover these sounds through their own research..
so yes, i think in a sense the ‘underground’ ceases to be that by definition when any media latches on to something, the exceptions being underground journalists who are not directed by the influence of labels who seek to make more money by exposing the artists in the media via strategic campaigns and time release coverage in support of schwag they want to sell.  Well I’m getting overly political here i suppose… Sleepmask is more about an inner journey, closing one’s eyes and ears to the outside world and traveling inward to find inspiration from imagination, exploration of the phantasmagoric dreamworld we all have access to, that can provide us with much richer knowledge than the mundane and dreary world we find ourselves in in the waking world…

MC: Out there in LA, has the rising price of gas had any effect on the bands and fans?

Ming: i imagine that must be taking a toll… it has definitely effected us personally, as Charlie has had to travel up from long beach until just recently..

MC: Who are some of the bands you have enjoyed touring with? What are your favorite venues?

Ming: Well I’ve had the pleasure in past incarnations of opening for interpol, the strokes, red house painters… Robert Turner from brmc has joined me on stage playing bass.. i even played in a band opening for Outkast! but Sleepmask has only played three shows to date. We are really enjoying a burgeoning scene here on the west coast playing with bands like veil veil vanish out of San Francisco.. war tapes, and repeater are bands we are developing relationships with..the Prids out of Portland.. a place to bury strangers..film school..it is an exciting time for music i think and for this sort of resurgence of darker music that sublimates the deathrock, shoegaze, postpunk and gothic rock of yore while bringing a freshness and updated twist.. a definite shift in the right direction from nu-metal acts borrowing the dark aesthetic while making metal and pop-punk music, confusing many listeners by crossing bad sounds with a credible aesthetic.. of course, taste is just.. taste..

As for venues, i love The Bordello here in Los Angeles, a beautiful intimate room with gorgeous baroque and decadent decor and an incredible backdrop behind the stage, a shrine of sorts right behind the band.. i am grateful to venues like Spaceland and the echo that always support local acts. Boardners has consistently been kind to me as well… but in my dreamland, larger venues like the wiltern, or, wait how about the Disney Hall downtown? i would enjoy taking advantage of those acoustics…

MC: What are your future plans? Is Sleepmask going to tour anytime soon? Or can we catch you anywhere out in CA?

Ming: well, we have just found a new guitar player and we are beginning to book shows again.  Our limited resources compel us to remain in Los Angeles for the time being, but we may get up to San Francisco soon and perhaps even Portland.. we would love to travel to NYC as well, as some great dj’s have begun spinning us there like dj patrick of salvation fame.. but on top of our list of priorities is recording this band in all its fullness, i am fond of my demos and so pleased that they are getting the response that they are, but can’t wait for listeners to hear the fullness of our sound with all the players imprinting their personal style and sounds, lending four dimensions to the pictures that now are just sketches….

MC: Is there anything else you’d like to add for our readers? Thanks so much for doing the interview!

Ming: my pleasure aiden… we cannot wait to delve into the dreams of as many minds as will close their eyes and don the masque…   - ming vauze and sleepmask

http://www.myspace.com/sleepmask