Is everyone else having as crazy a summer as I am? I thought I would just lie about and be lazy, but much to my surprise it's been exactly the opposite! And I do hate venturing out of my house when it's so ridiculously hot outside. It's been up to 38 C here the last couple weeks and that makes it hard to wear many of my outfits without melting.
On the bright side, I got to see Welcome to Night Vale live in Vancouver just a couple of weeks ago, and I'll definitely do it again if they come back around. Cecil brings so much energy to the show and Dylan (Carlos) is such a cutie pie. I met both of them afterwards and they're really the sweetest. Also, they signed the poster I bought, and a couple of unfinished pieces of artwork. (Which I won't be showing off because they're really only sketches). One thing that I noticed? I'd never seen so many awesome shaved/funky/colorful haircuts and awesome styles at a geeky event like this before. I mean there are always some people, but there were attractive alternative fans everywhere I turned! It was a lovely experience.
Carlos' hair really is perfect XD
Meg's dress was lovely
I look like I'm in pain That's because I was desperately trying not to embarrass myself.
Now with my part of the adventure out of the way I can focus on the highlight of this post, which is the musician who went on the Canada tour with them. If you're not familiar with the podcast, what they do for the 'weather' on Welcome to Night Vale is play a song, usually from a lesser known artist. Normally, I'm not a fan of the weather songs, but to my extreme excitement the artist on tour with them was none other than Eliza Rickman.
We'll start off with the fact that half of her dresses are lovely, ethereal things that I need badly in my closet. As for the music, well I'm not great with genres so I can't tell you exactly what hers should be called, but I can tell you that she has the most haunting, beautiful voice I've heard in a long time, and at certain points she reminded me a bit of both Siouxsie and Emilie Autumn. Still, there's no question she has a style that's uniquely her own. I bought her CD after the show and there's maybe one song on it that I don't like. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she was even better live and I really got the full effect, so now I definitely have to see her again.
I'm also a fan of Cinnamon Bone and Start with Goodbye, Stop with Hello. If you're a Nick Cave fan she's covered Into My Arms and that's on this CD as well. You can buy her album on her bandcamp page, and currently she's got two more in the works, so if you'd like to donate to her kickstarter here's the link.
I told you I'd have to get creative this year! I've been digging around in my closet and have only found one other "red" object to use for tomorrow, save for the dress I'm wearing on the last day. I have to go out with a bang after all ;)
So today, I'm focusing on music! Here are some albums whose artwork center around red and black. The good thing about most types of alternative music? The alternative people who create it are often very fond of those two colors, and album art that fits the pattern is found in abundance. I went hunting through my music and voila! Prepare yourself for a wall of pictures.
I'd readily recommend all of these albums to people, though I could recommend better ones if only the artists had caved and used red and black in their album art...hmph. When I started my little challenge within a challenge I did mention TV as well as movies, so I think today's viewing will be an attempt to catch up on Hannibal. I'm a few episodes behind and I need to know what's happened since.
Well it seems I've caught whatever version of the plague it is that's going around school, so lucky me gets to stay home and lie miserable in bed all day. I'm currently having a horror movie marathon and updating this blog though, so it's not all bad ;) And maybe if I spend a few hours on Dark Souls I might actually beat one more area (after dying 50 times of course. I swear, this is the hardest game I've ever played. It's great XD)
Anyhoo, I was listening to some music I hadn't heard for a while, (probably a few years even, since it wasn't on my Ipod) and I came upon a band I thought should get some recognition. One Eyed Doll. Of course, quite a few years back I first heard about them through AdventureQuest Worlds (I kid you not. It's actually how I found Voltaire years ago) and back then they had a whole lot less recognition then they do now, but I'm going to go ahead and assume there are still some people out there that haven't heard of them.
The in-game band XD
The real-life band ~
One Eyed Doll is a Goth/punk duet that came out of Austin, Texas in 2007. Kimberly does vocals and guitar and Junior is on drums. They've been described as "Pixies meets Siouxsie meets Hole" and the "bastard laboratory love child of Dresden Dolls meets White Stripes and Marilyn Manson". I've always thought Kimberly's sweet, adorable voice contrasts so well with the heavy,
gritty music. I suppose I first liked them because they reminded
me a bit of Jack Off Jill, whom I love. There are nine albums out, though only four are under the name One Eyed Doll. Four more are Kimberly Freeman's solo albums and another one is under the name Ghetto Princess. After formation they quickly won quite a few awards and have been featured in several magazines ever since.
And look, Gloomth made a skirt for Kimberly that you can buy~
And now I'll just spam you with some of their music before I go. I need to go check out the last album they released and any songs I might have missed. Hope you enjoy~
I'm so busy right now it's ridiculous. Two words: Band Camp. This is the point in the year where marching band begins to take over the majority of my life. On the bright side, it's one of the most fun things I've ever done and I get lots of exercise. On the flip side, it means I acquire a very unwelcome tan and it'll be much harder to have time to post things. For the next week or so it'll be especially bad and if I post anything it'll be pretty short. After that, when we get to my normal schedule with school and all that I'll figure out how to plan posts around the frequent rehearsals.
Today I thought I'd bring you this neat little invention. It's a website called music-map . Basically, you type the name of an artist into the search bar and it gives you a bunch of artists similar to that one. The closer the name is to the one in the center, the closer they are in sound or style. It's great for discovering some new bands. For example when I was first starting out in the music scene and had fallen in love with Bauhaus I just typed it in and *BAM* lots of essential Goth bands at my disposal.
Now, I'm sure some of you out there are musical experts who have exhausted all the artists on here already and are restricted to looking for obscure bands who's names you can hardly pronounce. ^^ Well...this probably won't help you. It's only as good as the information put into the site after all. But I've found several artists on here that I've grown to enjoy so give it a chance! Also, don't be too hard on the poor thing. Sometimes it's so far off the mark I can't do anything but sit there and laugh. And for the most part it's pretty accurate. There's no use arguing with a website ^^
Uninvited Guest is a UK act that formed in 2002. I'm not going to be nit-picky and go into sub genres and the like so the best way to describe them would be Glam Goth.
Their first album called Faith in Oblivion was released in 2005.The album was described as "an eclectic blend of Gothic glamour melded with symphonic, electro industrial rock". A few songs have anti-religious sentiments and/or a bleak view on
humanity. (Just a fair warning. It's not anything blatantly offensive or
anything. I don't know about any of your views so better safe than sorry
^^)
Their second album, Malice in Wonderland is even more bizarre. Their quirky, dark, sometimes aggressive, sometimes strangely sweet, and atmospheric sound carries through for a very strong performance. While the fantastical element to their music is still prominent a few songs such as 'Abigail' and 'The Law of the Playground' touch on real life issues and leave no question as to what they're talking about.
The visuals of the band are just as important as the musical aspect. They take a lot of pride in putting together creative outfits that are loud and unique.
I would give you a better description of the members and music and influence and such, but it's nearly impossible to find good information about them on the internet. To be honest I don't even remember how I found out about them! ^^ So here's a few examples of their music.
How about a song dedicated to Whitby Gothic Weekend?
Or a song performed at Whitby Gothic Weekend? ^^
Uninvited Guest certainly isn't your typical Goth band. You'll love them or hate them. And if you end up loving them you'll hate me for telling you that they've disbanded indefinitely until further notice. I know, I know! Don't you just hate it when that happens? However, I hope you enjoy the two albums they released.
Guess who took a trip down to the record store this weekend? There aren't many surviving ones even in the Orlando area, but Rock and Roll Heaven still stands. Their Goth/Industrial section is unfortunately a little lacking. Generally there's the typical Cure, Siouxsie, Sisters, Bauhaus, Christian Death and maybe some Alien Sex Fiend, The Smiths, Nine Inch Nails, and Fields of the Nephilim. The "Various" bin doesn't often have anything I recognize, which gives me some new music to look up ^^
I never have the money to actually buy the lovely vinyls I want, but this time my dad decided to treat me to my first actual record. After much consideration.... *drumroll*
Why not go with a classic? I do have an immense fondness for Bauhaus that almost rivals my passion for The Cure. Well, not really. I was actually looking for any Specimen, but no luck.
It's an unofficial release of live recordings. AND IT'S SO GOOD. I put it on dad's record player and sat in the office for the duration of the record with a big smile on my face. I think I might have gotten my dad into Bauhaus actually. He normally likes all things electronic. House music is his big thing. But he claims to have "A new-found appreciation for Bauhaus" and we've gone through the record a few times together. *sigh* I should have lived through the 80s...
Ok, so the quality isn't the best. There are a few places with a bit of distortion. However I think it was worth buying for sure. And look at how many songs there are :3
So yeah, I have a Bauhaus record.
What about you guys? What was your first record? Your favorite record? Any fun stories to share?
For people already involved in the subculture this is going to be a little superfluous. (You'll have seen this post a million times. I'm just helping to spread the knowledge.)
This post is for anyone who's begun to show interest in Goth and need somewhere to start music-wise. All of these bands are widely acknowledged as some of the pioneers of goth, whether the artists themselves have excepted the term or not. Every babybat needs somewhere to start and I personally think you should have some knowledge of your roots if you're going to immerse yourself in a subculture.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when it come to goth is assuming that Marilyn Manson, Evanescance, Slipknot, Nightwish, HIM, My Chemical Romance, etc. are Goth. They're NOT. There's absolutely nothing wrong with liking any of those bands as long as you know that they aren't actually Goth. (I'm especially fond of My Chemical Romance and Gerard Way is one of my idols. Stand up for your music, just know your genres.)
Here are some typical Goth basics to get you started.
The Cure
Fronted by Robert Smith the Cure was formed in 1976. Their dark, melancholy sound helped to front the start of the goth movement and more than one person went around sporting Smith's iconic teased hair and messy makeup. Of course with 13 albums to date there's been lots of room for experimentation and the Cure haven't always stuck to their Gothic roots, but their later songs are indicative of the fact that they really can make anything sound good can't they? (My totally biased opinion ^^)
Bauhaus
The almighty Gothfather. They formed in 1978 with the legendary Peter Murphy fronting them and the music world was changed forever. Their debut single "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is infamous in the Goth scene and deserves every bit of credit given to it. When the band broke up Murphy started a solo career and the other members started Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets. They joined up again for a brief tour in 1998 and formed again in 2005 before breaking up in 2008.
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Starting off in 1976 as a product of the punk rock scene their style quickly became their own. Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin searched for a record label that would allow them full creative rights and thankfully that wish was granted. They broke up in 1996 and Siouxsie continued with her side project, The Creatures before starting a solo career.
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters are an unusual case. Mostly because Andrew Eldritch is an ass. There are some Goths that probably won't even talk to you if you don't worship the Sisters (Some inner scene snarkery right there, which is ridiculous.) and yet Eldritch has spoken out against goths numerous times. We're a huge part of the fanbase and yet he alienates us? That makes perfect sense. The Sisters were formed in 1980 and have released three albums. A side project called The Sisterhood was formed at a point where Eldritch was having issues with other members (go figure) and later, when the other original members left, they formed Ghost Dance and The Mission.
Specimen
A true Batcave band formed in the 80s. Specimen has been described as many things, someone even going so far as to call them a sort of "Death Bowie" (I'm not actually sure how to respond to that). Their mix of punk, glam, and goth made them one of the first ever Deathrock bands. An unusual fact about the band: The keyboardist, Jonny Slut, became the face of the band because of his sense of style. Unofficially he's sometimes credited with inventing the deathhawk.
Of course there's so much more. Christian Death, Fields of the Nephilim, Joy Division...all of those bands helped front the goth scene.
Don't like any of those bands? Fret not! First of all, you might not like them now but who's to say you won't rediscover them later on. I despised The Cure when I first heard them a few years ago. People and tastes change. (And to be honest I've never gotten into the Banshees) Knowledge of your past is more important than actually listening to the music 24/7. It would probably help to have a fondness for Bahaus but it's hardly necessary.
There's all sort of other to listen to. The umbrella of music around the subcuture is enormous. Some more artists that are at the very least goth-friendly include Voltaire, The Cruxshadows, Emilie Autumn, Creature Feature, Rasputina, The Birthday Massacre, Johnny Hollow, Hannah Fury, Diva Destruction, Stolen Babies, Switchblade Symphony, Alien Sex Fiend, Clan of Xymox and 45 Grave. (Hopefully the hodge-podge of styles there will reveal something appealing to you.)
Try punk bands like The Misfits (despite the fact that hipsters seem to have latched on to them) or the Damned.
Or maybe Steampunk is your thing? Bands like Vernian Process, The Cog is Dead, Abney Park and Dr. Steel might be to your liking.
What about electronic music? Try to get into EBM or Industrial. ( I confess I'm not very knowledable here so I won't be much help.) Clubs lately seem to play nothing but this, so you'll be in luck. (I've seen the lineups at the clubs nearest me and its depressing. I would like some "old" goth music, though I don't mind Industrial.)
I hope this helped anyone out there who's just starting out :)
Ok so first of all....Eep! I have a follower! This news just brightened a considerably crappy day. With the whole getting up before the sun and whatnot, and then having to endure a particularly confusing math class, (which should be wiped from the face of this EARTH) my mysterious headache has just disappeared. I should probably wipe this grin off my face before my brother walks by and asks what's wrong with me. But seriously, thank you :)
Anyhoo lately I've been going through the slow process of sorting and listening to all the bands on my ever-growing list of music. A few hours work and its not looking any smaller than when I started. BUT I did realize that when I had started listening to Stolen Babies way back when (and by that I mean a few months ago) I hadn't finished going through their music because I had been interrupted.
I quickly corrected that mistake. Could you argue that their music is goth? Yes, definitely. But you could do that with lots of "goth" bands. And come on, some of the so called "goth" bands have been trying to reject the label for ages. Also, I'm not one of those overeager people who limit themselves to only liking extremely gawth things. Honestly, while I think they tend to flow over several genres the thing that catches me with this band is the dark cabaret influence. I LOVE dark cabaret.
So while I'm sure many people have heard of / listen to them here's the first song I ever discovered by them. Its still one of my favorites :)
On the subject of musicians I was creeping on Voltaire (something I tend to do a lot...) and to quote from his Facebook he's been
"offered the opportunity to audition for the lead role in a remake of my favorite horror movie."
Unfortunately he can't tell us more at the moment but this makes me pretty happy. Voltaire in a movie? I think he'd be amazing :D
And finally, I thought I'd share my most recent Etsy purchase. I bought this lovely choker from scarletrabbit and I'm looking forward to wearing it :)
