A Sweeping Curve of Sound

This past few weeks has seen announcements from two Pagan-friendly music labels/distributors that they are closing up shop. First, at the end of June, the online folk music resource Woven Wheat Whispers called it quits.

“We didn’t have to close WWW, it was paying it’s way and no money was lost. It was just a decision about the future taken calmly at a point where we had time to think… It was meant to be fun and would have turned into slog at some point in the near future … We could have continued and would have done alright, but with Myspace starting to sell downloads, Amazon coming in and iTunes level of market dominance, there was little point. Even CDBaby now sell downloads alongside the CD. Exiting in a positive way seemed the best thing to do at the right time. WWW didn’t collapse, we have all the money needed. It was a decision taken about how far to push what was a small home operation delivered in my spare time.”

I mentioned Woven Wheat Whispers on this blog last year when they released (with Cold Spring Records) the amazing “John Barleycorn Reborn” compilation. Woven Wheat Whispers introduced me to some great artists, including The Owl Service, Cunnan, Arrowwood, Novemthree, Sharron Kraus, and The Horses of The Gods. It at times felt like the label/service was especially created for fans of The Wicker Man soundtrack (a high compliment in my book). Needless to say, WWW artists got, and continue to get, at lot of airplay on my podcast/streaming radio show.

Meanwhile, just yesterday, Dancing Ferret/Noir Records founder Patrick Rodgers announced that his popular goth/darkwave label would be closing down in November.

“After November, Dancing Ferret Discs (and Noir Records) will stop releasing new material. Of course this does NOT mean that our wonderful artists are hanging up their hats, nor that their albums will disappear. It also does NOT mean that anything will happen to Nocturne, Dracula’s Ball, Digital Ferret or IsoTank. It simply means that in the future, new albums by the DFD bands that you love will be released by other labels (or in some cases, by the artists themselves).”

DFD/Noir, aside from representing popular darkwave acts like The Cruxshadows, also introduced America to great European neo-medieval, ethereal, Pagan-folk, and darkwave bands like Corvus Corax, Irfan, The Dreamside, Faun, and Omnia.

Both of these labels/services have been instrumental in helping to expand the idea of a “Pagan music” beyond the New Age mediocrities and sub-par folk that many assumed was the norm. It showed that there were new generations of musicians across America, the UK, and Europe, that were making challenging and exciting music that dealt with themes near and dear to the Pagan soul. To say that the exit of Woven Wheat Whispers and Dancing Ferret/Noir leaves a hole is an understatement. So I raise my glass in toast to both of them, they have enriched us more than most will ever know.

You can expect tributes to both Woven Wheat Whispers and Dancing Ferret/Noir in upcoming episodes of my A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast.

The Independent has a feature up on the tradition of Morris Dancing, specifically how two troupes are bringing a decidedly modern aesthetic to these venerable folk traditions.

The Hunters Moon Morris

“Morris dancing is a joke, isn’t it, with a hey nonny no? Beardy men with beer bellies prancing about in white stockings, waving hankies? Very twee. But try telling that to the men and women of Hunters Moon, here by the Sussex coast looking like the devilish spawn of Hell’s Angels and medieval mummers. They are part of a secret revolution in morris dancing, transforming the most easily lampooned of English eccentricities. Fresh rivalries are emerging, as younger men and women reinvent “the morris” in startling ways - including, as we discover during a mad dash around southern England on May Day, the world’s first Gothic morris troupe - or “side”.”


The Wolf’s Head and Vixen Morris.

The article profiles the decidedly Pagan-oriented Hunters Moon Morris, and the gothic Wolf’s Head and Vixen Morris. Journalist Cole Moreton describes Wolf’s Head and Vixen as looking like a “boozy, woozy gathering of the Sisters of Mercy fan club”, but they, like the Hunter’s Moon troupe, are trying to reclaim Morris dancing from a static and sometimes oppressive vision of English history and culture.

“One reason for the recent growth of Border morris is that it is easier to learn (while more spectacular) than other forms. Another is an increase in the number of British neo-pagans, many of whom are drawn to it. “We quite consciously work with ideas of shamanism,” says [Wolfshead founder Philip] Kane. “It’s a form of ritual theatre, a magical space embracing both dancers and audience.” There are radical politics at work too: he sees the dance, and “neo-pagan carnivals” such as the Rochester Sweeps, as a way of resisting the “complacent nostalgia” of Englishness “founded on the detritus of imperialism, Christianity, racism and xenophobia”. His England has more primitive, inclusive roots, and for him the morris is a way of expressing that.”

Of course there are still several traditional Morris “sides” (albeit aging rapidly) performing in England. Unlike the Pagan and goth troupes, they see what they are doing as safely within the bounds of their Christian faith, and downplay any esoteric aspects connected to Morris dancing by folklorists in the past.

“So, what do they think they’re up to? Norman Hopson, the 56-year-old squire, is a technical manager for BT but has the no-nonsense manner of a bluff countryman. “Some say the handkerchiefs are there to frighten away spirits, and the same for the bells,” he says. “We say they are there to accentuate the movements.” Nor is there anything mystical about his experience of dancing: “I see myself as a street entertainer.” … Hopson doesn’t see it as a symbol of fertility, or anything else, thank you. “The Long Man is a local landmark,” he says. “It’s just a carving on a hill. I don’t think it has any further significance.” The side’s bagman, Alan Vaughan, puts it more strongly: “We would go against that pagan idea,” he says. ‘Traditionally, morris dancing has been connected with the church. I personally have danced in Durham Cathedral.’”

Of course the pagan and esoteric undertones to modern Morris dancing (true or not) are irrevocably wrapped into it thanks to folklorists like Cecil Sharp, who felt that folk-traditions were cultural fossils of England’s primitive past (what Ronald Hutton calls the “geological model” of human culture). This notion of pagan survivals helped pave the way for the emergence of modern Pagan religion, and still casts a long shadow in the public mind when considering Morris dances and other folk traditions.

“The folk singers of today … are the last of a long line that stretches back into the mists of far-off days.” - Cecil Sharp, English Folk Song: Some Conclusions, 1907

Nor is England the only place where Pagans and other subcultural groups are staking their own claims to the Morris legacy. Pagans in America, most notably in California, have started up their own Morris traditions. Before long, the Victorian folklorists may turn out to be prophets, as more and more Morris troupes embrace a Pagan aesthetic.

PS - Speaking of traditions, today is Mother’s Day. Check out my post concerning the holiday from last year, I think it says all I want to say about the subject.

The Washington Post reviews the latest album from electro-goth band The Birthday Massacre, somewhat favorably, and makes a rather odd comparison.

“Tattooed and black-maned, Chibi resembles ’70s goth pioneer Siouxsie Sioux.”

The funny thing is, and I don’t say this to insult either party, but Chibi looks nothing like post-punk/goth icon Siouxsie Sioux. I’m guessing that “looks like Siouxsie” is basic rock-journalism shorthand for “dresses in black” and “looks goth”. Which makes me wonder, is the male equivalent then “looks like Eldritch” or “looks like Peter Murphy”? Inquiring minds want to know!

[This is a rough-draft excerpt from my forthcoming book concerning the history of modern Pagan and occult music. All work is copyright 2007 - 2008 Jason Pitzl-Waters, and is posted under a Creative Commons License.]

“In the beginning we were berated for being gothic two years too late, today we are applauded for being at the vanguard of World Music. Whoever you believe we have always endeavoured to remain true to our convictions, in the belief that our music would eventually find its audience on its own merits and not by way of slavishly pandering to the whims of an industry that continually lacks imagination and is subservient to formula and greed.” - Brendan Perry, Marrakesh, 1996

Perhaps one of the most important bands to discuss within this context is the band Dead Can Dance. The band, formed in 1981 by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard, would evolve from a solidly goth/darkwave beginning to incorporate world music, ancient musics from the medieval and Renaissance periods, and stunning vocal work from both members. During their existence the band has influenced several bands, spawned tribute records, and has become a touchstone for music lovers from a variety of scenes, backgrounds, and faiths. While neither member has expressed any allegiance to modern Paganism (Lisa Gerrard from most accounts follows a sort of mystical Christianity, and Brendan Perry has never clearly stated a preference though he seems quite sympathetic to indigenous religion and classical philosophy), the band has been widely adopted as a “pagan band” and several bands influenced by DCD are forthright in their sympathies for pre/post-Christian religion.

This adoption as a “Pagan band” isn’t too hard to imagine. Several songs in the bands history invoke ancient paganism (”Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)”, “Summoning of the Muse”, “Song of the Sibyl”), the band has incorporated lyrics and themes from indigenous religions, and Lisa Gerrard’s unique form of singing (a type of language-less glossolalia) invites an emotional interpretation by the listener. This connection has grown only stronger as Pagan bands who cite DCD as an influence have emerged over the past fifteen years. These openly Pagan bands, along with a host of artists directly influenced by Dead Can Dance, formed a sort of spiritual music within the goth/darkwave subculture (which would in turn spill into the modern Pagan subculture).

“When someone says there is soul in the work, it means that through the music they have allowed themselves to unlock doors within their own unconscious, that through their confidence they have allowed themselves to surrender, so that they can look inside.” - Lisa Gerrard, Inside the Music

Most of the bands influenced by DCD would incorporate strong female vocals (who often incorporated elements of Gerrard’s unique singing style), world music or folk elements, and electronic or guitar-based effects to provide a modern edge to the music. Creating a sort of template (with different bands placing different emphasis’s on the core elements) for bands wishing to join into this new stylistic thread (which some people call “ethno-gothic”) within a nebulously larger “dark” subculture. Dead Can Dance and the bands that would emerge in their wake would garners an audience much wider than its humble goth roots. Fans could be found in world music circles, New Age enclaves, the chill-out rooms of dance clubs blasting electronic music, and in Hollywood where Gerrard’s siren-like singing has become a popular addition to blockbuster films.

There are several openly Pagan and occult-oriented bands who have been influenced by Dead Can Dance and adhere to the ethno-gothic formula, in fact so many have appeared since the 1990s that some have (wrongfully) assumed that most Pagan music is automatically “goth” (and vice-versa). This misapprehension evolved partially from the fact that many younger Pagans, Witches, and occultists preferred the more youth-oriented environments associated with these bands. In fact a sort of “dark” Pagan underground has sprung up in the wider modern Paganism community that rejects what they see as an increasingly shallow and one-sided religious culture that often doesn’t acknowledge the more unpleasant aspects of nature or the world around them.

Today I have been settling down with my new copy of “Goth: Undead Subculture”, a collection of essays edited by Lauren M.E. Goodlad and Michael Bibby. Though I have hardly gotten past the introduction, the book is already prompting me to examine my own experiences within the goth subculture, and where I currently stand with my own “goth identity”.

“The volume’s editors provide a rich history of goth, describing its play of resistance and consumerism; its impact on class, race, and gender; and its distinctive features as an “undead” subculture in light of post-subculture studies and other critical approaches. “

Goth: Undead Subculture

Though I have been listening to goth and “goth-friendly” music since I was a teenager (Peter Murphy, The Cure, Dead Can Dance, etc) I never considered myself an active participant in goth culture (nor did I ever think to label myself a “goth”) until around ten years ago when I decided to start actively mingling at the local “goth night” and attending shows held by local promoters. Eventually I found myself helping out around shows, then I parlayed my newfound position at a community radio station towards hosting a goth-themed radio show, then I started doing the occasional live gig. The next thing you know I was running the only “goth-industrial” night in town, promoting my own shows, and still doing my radio program. At which point I could no longer avoid the fact that I had become “a goth”.

Today, several years later, I’m no longer doing most of things, partially due to scene burn-out and partially due to a move a different State. Though I do still host a darkly-themed music podcast and often comment on dark music here on this blog, I’m not sure if other goths would still label me as “one of them”. Then again, as more and more goths age, the notion of inclusion being based on active club involvement and wardrobe seems to be shrinking.

“These goths eat at the buffets, run up tabs at the cigar bar and venture onshore with their digital cameras to pose at waterfalls, colonial sites and, yes, beaches. Favored onboard activities include “scare-aoke” (when GothCruise members take over the mic at the karaoke bar) and making “goth soup,” (sitting in the hot tub, but without the black satin and body paint). Those who have gone on the trips, many of whom are in their 30s, say that they don’t fit the stereotype of brooding goth because they grew out of it as they entered the working world …  “We wore black lipstick in the ’80s, but now we’re grown up,” said Megan Green, a 39-year-old graphic designer for Merrill Lynch…”

So perhaps I’m “stillagoth”, even if I can’t stay up past ten on most nights, and hardly ever get the chance to wear my six-buckle PVC boots.

Jimmy Page talks sigil magick with Guitar World magazine, and credits Led Zeppelin’s huge successes with the “alchemical process” of magick.

“You mean talismanic magick? Yes, I knew what I was doing. There’s no point in saying about it, because the more you discuss it, the more eccentric you appear to be. But the facts is - as far as I was concerned - it was working, so I used it. But it’s really no different then people who wear ribbons around their wrists: it’s a talismanic approach to something. Well let me amend that: it’s not exactly the same thing, but it is in the same realm. I’ll leave this subject by saying the four musical elements of Led Zeppelin making a fifth is magick into itself. That’s the alchemical process,”

Technoccult finds the bizarre Christian hate-site “God Hates Goths”.

“So let’s be straight here. Goths are the lowest form of human trash that has ever crawled upon this good clean earth. ‘Garbage people’ I call them, and I can assure you that is what they are. Freaks who worship the Devil, who take drugs and molest children, who have pre-marrital sex, who whore themselves, who are obsessed with Vampirism, and abuse handicapped kids, who promote cross-dressing and underaged homosexuality, who behave like wild violent animals that need to be put down, who cut themselves and try to get others to self harm, degrade themselves and attempt suicide and think it is acceptable behaviour.”

Pitchfork clues us in on the lunar-themed new album from A Silver Mt. Zion (coming in March).

Allow me, if I may, to blow your mind just a smidge: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons, the forthcoming LP from Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, doesn’t start with Track 1 like, uh, every other album ever. No, 13 Blues begins at Track 13, fittingly. (The first 12 tracks are brief continuous drones.) An unlucky omen from the post-rockers, or just a way to confuse the heck out of your iPod? You’ll find out March 25, when Constellation Records releases the album on CD and 180- gram double-LP.

Finally, you want to hear some brand-new Portishead? Here is some recent live footage:

Can’t wait for the new album!

The DL Show gives us “Goth in One Minute”, a 60-second run-down of goth music history.

“Hey, Goth kids. Wipe your black mascara-laden tears away and put down the latest issue of Gothic Beauty magazine — your beloved Goth Rock genre has been given the ‘In One Minute’ spotlight. Shockingly, we managed to not be total a-holes while discussing this hot topic (Get it? Like the store. You know, where the “Goth” mallrats shop. Pretty damn clever, huh? Alright, so maybe it wasn’t THAT clever, but you don’t have to be such a jerk about it. Man, now we’re depressed. No one understands us. If only there was some way to find other people who feel misunderstood like we do, dress in black like we do, wear makeup like we do and obsess over death like we do. Oh well). Bela Lugosi may be dead, but the reverb-drenched, soulless rhythms of the Goth genre refuse to die.”

Apparently, not being “total a-holes” doesn’t include making cheap jokes about “fat chicks” dressing goth to “get laid”, but they did do a decent job of explaining goth’s early years. You can also find Emo and Indie editions of the one-minute treatment.

Amy Lee, leader singer for former Contemporary Christian turned stridently secular pop-metal superstars Evanescence, “blasts” perceptions that she is “goth” in any manner whatsoever.

“…insisting she’s only miserable when she sings. The singer claims she channels all her pain and hurt through her music. Lee tells the New York Post, “People think I’m brooding or depressive because that’s how our songs sound. “Songs are this outlet to get out my deepest fear and hurts, but I’m a pretty happy person. ‘I’m not the way the girl underneath this music sounds.’”

The international goth community has praised Lee for her honesty and forthrightness on this matter, clearing up years of hostility and confusion caused by black-clad Evanescence fans requesting “Bring Me to Life” and other chart-topping hits at Goth-Industrial club nights across the world. Goth advocacy groups, along with concerned academics, are now working to have Marilyn Manson make a similar statement in the weeks to come. It is hoped that once these two firmly place themselves in the “not-goth” camp acts like Cradle of Filth, Type O-Negative, and My Chemical Romance will soon follow suit.

In seemingly related news, mall-goth/emo chain Hot Topic has reported a drop in quarterly profits.

“U.S. mall-based specialty retailer Hot Topic said on Tuesday that quarterly net profit fell slightly, as the Goth-inspired chain was hurt by falling sales. Third-quarter net profit was $6.7 million, or 15 cents per share, compared with $7.1 million, or 16 cents per share a year earlier.”

The chain, which has directly profited from “goth genre confusion”, has not released a formal statement as to if the drop in sales is related to Amy Lee’s sunny not-goth disposition.

Blogcritics Magazine has a positive review up of new London After Midnight album “Violent Acts of Beauty”. Reviewer ‘Coryluscontorta’ calls the album a “fairly satisfying” release that will please goth “aficionados”.

“Primarily this album is intended to stand as a rousing vehicle for Brennan’s passionately held socio-political views; his lyrics weave a web of commentary about the human condition around the electro-pulse. But lofty aims aside, this is an album for those high-energy, punch-out-the-stars nights; an album for sticky floors and long purple wool falls. This is an album listen to while having fun, even if you allow the message to slip past you.”

Goth journalism legend Mick Mercer is completely impressed with the latest from UK post-punk/goth band And Also the Trees entitled “(Listen For) The Rag and Bone Man”.

“The little buggers have done it again! After the relaxed eerie brilliance of the ‘Further From The Truth’ albums comes something similar in tone, but of a weirder bent …  Another stunner from them then, and enticingly weird, as though Wim Wenders was brought up in the Midlands.”

Hot Indie News (Hot Indie News?) features a (short yet) positive review of goth personality/musician/author Voltaire’s latest album “Ooky Spooky”.

“Is it possible that there is such a thing as “Pretty Goth”? If there is, Voltaire is definitely in that category. But don’t make the same mistake as I did and assume that every song will be the same. Ooky Spooky is easily one of the best CD’s I’ve heard recently … Needless to say, I’m in love with this CD, I strongly recommend going out and buying it.”

Mammoth Press give a mediocre review (and some snotty goth-scorn) to The Birthday Massacre’s  album “Walking With Strangers”.

“There is this underbelly of the rock industry that for a long time has tried to be subversive and different. Instead gothic ‘80s rock has only come off as silly makeup wearing clowns that make some fun, yet dread-filled pop songs that appeal to a large scale of people in the form of one-hit-wonders. The synthesizer base of this music comes ringing through on The Birthday Massacre’s new album that is filled to the brim with heavily programmed music. “

Finally, Pitchfork looks at the new David Bowie box set “David Bowie Box” that collects his uneven recent (post-Tin Machine) work. Predictably, a high score is not forthcoming (it got a 4.6).

“Since the 1990s, David Bowie has been in the worst kind of rut. It’s not that his output has been substandard– each of his recent albums has had its share of pleasures. The problem is that by and large his output has been just good enough. As a result, nearly each of his releases from the past two decades have earned the usual “best album since…” reviews, and Bowie did admittedly sound more engaged than he had for most of the 80s (a decade he himself has since mostly written off). But considering that virtually everything Bowie recorded between 1970 and 1980 became more or less canonized, it’s a bit of a legacy risk to re-release his most recent slate of CDs as a boxed set, with each album expanded to double-disc sets containing a mostly negligible collection of catalog detritus. It calls attention to the very albums that refurbished Bowie’s iconic status, but outside of that big picture context it’s a bit of a rocky ride.”

That is all I have for now, have a good night.

Singer Peter Murphy has revealed that legendary post-punk/goth band Bauhaus has recorded a new album, and that it will be released in March of 2008. Entitled “Go Away White”, Murphy claims that this is the final project that the original members of Bauhaus will do as a group, after which all things  (collectively) Bauhaus will cease.

Bauhaus (in earlier days)

“Since Bauhaus are no longer a band working together, we are planning at least to release an album that was recorded in a stunning 18 day period including writing recording and mixing , and this should reach your doorsteps early 2008. I plan to play Bauhaus material from time to time from this point on in the future. This is a change from my policy over the years whereas in my own live work I chose never to play Bauhaus material, preferring to leave that to whenever the band were to decide to reform. Now that Bauhaus has seen its last incarnation as a bona fide band, the tours of the recent year and a half were our last ever. So from now on, I will incorporate my Bauhaus work into my solo concert work , since at least a part of my audience would like to hear it ,and for now it is something that should be celebrated.”

Reports of a new album have been bouncing around since 2005, but this is the first time a release date and label have been mentioned. With the material already in the can, it seem like there is a good possibility of it actually happening. No word on a track listing, though the chances are good that new songs “Adrenaline” and “Endless Summer of the Damned” (introduced during the 2006 tour) will be featured.

I just want to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to the radio show “Decayed Lace” on WEFT 90.1fm. The show is hosted by the ever-talented Kristin Kannibal who used to co-host a goth/darkwave radio program called “TheSkysGoneOut” with me in the same time slot. After I left, she took the reigns and re-named the program. With a focus on deathrock, gothic rock, coldwave, and post-punk, Kristin’s show is an excellent balance to my own “A Darker Shade of Pagan” podcast (which veers more towards the ethereal). You can read the latest playlist, with a link to download the two-hour show, here.

The show airs every Sunday night from 10pm - 12am (CDT) and you can listen to it live at the WEFT site. If you missed the live broadcast be sure to check in on Kristin’s journal for information on downloading each week’s show.

Many longtime fans of goth music (me included) were a bit disappointed with Rhino’s “A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box”. The set seemed to rely too much on music catalogs they already had rights to, and it included some puzzling “not-goth” artist choices (The Jesus and Mary Chain? AFI?). Now music journalist and goth historian Mick Mercer, who consulted on Rhino’s set, is getting his own 5-disc curated goth music set re-released after several years of being out of circulation.

“Re-released via Jungle Record is the 5CD boxset “Gothic Rock : The Ultimate Collection”. First compiled by Mick Mercer in 1992 together with his book of the same name, this was the first ever Gothic/Dark Wave compilation. The compilation features tracks from Virgin Prunes, Sex Gang Children, Christian Death, The Mission UK, Fields of the Nephilim, Incubus Succubus, London After Midnight, New Model Army, Alien Sex Fiend, Bauhaus, The Cult, Theatre of Hate and many others.”

“Gothic Rock: The Ultimate Collection” served as a musical touchstone for many who came to the goth subculture during the 1990s and missed out on the birth of the genre, shining a light on lesser-known bands like UK Decay,  Bone Orchard, and Skeletal Family. It could certainly be listed as a factor in the deathrock, “trad-goth”, and “Batcave” musical resurgence that emerged in the late-90s (that mirrored the renewed interest in all things post-punk with the emergence of bands like Interpol). It is an important document of an ever-evolving musical scene, and its good to see if available once more. Now if we can only get a truly decent box-set of goth/darkwave/deathrock music that documents the current musical landscape.

It isn’t something that happens very often within the confines of the goth/darkwave genre, but studio project The Eden House is very close to being a full-blown “super group”. Featuring members of Faith and the Muse, Inkubus Sukkubus, Fields of the Nephilim, Christian Death, and New Model Army (among others) the “band” has been quietly recording material since 2004 towards releasing an album at some unspecified point in the future.

The Eden House

“We will regularly post new songs/mixes as we create them. If there is enough interest we will compile the result for CD release. The project isn’t about making money nor do we want to string people along waiting for a release that may never happen. The Eden House is purely about the music.”

In the days before the Internet we may never have heard these songs, but thanks to the wonders of MySpace, four of their compositions can now be heard, including their newest song “To Believe in Something” which features Monica Richards on vocals. The sound can only be described as classic mixture of (almost) every good idea from the last twenty years of goth. Swirling strings, atmospheric guitars, heavenly female vocals (and portentous male vocals), textured electronic programming, and dramatic rising crescendos merge Voltron-like creating a sum greater than their (talented) parts. Hopefully we will soon be blessed with an actual CD release from The Eden House, but until then we will have to be content with this sonic appetizer until the main course appears.

Download: The Eden House - “To Believe in Something”
(This track can also be downloaded from their MySpace page.)

Links: The Eden House on MySpace

The Independent Film Channel has announced that it will be airing a documentary about the goth subculture in 2008.

Goth Cruise participants.

“Tigerlily Films’ Goth Cruise, also awaiting a broadcast slot, takes to sea with 300 British and American Goths as they holiday aboard a cruise liner in the Caribbean. Goth Cruise will also feature additional footage from the Whitby Goth Weekend in Yorkshire and the Convergence Goth Gathering in Portland, as well as interviews with prominent Goth musicians of the last three decades. It’s produced in association with NYC-based Cactus Three, which was involved in co-producing the 90-minute documentary Punk: Attitude in 2004″

The film is directed by Jeanie Finlay, who previously did a BBC documentary entitled “Teenland” about British adolescents in their bedrooms. A web site dedicated to the Goth Cruise movie features a list of things the director has learned about the goth subculture (and cruise ships).

“Goths love karaoke and hot tubs and cocktails. It’s fair to say that the Goth group stole the show at Karaoke (aka Scaryoke) almost every night. Not the shy and retiring hand stapled to forehead Goths of legend this group revelled in the event and made it entertaining for everyone. They accompanied my bellowing of ‘Don’t stop me now’ with Shaun of the Dead Zombie killing actions and stormed the dance floor to ‘We are Family’ sung by a ‘norm’. Bob ultimately stole the show with a spirited rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody via the B52’s accompanied by a (utili) kilt chorus.”

What is especially interesting/heartening is that Finlay seems to have avoided the tracking down of random black-clad, teenage, My Chemical Romance fans that some people call “goths” nowadays, and instead focuses on the tight-knit scenes across America and in Britain that have been around since the 1980s and make events like Convergence, Whitby Gothic Weekend, and the Goth Cruise happen. Having known and met several people involved in these events, I’ll be interested to see what the final product will be like.

Dancing Ferret Discs is re-releasing Sunshine Blind’s first two albums (long out of print) in a new two-disc collection entitled “Rewind”. Sunshine Blind, fronted by lead singer Caroline Blind, was one of a handful of bands to usher in the “third wave” of goth rock in the mid-nineties (along with groups like Switchblade Symphony, The Cruxshadows, London After Midnight, and The Shroud). Many bands from this period show the twin influences of goth’s second-wave guitars/drum machine sound, and the increasing cross-pollination between goth and post-industrial/electronic music, and Sunshine Blind was certainly a product of those influences. It is hard to listen to their first album “Love the Sky to Death” and not hear the similarities to bands like The Sisters of Mercy.

Sunshine Blind

To outsiders they are probably best known for the infamous incident in 1997 when they were kicked off a festival bill by Andrew Eldritch of Sisters of Mercy for looking too “goth”. That setback, along with then-label Energy Records folding shortly after the release of their second album “Liquid” in 1997, put the band on hiatus for several years. They briefly re-emerged in 2003 for an energetic collection of songs entitled “I Carry You”, but folded again, this time permanently, after a short tour (a band featuring most of the members of SB called Fear Makes Perfect sprung up in 2004, but nothing came of the new project).

Often undervalued, Sunshine Blind were remarkable songwriters, featuring an intelligence and subtlety that could be missing in some of the more “uber” members of the third-wave goth pack. Their three albums prove that the “gothic rock” formula patented by The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, and The Mission, didn’t have to be the stylistic dead-end that in became for many imitators (and some of the originators) in the mid-90s. I was lucky enough to catch them live when they did a few select live dates in support of their last album, and I found them to be a dynamic force that embraced and integrated newer musical ideas without compromising their core sound. Truly a band that never received the success it deserved. Perhaps this new collection, along with an appearance on a Hot Topic-marketed compilation, will help introduce this worthy band to a new generation of fans fed up with the stale emo posturings and un-ironic misery metal that are supposed to typify the tastes of today’s young “dark” music fans.

Links: Sunshine Blind on MySpace