read more - A Study of Gothic Subculture

By Rebecca Vernon
Photography by Various
henever I tell someone who’s not from Utah – or someone that is
but who doesn’t give a damn what happens in this state beyond
what’s on sale at The Gap – that Salt Lake has one of the best
music scenes in the nation, I wait for the look of surprise. Then I
wait for the look of disbelief.
Then I patiently wait for the look of condescension and the look of mockery
and I wait for the words, “Are you sure?”
Yes, I’m sure.
It’s at times like these that I think about everything my friends have been
through and all that I’ve been through, and I feel like walking away. But I
always end up trying to tell them about the scene here, to persuade them to
avoid passing judgment on something they know nothing about. To avoid
passing judgment on something that’s meant a great deal to me.
Utah, whose popular vote percentage for Bush in 2004 was the highest in the
U.S. at 72.7%, is the most conservative state in the nation. Where the
strongest conservatism exists, the strongest movement against the negative
aspects of that conservatism will exist as well. The oppression inherent in
almost every aspect of Utah’s social and political landscape has bred a vibrant
counterculture of music and art that is ardent, united, strange, original and
sincere.
I moved back to Utah in 2000 because I heard wild rumors about the vitality of
Salt Lake’s music scene and I wanted to get back into music.
The rumors proved to be true. I joined a band, started writing for local media, and enjoyed one of the most fun, exhilarating rides of my life
over the next five years. It seems like every week I continue to meet someone new involved in some hidden niche in the scene that I never
knew about before. The length, breadth and depth of the scene here is incredible.
There are literally hundreds of bands in Utah of all genres. Of those several hundred is a core of about 50 that are absolutely phenomenal
and who “make the scene.” But one of the most intriguing sections of the scene is its darkest offspring, the Goth/industrial scene. Fifteen of
Salt Lake’s top Goth/industrial/electronic/noise acts are highlighted below, along with information on one of the biggest Goth/industrial fests
in the U.S. – Salt Lake’s Dark Arts Festival – DJs, radio shows, CD stores, local dark media and local Goth designers. Because there is so
much to cover, I’ve divided everything according to topic to keep it organised. Scroll and read what most interests you.
DARK ARTS FESTIVAL
Dark Arts Festival is one of the biggest Goth/industrial festivals in the nation. It is held annually at the beginning of the summer and
features local and national acts, a fashion show, a bazaar, performance art, poetry readings, plays, humor and an art exhibit featuring
dozens of local visual artists. Dark Arts Festival is 100 percent volunteer-run and is approached with a DIY, grassroots, “for the scene, by
the scene” attitude – an attitude that is also scrupulously organized, disciplined and motivated. Fundraisers are held throughout the year to
raise the necessary money to bring national acts to the festival. The philosophy behind Dark Arts Festival from its inception was to bring
together disparate parts of a scene in one large-scale unifying event, and to celebrate a subculture and its artists that are all too often
overlooked and under appreciated.
Dark Arts Festival had its beginnings in the 1990s with the first attempt in 1993, called the First Communion Dark Arts Festival, which was a
raging success with about 300 people attending. The 1994 festival didn’t go as well and the festival was dropped until 2001. Dark Arts has
been held every year since 2001 with such performers as David J.’s Cabaret Oscuro, Bella Morte, Faith Assembly, The Last Dance, The Azoic,
Cesium_137, Apocalypse Theater, Human Drama, The Cadavers, Fiction 8, The Strand, The Centimeters and Hungry Lucy.
This year’s Dark Arts Festiva is being held at Area 51 on June 3-5. The out-of-state band lineup is: The Brides, Black Atmosphere, Project
12:01, Still Life Decay, Secret Secret, Stolen Babies and Machinegun Symphony. For travel information and updates, please go to the Dark
Arts Festival official homepage.
Dark Arts Festival stands for, in its own words, “individual vision, individual expression and the power of the arts to affect culture and the
world as a greater whole.” Their ultimate goal is to become the premiere underground event in the Western United States. They’re well on
their way, if not there already.
THE PROJECTS
The following list of bands is far from comprehensive. These bands and projects are some of the longest lasting that have made big impacts
locally and/or nationally. Other local Goth/industrial projects worth investigating include Boundless, Symbiont, Lapsed, Sonic Disorder,
From the Ashes and Circuit Surgeon.
23 Extacy
23 Extacy is the slicing white noise behind the taut skin of hell. Their take on industrial is cold, brutal, incisive, heavy, textured, and
disturbing. It would fit being played in the background at a club in Gotham with empty syringes scattered on the white-tiled blood-stained
floor, thin pale hookers with sunken dilated eyes blankly staring into the strobe lights. Chris Alvarado and Kevin “Cock Master” Cazier are
the two forces behind 23 Extacy, whose third full-length album, fittingly titled Brutal, is slated to be released this May. Chris and Kevin have
also spawned a variety of side projects under the umbrella label Nova One Productions: November Tide, Twilight Transmissions, Ginger
Novus and Roses of Exile for Chris; and Perception Cleanse Perception and Little Sap Dungeon (featured below) for Kevin.
Aodl
J. Shell began creating noise projects in 1994 from a desire to return to what he envisioned industrial music to be in its origin:
“I wanted the sounds of Geneva Steel in my head, not more synthesised dance
music.” One gets the sense Aodl was spawned from the dimension of
nothingness, answering chaos with controlled chaos, with what J. Shell calls
“harsh noise, junk electro-acoustics” eschewing power noise. Influenced by
Nurse with Wound, Currant 93, Premature Ejaculation, early Merzbow, the
surrealist movement, and futurism, J. Shell says he “started making music out
of spliced headphone cables, tweaked boom boxes and layer upon layer of tape
collage.” J. Shell’s side project, Eucci, was invited to perform at Earational
2001 in the Netherlands, where he got to meet some of his idols in the genre
like Netochka Nezvanova and Christian Fennesz. Aodl performs frequently at
local noise activist Eric Hughes’ every-two-months “Noise dinners”, which meet
early in the evening in a warehouse over potluck and end with two to five live
international and local noise performers.
Carphax Files
Carphax Files, signed to COP International Records, is one of the best bands in
Salt Lake City. Pure visceral fury explodes over electronic industrial, melodic
synths, bleak textured sonicscapes of despair and
withdrawal, political lyrics, and raw guitar. When creator/vocalist J. Sin Monday commands the stage, you’ll be turned inside out, scrubbed
raw. Your conscience will crumble, fakeness drops away. Let the exorcism begin. Carphax Files, sometimes compared to Retrosic, was born
out of a “hedonistic road trip” in 1999 and self-released three albums before releasing Vengeance on COP in late 2003. Carphax Files has
had international club and radio play, extensive print reviews and a full-page feature in the July 2004 (#20) issue of IndustrialnatioN. CF
trails hints of existentialism, the beauty of mathematical and technical precision, anger, strength, and defiance. J. Sin’s other projects
include Abbey’s Wrist, Power Grid and Nemesis Zero. Carphax Files will be touring through Texas and the Pacific Northwest with SLC Goth
band Redemption (see their highlight below) in May and June.
Domiana
Domiana, headed by Kevin Reece, started in 1997 and released an EP, Sacred Heart, in 2002. They have played the Dark Arts Festival every
year since its inception. Their eclectic, theatrical cabaret Goth rock is influenced by trad Goth rock, industrial, experimental noise, new wave,
synthpop, old-school punk, the fetish scene, post-punk and Japanese visual kei/glam. In their own words, “Domiana is 21st-century grand
guignol Whorrorshow Cabaret. Faust-wave subliminal theatre. Retrofuture decadence. Cinematic and dramatic, it is the soundtrack for the
decline and fall.” Domiana is set to play SLUG Localized in May.
DulceSky
DulceSky combines organic Goth-tinged ‘80s rock with washy Shoegazer to create a melodic bon-bon of guiltless sugary pleasure. The Cure
and Radiohead are frequent comparisons, but Oliver Valenzuela and crew say they “just want to focus on writing good songs without being
influenced by all the noise of what’s happening out there musically.” DulceSky are one of 19 finalists selected to be on the Virgin College
Megatour this summer. Their song “Media-Luna” is No. 8 on the top 25 listener-rated tracks on Vertigo’s Shoegaze Radio and has been
featured on Oxford, England’s Shifty Disco’s Singles Club (owned and managed by Ride manager Dave Newton). DulceSky has played the
last three Dark Arts Festival, SLUG Localised a couple years ago and has released two gorgeous EPs, Film and Media-Luna/Half-Moon.
Gothic Rap Project
Possibly the funniest band in Salt Lake, the Gothic Rap Project, made up of Senor Roboto, Gravy Graves, Bowzer Bullet, MC Candypants and
Martin X, will rap your pants off over old-school Hip-Hop drumbeats overlaid with Gothy synths: “Kiss kiss fang
bang,” “I’m an old-school ghoul.” Yes. GRP mix Goth/hip-hop costuming with
such lyrical witticisms that you’ll find yourself urinating in your pants with
disbelieving laughter. They’ve played numerous shows over the last year,
including last year’s Dark Arts Festival. Remember: When the GRP “hang with
their homies, they hang from a noose. Don't push them, or they'll bust a
stake into your head, because like Bela Lugosi, they're undead.”
Hoth(e)
Ambient Noise project Hoth(e) is headed by a one Cory Bury, one of the most
prolific musicians in Salt Lake. Cory is another musician who moved to Salt
Lake specifically for its music scene – for the community and opportunity to
collaborate with other musicians. Cory used to put out about a disc every two
months, at least, and the funny thing is, all of them were amazing. Hoth(e)
has put out 24 full-length albums and seven EPs and singles, with such names
as Set Adrift on the Seas of the Lilted Axis, In Temples of Ice and The Breath
Ovv Vultures. Hoth(e), which Cory began in 1997, ranges from psychedelic to
apocalyptic folk to primitive chanting. Some of my favourite Hoth(e) material
is so haunting and primal that it sounds like the ice caps melting in the earth’s
first formational throes. Cory uses electronic sounds mixed with
traditional and non-traditional instruments; i.e., kitchen blenders and toilets flushing. Hoth(e)’s main influences come from late ‘60s, early
‘70s psychedelia, progressive and the krautrock scene. Cory’s other projects include Syzygy and kqwiet.
Little Sap Dungeon
Formed by 23 Extacy member Kevin J. Cazier and Alan E. Wilson in 1997, Little Sap Dungeon is one of Salt Lake’s premier industrial acts.
They have received international attention with their prodigious international print reviews and radio and club play. LSD began as an
experimental project that jumped back and forth between genres, but industrial was always its base. Influences include Skinny Puppy, Coil,
Ministry, Leaether Strip, Godflesh and Legendary Pink Dots. Little Sap Dungeon played SLUG Localized in 2001, the Dark Arts Festival in
2002, is featured on Salt Lake industrial compilation Soundwave Assassins 2 and on HotGoth.net — Volume 1 compilation. They’ve released
four full-length albums and a recent split named Geist with Salt Lake Industrial act Boundless; it has a bolt driven through the middle of the
CD packaging. They are scheduled to open up for Pigface here in Salt Lake in May. They have an upcoming remix album in the works that
will feature Mick Harris of Scorn (ex-drummer for Napalm Death).
Mona
Mona spins out golden mellow melodic music with smooth female vocals provided by Mandy Jeppsen reminiscent of ‘90s alt-rock like Mazzy
Star, Frente! and Juliana Hatfield. Their influences are the Red House Painters, Low and Belle and Sebastian. The band was started in 2002
by Chad Horton and Hyrum Summerhays, who books for Sugarbeats coffee and owns Eden’s Watchtower Records. Eden’s Watchtower has a
roster of about a dozen bands who are all united by dreamy, quirky, artistic ambience. Mona has released a full-length album, Your Favorite
Thing, and has played Dark Arts several years in a row.
Muses of Bedlam
Falling somewhere between the Virgin Prunes and Celtic traditional music played on acoustic guitar with a small splicing of post-Punk á là The
Birthday Party, Muses of Bedlam pound out hypnotic repetitive riffs that circle around your head and trap your mind in a sticky irresistible
quagmire. Lead singer Topher always wears a dress onstage – of the sexy grandmother variety – and has the role “entertaining frontman”
down; his specialty is falling down stock still on the floor in the middle of the audience until a particularly vicious drum kick pops him up to a
standing position again. Muses of Bedlam began about a year ago, but have already played numerous live shows, and are slated to play
SLUG Localized in May.
Phono
Phono is the creation of Joe Ashton who, at age 22, released one of the most powerful albums I’d heard in my then-26-year-old life: the
Lotus EP, followed by the full-length album Dementia in 2003. Heavily influenced by Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward, David Bowie,
Depeche Mode and The Beatles, Phono’s symphonic, epic, melodic Industrial will send chills up your spine and crush you with its dark gutting
power. Joe’s powerful, clear, and emotive voice channels a weird yearning and strikes a chord in listeners. His six-foot-plus frame fills up
the stages; band members get brutalized; instruments get destroyed. Joe
produces local bands with his company Ten Degrees Production. He is
currently working on his next album, anticipated to be a double-disc. Oh yeah,
I used to play drums for them.
Purr Bats
Dour synthpop, spazzcore, and Gothy disco drainage with so many tongues in
cheeks that it would be an athletic event to french ‘em; Purr Bats stands
supreme as one of my top three favourite local bands. They are headed by the
beautiful Kyrbir, who spent about six years in London before moving to Salt
Lake ‘cause shit, the scene’s better here. “There’s a certain magic about the
Salt Lake music scene,” he has told me numerous times. Kyrbir headed the
legendary Utah Country cult band Puri-Do, likely the most twisted and
dangerous band to come out of the deep dark heart of Provo. My favourite
release of theirs was The Perpetua Reel and Other Tales of Mormon Youth
Erotica on the local label State of Deseret. The only way to get a hold of any
of Puri-Do’s older material, which is now re-released, is through Kyrbir. E-mail
me at rebecca@sickamongthepure.com if you’re interested in getting a hold of
him. Purr Bats is on local record label Rest 30, has played SLUG Localized,
and just this year released an EP, Soft Fluff, and a full-length CD, Bionic Fresh
Moves.
Redemption
If anyone is slated to lead the Goth rock revival, it would be Redemption, a
leader in the local Goth scene. They write highly catchy ‘80s synth-driven
music of piercing melancholia that bring to mind Rosetta Stone and The
Church. Redemption has amazing stage presence; their vinyl platform boots,
ash-white face makeup, dark hair, and lead singer Mia’s sunglasses convey a
dark mystique of sex, glitter and jaded coolness. They have played the Dark
Arts Festival every year since 2001, and have performed in Hollywood and in
other locations in California. They released an EP in September 2003 called
the further we fall, and tracks from the release have been played on
independent, commercial and Internet radio and on club dance floors across
the world. They have received album reviews in Gothic Beauty, Mick Mercer’s
“The Mick” and Gothic Paradise. They are slated to play SLUG Localized in May
of this year and will be touring the Pacific Northwest with Carphax Files in
June. Just a reassurance: After listening to Redemption, wanting to have their
babies is a normal reaction.
Riverhead
Forming in 1999 and fomenting their sound in a year-long incubator, Riverhead kicked off their live performance side at Dark Arts in 2001.
Riverhead spin out a dreamy, unique, rolling mix of blues; trip-hop beats; slide guitar; melodic synth and solid songwriting, falling
somewhere between Depeche Mode and Massive Attack holed up at a mom n’ pop in Louisiana. They’ve played pretty much every venue in
town, including the Hard Rock Café, Area 51, Sanctuary, and an Arctic Circle March of Dimes charity show. Riverhead song “Fastlane” has
been played on local radio, and “WhiteBeat” and “Deep Blue River” have had local club exposure.
Tragic Black
Tragic Black’s synth-driven, sociopolitical death rock has evolved into an irresistible monster that is slowly devouring the world. Through
tons of hard work, passion and a belief that they could make a difference in this gloaming world, Tragic Black has gained underground
international cult status. Their first release, Articulate Lacerations, was released in 2002 along with Vatican Demonica, an MP3-exclusive
release. In July 2004, they released the Sixx Premonitions. They have toured in Nevada, Utah, Texas, Idaho, Chicago and California. They
headlined Scary Lady Sarah’s and American Gothic Productions’ year-end Saturnalia V in Chicago, December 2004. They had a CD release
party at Release the Bats in L.A. July 2004. They played Creepfest 2003 in L.A., the 8th Annual Bizarre Vampire Bazaar in Long Beach in
2003, and have played the Dark Arts Festival every year since 2001. They have been reviewed and interviewed in major international
magazines/webzines, including Germany’s Zillo Magazine,Starvox, Newgrave, Gothic Magazine, The Black Box (Spain), Dark Entries, Virus
Magazine, Wardance Zine and Midnight Calling. They were nominated “Best Unsigned Band of the Month” in Gothic Magazine. They won
Demons IN Exile website’s 2004 award for Best Underground Goth/Death Rock Band, Best Underground Frontman, and Best Keyboardist/
Programmer. Lead singer Vision, at age 24, is indeed one of the most charismatic frontmen in the Goth world, a sincere passionate leader
who will continue to change the world.
Violet Run
And now for a little shameless self-promotion: this is my band, Violet Run. We formed in 2000 through mutual friends, and have evolved
from plaintive Gothy Rock to a big, reverby Rock sound with Goth shades. We’ve been called “The Cure on crack” by a City Weekly SXSW
semi-finals judge. We’ve played the Dark Arts Festival every year since 2001, SLUG Magazine Sabbathon (an annual fundraiser), SLUG
Localized in 2001 and City Weekly’s 15th Anniversary Party. We just released our second album, Trouver la Mort. We played in Denver in
April. We have a small distribution deal in Malta. We got added to all of Contiga
Broadcasting’s playlists in February. This is my favourite quote anyone has
said about us: “Violet Run is the most intense group of musicians this side of
Brooklyn.” – Fletcher Booth, SLUG Magazine, May 2002.
SCENE HISTORY
The local Goth/industrial scene is at one of the strongest points it has been in
its two-decade history. I sat down and talked with Kevin Reece, scene vet/DJ/
leader of local band Domiana and president of the Dark Arts Festival
committee, about the history of the scene since he started getting involved 20
years ago. We were at Tragic Black Derek’s 24th birthday party. At one point
Derek came in and poured red punch down the front of his white shirt onto
Kelly Ashkettle’s black bedroom rug. “Derek,” she groaned. “I’m sooo
wasted,” responded Derek, and left the room hunting for a towel.
I’ve only known the Goth/industrial scene for about four years, so I’ll be
quoting Kevin a great deal out of respect for his prodigious knowledge.
Kevin felt two points of interest should be pointed out about the Salt Lake
scene right off the … um …bat. The first is that the term “baby bats” –
referring to young kids just getting into to the Goth scene – began here. “I
was there when it was coined,” says Kevin. “Someone started it and then we
all started using it. Some national performers heard us using it and took it
back to L.A. with them.”
The second is that the image of Neil Gaiman’s Death character from his
Sandman comic series was fashioned after a well-known Salt Lake scenester
named Cinnamon. Mike Dringenberg, the artist who designed Death, lives in
Salt Lake and was friends with her. “Cinnamon was always completely
outrageous,” says Kevin. “Everything was pierced, her hair was big and ratted
and the colour changed every two days. She was almost manic about selfmutilation. She lived the life 24-7.”
The Salt Lake Goth/industrial scene got its beginnings revolving around the
first “real” Goth club, Maxim, from 1982 to 1984, and then moved onto club
Impulse from 1984 to 1985, which is the first club Kevin attended. Things
really started picking up steam with the opening of Palladium, which
functioned from 1985 to 1989 and was probably the most hedonistic club in
Utah’s history. Flamboyant dress-up, shooting
up, sniffing coke off tables, sex in the bathrooms, big ratted hair, mohawks, spiked hair, nudity: “It was completely decadent,” says Kevin.
“That scene attracted people who felt marginalised by mainstream society, not necessarily Utah society specifically. We felt like we were
creating our own world. We felt we would never amount to anything in this society, we would never fit in. We really believed we had no
future. That’s how we lived our lives.”
“Back then, there was a deep sense of invention about the scene,” says Kevin. “Gothic music subculture had never existed before the ‘80s,
and it was pervaded by a feeling of experimentalism and adventure. We definitely felt that we were inventing something that had never
existed before.”
It was at Palladium that Kevin saw his first show, industrial act The Art of Noise, opened by local industrial act Clocks, who were booed off
the stage.
“Clocks were real industrial,” says Kevin, “banging on pipes and everything. I don’t think Salt Lake was ready for that.” He also saw X,
Gene Loves Jezebel, Divine, Flesh for Lulu, and Aztec Camera at Palladium.
The Mix was another club that supported Goth music that existed for a few months in 1988, but with the closing of Palladium, the scene
nearly died from 1989 to 1992. “There were just a handful of us,” says Kevin. He lived in a house that was dubbed “The Goth House,” and
tons of people would go over every night because there were no clubs to go to. “We were really in a state of limbo,” says Kevin. “So we
started reinventing ourselves.”
Highly influenced by the L.A. scene and Propaganda and Ghastly magazines, the Salt Lake scene in the early ‘90s started applying what they
read happening outside of Utah and twisting it around to suit their own purposes. Isolation from the “outside world” by distance, mountains
and simple ignorance led to Salt Lake’s alienated, undiscovered, and paradisiacal music community, like some kind of Lost Horizons Valley of
the Blue Moon Shangri-La nestled in the bosom of the mountains.
“We really have a homegrown scene here,” says Kevin. “It’s not coming from outside of us; it’s not coming from the mainstream. It’s
coming from the gutters. People who visit here always comment on that.”
Building a new scene, a better scene, turned into what Kevin calls the “Golden Age of Salt Lake Goth”, from 1992 to 1997. Goth nights
started at a bowling club called The Ritz in 1992. Then one of the most popular clubs to exist in Salt Lake opened – Confetti. The owner
took a chance on a promise from a local Goth promoter that she could get 30 people there every night.
The club started attracting more and more people, until it stopped being just a
Goth club in 1993 and started playing Top 40 music in the main room. “But
the Goth crowd always had the back room,” says Kevin.
“The scene really came into its own in 1993,” says Kevin. That was the year
Rozz Williams played Kingsbury Hall; that was the first official year of the Dark
Arts Festival, then-called the First Communion Dark Arts Festival, which John
Koviac played; that was the year the JR Best Music Arts Gallery, a popular local
music store, started carrying Goth/industrial CDs and promoting shows. The
Midnight Dreary, Kevin’s first band, played their first show at The Ritz in 1993.
There were 300 people there.
“It was really exciting,” says Kevin. “A feeling of ‘something is really
happening here.’ There seemed to be a hunger for Goth subculture that wasn’t
there previously.”
However, after 1997, Kevin noticed a temporary drop in the scene. “Internet changed Goth forever,” says Kevin. People started becoming
concerned about their credibility, started comparing themselves to other scenes, becoming insecure and asking narrow questions about
“what Goth was.” With the mainstreaming of Goth music, some of the original spirit in the nation was lost, but Kevin believes a great spirit
still exists here in Salt Lake.
“I think we’re at the strongest we’ve ever been right now,” says Kevin. “With such great bands like Tragic Black, Redemption and Carphax
Files – experienced bands good at playing live – and Dark Arts Festival just getting stronger every year, we’re at a really good point.
“We have a fierce little scene here. It is definitely a scene with fangs.”
THE CLUBS
Club Sanctuary (formerly the Pompadour and Club @), 740 S. 300 West, became a Buddhist Temple last year after a property dispute, but it
had such a big impact on the local scene that it should be mentioned. It was one of the few clubs in the world dedicated solely to Gothic/
industrial music while it was in existence from August 2001 to February 2004. Every Thursday to Sunday, black-clad fish-netted dancers
swooned to Skinny Puppy, Switchblade Symphony, Tones on Tale, Wolfsheim, and Assemblage 23. Club Sanctuary, which used to be a
church, had a large downstairs basement area – the all-ages section – but the best part was its upstairs main room. Tall windows reached to
the 30-foot ceiling; the hardwood floor was surrounded by raised platforms peppered with pewter chairs and glass tables; the lights hanging
above the dance floor set the mood. Dark Arts Festival was held at Sanctuary from 2001 until 2004.
This year it will be held at Area 51, Salt Lake’s longest-lasting club dedicated half the time to Goth/industrial music.
Area 51, at 348 S. 500 West, has been around since 1998 and is owned by Alan Moss, who has also had a Goth/industrial show, Cranial
Circuitry, on local community FM radio station KRCL for over ten years (see Cranial Circuitry’s highlight further on). The lower level of the
club spins industrial/Gothic and was named Sanctuary in memory of Club Sanctuary. The upstairs plays ‘80s New Wave and Alternative.
The official schedule is as follows:
Tuesday
Upstairs Level
Downstairs Level
Wednesday
‘80s new wave
Trip-hop, downtempo
‘90s Night
Indie rock, electroclash
'90s new wave
Gothic, darkwave
Modern, alternative, techno
Industrial, EBM
Saturday
Modern, alternative, techno
Industrial, Gothic, ‘80s
Club Jaded, 163 W. Pierpont Ave. (240 S.), is a Goth/industrial night with live bands playing occasionally that just began a couple months
ago. The original promoter got fired last week, so Jaded’s future is uncertain. For now it’s still being held on Sunday nights at Club Heads
Up, a gay club during the rest of the week. The inside is swank: clear plastic chairs, long velvety
Thursday
Friday
sofas, polished cement floors, black walls, and intimate lighting. “Club Jaded is
the people’s club,” says SLUG (Salt Lake UnderGround) Magazine industrial
columnist/DJ Amy Spencer. “Like Dark Arts, it’s a place where everyone has a
voice.”
Usually live local Goth shows happen at Monk’s, the Urban Lounge, Kilby Court
(all-ages), Burt’s, Todd’s and acoustic shows at a coffeehouse called
Sugarbeats. Larger national acts play at In the Venue, the Lo-Fi Café and the
Velvet Room. If you’re a touring act needing contacts to any of those clubs,
please e-mail me and I’ll give you that information.
THE SPINNERS
oneamyseven
Amy Spencer, a.k.a. oneamyseven, had been DJing since 2000 when she was
asked by DJ Reverend 23 to DJ at Area 51. She DJed every Friday night at
Area for a year and then Sanctuary for two years, until Sanctuary closed. She
has also DJed W Lounge, NekROLLmantic (a Gothic/industrial roller-skating
party), Club Manhattan and Club @. She
began guest DJing at Club Jaded in March. Amy loves early industrial like early Front 242, power noise, power electronics, rhythm noise,
harsh industrial; stompy goodness. Her mantra is: “DJs need to keep it fresh by introducing new music without selling out.” Amy also owns
her own promotions company, KommandzEro, and has brought Terrorfakt, Assemblage 23, Tarmvred, Male or Female and Xingu Hill to Salt
Lake. If you are an industrial band seeking to get booked in SLC, go here.
Madelyn Boudreaux
Madelyn got her start DJing at a small college radio station at KNWD in northwest Louisiana while she was still in high school. She then
worked as news director, PSA director and finally alternative music director of the station. While there, Madelyn single-handedly fought
against major label pressure to play corporate music and worked to give exposure to completely unknown bands, realising that this was the
best way to make a difference. Since moving to Utah, Madelyn has DJed Confusion, Axis and Club @, Sanctuary and Jaded. Madelyn is Club
Jaded’s first resident DJ and plans on having guest DJs in coming weeks. She says, “The whole crew here in Salt Lake City are as good as
(or better than) DJs in many other cities I've visited. I feel that a really good, vibrant scene is best when there are many voices – or in this
case, many DJs.” Madelyn has also DJed Convergence 6 in Seattle.
Alicia Porter
Alicia, a.k.a. DJ Delilah, started DJing in 1998 with Submersion at Area 51. She has also DJed at Club @ and the Manhattan, The Tunnel and
Club Jaded. She played in New Orleans at the 1999 and 2000 Anne Rice Coven Parties and has done guest spots in San Francisco at
Assimilate, Shrine of Lilith and the Lost 23 Club. Her favourite event to DJ was Sanctuary’s last night: “The club was packed wall to wall, and
everyone was dancing. The energy was probably the best I've ever felt, even though it was infused with a sadness about saying goodbye to
our favourite club.” Alicia is going to be Club Jaded’s second resident DJ, switching off every other month with Madelyn.
Kevin Reece
Kevin, a.k.a. DJ Evil K, has DJed in the Salt Lake Goth/industrial scene for more than a decade. He has DJed at Fusion, The
Ritz, Confetti, Area 51, Sanctuary, Jaded, Manhattan, Confusion and Axis.
“The most important part of being a DJ,” says Kevin, “is to remember that you
are an entertainer. Connect to your audience.” Kevin is a pillar of the Salt
Lake Goth/industrial scene. For more on his history and involvement, please
read the “History of the Scene” and the blurb on his band, Domiana, both
above.
Kelly Ashkettle
Kelly Ashkettle, who looks like an elfin Gothic princess, started DJing in college
radio in 1997. Locally, Kelly has DJed at Club Jaded, Sanctuary, Club
Manhattan and NekROLLmantic, a Gothic/industrial roller-skating party held
last month in downtown Salt Lake. She has also DJed the Albion Batcave in
New York, Dracula’s Ball in Philadelphia, Catacomb in Washington, D.C., the
Secret Room in Atlanta, Revelations in Richmond, VA, and The Phantasy in
Cleveland, OH. Kelly was a resident DJ of Ceremony, the longest-running dark
dance night in Pittsburgh, from 1997-2002. She owned her own events
promotion company in Pittsburgh during the same time called Night Sky
Productions, bringing Switchblade Symphony, VNV Nation and Alien Sex Fiend,
among others, to Pittsburgh.
THE FASHIONISTAS
Arsenic Fashion
Arsenic Fashions officially opened in July of 2003 after its debut at the Dark
Arts Festival fashion show in Salt Lake City. It is run fulltime by Donna Folland
a.k.a. Veil, who designs & sews each item by hand. Arsenic Fashions boasts a
wide variety of unique and original designs for both women and men with
custom work and pattern alterations. Styles include Gothic, Lolita, Fetish,
Corsetry, Romantic, Victorian and Steampunk. My favourite Arsenic Fashions
creation is Donna’s bustled, striped Voodoo skirt with matching slimming
corset. I’m saving up my money.
Obscura
Obscura Clothing is a retail store, which just opened in the artsy Sugarhouse
neighbourhood of south Salt Lake last year. It takes up where Hot Topic
leaves off and would never dare to go: vinyl circle
skirts, mesh tights of every imaginable hue, big platformed Mary Janes along with creations by local designers are all set against a
background of metal black walls and polished cement flooring. Owner Mia Espinosa, 25 years old, began the store as a way to make up for
the gaps she saw in the local retail scene. “I was so sick of shopping online,” she says. She feels that Gothic and industrial clothing has
evolved as the music has evolved. She also has a high opinion of local designers who are featured annually at the Dark Arts Festival: “I
think Utah designers are just getting ready to put their mark in the Gothic fashion world,” she says. “Their stuff isn’t like anything I’ve seen
with other companies across the nation or in the world. I think Utah’s Gothic scene is thriving and there are a lot of younger kids coming up
who, thanks to some great local bands, have the chance to get more into the style and see what others are doing.”
Black Chandelier
The Black Chandelier retail store, located in Trolley Square Mall, is the brainchild of the illustrious Jared Gold. Jared grew up in Idaho and
promoted shows in Salt Lake, including a Marilyn Manson show, in the mid-‘90s. He got his start in fashion touring with Lollapalooza in 1992
and 1993 selling t-shirts with flavored inks. Jared attended Otis College of Art & Design in L.A. and began to create waves in the fashion
world with his daring Victorian punk-based fashion creations, which have graced runways in New York and L.A. Jared has been featured in
Elle and Italian Vogue and has appeared on the popular BBC comedy show Absolutely Fabulous. Jared moved his company to Utah last year
to escape the L.A. rat race; his clothes are now manufactured in Provo. His clothing was featured in last year’s Dark Arts Festival fashion
show. A second Black Chandelier store opened in Seattle in March, and a third is slated to open in L.A. this summer.
Accentuate Your Look
Accentuate Your Look began in 1999 and is now a retail store at 208 E. 500 South. Heidi Evans is the woman behind the company, and
derives inspiration from anime and video games. “I often enjoy the challenge of bringing pure fantasies not
intended to exist in three dimensions into the real world,” says Heidi. She has
been designing clothing and jewelry since childhood. Her work has been
featured at Dark Arts Festival fashion shows.
Rigor Mortis Designs
Rigor Mortis Designs is run by Kat McLean and has been featured at the 2004
Dark Arts Festival fashion show. Her styles cover the gamut from Goth/
industrial to straight-out alternative designs that make plentiful use of tulle
and show a lot of leg. Oo la la.
THE RADIO SHOWS
Dark Star Rising, KRCL 90.9 FM, Sorcerer of Sound, Sunday 3-6 a.m.
The Sorcerer of Sound began Dark Star Rising in October 2002 on local FM
community radio station KRCL. The show covers ambient, darkwave, ethereal,
Gothic, neoclassic, and neofolk. A recent playlist included The Red King,
Tristania, :Wumpscut:, Trance to the Sun, Area, Frozen Autumn, Attrition,
Antimatter, Stay Frightened and Bel Canto. In his own words, The Sorcerer of
Sound says, “To every star we see there is a dead star that doesn't shine, and
to every thesis there is an antithesis. In symbolic terms, music is no
exception. Dark Star Rising is a protest against the worldwide secularization of
music.”
Total Harmonic Distortion, KRCL 90.9 FM, Alan Chow, Tuesday 1-3:30 a.
m.
Alan Chow describes Total Harmonic Distortion, which has been on the air I
believe as long as Cranial Circuitry (he never got back to me), as being “an
exploration of the breech-core; pre-paleolithic, post-Industrial, cyber-Gothic
tunes for those who drone in their sleep.” A recent playlist included Velvet
Acid Christ, Male or Female, Project Pitchfork, Cat Rapes Dog, Bamboo Crisis,
Out Out, Little Sap Dungeon, Fields of Nephilim and Pierrepoint, among others.
Cranial Circuitry, KRCL 90.0 FM, Alan Moss, Monday 1-3 a.m.
As I write this, I am listening to the last 15 minutes of Alan Moss’ show,
Cranial Circuitry. He’s playing “Another World” by Beborn Beton, one of my
favourite club tunes. He just played VNV Nation, Funker Vogt and Front Line
Assembly. He’s ending with Covenant. Alan started DJing at church dances
and got deeper into industrial while in college, which had first caught his
interest via going to industrial nights at the Ritz and the
Pompadour. Alan had a CD collection of 1,000 discs and was writing reviews for the Utah Chronicle when he started Cranial Circuitry for
KRCL in November 2004. He still remembers the first two songs he played: “Battered States of Euphoria” by Mentallo & the Fixer and
“Targeted” by Intermix. Alan DJed at The Ritz before he opened Area 51 in 1998.
THE MUSIC STORES
Other independent CD stores in Salt Lake City: Greywhale CDs, Orion’s, Starbound, The Heavy Metal Shop, Randy’s Records, and Second
Spin CD.
Modified
Modified, at 1310 E. 200 South, is one of Salt Lake’s longest-lasting and most influential CD stores. They have been around for over a
decade and have somehow made it through the unpredictable highs and lows of the current volatile music industry and change of hands
between different owners. Modified specializes in Gothic/industrial music, and if they don’t have it in, will special-order your desired CD/vinyl
for you. When I asked if Modified had a Fektion Fekler CD for my interview with them this month – I needed it immediately – they had it.
Modified heavily promotes local shows and hosts tons of listening parties and midnight release parties. They’ve helped many a youngster
make it through the dark days of growing up different and outcast in Utah.
The Abyss
Located at 4901 S. State Ste. G, The Abyss is an independent CD store specializing in metal, Goth and industrial music that just opened
January 2004. They have done shockingly well, in part because there was a demand for the kind of music they provide and in part because
it is run by JR Torina, a.k.a. The Butcher, who also writes an outspoken monthly metal column in SLUG Magazine. JR has a passionate
vested interest in the local scene: He used to DJ a show specializing in black and death metal on KRCL during the ‘90s called “The Sonic
Slaughterhouse”. He began his own local Metal label, Slaughterhouse Records, in 1994. Slaughterhouse signed Disordered, members of
which went on to join Dying Fetus (Relapse Records) and Malignant Inception who is opening for Kreator on April 17 in Salt Lake City. His
label is basically a nonprofit venture to help deserving local bands gain exposure. He feels the existence of The Abyss has helped unify the
Goth/industrial scenes because there’s somewhere for them to go; The Abyss is a huge hang-out place. “Bands seem motivated knowing
there’s someone behind them,” says JR. “And this is only the beginning.”
PRINT MEDIA
Glitter Gutter Trash
Ryan Michael Painter has been writing SLUG Magazine’s Glitter Gutter Trash column for four years. The column covers classic and modern
Goth, shoegazer, glam, ream pop, ambient, dark pop, new wave and anything sweet, sticky, romantic, trashy,
decadent and deep. Ryan has been working at CD stores for seven years, has
traveled around the world attending shows in the heyday of Goth, and is a
walking encyclopedia of the entire movement. He has interviewed Legendary
Pink Dots, Autolux, Yo La Tengo, Coil, Mark Gardener of Ride, Peter Murphy,
David J, Spiritualized, Simon Gallup of The Cure and Daniel Ash. His favourite
band is The Cure, of course, and his incisive, grouchy, passionate take on the
genre and its offshoots in SLUG’s pages has reignited retro interest locally.
Modus Operandi
Amy Spencer, a.k.a. oneamyseven, has been writing SLUG’s Modus Operandi
column for three years. She is one of SLUG’s valued graphic designers. The
column covers industrial, electronic and ambient music, from classic to
underground well-known to complete unknowns deserving of exposure. Amy
is also an excellent DJ (see her DJ bio above). During her stay at SLUG, Amy
has interviewed Al Jourgensen, cEvin Key, VNV Nation, Jack Dangers and
Velvet Acid Christ, among others. Her honest, in-depth, knowledgeable
opinions of Industrial material and emerging artists are highly respected locally.
A Different Drum
A Different Drum, based out of Smithfield, Utah, started out as a brick-andmortar retail store in 1992, and has since grown into one of the biggest mailorder labels in the synthpop underground. They have more than 24
international synthpop bands signed to the label and have released over 150
titles. They take a DIY, grassroots approach to the label, determined to
release high-quality diverse varieties of synthpop despite the fact that the label
enjoys little to no recognition from major retail chains, large distributors, or
the mainstream in general. A Different Drum started its own annual festival
last year, A Different Drum Festival. This year’s festival will be held at the Red
Lion Hotel in downtown Salt Lake, September 2-3, 2005 and will feature 12
synthpop bands. For more information on the festival and the label, click here.
HotGoth.net
Salt Lake local Cody Dell, a.k.a. Malice, began HotGoth.net on Jan. 11, 2004.
It has since become one of the top five Goth sites on the web. It’s an
interactive Goth community with message boards, forums, private message
and rating capacity and Internet radio featuring Gothic, Industrial, Metal and
many other genres. Starting next month, HotGoth.net will have live DJs.
Malice points out that HotGoth.net is not limited to Goths only; everyone is
welcome. HotGoth.net also sponsors shows coming through Salt Lake, like
Pigface on May 1, complete with show giveaways. HotGoth.net released a
compilation last year featuring a mix of SLC and international bands, including
Circuit Surgeon (SLC), Project 9 (UK), Angel Takes Form (UK), Platform One
(NYC), Little Sap Dungeon (SLC), Symbiont (SLC) and 23 Extacy (SLC). They
will be accepting tracks from bands both inside and outside Utah beginning in
May for their second compilation. To find out how your band can submit a
track, e-mail me and I will put you in touch with the right person.
So there you have it. If I haven’t convinced you that anything important or exciting is happening here in Salt Lake City, that’s fine. Even if
no one outside this ring of mountains cupping a dead lake ever appreciates what’s going on here, we do, and the only desire I have in writing
this article is to inspire those outside of Utah who don’t know about our music scene, and to remind those who live inside Utah of the
amazing community that we have and should never take for granted. When you’ve been rejected or even mildly disapproved of by your
family, your schools, your churches, your place of employment, your friends, your social circles and by all the institutions that surround you
because you refuse to become something you’re not, you find relief in finding a community where you belong; where interesting, kind,
creative, musical and artistic people who have through similar experiences will accept you for who you truly are. That, in a nutshell, is what
this scene has meant to me. It’s what it’s meant to a lot of my friends. Thanks for at least taking the time to listen to what has been
collectively produced as the result of our individual stories.
Salt Lake City_connections
http://www.darkartsfestival.com
http://novaoneproductions.com
http://euc.cx/aodl/
http://www.carphaxfiles.com
http://www.copint.com
http://www.domianadomain.com
http://www.dulcesky.com
http://www.edenswatchtower.com
http://www.myspace.com/thegrp
http://seabe.cjb.net
http://www.backscatter.biz
http://www.monaband.com
http://phonoonline.com
http://www.rest30.com/purrbats.htm
http://www.redemptiononline.com
http://wwwtragicblack.com
http://www.violet-run.com
http://www.slcsanctuary.com
http://www.kommandzero.net
http://www.arsenicfashions.com
http://www.obscuraclothing.com
http://www.blackchandelier.com
http://www.darkdynamite.com
http://www.accentuateyourlook.com
http://www.rigormortisdesigns.com
http://www.krcl.org
http://www.theabyss-slc.com
http://www.modifiedmusic.com
http://www.gothbandphotos.com
http://www.slugmag.com
http://www.adifferentdrum.com
http://www.hotgoth.net
http://therocksalt.com
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