"Strobe lights pump and flicker
Dry lips crack out for more
`Come bite on this rag doll, baby!
That's right, now hit the floor.'"
-- Siouxsie and the Banshees, Peek-A-Boo

So, I didn't make it to the Sandman Ball at Dancing Ghosts on Friday (8/26). More of that "family and life stuff" I've been dealing with came up at the last minute - kind of putting a kibosh on my evening. (As an aside to those who care: the events I was hoping/planning to hit this coming week - such as the Cell, Strangelove, and Asylum - might have to do without me due to circumstances beyond my control and much to my regret - I'm trying to play it fast and loose, but there's a very high probability that I will be in Southern California for most of the later part of this week and, mayhaps, the entirety of the next).

But I did manage to get myself out to Sacramento to experience Reverence for the first time on Saturday night (8/27). And what a treat!

Venue: Club 21.

So, I forget how obnoxious Sacramento's freeways are. The big problem is the two different I-80s and the strange perpendicular shifts in each. I ended up turning around 3 times before I finally got myself out to the club (and that's not counting me getting turned around while I was trying to find the club once I got our to 21st Street).

BUT - all that said, once I found the place, it was amazing. There's a large front bar room with lots of seating and a nook near the entrance that was being used by a goth-y art dealer. In the back is a nice-sized dance floor (with an old-style multi-screen TV wall - you know the ones I'm talking about) and a secondary bar (that wasn't in use that night).

All in all, I found the place an excellent venue for a club.

Reverence:

So, I had the opportunity to run into DJ Panic almost immediately upon my way in. Very nice (and very dapper) fellow, and very welcoming.

I didn't get a chance to catch the names of his DJ cohorts, unfortunately (I'll update it here if get them, though).

The music was excellent. Lots of dark and remixed '80s and goth tunes, with a couple of EBM and light Industrial-y songs mixed in. Ultimately, the music was fairly upbeat and danceable, even if I didn't do a whole lot of dancing myself (sore muscles and bad mood actually - notthe fault of the music).

The crowd was wonderful. Literally just the right size for the venue, really. They were very "in-style", with a good mix of cyber-dollies, goth-punks, Lolis, and shoe-gazers, and, most importantly, very few tourist-y types. A nice eclectic mix of Sacramento goth-dom.

Another thing was somewhat refreshing was that this crowd seemed very fun-loving, social, and didn't seem to take themselves too seriously (What? Goths that don't take themselves too seriously? How dare they? Someone revoke their cards!).

Another sweet and charming bit was that we had a proposal that night. One of the DJs called a girl out onto the dance-floor and her beau then took the mic and asked her to marry him. She spent much of the rest of the evening starry-eyed and gazing at and fidgeting with her new ring (it's so cute when goth-girls let their inner princess out).

Due to my antisocial mood, I did not, unfortunately, make any new acquaintances. But I was impressed enough with the club and the crowd that I do certainly look forward to further chances.

So - all-in-all - Meph gives Reverence a solid endorsement: if you haven't already cleared your 4th Saturdays for this, you should do so now; Reverence is the spot to be for those of a darkling persuasion in and around Sacramento.

-- Mr. M.

"Love...
Love will tear us apart...
Again."
-- Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart

So, I would like to apologize for my prolonged silence.

I'd also like to apologize to DJs Persephone and Darkmoon and Melting Girl and Daniel Skellington, as I had planned on attending this month's installments of Solace and Dark Shadows, both (and, as such, was unable to write the glowing commendation that I'm sure they both deserved - not to mention the Vixens, who are always so much fun to watch).

Unfortunately, real life and family emergencies cropped up. And, also unfortunately, it may just be a fact of my life at this point that real life and family emergencies will keep cropping up fairly consistently from here on out.

And real life is something, it seems, that I am unable to apologize for.

For those to whom it would matter, I'm hoping to hit both Dancing Ghosts' Sandman vs. Death Ball at the Cat Club on Friday and Reverence in Sacramento on Saturday.

I don't have anything particularly Sandman or Death-ish to wear on Friday, much to my dismay, but I'm looking forward to enjoying the Eternal cosplayers. And I've been hoping to hit Reverence for months now. Hopefully I'll have the energy to manage both.

-- Mr. M.

"This shit will fuck you up."
-- Combichrist, This Shit Will Fuck You Up

So, I attended the KMFDM show the other day. I haven't written about it because I've been trying to put my thoughts in order on the topic.

Because, ultimately, I was not terribly impressed. And nothing vexes me more than disappointment.

Venue: The Regency Ballroom. The sound here was really not very good. The ballroom isn't constructed for loud music. It just isn't. Sound bounces all over and comes out as a mottled wash. A friend of mine with more experience than I suggested that more people would have better absorbed the sound issues... but that just sort of reinforces my opinion.

The lighting was mostly good... except for the gratuitous use of crowd blinders. That wasn't nice. And since they used them a lot, it was hard to even look at the stage for huge portions of the show.

And drinks were ten bucks a pop. Seriously. $10 for a Jack and Coke. It was a strong Jack and Coke. But it was still just one.

Don't get me wrong. The Regency Ballroom looks very nice and it would probably be great for performances with less volume and involving more dancing by the audience. For a concert, though, it was fairly awful.

Performances:

Human Factors Lab - These guys were actually fairly fun to watch. Their sound was a harsh industrial-metal with an extra helping of the metal. Their synth and keyboard players supplied rotary-grinders-on-metal pyrotechnics. I'm not sure how safe that was. But it was a fun touch. And they had a good strong energy throughout their performance. Ultimately, they were the best of the bunch.

16 Volt - Mostly speed metal with a touch of synth, though they refer to themselves as machine rock (and Wikipedia seems to have them classified as "industrial metal" which just seems radically inaccurate to me). They had a number of fans at the show - but they just seemed... Tame? Dull? Certainly not very industrial. And definitely very low energy. A disappointment compared to all the fan-love in attendance. As one guy near me said: "These guys aren't what I was led to believe."

Army of the Universe  - The best way to describe these guys would be industrial-metal with a hyper-aggressive beat; which should have been awesome. The guitar-player was shredding some heavy riffs and the synth guy was fairly intense. But the singer seemed a little too... Dance-y? Sting-like? Full of himself? And here's the real problem: they tried to do a song that sounded an awful lot like that song from Suckerpunch... Only it wasn't as awesome. And my accomplices at the show suggested that every other song sounded like a bad cover of something done by someone else, but not as good as the source. I can't answer to that exactly, but it doesn't bode well.

KMFDM - The stars of the show may have been a little sabotaged by the sound issues at the venue... but they also seemed really, really low energy. And, unlike all the other bands, they didn't really interact with the crowd at all. They came out for an encore, but I'm tempted to believe that was mostly a result of lots of fans desperate to get their money's worth for the evening. At least that was my motivation.

So, final summation - overall the show was boring and not fun.

Maybe I was just having a shitty night? I don't feel like I was having a shitty night, but I do suppose that it's possible (though highly unlikely). Maybe I should stop hedging my opinion and just stick to the fact that I didn't have a good time and the tickets were a bit pricey for what little pleasure they brought me.

-- Mr. M.

"In darkness my heart was won."
-- Dead Can Dance, The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove

Last night's excitement comprised of my second attendance at the Cell.

Madame Deidre Anaid, as before, was a lovely hostess - a porcelain doll of delight.

And the venue - the Vagabond Ballroom - part combine-communal-flat, part mini-theater - is still just as awesome as it was before.

Now, onto the evening's performances, shall we?

Raven & Erin - These two lovely ladies specialized in a kind of metal-fusion belly dance for the evening for both of their performances. And, in both cases, it felt a little like watching an old music video in the wee hours of the morning on Headbanger's Ball - y'know, back when MTV used to show videos. For example, both of them dolled themselves out in the sexy-trashy look of the classic metal-moll (yeah, I just invented that term, but it works) and swung their hair around in a fashion that would have made Tawny Kitaen jealous.

But, and here's where the differences kick in, they both actually know how to dance.

In their first performance, they combined their metal-head sensibilities and their belly dance quite elegantly (I acknowledge that as a weird word-choice for a metal-based performance) in a way that made it hard to tell when they were doing one and not the other, moving seamlessly back and forth. And they took solid advantage of the asymmetrical structure of the guitar-riff-heavy music to combine entirely contrasting non-parallel movements into something that defied the conventions of synchronized dance, fit the frenetic mood and frantic style of the beat, and still looked good while doing it.

Their second act later in the evening comprised of a clearer division between the "metal" and "bellydance" portions of the performance, interspersing one with well-done-but-distinct changes to the other. Much more synchronized this time around, they still thrilled the crowd and made this audience member wish he was up there on the stage shredding away on a strat and banging his head to the beat with his hair down. Bravo, ladies.

IrinaXara (www.irinaxaradance.com) - This lady's two performances were a study in extremes.

Her first piece was billed as "an improvised performance". The music chosen was fractured, and, combined with the stark white-brick background of the stage, IrinaXara's performance had the feeling of an insomniac schizophrenic, trapped in an industrial madhouse nightmare. It was raw. It was exposed. And it was a bit uncomfortable. Fitting fare for a "dark dance salon" indeed.

Her second piece felt distinctly more politically-loaded. With a burkha covering her face, but dressed in a tight-fitting and tummy-baring pant-suit, this piece was distinctly more "belly dance" than the first. Backed with the solid beats of what sounded like a Middle Eastern female-vocalized hip-hop piece, IrinaXara showed off her fusion chops and fine lines. At the end, she stripped the one-piece to reveal a crescent-and-star stuck to one breast, a star of David stuck to the other, and an American flag covering her pelvis.

Combining art and politics is always difficult to pull-off well, and, while I'm not entirely certain she earned it here, I'm still thinking about the piece, rolling it around in my head, and contemplating the statement she seemed to be making - so she certainly succeeded in putting it in my head and keeping it there.

Shondell - Shondell's piece was accompanied by the musical talents of Levitating (her husband).

Combined with her petite stature and her gossamer-pink outfit, this performance started out feeling like I was watching a fairy princess elegantly combine bits of belly dance, modern dance, and ballet into something... fascinating.

The first portion of her performance struck this viewer as delicate, classical, sweet, and a little sad, with lots of ballet-sensibilities. Then the music shifted to a discordant harpsichord synth, and, while still very ballet-informed, her moves shifted from delicate to bold and sweeping. With the next shift (this time to a hard-beat new-wave sound) our "fairy princess" donned a crown, turning her "bold" into "saucy and playful", direct and with a hint of the sexual, transforming from "fairy princess" to "prom-queen-gone-punk" as the ballet elements disappeared.

And finally, for her grand finale, a harsh thumping beat kicked in and Shondell popped her groove. The "saucy" became "outright sassy" and the last bits of the fairy princess dissolved entirely to the rhythm with modern dance and belly dance elements strongly in the fore.

A statement on a girl growing up; innocence disappearing to be replaced by sexuality but also self-assurance and power? Am I reading too much into it? Probably. But this was my favorite piece of the night - so I can't help but analyze it over and over.

Blackhoodygrrl (www.blackhoodygrrl.com) - Blackhoodygrrl came out dressed in a fairly traditional looking belly dance outfit, complete with the "little vest/bodice". But it was distinctly informed by a gothic aesthetic, with dark colors and her a-frame haircut. Which, actually, sums up her performance pretty well, really.

She started off very traditionally, with a softer musical touch, the dangling lace from her sleeves making her look like an elegant gothic butterfly as she started with strong baseline belly dance moves. But then the next portion busted out a savage bass and she responded with razor sharp dancing - clean-cut, solid lines, well-defined, and no nonsense whatsoever in her steps and maneuvers and gestures.

And while I liked Shondell's piece the most, overall, Blackhoodygrrl's performance was bold, beautiful, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her the entire time. The lady had some undeniable presence on the stage, and it was a delight to watch.

All-in-all, I think these ladies were an awesome second experience for me at the Cell - just reinforcing my previous good opinion of this monthly event.

Also, further good news from the front - its sounds like next month's installment of the Cell will be featuring the wondrous dance-stylings of two particularly special ladies - the Unsinkable Molly Mitchell and the Cell's own promoter/mistress-of-ceremonies Madame Deidre Anaid. That being the case: I know where I'm going to be on September 1st, my little darklings.

What about you?

-- Mr. M.

"Go and breed to death.
Go and breed to death."
-- Dismantled, Breed To Death

Okay - so double post time! I just got back from watching this show - and then remembered that I still hadn't written anything about New Wave City. So I had to do that first.

Now my take on the performances of Dismantled et al.

Venue: Yes, we know. Meph really likes the DNA Lounge. It's a great venue. Excellent views everywhere. Hooray.

Only complaint is that DNA doesn't do a good job of promoting their shows. You only see DNA adverts at DNA - whereas everyone else (like the clubs at the Cat Club) advertise at other clubs whenever they can - sometimes months in advance.

The only reason I knew this show was even happening in time for me to attend was because I was checking the DNA website for info on New Wave City's 19th Anniversary and happened to scroll down a bit before closing the window.

And let's be honest here folks - Tuesday shows are already hard enough to get a crowd for. Not advertising widely just makes that worse.

Performances:

Limnus - First opening band was Limnus. I feel kind of bad, but they didn't impress me as much as I'd hoped.

They came across as very inexperienced on stage - so imagine my surprise when, after a little online research, I learned they've been performing for almost two years now. They didn't really seem to know what to check during their sound check, and then talked to the tech guys in between the first three songs to fix the sound issues a bit too late. Buzzkill guys.

The lead guitarist and the drummer were the ones that most caught my attention. The more metal-sounding songs, in particular, (mostly the last 3 of their set) really highlighted the skills of those two as musicians - with solid, driven beats and heavy, articulated riffs. Everyone else in the band felt a little lost in the soup resulting from the aforementioned lack of technical savvy.

Don't mistake my criticism though - it feels like there's some serious potential in this crew. But right now it just sort of feels like they need another two years of solid performance experience before they can translate that potential to their audience.

Everything Goes Cold - These guys had a very solid industrial metal sound.

Like a few too many industrial acts, they relied on vocal distortion; BUT they seem to have chosen a more warble-y distort rather than the standard "whisper-scream" that has become so common as to be considered (*GASP*) ordinary. Also, their keyboard/synth-man played a theremin for at least two of the songs and actually seemed at least passably proficient at it (rather than just using it for "weird noise"). So, I'm willing to grant them more than a few points for intelligent originality here.

Also, you could clearly hear the key-/synth-man's backup vocals, which often get lost in a lot of the industrial performances that I've seen. So that's another point in their favor.

And, hell, we even got some robot-dancing from the front-man. I'm not sure what kind of trifecta that really is, but I'm willing to consider it a win, all-around. Got me to buy an album - so clearly they did something right.

Dismantled - These are the folks I paid to see. And I'm about to tell you why.

Dismantled and his live crew (in performance, Dismantled - who is actually the "front-man" and sole permanent member of the entity going by that name - is usually accompanied by TZA on keyboards and back-up vocals and Jon Siren on drums. Tonight he also had Nero Bellum of Psyclon Nine playing guitar) perform as a HOT. FUCKING. MESS. And I do mean HOT.

Seriously, based on his albums, you'd expect this clean, sharp electro-industrial sound - and instead you get this screaming post-apocalyptic diesel-punk industrio-metal noise...

And it's fucking awesome. Especially with the black-grease radioactive-zombie aesthetic they've got going. Imagine a five-way drunken car accident that is chaotic, intense, and somehow magnificent to hear and watch. I don't know how they pull it off, but that's Dismantled live.

That's really all I need to say on that matter.

Two points of further awesome, anyway:

1. I got to pick up Dismantled's new album, The War Inside Me, to listen to on the way home.
   
2. And I got to chat a little bit with Nero Bellum, who is a very excellent gentleman when he's not shredding riffs or throwing guitars about on stage (and, for those who haven't seen him before - he is pretty as fuck - so color me jealous, boy-o). In all seriousness, he seems a very cool guy and I'm hoping for the opportunity to talk to him more in the future.

-- Mr. M.

I'm a huge slacker. I should have written this back on Sunday. and I didn't. Now it's 2 a.m. three days later, after a night out at DNA watching Dismantled perform. Bleh!! I'm a really shitty blogger. Why do you people even pay attention to me?

Anyway - New Wave City.

This last Saturday was the first time I managed to make it out to one (the fairly random NWC nights at different clubs has been the biggest obstacle for me). It was pretty cool.

I know that's not a resounding endorsement coming from me, and for that I apologize to NWC's promoters and fans.

Allow me to explain in my usual overly-verbose fashion:

The fact is that New Wave City really is fairly awesome - if you're into '80s New Wave primarily with a smattering of Goth.

My problem (and, on this rare occasion, I'll admit that the problem here is mine) is that I lived through the '80s and remember them just a bit too clearly for me to be terribly enamored of them. And I'll be honest - I had kind of hoped for something a little more... I don't know... Adam Ant meets the Hong Kong Cavaliers (that's a Buckaroo Banzai reference for you kids out there that didn't live through the '80s) - which is probably more Goth-y (New Romantics are kinda Goth-y) and Cyberpunk-ish (Yes, Buckaroo Banzai is sorta Cyberpunk) than NWC's promoters really want on a regular basis.

But - and here's the straight fact of the matter: I don't think I'm the guy they should be bending to - the folks running NWC clearly have a strong following who like exactly what they're doing. And that, my dear readers, really is a resounding endorsement - one that is much more telling than anything I could write on the subject.

So, if you like early '80s music and fashion and dancing, then go to New Wave City the next time they're doing one (their Facebook page seems the best option for tracking down the next club-night). I think you're sure to be impressed.

And I'll probably end up going again anyway. My friends have insisted that they'll make me. And I'll keep my eye out for future themed NWC nights that key a little closer to my tastes.

I so wish I could pull off a Perfect Tommy, though.

-- Mr. M.