Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genres: Darkwave, Goth
Label: Projekt

Ionia is miles ahead of Lycia’s first demo in some ways, and that’s even before the first song is done playing.
The sound is a bit thicker, but it’s way colder. Mike’s voice is more present in the mix, and it’s the reason behind much of the chill. The man is intense.
Echoes on the instruments, reverbs and feedbacks, all help to bring a sense of vastness, too. It’s like being in an empty hangar or warehouse.
Or insane asylum.
It’s not as dancy as Wake, either, but at the same time it’s even more so. It’s a different dance for a different tune.
Album full of contradictions. I love it.
8 out of 10.

Genres: Darkwave, Goth
Label: Projekt

Lycia’s Wake came out on Projekt when I was about four, maybe five. Sadly, I didn’t have anyone in the family who was into underground goth (or underground anything, really) so I had to wait until I was eighteen or so before I found this band.
It was well worth the wait.
Wake is nine tracks of ear porn, and it’s so goth it hurts. Dancy drum programming with flowy gothic keys, and beautiful guitars are married into a damn near perfect album. The really funny thing is about it is that it’s pretty much nothing more than remastered demo tapes.
Right now it’s out of print, but is available digitally. If you’re interested, check out the label’s site for more details.
8 out of 10.

First up, tell me about yourselves. What kind of journeys have the individuals in the band made to end up on the same path of 13th Sky?

13th Sky was originally formed and based in the San Fransisco Bay Area. The original line up split in two. Myself (Steve Jennings), and original keyboardist Ken Ginnard moved here to Los Angeles in 2001. The other half of the band stayed in S.F. and wanted to pursue a more electronic sound.

You define yourselves as Goth/Rock on MySpace, with influences that are definitely in that area of music, as well as an (amazing) sound that is so goth it hurts. But what else influences the sounds and styles of the individual members of 13th Sky, as well as collectively

Our sound is based on our musical influences. The bands that we like and listened to growing up and still enjoy today. Richard Coal is the newest member and does most of the lyrical content based on his own experiences and reflecting the emotions our audience.

How does being from Los Angeles contribute to the sound of the music? Do you feel that being from one of the most important cities in music is an influence in itself?

Living in Los Angeles definitely creates a vibe to the music. There are a million bands around you and it keeps you active to promote and keep going.

Are there any side projects readers should look for? Or are all the band members 110% committed only to 13th Sky?

Side projects or cover bands etc., are PROHIBITED in 13th Sky. Side projects are a sure way to confuse the audience and become lost in your own work.

What bands in your numerous shows across the U.S. have you shared the stage with, and are there any cities in particular that are a pleasure to do shows in?

13th Sky has played a lot of shows over the years. It’s always a blast to get out of town regardless of where we are headed. Over the years playing in the South (Texas especially) has been very rewarding and well received by the fans. San Fransisco, the old hometown, as well.

In touring, have you ever gotten the pleasure of sharing stages with any personal or professional heroes?

In 2004 we had Bari Galvin (Christian Death, Mophisto Walz) filling in with the band. He had worked with us in the studio and did a magical job. That was a special time.

In respects to the making of 13th Sky’s music, what kind of gear do you use? I myself am particularly interested in Brian’s gear, as I am a bassist primarily. But by all means, if you wish to share any insights into particular effects, amps, guitars, etc., please do.

We use Fender, Gibson, and Gretsch guitars and basses. We also stick with the old Boss effects. There is a lot of killer new stuff out there but we tend to stick with what we know.

Why is it that Hollywood and the Sunset Strip seems to be a breeding ground of industrial, goth, and hard rock bands?

A lot of bands aren’t from here and they come from all over to showcase their band because this is the music capitol of the world. There are a lot of clubs and venues in the area that cater to Industrial, Goth, and Hard Rock music.

Finally, what can present and future fans of 13th Sky expect for the next 12 months?

13th Sky is writing and recording new music as well as pushing our CD, The Sin Sessions (you can purchase it on our MySpace profile or Amoeba Hollywood). Along with that, we are working on a few videos showing some of our past performances.

13th Sky on MySpace.

I basically first met Jay Raker when I first was starting FRZ, through listening to Adrian H and the Wound’s self-titled album. I found out eventually (through interviewing Adrian H himself) that Jay was no longer part of the Wounds, and that was that.
Then one day, out of the blue, there’s an email from him in my inbox. It turns out he had seen the interview with Adrian H and liked it, and we ended up chatting. Things led to things, and now here is the interview with Jay.
As per my usual, I didn’t do too much editing to it, except to make things a little pretty and easier to read.

I guess my first question Jay, is one of the usuals. How are things going for you right now?

Things are going pretty well for me and the rest of the members of Black Market Sunday. Currently I will have almost 4 weeks off to play around with some new musical ideas.

That sounds exciting. Anything completely off the wall that fans can expect?

We are working on the live show. We need more hands on deck now. There is a lot going on in that aspect. We are creating atmosphere.
The music plays in the visual. We want a surround sound in the venue. Just like a movie. We want to make you watch.

How long have you been playing music, and what other projects have you been in? How about the rest of Black Market Sunday?

I have played music since I was 14 years old, and I have shared stages with Rob Zombie, 36 Crazyfists, The Sisters Of Mercy,Tommy Skeoch (Tesla), Pat Travers and Rick Derringer to name a few, I cant remember all the details.
Some of the bands in my history would be Black Market Sunday,The Art Of War, Carbon14, Adrian H And The Wounds, Jay Raker and The Ghost Town Riders and The Candystrippers.

Derek Henderson, our drummer, started playing on paint cans when he was around 8 years old, and he got his first kit at about 13 (he thinks). He played in Junior High (Concert Band/Jazz Band). In High School he played Concert Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Pep Band and had helped creating a class called Comprehensive Percussion, getting to tour the west coast playing in competitions.
He’s played/recorded in Pappy Lane, Laverl, Go Upstairs, Land Caster, The End Is The Beginning and the Jeff Zetner Band.

Jeremy Dan, on guitar, has been playing for 25 years, starting with the Sizuki Method on violin. Current bands include Black Market Sunday (guitar), The Gentry (guitar/synth/backing vocals) and Sean Wagner (guitar/keys/sax/backing vocals). Past stints in reverse-chronological order are Merrill (keys), John O’Mara (keys), Jon Garcia (keys/guitar/backing vocals), Seba (And Now I’ve Landed) (guitar), Jesse Alan Jason Trio (guitar/accordion), Lander (Tyler Stenson)(keys/harmonica/backing vocals), Fuscus (guitar/vocals), Outlet (guitar/backing vocals), Dr. Fugly (vocals/guitar), Crescent Valley (CV) Wind Ensemble (bassoon), Marching Band (sax) and Pep Band (sax/guitar), Concert Band (sax), Jazz Band (sax) and Foil (guitar/backing vocals).

Rob Oseas, bass, has been playing bass for about 15 years. His most recent band before BMS was Sweet City Slang, where he played bass, trombone and sang.

So with a band like BMS, being full of musicians who are obviously accomplished and have been at it for awhile, it is hard to write music ever? Do you butt heads or have any ‘dominance struggles’, or have you been really lucky and not had any problems like that?

So far so good.
I am the main songwriter but not a solo artist , but its kind of like Nine Inch Nails, with me being like Trent I suppose.
Black Market Sunday is better as a live group, I like playing with people in a band setting. But there cant be too many cooks in the kitchen and by default Black Market Sunday tends to be a burden of love on my shoulders. I do most of the label oriented work, but its easier with more help when you can get it and I need all the help I can get.

I guess with this question I might raise some eyebrows, but I’m going to do it anyway. I’ve already interviewed Adrian H, and he would not comment on why you were no longer with the Wounds. Would you be willing to comment?

Yes, I would be willing.
First off, I do respect what Adrian H is doing and I also know that both of us can occupy the stage with great intensity; both of us are very powerful artists. There was talk of collaborating at one time, and Adrian was actually invited into Black Market Sunday and I too was as well invited to Adrian H And The Wounds. Its a mutual thing.
You should hear the original tracks of my goth bass on the Wounds CD. The mix was subdued unfortunately when time came for release.
I’m not playing with Adrian right now, and I think you can tell in the shows because its not the same.
I am just doing Black Market Sunday and Black Market Sunday is doing well.

Your current gear – what kind of instruments are you gents rocking out with? Any oddities that aren’t in the band’s sound yet?

As far as instruments and effects I use old and new technology. My main amp right now is a Fender Super Reverb. I also use a little Vox amp in the studio. I have your basic Big Muff and Analog Delay.
I wont go into too much detail on this because its pretty much in the way I hit the strings honestly. Vampire technique.
As far as guitars I use a Gibson SG and a Danelectro mostly, but now I’m playing a custom Strat given to me by Tommy Skeoch who
played in Tesla.

Are there any plans to have an extensive tour, or do commitments outside of BMS ever prevent long tours?

As far as long tours that would require us to be funded by a loan from a record company that I dont think we would come out ahead on at this point. As far as mini-tours, yes, that’s whats been the idea thus far.
We are underground but we plan on being above the ground.

So what can Black Market Sunday fans expect in the next three months? How about six?

Black Market Sunday fans can expect new music being released one by one off of our new album Regeneration. I like it this way because there is a continuous flow for our listeners instead of  “here’s the new record now, wait for two years for the next one”.

I guess my last question for the interview Jay is, if you were stuck on a desert island with a portable DVD player that played any disc format and could never run out of power, and you had one DVD and one CD for the rest of eternity, what would they be?

DVD – Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii. One CD, that’s a tough one. I guess it would have to be a double album and contain many different interesting tunes, so I would have to say The Beatles’ White Album.

Thanks for your time Jay. Have a good one, and I hope to hear from you again soon.

Black Market Sunday Official Site
Black Market Sunday MySpace

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Satanica Records

Irreverant Soul are definitely a bit of a strange beast. They’re taking USBM backwards in time, to a When that wasn’t obsessed with wicked production, insane keyboard solos, and soaring epic clean vocals. In fact, there are none of those elements in the self-titled EP from this Montana duo. Raw production with only drums, a guitar, and a grim fucking voice. And some samples, which was a cool thing to hear.
Of the Irreverant Soul tracks (the sixth is a bonus track from Throne of Malediction, a side project), “Dying Possession” and “Moonlight and Death” are my favorites. The Throne song is pretty fucking sweet too. Completely different from Irreverent, that’s for sure. More goth, definitely.
Anyway, I like this band. I think they might be able to go pretty far in the underground (especially if they’re namedropping supporters like Carpathan Forest, Messiah Marcolin, and more).
7.5 out of 10.