CONVERGENCE XXIV
April 27-29, 2018
Dark Greetings, Alt.Gothic. We are pleased to present to you Convergence, Detroit style!
Friday
Curse of Cassandra
Curse of Cassandra’s new album Nekonomicon is the follow up to their underground hit Cult of Cats. Nekonomicon is darker, witchier and kittier than ever! The electronic duo from Cincinnati, Ohio mixes ghostly vocals, glittering dance beats and industrial saxophone, to conjure worlds of ‘witch dance’ and ‘grave wave.’ Traveling with their sphynx cats Armand and Asia on the 80+ show Cult of Cats tour, Curse of Cassandra opened for dark alternative music greats like My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, September Mourning and Angelspit. The witch dance duo is on the road again with Nekonomicon, only with more spells and charms. Meow.
Dragon on a Leash: Official Video
New album: Nekonomicon
Learn More: Curse of Cassandra
Sunshine Blind
Originally formed in the New Jersey/ New York area and backed only by drum machine,
and fronted by the imposing Caroline Blind, goth rockers Sunshine Blind took off among goth DJ's across the country
and across the ocean as well during the mid 1990's. Relocated to San Francisco in 1994, the group expanded to incorporate live drummer Geoff Bruce along with CWHK and bassist JT Murphy.
Touring the USA through the 90's, they shared the stage with acts like Switchblade Symphony and Faith and the Muse.
As their name spread, they toured in Europe, playing festivals and shows with their unique blend of moody guitar rock and dance beats,
and Carolines riveting, powerful vocals.
Joining them in playing live since 2013 is William Faith (of Faith and the Muse and the Bellwether Syndicate, among others) on bass.
See More: YouTube
"Like" Them: Connect on Facebook
Learn More: Sunshine Blind's Webiste
Ego Likeness
Ego Likeness describe themselves as simply "Dark electronic rock from Baltimore/DC",
but we strongly encourage you to click through to their official website to learn more about them
if you haven't heard them or seen them already.
Ego Likeness was created in 1999 by artist Steven Archer, a DC native, and writer Donna Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland.
They've been creating music, art, literature, and putting on amazing lives shows all over the world ever since.
Treacherous Thing 2012: Official Video
Metropolis Records Artists Page
Listen to More: Ego Likeness Youtube Channel
Saturday
Acid Casualty
Industrial and Dark Electronic music creator ACID CASUALTY builds a dark sonic landscape that takes the listener on an
unforgettable journey into the twisted mind of a modern day Mad Scientist. Thick Acidic bass lines , crazy melodic synth leads
and boot stomping beats from the other side of sanity. Based out of Southern Michigan and supported live by Miguel Reiner
of "Visions in Black" on synth.
Downloads available on Bandcamp , subscribe on youtube for Music Videos , Interviews and all things #acidcasualtyindustrial !
Listen Here: Bandcamp
See More: Instagram
Learn More: Connect on Facebook
Videos: YouTube Channel
Follow Them: Twitter
Autumn
"autumn’s music sounds as fresh as ever. The first two tracks
‘the fall’ and ‘before and after’ underline the dark emotional underbelly of alternative music, finding a sweet spot
between post-punk, ethereal wave, and shimmery goth rock. William Faith’s ‘Broken RmX’ transforms the ‘the fall’ into
a dancefloor-friendly track reminiscent of upbeat offerings from Garbage, Republica and Sleeper" – Big Takeover Magazine
Chicago's newly-formed Sett Records has announced the release of "the fall", the new maxi-single by Minneapolis-based trio autumn, who, in their 20 plus years, have always made a big sound.
Autumn is Julie Plante (vocals), Jeff Leyda (bass), and Neil McKay (guitars). Forming in Minneapolis in 1994, autumn has always sought to create melodies that get the listener to feel something deeply, that have the ability to haunt you in some way after the fact. The band released two albums on Tess Records - "the hating tree" (1996) and "return to the breath" (1999), with accompanying tours in support of each album before taking an extended hiatus.
Time, and perhaps fortune, brought them back to the source, each looking to express that nameless feeling that drew them together so many years previous. In 2016, a plan was hatched, and they contacted producer William Faith (Faith and the Muse, Christian Death, The March Violets, The Bellwether Syndicate), who had produced autumn’s debut album with the idea to bring the home team back together to produce something new, with a bit of old world charm.
Between the lost promises of summer and the bitter austerity of winter lives the time between; the shorter, pallid days, the dying leaves, the melancholic reflection of time as it passes… This pensive time between has been evoked and pondered in the words of poets ranging from Yeats to Keats, and once again it finds sublime expression in the lush, passionate, melodic, dark pop of autumn.
"the fall" is the band's brand-new 3-song single, produced by William Faith and released on Sett Records. Leading off with the track “the fall” the band inhabit the onerous tension between ire and loss, with vocalist Julie Plante spitting “I saw the light, and it was not where I needed it to be” over the haunting guitar refrains of Neil McKay and Jeff Leyda’s serpentine bass work, driving the beat onward.
"This release is about transition, both for the band's sound as well as our personal lives; love, loss, hope. The sound is more refined yet diverse in delivery styles. It appears the band had a few more things left to say, and our voices seem a little more confident this time around," says bassist Jeff Leyda.
Listen Here: Bandcamp
See More: Instagram
"Like" Them: Connect on Facebook
Learn More: Autumn's Webiste
Follow Them: Twitter
Bellwether Syndicate
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. – George Orwell
Released in 2013, The Night Watch is the debut EP from The Bellwether Syndicate,
a group of Chicago-based operatives of the sonic avant-garde, intent on speaking truth to power with a sharp tongue.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. – George Orwell
Fronted by veteran artist William Faith (of Faith and the Muse) and Sarah Rose (aka DJ Scary Lady Sarah), The Bellwether Syndicate are, as illustrated by their debut, coloring outside of prescribed genre lines, choosing here to push the boundaries of style and substance into something relevant and vital.
Kicking it all off is “All Fire,” casting the band as prophets of the descent, with a vocal call to arms for the disaffected and downtrodden, all set to a combustible blend of sharp synths, droning dark-indie guitars and a glam-slam beat. The EP’s title track, “The Night Watch,” takes it up a notch, moving on from stoking dissenting fires to documenting and outing the corruption of our modern institutions, heeding the call to “become the media,” broadcasting seeds of hope and change on the late-night wind, over a dynamic and driving blast of post-punk sound and fury. “101: Go” is a hedonistic romp through the glory of live rock and roll as we all know and love it — hard, fast and visceral; this is the soundtrack to getting ready to go out for the night, doing your hair in the mirror with a wry grin, knowing that you’ll be coming home spent, sore, and infinitely richer for the experience, all wailing riffs and pulsing beats to make the point, with Faith’s voice moving from a sexy croon to commanding scream just in case you didn’t get it. “Translucent” eases the tempo via a lush landscape of cascading shoegaze guitars, slinky bass lines and shuffling drums, with an introspective lyrical turn by William on love and the human condition, never quite sure of what someone else sees in us, and striving to be deserving of such gifts. The EP closes with “You Can See Through Me,” a shimmering slice of pure dream-pop featuring the haunting vocals of Sarah Rose, evoking an atmosphere of love letters written on perfumed paper, while bright, crystalline melodies chime away en route to the big finish of this fragile but beautiful moment.
The Night Watch boasts rich production and pristine sonics, produced by The Bellwether Syndicate, recorded by William Faith at his Zone ø Studio, mixed by Chicago’s New Canyons and mastered by Adam Stilson at the duo’s Undertone facility in the Windy City.
While the music is written and recorded by William and Sarah, the live show features collaborators Philly Peroxide (keyboards/percussion) and Paul Sin (bass). The Bellwether Syndicate present a powerful and commanding live performance, where the sound and substance of the recorded work truly comes to life; where the art is made whole by the audience — and this is a band that knows how to connect with its audience: not a typical fan base, but an engaged and invested network of family and familiars spanning the globe.
With a handful of well-received live shows in their wake, The Bellwether Syndicate are currently beginning production on the video for the song “The Night Watch,” which will be followed by some touring, and a new recording project on its’ heels.
Are you on The Night Watch?
Listen Here: Bandcamp
See More: Videos
"Like" Them: Connect on Facebook
Learn More: Bellwether Syndicate's Website
Follow Them: Twitter
Bella Morte
Based out of Charlottesville, Virginia, Bella Morte was formed in 1996 by Andy Deane and Gopal Metro.
That same year the duo churned out a cassette only EP titled Remorse, which quickly went out of print.
In 1997 the young band went on to win the Virginia Battle of the Bands and used the proceeds to record their first full-length album, Remains. The debut was recorded at the Sound of Music in Richmond, Virginia, and included re-recorded versions of five tracks off of their 1996 release.
Two years followed and Bella Morte released their second album, Where Shadows Lie, in 1999. The album featured two tracks with Ben Whitlow on guitar. Originally released on their independent label, the record was picked up in 2000 by Cleopatra Records.
2001 was another big year for the up and coming act. Howitzer Records released Bella Morte's Death Rock EP on vinyl, which featured four previously unreleased tracks, and was limited to 300 copies. The EP quickly went out of print. Bella Morte also hit the road during that year with the Cruxshadows for a staggering 53 date US tour. Shortly afterwards and just in time for Halloween 2002, Bella Morte re-released their first two albums and their first EP on their own independent record label.
The band gained the attention of Metropolis Records, who released their album, The Quiet, in November of 2002. Produced by Kevin McNoldy at Crystalphonic Studios in Charlottesville, Virginia, The Quiet features both Ben Whitlow and their then new guitarist, Tony Lechmanski, on guitar.
Their next creation, As the Reasons Die, blended heavy guitars and dark synth lines to create something entirely their own. Displaying over 49 minutes of the most energetic, daring music to hit record-store shelves in a long time, As the Reasons Die showed many different sides of Bella Morte's sound and moved seamlessly between genres from song to song without ever seeming in-cohesive. Four months after the release, Bella Morte created Songs for the Dead, an EP nostalgic of 80s punk and death rock. This guitar fueled EP features plenty of fist pounding chants and fast paced drum beats reminiscent of a sound that has been lost for nearly two decades and proves triumphant amidst the monotonous wasteland of present day pop punk.
Incorporating elements of punk, rock and dark electronics, Bella Morte returned in 2006 with Bleed The Grey Sky Black. The album was heavier than anything Bella Morte had released up until this point. Tracks like “Torn,” “The End Ahead,” and “As the Storm Unfolds” offered up high energy, while tracks like “On The Edge,” “Dust,” and “An Enemy Without” gave time to reflect.
For 2008, Bella Morte’s Beautiful Death exhibited how the band has truly come into their own. Featuring everything you’d expect from this exceptional band, Beautiful Death mixed dark driving rock anthems with electronic sequences to create a one of a kind listening experience. - Source
Listen Here: Bandcamp
See More: Videos
"Like" Them: Connect on Facebook
Learn More: Bella Morte's Metropolis Records Website
Follow Them: Twitter
Hell is empty,
and all the devils are here!!!