Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 @ 02:19:45 PM I want to send out enormous thanks to everyone who called in to Something Wonderful on WORT this past Monday when we did the Dark Clan t-shirt giveaway. I had thought maybe one or two people would call in a bit after the song had started, but instead the phone lines were flooded and it took Ryan and the volunteer guy a minute or two to handle all the calls.
I cannot possibly express how humbling and gratifying moments like that are for me and my tiny little indie project. Thank you all so much for listening and participating. I cannot wait to Bring The Rock (and the vampires) to you all at Rev next week. :-) {-x-}
Latest News
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007 @ 01:28:20 PM I'm proud to announce that in addition to my guitar/vocal duties in Stromkern and Null Device, I'll also be performing as The Dark Clan at this year's Reverence festival in Madison WI! I play Wednesday, July 25th with Beta Virus and The Gothsicles, and then I'll be performing in Null Device and Stromkern Saturday night as well. I promise there will be new Dark Clan merchandise available for purchase in addition to the usual CDs, and I'll be performing some new tracks druing the set from the upcoming album, The Vampire Wore White, which is due out this winter.
For more info about Reverence, including a complete list of performers and ticket info, go to the Dead Beat Productions website. {-x-}
For more info about Reverence, including a complete list of performers and ticket info, go to the Dead Beat Productions website. {-x-}
Friday, December 15th, 2006 @ 10:51:21 PM Oh my, Dark Clan CDs are now available for purchase! Scroll to the bottom of any page on this site for order info. Or go directly to the store to buy Vampires Dance! or Stars... Let's hear it for commerce!
Work continues apace on the new record, lots of material being recorded. As is the MO for this project, I'm making attempts to write some dancefloor stompers along with totally over-the-top Gothique Ballads and Goth Metal, and so far I'm really excited about the material that's coming out. Keep an eye on the Dark Clan MySpace page in the coming months, as I'll be releasing demo and scratch versions of tracks as I get them done. {-x-}
Work continues apace on the new record, lots of material being recorded. As is the MO for this project, I'm making attempts to write some dancefloor stompers along with totally over-the-top Gothique Ballads and Goth Metal, and so far I'm really excited about the material that's coming out. Keep an eye on the Dark Clan MySpace page in the coming months, as I'll be releasing demo and scratch versions of tracks as I get them done. {-x-}
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 @ 09:14:27 AM Dark Clan CDs are in transit to my apartment as I write this, so there will definitely be merch at Reverence this weekend! Yay! I'll have copies of both Vampires Dance! and Oh, but the stars still shine... for sale. {-x-}
Monday, July 17th, 2006 @ 09:27:43 AM So yeah, The Dark Clan is now officially on MySpace. Personally I was amazed that there wasn't already some douchebag band on there called The Dark Clan. Guess I get to be the douchebag.
In other news, and aside from the availability of TDC merch at this year's Reverence festival, is the fact that I've started work on a new record. The album is going to be a resurrection of a project that I started after college which was originally going to be a chamber work with small ensemble (perhaps an octet) and voice, but which I think will work just as well, if not better, in the format of The Dark Clan. The songs will be based on a set of poems written by a friend of mine (who is a fine, fine poet) that I wanted to put to music from the moment I read them, but which I never quite had the artistic acumen or wherewithal to do. Now, however, I feel I have sufficient command of my craft to take a real, honest shot at this thing.
It's kinda funny, actually, 'cos I did write a song cycle for my senior recital in college, based on a set of poems written by a different poet I knew at the time, so I've done things like what I'm about to embark on, but there's definitely a difference. A song cycle can be as unified or disparate as you want, but this work is a unified whole from the text on up; themes are stated and developed in the text and as such the music will have to act in a similar way so as not to do the poems a disservice.
I can't tell you how excited I am to be starting on this. I expect it shall take some while to finish. {-x-}
In other news, and aside from the availability of TDC merch at this year's Reverence festival, is the fact that I've started work on a new record. The album is going to be a resurrection of a project that I started after college which was originally going to be a chamber work with small ensemble (perhaps an octet) and voice, but which I think will work just as well, if not better, in the format of The Dark Clan. The songs will be based on a set of poems written by a friend of mine (who is a fine, fine poet) that I wanted to put to music from the moment I read them, but which I never quite had the artistic acumen or wherewithal to do. Now, however, I feel I have sufficient command of my craft to take a real, honest shot at this thing.
It's kinda funny, actually, 'cos I did write a song cycle for my senior recital in college, based on a set of poems written by a different poet I knew at the time, so I've done things like what I'm about to embark on, but there's definitely a difference. A song cycle can be as unified or disparate as you want, but this work is a unified whole from the text on up; themes are stated and developed in the text and as such the music will have to act in a similar way so as not to do the poems a disservice.
I can't tell you how excited I am to be starting on this. I expect it shall take some while to finish. {-x-}
Monday, July 17th, 2006 @ 09:13:10 AM (cross-posted on MySpace) Just wanted to let y'all know that I'll have copies of both Dark Clan records ("Oh, but the stars still shine..." and "Vampires Dance!") on sale at Reverence this weekend. So if you've wanted a copy, this'll be your chance to pick 'em up! I'm playing both nights (with Null Device on Friday and Stromkern on Saturday), so my merch should be available both nights, and hey; stop by and say hello! {-x-}
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 @ 10:04:17 PM Not much to update here lately, been very very busy with other projects. In particular, I'm still playing guitar with Stromkern, so I'll be touring with them this year, opening up for Front Line Assembly, plus of course doing all the other (i.e. non-tour) shows on the books as well. Lots of live action going on there, and man, if you haven't seen the current incarnation of sk:, you are in for a treat: we bring the rock. In addition, Null Device is very busy wrapping up the third album and getting an all-new live act together so I've been doing a lot of arranging there, and a little bit of writing for the record. I'm really trying to push my part-writing in a new direction with ND, so it's gonna be a great challenge that I think will make our live sound even more awesomer. We've also added Elizabeth Scheef (Stochastic Theory) on percussion, keys, and vocals, so that opens up some new live dimensions for us as well. ND will be playing a bunch of really great festivals this year, so I'm looking forward to those! And of course my dear, awesome art-metal band, Siv, is working as well and now has a full set together and is starting to rack up some gigs. Our next show is May 20th.
Finally, I'm in the process of learning Logic and moving my poor, antiquated studio over to that app on my PowerBook. I'll be buying a new audio interface after the Stromkern June U.S. tour, as well, right now I'm eyeballing a Metric Halo unit based on Ned and Wonko's recommendations.
I do have a Dark Clan track just about in the can, I'm writing it as a farewell to my soon-to-be-ex studio setup, and I also wrote a country song, which I'll understand if not everyone enjoys as much as me. :-) I'm thinking of starting a new Folk/Country/Americana project called to do stuff like this. We'll see.
So, new TDC coming, in the meantime, come see me live with Stromkern or Null Device or Siv! If you come say hi I'll buy you some booze or something and we can laugh about how much I sweat onstage. Good times! {-x-}
Finally, I'm in the process of learning Logic and moving my poor, antiquated studio over to that app on my PowerBook. I'll be buying a new audio interface after the Stromkern June U.S. tour, as well, right now I'm eyeballing a Metric Halo unit based on Ned and Wonko's recommendations.
I do have a Dark Clan track just about in the can, I'm writing it as a farewell to my soon-to-be-ex studio setup, and I also wrote a country song, which I'll understand if not everyone enjoys as much as me. :-) I'm thinking of starting a new Folk/Country/Americana project called to do stuff like this. We'll see.
So, new TDC coming, in the meantime, come see me live with Stromkern or Null Device or Siv! If you come say hi I'll buy you some booze or something and we can laugh about how much I sweat onstage. Good times! {-x-}
Sunday, January 8th, 2006 @ 11:01:00 PM Taking some time off to collate a possible new Dark Clan album consisting of the best tracks off of "Oh, But The Stars..." and "Vampires Dance." I'm also helping mix and produce the Gothsicles' album, helping with the material for the new Null Device album as well as working on live arrangements to prepare for what is looking like a nice and busy gigging/touring season for ND, helping do audio commentary (believe it!) for the new Caustic album, getting my Art-Metal band Siv back up and running, and namedropping as many people as I possibly can in this post. so TDC is gonna be slow for a bit, though I should say that ideas for two new tracks have begun working themselves out. {-x-}
Sunday, November 6th, 2005 @ 04:31:57 PM New Music!! I've finished the remix. You can listen to it here: Emmanuel Lewis Flame Job. {-x-}
Friday, November 4th, 2005 @ 09:47:41 PM My remix of the Caustic track "Emmanuel Lewis Hand Job" is now complete. It is, interestingly enough, currently 8 minutes and 8 seconds long (8:08), which methinks bodes well. I must say I feel this piece features some of my finest work. Now I just have to live with the mix for a while to make sure it's okay, then it's off to Matt it goes! {-x-}
General Info
Some of this is quite serious, and some of it is not. But it is all sincere — earnestly so. As unfashionable as credulity and honesty and sincerety and earnestness and straghtforwardness seem to be, all of this is it. Even the un-serious bits.
This is the sound of a heart on a sleeve
This is the sound of the Dark Clan. The only core member is listless (that's me), guitar player for Null Device and former frontman for the defunct punk outfit rattbelly. Other contributors contribute wonderful things all the time, for which I could never thank them enough. The Dark Clan is a repository for all the songwriting detritus hanging out in my head that has never fit into any band I've ever been in, hence the lack of a coherent overall style. The only things lending any sense of "band-ness" to this collection of songs are my undying love for good melody and big beats, and my weird obsession with first- and fourth-species counterpoint, which compositional techniques appear in just about every single one of these songs.
Dark Clan CDs On Sale Now at CD Baby! Buy Vampires Dance! or Oh, but the stars still shine... from CD Baby's store, or buy 'em right here using the handy-dandy form below!