Archive for July, 2009

Posted in Parties, New York City History on July 19th, 2009 by admin

Greetings my dear Gothlings!

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending The Lady of Manners’, Jillian Venters, Gothic Charm School (www.gothic-charm-school) tea party and picnic/book release party at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Wow! That was a mouthful!!! let me tell you all about it:After forcing myself out of bed at the unGothly hour of 11:45am, I got all dandified in my finest Goth garb and headed downtown to pick up my dear friend Cindy…she provided the Parasols! very essential equipment, considering we were going to be out in the summertime sun. Granted, the weather, although sunny and warm, was much more welcomed than humid & muggy with a 50% chance of a tropical downpour, the way it has been since March.

Cindy and I made our way to the 8th Street/Broadway “R” station and we were on our trek toward 25th Street in Brooklyn. It was a bit of a ride, but when you are in good company, it seems to fly by, and soon we were at our stop. From the train station it is an uphill walk of one block to get to the Cemetery’s main gate. On the way there we accumulated two other Goth girls fearing getting lost in this massive resting place searching for this elusive tea party…to tell you the truth…we had no clue exactly where this was being held either. luckily for us the guard at the main gates pointed us in the right direction…hmm, how did he know where we supposed to go, I wonder?

The picnic was held just outside a lovely little chapel and on the side of a small, somewhat shaded, hill. I was saddened to see that the turnout was rather smaller than I expected…it was about 50 people. I was surprised to see more of a “Dances of Vice” crowd than the usual faces I see out and about in the Darkness…you know who you are! For shame!

Although I was a bit skeptical at first, I must admit that this event was indeed outstanding (save the multicolored beach umbrella in the background there)! Moreover, I’ll add that our community needs more of these “other than nightclub” events. In any case, tea, pastries, cookies, and cakes were generously served…sucked for me since I don’t eat sugar/carbs…but it look all very tasty! After some time we were treated to a reading from the Lady of Manners’ new book, more specifically, a very apropos chapter about how Goths should cope with the summer season, sunlight, parasols, and how to wear billowy, yet dark, clothing. Some very good advice!

Outside of some media presence (Time Out New York & NY Post.com) shooting photos and video (mind you they did ask nicely before clicking away), this turned out to be fairly intimate outing.

The, Cindy, a friend from her Bellydancing troupe, Leah (did I spell that right?), who knows the lady of manners personally from when she lived in Seattle, and myself went for an exploratory stroll throughout the immediate vicinity of the Cemetery, parasols in hand, to marvel at the historical tombs and gravestones that litter the Green-wood grounds. At this point I should mention that the Green-wood Cemetery is more of historical landmark/museum than it is an actual Cemetery. It has a bunch of events and tours throughout the year…of which I will gladly start listing on NewGothCity.com! Plus…this is one of my favorite N.Y.C. history factoids…before Central Park was created just over 150 years ago, Green-wood Cemetery was considered the city’s largest attraction and destination for picnics, walks, and outings! Plus there is the cutest doggy there…take a look:

All in all we had a fantastic brief hours there. So much so that New Goth City is planning a similar picnic event soon…Septemberish, when the weather is a bit cooler for our kind. Stay tuned…

See you in the Dark!
Sir William Welles

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Posted in Parties, Concert on July 7th, 2009 by admin

Greetings my dear Gothlings!

It has indeed been a while since my last Nocturnal Diary entry, but I reason that my experience at the Peter Murphy Concert last night duly deserves one!

Before I proceed to give you my insight, I wish to share with you my dear friend Earienne’s account of the first Peter Murphy concert night at Highline Ballroom…she was my guest of two compt’d tickets (Heehee, PERKS!…the tickets, I mean). She has a wonderful way with words. Read on:

I found myself in the fortuitous position of being graced with the chance to see Peter Murphy on stage tonight and I left feeling very grateful.

There are many reasons it is grand to be Goth, and Peter Murphy continues to be one of them. Tonight held many memorable moments including: the fantastic cover of We All Shine On was a sweet surprise; the gorgeous I’ll Fall with Your Knife; and Time Has Nothing To Do With It. Of course a snippet of Bela Lugosi’s Dead made its way into the playlist along with the popular Cuts You Up; and another great cover Ground Control to Major Tom.

Looking around the very mixed crowd at the Highline Ballroom gave evidence of the ability his music has to bring together seemingly incongruous company – I am ever astounded at the power music has to unify – even if it is momentary it is a worthwhile alignment (politics could use to take a page from the book of music in this regard).

I am a fan of the theatric, but also have a deep appreciation for the potency of simplicity – this concert is a great example – nothing between the musicians and the audience but a few well placed lighting instruments – and Murphy’s intense focus and poised presence. I am uplifted by the music and his energy and left the concert in a better place than I began. And isn’t that part of the essence of art? The ability it gives the viewer to transcend whatever burdens they have for a bit – a blessed respite to regain strength and get back to business perhaps even with a new perspective.

It is a special province of Gothic music to help ease a bruised heart – hearing another voice singing of familiar pain is like a temporary antidote to loneliness. May the poetry do the same for you while the music lifts you up. Many thanks to Peter and his fantastic band, enjoy the rest of the America that you have yet to see. –Earienne DeGrey

Wasn’t that special? Now my turn:

There is something about a voice. When it comes to certain distinct singing voices that helped shape and solidify the basis of the early Goth music sound it laid the groundwork for many Goth bands to come throughout the years…and Peter Murphy is in possession of one of those iconic voices. Even though, admittedly, years and a slight shift in musical genre separates him from the Bauhaus days, Peter Murphy and his band mates, now on a major American tour, perform a concert that exceeds the extraordinary, whilst remaining truly simple in form.

Last night was the first of a two night run stop on the tour at Highline Ballroom. Rather oddly, the opening band, Modwheelmood, is a very “alternative” band that will transport you back to college in the 1990’s…even if you didn’t attend college in the 1990’s! In-between sets, if one should take a deliberate glace across the audience crowd, one will be quite amazed at the diversity of people amassed as Peter Murphy fans. You have the young and the old, nostalgics, hipsters, rockers, ex-Goths, closeted Goths, actual Goths (although an alarming few of them at last night’s concert…yeah…Monday…I know), and even some that looked as though they walked in through the wrong door (you know who you are!), and they all were there for the same unifying reason Earienne wrote about. But here is the rub: the apparent diversity of Peter Murphy’s fan-base is in direct correlation to his musical range. In simpler terms: there is something there for every one! Murphy, in an approximate 2 hour set creates a musical blanket that spans from 1970, with a kick-ass cover of John Lennon’s We All Shine On, to his newer, more “rock” intensive songs of today, without forgetting the Goth roots. And that brings us back to his voice. No matter what “type” of song he belts out with the energy of a teenager, you will always catch that sorrowful, bass-heavy, lamenting Goth voice that is hardwired into your brain. And as the concert progresses, the songs just get better and better, topping the last, until the crowd is literally begging for an encore. The best part for me was being able to pick out the ex and current Goths in the crowd out of the rest of the more mundane crowd because as the more recognizable Gothy songs such as Cuts You Up & She’s In Parties are being played the mundane crowd is doing their usual rapid bopping up and down, while the Goth silhouettes are transfixed into “the slow shoulder sway!”

If you get the fortunate chance to catch the next concert tonight (all the info is…of course…on NewGothCity.com), DO IT!!! I know for some a $35.00 ticket price is a bit much right now…but you have to trust me on this…if you ever claimed to even like Bauhaus, you’re gonna LOVE this man’s live performance with all of your blackend heart. YOU GO NAO!!!

See you in the Dark!
Sir William Welles

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