Originally published by the now defunct newempire.com
1999
by Evan South
Q: Please describe your progression as an artist from
the “early” years of Damned Souls through your new
album Nomad...
A: Well, it’s been almost 10 years since Damned Souls
and naturally a lot has happened. I’ve become a bit
more exposed to various elements of life as is the case
with anyone. I, however, have been more and more
disgusted with the way not so much as our world and
the people in it are shaping up to be, but more how the
world and the people are being controlled , deceived,
and lied to by others. Be it some greedy/prejudice
asshole who robs you or lies to you, or a local
government or government agency yet again pulling the
wool over people’s eyes.
Q: any possibility of another Phantoms-type album,
including some of your older/unreleased
material, possibly re-worked/re-mixed or updated?
A: Probably not-there are a couple of little things here
or there, but these would probably end up as MP3's
on the website.
Q: You have been around the music scene well over a
decade now, yet there has always been a lack of
coverage regarding Xorcist. Do you think this is
because you do not write material geared toward a
club setting?
A: Xorcist at first was just another EBM type album I
believe, yet it may have possessed (no pun intended)
a bit more of a melodic structure to it then other music
of its type-perhaps not so aggressive in places where
as a lot of other releases of the time were very “in your
face”. Over time, Xorcist really was beginning to
develop more of a soundtrack vibe and I think the
“scene” (industrial/gothic) is not really where Xorcist
should have planted its roots. Granted, I was part of
that scene, ran clubs, etc...but more over, Xorcist was
most likely not marketed correctly due to its sound
being honed and defined more within that soundtrack/
atmosphere sound with the next several releases after
Damned Souls. 21st Circuitry is a great label and all,
but at times, the stuff I was doing belonged in ads
targeting a much wider audience. I must have heard
1000 times how someone got turned onto Xorcist by
accident. That they were not even into the gothic/
industrial thing but they heard it from “somewhere”...
I think the next Xorcist release may be the last in the
“genre” per se.
Q: Any old piece of gear you regret not having any
longer or getting rid of?
A: Sure, the PPG 2.3, EVU, and Waveterm A.
But I was broke at the time. I hope one day to pick up
another combination like that but times were real hard
back then. They still are.
Q: Was there any particular movie, piece of music, or
episode in your life that set you on the path you’re on
now as an artist?
A: Growing up, I had two sisters who listened to guitar
based bands. Synthesizers were brought to my
attention via my love for computers. I still remember
placing an AM radio next to a Radio Shack TRS-80
just to hear the interference. There was, however,
one record my parents had that I used to listen to while
growing up which scared the living shit out of me. It
wascalled Music from Mathematics and it was musical
pieces (if you could call them that) done by an IBM
computer whose size took up a room. The sounds
generated by this thing were not of this earth, and me
being how old...3? 5? I was still pretty much one of
those kids young enough to be completely programmed
and consequently fucked up more than usual by what
was either heard or seen. That record set thing into
motion no doubt. Later on during life while into the
whole Heavy Metal thing, I realized I was more into
New Wave as I got into the keyboard elements much
more than banging my head and trying to bang some
chick (this is the Heavy Metal mentality). Synth bands
could create so much more in atmosphere than any
guitar band ever could. Eventually, I became enthralled
with films and realized that musical scores when done
right could have a dramatic effect on one’s mind.
Films such as Cat People, Scarface(Georgio Moroder),
and of course, The Keep (Tangerine Dream) are a few
that come to mind as scores that will forever be burned
into my mind.
Q: Is it possible to bring Nomad to a live setting? How
would you go about this?
A: I would love to put together a NOMAD tour, but it
would require quite a bit of money, something I don’t
think Pendragon really has. Any touring act with a large
show usually is on a large label that can front royalties
based on sales in the 10,000's if not the 100,000's.
Pendragon is a great label, but they’re just not that big.
Q: Please talk about your current club effort “The
Black Lodge” compared to your previous club “House
of Usher”...
A: The Black Lodge is a club my fiancé and I wanted
to open that concentrated more on the darker side
ambient dancy side of the gothic and industrial scene.
While I was running House of Usher, I would spin
stuff no other strictly “goth/industrial” club would
spin like Future Sound of London, Autechre, Locust,
Scala, SOMA, Uziq, Aphex Twin, etc. The Black
Lodge is a marriage of that scene along with the
electronic side of the gothic/industrial scene.
We hope it exposes both scenes to each others music.
Q: I read in another interview you were working on an
Xorcist video or videos?
A: Well, it’s another one of those time things. I have a
camera, I have a digital video card, I have ideas. Now I
need time and, well, a 15 gig hard drive would help as
well.
Q: Please tell us what is coming up for Xorcist...
A: There are some remixes being done of tracks off
NOMAD by Xorcist. Some music is being used in an
upcoming documentary on Charles Gatewood which
will eventually be on either HBO or Showtime, but I
hope the future holds more music, perhaps film scoring,
perhaps something new altogether. I don’t have any set
plans, it just flows.
Q: With your music much more soundtrack oriented,
have you ever submitted any pieces to a major or
independent movie studio for consideration? Have any
“major” music artists ever heard your work and sent
you comments?
A: Again, it is almost impossible to do such a thing.
You have to know someone in the biz.
It’s very, very nepotistic. I’m trying to find a publisher
or agent who may be able to help me, but so far I
haven’t found anyone worthwhile. As to if any “major”
artists have heard Xorcist? Not to my knowledge.
Q: Final thoughts/comments?
A: The hippies were right about some things... they just
smelled funny.
cyberden.com
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