Dark Entries
"This is an interesting story, filled with incest and intrigue." - Kevyn, of WIA
With the thump-thump-thump of EBM and Synthpop filling modern "Goth" clubs, one often wonders what happened to the original, post punk sounds that started the scene off so many years ago. Any pop culture expert will tell you that subcultures require growth and evolution - but they'll also be quick to point out that evolution in culture runs in cycles.
And it just might be that Written in Ashes is at the right place at the right time. Get any notions of Sisters rehash bands out of your head, this troupe of top notch performers has a sound all their own, yet still hauntingly familiar. Through a darwinistic approach to retaining band members, the act has whittled down their team to a group of stage veterans, drawing members from some of the most notorious bands to exist in the North West.
Dark Entries: First off: A few things about the band, if you don't mind -
Kevyn: With the first album 'Eternal' came out many people compared us to Bau Haus because of the bass lines, and my voice. When I laid down the vocal tracks for that album I was sick as dog! However in the studio time is money! Some people have made comparisons to Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, recently I've heard Alien Sex Fiend and Billy Idol, go figure!
I've been writing dark music every since I started composing. Even the early punk rock stuff I did in the eighties was very, very dark. Written In Ashes began in late 1996 with myself, a bass player, and a drum machine. The music industry, and the scene here in Portland (Oregon) was seriously in need of something new and exciting. You have to understand the Pacific Northwest was still all about Nirvana and Pearl Jam sound a likes, and with Everclear gaining more and more popularity, we were living in Alt Rock central. I answered an add in a local music rag and was lucky enough to find someone that was interested in something dark and meaningful. That person is no longer with the band, but that original spirit still lives on...
DE: How do you feel being in Portland has influenced your progress as a band?
K: Being in Portland has been interesting. As I mentioned earlier, having that whole alt rock stigma hanging over the Northwest has been tough. Early on, booking agents and promoters were very wary of Written In Ashes, like they thought it was a joke or something. But I'm tenacious, and I've been focused on this project since day one. After a year of playing 4 or 5 shows a month in town, people started taking us seriously. So we started contacting bands and record labels telling them that Portland has a scene and nation acts need to stop here between San Francisco and Seattle. It worked, and our scene has been growing ever since. The down side is the distances between cities. If you're gonna play around the Northwest its 180 miles to Seattle, 420 miles to Boise, over 600 miles to San Francisco, a great deal of driving! The media is only a mouse click away, the majority of our promotions are done via e-mail and the internet. There are a number of internet radio stations that play Written In Ashes music, and our web site (www.writteninashes.com) receive a lot of traffic. And I try to answer every single piece of mail, it may not be timely, but I'll respond. The only draw back is being able to meet with label reps, or invite them to shows. Most of the labels we are interested in are in LA or back east. Personally, Portland is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to live. In some respects Written In Ashes has had more opportunities here then we would have had anywhere else.
DE: What about the creative process?
font color="#FFFFFF">K: Whenever you have groups of people, regardless of what kind of "team" it may be, not every member has the same goals or aspirations. The weaker ones quit, or freak out, the strong survive and thrive. I believe that Written In Ashes is made of the strongest members of some of Portlands greatest underground bands. Michael Draper formerly of Sylvias Ghost, he was the back bone and technical wizard of that band, probably the reason they were successful. Fritter formerly of Portlands Nocturne (the _original_ Nocturne) and currently of Noxious Emotion, she is a fire ball of intense musical energy. Christopher Robin from Nefarium is an electronic music master! David Battrick & Pete Guzzardi of Monochrome. Pete was the brains and Battrick was the brawn. Written In Ashes is fortunate to have such great talents!
The creative process is a group effort. Most of the time someone will come to rehearsal with a riff, or an idea. If the group thinks its something we can work with, we will start to hash it out by adding parts, and arranging them. Very rarely will an individual show up with a complete song. Strange as it may seem, under these circumstances the piece being introduced as a whole doesn't have that Written In Ashes sound or feel to it.
DE: How did getting on the Unquiet grave compilation come about?
K: The Unquiet Grave compilation from Cleopatra Records was totally unexpected. I had contacted the label asking if I could send a copy of our first album 'Eternal', and after receiving their blessing, sent a press kit. Then some weeks later, out of the blue comes a phone call from Athan Mouralis asking if we wanted to be included on this album. What was I gonna say? No?
It was interesting, because a week prior to Cleopatras initial solicitation, the original bass player told us he was quitting. As excited as I was, I kept the news to myself and drummer David Battrick. Not that we were trying to deceive anyone, but this person had made his decision, and we had tried to dissuade him from leaving. So about a month later a broke the news, we re-recorded NightFeast with Michael and sent the tapes to Cleopatra.
DE: How did WIA become involved with Rainforest?
K: This is an interesting story, filled with incest and intrigue. A friend of mine introduced me to Sylvias Ghost who were on RainForest (and still are). Went to see the band a view times, started hanging out with them. This is about the time a met Michael, if you recall, he was the basssist for SG and now the bassist for WIA. Every once in a while at one of these shows or at parties, I'd see this skinny, high strung guy chatting people up (Ray Woods owner/president of RainForest). We were probably introduced a couple of times but it never sank in. We started running into one another with alarming frequency, and even prior to Michael joining the band, Ray would come to shows. He and I had several discussions about where, how, and if WIA would or could be apart of the RainForest family. Well, Michael joined the band and we saw more and more of Ray. We continued to talk about our relationship and how we could support one another. Finally, I don't recall who came up with the idea, probably Ray, we came to the conclusion that we should collaborate on an off shoot of RainForest, something that focuses on the darker music. Living in the Pacific Northwest it only made sense to call it RainCloud. Our first release for the label was the new WIA album 'Epiphany'. Our future plans include a compilation album of NW goth/darkwave bands.
DE: There's been a slow but steady resurgence creeping up around true gloom rock Gothic music. What are your feelings about some of the "popular" genres in Goth clubs today - Synthpop, EBM, etc.
K: Its funny that you mention that. In the process of booking our tour, a great many promoters weren't booking live acts for their gothic / industrial nights. It was all about dancing, which is odd, because I can remember hanging out at one of my favorite goth spots in SF back in the 80's when it wasn't cool to dance, standing around drinking, watching the ladies spin and swirl. As a musician, a can appreciate the energy and effort that goes into creating something. Most of the bands you mention I like, and would probably pay money to see. What most important is getting the public out to see bands and hear new music, regardless of what that may be. However, if I wanna hang out and dance, I'll got to club and absorb myself into the vibe. When I think of, or go to, live shows, I want to be entertained, I want to see people sweat, I want to see bands improvise and not be dependent on their machines. This point of view comes from a bad experience that occurred to some friends of ours. We opened for this particular band around midnight, we finished about twelve forty-five or so. While the other band was preparing to go on, their dat machine failed, it had worked flawlessly during sound check, it took two hours before a replacement arrived. I would never want to be held captive to my equipment like that, to high a margin for error.
DE: Plans for the Future?
K: Finding a label for Written In Ashes is our number one priority right now. The band is well seasoned and prepared to take this next step. Written In Ashes is ready for a label, the problem is there aren't any labels that are ready for us. Up to this point we have done everything ourselves. We recently employed Nocturnal Movements to head up our promotions and marketing, but the next logical thing to happen would be finding a home with a supportive label.
Not to needlessly fuck with anything or anybody. Try to live life to the fullest, and enjoy this existence. Help people to discover themselves and stop hiding behind these facades of material wants and needs. Try to make people think about what they just heard or saw. And to always give the people what they want, something to remember...