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Goth Chick News: New Haunted Tunes and Something Cool to Read While You Listen to Them

Goth Chick News: New Haunted Tunes and Something Cool to Read While You Listen to Them

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image008Question: If grungy rock musicians from Seattle get all the Barbie-doll girls, then who gets the Goth Chicks?

Answer: Moody dudes in top hats and capes playing disturbing, dark dirges, that’s who.

Cue the organ music and pull back the black velvet curtains to reveal the boys of Midnight Syndicate and their newest title Carnival Arcane; just in time for your Ray-Bradbury-inspired, Something Wicked This Way Comes themed cocktail party.

You all have one of those, right? Or is it just me…?

The Bradbury reference is inevitable as a haunted, night circus is what immediately came to mind when I listened to this CD. And if clowns are your nightmare, I wouldn’t fall asleep with the track “Sea of Laughter” playing in the background.

The narrative of the disc surrounds the Lancaster-Rigby Carnival, a turn-of-the-century traveling circus with more than a few skeletons in its closet.

Inspired by historical research into carnivals of that time period, Carnival Arcane co-creator (and my musician-groupie crush) Ed Douglas describes the music this way:

We wanted to push the boundaries on this disc. For a band that’s made a career of making “soundtracks to imaginary” films, I think this one feels more like a movie than anything we’ve done to date.

And co-creator Gavin Goszka says:

It’s definitely the most complete and intricate soundscape we’ve ever produced. You can practically smell the popcorn and Fairy Floss (cotton candy). “There’s also a tremendous amount of variety. There are moments where I think the listener will find themselves caught up in this strange sense of wonder and macabre fascination, and others that will leave them shaking in their boots. We were able to expand our instrument roster on this disc in ways that we’d only touched on before.

Each one of the twenty-five tracks is a self-contained gem of a storyline that will strike a nerve with anyone who believes there’s something more disturbing at traveling carnivals than employees without good dental plans.

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Goth Chick News: Logan’s Re-Run

Goth Chick News: Logan’s Re-Run

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image011Recently, I made a DVD acquisition that is a tad off the beaten path at Chateaux Goth Chick. While admittedly my movie collection is somewhat top-heavy with an equal mixture of black and white classic horror and modern day scream-fests, there are the occasional outliers such as all the Terminator movies and the complete Harry Potter series.

Apparently, this choice was an outlier of the outliers.

When Logan’s Run arrived in my mailbox, Mr. Goth Chick groaned out loud, announcing that is was very nearly the “cheesiest film of all time.” He then went on to abuse my admiration of what I consider a classic from 1976 until I set him straight on a few points.

For instance.

Did you know that in 1977 Logan’s Run was nominated for two Oscars (Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography) and won a Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects?

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films gave it six “golden scrolls” that same year, primarily for the special effects that at the time were cutting edge.

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Goth Chick News: Frank is the new Drac

Goth Chick News: Frank is the new Drac

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image0021Ever since interviewing Charlene Harris, I must admit to being a big fan of True Blood. But it’s important to note that the HBO series encompasses far more creatures than just vampires and the vampires that do reside in Bon Temps, LA where all the action takes place, at least adhere to the widely accepted folklore such as adversity to daylight, stakes through the heart, etc.

No daytime sparkly angst here.

But let’s be honest. Between the TV shows and movies of the last five years, vampires are suffering from overexposure. And like any fad that has run its cultural course, nothing says “over” like being slapped on a lunch box come back-to-school time.

Goth Chick’s prediction for 2012 fashion? Vampires are out. Man-made monsters that defy all the laws of nature are way in.

To prove my point, there are already several early adopters in both the big and small screens.

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Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for Blood Junky Author Stavros

Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for Blood Junky Author Stavros

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6x9-cover-templateIf you happen to be familiar with the Black Gate submission guidelines, then you’ve read the following on our feelings about vampires around the office:

We see far too much bad vampire fiction, and if you think you’re going to surprise readers by revealing your hero is a vampire on the last page, you’re dead wrong.

As a hard-core vampire fan you might think this would be just another chafing point for me, along with the toilet seat being left up in the unisex bathrooms and Scott Taylor coming in shirtless and pretending to be an Ork every Halloween.

But no.

I wholeheartedly support this anti-vampire stance but not just because most vampire fiction is bad. It’s because it is a rare thing indeed, to find a truly unique take on the concept. Bram Stoker created an epic character and ever since, it’s pretty much been the same thing only different; slight variations on all the major themes of immortality, blood consumption, aversion to daylight, etc, etc, etc.

Yawn.

Imaginative vampires in literature are as difficult to find as the real thing, but thankfully, not impossible.

Enter Stavros — an artist and author who, like Dracula, goes by one name — and his first novel Blood Junky. I devoured the book in one sitting which is not what I expected to do when I first talked to Stavros about it at this year’s Comic-Con. This story was really, truly different; it was cool and kind of gross. I couldn’t put it down.

I had to know more about this guy and this book.

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Goth Chick News: Kelley Armstrong’s Bestselling Otherworld Series Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary and Hollywood Digs Up an Old Fav

Goth Chick News: Kelley Armstrong’s Bestselling Otherworld Series Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary and Hollywood Digs Up an Old Fav

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image002It’s only September 1st but the bales of hay and plastic skeletons have already lined the shelves of the local craft stores for over a month. Though I dutifully grouse about Christmas music echoing through the malls in mid-October, Halloween accoutrements in July simply means that for a few short months of the year, my home décor is in trendy step with the retail market.

And though I won’t amp up the props that send the neighbor kids screaming back down the sidewalk until the official start of the “the Season” on October 1st, the appearance of jumbo bags of assorted candies and plastic Iron Man costumes at Target means I’m well within my rights to break out the black food coloring and a few bottles of Vampire Wine.

Which I will drink while sinking my fake pointy teeth into some awesome, pre-season offerings.

Believe it or not, I learned it’s been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong’s New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of you have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong’s witches, demons, and werewolves.

In her latest outing, Spell Bound, Armstrong pulls out all the stops, bringing all of her supernatural characters together in what is clearly the first battle of an Otherworld war; and I can’t wait to dig in.

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Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for the Creators of the New Super Hero Comic Legacies End

Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for the Creators of the New Super Hero Comic Legacies End

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legacies-endAs discussed last week I had the distinct pleasure of covering the Chicago Comic-Con for Black Gate earlier this month. About 20% of the enormous convention center is dedicated to comic artists and creators, set up in an area called “Artist’s Alley.” There you could see a bewildering array of amazing illustrations from the Japanese anime style to traditional pen and ink, and meet the creative minds behind both popular super heroes (last year I got to meet Gary Friedrich, creator of Ghost Rider) as well as emerging new talent.

It was there I found my friend and film actor Jason Contini (star of Shadowland) along with his partners, brother Nathan Contini, Justin Mitchiner and Nicholas Hearne promoting their new comic series Legacies End.

The gents were kind enough to give me an early look and I must say, even though I’m a bit of a super hero traditionalist (Wonder Woman for example), I absolutely loved this very modern day approach. Think X-men and Watchman meet Kick Ass and you wouldn’t be far off.

Clearly, I had to know more.

An Interview With Jason Contini, Nathan Contini, Justin Mitchiner and Nicholas Hearne

Conducted and transcribed by Sue Granquist, August 2011

GC: How did you get into creating comics? Was it to meet girls?

NICHOLAS: Why else would a red blooded American man create a comic book but to meet girls?!  Geek chicks are the best!!! (GC: so what are you implying, Nicholas??)

JASON: Well, I think that’s the main reason to do anything, right? Girls!! No, I think for us, it was more that we were all super comic book fans for nearly most of our lives. And we’ve all talked about doing a comic book of our own for years.

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Goth Chick News: Cool Stuff from the Chicago Comic-Con

Goth Chick News: Cool Stuff from the Chicago Comic-Con

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image004Ah, August in Chicago.

Bicyclists along the lake front, street festivals, the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel… and so many guys dressed like storm troopers you can’t spit a piece of gum without hitting one.

It’s once again Comic-Con time in the city.

Each year, following the bacchanalia in San Diego in July, the less manic, more edgy and far more spandex-laden version makes its way to my favorite city and thanks to my Black Gate creds, I get VIP access every August. The big Hollywood bunny-huggers in California can keep their con. Give me the artsier, indy-er and far more laid back Midwest version where you can still hobnob with the entertainment industry; but instead of seeing them from behind black draped partitions, you walk right up, shake hands and have a chat.

Amazing cartoonists, emerging authors, small-movie moguls and performance artists all mix with Iron Man-costumed day traders and slightly overweight Batmen.

A better afternoon you couldn’t hope to spend.

In the coming weeks it will be my distinct pleasure to bring you in-depth looks at some of my absolute favorite finds from the 2011 show. But being one of those “open at least one present on Christmas Eve” kind of girls, I couldn’t wait for the interviews to start taking shape.

So, here are a few of the most unique sights that caught my attention, in a good way. Believe me, there were a lot of sights that caught my attention in an entirely different way altogether, but I’ll stow my snark and stick to the cool stuff, listed in no particular order.

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Goth Chick News: The Last Four Things

Goth Chick News: The Last Four Things

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image012The options for your summer reading list are as copious as the Speedo bathing suits which have suddenly appeared on the rooftop sun deck of the Black Gate offices, but not nearly as difficult to speak about.

A couple weeks back I told you about Robert Browne’s The Paradise Prophesy, which hit store shelves on July 21st. This week British author Paul Hoffman brings us the second in The Left Hand of God trilogy, entitled The Last Four Things.

Hoffman’s first book set off a worldwide bidding frenzy among US publishers in 2008. The Left Hand of God (aka The Angel of Death) follows the story of Thomas Cale, a teenager imprisoned in The Sanctuary, a brutal institution that trains boys to become warriors, known as “Redeemers” in an imminent holy war.

Though the trilogy is set in an intriguingly ambiguous medieval realm with modern overtones, this isn’t entirely a fantasy world; much of it is based on Hoffman’s own experiences growing up in an extremist Catholic boarding school.

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Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for Robert Browne, Author of The Paradise Prophecy

Goth Chick News: 13 Questions for Robert Browne, Author of The Paradise Prophecy

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image0022In spite of it being a gorgeous, sunny couple of weeks in Chicago, I remain unnaturally pasty.

No, that’s not normal for me, but thanks for asking.

Even I occasionally venture out of the subterranean offices of the Black Gate headquarters for a little fresh air, some more salt for the margaritas, or to affix sticky notes with snarky comments on the paint-ball equipment posters of the boys in the upstairs staff room.

But for the last few days I have remained glued to my comfy chair and Robert Browne is to blame.

One of the joys of this job is the occasional pre-publication copy of a soon-to-be-released book. Even more joyful are those that turn out to be a decent read. But the pinnacle and rarest of joys is the book that is one-of-a-kind special.

The Paradise Prophecy is one of those.

Not that I wasn’t prepared to be skeptical (because frankly when am I not?). But almost literally from the first page I was hooked. And so there I sat in my comfy chair; bereft of vitamin D and not even bothering to reach over to press “crush” on the blender controls, totally enslaved by one of the most uniquely told tales I’ve come across in a very long time.

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Goth Chick News: Kolchak Stalks Again

Goth Chick News: Kolchak Stalks Again

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image0101You remember him, I know you do.

A wise-cracking, would-be-hard-bitten newsman in a battered seersucker suit and straw hat looking like he just stepped out of a 1940’s gumshoe flick — except for that slick, yellow Ford Mustang convertible he’s tooling around in.

But Carl Kolchak took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in a couple of 1970’s TV movies and a short-lived TV show in which he kept stumbling across increasingly outrageous news stories that not only put his life in imminent danger, but inevitably involved horrific supernatural or paranormal beings.

Cue the distinctive, whistled theme music and pull up a 1970’s faux leatherette lounge chair (orange preferably); it’s time for The Night Stalker…

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