http://www.undercrypt.com Music, Dance & Gothic Horror Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:26:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Our dark steampunk cabaret has a delicious line-up of music, dance, and spoken word pieces, highlighted by the extraordinary Tempest and the amazing Tim Rayborn as they cross the country on The Durga Tour. It's also the debut performance of my new band, Voluntary Nightmare. I'm thrilled by the whole thing. Preshow ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/06/04/blood-steam-tonight/ UPDATE: Sadly, this show has been canceled (although I'm hoping it just turns out to be postponed). The Chicago Grand Guignol Theater Company makes its debut on Friday, May 1, presenting two classic plays from the original Parisian theater of the macabre:  Tics, or Doing the Deed! and The Final Kiss. As ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/04/28/chicago-grand-guignol/ Gothic bellydancer extraordinaire Tempest and internationally-acclaimed  musician Tim Rayborn bring The Durga Tour to Minneapolis for an evening of opulent and mysterious delights.  Blood & Steam is a glimpse into a dark and breathtaking future through the eyes of the past. Thursday, June 4th, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Intermedia Arts 2822 ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/04/21/blood-steam/ With countless examples of real-life horror filling history books and news channels, why spend any time at all telling fictional stories of blood and zombies?  If I'm trying to relate an engaging story (I usually am) and not presenting shock for shock's sake (I'm usually not), what's the point of ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/02/18/why-horror/ I've reached the point where I've got several things planned for 2009, but nothing is firm yet, and there are events which haven't been announced so I can't talk about them.  As a result, my year currently looks a little bit like this: There's editing happening. I'll be writing more music.  About ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/01/21/the-fog-of-2009/ What makes a situation terrifying? The distinctions between horror and terror have been explored, particularly in the realm of gothic literature, but I'd like to suggest a simple definition: A situation is terrifying when (a) it provokes a fight-or-flight response, and (b) neither fight nor flight is possible. I like this definition because ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/01/13/defining-the-terrifying/ ...was a tale of classmates, young love, and the importance of avoiding direct sunlight. I'm referring, of course, to Let the Right One In, a Swedish film that strolls gracefully through the shadows between romance and horror and everyday life.  The story is both heartwarming and chilling, moments of tenderness offset ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/01/08/the-best-vampire-movie-of-2008/ The WordPress theme I'm using started out as thirteen by Becca Wei before I customized it.  If the site looks good, thank Becca for putting together a lovely theme with solid CSS.   If the site looks bad, blame me for being a musician and not a graphic designer. Unfortunately, the source ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/01/07/a-word-about-the-theme/ I've got a new look for the site (now powered by WordPress) and a whole lot of plans for 2009 - let's get this show on the road! Things that will be showing up in the near future include... Local events of interest. Updates on Invocatio, my dark romantic music group. A podcast of ... http://www.undercrypt.com/2009/01/04/welcome/