ABSOLUTION accomplishments 2010

Here is a list of the distinctions ABSOLUTION has garnered in 2010.  We hit the ground running last New Years, as it marked the beginning of our weekly contract on Fridays with club UC87 to produce one Gothic/Industrial themed party per week, and sometimes two in the case of a Sunday holiday party such as Halloween.

1) We produced over 52 parties at UC87(not including other venues)

2) We had about 30 bands play throughout the year, being the only Goth/Industrial themed night in the NYC area and it's boroughs that featured at least one band per week.

3) We featured a roster of 50+ DJs who all came to promote their own party productions with guest appearances

4) We designed a website(coming soon!) that is an online library and repository of information about previous Goth/Industrial events in NYC, restoring the rich history of this scene to the people who created it and took part in it and those who wish to find out about the history of this scene, dating as far back as 1996.

This major effort revitalized the Goth/Industrial scene in NYC and drew attention to it from other music fans and producers.  It provided a welcome influx of interest about this subject and gave music and fashion fans the option of attending and celebrating this scene on a weekly weekend basis.  Unwilling to allow a great tradition to fall into disrepair and unafraid of naysayers, we will continue on our path into 2011!  There are many options open to us now and there are many other works in progress, so stay tuned for more news.  It's a good time to be a Goth/Industrial fan, DJ or musician in NYC;)

From a Distance- Moving into 2011!

What a wild year we've had!  We have accomplished many goals that were previously being said to be impossible(although we knew from many years experience that they were not, in fact, impossible at all), such as creating a weekly Goth/Industrial club event.  We've had some ups and downs, and incredible progress.  Galvanizing the Goth/Industrial scene into action has been a great pleasure to me.  Even on the worst days when you have seen me with a stressed out look on my face, hair askew and not in the best outfit(or, can I even say it?  Sneakers!:/), it has been an honor, a pleasure, and so inspiring to bring such a beautiful art form back to the City of New York on a weekly, weekend basis.

What we have done has made things easier for all producers and patrons of Goth/Industrial music events by increasing the frequency of the events in NYC and therefore the interest and fan base.   By "defending the borders" and highlighting the differences between what we like and what other music and fashion fans like,  we made it so that people were aware of these differences and could therefore make a conscious choice to be in our category- and "represent" as the case may be, LOL!

I want to dedicate this song to those who felt unnecessarily threatened last year by our progress(there are always a couple of those).  We knew and were prepared for this by our years of experience, but that never makes this process any easier emotionally.  We want those people to know that they are in our hearts, and a candle is always burning in the window to light their way back to us, a drink always poured and set for them at the table.  We care for them more than they know.



"From a distance, you look like my friend... "

Oceania is at war with Eurasia....

Rune meditation for today: OTHALA, or

HOMELAND- where or what is your spiritual Home?

When your Home is in your heart, you are always there.  You can create a Home around you...

I've always liked this song by Midnight Oil, Dead Heart. It speaks about the Homeland, and how it can never truly be stolen.

On Being a Goth/Industrial DJ in NYC

A DJs career is dependent upon one thing: time.  DJs, to show their worth, must be able to spin a full club event alone 10pm-4am(6 hours).  A 30 minute set is approximately 6 songs- a 45 minute set, 9.  It takes almost no skill to select 6 or 9 songs to play back to back.  A true DJ takes the crowd through fast periods, slow periods, and creates a story or a music landscape in the mind- an adventure into music.   A short jaunt is just a cameo, it's a favor done by the promoter to allow the DJ to make a cameo appearance to build up their name.

It is not normal to have a club event with more than one or at the most two DJs.  This style of club event was brought about by DJ JASON, who decided to make a super party that was made up completely of cameos by other star DJs.  He didn't intend for everybody to copy this style, not realizing that people would eventually think that shamelessly ripping off other people's club event styles was OK.  

What happens when every event has four or more DJs on it?

1) the deterioration of DJing as a skill.  If nobody knows how to spin a club event from start to finish, it is not as much of a skill as it used to be and hardly a skill at all.  For who can't string 6-9 songs together?

2) the cheapening of the image of all DJs.  If nobody can tell a real DJ from one who has only spun at most for an hour, the DJs with no skills get the same promo as the real DJs.  It turns it from being a skill into just a promotion bubble, on the level of the Kardashians.

3) The end of DJing as a career- if no DJ can play a full night, obviously they aren't going to get paid much or anything for playing.  Therefore touring is certainly not worthwhile, nor is learning a skill they are never going to get to use.  Anyone who wants to spin a full night had better also develop the skill of Promoting so they can book themselves for a full night or else they will never be heard on that level.  With this double workload, will anyone without a huge head start ever pursue this art?

For most promoters to book 4 or more DJs is actually anti to the Goth/Industrial scene's music being studied in depth by specialists because it makes it not worthwhile, while at the same time creating a glut of "faux" DJs who have very little skills- who have been billed on lots of flyers but spun a quarter or less of the hours a real DJ has spun.  This horde of "faux" DJs also does not understand the true role of the DJ in club events- a DJ MUST support the club event they have chosen, or which has given them a chance to build a name.  They cannot go from club event to club event on the same night, but must help build up the same club event of their choice in order to build a name.  Promoters think they have found a treasure when they rip off the structure of ABSOLUTION in having multiple DJs, but in reality they are helping keep the Goth/Industrial scene at a minimal level by replicating this style.  It's not meant for everyone, only ABSOLUTION who has done it for 12 years! 

I'm sure it must be confusing for would-be DJs to be given a 30minute- 1 hour sets at EVERY EVENT- that's not supposed to happen.   I'm happy that I did not develop during this time period. 

Aesop's "The Donkey and the Lap Dog"

It's my opinion that everyone growing up should be given a copy of Aesop's Fables.  They come to us from the mid 6th Century BC and are attributed to the wise slave Aesop, but over the centuries have probably been worked on and embellished by any number of people.  The wisdom in these stories holds true to the modern day, and can be seen anywhere there are people, low to high.

Today, let's consider a story by the name of "The Donkey and the Lap Dog".

T
HERE was once a man who had a Donkey and a little pet Dog. The Donkey worked all day in the fields and slept in the barn at night. But the Lap Dog frisked about and played, jumping in his master's lap whenever he pleased, feeding from his hand, and sleeping by his bed at night.
The Donkey grumbled a great deal at this. "How hard I work!" said he, "and I never get any pay but blows and hard words. Why should I not be petted like that wretched little Dog? It may be partly my own fault. Perhaps if I played with my master as he does, I too might be treated like him."
So the Donkey pushed his way into the house, and jumped up on his master's knee, putting his forefeet on his shoulders and giving a loud bray.
The master, almost deafened by the noise and in danger from the great clumsy creature called out, "Help! help!" and the servants, running in, drove the Donkey out of doors with sticks and stones."

Do YOU know any Donkeys?

ABSOLUTION tonight- DJ JASON'S BIRTHDAY and PIKER RYAN!!

Tonight is a very special ABSOLUTION honoring the birthday of DJ JASON! He is the one and only person in NYC who values the Goth/Industrial scene enough to devote his energy to doing a Weekly Party for all of us. He deals with bands, artists, performers and photographers on a weekly basis- things that others had considered "too much trouble", in order to keep NYC's tradition of a lively, intelligent and interactive nightlife alive! In addition we will have classic NYC band PIKER RYAN(music in the style of Nick Cave) flying in from Oslo, Norway to do a reunion! 87 Ludlow St corner of Ludlow and Delancy www.absolutionnyc.com

Things that Everybody Knows about Nightclubs in NYC!

Since restarting my nightclub project, I have often been surprised when people have asked me questions that in the past Everybody Knew. I decided to make a page about what Everyone Knows, as a refresher or maybe a tutorial for people who have entered the world of NYC's nightlife in the past three years when there was a lack of professionally executed nightclub events.

Q: When do you start?

A: Most nightclub events in NYC begin at 10pm and end at 4am. Occasionally you may see an event that opens a bit early like at 9pm, but that could be because they are on an off night like a Sunday or an early weekday like Monday-Wednesday. But normal club hours are 10pm-4am.

Q: What do you spin?

A: If the theme of the party is Goth and Industrial, I will play what is customarily played at Gothic and Industrial nightclubs- Goth, Industrial, Synthpop, 80s New Wave and New Romantic, and Underground Cult Classics. I would never spin another type of music if this is the theme of the party. Everyone Knows that the music always matches the theme of the party.

Q: Can you play my favorite Hip-Hop song?

A: No. That's not what kind of DJ I am. I don't even have Hip-Hop in my collection, nor do I know the most popular Hip-Hop songs right now, nor do I want to know them. As a matter of fact, I deliberately shelter myself from that kind of knowledge because to me it's gauche. So PLEASE- Everybody Knows that a Goth/Industrial DJ does not have the slightest idea what you mean when you ask for a Hip Hop song or any other song outside their genre.

Q: Blah Blah Blah, Blah Blah Blah Blah(while I'm spinning).

A: Everybody Knows that you can't ask a DJ questions or start talking at them while they are spinning. Most DJ booths or platforms are elevated, to prevent this sort of thing which can cause the club to suffer if the DJ gets distracted. For DJs who are unlucky enough to be spinning at crowd level, don't come up and start a big conversation while they are spinning- even if there is nobody dancing or there is nobody in the room at that particular moment. Saying Hi is ok but that's about it. DJs need to be ready to catch people's attention when they do walk into the room. If you are standing there yacking, it will be that much harder to build the room up. Talking to a performing DJ- Don't Do It.

I'm sure there is more but that is all for now. I will probably add more things onto this particular blog as they come up.

CLICK N DRAG For The Discerning Underground Party Patron in NYC...

MOTHER, a Nightclub created by CHI CHI VALENTI,raised the bar for all underground nightclubs in NYC, challenging producers to see that nightclub production could actually be an art form.

My first real impression of New York Nightclubs was received when I was randomly hired as a "method go-go" artist at this club.  I had been to NYC nightclubs before and liked them but was not overly impressed.  MOTHER and CLICK N DRAG were totally different.

The doorperson was in actuality KITTY BOOTS, a lauded fashion designer who doubled as wardrobe mistress for the dancers.  The basement of MOTHER was stuffed with her creations, and before the event she would go in and pick out something for the dancers to wear.  Because MOTHER was my first experience with working for an NYC nightclub, I thought it was normal for nightclub performers to have not only a large dressing room but a large stock of costumes and someone to make them look fabulous!  Little did I know that this is far from the case with MOST other clubs, LOL.

The video displays(yes, they had someone to just do video displays) were done by noted visual artist ROB ROTH.  And the staff in the club were all hand picked as a casting director would choose in addition to being able to do their jobs.  Needless to say, when you combine these elements it makes for a Party on a very high level, far higher than most other nightclub productions.  It was like being part of a play or performance art piece rather than a club night. This production was actually run WEEKLY, for four years.  So anyone who is operating under the misconception that nightclub parties are "too hard to do on a weekly basis"...how about a party that needs new visual displays, costumes, dancers and performers EACH WEEK?  And this was done with aplomb.

There was a strict dress code for this party- NO blue jeans, NO white button down shirts, NO baesball caps WHATSOEVER.  I remember going there with a CBGBs employee and even having HIM turned away because he was wearing blue jeans.  Someone not well versed in how to run a nightclub would probably think this was not the best business policy.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Because of the dress code,  people went out of their way to dress up for this party, and come out to this party, knowing that there wouldn't be any disagreeable people there.   People worked for hours and hours on costumes for this party.  The dress code stimulated business not only at the club but for related businesses like costume shops, underground fashion designers, etc, and made NYC a much more fun and fashionable place.  It became a haven for artists, photographers and other "artsy" types.

So tonight is the night- I'll see you all at CLICK N DRAG!

Ellicott City, Maryland

I have a favorite place to stop every time I visit my parents in Virginia- Ellicott City, Maryland. I discovered it in 1994, right after college at University of Maryland. Or rather, it was discovered for me by a guy I was dating at the time. He thought I would like it because it had a lot of quirky, artsy, Witchy type stores there.

He brought me there and I certainly DID enjoy it, although at the time it was just simply because I could have a good time browsing the stores. Now, 16 years later, I returned there with Jason. He immediately was impressed by some of the stonework in the buildings, and how some of the buildings were built right out of the living rock. That coupled with the rather esoteric flavor of the place lead me to think "Masons!" which was shortly confirmed when we came upon this sign:

Chartered in 1843?  That's a very established Lodge indeed.  Here are some more pics of the stone houses and street:

We continued to explore, and visited a number of lovely places like a Victorian Tea Room called TEA ON THE TIBER. Even the East Village of NYC can't boast a true Victorian Tea Room.  When I returned home I looked up Tea on the Tiber and I was shocked to find that there are a number of Tea Rooms around the country, and not only that, there are tearoom review sites like this one:  TEAGUIDE.NET.  I hadn't realized that Tea Rooms were making a comeback.  I adore tea so this is a good find in my opinion.

I then got curious about the name of the place- Tea on the Tiber?  I looked up Ellicott City's Wikipedia article, and found that, like Rome, Ellicott City is reputed to be built on seven hills, and the river that flows there is named the Tiber just as Rome's river is named Tiber.  The builders of this city had Rome in mind for sure (and possibly Rome's Pagan beliefs as well? Hmmm...).

There are other facts about Ellicott City in the article, such as it is reputed to be one of the most haunted small towns on the East Coast.  It was also home to The Enchanted Forest, a fairytale-themed amusement park that closed in the early 90s.  In addition, it is listed as one of the most affluent communities in America, and since 2005 has been ranked 4 times as "one of the best places to live in America" by Money and CNNMoney.com.  So strange with it's esoteric themes and wealth!  It's definitely a place I love to return to again and again on my way up and down the East Coast.  I invariably find something I'd love to take home.

Here are some pictures from a store in Ellicott City I always make a stop at, THE FORGET ME NOT FACTORY.  The website doesn't really do the place justice, because it's an ancient stone house with three levels that is simply STUFFED with anything and everything you could ever hope to look at or want if you are into anything even vaguely esoteric, faerie, witchy, alternative or mysticaly minded.  When I say stuffed, I mean really covered- every surface, walls, floor, ceiling, etc is just loaded with things.  It would take more than a day to examine it all- I often don't buy anything because I'm feeling overwhelmed in there.  You may see Jason in some of these pics, much to his chagrin:):).

  

And of course, when we left, Jason who is ALWAYS on the job made sure to leave some of our flyers in their flyer basket.  Jason never forgets this all-important task, even though I sometimes do.  Thanks, Jason!

XTINE and MICHAEL STRANGER and FRACTIONAL perform @ COURT OF LAZARUS Sunday Sept. 19!

THE COURT OF LAZARUS, NYCs Original Salon Noire, will feature a performance by Myself(Xtine) and MICHAEL STRANGER Sunday Sept. 19th(tomorrow!).  Three Vingettes from Phantom of the Opera will be performed:

Why Have You Brought Me Here

Raoul I've Been There

Reprise

There has been one previous performance at ABSOLUTION on July 16th, 2010.  Here are some stills from that performance taken from the video:

In addition, COURT OF LAZARUS will also be featuring Belgian IDM and Electronica band FRACTIONAL.

Blood from Fractional Blood on Vimeo.

This will be an unforgettable Court of Lazarus, which will be held at, interestingly enough, MADAME X.  Doors at 8pm.

THANK YOU!!!

I wanted to issue a collective Thank You to the wonderful and thoughtful people who brought me Gifts last night at my Birthday Party @ ABSOLUTION, and the wonderful people who showed up to say Happy Birthday.  Thank you so much!  I had the best time ever!

The amazing Neo-Medieval Gothic band KARPATHOS played upstairs, and we were treated to Bellydancing, Drumming and Bagpiping- Everyone went crazy during the Bagpipe Solo! That was very impressive!  I wish I hadn't been in the middle of Birthday Drinking so that I would have had the presence of mind to take a few pics:P.  KARPATHOS played today at the NY Renn Faire in Tuxedo, where they have regular bookings.

Here is a photo of some of the things I received last night....Hugs and Kisses to you all!

Another Turn of the Wheel

Sept. 15th will mark another Birthday for me on the calendar.  This past year has shown a lot of manifestation of ideas that were started for me in 1997.  Creating a Nightclub, Music and DJing, Singing and Performing...it has has come to fruition in this past Year.  This was also my first year with my wonderful partner Jason. The years just get sweeter and sweeter as they come and go.  Did I say it was easy?  No, No, No.  Some days I have felt like I can barely go on.  However, now more than ever before, I am working my Will.  I think that young people who fear their middle years should take heart- there is nothing to fear and everything to gain!

I have a unique horoscope:

As you can see I've got some major planets like the Sun, Mercury and Mars in the Eighth House which, with it's Pluto and Scorpio associations is the House of Sex, Death and Regenration.  In the rest of the chart, I've got some other major planets which are Venus, Jupiter and Neptune in Scorpio.  At this rate, I should be an honorary Scorpio even though my Sun sign is Virgo.

 Any Astrologers, Pychics, Tarot readers, etc. who would like to give me the gift of a reading of the coming year for my Birthday, please feel free!  I love Astrology almost as much as I love Divination.

I will be celebrating my Birthday this year at ABSOLUTION, I'd love to see you all there!  Here is the invite:

The Hippopotamus

An aquaintence gave me a book of T.S. Eliot's poetry for my birthday recently.  I like some of the poems very much, and I think this may be my favorite:



THE HIPPOPOTAMUS
by: T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

HE broad-backed hippopotamus

Rests on his belly in the mud;

Although he seems so firm to us

He is merely flesh and blood.

 

Flesh-and-blood is weak and frail,

Susceptible to nervous shock;

While the True Church can never fail

For it is based upon a rock.

 

The hippo's feeble steps may err

In compassing material ends,

While the True Church need never stir

To gather in its dividends.

 

The 'potamus can never reach

The mango on the mango-tree;

But fruits of pomegranate and peach

Refresh the Church from over sea.

 

At mating time the hippo's voice

Betrays inflexions hoarse and odd,

But every week we hear rejoice

The Church, at being one with God.

 

The hippopotamus's day

Is passed in sleep; at night he hunts;

God works in a mysterious way--

The Church can sleep and feed at once.

 

I saw the 'potamus take wing

Ascending from the damp savannas,

And quiring angels round him sing

The praise of God, in loud hosannas.

 

Blood of the Lamb shall wash him clean

And him shall heavenly arms enfold,

Among the saints he shall be seen

Performing on a harp of gold.

 

He shall be washed as white as snow,

By all the martyr'd virgins kist,

While the True Church remains below

Wrapt in the old miasmal mist.

Shoot with Natasha Gornik

Photographer NATASHA GORNIK did a shoot with Jason and I last week.  We loved the results so much that we decided to use one of the shots on the main flyer for ABSOLUTION.

NERGAL of BEHEMOTH has Leukemia

I have just found out, belatedly, that NERGAL, the lead singer of Polish Blackened Death Metal band BEHEMOTH, has been diagnosed with Leukemia.

I only had the opportunity to meet NERGAL once, after his concert at NYC's Irving Plaza in 2007. He graciously explained to me where he gets the Bibles to destroy in his concerts(used book stores), about the huge metal double-headed Eagles he had onstage during the show(an artist friend makes them), and the best place to order statues of Sumerian Gods and Goddesses(online). NERGAL, thank you for answering my fannish questions, and get better soon! Our thoughts are with you in NYC!

Here is a message from NERGAL about his illness:

MESSAGE FROM NERGAL

Some of my favorite BEHEMOTH pics:

Spinning in NYC, Schoolgirl Style...

I dressed up as a schoolgirl to DJ for this Fetish party in NYC, courtesy of FIXE MAGAZINE. Thankfully there was a barrier between the DJ and the crowd, because some Fetish guys were trying to get back there! Sorry guys, I'm not a Domme but a Musician!






The Fetish scene has been on a steady decline since the days of MOTHER, and I think the all-time low was when an elderly gent tried forcefully in a very entitled way to get me to turn the music down because it was bothering his hearing aid! Are you kidding me? This is a Fetish party in the East Village of Manhattan, NYC, not a retirement home. If you're geriatric it's time to turn in your thong, LOL!

What happened to the days of "cerebral nightlife", a phrase coined by the genius impresario Chi Chi Valenti of Mother? Let's see some intelligent themes and haute glamour pumped back into the Fetish scene.

Redesign

I've been working at redesigning this blog. When I think about how much $ MySpace, Facebook and Twitter have made from my images and posts...wow. Plus, I don't like to be limited in how many characters I can use. I kind of miss MySpace in that I used to be able to be more creative with the posts(and more long-winded, LOL!). Facebook has been particularly limiting in that it only allows bite-sized chunks of text to be written in most cases, unless you want to post a Note. I miss the spontaneity I used to have on MySpace.

The thing about Facebook is that it's targeted. This is great if you are an advertiser using Facebook as a marketing tool. But personally, I find it creepy to have things like "Steampunk Emporium, half price sale" popping up on the side of my page as an ad. I never wanted to think of underground fashion movements as something that could be marketed so aggressively. When I was growing up, I never would have expected to see "Punk Rock Emporium, half price sale" targeted directly at me from information on a profile page. That would be so anti to the purpose, IMO. ALTERNATIVE fashion should not be treated as something to ram down people's throats with a pervasive advertisement that pops up multiple times. I remember that half the fun was sewing my own clothes out of found materials or sifting through stuff at a thrift store and finding retro glamour.

Propaganda and it's Antidote

When Jason and I started doing ABSOLUTIONlast year in July of 2009, we were surprised to hear a number of strange sentiments being repeated by people in the NYC Goth/Industrial scene that seemed anti to the club scene getting back on it's feet. Could people really rebuild a functioning Goth/Industrial society if they believed things like "Our scene is dying"?

I decided to assemble a collection of the negative propaganda that had somehow infiltrated the NYC Goth/Industrial scene, now that a year has passed, and contrast that propaganda/negative rhetoric with what has actually taken place.

1) "NYC Can't support a Weekly Event". FALSE. Since we started doing ABSOLUTION, many monthly parties have had grand openings and a very rapid grand closing, or closed after a long period of being slow. But the three weekly parties of NYC- Tuesday DARK WATER@ Ottos' Shrunken Head, Saturday DEFCON @ Pyramid and Friday ABSOLUTION @ UC87, are all still here. Not only that, ABSOLUTION actually expanded and added a floor and regular weekly performances, in the slowest period of the year, summer. Obviously NYC not only can support a Weekly event, it does in fact support Three of them.

2) "Everyone in NYC is respectful of each other's parties". FALSE. Since we began producing ABSOLUTION on Friday nights, a whole slew of monthly parties have tried to open up on Friday nights. So much for that particular slogan.

*NOTE- the poor rate of monthly parties staying open on Friday nights/losing their venues should give people a clue that opening a monthly on the same night as a weekly Friday with so much going on in it is a bad idea. The list of parties that have either closed or lost their venue in the past year on Friday is long and gruesome.*

3) "The Goth/Industrial Scene in NYC is dying". FALSE. Twilight and True Blood are some of the most popular shows on TV in the USA, seeding the public conciousness with Gothic aesthetic and ideas. Never has there been a time more suitable to create a thriving Gothic Society. Also, all over the USA Goth/Industrial clubs are enjoying a regular audience, even right across the river in New Jersey less than 20 miles away from the area where the Goth/Industrial scene is supposedly "dying". (Yes, I guess it IS dying in your particular area if you are going around telling everyone it's dead, creating a "dead zone" where only you are seen as the altruistic patron of this poor, dying scene...oh how noble of you *sniff sniff* How much everyone owes you for taking the time to keep the poor dying scene even half alive...wow, what a great person you are....shall I continue? LOL!)! The Goth/Industrial scene is far from dead. The minute people were given the chance to come out weekly again, they did.

4) "I just do this to have fun, I don't make any money from the scene". FALSE. Since everyone has to buy Gothic Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry, Accessories and Music, and venues, alcohol, DJ equipment, heating and air conditioning, and the man-hours it takes to design websites, flyers, distribute flyers, do booking and scheduling of DJs, Bands, Performers and Nightclub Staff all cost money, there is a very obvious economy involved in the Goth/Industrial Scene of NYC. Too bad they don't give all that stuff out for free! I wish they did. Events are extremely costly to put on.

*NOTE*- if there is someone who pays out of pocket for these events, pay close attention to them, because nobody does something for nothing. They are, in fact, getting something out of it- trying to influence the political direction these events are taking. I would urge such people to Get A Life.

5) "Cross-Promotion for parties on the same night is good for the scene". FALSE. Who says this? Obviously not a seasoned promoter. If you believe this, I have a bridge to sell you. I covered this topic extensively in my last blog, so if you're interested, scroll down.

6) "It's all about the music". FALSE. The minute you start selling a product (advertising events with a cover charge where you are performing or producing), you become a businessperson. Saying you are "only in it for the music" does not absolve you of the responsibilities and concerns that govern all businesspeople.

I'm sure there is more propaganda that I'm leaving out, but you get the idea. The next time anyone tells you something that doesn't seem to "jive right" with reality, it's time to perform a critical analysis of what they're saying, or get advice from someone who has experience who has an objective viewpoint and no personal stake in the situation if you're not sure.

NYC Promotion Basics 101

This is a long-overdue blog about the business of Promotion, ABSOLUTION's Policies, and how it affects people who use the ABSOLUTION party to get their DJ or band names out to the public.

NYC PROMOTION BASICS 101- or, THERE IS NO GETTING THE PERKS OF EVERY SITUATION WITHOUT THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES ALONG WITH IT.

The first thing you must understand about the business of Promotion is that it is very esoteric. Is there anyone who has written down the rules of Promotion in the past? Not that I know of. A good Promoter does not reveal their secrets any more than any company would reveal the formulas that enable them to create their unique products.

Yet, in this case, I MUST write down some facts about this elusive, difficult business, to relieve the confusion that is being experienced by the sudden glut of new promoters and parties, to enable them to work well with ABSOLUTION and not be surprised by any decisions we are making, which viewed by an outsider or newcomer to the business, may not be understood.

The first thing you must understand is that the rules for a Weekly party are different from the rules for a Bi-Weekly or Monthly party. It is much easier to do a Bi-Weekly or Monthly party than a Weekly. Doing a Weekly party requires a greater skill level and greater adherence to the rules of Promotion, and not only that, a far greater time and energy commitment on the part of the promoter. It's for this reason that promoters who choose to do Weekly parties are more valued and respected by the community they are serving. The party quite literally becomes their life.

The second thing you must understand is that for the reasons stated above, security is paramount to keeping a Weekly party up and running. Think of the great parties of the past. All were Weeklies (there have been no great Monthlies) and at no time has a Weekly promoter who is experienced and serious about their career allowed flyers or advertisements to be passed out at their event for an event on the same day. At QXTs, they are even more strict- they employ two large bouncers with flashlights who constantly monitor the crowd for anyone passing out flyers to ANY other event(not even on the same day), and if you are found to be promoting there, you will be escorted to the door. I remember being frisked by the bouncer at the door of Albion @ the Bank for flyers and if any were found, they were kept at the door and only given back when I was leaving the club(and they would stand there and watch to see if I was really leaving). This was a courtesy to me- in most cases, the flyers were thrown in the trash. It goes without saying that these events are the largest there are in the Goth/Industrial history of NYC and it's surrounding areas. They didn't get that way by allowing other promoters access to their crowds.

We are actually looser in our security than these great old and present parties- we allow promoters to give out passes to any other night than the one we occupy, Friday. We even have a flyer table where we prominently display passes to other nights as long as they are not on Friday night. Therefore, we see ourselves as being quite progressive when it comes to other promoters and parties, unlike our mentors from the past who would never have allowed such a thing, or do not allow it even now.

From a moral perspective, when we decided to do Friday nights, there was not a single Friday event in NYC. We re-established our party on Friday nights(I say re-established because both Jason and I had previously done parties on Fridays for years). Suddenly there was a glut of parties on Friday nights. Some were what I like to call "resentment parties", which is a party developed not for profit or benefit to the scene, but to try to hurt or put another party out of out of business. Any good party has a mirror "resentment party", unfortunately, this is not the first time I've seen this happen and probably will not be the last. And some other parties were by newer promoters who didn't know the rules of Promotion and didn't understand that you're not supposed to do this.

*A word about Resentment Parties: They hardly ever work, and do you really want to be known as someone who would go to all that trouble just to be a jerk to someone else?*

Security doesn't just extend to not allowing other promoters to pass out flyers for events on the same night. It also extends to the people working and performing at your event. Each person who is allowed access to your crowd becomes a "draw" for your crowd- if they know you, they like you and want to come see you. It's for this reason that if you are regularly participating in a party on one night, you should not participate in a party on the same night at another venue. That is, if you care about the event and want it to survive. When you participate in an opposing event on the same night, you must understand that you are doing a great disservice to the party you regularly participate in. Now, some people might say "I have the right to do what I want!" Well of course you do. Anyone can do whatever they want. However, if you are not following the rules of Promotion, how can you expect Promoters to want to work with you? To have the same feelings toward you that they did when you were helping as opposed to hurting their events? These are the things to take into consideration when booking yourself as a performer in the nightlife of NYC.

By giving a performer time on our decks or stages, and billing on our weekly flyers, elists and websites, we are giving them a valuable chance to develop an audience. Drawing the crowd away from our event that helped establish them is considered "biting the hand that feeds". We would hope that our friends and people who care for ABSOLUTION and the scene in general would have the courtesy not to turn around and hurt the event which helped give them their names in NYC. ABSOLUTION is a unique party which allows a far greater amount of performers to participate than is usual. It is for this reason that Jason decided to make ABSOLUTION into a weekly party, because the Goth/Industrial scene was dying out, fragmenting into infrequent, poorly attended parties. The only thing we ask is for people who take advantage of this deal to make a name for themselves to respect ABSOLUTION and not draw people away on Friday nights.

You may find some inexperienced or infrequent promoters, or promoters who are not interested in making their events more successful, who allow such cross-promotion. But you cannot expect a serious promoter who is making these events a large part of their life to smile and say that it's ok, when it's really not. I did my first party in 1998, that's 12 years ago. So if someone who has not been in the party promotion business for very long, or someone who is not in it now, tries to give me advice or push me into doing something that I know is not good for my business, honestly, I don't think that person has my best interests at heart and I don't choose to spend time with them.

What I have written here is only a small part of the business of Promotion. It is just the BASICS of courtesy, and it follows the rules of common sense- if someone helps you, don't turn around and hurt them. There are 6 other nights of the week, some better than Friday, to book yourselves on. Friday night is not a free-for-all, it has an established party on it which has helped almost every name active in the scene right now. Please respect that.

Appropriate

Living very close to Manhattan NYC and owning an event production business can be both rewarding and challenging. I've had to learn to define exactly what it is that I need from myself and other people in various situations, and communicate these things effectively in such a way that I can get the point across.

I've learned that there are really only three types of people I am interested in hearing from in relation to my event production business.

1) fans of my work who like to come to my events and performances, and cheer me on!

2) owners of venues and other places of business who are interested in having me and my associates come work for and with them

3) owners of related businesses such as clothing, jewelry, internet sites, etc who would like to form a friendly relation in order to encourage mutually beneficial business

If you own a small event production business and you intend to criticize or give input into the way I am doing business right now, I am not interested in hearing from you. You do not have the right to give input about when or how often I do my events, who I choose to work with or not work with, how my decisions may or may not affect my business, etc. You especially do not have the right to come up and start voicing your opinions to me while I am performing as a DJ or getting ready to perform, etc. or when I am on my time off, relaxing at a neutral location. Do I come up to anyone else when they are performing or relaxing and start saying these things?

Let's take a moment today to think about what is and is not appropriate.

Expanding!

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to announce that ABSOLUTION is now ready for the next phase of expansion. Starting next week on Friday June 25th, we will now occupy two floors at club UC87, corner of Ludlow and Delancy in the LES. The upper floor will be 80s New Wave and Synthpop spun by myself, DJ Xtine and various guests while the downstairs will continue to be our most excellent cast of NYCs finest Goth/Industrial DJs all taking turns to entertain you throughout the evening. I'm sure you will find this to be a most fortunate turn of events, as it will be the first time an NYC Goth/Industrial nightclub has enjoyed two floors on a weekly basis since the defunct ALBION. We hope you will enjoy this experience, as we have done our utmost to bring it together for you.

Tzaphkiel

With ABSOLUTION running smoothly and steadily and increasing like a healthy party should, I am now free to turn my attention partly to other things. I'm very happy to see NYC rapidly becoming the fun and exciting place I knew, with more events and art than one person can even digest.

One art installation caught my eye...it's to benefit the WM3. For those of you who don't know, there are three guys who are serving life sentences for supposedly killing three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas 17 years ago. The trouble is, there wasn't a shred of real evidence to convict the guys who were teens at the time. They were convicted partially because they wore black all the time, listened to bands like *gasp* METALLICA(God Forbid!), and dared to be different in a town filled with sickening right wing jerks who call themselves Christians(although a real Christian would never judge by outward apperances "For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7). They were labled as Satanists and sentenced to die in prison, and one- Damien Echols- was put on Death Row!!

Here is the description of the installation:

""Tzaphkiel" marks the second time that DeNike and Echols have
collaborated on a major piece. Eight mirrors lean against the gallery
walls creating a kaleidoscopic point of intersection for divination
and reflection. Four pillows, each representing a cardinal direction,
offer viewers a place to sit and meditate while viewing themselves on
all sides. Two of Echols’ paper talismans—one dedicated to Saturn and
the other to Tzaphkiel—adorn the project room doorway while his paper
flowers—handcrafted in Manichean shades of white and black—occupy a
vase in the center of the room. During the performance, DeNike will
work to embroider a cloth scroll with the phrase “I believe in magick,
I believe in you” a piece she began nearly two years ago as a tribute
to Echols.

The installation takes its name from the Golden Dawn archangel
associated with Saturn. Tzaphkiel, often called upon for banishing and
overcoming obstacles is said to possess the ability to create portals
and see across time. From June 4-11, in conjunction with the
installation, DeNike and Echols will embark on a seven-day
collaborative meditation. DeNike will reside in the gallery,
subsisting only on water. During the day she will lead a white light
meditation where gallery visitors are invited to send white light to
Echols, who will be mediating simultaneously in prison. At night,
DeNike and Echols will work with Saturn energy invoking Tzaphkiel
calling for a just resolution in Echols’ case. Although DeNike has an
extensive history of performative work, this marks the first time the
artist herself will be the primary participant in a live work."

Wow, I've got to go see this. And I am also struck by the amount that Damien Echols has not let the horrific circumstances that he is under stop him from being the artist he was meant to be! His Art is transcending even Death Row- now that is absolutely amazing. Now, if he could make this happen from Death Row in Arkansas, doesn't that make you want to get off your butt and do something??? What an inspiration.

ABSOLUTIONs 12 YEAR REUNION- SPECIAL EVENT!

Well Done!

It's been a while since I posted here...mainly because things have been going very well! Our WALPURGISNACHT special event went more smoothly than almost any other event I've been involved in. Eric Moscon's Germanic Heathen Ritual was amazing, as was the mood of wild abandon that followed. I was greatly pleased to perform in ritual on a Pagan holiday once again, and I am planning more rituals of this nature in the future as well as other types of performance acts, for more SHADOWLANDS in association with ABSOLUTION. I was so cheered to see the people who showed up dressing and feeling as they have in the past- secure in the feeling that our space is sacred, hallowed and a true "between the worlds" meeting place- a place that is not a place, a time that is not a time, a day that is not a day.

Our weekly ABSOLUTION is going strong, with more opportunities to have the entire club UC87 upon us now. Friday June 24th will be the 12th Year Anniversary of ABSOLUTION on both floors of UC87, making it one of the oldest running events in the city, if not THE oldest running event. It's certainly the oldest Weekly event in NYC. Not only that, WALPURGISNACHT was the first time ABSOLUTION or almost any night enjoyed two floors in a very long time.

The three weekly events of NYC- DARK WATER Tuesday at Ottos Shrunken Head, ABSOLUTION Friday at UC87, and DEFCON Saturday at The Pyramid- have all become populated and wonderful. I now feel like I live in a city where a purchase from Gothic Rennaissance, Trash and Vaudeville or Purple Passion would not be wasted, sitting in a closet only to be brought out once or twice a month. Parties that you can rely on and reliably put into your schedule without thinking about it are where the real heart of the Goth/Industrial Scene(or any scene) beats.

ABSOLUTION tonite!

Tonight is the remarkable ABSOLUTION party, at UC87(87 Ludlow St). This party is a collective of DJs who each spin 30 minute sets, to make up one awesome evening where you can hear Goth/Industrial selections the like of which have not been heard at a club in Manhattan in ages. I know that in the past couple of years true Goth/Industrial listeners have lost hope in the clubs as they have been served(with rare exceptions) a steady diet of either commercial or hipster-influenced pablum or random and inexperienced DJs slinging hit-or-miss sets. Now you have a chance at the good stuff. Each one of the DJs booked in ABSOLUTIONs lineup has something rare, special and true for your listening pleasure tonight.

ABSOLUTION is free before 11 and has a large free parking lot right across the street, so if you are either short on cash or usually have trouble parking, this will not be an issue tonight. We'd love the pleasure of your company.

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are...

More and more weekly parties are joining the roster of weekly parties in NYC. Slowly, the nightlife is waking up after the long sleep of the past couple of years. As I always like to say these days, there is a whole generation of Twilight watchers who are just waiting to become part of a Gothic Society. It's true- as much as people don't like to admit it, shows like Twilight, or in past years, RPGs like Vampire The Masquerade act as gateways into the Gothic Industrial scene.

I love the weekly party I promote with Jason, ABSOLUTION, which happens at UC87, 87 Ludlow St each and every Friday night. Hearing the newer DJs get better and better at delivering their sets and seeing more and more new faces in the door is great. Who knew that ABSOLUTION would function so well as a weekly party? It used to be intermittent. But at no other time has Manhattan's Goth/Industrial scene needed a party like this one to be every week as much as right now. Now there is a place where you can go each week and hear real Gothic Industrial music and not watered down NIN ridden sets or Hipster influenced songs.

ABSOLUTION has been stimulating other parties into being. I was very pleased that our friend Charles(DJ Charlie the Slut) decided to do a reunion of his party SANCTUARY. I'd like to think that getting him out to do ABSOLUTION a few times got him in the mood:) Weekly parties have always been known to feed people to the monthlies as well. Weekly parties make patrons at four times the rate of a monthly party, stabilizing the scene and getting people interested.

Now there is a weekly infrastructure to the Goth Industrial scene- LA PETITE MORT Tuesday @ HAPPY ENDING, ABSOLUTION Friday @ UC87, and DEFCON Saturday @ Pyramid. Soon we will see great things coming into being. It's now worth it for someone who is very into Goth/Industrial culture to move to the city, because they can be reasonably assured of having a rich club life. After all, that's the reason I myself wanted to come here. I've actually seen people move from Brooklyn to Jersey just to be closer to QXTS. It makes sense- people need weekly meetings to reinforce their values and commune with kindred spirits. Just ask AA or NA, or the Christian church. A weekly schedule is as old as time.Search Amazon.com for gothic metal

The Least Of These

What makes doing a Goth/Industrial nightclub worth it? There are other jobs that I could be doing that would be more financially rewarding. I have the skill to draw and paint, create things with my hands like sculpture, jewelry and other works. I am a great and prolific writer. I am a classically trained singer and have the knack for songwriting, and not only that, I make a good model and dancer. Why THIS?

It's certainly not for the accolades, which are few and far between. The better a job I do, the more I am envied and despised by my peers who act increasingly hostile as the months go by. I'm disturbing the dubious status quo by reestablishing a weekly schedule as the norm for club nights, and I'm sure it's interrupting some people's plans, forcing them to work harder and increasing resentment. No, this is not someone's pet project- this is the Manhattan Goth/Industrial Scene, which will go on despite assertions that "the scene is dying"(yeah, right, that's why you're all out there still doing it. If it's dying, then YOU leave.)

Honestly, the reason I do it is because at the end of a long, grueling night fighting a snowstorm to get people into the club and all sorts of other hardships, a girl turned to me and said "As long as you do this night, I will be here". It's the commitment to THAT girl- the one who enjoys coming because, for ONCE, she is in an environment of possibility, creativity and acceptance, if only for a few hours, where dreams really can come alive. That's the reason why I used to go. And that's why I'm not going to let her down, at least not if I can help it.

Steady As She Goes

ABSOLUTION has been holding steady throughout the dire month of January, despite obstacles. Now we are into February when temperatures and numbers will climb even more. We have been on an amazing journey, through 5 venues, 3 seasons and more DJs than we can count!

The evolution of a party is a very interesting process that reveals many things- trends, and also friends. Thank you, loyal and true friends, for sticking in there with us-you know who you are. We are now sharing the goodness that is a mature party, which has a very distinct feeling when you walk in the door. Good cheer, energy and the Bacchanailian spirit that overtakes partygoers worldwide. It's time to have fun!

We have also begun the task of building a Monday Gothic night called ÆLFHEIM at FONTANAS, 105 Eldridge St. Much of the groundwork for this party has already been done, as DJ JASON has done a Monday night party for 10 years previous to this which was called ALCHEMY located at CBGBs GALLERY. Monday Gothic Nights in NYC are back.

Filling slots for this Monday band night, I was reminded of the fact that I would like to rebuild my own band project, BLACK EARTH. I am going to be auditioning members in the coming month. BLACK EARTH is a GOTHIC METAL project which is inspired by Nightwish, Within Temptation, Epica and others.

With all this on my plate, I'm a very busy woman. My answering machine fills up pretty quickly as does my email inbox. Please do not be offended if I don't get back to you quickly, I'm trying hard to keep up. What I could really use is a secretary, lol! A manager would be nice too:D. Thanks for listening, coming out and just being there...

Xtine
ABSOLUTIONNYC.COM

Thanks Everyone!

I want to thank all of you for your continuing support of ABSOLUTION. Last week, Jan. 15th 2010 was our best night yet in our now permanent venue, UC87. There were a lot of new faces there- welcome, everyone! We also welcome to the ABSOLUTION team beautiful FOREST, the winner of the Go-Go audition- soon to be joined by more talented and beautiful dancers. ABSOLUTION- putting the talent back in Goth/Industrial! No corniness- Goth is not a comedy show or a place to act like you're 13. This is Manhattan, NYC, coming straight from the Gothic Underground.

Xtine

ÆLFHEIM

We are pleased to announce that in addition to finding a permanent home for ABSOLUTION on Fridays, UC87, we will also be opening a weekly Monday night at FONTANAS, where we previously held ABSOLUTION. The night will be called ¯ÆLFHEIM GOTHIC MONDAYS. We decided that FONTANAS is the perfect place for a Monday night featuring bands and the DJing of Jason, just as he has been doing for the past 10 years.

Some people think that 8 parties per month is a lot of work! We think it's a lot of work too, but NYC is worth it. Furthermore, it's the same job that Jason and I have been doing for over 10 years. We are just doing our jobs:). Also, it doesn't feel like work if you love it.

Xtine
ABSOLUTIONNYC.COM