Biographical Sketches

GRIM FAERIES, led by Evil Mothers/Thrill Kill Cult/Pigface alumni CURSE MACKEY and the lovely XTINA X, twist Industrial Dance into pulsating musick with deep textures, flowing bass, and beautiful-but-grim melodies. Guitar star SATYR and bassist MALEOUS S. MARROW make it work for the kids. A recent CD, Disenchanted Forest, is available from Séance Records. The band presides over a universe of fetishistic aficionados the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Marilyn Manson lunchbox craze: Grim Faeries fans come to the shows decked out faerie-style, complete with faerie wings, in emulation of Xtina’s fantastical stage costumes.

GOD GODDESS: the ultimate expression of universal metallic aspiration. Astral deities, solar sultans of chaos, CHAINS and TANK weave brilliant tunes into tapestries of vibrating terror. When not juggling god/goddess status, Chains ran the guitar department of the world’s premier heavy fetish band (and Tampa’s own) Genitorturers (and he once belonged to NYC Hardcore pioneers Crumbsuckers). His guitar stylings cover the spectrum of electric elegance, with a fluid, fuck-you vibe. Tank’s a powerful singer with sweet overtones.

DIET OF WORMS provides abstraction, abrasion, and driving rhythms. In this stew of post-Industrial Funk, soulful Tampa scion JUAN “PUNCHY” GONZALEZ lays down the groove, vocalist DAMOND (whose lungs also fire another Tampa-area favorite, Savatage) delivers the vox, while the amazing drum machinations of DIVINE move it along. As a child Damond sang in the Grand Ole Opry with C&W luminaries, and later appeared in theatrical productions and TV commercials. South African-born Divine toured and cut two albums w/ Christian Death; Punchy, another child actor whose parents run a theatrical company at the center of Tampa’s Latin universe, produced & engineered releases by such dark favorites as Diabolic, Ravager, Space King, and Enemy Of God.

SHADOWCRAFT rank as the hottest Tampa Goth/Industrial outfit of the roaring 90’s. Shaped by the ethereal angst of the day, they ruled the night for many moons. VINCENT SALETTO called the shots, aided by the wonderful voice & lyrics of KIMBERLY SHARPE. Other members included MIKEE PLASTIK, JOEL SANDERS, HOWARD DAVIS, and JEROME MEGUIAR. Vinnie went on to be the scene’s psychic center of gravity, producing and/or playing with a plethora of pertinent projects (some of which are represented on this compilation). Much of the Tampa sound emanates from his knob-twisting peculiarities. He giged in the Pop/Rock band The Ashes Of Grisum as well as in Hell On Earth, and does programming for The Genitorturers.

MIND STATIC opens windows and unlocks doors. Beautiful beats and sweeping melodies converge in Electro-Classical bliss. Derived from the distinctly static-free mind of the incredible WENDI HUGHES a.k.a. ANGEL, a classically-trained vocalist, and given a groove by KRIS PIERCE a.k.a. HALO (a programmer extraordinaire who at the time of this writing isn’t working w/ Wendi), the project proved that there’s indeed intelligent life on Earth. Wendi previously worked with IEC, Kallisti, and Ashes of Grisum. Currently she collaborates with Jeremy Gloff, the ubiquitous Vinnie Saletto, Thirdunit, and RK3. Deep within the drone of a thousand civilizations, a whisper is heard, a whisper which lulls the innocent to sleep. Mind Static is that whisper!

NON-AGGRESSION PACT is JEFF HILLIARD’s way of inflicting terror thru music. Armed with a Juno 106 and an EPS 16+, he and vocalist JASON WHITCOMB sculpt aggressive soundscapes. They’ve released Gesticulate (GPC), 9MM Grudge and Broadcast-Quality Belligerence (Reconstriction/Cargo), and they appeared on a 21st Circuitry comp under the non-de-plume “Binary Corps. of IX.” The Subverted Texts is their mp3 extravaganza. Very dark Electro here, with a shout-out to brutal beats.

DEACON SCREECH formed in 1994. BLAKE HARRIS a.k.a. MALEOUS S. MARROW, a disenchanted guitarist, bassist, and Desert Storm vet, hooked up with PATRIK SNAVE nee PATRICK EVANS, an analog wizard and Theremin torturer whose technological finesse focused Marrow’s chaotic assault. Percussionist MIKE BROWNING added his monstrous madness in ’95. Playing against cassette-tape loops and old-school electronic effects, they combined Hard Rock with “experimental noise.” In ’96 they recorded Dictator Syndrome, a four-song EP released on Conquest Records. They rank among the earliest dark Tampa acts, and kept it together longer than anybody, eventually fading into legend. R.I.P. Maleous now lends his bass-ic grimness to Grim Faeries.

BUTTERFLY MESSIAH, blissful messengers of fluttering beauty, put poetry to “Synthpop/Ethereal/Darkwave/Industrial.” They hypnotize, infect, and get dancefloors shaking. SHANNON GARSON, the musical soul of the band, ROBERT NIGHTSHADE, the dynamic will, and JOSH HARRINGTON, the melodic spirit, flow together. Their recent CD Priestess is available through Fossil Dungeon Records. An earlier version of their BLACK SUNSHINE track “Transmigration” appeared on the Cleopatra compilation The Unquiet Grave III.

HELL ON EARTH (www.hellonearth.net) Local scuttlebutt tags the music of BILLY TOURTELOT as Metal—and a complex alloy it is. He, on vocals, guitars & samples, makes metallic mayhem with VINCENT SALETTO, samples, JON LEE, drums (ex-Acheron), JOE GILARDI, guitar, MICHAEL “M3” WALKOWSKI, guitar, and PAUL  LYDIC, bass guitar. Their debut album, Biomechanical Ejaculations Of The Damned, took form in ’96 at Tampa’s Morrisound Studios with Tom Morris mixing. In 2001 they recorded All Things Disturbingly Sassy at The Bakery Studio in St. Petersburg, mixed by Jim Morris at Morrisound. Neptune Records released both CDs.

ENEMY OF GOD formed in ’98 under Church Of Eternal Fire leader TANK to “bring the apocalypse to the family dinner table.” The hard-rockin’ iconoclasts whipped Tampa’s religious watchdogs into a protesting frenzy, resulting in extensive media coverage. In ’99 the song “Burning Wings” counted among that year’s Top 40 on the regional radio round-up Dark Horizons. Tank, his voice unbelievable, sang in God Goddess; EOG is essentially on the back burner at the time of this writing.

KAOS KULT (www.kaoskult.com) throws Industrial, Gothic, and Darkwave into a boiling sonic cauldron, pulling out modern tribal mysticism via songs about nightmares, serial killers, worms, and the end of the world. According to band lore, “It’s brutal-ethereal music from a dark future.” A recent regional tour opening for Nocturne and Daisy Berkowitz (ex-Marilyn Manson) introduced legions of kids to the kaleidoscopic Kaos Kult sound.

KALLISTI means “to the most beautiful one.”  A golden apple called Kallisti sparked chaos among the gods of ancient Greece, and so the band formed in the name of chaos. PIOTR KORNBLUM a.k.a. PK36 the cerebral one, ROBERT KILDOO a.k.a. RK3 the angry one, WENDI HUGHES a.k.a. ANGEL the beautiful one, and FRANK LANG a.k.a. THUNDERBIRD the violent one all exploded onto the scene New Years Eve ’95. They fell just as quickly as they rose, spawning groups like IEC, Backspace, RK3, and Mind Static. While they lasted they reigned supreme. Initiates still speak of Kallisti as progenitors of the Tampa vibe.

MOURNING GLORIA began in early ’97 with a vision of “gloomy, star-ridden success.” Founding members ERIC SPENCE (vocals & guitar) and THOMAS ROSS (bass) recorded in a bedroom, using a drum machine and four-track. Soon they added ERIC DeWOLF (guitar & programming), ROBERT KILDOO (keyboards), and JOHN YOUNG (drums) to tour with Eva O and the Wake and to open in Tampa for the likes of Switchblade Symphony. They recorded three cassette-only releases: the first self-titled, the next called Bloodkiss (a Halloween-inspired conceptual thing utilizing rattling chains, breaking glass, et cetera) and the third (and final) Aftermath. They did well on the regional Goth radio show Dark Horizons, generating a strong buzz. The members parted ways in late ’97 due to personal difficulties, but the music remains, frozen in time.

RK3: ROBERT KILDOO’s presence in Tampa’s Goth & Industrial world extends back to ’88; he played in dark bands such as IEC, Mourning Gloria, Kallisti, Poetry—and now he puts the ‘R’ and the ‘K’ in RK3. The band includes ERIC DeWOLF a.k.a. TROUBLEMAKER, a DJ, guitarist & programmer who also played in Mourning Gloria and Poetry, as well as in Ménage a Trois, The Half-Baked Gurus, and Subliminal Treaty. Eric’s famous for sharp studio skills and an incredible record collection. RK3: developing the future from pieces of the past and present!

MIKEE PLASTIK is more of a cult phenomena than a real person. A former member of Shadowcraft and original guitarist of Grim Faeries, he recently haunted the Tampa nights with The Infamous Plastic People, featuring Racci Shay (ex-Genitorturers/now with Dope) and Greg Bonanno (ex-Kill The DJ). As an author he gave the world Chemical Vacation and Nonsense Makes Sense; as filmmaker he did Attack of The Atomic Robot. He cites dark minimalism as inspiration.

MAX MATAHARI stands eleven feet tall, shoots fireballs from his eyes and lightning bolts from his ass, and swallows SUVs whole. He fronted for South Florida combo Matahari & The Hotrods, but decided solo was better. From posters everywhere he whispers evil thoughts to teenagers. A shameless guitar whore, he comes on to you through his music.

HAUNTED ECHO is KRIS “HALO” PIERCE, whose credits include four years as programmer/producer for Mind Static. They contributed to the Web of Darkness soundtrack, appeared on local TV shows, and got some national club play. Now they don’t speak to each other. Studying music since childhood, Kris mastered the piano and violin. He combines Classical and modern influences (Mozart, Danny Elfman, Bill Leeb) into a colorful vision of the Electro future—lush, formal, and pulsating. A shout-out to the great composers of yore, his stuff is complex and clockin’.

VAMPIRE CIRCUS was ’95’s amalgamation of JOHNNO SEN and KIMBERLY SHARPE, she of later local legends Shadowcraft and Virelie. (In ’98 she sang in “La Boehme” at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.) Drawn to dark, moody rhythms, Kimberly has always been happiest singing. She recently became Kimberly Quinn.

SCAYTHE serves as the psychic portal into the world of THOMAS SCAYTHE. Hunkered down with XAMUEL KOLT and JASON APRIL in his garage studio amidst the swaying palms of Dunedin, he transmuted mere Industrial Muzak into gold. Producer Vinnie Saletto, in the person of Dr. Vinnie LoveGroove, restrained him from hurting anyone. Awesome!

CASPER GEIST, the comp’s art director, along with Grim Faerie Curse Mackey comprise Ghostly Productions, which makes its mark on Tampa via the graphic madness of invites, CD covers, flyers, websites et cetera, and they furthered the foul Fuck club (at Masquerade). Ghostly Productions puts out Needles Ink, a regional tattoo mag that’s changing the world.

SUSAN FONTAN shot the comp’s back cover photo (the University of Tampa spires). She finds odd angles of Tampa, especially old Cuban-informed architectural wonders and the downtown area’s stark sterility. “I’ve captured images that reflect the spark that changes my life to memory. I see a story in each of my pictures, a demon of creativity in each idea.”

MICHAEL ANDROS designed the packaging. A writer, artist, and sexual predator, he served as an editor, contributor & archivist of EXIT magazine, and contributed to Seconds (check out his Genitorturers interview therein; incidentally, one of his nasty sculptures hangs over Gen & David’s bed). P.S. This CD cover is a tame example of his style.

VINCENT SALETTO mastered the disparate tracks on BLACK SUNSHINE. A testament to his impact as Tampa’s premier producer appears in the above biographical sketch of SHADOWCRAFT.

MEREDITH KOEHLER is the drop-dead diva who made this all possible. Her extensive—and intimate—knowledge of the scene propelled the project. A noted dancer, she regularly adorns the pedestals of The Castle, Masquerade, and other unholy venues. Many Rock Godz have succumbed to her powers. Thank goodness she paid attention to all this shit!

KIM SELTZER , the cover artist, paints in a Goth-friendly psychedelic classical style. Although she currently resides in Portland, she has an extensive Tampa history: she spent lotsa time there, painting and consorting with some of the city's most fabulous and sordid dudes, and in every case the sheer depravity and fucked-up-edness of it all added to her portfolio of primal passions. Anyway, she contributed a very interesting painting of one of the Tampa men she so loved, titled, appropriately, "Devilman."

GEORGE PETROS, executive producer, is a contributing editor of Juxtapoz and the senior editor of Propaganda. For a decade he edited the Pop interview mag Seconds, before which he put out EXIT. His graphics appeared on DEVO album covers and in Heavy Metal magazine; his writing appeared in fine publications such as Thrasher, High Times, Paper, Screw, Apocalypse Culture 2, and Needles Ink; and he’s credited with “album concept ideas & inspiration” on Wendy Carlos’ Tales Of Heaven And Hell featuring Clockwork Black. He also edited Steven Blush’s Feral House classic American Hardcore. And so on and so forth…P.S. LEXA NICOLETTI of Orphelia Rising brought the God Goddess promo CD along to listen to during a stony ride through the Hollywood Hills darkness; it sounded great as we looked over the starry valley vista on ’shrooms; thus the genesis of BLACK SUNSHINE, August 2000.