Somerset NJ, April 26-28 – The last weekend of April welcomed a new mistress to the bowels of New Jersey. A new festival/convention called The Twisted World emerged, produced by Red Falcon Productions, and it promised to bring a couple of different forms of entertainment to its attendees. This year’s theme was simply, “Divine Decadence”. The festival was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Somerset, NJ. The vendors were plentiful, offering everything from bottled scents to hair clips to intimate toys for couples. Attendees were able to sit in on panels discussing various themes in literature (such as vampires) to interactive storytelling to personal BDSM sessions with a dominatrix. If the panels weren’t your thing, you could stumble upon a fire show by the team, Hubris, to one of the many musical artists performing throughout the weekend, such as the industrial rock act, Ego Likeness or the Bela Lugosi-themed lounge acts of Baron Misuraca. If you were in the mood to see some flesh, then The White Elephant Burlesque Society had plenty of burlesque performances throughout the weekend, as well as hosting a meet-and-greet.
Overall the variety of different panels, shows, vendors, and activities gave one a very fun-filled weekend, but being a first year festival hurt the attendance, since attendees usually plan months to a year ahead in terms of budgeting their finances and freeing their weekend schedules. Having spoken to a few vendors and performers, the common worry among them was many felt the festival wasn’t well-advertised, which also led to the low number of attendees. Hopefully the second year, the theme of which will be, Villains and Vixens, will have an easier time getting the word out now about the festival’s existence.
The 13th annual Edwardian Ball held in San Francisco at the Regency Ballroom left us wanting more. Spanning three rooms and two evenings, The Edwardian Ball is unforgettable in spirit and size. Edward Gorey would be proud of the ballroom, museum of wonders, and obscure vendors who have paid him tribute for a lucky thirteen years.
AUXILIARY ONLINE CONTENT
[ additional images not seen in the February/March 2013 Issue ]
Anaheim CA, January 24-27 – The NAMM Show is the biggest gathering of music retailers in the world. It’s so enormous it would be impossible to see everything in just four days. No matter what aspect of music creation you’re interested in, there’s bound to be an assortment of vendors with gear you’ll lust for and professionals with sage advice for you.
Like other conventions, the four-day event is crowded with insiders and enthusiasts in search of the very latest goodies. The booths featured musician signings, professional demonstrations, pretty girls, cutting edge technology, and the unveiling of the 2013 models.
Vendors often employ the showmanship associated with traveling salesmen of old. The Pioneer booth featured several DJ stations with different set-ups that allowed professionals and hobbyists alike to experience their new products. Orange Amps constructed a wall of amps that would make anyone who has ever played guitar swoon. Coffin Case presented a 3D video of guitarist John 5 so lifelike it made the 3D technology in movie theaters seem like child’s play. ESP Guitars brought in dark artist Sam Shearon aka Mister-Sam who designed their new Vampire Biotech series to chat up attendees.
Los Angeles CA, August 17 - Experimental underground music sensation, Zola Jesus performed August 17 th in Downtown LA for MOCA’s free summer concert series, Play MOCA, with Active Child for a magical evening of epic sound. Though their roots are deeply entrenched in darkness, the crowd was mixed and brought a cross-section of fans spanning different genres, indie kids and goths alike.
The outdoor space was accented with a canopy of grey orbs levitating above the audiences’ heads. Concertgoers had free access to the museum for extended hours. People sauntered through the white hallways, while the echoes of Zola Jesus and Active Child acoustics reverberated off the walls.
A thick mist rolled across the stage as a stark, haunting voice permeated the crowd; awestruck, they swayed in sync as if floating gently on a celestial web. Zola Jesus in proper fashion donned a layered, light, ethereal slip with an avant-garde piece covering her torso like an armor. Barefoot, she embraced her diminutive frame and with a certain rawness, took the air out of peoples’ lungs in mid-breath every time she rang out a penetrating note, ripping through the air.
Zola Jesus is a successful fusion of a dream swathed in dark undertones while still maintaining a fierce resonance that stays with the listener long after the show is over. She’s an artist that manages to straddle different sounds and carry over strong in her live performance, a must for audiophiles across the board.
Piscataway NJ, May 18-20 - Every year, towards the end of spring, The Steampunk World’s Fair, beckons enthusiasts of steam to the emerald fields of the Garden State, preparing to guard the walls against their fist-pumping foes from the shore. Now entering its third year, they arrive on airships, horseless carriages, unicycles, and the occasional T.A.R.D.I.S., ready to celebrate for a three-day weekend full of performances (from artists such as Voltaire, Platform One, and Danny Blu to circus/sideshow acts), costume contests, panels, and burlesque shows!
Montreal, QC – May 17-20 – first hand account by Pete Crane of Shiv-r
Shiv-r
Holy shit Kinetik!!!
Since the first Kinetik was announced five years ago, it has had a pants-wettening line-up and every year we have been tempted to travel to Montreal, Canada to party it up and see the awesomeness. From the first Kinetik featuring one of my personal faves Headscan, and other awesome bands that you don’t get to see on the European festival circuit (and certainly the bands who have a snowball’s chance in hell of being brought to Australia), to 2011′s monster line-up including Frontline Assembly, mind.in.a.box, and Suicide Commando, it’s always a line-up to die for and this year was no different, so it was amazing to finally get to come to Kinetik, let alone being invited to actually perform.
Wendy and I made the flight from Sydney on the preceding Monday. The 19 hour Air Canada flight to Montreal via Vancouver was as brutal as you might expect but we eventually made it in and checked into the Hyatt in Montreal. We arrived in the late afternoon so we walked around the inner city for a couple of hours (we love just walking around foreign cities when we’re there for the first time, it’s my favorite part about travelling and seeing new shit, just walking).
On Tuesday our band mate Lee arrived. Despite writing half the music for Shiv-r, he has never actually been able to play live with us because he lives in Bangkok these days and they don’t have planes there or something. We also met up with another Australian friend of ours, Beck, and got our first taste of poutine (a famous Montreal specialty consisting of fries, gravy, and cheese, but god is it good!) and some shopping. Tuesday night we went drinking at the bar next to Metropolis, FouFon Electrique (or, “The Electric Butt-Butt”). $2.50 beers had me slaughtered in no time and then the rowdiness started. Apparently I was running around telling people (including my friends), “I don’t know if you heard, but I’m playing at the Metropolis on Friday night.” Well, bitches gotta recognise…
New York NY, February 18 -Emilie Autumn is back, and she’s fighting back like a girl! On February 18th, Emilie Autumn returned to The Gramercy Theatre on her Fight Like A Girl tour, affectionally called F.L.A.G., to promote her upcoming album. Joining her were the Blessed Contessa, Naughty Veronica Varlow, Captain Maggot, and the legions of fans, affectionately called Muffins and Plague-Rats. If you’ve never been to an Emilie Autumn performance, then you are in for a treat. Each show blends burlesque performances with vaudeville musical/dance numbers in a scripted show, full of energy and excitement as the girls sing, dance, and gyrate on stage. These ladies want you to know they are women, now hear them roar. It’s time for society to play by their rules, and as some guys once said (named after a “sister”), “We’re not gonna take it anymore!”
New York NY, October 30 – Pysclon Nine, the beloved aggrotech band, has made a huge come back. From taking almost a year-long break to jumping on the stage at Gramercy Theater in New York City and showing fans they are still alive. The rumors may be true about why they stopped playing music, but it all doesn’t matter now, Nero Bellum has proven that he will not stop! The venue was packed full of screaming fans as Pysclon Nine rocked out newer songs and old songs, like “We the Fallen” and “Parasitic”. Fans grabbed Nero and pulled him close just to feel his presence once more.
On stage along with Nero was Rotny Ford, another original member of Psyclon Nine, Pan (Keyboards) who joined the band for just this one show, and two new members of the band, Jared Warren (Bass) and Kylie Megaera (Drums). Nero has stated that Abbey Nex will still be in the band he was just unable to make this show.
When speaking with Nero I asked why now? He told me he has been writing a lot and not just music. He played guitar for Dismantled, a band out of L.A, and when they played here in New York City in July, Jet Berelson, foundered of Vampire Freaks, pulled Nero aside asking him to do a Halloween show.
The show was a success as well as the night itself. People dressed up for Halloween, there was a costume contest, and tons of candy everywhere! It was like being a kid trick or treating again! Will Psyclon Nine tour soon? It’s a secret Nero says, but the twinkle in his eyes says it’s coming.
Las Vegas NV – May 22 to 23 2011 – Hair stylist Erin Moser of Chez Ann Salon and contributor to many Auxiliary Magazine fashion and beauty editorials attends Oribe Backstage 2011 and tells us all about it.
Luxury. Extravagance. Perfection. This is the epitome of Oribe.
Erin’s hair model, middle
Even if you have never heard the name Oribe, you have seen his work countless times in every form of media. Oribe (pronounced OR-bay) is one of the most world-renowned celebrity hairstylists whose combination of session, celebrity, and salon work spans over three decades. He is constantly defining styles and breaking down creative barriers. He has worked with the likes of photographers Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz, fashion designers such as Gianni Versace and Karl Lagerfeld, makeup artists François Nars and Kevyn Aucoin, and too many stars to name including helping launch Jennifer Lopez’s career, and nowadays he has styled for Miss Momma Monster herself, Lady Gaga.
When you work with the best, you have to play with the best. And when I say, “play with the best”, I mean it. Oribe has teamed up with people that have made his wildest dreams come true. After thirty years of innovative styling, he decided to launch his signature line of truly original styling products. As they state, “This line is for taste-driven individuals who know that personal style – perfectly expressed through excellence.” These innovative products have helped me do things I never imagined possible, even once I was wearing some pure 24 Kt gold in my hair.
Buffalo NY, November 5 – In November Buffalo’s Mass Appeal 2010 took place, a unique local fashion event produced by Erin Habes, featuring many designers and boutiques including Morgan Love and Holly Hue. Auxiliary Magazine is happy to share with you some backstage interviews and amazing video coverage of the event by Nathan Peracciny. Mass Appeal has become an important and vital event and is rapidly becoming recognized as one of the key events in the growing Western New York Fashion scene.
