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 FE
AL STIV
S DATE
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E
I
S
F
5
F
O
L
IVA
T HE CARN
Gallery5’s most highly attended and extravagant event of the year, will be held this Halloween weekend. Featuring fire performers, burlesque, puppeteers, magicians, side-show freaks, vaudeville performers, and internationally- known visual artists, this three night event will rattle the senses and be the event to talk
about for the entire year.
“Gallery5’s Carnival of 5 Fires, has been one of the most impressive and exciting Richmond events.” —Magic Hat Brewing Company, 2008
image PJ Sykes
image Ian M. Graham
image S. Preston Duncan
WRITINGS
Parker, Jon Headlee, Shannon
Cleary, S. Preston Duncan,
Lauren Vincelli, Landis Wine,
Carl Atley, Ian Graham
ILLUSTRATIONS
Brandon Peck
Burnt Offerings
Volume 5 Issue 7
cover courtesy of Archedream
Publisher / R. Anthony Harris
Editor in Chief / Parker
Branding / Christian Detres
PHOTOGRAPHY
PJ Sykes, David Kenedy,
Ian Graham
DESIGN
Anthony Harris, Brandon Peck
Advertising / John Reinhold
Managing Editor / S. Preston Duncan
Ombudsman / Adam Sledd
New Media / Ian M. Graham
Music Editor / Landis Wine
Fashion / Casey Longyear
RVA TV / Ben Muri, Jon Headlee
Baylen Forcier, Elliot Robinson
Trusty Interns / Grant Shuler,
Matt Ference, Anna Whittel,
Alex Barrett
CONTENTS
KRIS KUKSI, AN OPERA
FOR THE APOCALYPSE
“...my emphasis would have been
more towards death imagery and
skulls and skeletons.”
ARCHEDREAM FOR
HUMANKIND
“....awe-inspired, totally mind
boggled with beauty and the idea
of hope, and the realization
that everyone has a hand in the
future of our society.”
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
THE HAUNTS OF
HOLLYWOOD CEMETERY
“..witnesses saw a man covered in
blood, with jagged teeth and flesh
hanging from his body...”
THE GHOULS AND GHOSTS OF HAUNTED
RICHMOND
“Richmond is haunted. Richmond is disturbed by the
injustices of its past , the tragedies that litter its history
books, and the many cemeteries filled wi th whispers of
anguish and despair.”
THE DEATH OF TIME
“Max is a crystal skull. His story is
the stuff of bad fiction...”
HOPE RIDES ALONE
AN INTERVIEW WITH
THE PROTOMEN
I cry nightly because my brother,
Demon Barber, is no longer of
this earth..’
EFFIGY, ENTROPY &
EUPHORIA
“You might be a burner, and not
know it.”
ART AND ADORNMENT
THE ONETRIBE
WORLDVIEW
“...defies the common stereotypes
of misfit youth and hardcore
posturing.”
PULP TONES:
SHAKING HELL
“...there’s a certain sort of comedy
in this desolation....”
MY LIFE WITH POE
“Poe was well known for his
gothic works, but there was
much more to him.”
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Kris Kuksi Performs An
Opera For The
Apocalypse
By Parker
You’d be lying to yourself if you claimed that you didn’t
have a dark side. Everyone does, to some degree.
Some people are really good at keeping their shadow
self hidden beneath the surface, and some people
have invited the demons over for dinner, discussed
how the relationship is going to work, and sent out a
press release announcing the marriage. Kris Kuksi’s
sculptures elegantly display the darker side of creativity with nightmarish landscapes that transport you to a
realm where chaos reigns free. The chaos has a message, though; his work forces you to inspect and embrace the reality of beauty in violence, madness, death,
and decay. It’s all around us and part of us all.
How has your work evolved over the What are some of the materials that
years?
you use in making sculptures?
It has always had an underlying tone of dark and
strange, but I guess in college is when my work
reached a sophisticated level that still evolves to this
day. Right now, I am in my neoclassical realm, so to
speak. But a few years ago, my emphasis would have
been more towards death imagery and skulls and skeletons. So I have really enjoyed looking back on how
things have changed and morphed into what it is today.
Mostly a ‘kitbashed’ method of combining many highly
detailed model kits with others. However, I build all the
frames and shelves on which they are affixed to with
various crown moldings and/or ceiling medallions. I
also use some very small brass etched parts for extra
fine detailing, just like you would find in the fine-scale
modeling hobbies. But in the vaguest way possible,
I simply call this method ‘mixed media assemblages’.
What is your process for constr ucting your sculptures? How much is
What’s your first memory of making planned and how much evolves while
artwork?
creating the piece?
You also create drawings and paintings that are very different from your
three-dimensional work. How do
these relate (or not) to your sculpture
work?
Kris Kuksi: I still have my earliest drawing that I can
remember and it was on the side of a drawer of this
little night stand. It doesn’t look like much, just a stick
person and a sun and I think it might be me depicted.
But my grandmother always had old stationery laying
around that I would draw on, but I never really knew
that I was good until the first grade and I could outdraw all the other students. But I was always interested
in the macabre and the bizarre; I guess those subjects
seemed more fun than anything else. I always drew anatomical things in grade school, which always grossed
out the other kids.
I get an idea at any random moment, but mostly I
would say in that dreamy half-awake moment just before getting out of bed is when I get great ideas. It
is sort of like getting a transmission from something,
like my mind is a radio. Regardless of that, I work with
some sketches, especially if it is going to be a major
work. So there is some planning, but most of the time
it is a greatly improvised method of creation. In other
words, I’m just concerned with what looks good, is
the visual balance right, what else needs to be added.
And once all the building is done, I paint it all the same
color to give it the faux appearance that it is all made
of the same material.
I would say they don’t relate at all. I would have to
say I am at least two or even three separate artists in
one soul. I can appreciate the beauty in an iris or an
orchid and relate the fine details and textures in the
petals, which have more to do with the simple joy of
aesthetic things. Yet I can turn completely around
and produce very lively and explosively colorful paintings with translucent anatomically exposed animals
or humans with many layers of geometric and linear
elements. And of course create wildly fascinating 3D
sculptures with all sorts of satire and metaphorical
meaning. I do think that my drawings, however, re-
late to the sculptures more than any of the
paintings. Perhaps someday I will showcase
more drawings along with the sculptures in
an exhibit.
You just created your first
kinetic piece for the Car nival
of 5 Fires show at Gallery5.
How did this come about?
Well, I was in Norman, Oklahoma, of all
places, in a little café, wondering what I
could do for the carnival show. I kept thinking about what could be fitting for this show
and perhaps something I’ve never done before. And suddenly I thought about these
little kinetic merry-go-round sort of things
at this local art store. It dawned on me that I
could really make a satirical dark humor sort
of piece that even moves and has sound!
So I quickly drove over and got one that
seemed very fitting and about three days
later I had produced “AWOL Go-Round”, a
piece about the insanity associated with war
and conflict. There are eight spinning chairs
with a white ghostly soldier seated in each,
as well as audio of laughing children and
carnival music. In the end it was very fitting
for the whole effect.
You deal with the darker
side of life in your work.
Why do you feel the need
to go this route with your
creativity?
Well, yes, with the sculptures I do. The
paintings fit more with the beautiful
side of life, but I think for now in my
life I am obsessed with getting these
‘darker side of life’ feelings out and
sharing them with the world. I just
feel fortunate that I have been given
the chance to do this sort of thing
now in life with my youth and energy
not letting up anytime soon. Perhaps
later in life I’ll sit around in my nice
small castle painting flowers and nude
women and forget about the troubles
in the world...that sounds like a good
retirement!
What other artists,
musicians, or people
inspire you and why?
Drum and bass music really helps
to calm my mind, if you can believe
it. Something about very fast and insanely progressive but not necessarily
heavy music seems to calm my intense
thought waves. The music sort of cancels these thought
waves out in the same frequency, if that makes any sense –
kinda meditative, in other words. Other than that, history
really inspires me, and it all has to do with how I present
my work, wanting to show a timeless message that we will
repeat our history if we don’t learn from it, as Lincoln said.
What are you plans for the rest of 2009
and 2010? What shows and projects do
you have lined up?
I have a major solo show in NYC at Joshua Liner Gallery,
and I am working on that literally as I type this interview.
But once that is over, I’ll jump over to the other side of the
ocean to Europe where my heart lives, where historical
structures and culture still exists. This time I’ll be in Portugal along the coast watching the ocean and pondering what
to do next with myself.
To check out more of Kuksi’s work go to
www.kuksi.com.
ArcheDream For
HUMANKIND
Interview by Parker | Images courtesy of ArcheDream
On my yearly trek across the country to attend the Bur ning Man festival, I was
filled with a year ning excitement and curiosity as to what my experience would
be. During the weeklong event, one is fully immersed in the sensory overload of
sights, sounds, and masses of people while striving to reconnect with old friends,
see favorite art pieces of the past, and visit recurring theme camps. There’s an
increasingly comforting familiarity that settles into the soul while making the trip
through the Sierra Nevada Mountains toward the Black Rock Desert destination.
There’s also the building exhilaration of the unexpected that promises something
vastly new and transfor mative. What exactly was the “new” going to bring me this
time? How would I be transfor med? The beauty of Bur ning Man is keeping yourself
open to the ever-changing exploration inspired by almost everything and everyone
you stumble across. The jour ney never stops, even when your body does. During
this jour ney there are certain occurrences that reach out and grab your attention,
that beckon you to come closer, that bur n through your retinas to become forever
ingrained in your brain. For me one of this year’s highlights was the perfor mance
group ArcheDream for HUMANKIND.
With a giant smile and wide eyes I soaked up the seamless movements, smooth
timing of interactions, and the intricate details of glowing costumes. ArcheDream
transfixed us all with their storytelling magic and transported our minds to another dimension that night. I knew I had to further investigate the process, the
people, and the creativity behind such an intensely beautiful display of expression.
How was ArcheDream bor n?
Alan Bell, founder and artist who paints all of
ArcheDream’s masks and costumes, is from South
Africa and grew up there during apartheid. He
fled to Holland because he didn’t want to be a
part of the racial war separating his home country.
He wanted to create an art form that would unite
people. When he moved to America he met cofounder and executive director Glenn Weikert,
an American college student with creativity and
a business mind; and ArcheDream for HUMANKIND was born.
How has the company evolved over
the years? Where do you see it going?
ArcheDream’s evolution has been a steady progression. From day one the basis has remained
the same: collaboration with different musicians
and artists and bringing in talented performers
to do our shows. The company has gotten bigger
and better because there are more people involved now and the members are more dedicated
than ever before.
Over the past ten years we’ve gained experience
and as a result the choreography has become
more dynamic, and the overall production and
performances have become tighter. People are
starting to take notice. Within the past year we’ve
collaborated with the Disco Biscuits and Shpon-
gle, and performed at the Democratic National Convention in
D.C. and the TED convention in L.A., to name a few.
The talent and vision of ArcheDream has always been there.
We’re just expanding to incorporate more magic, bigger
props, puppetry, better dance routines, visuals, and original
music. We continue to grow and remain dedicated to upholding our mission statement and staying true to our values that
have been ArcheDream’s foundation since the beginning.
Holding workshops in our community and the communities we
visit only adds to this. We will continue to tour the county and
strive to make our shows more innovative and bigger and better than the last.
ArcheDream integrates costumes, props,
dancing, and technology. How is the marriage
of these elements different in ArcheDream, as
opposed to other theatre companies?
What makes ArcheDream stand apart from other theatre companies is that our productions are done in 100% black-light!
All of our masks, costumes and props literally glow brightly
from the stage, into the audiences’ eyes and straight to their
hearts. Our artistic director, Alan Bell, chose this medium of
black-light theatre because the visual beauty of black-light
blows people away. You can’t take your eyes off the stage! Our
shows always deal with some social issue, and black-light is
perfect to present our themes because no matter what the
conflict, you can’t look away from it, you can’t deny it, and
people leave our shows with a feeling of “Wow!” It’s beautiful
and powerful.
ArcheDream is also unique in that our
dancers perform highly choreographed
pieces in full costume, masks, gloves,
shoes, headpieces, the works, in the
dark! All that we see is the glowing
black-light paint through small eye holes
in the masks. That fact really says something about the talent of our performers.
How do you guys go about
constructing a new show?
Creating a show is hard. There’s so
much work to do that it feels impossible
to pull off sometimes. But we work hard
and get it done. Because ArcheDream
is so highly collaborative, getting all the
people on board and on the same page
is challenging.
For example, when “Chorus of Dreams”
was in its conception, we collaborated
with composer Eric “E.O.” Oberthaler
and the music group Gamelon X. They
are based in San Francisco, and here
we are in Philadelphia; that’s a bicoastal
collaboration! We flew out to California
for the initial meeting to brainstorm and
create what we call “idea soup”. The rest
of the interaction took place over telephone and Skype. He would send us mu-
sic and we’d call him back to change this
or change that. The process can be pretty
stressful on everybody. But the final result
is worth it!
Basically, someone has an idea for a show
and a script outline gets written. Then
it’s presented to everyone and members
get to give their input. Once the script is
done, we start workshopping the movement while the music and costumes and
masks and props are being made. Shows
really evolve during the rehearsal process.
Ideas come and are added, things that
aren’t working get thrown out. The creation of a show is really fun because everyone’s ideas are expressed and considered. Whether it’s choreography, painting
props and costumes, or talking with the
composers, everyone helps out so everyone feels like they are a part of the creative process, which is so important to us,
that our artists feel fulfilled.
What is your favorite production out of all of your shows
and why?
Every member has a show they hold close
to their hearts for different reasons. Many
of us feel a strong connection to “Jessica’s
Story” because we all relate in some way to the show’s
target audience. The show takes such a tragic event and
turns it into a work of art that provides healing. It’s inspiring and empowering. It encompasses everything our
company is out to do, reveal humanity, the good and the
bad, as a way to open communication on topics otherwise hard to confront. And we do it in black-light. We
take something horrible and make it beautiful.
Everyone loves “Chorus of Dreams” because it’s such a
massive show! There is so much going on, huge props, a
lot of black-light magic, high energy dance scenes, projection screens, a live band and singer. The show excites
people, they leave awe-inspired, totally mind boggled
with beauty and the idea of hope, and the realization
that everyone has a hand in the future of our society.
Any new productions in the works?
Yes! We are working on our brand new show “Inside,
Out”. This show is debuting in Taiwan in April 2010. We
are really raising the bar with this one. The masks and
costumes are larger than life and we have puppets and
other “out there” props. It’s like a bedtime story where
the main character deals with her internal fantasies and
her outside reality. She meets crazy characters and each
character represents an internal conflict she must overcome to grow up.
We are also touring “Deep Blue” again. It’s an older
show but with a different cast. Different performers will
inevitably produce a slightly different show.
I finally got to see you this year at Burning Man. Why do you think Burning
Man and other “burn” events are important to our society?
Society and the individuals within it can learn a lot
from Burning Man and other burns - self-reliance, especially! If everyone does their part, we truly have the
power to make the world a better place. Being responsible for yourself, your garbage, your actions. Being
creative and resourceful, and helping others where
you can. Instead of sitting back, just being a witness
of the world, actually taking part in the issues that are
going on. It’s what needs to be recognized now if we
are ever going to make a positive impact on the future
of our planet and the society we live in. People need to
stop blaming others for the shape we’re in and step up,
stop being so greedy and selfish, and do something
about it. Being open-minded and respectful of other’s
life styles and ideals, it’s what this country was built for,
and we’ve lost that somewhere. Most people now are
focused on “I” and “me” and “mine” instead of the “us”,
each a part of the next in the greater humanity. We are
never going to move forward or change if we stay isolated from each other. We need to come together, and
it starts with each person making the choice to do the
best they can in every moment. Pick up your trash - the
right to free speech is also the right to listen, take part
in your world, and of course, recycle!
Special thanks to Tara McCann, Jessica Kroboth, Melissa Ayres, Spit, and Glen Weikert from ArcheDream
for assisting in getting this all together.
To learn more, go to www.adhk.org.
Haunts of Hollywood CemeterY
Words by Lauren Vincelli | Photos by PJ Sykes
If you’ve lived in Richmond for a while, or even for just this past semester, chances are you’ve seen peaceful Hollywood Cemetery overlooking the
James River on your way across the Belvidere Bridge. Hollywood Cemetery
is a working cemetery that honors the Richmond residents buried within as
much as it honors the history of the city of Richmond.
Named for the Holly trees scattered across the property, Hollywood Cemetery was designed in 1847. Its winding paths and rolling hills are sometimes easy to get lost in, but were designed to avoid the monotony of grid-like
cemeteries. Construction wasn’t finished at Hollywood until 1850, but the
first grave was purchased there in 1849. Since then, Hollywood Cemetery
has become the eternal resting place for three presidents, 18,000 Confederate soldiers, 25 Confederate generals, a number of other military officers,
and a slew of notable judges, politicians, journalists, writers, activists, and
artists, not to mention one of the best views of the Richmond skyline.
The cemetery is also the subject of many of the city’s most fantastical urban
legends and ghost stories. Imaginative tourists and paranormal researchers alike claim that the cemetery is a hot bed of ethereal activity. Rumors of
cold spots, energy drains, eerie voices, and disembodied spirits shroud the
cemetery. Here are a few of the legends of Hollywood Cemetery.
CAST IRON DOG
This wonderful cast iron statue of a dog is located in the Rees family plot. Legend has it that the
statue was put there to protect the grave of a young Florence Rees, (d. 1862). The statue once
stood outside a general store in Richmond where Mr. Rees’s daughter, Florence, would visit the
statue while her father was in town. It was allegedly placed there when the girl died. The city of
Richmond was in the midst of the Civil War and scrap metal, particularly iron, was being collected
to be melted down and turned into weapons. Most likely the iron dog was put in the family plot
to be preserved as a work of art and kept out of the melting pot. People travel from all over to
tour Hollywood Cemetery and visit the iron dog. Many visitors have said that it has come to life or
changed positions. (Section: C, Lot: 1)
PET CEMETERY
Ellen Glasgow (d.1945), a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer from Richmond, died at her home in
her sleep after suffering from heart disease for
several years. Legend has it that Glasgow stipulated in her will that her dogs (who preceded her
in death) should be exhumed from her backyard
in Richmond and be reburied with her in Hollywood Cemetery. (Section: DE, Lot: 15).
RICHMOND VAMPIRE
The legend of the Richmond Vampire starts
with the collapse of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railroad’s Church Hill train tunnel on October
2, 1925, and ends in Hollywood Cemetery.
Legend has it that witnesses saw a man covered
in blood, with jagged teeth and flesh hanging from his body, emerge from the rubble of
the collapsed tunnel and chased by a group of
men. Supposedly the creature took cover inside a mausoleum belonging to W.W. (William
Wortham) Pool (d. 1922). (Section: D, Lot: 26).
The legend has since been disproved. Investigators from
the Virginia Ghosts & Haunting Research Society, and
Night Shift urban legend historians found evidence that
the figure escaping from the wreckage was actually Benjamin F. Mosby, who had been working in the train when
the tunnel collapsed. Mosby died from his serious injuries
at Grace Hospital (401 W. Grace St) and was also buried
in Hollywood Cemetery (Section: 26, Lot: 42)
Still, the tomb of W.W. Pool remains an attraction to seekers of the occult. An associate of the Virginia Ghosts &
Haunting Research Society wrote that his uncle Mike, a
former security guard at the cemetery, noted the tomb as
a popular place for goths and Satanists to perform rituals
and that allegedly the tomb had been broken into several
times. So much for eternal rest, huh? Since Mike’s time at
the cemetery, Pool’s remains have been secured and the
tomb has been welded shut.
CONFEDERATE PYRAMID
This 90-foot granite pyramid was completed in 1869 to
honor the 18,000 confederate soldiers buried within the
cemetery gates. I’ve heard lots of tales about the ghosts
of confederate soldiers at Hollywood. The best story I’ve
heard so far is that the Eye of Providence will appear at
the top of the pyramid to watch over the soldiers. I like that
one. It’s like a big dollar bill in the city.
OTHER NOTABLE GRAVES
James Branch Cabell , American fantasy fiction
novelist for whom the VCU library is named. (Section: AA, Lot: 14)
Margaret M. Dashiell , artist and writer (Section: I, Lot: 83)
Jefferson Davis , President of the Confederate
States of America (Section: Lawn, Lot: 1) and his wife
Varina.
Mary Johnston , American novelist and women’s
rights activist (Section: 16, Lot: 126/128)
Major William Mayo , a colonial civil engineer
who laid out the streets of Richmond under the commission of William Byrd II, and built the first bridge
across the James.
James Monroe , two-time Governor of Virginia
and fifth President of the United States and his wife
Elizabeth (Section: Mt Lot: 1-2-3)
Dr. Robert Ryland , Founder of Richmond College (now University of Richmond) and civil rights
advocate. (Section: B, Lot: 143/144)
John Tyler , two time Governor of Virginia and
tenth President of the United States, and his wife Julia
(Section: Presidents Circle)
Edward Virginius Valentine , American sculptor (Section: I, Lot: 92)
Lila Meade Valentine , suffragette and founder
of the Visiting Nurses Association. (Section: I, Lot: 92)
Grave with the epitaph: “She always said her feet were
killing her, but nobody believed her.”
Hollywood Cemetery
412 South Cherry St
Richmond, VA 23220
http://www.hollywoodcemetery.org/
Hollywood Cemetery Public Visiting Hours
8:00 am - 5:00 pm daily year round
*Open until 6:00 pm during Daylight Savings
Time
Historical Walking Tours
April-October
Monday through Saturday at 10:00 AM
The tour focuses on the history of the cemetery
and the famous personalities buried there. Meet
your guide at the cemetery entrance at Cherry
and Albermarle Streets.
For more information on tour reservations call
the Valentine Richmond History Center at (804)
649-0711 Ext. 334
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the
mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that
stands at the cradle of tr ue art and tr ue science.”
-Albert Einstein
The Death Of Time
Crystal Skulls
and Mayan Fire Ceremonies
Words and photos by S. Preston Duncan
Have you ever had déjà vu? Have you ever been
struck by an inexplicably potent feeling that
you’ve been here, in this definable moment, with
certain sounds and aromas, with this particular
level of alertness and these specific peripheral
thoughts drawing tangents in the background of
this remarkably familiar foreground? Can you
ever shake or explain it with reason?
in prophesized lakes, that drains through waterfalls and ruins, these are called upon. The life that
pulsates in planets and the space between, the
balance of things, the importance of a thousand
civilizations, these are incanted. We face each direction until we have called to the corners of the
world, and, wrapping them around us, turn back
to the fire.
When I arrive, dusk is a whisper beneath
the sun-draped leaves. Two fire pits are
built. One large, one small, forming two
points on the line to a table. Max sits on
the table.
Max is a crystal skull. His story is the stuff of bad fiction,
too outrageous to be bullshit. He is believed to be 36,000
years old. With all our technology, we can’t explain how he
was made; there are no tooling marks. Major museums have
inspected Max, responding with “no comment” instead of
insight. He was given to Joanne Parks, his current guardian, by Norbu Chen, an American-born Red Hat Llama (the
highest order of Tibetan healers) and ex-undercover agent
for the CIA. Parks is a short woman with deep, dark eyes
and a shock of white hair. She wears a necklace made of skull
shaped beads and a shawl. She speaks with a Texan drawl.
Parks met Chen when her husband was hired to do some
cabinetry work for him, and she ended up working as his
assistant. Her daughter was dying of cancer and was given
three months to live. Chen’s work extended her life by three
years.
Don Carlos Barrios, a Mayan Ajq’ij, or
shaman, from Guatemala and member
of the Elders Council, begins to speak.
He speaks in Spanish, translated by John
Oliver, owner of the Aquarian Bookshop, which planned the ceremony. He
explains the designs made of chocolate
and sugar and herbs he is making on
the cleared circular ground of the fire
sites: a cross with arrows North, South,
East, West, each with relations to elements, races, Light and Dark. The larger
fire, further from Max, is stacked with
wood, and as night settles into the grass,
started with candles. Don Carlos invokes
the spirits of sacred places, Mayan deities and The Light. The wind that moves
through mountains and continents, that
settles in canyons, the water that swirls
Chen had received the skull from Guatemalan shamans in
Central America as a gift. He used it as a healing tool and
claimed to communicate with it. Before he died, he gave it to
Parks, telling her that she would know what it was for one day.
Parks put it in a box in her closet. For seven years.
Max speaks to Parks. Literally. He started speaking to her in
dreams, and then while she was awake. He said there was a
man she was supposed to find. One day she turned
on the television to find this man speaking on a talk
show about the legends surrounding crystal skulls.
She called the TV station and has spent the rest of
her life taking Max to various indigenous ceremonies
and hosting talks and private sessions with him. Parks
used to call him “The Skull” until “The Skull” said to
her “My name is not ‘The Skull’, it’s Max.” She was
“normal” once. This was not the life she had planned.
The Mayan legend of the crystal skulls (not to be confused with that of Indiana Jones) explains that 52 of
them will be placed around a sacred lake in America
sometime close to 2012. A master skull will then
activate the rest, revealing significant knowledge to
humanity.
Don Carlos tells us that it is impossible
to imagine the importance of taking part
in such a ritual at this point in time. He
says that we are at a critical juncture, that
the balance of Light and Dark must be restored, not good and evil, Light and Dark.
Not victory, balance. He says the time for
action is now.
The Mayans believe that we are not the first instance
of humanity. There have been previous humanities
that have cycled through thousands of years, humanities who attained great states of being, connections
with other dimensions and planes of existence, spiritual and technological achievements incomprehensible to us now.
The Mayans are incredible timekeepers. Their calendars track astrological movements, cosmic energies, and
the pathways of these energies through vast stretches of
time. They are astonishingly accurate, and have been since
long before western civilization could close to compare
its sciences. Because of their unified perspective on the
universe, this attunement to the macro- and microcosmic
cycles has allowed them great insight into the destinies of
individuals and humanity alike. To them, we are all a part
of the cosmos. If this sounds “New-Agey”, it’s because in a
literal sense, it is.
They believe in, amongst other cycles, 5,200-year periods,
or Suns, governed by different prevailing energies, some
masculine, some feminine, and the elements: air, water, fire
and earth. These periods guide the physical and evolutionary consciousness of humanity.
Past humanities have reached the Fifth Sun. This age is
marked by a return to a way of life that is in tune with the
Natural Order, an elevation of human consciousness, and
is a time in which the transcendence of Najt, or space-time
is possible. It is defined by neither masculine nor feminine
energies, but the balance of the two. This era carries with it
the transmission of great knowledge and wisdom, and enables extreme advancements in scientific and metaphysical capacities. It was during this time that they say past
humanities failed. Unenlightened and unbalanced, they
allowed ego and vanity to turn to violence and corruption.
Their newly attained power proved to be the power to selfdestruct. And so the cycle started again. And again.
Sunrise on December 21st, 2012, will mark the beginning
of the Fifth Sun for our humanity. Fire ceremonies are one
way in which the Mayan Elder’s Council is trying to help
prepare us for this transition.
The fire grows larger, the flames are unlike
anything I have ever seen. They are sharp,
strobing, spaced in strange ways. Don Carlos carries Max to the fire, bends over, and
whispering a prayer in a language I have not
heard, begins to circle the skull through the
flames, around and around, the fire licking
the smooth surfaces like a reunited companion. Then back and forth and back and forth,
then side to side. He calls another Mayan
priest to stand facing him as he lifts the skull
into the air, his headdress dangling knotted cords down his back. He asks us to hold
hands in a circle, up to the feminine, down towards the masculine, and we kneel and kiss
the ground. We all do.
They say that as we near the new aeon, more and more
souls will awaken to their purpose on this earth. Souls
that have existed in the threshold of this transition before, returning to prepare the world, to help people
open themselves to a more enlightened state of being,
are becoming conscious of their destiny. They say that
now is a time to find traditions of great roots, that there
are many Paths of Light. Too many people believe themselves to be following the one true way.
According to tradition, this is an era of spiritual significance equitable to biblical times, the times of the prophets. All around mystical teachings historically reserved
for those devoting their lives to the practice of a religion
are being authorized by elders and devoured with
voracity by the populace. Across the religious
spectrum you can see preparations being made:
The popularization of eastern philosophy in western culture, the spread of Kabbalism (Jewish
mysticism, not the new-age commercial version)
readying the earth for the coming of Messiah,
those few genuine Christians acting in selfless
charity to ensure the return of Christ. Quantum
physics is discovering more about the nature of
substance, the constant disappearing and reappearing of matter, indicating the existence
of other dimensions, the motion of subatomic
particles influenced by physically insubstantial
forces, corroborating the power of thought and
ancient mysticism. Knowledge, because of technologies like the internet, is being disseminated
with unprecedented rapidity. Events like Burning
Man increase in popularity, the notions of freedom, radical self expression and reliance, and of
decommodification all indicate an interest in a
higher, less materialistic and rigid, more interconnected worldview. We are becoming more
conscious of our relationship with the Earth,
and therefore of that with the cosmos.
The spiritual blindness caused by our avid materialism, our addiction to ceaseless and empty
entertainment and distraction, prescription
drugs, manipulated religion, and false political
dualities is starting to be lifted by the unfulfilled
souls residing behind the expressionless façade
of our day-to-day routine.
The upheaval of our times is natural. It was
expected. It was prophesized. These are times
of evolution, the death of old ways, the rebirth
of still older ones.
We’ve been here before. In this moment. It’s
like a movie I’ve seen a hundred times and I
just can’t remember what happens next. And
then it happens, like I always knew it would.
One by one the participants are called
before the smaller fire, Max’s fire.
They stand facing the flames, their
back to the shaman. He places Max on
their heads, they turn and he presses
their foreheads to the skull, he lowers Max to their hearts. He alternates
male and female. The onlookers take
unlit white candles and speak into
them before giving them to the fire.
I wait for nearly all the men to pass
before me. It’s my turn. I remove
my hat and turn to face the fire. The
flames are bright and hot, burning
the wax wishes and prayers and regrets and gratitude of the crowd.
I feel his arms close, and then the
weight. It’s not on my body. My eyes
slam shut. Space. Silence. Incredible vibrations. Lights streak, I move
through them, galaxies and stars, decades and centuries. The connection
between time and space shakes and
stretches, swirling in the speeding
eternities of existence. Slam. Back
at the fire. I hear the shaman whispering an ancient language intensely behind
me, into me. Slam. Into the earth now,
trembling with the movement of planets,
folding through histories, human emotions, desires, memories forgotten and
not mine. The entirety of nature birthing
and dying and living. Slam. Back at the
fire. And… easy now. A light white and
pure and silent and soft, brilliant, engulfing. We are inside each other, the light
and I. The weight lifts, I turn. Max faces
me, pushing into me.
Slower now, like time and space are racing around me the way I sped through
them before. I feel the harmony of cellular vibrations, melodies of speech, the
entire lifespan of a single flame rising
from a tree reuniting with the air and
aether.
The shaman lowers Max to my heart,
pushing hard. He falls silent and my focus is drawn to his eyes. He is looking
into the skull. He looks up at me, the firelight and shadows make paceless arches
through the lines in his face. His eyes
look ancient, like the fire is ancient. I remember now. This is why I came. They
see more of me than I have ever seen. I
wait for him to tell me why I saw what I
just saw, what I felt. He glances back at
Max, then stares into my eyes. And then
he speaks to me. He speaks in perfect
English.
Hope
Ri d e s
Alone
An Interview with the Protomen
“You have heard me tell the story many times before
you sleep. This time, listen carefully.”
-The Protomen, from “Unrest In The House Of Light”
If you have yet to hear the Protomen tell their tale, it’s time to listen up. They are coming
back to Richmond on October 28th at Plaza Bowl, and every time they visit their support
gets stronger. It’s easy to understand why. The premise alone - a Mega Man rock opera - is
enough to sell most people on this band. But then you listen to them. The Protomen play
a blistering, dirty style of rock-and-roll that is reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen at times,
if “The Boss” had been singing about the oppression of an Orwellian society, in which one
man rules all mankind under the tyranny of his army of robots, and all hope seems to be
lost, until one man, a true hero, rises from the ranks and begins to fight back. Which really
isn’t so far off from what Springsteen is singing about in the first place.
What is your codename? What do you contribute to the Protomen?
My name is Commander B. Hawkins, and I play the American Synthesizer (Made in Japan) and tend to make up a
bunch of shit as we go along.
Interview by Carl Athey
Photos courtesy of The Protomen
How did the Protomen come to be? Who
woke up one day and thought, “you
know what? The world needs another
rock opera. A rock opera about mega
man.” Or was it more of a, “I can’t
believe we killed three bottles of whiskey that quickly! Do you want to start
a band?” Situation? Was this one person’s vision or a collaborative effort?
Subquestion: how much whiskey was
involved in the creation of this band?
Some people would have you believe that this band was
borne of some great and powerful wizard’s spell, but in reality, it mostly started as a result of being in a recording industry
program and hearing a bunch of terrible pop- country and
bad rock recording projects, and then realizing that we just
wanted to beat the everliving shit out of modern pop music.
That being said, if you’re reading this right now, and you want
to help us beat that ass.... support the effort... come to our
shows... buy our stuff.
As for the whiskey, I got off that stuff when I was thirteen. The
real thing that got us going in the early days was Dodge’s
Spicy Chicken Wings. That’s how we paid the session players
for the pristine recording of our very first song: “Fade To Phil/
Due Vendetta.” Some people may say that it was “recorded
poorly,” or that it “sounds like a badger is crawling into my
ear,” but that’s where the whiskey comes in handy. Drink a
bunch of it, and that song starts sounding like the smoothest
Steely Dan track you’ve ever heard. We really aim to bring
about that type of dynamic listening experience. Lightning
in a bottle, man, lightning in a bottle.
The first album focuses on the rise of
Mega Man and his struggle with his
brother, Proto Man, and with the unwillingness of men to fight for themselves. Now that Proto Man has fallen, what can we expect from the new
album?
You mean the recently released Act II: The Father of Death?
This album acts as a prequel/flashback that comes at the
end of the self titled/Act I. It tells the story of how things
came to be the way they were in our debut record. It’s not
nearly as convoluted as it may sound. On the other hand, it
is a rock opera, so it has to be somewhat convoluted. You
know, for art’s sake.
As for Act III...you’ll just have to wait for that one.
If certain videos on YouTube are accurate, the loss of Scartoe has had quite
an impact on both the band and your
fanbase. He isn’t the first original
member to leave the band. Are some
people just deranged? Or was his departure much tougher than other lineup changes?
As with everyone we’ve lost while walking the long hard road,
Scartoe wasn’t easy to let go, but it seems some people took it
harder than others. Different people affect different people in different ways. If I were more at ease with my masculinity, I would let
you know that I cry nightly because my brother, Demon Barber, is
no longer of this earth. That being said, we are a band of survivors,
except for the ones who don’t survive. But in the end, the ones that
do survive tend to get stronger from all of these trials and tribulations. LCD Soundsystem had a song called “Tribulations.” It was a
tough jam. I hope that answers your question.
What is your favorite game in the Mega
Man saga?
Ohhh, I really love the one about Jaws. I know, I know, it’s really
about Jaws 4, but I think it really adds to the overall Jaws experience. Any game where I could be playing as Mario Van Peebles is
okay in my book. Too bad they didn’t let you play as Lorraine Gary
or Michael Caine. That would have been something special.
Are there heroes left in man?
As far as you know, we’ve already answered that question, but if
you come to our show at Plaza Bowl on the 28th, I’ll consider you
a hero. Or a creepy asshole who stalks us and tries to sell us crabs
when we come to town. Either way, we all win!
WAIT... THEY DO LET YOU PLAY AS MICHAEL CAINE!!! HE
FLIES THE PLANE!
KILL
ER S
USH
I !!!!
Effigy,
entropy & euphoria
Words and photos by Ian M. Graham
You might be a burner,
and not know it. Have
you been to Burning
Man? That’s a trick
question. Many “Playa
veterans” (people who
have been to Burning
Man) tell me that even
if you haven’t been to
the big burn itself, you
can still be a burner. I’ve been going to
burns for several years
now, and before I knew
about
Burning
Man
or any of the smaller
regional
burns
that
go on, my friends and I had been hiking off
into the woods to do whatever we damn well
pleased and not leave any signs that we were
there for a long time. Burns are a celebration
of creativity. The basic principles are easy:
radical self-expression, radical self-reliance,
and Leave No Trace. You do whatever you
You do whatever you want. You
take care of yourself. And when
you leave, no one should be able
to tell that you were there, at all.
want. You take care of yourself. And when
you leave, no one should be able to tell that
you were there, at all. It only makes sense
that these ideals, which seem so intrinsic to
many of us, would be such a deviation from
society at large. Society is bound by rules,
mores, regulations, stigmas and stipulations, and at a burn, all but a scant few of
these go out the window.
I don’t know if
there is any way for this cosm of alternate
society to exist outside of the confines of a
burn, and although the subject is nice to ruminate over whilst sipping coffee-infused tequila at sunrise, at the end of the day, month,
year, I don’t care. This is who we are, this is
what we do, and its worth might be determined by its scarcity. This is the burn that
I have attended the most: Transformus. It
takes place in the beautiful hills outside of
Asheville, North Carolina. It isn’t my first
burn, but if I could have my way, it would
eventually be my last. As a semi-native of
North Carolina, I spent plenty of time hiking
the mountains of the Blue Ridge, in particular, the Pisgah National Forest that’s just a
stone’s throw away from where Transformus
is held. There’s a quality there that I simply
have not found elsewhere, and although I am
not a religious man, there is something special about these hills, dare I say holy.
Art And Adornment
The OneTribe WOrldvieW
Words by S. Preston Duncan | Photos by David Kenedy
Outside the neatly divided rooms of the media,
where angst parades its outrageousness for the narrow hallways of identity, pushing the metal studs of
empty rebellions through the self-healing cartilage
of consumerism, there is still jewelry in flesh. Outside
the competitive, where tattoos race up forceps and
needles speed towards desperate eyebrows, there is
still stone and wood and bone in the stretched lobes of
history. Outside of a warehouse in the ever-evolving
district of Manchester, there’s a sign that doesn’t quite
fit the area’s industrial past or the easy classification
of “art gallery”, though it is both a workshop and
house of art.
The sign says Onetribe, and is painted above the door
to the Richmond studio and showroom. Onetribe is
a body modification jewelry company, but one that
defies the common stereotypes of misfit youth and
hardcore posturing. There is a balance cultivated
here, one of pristine design and contemporary urban
style laid out against the exaltation of tribal ritual,
cultural respect, and the organic. There is a sense
of consciousness, of reverence for individuality and
recognition of social and ecological impact. A map
on the wall has numbered pins dotting the world, and
a corresponding sheet denotes the various cultures from which they have attained the studs,
hoops, plugs, spikes, tusks, spirals, coils, earlets
and tunnels filling their cases. In the adjacent
room local artists hunch over bright lights and
chisel designs into various materials, their wares
destined for juxtaposition against those of the
cultures that inspired them.
“ Onetribe really started as a hobby ,” says Jared
Karnes, owner and artisan jeweler of the company.
Being into body modification, I started looking
around for interesting jewelry that wasn’t just
metal or this mass produced stuff. I was running
into some organic stuff here and there, but by
and large it was all questionable quality, and the
price wasn’t where it needed to be. So I got the
bright idea to start making the stuff myself.
Since then it has evolved, not just into its present
manifestation in Manchester, but into an international body modification company based on
principles of ecological and social responsibil-
I flew down to Indonesia for the first time and met the artist
that we continue to work with to this day personally. I started
learning the language, started learning about the culture,
so that I could really understand who they were, where they
were coming from. And seven years later, we’re still working
with the same guys. It’s pretty rad. It feels really good to say
that we met these guys and we’ve been working with them
the whole time. We get inquiries all the time, both when I’m
there and just here, people email us and say “Hey, I make this
jewelry, I can sell it to you.” But we’re dedicated to this team
because they’re amazing at what they do. I play with his kids,
he invited me to his brother’s funeral recently. So they’re really just part of our extended Onetribe family.
ity, and retaining the small, independent business
structure that it was created through.
It’s just a lot easier to maneuver when you’re small.
It’s got a lot to do with personality, and you get to
take the things that you believe in and that your
staff believes in, and find a way to press those
through. So a business becomes a great outlet,
almost, almost a teaching tool in some respects,
for getting those kinds of ideas out to people.
The Onetribe vision was brought to substantial
fruition with the addition of a workshop in Bali,
which Jared visits several times a year, and cultivates a genuinely familial, fair-trade relationship
with the artists he employs there.
Onetribe is also about a return to a more genuine relationship, not just with the earth and those around us, but with
ourselves. Stretching your lobes, for example, is an involved
process that takes time, and requires a level of dedication
to cultivating a self expression that stands at odds with the
prevalent notions of instant gratification that underpin much
of our society. It is a return to a level of self-understanding
that has been lost beneath the barrage of transient culture in
which we struggle to find our place and acceptance, but that
utterly distracts us from the true nature of who we are.
One of the most important things that we set out to do when
we opened the showroom was just that we’re acknowledging
that there is this lack of ponderance of one’s self and where
we stand individually, in our thoughts, in our convictions, and
how we look, if that’s one of the ways that we choose to reinforce ourselves to ourselves, to take a step back and look
at what you’re doing and how it affects you and the people
around you and the things around you. It spirals
outward from all of us, and this is so hippie, but
the spirals meld and they come together and grow
apart.
I think that our present state is one of full throttle
in one direction without really taking a step back
and looking at where we’re going. We’ve got
science flying at full pace towards the next cure,
technology, it’s got to be bigger, faster, smarter,
more efficient. I think that a lot of the interest that
not just myself and the people that we deal with
from a business aspect, but people in general are
waking up one day and going “I don’t know where
I am. I don’t know who I am. I don’t know where I
stand. What am I connected to?” And I think that there are a lot
of falsities, a lot of false comfort and connectedness because of
technology. We can now pick up the phone and talk to anybody
around the world at any time. We can email them. We can chat
with them online. We can discover anything that we need, information wise, on the internet. And at the same time, it’s not really
a very full experience. And I think that’s a really important part, is
a concrete experience in your interactions with other people, in
your interactions with the environment.
It is that acknowledgment that shares relevance with the modern
and ancient, with Richmond and Bali, with self and humanity, that
makes Onetribe not just a lofty concept or branding slogan, but
a demonstrable step towards a more fulfilling existence, an old
lesson in a new form, and one that has the capacity to connect
us all.
The Onetribe showroom is located at 403 Stockton St, suite 101,
and hosts monthly art openings as well as its regular jewelry displays. For more information visit www.onetribe.nu
By Landis Wine
Image by Brandon Peck
My favorite Halloween memory involves me standing in a cramped venue
in a shitty corner of DC watching Providence, RI, noise specialists Wolf
Eyes construct the sort of face-melting howl that sends your mind into the
yawning gap of sensory overload. After we left we found my girlfriend’s
car smashed, and were left stranded with ringing ears on the cold streets
of DC at two AM.
To me, there’s a certain sort of comedy in this desolation, and that’s partly
the reason why I find Halloween to be such an awesome holiday for music.
Sure, there’s a place for extreme music throughout the rest of the year, but
October creates multiple opportunities to foist it upon your friends. It’s the
same seasonal logic that allows for Hellraiser and Wishmaster marathons.
For me, this means more intense focus on noise, black metal, and the fringe
avant-garde. As a kid, I was never really swayed by Marilyn Manson or the
swaths of bands who, while perfectly enjoyable, didn’t seem very scary or
odd to me at all. These groups seemed to have a unifying call to arms; they
wanted you to be a part of something larger, to say “Fuck Your System”.
It was alienating to plenty, yes, but it felt like too much of a commodity. I
wanted something extreme that I could claim kinship
with. This came to me in the form of Throbbing Gristle
and Wolf Eyes.
For those who are unfamiliar, Throbbing Gristle
helped to pioneer a good chunk of what now rests
under the blanket of industrial music, though at the
time this tag had drastically different connotations.
Genesis P. Orridge (now a pan-gendered person who
looks suspiciously like a soccer mom) and Throbbing
Gristle made their name making and performing on
the fringes of accepted taste. Orridge used to inject
fluid from his testicles into black eggs and throw them
at the audience as part of their stage show. Their
discography consists of music that is alienating, vile,
and all the other great things that make noise such
a frightening and intriguing genre. Wolf Eyes, while
being much less confrontational, still manage to channel a cathartic intensity through mauled instruments,
contact microphones, and howling vocals. Their live
performances are the equivalent of stepping into a
haunted house. The rhythms, when they’re present
at all, run the spectrum of a demon’s breath against
your neck and a knife wound to the chest. Artists like
Merzbow, Kevin Drumm, Whitehouse, Prurient, and
a host of others all create sounds that, while existing
in a community, howls out the sort of nihilism that’s
found in very few other sectors of music. The elements
of western music are melted down to their core, and
expressed in a molten attack that gives the listener
the feeling that they are in the midst of the collapse,
rather than simply anticipating it.
Black metal, while having a lot of the same lynchpins
as noise, has been creeping closer and closer to
kitsch lately. Thanks to documentaries, books, and
the general lore centered on the church burnings and
murders that first made them infamous, the genre has
taken on an almost comic veneer. I don’t claim to be
an expert on it by any stretch of the imagination, but
records by bands such as Xasthur, Markduk, Absu,
Mayhem, and others project a sort of desolation
and anger that’s seldom found outside of the genre.
The interesting thing about black metal is that unlike
some corners of the genre of pure noise, it isn’t as
afraid of seeming camp at times. This doesn’t mean
they’ll mistaken for Frankie Goes To Hollywood anytime soon, but I find it hard to believe that a person
can sit through a relentlessly serious selection from
the genre without cracking a smile.
Because you won’t want to spend your entire holiday
season howling into the abyss, you’ll need to lighten
the mood ever so slightly with the grandfathers of a
genre which has also garnered quite a bit of press
attention lately: horrorcore. Granted, most of this
attention has been because of Syko Syd, the rapper
who recently murdered four people in Farmville,
VA. It’s easy to forget through the haze
of media scrutiny and shudder-worthy
Insane Clown Posse comparisons
that the Geto Boys were one of
the originators of the genre, which
had its roots in horror movie shtick
and the seamier side of urban life,
as opposed to the trials and tribulations of being white and dumb.
“My Mind Playing Tricks On Me” is a fan-
tastic bit of down tempo hip-hop that manages to
straddle the line between sedated and utterly creepy.
The lyrics center around vague paranoia and unholy
visions that aren’t the sort of ham-fisted clichés you
would expect. Scarface exhibits a vulnerability that
you rarely see in hip-hop, much less in the genre that
came in its wake: “I know the Lord is looking at me,
but yet and still it’s hard for me to feel happy. I often drift while I drive, havin’ fatal thoughts of suicide.” As is the case
with any genre dealing with horror
and psychological terror, it’s the
nuance and suggestion that makes
things scary. Now, the genre mainly
deals in cheap shock and cheap turns
of phrase that come off sounding like a
shitty draft to another installment of
Saw . Even so, it’s not too hard to cull
tracks by Eminem, Pharcyde, Ice-T,
and yes, even a couple ICP tracks, and
end up with a hell of a mix for a Halloween party.
Nothing says “holiday” quite like indulging in the fringes of evil
and the occult!
My Life with Poe
Words by Shannon Cleary
I was first introduced to Edgar Allan Poe
through The Simpsons . In 1990, the television series decided to embrace the Halloween
special with their series of episodes entitled
“Treehouse of Horror”. In its first installment,
the writers decided to adapt one of Poe’s most
famous works, “The Raven”. The tone is far more
comical, especially given the usage of the familiar faces
of Springfield. Regardless, I was intrigued with how the
source material compared.
It wouldn’t be until I entered my junior year at VCU that
I began to feel as if I understood Poe. Beyond my awareness of his poetry, I discovered his work as a literary critic
and a foray into the world of detective fiction. I would
learn about his history in this city and the bizarre nature
that he carried with him during his final days. Of course,
Poe was well known for his gothic works, but there was
much more to him.
Now on the 200th anniversary of his birth, it seems like
a more than appropriate time to reintroduce ourselves to
Poe. This is certainly the case when it’s easy to see correlations between the life and work of Poe and the city of
Richmond as it exists presently.
Images courtesy of the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Richmond, Virginia
A little-known fact about Poe is that
he was one of the first writers to attempt making a living
off of his art. In an even more
remarkable fashion, he was
pursuing this career during
the Panic of 1837. For those
unfamiliar, this was the start
of an intense depression
that the country faced in the
middle of the 19th century. Along
with record-high unemployment levels
and unavailable funds from practically every bank, it
becomes apparent how this relates to the present.
As peculiar and absurd as it may seem, each century
encounters its own economic depression. The Great
Depression of the 20th century is infamous for its
devastation of the United States economy. The 21st
century’s depression hit quite early, but the members
of each class know its effects. Its greatest effects may
be felt the most by the working class elite that inhabits a good portion of the populace in this city.
In this economic environment, it seems almost impossible to consider a career in the arts as a suitable
way to afford the expenses of living. Yet, in ways very
much akin to the struggle Poe faced, the artists of
this city continue to pave the way for ambition and
creative merit. Whether it’s the musicians who are
unfamiliar with the idea of just deciding to stop
making music, or the photographers who could
never imagine putting their cameras away to gather dust in their closets, or the writers who channel excitement through the use of their respective
vernaculars, we are all bred from the same cloth.
Even with a separation of almost two centuries, some
things never change.
It would be a crime to ignore Poe’s gothic tales,
particularly those told from the perspectives of the
murderers. Upon examining the aesthetics of several
Richmond bands, a direct influence from this style of
literature becomes apparent. If you take groups like
GWAR and Bloody Crackdown, there’s an appreciation for the grotesque at play. In several of Poe’s
works, the main antagonists are corrupted by a sense
of inhumanity. In some cases, these characters are
monsters in the guise of an everyday person. These
two bands take these internal incarnations and bring
them to the forefront. With GWAR, they take the
monsters that inhabit our nightmares and bring that
primitive fear to light. With Bloody Crackdown, they
have created a stage show that bases itself around
the idea of fallen and wounded veterans of war. These
are stark, disturbing images that could evoke several
reactions from its audience, intended or otherwise. They project the terror from
within and by doing
so; they create a
visual
spectacle
that at the very least
is stimulating.
On the other hand, a
more visceral way of
capturing this spirit can
be through the traditions of “murder ballads.” In the
folk scene alone, there are constant allusions made
to this style of songwriting. It takes a certain mastery
to truly encapsulate the emotive tones in these songs.
To truly convince your audience that these tales of
fiction are your darkest retellings is yet another incredible feat.
A prime example of this style of songwriting is Wil
Loyal, of Homemade Knives. With the simplest inflections of his voice and a confidence that enabled
him to construct the darkest of tales, audiences were
left spellbound. Loyal examines the human fabric at
its most vulnerable, and in those instances, anyone is
capable of anything. It’s quite reaffirming of his talent
when you compare him to Poe and see that both laureates excelled in this during their respective times.
You don’t have to go much further than Loyal to find
other artists that embrace this tradition. Two great
examples are Josh Small, with “Knife in My Belly”,
and Jonathan Vassar with “Catch Me If You Can.” The
tale Small tells is simple, but the idea of an encoun-
ter with a blade has never felt or sounded so honest and beautiful at the same time. Vassar’s tale of
a man on the run from the law lets him add a tone of
desperation to his seasoned vocals. Both Small and
Vassar excel and revel in their abilities to distinguish
themselves with their craft. In doing so, each individual artist takes on these perspectives and really
runs with them.
It should also be duly noted that Richmond even
shows love to the greatest murder ballad songwriter
of all time. The legacy of Johnny Cash is kept alive
and well by the cover act Black Cash and the Bad
Trips.
Now, two hundred years after his birth, on October
11th, Poe was finally given a proper burial in Baltimore
with thousands of people celebrating his legacy. His
legend is also celebrated throughout this city at the
Poe Museum, as well as other establishments.
Most importantly though, a city like
Richmond wouldn’t be the same
without the distinct influence
of the late, great Edgar Allan Poe and the ideals he
helped apply to the arts
that still remain strong
to this day.
The Ghouls
and GhosTs
of haunTed
Richmond
By Jon Headlee
L e t’s face i t - R i ch m o n d i s h a u n t e d .
R i chmond i s d i s t u r b e d b y t h e i n j u st i ces of its p a s t , t h e t r a ge d i e s t h a t l i t t e r its hi s t o r y b o o k s , a n d t h e m a ny
c e meterie s f i l l e d w i t h w h i s p e r s o f a n g u ish and d e s p a i r. O f c o u r s e , i n t y p ic a l Richm o n d fa s h i o n , we ’ ve t r i e d o u r
b e st to b u i l d o ve r, e n c a s e i n fe n c e s ,
o r f lat-ou t i g n o r e o u r h a u n t e d s p a ce s and th e fa c e s p i e r c i n g t h e ve i l o f
t i me. Yet , d e s p i t e o u r e f fo r t s t o avo i d
t h em, the s p i r i t s o f R i ch m o n d ’ s t w i s te d past ar e s t i l l d e m a n d i n g o u r a t t e n t i on. He r e a r e a fe w o f R i ch m o n d ’ s
g hastly d e n i z e n s .
The Governor’s Mansion
For over a hundred years, there have been tales of haunts in the Governor’s Mansion. In fact, the governors
are regularly asked to report any supernatural experiences, no matter how absurd they are (an odd requirement for those dealing with the politics of the living). These ghastly stories range from African-American
butlers serving tea long past their time to a prankster ghoul known only as the “Grey Lady.” Some believe that
this transparent lady is the spirit of a visitor who died leaving the mansion. I believe, however, it is the spirit of
Governor George Smith’s wife, still waiting for him to return from the tragic fire that consumed the Richmond
Theatre (Monumental Church was built over the remains, as a granite tome to the dead and a tomb for their
tortured souls).
photo Jim Bowen
The sTaTe CapiTol
ChurCh hill Tunnel
Perhaps the reason political movements take forever in Virginia is because the politicians are always on the lookout for ghastly ghouls instead of frivolous fools. Not only
must the Governor contend with the phenomena, but also there have been several instances of hauntings on the Capitol grounds. Former security guards returning to their
posts from beyond the coffin and Confederate soldiers marching in a parade of aether.
Perhaps the scratching on the walls are the remnants of those tortured souls still trying to cling to the falling railings during the catastrophic collapse of the second-floor
courtroom in 1870. Perhaps the debris still muffles their agonizing screams for help.
Perhaps that’s why Virginia politicians take so long to listen to their people; they’ve got
otherworldly constituents crying for their attention.
The Church Hill Tunnel was built during the Reconstruction years to bolster
C&O’s east-west shipping lines, at the cost of about a dozen lives. At the start
of the twentieth century, the tunnel had already been abandoned in favor of
other routes, but following the First World War and America’s subsequent
period of growth, it was decided that the tunnel should be revamped and utilized once more. Tragedy struck in 1925 when the tunnel collapsed on a work
crew attempting to reinforce and renovate it. It’s unknown exactly how many
people died, but the sounds of unfortunate souls digging for freedom can still
be heard in Jefferson Hill Park, and there are those who still hear the buried
locomotive whistling through the tunnel in the eerie hours of the night.
The poe MuseuM
The Poe Museum resides in the oldest surviving
building in the city, “The Old Stone House”, dated
to as early as 1737. Numerous historical figures
from Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe to Edgar Allan Poe have been attached to the story of
this house, with varying degrees of truth. With
such history, and now utilized as an ode to one of
America’s most haunted writers, it’s no wonder
that two childish ghosts have taken the house’s
enchanted rear garden as a personal playground.
They have been seen elsewhere on the grounds,
but for the most part, they prefer the tranquility of
the rear garden. Take a walk through the garden
alone, and you’ll swear that there’s more than just
running water, insects, and birds filling the ambience of this enchanted spot. You might just hear
the laughter of children.
shoCkoe BoTToM
The Byrd
When the Byrd Theatre opened in 1928, Robert Coulter, son of one of the
builders, Walter Coulter, managed the theatre from opening day until his death
in 1971. Since his death, there have been numerous reports from almost all of
the employees of a helpful ghost attempting to help with closing duties, checking on the projectors, and sometimes catching a show from his favorite seat on
the balcony. So the next time you check out a $2 show at the Byrd, tip your hat
to the balcony and the moviegoer who gets in for free.
The Shockoe region, being one of the oldest areas in Richmond, is a logical place
for a haunted house or two. Unfortunately for the easily spooked, most of the
buildings in Shockoe have a haunted story or three. Richbrau is believed to have
once been the home of a nineteenth century brothel, and the ladies of the night
still make their business calls in the ears of patrons and play tricks on the workers.
The venue Fallout used to be a stable, and is rumored to be haunted by a ghoul of
the equestrian variety. The Laser Quest building was once a Civil War hospital,
and some of the patients never left. Late-night workers at the Main Street Terminal
report hearing more than the whistles of trains and screeching of brakes in the twilight hours. These are just a few of the stories hidden in the depths of Shockoe.
R
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5
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AL STIV
200 W MARSHALL ST
Richmond, VA 23220
www.gallery5arts.org
804 | 644 0005
S DATE
Oct. 31st 7PM $10
$8 admission w/costume
Circus of Lost Souls:
M $12
Oct. 30th 7P urlesque Presents
B
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ac
Sh
Sugar oir:
ueen's Boud
Q
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a
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The ow
h
ty S
e Varie
A Burlesqu
s by:
Perfor mance
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Eerie Twili
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ge
an
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Deanna r
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Deepa D
Bailey
lin
Boo Boo Dar
und Sue
ro
A
un
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Miss lle
Lilly Vaudevi
a
n
co
S
y Lad
Lonesome Liz
The Halloween Party
Costume contest with prizes!
Performances by:
Lonesome Liz’s Mojo Sideshow
Sweet Tease Burlesque
Horror Show Hot Club
The Hotdamned PunkSinatra
NoBS
G5 Fire
PLF
Nov. 1st 7PM $1
5
Gumb
o and G
Dinner
h
osts:
Th
Perfor m eater and Séa
nce ances b
y:
Loneso
me Liz’s
Mojo S
Alison S
ideshow
elf
Sweet T
ease Bu
rlesque
Nightsh
ad
Horror S e
h
Annota ow Hot Club
ted Zom
bie Strin
gband