atlanta goth, why do i even bother...

[funeralcrasher]

Ok Blu, I *knew* there was a reason I haven't gone to many events in the Atlanta Goth scene. See a discussion started (again) about the apparent stagnant ATL scene on the atlgoth mailing list. I didn't start it, but I offered my opinions several posts later, and did so nicely and I thought respectfully. I sure as hell wasn't bitchy toward anyone.

My points were these.. I'm fine with their being a successful ebm night here, but since others have complained so much about nobody going to shows and clubs anymore I said that I am waiting for a night with different music becuase I'm more than burned out on EBM. ok welll maybe i worded that strongly, I said I'd rather push bamboo shoots under my nails than listen to one more set of ebm/techno/rivet again. But still I wasn't commenting on anyone's tastes, just my own preference.
I wondered why the existing scene ignores so many good gothic-rock, deathrock/postpunk bands, too. The only bands I see on atlanatagoth.net are established EBM/rivet groups like Neubauten, Rammstien and Cruxshadows. No mention of Myssouri, Phantom Limbs, Ghoultown, Prids, Turn Pale, ect.. So I was like, what harm can come from co-promoting these bands along with electro bands.

Two people wrote back both saying that I had no business complaining, they'd only seen me at one event, it's *their* scene, i should stop whining and do something, blah fucking blah.

One of these people I'd supposedly met a couple of weeks ago at a private party, and she wasn't -so- bitchy, but god knows who the other person was becuase I sure as Fuck don't want to ever meet that asshole in RL. So much for expressing one's opinion peacefully.

Another girl was attacked for mentioning that she couldn't make it out on weeknights due to work! And these fucking losers complain about nobody coming to their underattended ebm shows, brunch/desserts, Private parties (gee.. what better way to turn people off than talk about private invatation only events onlist that most people won't get invited to) & their crappy fetishgoth nights. Fucking die!

Why can't I meet nice people here that dig the same music I do? Or am I just being oversensitive and not giving people a chance??

Comments

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

and goddamnit it's not like i've sat here doing nothing. Dead Atlanta has been online for almost a year and i actively write and record music for my dark-punk project, and wonder of wonders other people seem to like a little.

augh!!

[mb2u]

I read the thread, and their reaction to you was stupid. You were probably one of the nicer people to post.

And I just love the elitist bullshit. "Show up for an hour." Right, get dressed, drive to the club, pay the cover, leave after an hour? Fuck that. "Take disco naps?" Again, someone who doesn't have a life or a family.

Goth club nights are almost always on the shittiest night a club has because they don't want to lose money and won't give up a good night.

Most goth "scenes" suck. It's harsh but true. Some places try to fix things, but I've seen examples of a few people trying to create their elite fucking goth cliques pretending to be "doing it for the community."

What sucks is that I really, really want to go out on Saturday night and my choices will be either the gay clubs (where people at least seem to have fun) or a slow-ass club. Grrr....

Re:

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

thanks Zelda. i know my own complaining is for naught. atlanta goth won't change any, i mean it hasn't for the past several years.

what bugs me.. i'm like one of the most enthusiastic people here i want to support an alternative night so badly, i've offered to dj, i've offered to use my own money to make it worth a clubs while.. and nobody recognizes this. in fact when these people finally get it through their skulls that their scene will have to change and become more inclusive they'll start doing a deathrock/postpunk night and claim they're doing it to be inclusive and for the community. fucking bullshit. why the fuck do I always end up on the outside of whatever I involve myself with. I'm not that fucking horrible of a person god damnit.

so.. we'll see. i'm going to go to their precious brunch even though after today I'm sure to be victim of their elitist snobbery. and only becuase i fucking offered an opinion they didn't like.

[lordruthven.livejournal.com]

This is why I am not involved in "the scene."

[dreampalaces.livejournal.com]

Weirdly enough, I actually went to ye olde EBM club last night, and marvelled at something I didn't really notice before: as much as my Doom Patrol complains about hearing the same tired out songs at our prefered club, at least IT has variety to the music. All night the EBM club had the same bass line, and it was only the treble and vocals that changed every couple minutes.

As I understand it, the EBM club has a bit of financial stress going on, and it's no suprize considering the music. I can take it once in a while (we only went because it was the only place open for the going away party for a friend of ours who is off on vacation as of today), but it starts to get a little irritating after a bit. And the DJs are trapped because even if they wanted to mix in some variety, they'd risk alienating the regulars who are unaccustomed to any music that doesn't go "thumpa thumpa thumpa woot woot". But then, that's their thing I guess, and they're entitled to it.

As I said, our only problem with our prefered club is that it's always the same songs. It's got great variety as far as genres is concerned, but it's always the same Goth songs, same EBM songs, same Brit songs, same Electroclash songs... This might be a function of peoples' habit of not dancing to songs they're unfamiliar with. But I know that I would dance to Deathrock or Goth I didn't know just to support the effort of playing new stuff (I wouldn't have a hope in hell of them playing any of my Ethnic Fusion garbage though ^_^ ). We are getting a new DJ though, and he's really eager to learn new stuff and get familiar with "dark music"... Hopefully we'll be able to train him up well!

[vinlander71.livejournal.com]

Heh. Someone I know calls Neubauten "Shitesturzende Wankbauten" :)
I've never been really impressed with them anyway.. they sound like if Peter Gabriel went Goth. :P

It's very easy to OD on EBM and bleepy shite. When I feel like I've had too much, I sequester myself and listen to deathrock. :)

[axiomatic7.livejournal.com]

one thing that bothers me is that Atlanta over the years have produced some of the best dark rock bands I have heard.. (and others as well actually that should have gotten some recognition) and have for the most part faded into obscurity or only managed cult status... the key to that is to avoid or skirt around the "goth" label it seems and play at punk and indie venues..

AG

Re:

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

Better promotion & band networking couldn't hurt either. And for Fucks sake rid the scene of pretentiousness and non-inclusivity.

My ideal community would have multiple nights per week with very different formats (including fetish-ebm stuff), a non-fetish weekend night, and with live bands playing first, or in the middle of discos.

I *KNOW* your pain

[blu-muse.livejournal.com]

Hi.. I typed up a lengthy reply yesterday and LJ ate it! Wah! So I'll try again but it'll have to be shorter cause I dont have much time before I have to leave for work.

Firstly, completely igonre the assholes on the elist. They were assholes then, they'll be assholes years from now. They attacked *me* for saying some of the same things. It got so bad - they actually made threats -- that I was afraid to go out for fear they'd slash my car tires while I was inside, etc. The one thing I finally learned about Atlanta (and Seattle) is that the people making all the noise on the elist and on the newsgroups are NOT the people you'd EVER want to hang out at a club with. They're obviously people with too much time on their hands that relish the idea of sitting on their asses and intimidating people with words.

Secondly, its a complete waste of time to try to change them anyway. They go to clubs to either look cool, get drunk, or get laid. None of them give a shit about music or about musicians or about preserving the underground aesthetic. They'll never change. Let them drown in the mindless beats they're attracted to.

The cool people - the kindred souls you're seeking - don't go to those clubs anymore and probably dont read those elists. That's the problem -- trying to figure out how to get in touch with those people. For years I thought there wasn't anyone in Atlanta that felt like I did -- and it took moving to California to figure out I was wrong. Drew lived in Atlanta the same time as I and I saw him only a couple times when he showed up at a club night... but that was it. All along he liked the same music I did. But I didn't know it. In Atlanta right now I'd say that people like Trey are a good place to start (I never knew him while I was there either!). He might not spin exactly what you like but he, at least, does give a rats ass about music in general. And there's Travis (manager of Salome's Wish) - who's done SO much to try to get dark music into things like The Atlantis Music Festival (he's always been a supporter of bands like Myssouri). Mike Cuccarro - who for years ran the only club I could stomach going to - is now pretty much out of the scene with a little boy to take care of - but occasionally he does some promotions and DJing. Those kind of people are the people who you'd coax out of the woodwork with a night like you are talking about but then you have to realize those people are so busy with lives of their own (something those assholes on the elists know nothing about) that it IS hard for them to make it out to club nights... and this leads me to Release the Bats.

I think RTBs is successful with an older age group who like the music we like because its only monthly and its on a weekend night (Friday). Even people who have to work alot, even people who have kids, even people who live far away (San Diego for Drew and Kerri and Frank), they can alllll make arrangements once a month to come to this club. Its kind of like "If I can only go out occasionally, I'm gonna make it there!" Loyalty is further cemented by "bats" related events outside of the club - doing the Bats Day in the Park, going to Jenn and Dave's for afterparites, etc. And suddenly its just not a club but a group of friends who are usually too busy to socialize but make a point to do this once a month just so they can say hello and dance and be themselves. And it just works. Something to keep in mind if you're there. I think once a month is the ONLY way to go and you'd have to somehow reach all those people who have stopped paying attention to the assholes that now call themselves "goth"...

Re: I *KNOW* your pain

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

my roommate's been around the scene for a while and thankfully he's not like the rest.. we don't really listen to much of the same music but John is accepting and after reading yesterday's posts he thought that one person was totally wrong for writing what he did. he also encouraged me not to worry about assholes like that.

going back a few years.. i'm so very sorry I didn't hang out with you more than I did, Blu. I was hurting so much back then, and I *had* to have time away. i hope you understand.

Re: I *KNOW* your pain

[blu-muse.livejournal.com]

Aww...its ok. The few times we did hang out I thoroughly enjoyed so that was time well spent :)

Check out Mikes journal (aquaknot)- apparently he's doing some DJ night soon -- it may be a little too rock'nroll oriented but it looks as though he's open for ideas and hey - he mentions Joy Division ;)

Re: I *KNOW* your pain

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

is that Mike Cucarro? I remember him from Girl Pool days.. he was a nice guy!

Re: I *KNOW* your pain

[axiomatic7.livejournal.com]

yah that is him.. had one of the best club nights in Atlanta going and helped it evolve into more of a D-rock, dark indie, etc. format over the years.. I forget what it was called (silly me being it was my fave and I went quite a bit) but it was at Sol then Nomenclature then at Echo Lounge and then NDD (armoury) kind of evolved from it when Mike retired and Trey and another guy of took the ropes..

Re: I *KNOW* your pain (thanks for plugging the SD peeps)

[axiomatic7.livejournal.com]

urgh and if we could only get out more.. it seems like there are even more shows and events happening in LA as of late (the shows at the 'dark bar' venue where BD&S played) not to even speak of Ghoul School (want to go so bad again I could just cry.. I wish it was on a weekend night..).. anyway we will see you at the very least in March.. Frank the Baptist are playing RTB..

AG

Re:

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

oh i agree! or at least just give *us* a night on the weekend too.

if you haven't joined already I invite you to partake in dead_atlanta, a group I created for people like us. Believe it or not many non-ebm gothic/deathrockish bands tour through Atlanta and until last fall (when I created http://deadatlanta.net) there wasn't a convenient way of knowing about them. I will try to list every dark-rock (non-ebm, non-metal) band I can that comes through town. And maybe one day we'll find a club willing to take a chance on even a once-a-month weekend d-rock disco.

bye for now. :)