“I wrote that song while I was recording my last album, Living in Fear, so it was kind of a weird, dark time for me personally. I had this overwhelming feeling of dread, that darkness was coming soon. And it did. The lyrics kind of came to me while I was driving one night, and I stopped to put them in my phone. The song’s gone through a bunch of different arrangements. But I think there’s a theme of both darkness and acceptance in this song. You’re recognizing that something’s happening, but you’re ready to face it.”
CR from CR and The Nones
“The Ghosts Are Coming Home” by CR and The Nones is a hauntingly alluring Indie Folk song that delicately weaves a tale of inner turmoil and acceptance. Ethereal melodies and bright, resonant guitars create an atmosphere of introspection. The beautifully delivered lyrics paint a vivid picture of confronting feelings of dread and darkness yet finding strength to face them. The verses cleverly create a sense of something unsettling unfolding but the vocals, amidst a gentle swell of instrumentation masterfully captures the essence of accepting life’s darker moments and finding solace and redemption.
With a name suggested by a friend to band member CR, CR and The Nones has a twofold meaning. CR explains “Yea, so The Nones was a name suggested by my friend Dash. It’s kind of a play on my last name, Gennone, but The Nones is also a real group or a term to describe people that don’t belong to any religion. And I’m not religious at all, but I kind of identified with that general sense of not belonging in society.”
The band CR and the Nones consist of CR, James Abbott on lead guitar and vocals, Nicole Abbott on keys and vocals, John Dewitt on Bass and John Gallagher on drums. CR admits to always having been into music, even as a kid. He says, “I was really into Neil Young and started writing songs when I was in high school and haven’t stopped.” When asked to name his biggest musical influences CR states “I’m a huge Neil head. I’ve been obsessed with Neil’s guitar tone, but also his voice. It’s so fragile and real, and that’s something I’ve always tried to emulate. Jason Molina is another big one. But also, Springsteen, Brian Eno, Sparklehorse, Wilco, Kurt Vile, War on Drugs, Sonic Youth. I think all of those artists create a particular feeling and vibe, and that’s kind of what I’ve gone for as well.”
The Alternative Indie band’s style was influenced by CR who grew up listening to folk music and was attracted to the genre when he started writing his own songs. CR explains “I’ve always just connected with that type of music, the twang, the harmonies, the voice, the lyrics. And later, I grew to love psych rock and ambient music. It’s all just a feeling and a sound that I’ve just really loved and tried to blend the two to form my own thing.”
Exploring themes, that change depending on his feelings or current life experiences, CR describes his approach to songwriting as “I usually write whenever stuff comes, whether it’s a melody, phrase, title, progression, or an entire song.”
Handling all the social media for the band, CR says that he relies on friends for photos, video and art for the band's aesthetic. He also explains “I’ll use my own handwriting for a lot of flyers or album art, so I’m pretty involved. As far as appearances go, I don’t really care about that. I’ve always told friends and bandmates to just be yourself and look as cool or uncool as you want. Just don’t wear cargo shorts.”
As far as fans of the band go CR reiterates “I’m appreciative of everyone who likes my music. And I think building a connection is driven by communication. Whether that’s through the music, or at a show, or online, or whatever. Keep a dialog going with people, and I just try to show my gratitude for everyone.
Always ready for a new challenge CR keeps busy with various projects including music, cooking and writing. He says, “It keeps me busy, keeps the creative juices flowing, and when it’s time to do something else, I’m ready for it.”
CR enjoys live performances and when performing he expresses that he “really enjoys the moment you let yourself go and forget where you are or what you’re doing. You kinda just black out, and those are usually the best kind of performances. It’s just freeing, it’s a release, it’s expression. It feels good.”
For the future plans of CR and The Nones, CR mentions that he has “been writing some more kind of up-beat songs and some stuff with pedal steel in mind. I think I’m going to continue producing it myself. But I’m just hoping to play as often as we can and continuing to put out good shit.”
For those new to the music of CR and the Nones, CR explains “My music comes from somewhere. It’s twangy, spacey, and gritty, but most of all, it’s real. I’m just trying to create a feeling that’s easy to understand and identify with and share that with everyone listening.”
A pandemic “vacationland”for musiciansRyan PolickyandAndy Uhrmacher, Alien Gothic is what the band describes as“with everything feeling so out of touch with reality, we ventured our minds into the cosmos, searching for a new light, while retaining our goth roots. To us the music itself is best described as an “Alien Gothic” genre, and it really resonated with the sound we were creating. A true orchestra from the stars.” A musical collaboration between Ryan and Andy, who had previously worked together in the nightmare Industrial band Genessier, both men had been making music for many years.The band explains “Ryan has been hard at it in the Shoegaze scene as the producer, vocalist and songwriter for A Shoreline Dream, which has been making tracks since 2005 with legends such as Ulrich Schnauss, Mark Kramer (BuPhole Surfers, Urge Overkill, Ween) and is currently producing some new songs with a Shoegaze legend to be discussed later. Before that Ryan worked in numerous other bands, such as Drop the Fear, Brim List, The Parallel Light, Pure Drama, and all the way back to his high school years in doom and death metal bands.”
Alien Gothic were attracted to the Goth genre of music and say “Goth music comes natural. It’s been in Ryan’s blood since a wee lad. The sounds of the early 4AD bands such as Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins always playing in the mind. The style is completely who we are, and we never really spoke about trying to do it a certain way. Us playing and recording just brought it out of us.”
Paying homage to the Prog albums of the past, Alien Gothic have created a concept album that they describe as “telling the story of two Goth Aliens touring the universe and finding themselves crash landed on an overpopulated place called earth. The music and lyrics explain through the hour-long journey that they are searching for a way to get back in the sky after learning that is soon to come to its demise.”
When explaining the aesthetic of the band they clarify that “the aesthetic is entirely our creation through the pandemic. Ryan has been in the visual industry in numerous forms over the course of his career, and the visual representations has been developed alongside the music itself.”
Citing tone as a source of inspiration, Alien Gothic has explored as many new instruments as they could get their hands on. They say “during the last 3 years we explored as many new instruments as we could get our hands on. From Autoharps of various shapes and sizes, to pedal steel guitars, various drum pad setups and Mellotron overlays, the songs kinda came together as if they were us finding ourselves through instruments we had never played before.”
When it comes to live performances the Alien Gothic cheekily assures that “we prefer to be live rather than dead during performances for sure.” When it comes to live performances though the band explains “but in all reality, playing in front of an audience is always an amazing connection. A connection you can’t get from any other sort of action in human relation. It’s a feeling that is hard to describe but also one we have not been able to do as Alien Gothic since our setup is so damn confusing. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to give it a whirl with this project, but it’s not the main objective”.
Alien Gothic enjoys engaging with fans and says “our engagement is purely in the music. Sharing what we’ve created in whatever way we can. From this thing called “the internet” we are able to spread the tones and the message.”
With a long journey to put together an album Alien Gothic believe “exploration of sound is key to keeping the mind active for us, and to find new ways of exploring this passion, we plan to move forward finding new ways to bring forth something that lights up our eyes and ears.”
For new listeners, Alien Gothic describes their music as “concept music, and the idea of sitting back and letting the music be the vessel of a story is what we’re sharing with our debut album “High and Dry”. It’s an hour of songs that can easily sit on repeat, as the layers which were inspired by the dark and goth filled universe around us are for sure deeper than anything on this planet.”
The Veldt found their name, a title for a science fiction story, published in the pages of Ray Bradbury’scollection of short stories, ‘The Illustrated Man’. An alternative soul and shoegaze band formed in North Carolina in 1986 The Veldt was formed by identical twin brothers Daniel and Danny Chavis.Although at times having a varying lineupThe Veldt’score members areDaniel Chavis, his brotherDanny Chavis andHayato Nakao.
Performing since they were young, Daniel and his brother Danny’s musical roots can be traced back to church and also southern Juke-Joints. Daniel says that what drew them to their particular genre was motivated by “unwillingness to play in church”. When asked what factors influenced the bands sound Daniel explains“Of course, it would be the things that were around us during my childhood, but most notably, also music somehow related to England. Of course - that's earlier music from the sixties, but we also draw lessons from bands like Siouxsie and The Banshees, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, The Birthday Party and harsher sounds like that. By trying to emulate them in our early years, we came up with something completely different. At the time, it was not called shoegaze, but rather "indie".
When describing the bands approach to songwriting Daniel says “It pretty much happens out of nowhere and it starts to flow like a faucet. Primarily for me, reflecting on my childhood and an assemblage of words that just seem to fit together like prose or maybe even a children's nursery rhyme. I tend to be more influenced by such things, mostly from my childhood. Like phrases from the Bible - you know how vision is kind of shoved down your throat when you're a kid and it resonates in you somehow and then shows up in our music - mostly lyrically. We don't try to "convey" messages, but they may happen to come through to some folks by osmosis or something. Then I suppose, it's kind of like how, when you make two different sounds, it resonates into some sort of hum and can seem to make sense”.
Daniel and Danny are completely involved in the bands aesthetic with Daniel clarifying “If you mean by the look of the band as it is presented via our albums, merchandise and everything, my brother and I are in charge of that 100%. We've never trusted anyone to be in control of the aesthetics or look of this project. They have never understood it and kind of still don't”. Avoiding social media and TV the band is able to foster and nurture their creativity.
Enjoying live performances and in particular having an appreciation for what the band describes as the“people who come to see our music immensely and the fact that they care enough to take time to come and see us” The Veldt also has time for their fans. Daniel mentions that the band enjoys interacting with fans “By taking the time to say hello, asking what they like, what their influences are, and why they like our music. It is always a very heartfelt experience. And much appreciated.”
“The song ‘Make Me’ chants a polite ask (or task) of wanting to recapture that novelty, dopamine-fueled feeling that something – or someone – once sparked; to re-live a fantasy. “Can you make me want you...again?” Then followed by that bucket-of-cold water reality check and regret analysis: “Monday morning I thought I knew you. Come Thursday...I don’t really care to – never meant to!” Some things and people - come into one’s life for a reason – and some for a season. Living in the now – facing things as they are – growing up. And it’s all ok too...... “
Lucy Di Santo from ON
“Make Me” by Canadian based band ON is an Alternative song on their self titled album. The song that delves into the haunting residual emotions left by an ex has a raw and gritty essence. The track captures the conflicting emotions that arise from seeking closure and acceptance.
Hauntingly honest lyrics and powerful vocals draw the listener into a deeply personal narrative exploring longing, regrets, and the relentless struggle to move on from a broken relationship. The edgy instrumentation paints a vivid picture of internal turmoil and redemption. The emotional intensity of the song is a rollercoaster, with the song seeing unfiltered passions transform into a bittersweet sense of liberation.
A thought provoking and cathartic alternative song Make Me speaks to the complexities of human emotions and resonates with the listener.
Lucy Di Santo on vox and bass guitar, Steve Falls on guitar and Dan Cornelius on drums make up Canadian based band ON. For Lucy, a Western Australian with Italian immigrant parents she describes music as “a way to self-soothe, escape, change my mood for years and then I started hearing melodies in my brain - and always identified with the bassline in songs - so I knew bass guitar and myself would click… I rented a bass, played along with Bela Lugosi’s Dead by Bauhaus - and here we are!” Lucy cites some of her musical influences as Psychedelic Rock, Funk, Disco, Punk; My Bloody Valentine, the Stone Roses, the Pixies Led Zeppelin, Tool, Chic, Nirvana, the Clash, Sex pistols, Level 42, and Stevie Wonder.
Steve, a native born Canadian from Chatham, New Brunswick says “I used to visit my grandparents on the weekends and my uncle would be playing old 70’s Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin albums; this was preceded with trips to the liquor store with my grandfather where kids were not allowed (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada). While I waited outside, there would be a traditional bag- piper and he would perform for me - and that was a subconscious influence on my guitar sound - hearing that drone turned into something I tend to incorporate into my own playing.”Steve credits mostly guitar based performers such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Tony Iommi, The Clash, The Police, Randy Rhodes and Jake E. Lee as having the greatest influence on his music.
Dan who is from Epsom, England but resides in New York City, had his first experience with music listening to his father playing drums. “He says At the height of the British invasion before my time in the 60’s, dad jammed with Tal Talcum and Jimmy Page - prior to what would become Yardbirds - as a mod back in England. I followed suit and continue to do so”. Dan was musically influenced by musicians such as John Bonham, Neil Peart, Genesis, and Yes.
The band chose the name ON because they feel it describes how they feel, saying ON is “how we feel when we play and write - we are inspired, enlightened, and alive. Music is power - and powerful. It’s Our Noise.”
ON‘s style is very organic with the band describing it as “our influences seem to naturally coalesce in the rehearsal space - and manifest into what is our sound. I think it happens organically, instinctively and originates from a mood or experience one or all of us is feeling.”
The song writing process for ON usually begins with what the band describes as “Steve usually brings in a riff - I will grab on to it and create a vocal melody - and Dan will be driving a groove. We all bring in ideas, we all arrange and compose and that is the cathartic element for us. We get to vent musically - with whatever is happening in our lives at that moment in time. Themes include - the human experience; frustration; spirituality; hidden meanings and life lessons - and sometimes, just an observation.”
All members of ON are involved with the bands aesthetic. Lucy as the lead singer says that she “takes a particularly specific interest in the zeitgeist of fashion in both attire and sound.”
To stay inspired as a band and to continue growing artistically ON explains “We tour - we just completed a western and southern US tour - new experiences, culture shocks, desert, Dealey Plaza in Dallas, snow in LA - just living life. I find that after a tour, I need to step back and let the experience coalesce within me - and in time - it manifests as a new lyric, melody or groove. This band is one where we are all open to create – and just be and become, freely.”
To stay connected to their fans ON uses social media. The band says “We post and regularly share to our ON-band community on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter (X); We set up a merch table at our shows and engage our fans there in person; we regularly comment on our posts and our fans are free to engage us on our socials - we answer all curiosities!”
Enjoying live performances Lucy admits “there is nothing that compares to playing live; nothing. The way I get to express everything I am feeling at that moment on a platform - even when it's a temper tantrum - and it is all cool. I get to be genuine. Live performances for Steve are an opportunity when he loves looking at Dan as he smashes the cymbals to a count of ‘four’ and we launch into ‘Break You”.
In the next few months ON hope to release their new single “Gator” from their self titled album ON. The band also says “we are also planning a vinyl and digital release of remixes for the song ‘FLA’ and one remix has just been completed by producer/singer/songwriter Mark Gardner (UK band RIDE/OX4Sound). We are also currently recording our next release with notable producer Martin Bisi in Brooklyn, NY (Sonic Youth, Helmet, Iggy Pop, Brian Eno), which we are thrilled about. We will be touring in the eastern US states and Canada in September and October this year as well.”
For new listeners to ON the band describes their music as “Taking a trip with us through our sonic experience of angst, solemness, musical prowess, power, soul and authenticity.”
“This is a song about the loss of a loved person, a very emotive track and an attempt to mirror the fragility of life in the song’s arrangement. Para Lia is joined here by two fantastic musicians – Fady Haddad from Baltimore, who provides beautiful synth parts and also joined us on our last album for two tracks. And Christian Georgi – a classical musician, who has been part of the staff at the Staatstheater Cottbus for many years – who plays the E-piano on this track.”
Para Lia
“Yellow Rose” from the Para Lia album In Clash With The Zeitgeist has gentle and subtle music elements that create a tender and introspective soundscape enhanced by delicate tender vocals. The song is a captivating alternative composition which stands as a powerful testament to the power of music to touch our hearts and help us navigate the turbulent complexities of loss. The evocative melodies and introspective lyrics of “Yellow Rose” make the track an indelible addition to any playlist that is exploring the depths of human emotions.
Alternative Rock duo Para Lia began with duoRené and Cindy Methner but has since become a band of around six. Based in Cottbus, close to Berlin, Para Lia chose their band name in response to their love of Greece. “Born of our love for Greece, the name “para lia” (παραλία) means “coast” or “beach” in Greek is full of mystery and optimism, both having its story and evoking balance between the masculine and feminine” the band explains.
Para Lia describes their style as “The sound of noisy, melodic guitars – and the philosophy that a good song has a good melody. Para Lia’s music is full of references – but with our very own sound and style.” The members of the band developed their love for music in their teens. With René on instruments and vocals and Cindy providing backing vocals they describe their music as a “a blend of our love for late 80’s and early 90’s indie rock with 60’s influences, psychedelic, garage rock and early prog rock elements.”
When describing the themes and purpose of their music Para Lia reference their latest album In Clash With The Zeitgeist. The band explains the songs on the album as being “written in the pandemic days, which were darker and unfree days for most of us. The main theme is ‘don’t let you down’ and ‘look forward’ and so all of them have a touch of brightness, optimism. In terms of music: brighter chords and hooks.”
With an emphasis on staying authentic with their creativity Para Lia began by reaching out with their music on Soundcloud. “When we started we used Soundcloud to reach out to people with our stuff. We still have a beautiful fanbase there and we love it.” The band also uses other forms of social media to stay in touch and inform fans of and about their latest music. René is primarily in charge of the bands aesthetic and although Para Lia primarily began as a studio project the band is moving towards live performances. Para Lia explains “our main goal for now is to form a band which will play a nice live set and we hope to get out the energy we feel in our rehearsals to the listeners. We really are looking forward to the Para Lia live experience.”
In the future Para Lia’s hopes to create a band that plays well live “we hope to get out the energy we feel in our rehearsals to the listeners. We really are looking forward to the Para Lia live experience.”
For those who are unfamiliar with Para Lia’s music the band says “If you love guitar driven, melodic indie rock with heart and soul – you will find this with Para Lia. The new album is a collection of ‘psychalovic sonic songs for lovers and survivors’ – check it out.”
For musician, singer-songwriter, composer, producer and artist, Mari Dangerfield, growing up with a dad that played lots of music was fundamental to developing a passion for learning to play instruments. Having cultured a broad interest in Alternative and Electronic music Mari admits “it came from what I knew and what I had access to mostly; working with my limitations. As what I have access to develops I hope to move on accordingly.”
At the age of fourteen Mari developed what she describes as “a strong musical obsession” with musician David Bowie. According to Mari, with Bowie she found that “the more I got to know him the more I felt brave about stepping out of my comfort zone and trying different things.” Mari also discovered the musical pleasures of the stylophone through Bowie’s work. Many other artists and songwriters both past and present have been a source of enjoyment for Mari, especially when they create a great melody in their work.
The creative process for Mari when writing new music involves a strong concept or melody or at times both together. Mari’s music usually explores themes such as feeling like an outsider, the intricacies of humanity and love, mental health as well as technology vs nature.
Mari is completely responsible for the aesthetic of her musical persona. She describes this aspect of creativity as “another form of expression for me that connects to the music.” Although Mari acknowledges that its very easy as an artist to keep your head down and create in a vacuum she believes it’s important for her to experience the real world to feed her imagination as part of her creative process. She also stays off technology for a couple of days a week to further help with her creativity. “We need to allow that mental space of ‘boredom’ to exist in order to get to that idea where great ideas can be born”Mari believes. Watching documentaries and learning about the experiences of other artists also serve as sources of inspiration for Mari.
Although Mari says that live performances can be “nerve-wracking at times” she really enjoys them and confesses “I get a buzz out of it and the fact that I get to share songs that I’ve written with strangers in a room and that they actually enjoy them is the coolest thing!”
Understanding the importance of connecting with her fans, Mari keeps herself present on social media. Of late she has been engaging fans more by asking them for song ideas and then sharing those on her social media and her Patreon.
For the future Mari is hoping for some big strides in her music. “As long as I can keep doing this music thing, whether I can do it every single day or just some days I’ll be happy!” she explains.
For new listeners to her music Mari suggests “If you’re open-minded about what you listen to but like a good tune, I might just be for you!” The work of this creative, talented and unique musician is well worth seeking out.
