Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
Concert Review: The Sisters of Mercy Return to ACL Live: Goth icons cast a bewitching spell over their rabid Austin fanbase. This past Sunday, The Sisters of Mercy played their second performance in Austin in just over a year. This was a welcome surprise, given the 17-year absence that preceded their 2023 return. Darkwave duo Blaqk […]
Episode 52: The Sisters of Mercy’s Guitarist Ben Christo Talks Band’s 2024 North American Tour and More -SLIS Podcast The Sisters of Mercy are one of the most iconic Goth groups of all time. Despite not releasing an album since 1990’s ‘Vision Thing,’ they retain a devoted fanbase, as evidenced by the rapturous acclaim of […]
Concert Review: The Sisters of Mercy at ACL Live: Goth icons conjure nostalgia and break new ground with first Austin performance since 2006. It’s been 17 years since Goth legends The Sisters of Mercy last played Austin, TX. So to say the eager, black clad faithful attending their performance at ACL Live last Saturday were […]
10 Must See Shows Coming To Austin in 2023: picking out the best of the cavalcade of concerts coming to ATX, including Ministry, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and more. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or don’t use apps like Bands In Town, you are probably aware that the amount of great bands coming […]
Episode 36: The Mission UK’s Wayne Hussey Discusses Charity Single ‘TOS2020’ Featuring All Your Favorite Musicians: Mission frontman assembles a dream team of alt-rock greats for a worthy cause. Wayne Hussey is goth-rock royalty. Between his tenure as guitarist in The Sisters of Mercy to founding the The Mission UK, the frontman/guitarist has created some […]
The Horrors ‘V’ Review [rating=4] The Horrors have evolved more distinctly than perhaps any other 21st century band. They started off as horror punks (2007’s Strange House), then went into mad scientist mode, offering a mix of goth, shoegaze, and Britpop on releases like 2009’s Primary Colours and 2011’s Skying that wowed critics and cultivated a devoted following. […]
While the world reels in the aftermath of Donald Trump winning the 2016 U.S. presidential election, those who feared he might win are going through various stages of shock and grief (count me among them). But as history has foretold, unpopular presidents inspire great rock music. Given this, the surprise Donald Trump win may have had […]
The Mission ‘Another Fall From Grace’ Review: influential Goth rockers make their finest album since their 80’s heyday. [rating=5] “This album is the lost link between The Sisters Of Mercy’s First And Last And Always and The Mission’s God’s Own Medicine.” That bold statement comes from The Mission’s frontman Wayne Hussey, regarding the band’s new album Another Fall From […]
Alan Vega R.I.P: how the late musician influenced punk, New Wave, electronic music, alternative rock and more. We’ve lost a lot of musical legends in 2016. And last night was no different: Alan Vega, one half of proto-punk/synth duo Suicide passed away in his sleep at the age of 78. While the ethereal crooner was never a household […]
Albums Revisited: Cigarettes, Shades and Skin: The Sister’s of Mercy’s Vision Thing at 25 By: Peter Marks The American album. That’s what they called it in the press when it hit the streets on October 22 1990. Bigger production values, grittier topics and naturally those riffs… oh the grief this band endured for using a […]
