Margot Day with Dru and Paul of This Ascension

Starvox http://www.starvox.net/crypt/feb2.htm

DARKNESS THROUGH THE LIGHT OF DAY | by Claudia Knudson The first time I saw Margot Day perform was in Santa Barbara at The Haven. I had not been to The Haven before, and had no idea what to expect from this performance. I was intrigued by The Haven's decor. Darkly draped in what appeared to be rich red and black velvets and taffeta, my dramatic senses were amusingly peaked as I entered the club. It was a warm and welcoming ambiance. My fellow patrons dressed the part in various shades of black, each unique, deliberate, and attractive. Candles were placed appropriately on the stage as would befit a Romanian altar. At the bar amongst the bottles of spirits was a large stuffed raven, frozen at take off. All in all I felt prepared for a formidable performance. Margot Day has a inescapable presence, capturing the audience with her long magenta curls veiling her milky white skin, lending to a romantic's vision of a mermaid. Her petite form embraced by a dark cloak revealing a purple bodice, skirt, and legs. The music then began. The electric and percussive melodies started a pulse that seemed to be pulling something up out of the ground -- and then Day began singing. She started off in a kneeling position.. as if her voice came from a well deep within her body, Day's voice began a steady chant, low in pitch. Gradually her voice began to rise in pitch as did her body. It was as if she was tapping into the energy in the room and pulling it up inside her. It was a courageous and original feat. The song was Wonderlust, and I suppose that was the reason the rest of us were there. To satiate a longing desire to be surprised by something curious, daring, and sensual. Day continued the evening with various songs ranging from Pan-like flute repertoires to techno banshee. Each song had its own individual sound and performance making this a unique theatrical event. Margot Day and the musicians are all professionals, and have been playing music since their childhood. It was in New York City where Margot Day made her first mark. Back in the days when the dark-clad Goth movement was just taking flight, Day was in a band called The Plague.Her music was one of the first original old school movements of Goth, in the eighties. Being part of the genesis of the Goth movement has given Day the artistic freedom to remain independent of any need for pigeon holing. She prefers this flexibility as she is then able to embrace and create as the inspiration moves her, while remaining a part of the whole. Day comes from a family of artists who instilled in her the importance of practice and exercise. This isn't the begrudging beating over the brow type of discipline, but rather the cultivation of the inner realms of creativity. Day describes it as, "a collective consciousness that we can each tap into. A life force energy that has to do with the evolution of mankind. When I create I channel into this energy and allow for that which is to be born or exist, to come forth. This is where the lyrics and melody come from. They usually come forth as a unit. When they don't, I have to pull them out and find out how they must be put back together. This can be painful and exhausting, but very trippy and energizing." Day has worked with the likes of Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys, and Jim Thirwell, to name a few. Kurtis Knight plays keyboards using organic and electronic samples,and sings back up vocals. Knight's head is shaved on either side, leaving it long down the middle, short braids with small skull relics tie part of it together, his nose and belly button were pierced before it became a fashion, his nails are painted black, and occasionally he shaves his eyebrows. There is no way of avoiding the fact that Knight would be deemed the "pretty boy" (in his rugged way) member of the group would he not despise the category. I asked Knight about light and dark as expressed through music. "There is a rebirth through destruction, the rise and fall. So many people are into the creativity of things that they lose sight of the importance of destruction, death. It's like a forest fire that burns through a forest, although it destroys animal life it is necessary to allow for new growth. Goth isn't all about death and darkness -- its about the whole cycle of life -- the reason we are. Margot Day's music represents the middle where both sides can meet -- the light and the dark." Paul Sutherland plays percussion. A tall man with shaven head. An attractive man who looks like a live version of a Roman statue, Sutherland represents the sage. Also a band member of This Ascension, Sutherland is enjoying the chance to add a dynamic live percussive element to Margot Day's show. He has traveled extensively throughout South America, North Africa, and Europe studying the various cultures. Sutherland majored in Philosophy at UCSB he says "where philosophy is the quest for truth, music transcends truth and operates outside the constraints of logic.." Mike Watson plays the guitar. He is what Margot terms "the trump card, the wild card"..Tall, slim, long black hair, with dark and haunting eyes. The enigma wrapped in mystery. He believes that Classical, Jazz and the Blues have already been done by masters, while Goth and Industrial music are still open. Mike Watson works the guitar in different ways. From using distortion and props (a toy electronic gun), to playing the inside wires of the instrument. Watson has done the tour thing with various famous bands. He enjoys playing with Margot Day et all, and has fun with the music, appreciating the fact that the members aren't into the hard core drug scene as the music industry is well known for. He believes that psychosis is a must to play music and that there's no sense in denying that fact. I asked Watson what he would like to say about playing with Margot Day, his response "She should let me light more things on fire. She has the habit of not letting me burn the venues down." At The Halloween Show opening for das ich during the song "They Burned the Witch" Watson blew fire from his mouth and caught the stage on fire! Margot Day has been embraced here in Santa Barbara and her music is heard globally. The recently released SACRED! Cd is getting national and international attention on the airwaves, the web, clubs and the press.For greater illumination you might visit Day's website.

PO box 47 Craftsbury VT 05826
email: margot@margotday.com