Searching in Venice

Hey, readers.  Last week, I got to watch a special screening of an animated short film by Mike J. McAllister.  It's called "Never Saw Venice."  Let's just say that it's about a guy who's going through some things.  It...hit...hard.

"Never Saw Venice" is a tough watch, but I recommend checking it out when it's released.  The short isn't available for viewing on his youtube channel.  Mike wants to shop it around to some film festivals.  However, the trailer for it is.  You can watch the trailer here or on his youtube channel.

If you enjoy reading my blog or my other creative endeavors and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link to it can be found in the bottom left corner of my blog and in my profile.

Donating to my Ko-fi will grant you an invite to my discord server where fellow creators can share their creative work, make connections or just chill.  People who make a one time payment will be given the Member role and monthly supporters will be given the VIP role.  VIPs will have access to a private text channel and a private voice channel for more personal interactions.

Til next time.

What's on the Tube? 6

Hey, readers.  Time for another installment of What's on the Tube?  The blog segment where I talk about and share the channels of lesser known goth youtubers.  This time though, out of the 3 channels that I'll be talking about, 2 of them aren't goth.  I'll start off with the goth channel first.

• DryIsShy: On her channel, she talks about goth music and other goth-related topics.  She's just starting out with posting videos on youtube.  So, show her some love.
  

Now onto the 2 non-goth channels.  Normally, I don't do this.  But these channels put out some great content.  So, I wanted to give them a shout out.

• Double Toasted: On DT, Korey and the gang discuss movies, pop culture, video games and news stories with a comedic spin.  If you want to see the unedited versions of their videos, check out their twitch channel.
• Wine & Weed Podcast: Join Steelo, Chris and Jon as they discuss the news of the week while drinking wine and smoking weed.  New episodes come out every Wednesday.
  

And that concludes this installment of What's on the Tube?  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

Black Brands and Sounds

Hey, readers.  Today, I wanted to share with you some videos that highlight black owned brands and black musicians.

Fellow black goth youtuber, Jess in King, has a playlist on their channel titled i buy black: black owned brands review.  In it, they showcase and review products from black owned businesses.  Jess also has a playlist dedicated to unsung black goth musicians.  Both playlists are very informative.

Over on Cadaver Kelly's channel, she has a video called 10 Goth Bands Featuring Black Musicians on Bandcamp.  The video highlights bands that feature or is entirely made up of black musicians.

In other news, after discovering some shady stuff with Teespring, I decided to close down my shop on that site and opened up a new one on Redbubble.  The link to my new shop can be found in the header.  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

  

What's on the Tube? 5

Hey, readers.  For those stuck at home, how's your quarantine going?  Has the cabin fever set in yet?  As for those who are out there working, thank you for your service and hope you're staying safe out there.  Now on to the show!

Welcome to the latest installment of What's on the Tube?  The blog segment where I talk about and share the channels of lesser known goth youtubers.  This time, I only have one channel to share.

• The Gothic Side of Life: This channel contains discussions on all things strange and unusual blended with dark intellectual comedy and commentary on the world we live in.  The owner of the channel also has a podcast of the same name.

That's it for What's on the Tube?  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

What's on the Tube? 4

Hey, readers.  Welcome to the first What's on the Tube? of 2020.  Time to take a look at some more channels of lesser known goth youtubers.

• Amanda's Shadow - The Arts of Tricia Martin: This is the third youtube channel by my friend, Tricia.  She makes creepy dollies and does FX make-up.
• Menace Bunny: A minimalist goth who does how to/goth it yourself videos and vlogs.
• Crimson Serenity: An out and about New York goth that likes to share some of her life adventures.

That's it for this episode of What's on the Tube.  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

What's on the Tube? 3

Hey, readers.  Welcome back to What's on the Tube?  The blog segment where I talk about and share the channels of lesser known goth youtubers.  Time to dive in.

• GothCast Video: Run by Dr. Sanders, this channel deals in spooky things.  These spooky things can range from music to thrift store finds.
• Obscura Undead: On their channel, Azy and Maus cover goth music news and reviews in a talk show format.  They also have a website dedicated to music reviews, interviews and lifestyle posts.
• Aytakk: Elitist Joe is gonna Elitist Joe.  Deal with it.
• Miss E (A.K.A Madame Absinthe): A channel about a goth girl who loves making epic clothing, wearing crazy make-up and going on outrageous adventures.

That's it for this installment of What's on the Tube.  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

Branching Out

Hey, readers.  Been keeping myself busy these past few weeks.  Finally got the Sarcasm and Coffee Podcast off the ground.  It focuses on entertainment news and movies/television shows.  I livestream the podcast Tuesday nights on Twitch.

If you can't make it to the livestreams, don't worry.  After I finish a stream, I upload it to my Youtube channel.  Links to both channels can be found in the header.  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

What's on the Tube? 2

Hey, readers.  Welcome to another installment of What's on the Tube?  The blog segment where I talk about and share the channels of lesser known goth youtubers.  Let's get to it.

• LeahMouse: She makes whatever videos she feels like making and puts them on her channel.  Leah also has a vlog channel.  The videos on this channel are more slice of life than the ones on her main channel.
• Mads the Ghost: On her channel, Mads has videos that deal with goth, witchy things and the supernatural.
• Cadaver Kelly: She is but a mere guide to the goth subculture.  Her words, not mine. XD  Kelly's videos focus on music that relates to the scene, DIY and other topics.
• Two Broke Goths: This channel is run by Poe and Mystic.  Their videos include unboxings, DIY projects, vlogs and skits.

And so concludes this installment of What's on the Tube?  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my Ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

What's on the Tube?

Hey, readers.  Welcome to What's on the Tube?  In this new blog segment, I'll be talking about and sharing the channels of lesser known goth youtubers.  Gonna kick off this segment by listing the channels of fellow black goths that I like to follow.

• Angel Nightmare: On his channel, Angel does make-up tutorials in a satiric/comedic manner, composes/performs original music and more.
• Jess in King: Their channel focuses on the goth subculture from the black, disabled, geek, femme and queer perspective.
• Only On 2 Wheels: This channel is run by Anubis Bey (A.K.A The Gothic Tech Guy).  What drew me to his channel were his videos on black goths in NYC.  Another highlight of his channel is his Thor of Midgard web series. Quite entertaining.
• Gothic SoulFlower: Describing herself as a gothic bohemian, Gothic SoulFlower shares videos about fashion, make-up, tribal belly dancing and other things.

That concludes this episode of What's on the Tube?  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

Sarcasm and Jewelry

Hey, readers.  It's been a bit busy over here.  Did some Christmas shopping, wrapped some gifts and worked on my podcast with a couple of friends.  During my shopping excursion, I swung by the craft store and got this pack of assorted chains.

Since my cousin is into owl jewelry, I decided to make her an owl charm bracelet.

While I was still in a jewelry making mood, I went ahead and made myself a necklace with the other silver chain and the last of my key charms.

On the podcast front, it's slowly coming along.  Did a recording last night.  For some reason, the the program that I use to record the podcast keeps cutting itself off while my friends and I are talking.  Luckily, it decided to cut off closer to the end of the podcast instead of right in the middle of it like last time.  Need to figure out why it keeps doing that before the next recording session.

If you're interested in checking out my podcast, you can listen to it on soundcloud.  Once I work out all the kinks, I'll start uploading episodes to youtube.  If you enjoy reading my blog and want to show some love, consider donating to my ko-fi page.  The link can be found in the header under "SUPPORT".  Til next time.

Netflix and Chills

Happy Halloween!  Hope your night will be filled with treats and spooks.  As for me, I'll be spending my night watching the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on netflix.  I watched the first 2 episodes over the weekend.  Even though the message of female empowerment seemed heavy-handed in some scenes, the series is pretty good so far.

Here's a little diddy to get you in the Halloween spirit.  Til next time.

The Misadventures of Missi & Duke

Hey, readers.  If you don't know already, I'm a proud member of the Voltaire Signal Corps on facebook.  The purpose of this group is to spread the word about The Captain himself, Aurelio Voltaire.  Everything from his music to web series updates.  One day, someone in the group posted a video of a fan animation using one of Voltaire's songs.

The animation was the work of Daria Cohen and is part of an ongoing series called The Vampair Series.  So far, only parts 1-3 have been released.  Parts 1 and 2 featured songs by Aurelio Voltaire and part 3 featured a song by Lily Allen.  I liked what I saw and can't wait to see more from this series.  Besides youtube, you can also follow Daria Cohen on her other social media pages here, here, here and here.

For your spooky viewing pleasure, here's parts 1-3 of the Vampair Series.  Til next time.

Bandcamp Bandwagon

Hey, readers.  Finally signed up for bandcamp.  Now, I can follow the artists that I like on there instead of bookmarking their pages.  Don't know why I didn't think to sign up sooner.  Anyway, I wanted to talk about a couple of bands that I recently started following.

The first one is October Burns Black.  A gothic rock band consisting of artists from other bands in the scene.  They described the tracks on their debut album, fault line, as a nod to the past with a distinctly forward looking orientation.  The band draws influences from death, living and dreams.  The other band that I want to talk about is Astari Nite.

Astari Nite hails from Miami, Florida.  Their sound is a mix of post-punk and new-wave.  Through their semi-cinematic productions, they explore the themes of magic, melancholy, love and submission.  These bands are worth scoping out.  So, I highly suggest you do so.

I caught wind of October Burns Black and Astari Nite from the youtuber, Skullgirdle.  You can check out her channels here and here.  Til next time.

Let's Talk Handbags

Hey, readers.  A few posts ago, I mentioned a band called As Angels Bleed in a list of music recommendations.  Today, I want to focus on the band's lead vocalist, Avelina De Moray.  Not only is she a talented singer, she's also an awesome handbag designer.

Avelina collaborates with well-known youtubers and creates wonderful pieces of handbag art.  So far, only 3 different handbag designs are available.  But there will be more in the future.  I highly recommend checking out her shop.  Below is a video showing the most recent handbag collab that she did with It's Black Friday.  Til next time.

For the Darkly Inclined

Hello, readers.  Want to find more media that shares your interests in all things dark?  Then, I recommend checking out The Belfry Network.  It's a site that provides links to blogs, podcasts, and videos that cater to dark culture.  The site is run by a guy called The Count, who also has a podcast called Cemetery Confessions.

The podcast delves into news related to the goth community.  I've only listened to a couple of episodes so far, but I found them to be very informative and entertaining.  Well, that's all I have to share with you today.  Til next time.  

The Vampire Blues

What does Vampires + The Blues equal?  4am Vampire Blues.  That's the name of the album by Neon Midnight.  Armed with just a guitar and soothing vocals, Neon Midnight delivers a sound that is both enchanting and mesmerizing.  4am Vampire Blues can be found on spotify, amazon, and itunes.

Want more Neon Midnight?  They can also be found on youtube under the name of herbs and altars.  On their channel, you can listen to them waffle on about a variety of things.  They also do awesome make-up tutorial videos.  Happy listening and viewing.

A Wild Aji Appears

Hello, readers.  Been pretty quiet over here on my end.  Sorry about that.  Writer's block has struck again.  Other than that, I had a super low key birthday celebration earlier this week.

My mother fixed a special dinner, bought a cake, and got me a few things off my wishlist.  That was pretty much it.  Anyway, I have a question for you all.  Are there any goth/alternative topics that you would like for me to cover?  If so, let me know in the comments.

Now, I'm off to watch some videos on youtube and veg out.  Til next time.

Feeling Crafty?

Looking for some Gothic craft and DIY projects to do?  Then check out my Goths and Crafts playlist on youtube.  So far, it only contains 10 videos.  But I'll be sure to keep it updated with craft/DIY videos of the dark variety.

Monsters & Forgotten Cities

Hey there, readers.  Just wanted to share some cool and exciting news.  Do you like Monster High dolls?  Well, youtuber It's Black Friday has created a new channel where she does un-boxings and reviews of these fabulous dolls.  Click Here to start checking out her reviews.

Now on to the exciting news.  In case you haven't been following my facebook page, the tour dates for the Voltaire & Ego Likeness Forgotten Cities Tour have been finalized.  If you're a fan of these artists, show your support and hit up some of these shows.

April 29th New Haven, CT - Café 9
April 30th Salem, MA - Koto
May 1st Portland, ME - Asylum
May 2nd Wash DC - Spellbound
May 3rd Wilmington, DE - Asylum
May 4th Raleigh, NC - Legends Night Club
May 5th Richmond, VA - Fallout
May 6th Charlottesville, VA - The Annex
May 7th Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
May 8th Jacksonville, FL - Underbelly
May 9th New Orleans, LA - The Allways Lounge
May 10th Nashville, TN - The East Room
May 11th St. Louis, MO - Crack Fox
May 12th Kansas City, MO - Riot Room KC
May 13th Fayetteville, AR - George's Majestic Lounge
May 15th San Antonio, TX - The Korova
May 16th El Paso, TX - Mesa Music Hall
May 17th Albq, NM - Low Spirits
May 18th Mesa, AZ - Club Red
May 19th Glendale, CA - Complex
May 20th SF, CA - The Elbo Room
May 21st San Diego, CA - Darkwave Garden
May 23rd Salt Lake City, UT - Area 51
May 24th Denver, CO - Casselmans
May 26th St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar and Hall
May 27th Champaign, IL - Mike n Molly's
May 28th Cleveland, OH - Phantasy
May 29th Columbus, OH - The Shrunken Head
May 30th Pittsburgh, PA - 31st St Pub

Also, Voltaire has non-tour shows coming up in the following locations:

April 4th - Bakersfield, CA
April 9th - Seattle, WA
April 11th - Detroit, MI
April 25th - Buffalo, NY
June 6th - GeekOut - Asheville, NC
June 12th - CoreCon - Fargo, ND
July 4th - GearCon - Portland, OR
July 11th - PlayonCon - Birmingham, AL
October 18th - Honolulu, HI
October 23rd - St. Petersburg, Russia
Ocotber 24th - Moscow, Russia
October 30th - Anne Rice Ball - New Orleans, LA
October 31st - Spooky Empire - Orlando, FL

More Bat Talk

Currently re-listening to Voltaire's latest album, "Raised by Bats."  Normally, when I listen to an album, I only really like some of the songs.  The other songs on the album are either okay or just not that great.  However, I found myself enjoying every song on this one.  Especially the song, Oh My Goth!.

"Raised by Bats" is available on itunes and cdbaby.com.  Low on funds?  No worries.  You can listen to the whole album for free on Voltaire's youtube channel, which can be found in the link below.

Click to Enter The Lair