Ahhhh, the darkness is here! That time of year when there's less hours of light and more hours of darkness, that cosy all encompassing darkness which makes all the lights shine more brightly. You just want to stay home under blankets, burn candles and read (or binge watch something). Not work. But you have to. You have to dress up warm and tight so the wind and rain doesn't get underneath it all and make you shiver. You have to bike to work and concentrate on customers (or in my case, students/customers), all the while your mind just wants to be in that warmth called home. But once you get used to it, you'll enjoy it. At least I do, somehow.
I enjoy the cold, when I'm wearing enough clothes. I enjoy the darkness, because it makes the street lights and traffic lights look like a piece of art. I enjoy the colors the trees reveal before the leaves are shed, the smells and sounds of nature going to sleep. At Halloween nearly all the leaves are fallen and it's just a matter of time before the first frost creeps over the land and turns autumn into winter. If, and when the snows fall, it will give light and it won't be so utterly dark at night. So the best time to enjoy darkness is between Halloween and Christmas. I'd say it's my favourite time of year if not for mid-summer. It marks the end, and all the work that has been done over the year. And this time Halloween also marked our third gig this far!
I contacted the local Bar (the place is called Bar), where I've played with a different group before, and asked if there was a date available for two or three bands' event. There was one the weekend before Halloween, and it was just perfect for a Monsters of Turku-event. I asked around and got Viper Arms, a formerly all-female Hard Rock band, to join us. Our drummer played in a Doom Metal band Black Sleep and he got them along as well. So we had quite a rock- to- metal evening ahead of us. There were slight problems in getting so far, obviously, because some personnel change had occurred in the bar etc, but if I've learned something about organizing, it's that it will never go just smoothly, and that you have to prepare for everything.
Like, when you arrive to the scene three hours before show time and notice that everything is chaos. No mixer to be seen, cables everywhere, nothing connected... We knew that the Bar was supposed to have it's own sound system and mics and stuff, but the equipment was scattered around the place.
So, after finding everything we had to build the sound system from scratch. That job fell mainly to those who knew something about it, so not me.
Three bands and their systems were bound to create trouble. There were issues with synth tracks and what not and I just tried not to be in the way. Oh, did I mention there was no one to do the mixing for us? So we kind of mixed for each other and that in mind, I think the results were pretty good in the end. As the first band we were the last to check and that only ten minutes before show time, a classic rock-event...
This gig went smoooothly for us. No trouble, no black outs, good energy, solid playing, and I think we had fun on stage. I had very high heels so jumping was not an option, but I moved around the best I could. Slight fatigue in my voice, noticeable only when I yelled over the bar's music. All in all, I'm very content. The only down side was the humiliating fact that we had not enough channels to plug in the acoustic guitar, which I needed for only one song, Siouxsie on the Beach. But I played. There was additional guitar in the backing track, so the song was not completely without the acoustic sound, but boy, did it feel like playback!
After our set I took a video for Black Sleep and pictures of Viper Arms' gigs. Both played well, with feeling and energy. When watching them it occurred to me that there is not a one right way to perform or do the speeches. Each band had it's own personality, a combination of the player's and singers' way of playing, moving and being on stage. The speeches between songs were all different with each band too, while Black Sleep spoke hardly anything at all, Viper Arms took time with their's and really created a warm connection with the audience.
I received good feedback. Again someone in the audience came to thank us personally, which is not self evident in this country of introverts. Our friends had also their things to say, and I will take them, consider them and use what is useful. Every opinion and like or dislike just makes it clearer that we are on the right track with this band right now.
After the show everyone gradually scattered in their own directions. I went home with a bunch of friends, and yes, the party continued the next day...
So, on behalf of Monsters of Turku and Hateful Chains, I thank you Viper Arms and Black Sleep, for participating in this event! May our paths align again in the future!
Hypnosis
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| Backstage |
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| Marveling at the disco ball |
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