I've been a big fan of Midnight Syndicate since I first listened to their CDs sometime back in the early 2000s. They started up right around the same time I did, in 1999. and we found each other shortly thereafter, emailing back and forth over the years, even working on a few things together.
I finally got a chance to meet founding member Ed Douglas face to face in 2013 at the Horror Hound convention, after years of corresponding back and forth. Such a cool guy, as friendly in person as he is online. Below is the press release for their upcoming album, events and more. Great stuff, these guys are a machine, I tell ya, a machine! Long live Midnight Syndicate!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2015
CLEVELAND,
Ohio, May 12, 2015 - Midnight Syndicate has announced that their
eighteenth album will have a Christmas and Winter Solstice theme. “I
think there's a rule that after a band's been around for ‘x’ years they
are required to produce a Christmas album. So, that's how we got here,”
joked Edward Douglas. “In all seriousness though, a Yuletide-themed
Midnight Syndicate album is something our fans have been asking us for
since we began; this album will not disappoint them.”
“I will say
that this album has been particularly challenging because we're taking
songs that are SO familiar and that have been treated in so many
different ways throughout the years and trying to make them uniquely our
own,” added Gavin Goszka. “We don't want to make yet another Christmas
album - we really want it to stand on its own as something truly
original. We hope that it will evoke the spirit of the Yuletide season
while also reflecting our ongoing musical style and vision.”
Content-wise,
the album will be a mix of new material and twists on classics. “I'd
describe most of the covers on the album as being reinvented, rather
than simply adapted,” said Goszka. “I've found myself approaching this
material with a very wide palette and a limited sense of allegiance to
convention. That being said, it still has to make sense in some way and
stay grounded in the familiar. I think we're stretching our creative
wings more than ever here, but there's still a consistency and overall
purpose to it.” “The original songs have been a lot of fun to work on,”
added Douglas. “I think the fans are in for a lot of pleasant
surprises.”
Fans will not
have to wait until Christmas for this present. Midnight Syndicate will
be exhibiting at DragonCon in Atlanta this year on Labor Day weekend
(September 4-7) and plans to have the CD available at the show.
Midnight Syndicate Live!
update: In October of 2014, Midnight Syndicate Live! debuted
at Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends event. From the audience response to
the critical reception to record-breaking attendance numbers, the show
was an overwhelming success. Although the band will be using 2015 to
focus on the new album, plans for a return of Midnight Syndicate Live! in 2016 are already underway. “The success of the inaugural run of Midnight Syndicate Live! has ensured that live Midnight Syndicate shows will be a permanent part of our plans going forward,” said Douglas.
Composers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been delighting fans of instrumental gothic music, Halloween, roleplaying games, and classic horror for almost two decades. As the first recording act to produce seasonal atmosphere for professional haunts and amusement parks, their signature blend of dark orchestral "soundtracks to imaginary films" and sound effects have remained a staple of that industry in addition to weaving their way into the musical tapestry of the Halloween season and beyond. Every October, their music can be heard setting atmosphere on television and radio shows, restaurants, stores, and homes worldwide.
