This Saturday, September 20th Pulp Culture is throwing a masquerade. I am always intrigued when bands go out of their way to do something outside of the box. I like when a band adds in an extra element to give us more for our money and make sure that we leave having had an experience, not just having attended another show. I love the idea of a masquerade, it's a way to hide behind a mask and let your true colors show at the same time. The best part is that you do not need to go out and buy a mask to participate in this masquerade, everyone will be able to be part of the fun as the band is handing out the masks at the door and including it in your ticket price. They are also planning to do some giveaways, debut a new light display, and make sure that as many people as possible walk away with a download of their new music. They plan to show you a one of a kind experience and leave you wanting more.
Pulp Culture has recruited Beast in the Field, Not Blood Paint, and The Midfield to play alongside them this Saturday at St. Andrew's Hall. It promises to be a interesting night full of fun, mystery and music. Check out what Alex Brown from Pulp Culture had to say and head out to the show this weekend if you like what you hear.
HID- What kind of new lighting equipment do you have and how is this going to change your live show?
AB- "Andrew is going to kill me for divulging this because it’s still under wraps; he won’t even show us pictures. The scheme is pretty intense.
Our friend, Joseph Mellon, has a lot of experience welding. He and some friends have a little freecycling project, re-purposing scraps they find here and there downtown. Essentially we are creating a multi-special effects tower with four tiers, wrapped in stainless steel, with vents and pipes for fog machines, bubble machines, lasers, light cans, and a Jacob’s ladder tesla coil atop the entire thing. It will stand just over six feet, and he tells me the top is going to rotate.
The way he is talking about it makes it sound like we are adding another member to the band, so yeah, it’s definitely going to bring a lot more visually to our live show."
HID- What kind of Handmade masks will you be giving away at the show? Did you make them yourselves?
AB- "Paper mache masks are not very hard to make. We are presently in the process of finishing our first batch, and they are going to be badass! Keep in mind we have to make about 600 of them, so the designs are going to be relatively simple. We have borrowed some fan faces to mold plaster casts; this process only requires plaster gauze and a participant willing to subject themselves to 40 minutes of sensory deprivation. From the plaster cast we use PVA glue and gesso to seal the paper machete. Then they dry to be painted. Some artists, including the Armageddon Beach Party collective and Becca Stroster are going to help us paint separate series’ of masks that coordinate with the puzzle we designed for the event. People can get picture updates of the mask-making process on our Instagram @PulpCultureOfficial."
HID- Why did you decide to make it a masquerade party?
AB- "The masked gala event is something that communicates a confusion of identity. There is a certain thrill people get in maintaining anonymity in public places. In many ways the fun of a masquerade is in the disorientation of it. We feel that the question of identity has a lot to do with the charity that we are donating to for suicide prevention. Also, our good friends in Not Blood Paint have a history of sporting very theatrical performances and costumes. We decided that a masquerade would be very fitting for their time with us in Detroit."
HID- How many digital downloads of your album will you be giving away?
AB- "Presently I have about 80 download stickers available, so while supplies last we will be giving them away. Our album can be streamed for free online, but this gives our attendees a chance to bring something physical home and hold close to them at night."
HID- Why did you decide to donate some of the proceeds to suicide prevention?
AB- "Manic depression is hell. Suicide is no solution for that. I would never call suicide an act of weakness, but to commit suicide is definitively to concede short of the ability to live. It reflects the spirit of someone giving up, mustering all of their will into nothingness. Committing suicide requires more of the world than someone can understand at the mercy of their depression. Even one noble act of reaching out can turn a whole life around, and resources to do so can be made more prevalent through the programs of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Last year, Jake’s father submitted to depression. Just a month ago, a friend of my family committed suicide. Now, Robin Williams has passed, and it is obvious that the social awareness of suicide prevention is significant to our country and the way people treat mental illness. This cause is one of the most important things we have ever supported."
HID- Why did you choose Beast in the Field to play this show with you?
AB- "First we booked the Dillinger Escape Plan, but they were planning on coming off of tour with NIN and Soundgarden and would need us to provide backline for an isolated date, which made them exceedingly expensive. After contacting every national agent we could find, we decided it would be cost effective and helpful to their hometown to book a well-known local group that was preparing for the tour. As a strong recommendation from Chad Nicefield of Wilson, we pitched the concert to Against the Grain, striking a deal to have them headline and kick off their tour with Guttermouth.
With just a month and a half, the event was confirmed through Live Nation, so we started promoting and played five shows around Southeast Michigan, opening for Patrick Sweany at Magic Stick, hitting the New Way Bar in Ferndale, dealing with heat exhaustion at the Last Erection of the Hegelian Monolith Festival in Lincoln St. Art Park, and finally braving the floods to play the Diesel Lounge.
After all the rain we got word from Against the Grain that their studio flooded. So they told us they were unable to perform at St. Andrew's with us. With no available acts to fill in the slot and time slipping away, we motioned to reschedule the event with the possibility of having to pay even more fees through cancellation.
As the rescheduling was about to be finalized, an e-mail came from Jamie of Beast in the Field and the band was added to the bill in time to have the show go on as planned. Personally, I am even more excited to play with Beast in the Field than I was to play with Against the Grain, but that’s just me: I really fucking like doom metal."
HID- Anything else that you would like our readers to know?
AB- "Chocolate covered pretzels are a scam, people. You know that the Flipz pretzels are straight enriched flour and corn syrup. I used to be addicted to MSG via Flaming Hot Cheetohs too, but wake up; Frito-Lay and PepsiCo want your blood! Also, I want to remind everyone reading that I wasn't responsible for the goat sacrifice in the Russell Industrial Center last week, but you can see me naked at the Russell Bazaar on the first weekend of every month, making pithy frog sacrifices to the eternal spirit of John William Murray (then I cook the frog legs in typical Detroit fashion; it’s delicious).
Lastly, please come to the Motor City Masquerade at St. Andrew’s Hall on Sept. 20th! This event is raising awareness for suicide prevention at the benefit of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and it’s going to be a great show."
Doors for this event are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19 in advance and can be purchased here. We also have a spot on the guest list with a plus one to giveaway to one lucky fan. To enter to win FREE admission to the masquerade, please email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with Masquerade in the subject. We will draw a winner a few days before the show and give them details on how to claim their prize.
St. Andrew's is located at 431 E. Congress Detroit, Michigan.
~S
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