The VooDou That They Do

VooDou & Chris Connelly -- Legends -- Raleigh, North Carolina, August 2002

By Hannah McLamb | October 3, 2002 Whiplash boychild: Chris Connelly strums at Legends. Buy stuff Visit Chris Connelly's Web site Visit VooDou's Web site Visit Connelly & VouDou's label Invisible Records "Come on along with the Black Rider We'll have a gay old time Lay down in the web of the black spider I'll drink your blood like wine So come on in it ain't no sin Take off your skin and dance around your bones So come along with the Black Rider We'll have a gay old time" -- Tom Waits, "The Black Rider" Ah, what a tangled web we weave. I really hate driving at night. A nocturnal creature by nature, I love going places at night - but I'll leave the driving up to someone else. For some reason, my mind drifts when I am traveling in a car in the dark. Shadows play interesting tricks on the eyes. There are so many fascinating things to look at in the darkness other than bright yellow strips of paint illuminated by headlights. There are very few things I will actually drive at night for -- they have to very major things. Hospitalization of a family member, for example, would motivate me. It's not that I am lazy or a horrid driver, it just takes an awful lot to encourage me to actually put wrap my fingers around a steering wheel at night. Would a chance to see Chris Connelly and Invisible Record's latest dark jewel VooDou perform be motivation enough for me? You betcha'. I found myself driving to Raleigh a few Monday's nights ago to see Mr. Connelly and North Carolina's own VooDou perform at Raleigh's Legends -- a fitting enough name for a club with a legendary reputation of its own. Legends is a club that holds countless memories for me. Before I became more settled, I used to get all gothed out and go to Legends with my friends. Only on Monday nights though. Monday night was, and still is, Goth Night at Legends. You can dance to the throb of industrial mixes and mouth lyrics to Sisters of Mercy songs. Lavished by androgynous art and a mellow atmosphere, I felt sure Legends would be an excellent venue for a performance from both Connelly and VooDou. It had only been three nights ago when I saw VooDou and Connelly perform at the Hungry Duck in Charlotte. It was the 19th, the night of VooDou's CD-release party. VooDou and Chris Connelly Review - Take One: VooDou's Release Party, The Hungry Duck - Charlotte, NC (Beers, beers, and more beers.) I drove to Charlotte and got lost on the way down - I almost ended covering a revival at a Mt. Nebo's Full gospel Baptist Church in the town of Laurinburg. The minister, a very charming man who I met at a gas station when I stopped to ask for directions, reminded me of my junior high crush's dad, who was also a preacher -- creepy now that I think about it. The Reverend would have been tickled for his message to reach the Choler masses, but I decided my editor wouldn't be too thrilled with the sudden change of direction. I finally made it to Charlotte, two hours late. I was tired, hot, hungry, frustrated and just plain pissed off. Although I rarely imbibe anything alcoholic, at dinner before the show, I ended up drinking a glass of obscenely expensive white wine on an empty stomach. Okay - so one glass bled into two -- I know, rotten little girl. But hey, it took the restaurant forever to get our food out and it was a hot, and humid enough to make my hair all frizzy. Anyway, it was a bad idea. I will never again cover a show while under the influence -- it's just not a good thing. I'll admit I was a little intoxicated the night of VooDou's release party and while I had a fabulous time, (as you can probably guess) I really wasn't thinking about the review. I was just happy for VooDou and that they had gotten the recognition I felt they deserved the first time I saw them live! I was happy a quote by me was on the CD wrapper! Hell, I was happy for everyone. VooDou's Billy Miller (photo by Hannah McLamb) I decided before I left the Hungry Duck, where the party took place on the 19th , that I would drive to Legends and catch the show. The CD-release party went well for VooDou, despite some Murphy's law type setbacks that had earlier in the day. You know the kind of setbacks that happen on days that punctuate one's life, like a prom, wedding, or CD release party: your car breaking down on the way there for example. Well, VooDou's car just happened to have Chris Connelly in it. On the bright side, VooDou sold out of CDs at the party. They had a performance by a fire-breathing leather clad dominatrix, the elegantly nefarious Mistress Autumn Twilight. They had a solid opening band, Store Bought Lies, that is featured on Invisible's Notes From Thee Real Underground #3. Their friends and family were there. My God, Chris Connelly performed with them, what more could a band ask for? Even if I had reviewed them that night, I would have made the trip the following Monday. I just wanted to see them again, simply for the reason that -- and I know this will sound very "pre-teenish" -- I think they are awesome. VooDou and Chris Connelly Review - Take Two: Legends - Raliegh, NC It was raining softly when I pulled into the Legends lot. Legend has a neat little garden thing with frescos of angelic naked men on the walls and Italian fountains. As silly as it sounds, it really is gorgeous and a quite unearthly at night. The space around the stage at Legends is tiny, but the acoustics are good. Small venues are my "thing" anyway. With a single blue light cast on the stage, Chris Connelly played to a small, captive audience. Chris Connelly is always a pleasure to see. As I watched him perform songs such as "Whiplash Boychild," "You Versus Miracle," and "Drive" to his enraptured audience, only one word came to mind - beautiful. His lyrics, his voice, his guitar playing, were all simply and divinely gorgeous. Chris Connelly is a treasure. His music, and voice, improves and strengthens over time. His set closed with him on his knees strumming his guitar in a way that was almost prayer like. Connelly is a true artisan. Very far and very different from the Chris Connelly of Ministry and Revco, he seems very at peace with himself and his craft. This sense of serenity and reflectiveness is evident in his latest release, Private Education (which contains backing vocals by VooDou's Michelle, by the way). It seems that so many bands coming out today you hear on the radio sound the same. Even some obscure bands that walk the industrial/goth/trance line sound redundant. VooDou is an aberration in this flood of cookie-cutter artists. I realized that they were really something to be reckoned with the night they opened for Pigface on the Preaching to the Perverted Tour. In the shadow of giants, they were great. Correction, they fucking rocked. I felt sure they would sign with Invisible and was ecstatic when I learned they would be pressing a CD under the Invisible label. Why? So I could hear more of them, of course! VooDou became kind of a puzzle for me. As a reviewer, it's kind of my business to relate to people what bands sound like - for some bands it is so brainless to explain the sound. To classify VooDou is quandary. More Chris Connelly: Interview -- June 2001 Interview -- May 2000 Album Review -- Blonde Exodus As I listened to their set at Legends, I realized how complex their sound is. To start with, their singer is much more than a nominal "pretty face" -- Michelle is a true chanteuse. Sure, she is beautiful, (she reminds me of those smoldering 40's film noire gypsy-like starlets) but she is also an immensely powerful performer. As my Irish granny would say, "the girl's got moxy" -- although I'm still not quite clear on what "moxy" is. More of the caliber of the Swan's Jarboe, or even drawn from the same potent waters as Garbage's Shirley Manson, than any other songstress that comes to mind, Michelle's vocals are affecting and genuine. Not only does she know what she is singing about, she cares what is coming out of her mouth. She pushes the emotional range of the listener from being near tears, to elation, to being intensely pissed. This range also transcends to the other members of the band and the music they create. I think one of the hallmarks of VooDou is that they are able to hit multiple genres within their music. Songs such as "Deep Light Blue" make you want to move, especially when performed live. How an audience can sit still and not kind of thrash around, at least a little, is beyond me. VooDou's pieces always hold true to the eclectic vein in which the band was conceived. Memorable treasures of uniqueness are found in such gems as an almost hypnotic clarinet interlude by bassist Billy Miller. I think this diversity is one very strong factor why VooDou is, and will become even more, a powerful force. VooDou's songs are rich, intricate and well crafted. There are no filler numbers in their sets -- each song is unique and the product of six extremely talented artists, all playing their contributing role. VooDou has substance, a characteristic separating them from the fodder and toxins large labels are pumping out these days polluting the airways. I will get off my riveted soapbox; I am really not in the "trashing" mood today. VooDou's premiere release, The Blessing of Curses, is an absolute must have for any CD collection. When I spoke with them at the show, they mentioned the possibility/probability of a fall West Coast tour with Chris Connelly and Meg Lee Chin. If they pass by your area, don't be stupid - go see them. It's kind of like that first season of The Sopranos you didn't watch. If you miss out on seeing VooDou live - you'll be kicking yourself in the ass later. What is more, my fellow Invisibilites, watch with a sharp eye and ear how the addition of VooDou to the Invisible family influences fellow emerging bands. Expect great things from VooDou. One listen and you be as enamored as I am - and unlike my crush my pastor's son 7th grade, puppy love it is not. VooDou ain't no passing thing.