With the theme of "Mad Scientist's Labratory" for this year's festival, we thought it would be wonderful to have a group of innovative musicians, who can not only showcase their own compositions, but collaborate with each other to create a unique and avant-garde musical experience.

The Brides

"I have never seen anything like it. Nor heard any noise to approximate the ceaseless, frantic, hysterical scream which met THE BRIDES when they took the stage after what seemed like fifty years of earlier acts.

All very good, all making time, because no one had come for anything other than THE BRIDES...

Then the theatre went wild! First aid men and police-men in the stalls, women mainly in the balcony-taut and anxious, patrolled the aisles, one every three rows.

Many fainted. Thirty were gently carried out, soiled pants, protesting in their hysteria, forlorn and wretched in an unrequited love for three boys and a girl who might have lived next door.

The stalls were like a nightmare March Fair. No one could remain seated. Clutching each other, hurling jelly babies at the stage, beating their brows, the youth of the world surrendered themselves totally to THE BRIDES."

- Marianna Trench (from her book Fifty Years Adrift)

For more information, check out:

The Brides
The Brides on Myspace

The Ghosts Project

The Ghosts Project is a new improvised music ensemble featuring composer/violinist Paul Mercer (of The Changelings, Brass Knuckle Surfer, Dp3 and The Sweet Meat Love and Holy Cult), percussionist Davis Petterson (of Dp3, Strezo, Khat and Smoking Section) and bassist and programmer Matt Mansfield (of KingRat and Dp3). It is an effort to evoke emotional atmospheres through free improvisation on a wide variety of instruments. The style of music is an assimilation of the trio's performing experience, combining elements of classical, hindustani, folk, dub and other influences. The debut recording, a live radio broadcast recorded June 30, 2006, is available for purchase, along with an EP of dub and electronic re-constructions of The Ghosts Project music entitled "Ghosts Dub", produced by Matt. Their new album, "Flaming Golden Boar" is scheduled for release September 1st, 2007.

For more information, check out:

The Ghosts Project on Myspace

The Hellblinki Sextet

How many crows in a murder? How many ignoramuses in a majority? How many Hellblinkis in a sextet? Common answer: enough to make one infernal racket.

Birthed full grown from the forehead of Andrew Benjamin (aka A- Hellblinki), The Hellblinki Sextet is a Shape-Shifting conglomerate of Augusta GAs most original and eclectic musicians serving Andrew's sweaty musical visions: Broken tooth blues in a Tux, Choral fantasies for agnostic angels, and peg-leg waltzes on the rim of Mt. Vesuvius. In the studio or on the stage Hellblinki is prone to suprises, sexual tension, and dramatic release; its material is refreshingly unusual, while remaining accessible to mortal ears.

The band has been known to perform as a true sextet, composed of male and female vocalists; acoustic electric and bass guitars, brass and woodwinds, multiple percussionists, violin, keyboards, samples, radio, and various toys and empty wine bottles. In its present incarnation, Hellblinki is Andrew the one-man band on guitar, vocals, drums and the occasional cornet, often joined by additional percussion, strings and voices provided by previous members of the larger group.

This Hellblinki takes its raw pirate blues into the bloody public arena with careless abandon, and has been seen conquering entire unwary audiences: victims halt conversation, quadruple their drink orders, and dance like mad drunken fools, joyously participating in the madness boiling over the boards.

Andrew plys the anxious crowd with noise-making trinkets and urges frenzied participation, if only with their own soused howls and grunts.

For fans, and others with the misfortune of being too far afield to attend the performances, Andrew maintains www.hellblinki.com from which the curious can obtain worldly merchandise and glimpses of further sonic and visual elements of Hellblinki. Through this outlet, a dedicated Dutch DJ discovered the band and exposed the complete Hellblinki Sextet self-titled debut CD on public radio mere weeks after its release, generating some raucous acclaim from the Netherlands and Norway. Athens, GA, station WUOG has also provided airplay, keeping a recent demo in rotation for many moons now. This exposure has stimulated responses from Illinois to Italy from excited listeners, and has created anticipation for an opportunity to witness the live Hellblinki manifestation.

This band is charismatic and grinningly talented, a true joy to see perform. Seek them out. - Harry Grimes

For more information, check out:

The Hellblinki Sextet
The Hellblinki Sextet on Myspace

Nicki Jaine

Nicki Jaine's stunning stage presence and unforgettable voice make her irresistibly captivating in a Marlene Dietrich kind of way. Her music truly "exists in its own universe, one in which Kurt Weill and Nico orbit a shadowy planet like twin moons." (highbias.com)

As the descendant of spirited European musicians, such as her Great Grandfather who learned to play the fiddle from the Gypsies in Transylvania, this "...cabaret chanteuse and underground cult icon."(regenmag.com) embodies a passion for creating music that has lived in her family for generations. Upon leaving Europe, the singer's ancestors settled in New Jersey where Jaine, who now resides in eastern Pennsylvania, is originally from.

A beautiful marriage of the sensual allure of 1930s/1940s cabaret music with an irresistibly charismatic Ziggy Stardust-esque rock star flair defines Nicki Jaine's signature sound. Her repertoire features original compositions as well as a selection of songs from the 1930s/1940s era, many of which Nicki Jaine sings in German. She and accordionist extraordinaire, Ray Ashley, perform either as a dynamic duo or with a full ensemble. In addition to accompanying herself on the acoustic guitar, Nicki Jaine possesses the rare and entrancing talent of playing melodies on quite an otherworldly instrument: the musical saw. Undoubtedly, Nicki Jaine "...proves that she is one of the finest and most unique voices in music today." (Musical Discoveries)

The "...deliciously haunting..." (Collected Sounds) chanteuse recently released an album featuring a beautiful collection of live performances. She is currently recording a studio album and absolutely mesmerizing audiences every time she takes the stage. "With her cabaret noir style and a compelling to coquettish emotional nudity, Nicki Jaine is simply timeless." (East Coast Rocker)

For more information, check out:

Nicki Jaine
Nicki Jaine on Myspace

Nathaniel Johnstone

Nathaniel is the Chief Gunnery Officer and Bartender on the good airship Ophelia. When onstage with Abney Park, you can hear him alternating between the guitar and the violin. He prefers a good single-malt to any froofy mixed drink. In his not-so-humble opinion, an umbrella in any kind of alcoholic beverage is an abomination unto The Lord.

For more information, check out:

Nathaniel Johnstone on Myspace

Jill Tracy

Jill Tracy is both villainess and heroine of her own musical netherworld. The San Francisco-based artist has garnered multiple awards and a devoted following for her evocative cinematic music, sophisticated lyrics, old-world glamour, and curious passion for strange tales.

Hailed by countless critics as a "femme fatale for the thinking man", Jill Tracy was described by NPR's All Things Considered as "utterly intriguing... luring you into a magical kingdom solely of her creation." LA Weekly calls her "very distinctive and exciting."

As a youngster, Jill Tracy was drawn to classic suspense, film noir, and horror movie scores, which she cites today as some of her strongest influences. These passions are evident in her unusually cinematic performance style. Virtually self taught, her singular blend of dark, dreamy flourishes, hypnotic grooves and classical-cum-parlour piano conjures up shades of another era, but at the same time, the sound is shockingly new. She is as much Nick Cave as she is Erik Satie. As much David Bowie as she is Mata Hari. As much Bernard Herrmann as she is Robert Smith of The Cure.

"There#39;s something otherworldly about Jill Tracy", writes the Santa Cruz Metro. "She has a poise, finesse and enigmatic quality rarely seen in live performance--she effortlessly floats above the fray".

Jill Tracy combines elegance and intellect with a mesmerizing flair. And with her trademark voice of cut-velvet smoke, she reveals a talent for making rather unsettling subjects remarkably alluring.

Tales of medieval torture devices, safety coffins, suicides, and lusty murderous obsessions mingle with exquisite songs of lost loves and tarnished passions. Tracy's affinity for macabre history and science, has included resurrecting classic Grand Guignol stage plays from the 1920's -- collaborating with San Francisco's theatre troupe Thrillpeddlers, and well-known historians like UC Berkeley's Mel Gordon (Voluptuous Panic).

Backed by an alluring panoply of strings, woodwinds, drums and percussion, (Tracy affectionately refers to them as The Malcontent Orchestra) songs from her album Diabolical Streak have appeared in movies and compilations, in addition to winning the SIBL international grand prize for songwriting, and two California Music Award nominations. The track "Evil Night Together" has not only been adopted as theme song for nouveau burlesque and bellydance troupes around the globe, but also is featured on Projekt's A Dark Cabaret, and recently on the CBS hit TV show NAVY NCIS, the BBC series Jekyll, LifeTime television, and numerous independent films.

Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra#39;s beloved original score to F.W. Murnau#39;s 1922 silent vampire classic Nosferatu found the band touring Northern California theatres during Halloween season for five consecutive years to manic sell-out crowds. The 2002 live CD Into the Land of Phantoms contains selections from the Nosferatu score.

"The Fine Art of Poisoning" was developed into an animated short in 2003, a collaboration with Bay Area visual artist Bill Domonkos. The film has garnered well over 30 film festival awards internationally, including Best Experimental Film in the New Orleans Film Festival as well as Best Music Video in both the Chicago and Seattle International Film Festivals.

Her latest (and fourth) album, The Bittersweet Constrain, has a heavier, cinematic sonic edge with the addition of exotic instruments such as the sarod, harmonium, and seldom-seen Chapman Stick. The recording also features master percussionist Randy Odell, horn player Ralph Carney (Tom Waits/B-52's), cellist Erica Mulkey (Rasputina/Unwoman), and violinist Tony Cross (Tarentel).

Produced by Alex Nahas (John Vanderslice/Zoe Keating/LaughingStock), The Bittersweet Constrain has been described by the press as "devastatingly beautiful".

Domonkos served as art director/graphic designer for The Bittersweet Constrain. The CD packaging features Jill Tracy portraiture by acclaimed surrealist photographer Michael Garlington, known for his dreamy macabre imagery shot on vintage film stock.

With her forays into film scoring, filmmaking, writing, acting and theatre, Jill Tracy is redefining the image of modern day renaissance artist. But beneath her trademark sound and style lurks cold steel. No corporate-contrived cookie cutter blandness here. She is refreshing proof that smart... is sexy.

For more information, check out:

Jill Tracy on Myspace

Unextraordinary Gentlemen

It first began as a vague idea in July of 2004. Richard Pilawski (ex-Sex With Lurch, The Myriad Form), tired of playing in other people's bands, wanted to start something of his own. Meeting Eric Schreeck (ex-Suprechrome) at a local karaoke bar and inspired by his voice, Richard asked if he'd like to join forces and start a band. Some ideas were passed back and forth with work on the project starting seriously as late as January of 2006.

Having been recently attracted to Victorian fantasy fiction, Richard decided he wanted to create the musical equivalent. Drawing inspiration from his favorite musical genres, he chose to use the bass guitar to represent the "punk", a drum machine would represent the "steam" driving engine and pre-programmed keyboards would fill out the rest, using sounds that reminded one of the Victorian-era instruments (strings, brass, choir, piano, and the like.) No guitars or live drums were allowed.

Eric was excited by the prospect of writing songs in a more literary mode and looked to artists such as Nick Cave and Tom Waits for inspiration. He began creating a fictional Victorian world for the band, filled with denizens and places, both original and inspired by previous fictional works, that made appearances in the songs and artwork.

In 2007, enough songs were "demo'd up" enough to get a live show off the ground, but Richard felt he needed another hand to elevate the band to the next level.

Enter violinist Jennifer Pomerantz (Demonika & The Darklings). She would fill out the 'guitarist' role with her violin, in this newly christened Victorian synth-punk band as a full participant, becoming the third Gentleman with her graceful, highly atmospheric playing further enhancing the already fantastic melodies and stories being forged.

Unextraordinary Gentlemen are sometimes tongue-in-cheek ("Mr. Soot's Little Black Book", "All You Want"), occasionally pretty serious ("Black Iron Road", "Frozen Mood") and, more often than not, self deprecating in a mostly humorous way. They just want to have fun, bringing their unique blend of musicality and theatricality to the material, especially in their rambunctious live shows, be they small or large, at clubs, art galleries, and maybe someday, a theater near you!

Bringing the old world to the new world, from 1837 to 1987 and beyond!

For more information, check out:

Unextraordinary Gentlemen
Unextraordinary Gentlemen on Myspace

Vernian Process

Formed in the winter of 2003, Vernian Process is a cinematic journey through a fictional Victorian world. One that takes the listener through foreboding Industrial complexes, angelic cathedrals, misty cobblestone alleyways, ancient forests, war torn ruins, deep undersea caves, rotting clock towers, and all manner of timeless dreamscapes.

Taking the thematic elements of the romantic 19th century visionary Jules Verne, the young man behind this illusionary world; Joshua A. Pfeiffer has created an aural atmosphere that encompasses all manner of styles and genres. Influenced by such varied artists as Danny Elfman, In the Nursery, Dead Can Dance, Maurice Ravel, Massive Attack, Gary Numan, Edvard Grieg, Joy Division, and Gustav Mahler to name a few. Maestro Pfeiffer has created a truly unique enigma in a sea of mediocrity.

With two self released LPs, 2004's Discovery, and 2006's The Forgotten Age and an upcoming third EP, Vernian Process is poised to storm the modern musical landscape. Heralding a new era of creativity and imagination.

For more information, check out:

Vernian Process
Vernian Process on Myspace