Felix- No question can really be lame.

Felix- Often the best interviewers...

Felix- Thank you.

Gothgirl-Oh, and how did you come across my page?

Felix- Dark side of the Web... You're listed.

Felix- Goth is an artistic genre with both dark and melodramatic overtones. It can be displayed in fashion, music, poetry, fiction... literally any form of creative expression. I also feel that most people with Gothic influence were socially brutalized on some level, thus the desire to be 'outcast'.

Gothgirl- That is very well put. I like how you said it can be displayed in fashion, poetry , and fiction besides music. I think what you said about being an outcast is very important.

Felix- There is a chance that Goth will be the next musical explosion (ie grunge in the early 90's). But it's not a given. Goth has been here in some way for around 30 years (back with the Damned) and hasn't made it to the forefront yet. But the chance seems a little more evident now. If this happens the clubs will still thrive and still be very cliquesh (ie we wont be swamped with thousands of 'new' Goths). But this does mean that Goth bands may start doing live shows to larger crowds and entering more mainstream media.

Felix- We intend to spend all our time creating, recording and touring.

Felix- A little... we're still talking about a very obscure genre that most people still dont totally understand (just check out some of the guests on Jerry Springer). These bands have begun to open the style up a little to the general public... and may bring the more curious people who dig a bit into the scene but I'm not sure how much these bands have 'changed' the structure of music. I will say that because of bands like Zombie and Manson...live shows are becoming more theatrical again, which is a good thing. Make it a full show again.

Felix- I think Manson is rock and roll with a heavy Goth influence but also a metal influence and a glam influence. What he's doing right now is an excellent version of a classic 'Bowie's Ziggy Stardust'. His Omega thing is going to bring glam out more than Goth.

Felix- This gets tough. Not on a year type thing because then it's just who was first... but on a musical influence. There's a lot of types of Goth. Bauhaus is definitely legendary and at least a base influence to most bands in the scene... but bands like Sisters have a very distinct sound and I'm very influenced by the Damned and Nick Cave who have also been around for decades. I know it's not a full answer but it's as close as I can get.

Felix- I will divide this into two time periods:

I have always been fascinated by magik, spiritualism, and the supernatural. When I was six or so I used to write little contracts with the devil and leave them in my desk or under my bed cushion in hopes of it being signed in the morning. Of course I always filled them full of legal loopholes and of course... no signatures. Thus began my interest.

I entered the scene however at the age of 16 when friends introduced me to The Damned, Salvidore Dali, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Bauhaus, Drugs, and The Hunger.

Felix- It depends entirely on the song, but often its an anger of sorts; a general distaste for the way something's gone. But not all of them are such. Some are despair. One of them actually looks at love without criticism. Anyway, I do adopt a persona or mood for each song when I write the lyrics so that each time I sing it I can bring that emotion back into the performance.

Felix- Most of them are. Some are more of a fiction story that may best represent an emotion of mine. All of them come back lyrically to me somehow whether it's about me or through my point of view.

Felix- Well I don't think each scene should have a different set of rules for success, but the best way to answer that is not to try to make music for a scene.  I won't deny that our music is very Goth, but if that's an influence it will show. Its a given. We don't walk into the studio and say we're gonna write a Goth song. We pretty much know that element will be there so it's not brought forward. However, there's lots of talk about what's selling out and what isn't. To that I say: If YOU'RE writing music YOU like to hear, whether it's in the scene you started with or not, you haven't sold out. But, never forsake your beginnings. Be true to the people that helped and you'll be successful on some level.

Wow that was a mouthful.

Here have a drink. (Laughs)

Felix- I think I answered some of this, but The Damned for their dark theatrical lyricism, Nick Cave for his religious connotations and dark love ballads, The Sisters of Mercy for that dark Rock & Roll feel as well as his piano ballads. Specimen for their in your face Goth, and Bauhaus for their direct experimentation.

Felix- Money! Just kidding. Actually to me it's pretty close. The ability to do what you love for a living. But on a more personal level it's knowing that I'm making real the things floating round in my head and being able to see that final finished product.

Felix- Not at all, but I do think most were socially stepped on in some way and probably at one time or another suicidal and have been through a lot because creativity is often frowned upon in the school system we have, and most Goths are very creative.

14)Gothgirl- Why do you think the color black is important to the Gothic genre?

 Felix- It's a dark, evil color that is symbolic with death, the villain and horror. Vampires. Beyond that it just looks good and goes with everything. 

Gothgirl- Exactly my point!!

Felix- You're very welcome.

The Winter Chapter is :

Felix (Vocals), Steve Jennings (Bass), Jeff Croall (Synthesizers), Stacy Latta (Synthesizers)

The Songs

Felix is a great guy, and here you find a more elaborate overview of the songs on the album. I asked Felix to talk about the songs and what they mean to him and where they came from.

About the songs:

Felix- Nevermore: Innocence being watched by someone not so innocent (I guess you could say it's the old vampire watching prey song. But its deeper meaning is that I had begun a relationship with someone who wasn't jaded to the whole scene as I had become and there is that feeling that I would no doubt destroy that innocence and fresh outlook in time.

Felix- Blinded: This is entertaining actually. Its all about knowing that you don't have the energy to keep up with your significant other and their using you up without realizing it and you're just letting them until you're this empty husk. (More specifically it was about being used sexually until there was nothing left to give... "the bones in my body are aching...and my muscles are so sore tonight...you come to me like a raven to a cadaver...then you take what you want and leave the rest to rot").

Felix- Kids: This is actually a reference to some of the Goth crowd I've known and how the scene continues with or without anyone in particular no matter how important they think they are. I've seen a lot of drama and drugs and dancing when its seems that should be the farthest from their minds and I was basically saying that at times it just doesn't matter.

Felix- Fade:This is an angry song about someone making themself out to be a victim when they've really hurt me and they know it. But they play the victim card and I hate that person for it, and myself for letting it happen. There is a lot of homicidal/suicidal references in that song and it helps to get that type of thing out of your system in art as opposed to reality.

Felix- Time of Faith: My song to the supernatural. I have been obsessed with finding something out there for close to 15 years (since I was a wee lad) and have never found anything. It refers to the rather angry methods I've used to try and elicit a supernatural response ("cries out to gods and devils... take your best shot at me... but make your presence known."). Years ago I made a challenge to all things supernatural to try and take me on face to face. I'm still waiting.

Felix- Lion's Game: Another relationship song (having just recently divorced). My way of saying that I tried to do things right by you but you started some kind of war and I'm not backing down... and that I'll get over it, much to the other's disappointment ("but angels come and angels go and wings are clipped as you well know well I don't want to be the one to break it to you."). It's also about how I never should have been in that relationship and it took a catastrophe to get me out of it. I needed fire to burn me through this hell.