Fiction 8 is a Colorado-based dark wave and industrial rock group, originally formed under the name Creeping Eruption in 1989.
Fiction 8 | |
|---|---|
 Fiction 8 live at 3 Kings, Denver. June 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Creeping Eruption |
| Origin | Colorado, USA |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
| Website | www |
History
editFormation: Creeping Eruption to Fiction 8 (1989–1994)
editMichael Smith (aka Michael Alan) and Michael Lauter (né Lepper) met while attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1989. The pair shared a fondness for dark electronic music—including bands like Click Click, Front Line Assembly, and Leæther Strip—and began experimenting with making their own. By the beginning of 1991 they had recorded eight songs which became their first cassette, Eruption of the Mind, which they released under the name Creeping Eruption.[1]
The band subsequently relocated to Boulder, CO, where they played several shows and produced a video for the track "Burn" which was aired on the KBDI TV's Teletunes video music program.[1] In 1992, the band contributed a track for the compilation The Cyberflesh Conspiracy on the If It Moves... (later Re-Constriction Records) label.[2] Around this time, Smith temporarily augmented the live lineup of recent Denver transplants, Society Burning.[3]
During the remainder of 1992, Lepper worked to complete his computer science degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder, leaving Smith to record the majority of the band's second cassette, Dichotomy.[1] Released in January 1993, the ten tracks on Dichotomy were noted for presenting a "softer EBM" style.[4] That year the band enlisted the assistance of Andrea DiNapoli of Boulder band Venus Walk and percussionist James Schrechengost (aka James Ess). With Smith's assistance, Schrechengost built a custom digital drum kit that became a central fixture of early Fiction 8 live shows.[1]
By 1994, the band changed their name to Fiction 8, citing their misrepresentation as a metal band and other perversions of their original name, "Creeping Eruption."[5] That year, Smith issued the first release as Fiction 8, the cassette EP In The Dark, without contributions from Lepper but with production credits by Dave DeVoe of Denver band New Ben Franklins. The EP included several new tracks along with versions of three Creeping Eruption tracks: a live recording of "The Killing Season" and remixes of "Burn" and "Strangers In The Garden".[6] In addition to releasing In The Dark, the band reissued Dichotomy under the Fiction 8 name.[7][8] Over the following two years, the band achieved numerous appearances in Europe on compilations by Discordia,[9] Side-Line, and Celtic Circle Productions,[10] and in America on the Ras Dva Records quad compilation There is No Time[11] and SDS Productions' Biotech 01 compilation.[12]
Label years: Dissonance InDifference through Project Phoenix (1995–2014)
edit
By 1995, DeVoe became a formal member of the band. That year also saw the band's first CD release, Dissonance InDifference, on the German label Discordia.[13] The release consisted of tracks from previous releases along with several new tracks, including the track "Medusa" which featured guest vocals by Malgorjata Wacht of Siren Project.[14]
After Dissonance, Smith and DeVoe were joined by Steven Hart of Denver band Monastery and work began on new material. Spirits was completed in 1997 and featured all new material including a cover of the Siouxsie and the Banshees song, "Happy House". The CD was released by European label Matrix Cube (a subsidiary of Trinity Records, which later became Trisol Music Group) and was mastered at John Sellekaers' Metarc studio in Brussels.[15] Although completed in 1997, the CD wasn't formally released until 1998.[16]
DeVoe left Colorado after the completion of Spirits, effectively ending his participation in the band. By 1999, the remaining members were joined by multi-instrumentalist and singer Mardi Jones (née Salazar, aka "Paisli"), who had already been working on promoting the band before being asked to join.[17] That year the band played alongside other Colorado bands in the "Underground Against Violence" show, a fundraiser for charities related to the Columbine High School massacre organized to bring awareness to "anti-goth" discrimination in the wake of the event.[18]
The band began work on a new album, but Smith claimed that when new material for Chaotica was demoed to Matrix Cube, it became obvious that the band's vision did not align with the label's expectations.[17] The search for new representation led to a deal with the newly-formed American label, Nilaihah Records, who released the album at the end of 2000.[19] In 2001, the band embarked on a U.S. tour with label mates, The Azoic.[20] Just before the tour began, the band signed a European licensing deal with Cryonica Records.[21]
In early 2002, Fiction 8 played a headline set at GothCon 2002 in New Orleans.[22] In May that year, Cryonica released a re-recorded version of Chaotica including five new bonus tracks in Europe.[23] The relationship with Cryonica led to engagements in England including an appearance at Cryofest 2003 in London and an invitation to play the Morecambe goth festival.[24][25]
In December 2003, the band released their fourth CD, Forever, Neverafter.[26] The album made an appearance on the German Alternative Charts (DAC) in March 2004.[27]
In 2008, the band released the full-length CD Project Phoenix on Erisian Records. The release was the last to credit Hart,[28] who left the band that year.
In 2009 the band played the first Vendetta Festival in Denver, CO.[29] In 2013 they played the Colorado Dark Expo (CoDE), which was a fundraiser for nonprofits that help gay and homeless youth.[30]
Independence (2015–present)
editAfter Project Phoenix, the band began self-producing their music releases beginning with 2015's Dark Star Disarray. The switch away from label support also saw a marked decrease in live shows in deference to the band spending more time on songwriting and recording. For instance, the recording session for Dark Star Disarray yielded 25 songs which was winnowed down to the 10 track CD release.[31] By this time the band's lineup changed again with the return of DeVoe and the addition of composer and sound designer Heather Valey (née Sowards).[32] The album was characterized as having a diverse darkwave and synth-pop sound that is on "the soft (but still dark side) of electro[-industrial]."[33]
In 2018, the band self-released their seventh CD, The Bleak Disease,[34] which included four tracks that were cut from Dark Star Disarray.[31] That year they also digitally re-released all of their back catalog beginning with Dissonance InDifference on Bandcamp.
The band initially planned to follow-up the release of The Bleak Disease with an EP, but ended up releasing an album length release consisting of remixes from Disease and two new tracks.[31] The result was Constructive Interference which included remixes by Probe 7 and former Nilaihah labelmates, Interface,[35] as well as Fiction 8's own 20th anniversary remix of "Let Go".[31]
After Constructive Interference, Fiction 8 produced a series of compilation tracks including a remix of Love and Rockets' "An American Dream" on The Work Of Sinners, The Work Of Saints – A Tribute To Love And Rockets / Tones On Tail.[36]
The Bleak Assembly
editIn 2022, Smith joined with Kimberly Kornmeier of Bow Ever Down (and formerly of Sonik Foundry) for a new project under the name The Bleak Assembly. The duo released their first EP We Become Strangers late in 2022,[37] with a follow-up single "Alibi" in 2023.
Members
editCurrent lineup
edit- Michael Smith – composition, lyrics, vocals, guitars, programming, production (1989–present)
- David DeVoe – guitars, writing, production (1995–1997, 2015–present)
- Mardi "Paisli" Salazar – composition, lyrics, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, violin (1999–present)
- Heather Valey – composition, programming, keyboards, vocals (2011–present)
Former members
edit- Andrea DiNapoli – live keyboards (1993)
- Steven Hart – composition, lyrics, programming, keyboards, backing vocals (1996–2008)
- Michael Lepper – composition, lyrics, vocals, programming, production (1989–1993)
- James Schrechengost – live percussion (1993–1994)
Timeline
edit
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Eruption of the Mind |
|
| Dichotomy |
|
| Dissonance InDifference |
|
| Spirits |
|
| Chaotica |
|
| Forever, Neverafter |
|
| Project Phoenix |
|
| Dark Star Disarray |
|
| The Bleak Disease |
|
| Constructive Interference |
|
EPs & singles
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| In The Dark |
|
| Raise Your Voice |
|
| The Witching Hour |
|
Remixes
edit| Title | Year | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| "Ghost Of My Life" | 1996 | Aïboforcen |
| "Die Braut Im Regen" | 1999 | Sanguis Et Cinis |
| "Twilight World" | 2000 | Aïboforcen |
| "Guiding" | 2001 | Implant |
| "Plastic SOS" | Aïboforcen | |
| "Progression" | The Azoic | |
| "Everything & Nothing" | Hexedene | |
| "Land Of Tomorrow" | 2002 | Solitary Experiments |
| "Stranger In A Strange Land" | 2006 | Interface |
| "Serpent Bite" | 2012 | Fluorescent Echo |
| "Final Cut" | 2015 | Blackcell |
| "A Final Scent" | 2020 | Missing in Stars |
| "Strange Angels" | Probe 7 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kiehne, Thomas (1993). Durland, Tim (ed.). "The Colorado Motherboard: Creeping Eruption". KUCB Program Guide. Boulder, CO: 21.
- ^ Christian, Chris (October 1995). "Various Artists: The Cyberflesh Conspiracy". Sonic Boom. 3 (8). Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Górnisiewicz, Katarzyna; Backlash, Brian (3 May 2007). "Society Burning - Interview". Fabryka Music Magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Petro, Roman (April 1994). "Review: Creeping Eruption: Dichotomy". Crewzine (6). Bratislava, Slovakia: 48.
- ^ "Eruption of the Mind". Bandcamp. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Gürtler, Richard (1995). "Review: Fiction 8: In the Dark". Crewzine (8). Bratislava, Slovakia: 60.
- ^ Weaver, Rodney (1994). "Audio Examinations: Fiction 8 – Dichotomy". Infectious Substance. 1 (1): 30.
- ^ Leech (Spring 1995). Valerio, Paul (ed.). "Fiction 8 - In the dark/Dichotomy". Industrialnation. 1 (10). Iowa City, IA: Moon Mystique: 65. ISSN 1062-449X.
- ^ Gürtler, Richard (1995). "Elektrauma CD Compilation". Crewzine (8). Bratislava, Slovakia: 18.
- ^ "Fiction 8 Releases". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "The Ras Dva Quadruple Compilation: There Is No Time". Sonic Boom. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Gürtler, Richard (1995). "Biotech 01 tape Compilation". Crewzine (8). Bratislava, Slovakia: 36.
- ^ Congdon, Kevin. "Fiction 8: Dissonance InDifference". Sonic Boom. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Fiction 8 (1995). Dissonance InDifference (booklet). Discordia. pp. 2–3. DISC 065 CD.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Fiction 8 (1997). Spirits (traycard). Trinity Records. TRI 013 CD.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Fiction 8 – Spirits". Bandcamp. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ a b South, Evan (28 January 2001). "Interview: Fiction 8". Archived from the original on 29 December 2001. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Michael (3 June 1999). "Music News: Feedback". Westword. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "News and Updates". Nilaihah Records. 7 September 2000. Archived from the original on 7 October 2000. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "On Tour". Nilaihah Records. 2001. Archived from the original on 3 August 2001. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "News". Side-Line. 23 May 2001. Archived from the original on 16 May 2001. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Brown, Sonya (April 2002). "GOTHCON 2002 New Orleans". StarVox Music Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "News". Side-Line. 27 May 2002. Archived from the original on 3 Jun 2002. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Conspiracy prepares tour and debut album". Side-Line. 15 July 2003. Archived from the original on 11 August 2003. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Blanchart, Benoit (10 March 2004). "Fiction 8 – "The electronic purgatory"". Side-Line. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Urselli, Marc (12 December 2003). "Fiction 8: Forever, Neverafter". Chain D.L.K. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ "News". Nilaihah Records. Archived from the original on 2 April 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Fiction 8 (2008). Project Phoenix (booklet). Erisian Records. F8005.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Vendetta Festival: Artists". Vendetta Music. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Davies, Bree (25 April 2013). "Colorado Dark Expo: CoDE-13 brings eccentric performers and artists together for a good cause". Westword. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d Inferno Sound Diaries (10 April 2019). "'Click Interview' with Fiction 8: 'Streaming Has Become To Music As Plastic Is To Food'". Side-Line. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Van Isacker, Bernard (7 September 2015). "Fiction 8 prepare new album 'Dark Star Disarray' for September release". Side-Line. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Saey, Ruben (17 September 2015). "Review: Fiction 8: Dark Star Disarray". Peek-A-Boo Music Magazine. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Inferno Sound Diaries (30 March 2019). "Fiction 8 – The Bleak Disease". Side-Line. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Inferno Sound Diaries (10 September 2019). "Fiction 8 – Constructive Interference". Side-Line. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Lyon, Judy (17 May 2022). "Torched Exclusive Interview By Contributing Artists Of 'The Work Of Sinners, The Work Of Saints' A Tribute To Love And Rockets / Tones On Tail". Torched Magazine. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Josef, Colette (19 October 2022). "Darkwave Band, The Bleak Assembly Explores The Dynamics Of Change With New EP". Music Existence. Retrieved 27 February 2023.