In case you missed it last week, I got to talk with Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka of the soundtrack band Midnight Syndicate. These guys make what is possibly the scariest, most evocative music in the world. (Want a sample? Click here.) And now, appropriately enough, they have their own movie!
SciFiBookshelf: So I’ve been hearing about your movie, THE DEAD MATTER. What’s the story behind it?
Gavin Goszka: Midnight Syndicate Films released its first full-length horror motion picture on July 30th, called “The Dead Matter.” Ed not only directed it, but he also co-wrote the story and handled the score as well. It tells the story of a vampire relic with occult powers that falls into the hands of a grief-stricken young woman who will do anything to contact her dead brother. It involves both zombies as well as vampires and has a few plot twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. The movie is available in a specially-priced 3-disc set at Hot Topic stores nationwide, and includes both the Official Motion Picture Score CD as well as a compilation disc of some of our most mood-setting tracks that’s perfect for playing outside at Halloween.
Edward Douglas: Right now we’re all about promoting our movie “The Dead Matter” which I directed and scored and we just released at all Hot Topic stores (and online) this past month. It’s a fun horror film that blends supernatural elements, vampires, zombies, dark humor, and a really cool story – a throwback to the classic Universal horror and Hammer horror films I grew up watching. It stars Jason Carter from “Babylon 5,” Andrew Divoff (“Lost,” “Wishmaster”), and Tom Savini (“Friday the 13th”, “Machete”). You can check out the trailer, reviews, and other stuff on www.TheDeadMatter.com. Next up will probably be another CD. We’re also talking about producing a live show in 2011.
SFB: A live Midnight Syndicate show? How cool is that?
G: We’ve been talking about the possibility of doing a live show for quite some time, but our schedules have always made it highly impractical, if not impossible. We’re finally at a point now where it’s more of a realistic option, and have been working on some initial plans for doing a series of shows in 2011. Outside of that, I’m sure we’ll be talking about doing a new CD again very soon. We’ve had quite a few requests from fans over the years to do either a carnival-themed release, or a darker take on Christmas, but I think there are quite a few possibilities that we’ll be looking at.
SFB: If someone had told you fifteen years ago that you’d be so successful today, musically, what would you have said?
G: I don’t know if I would have believed it! I don’t think that either of us really had any idea where this music would take us – it was simply something that we both believed in and wanted to do. We knew there wasn’t anything quite like it out there at the time we started – all you really had to pick from (outside of specific movie soundtracks) were the ‘Monster Mash’-type party compilations and the budget sound effects tapes. The support we’ve received over the years from our fans has just been tremendous.
E: The entertainment industry is really volatile. There aren’t any guarantees and the future is always uncertain. That being said, when we came out with “Born of the Night” in ’98 we knew we were on to something especially once we saw people’s reactions. We were doing something different and somewhat unique and that was exciting. We had CDs that could not only stand on their own merit as an instrumental gothic music album but also be used for atmosphere for Halloween, roleplaying games, haunted houses, productions. There was nothing like that out there at the time. Once you have that you just have to believe in what you are doing and work hard. If you do that then you can find success. Fortunately we have the best fans in the world. Even though we’ve never had commercial airplay or the support of a major record label, we have been able to enjoy success because of their support and their spreading the word to their friends. We owe a lot to them.
SFB: So where can we find out more about Midnight Syndicate?
E: I’d like to invite people to check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/midnightsyndicate. It’s updated constantly and features samples from all our CDs, music videos, pictures, etc. Of course, they can also stop by our website, www.MidnightSyndicate.com. If people are looking for some good quality dark atmosphere for their Halloween party or home display I hope they’ll give us a listen. This is the one time of the year where you can find our CDs at most party stores, and Halloween retailers.
SFB: Gentlemen, thank you so much for your time!
E: My pleasure, thank you!
G: Thank you!
Get more:
www.MidnightSyndicate.com
www.TheDeadMatter.com
www.facebook.com/midnightsyndicate