The word "goth" is a curious one. It evokes images of dark makeup and brooding young people, dressed in black, fancying themselves vampires or other creatures of the night. And while to a point these allusions are true, there's a history, almost 2,000 years in the making, of the evolution of the aesthetic, the mind-set, of the modern goth.

As early as the fourth century, tribes of Germanic barbarians known as the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths were responsible for such illustrious affairs as the ransacking of Rome and the conquering of Spain and Gaul, now France. A thousand years later, the term "gothic" was applied to art and architecture. After another three centuries, the term was trotted out in regard to literature -- swooning, melodramatic wordsmiths such as Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Horace Walpole. Fast forward to England in the late 1970s, where the battle to be dubbed "goth" first took place between such postpunk bands as Sex Gang Children, Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees. It is here that the modern goth aesthetic took shape -- pallor, dark makeup, decadence and artful theatricality. In the decades since, other goths have chosen a more futuristic, apocalyptic or cyber-oriented approach.

Like most subcultures, the contemporary Twin Cities goth scene is an ever-changing beast. In the early 2000s, Ground Zero in northeast Minneapolis was the place to be Thursday through Saturday. Those days have waned considerably; the venue is now open only Fridays and Saturdays, and there are whispers that the club has grown hostile to its patrons. Efforts have been made to revamp with such 18-and-older Friday night events as the Next Element. But goth-scene veterans are continuing to distance themselves from the venue.

The area's longest-running goth night, Hard Mondays at the Saloon, has also seen a dip in attendance the past couple years. The evening that is probably best attended regularly by the 25- to 35-year-old goth set is Jake Rudh's Transmission night on Wednesdays at Clubhouse Jäger, which is not a goth night per se, but often features a playlist focusing on goth rock favorites by the Cult, Joy Division and the Cure.

So then, is the solution another night devoted to the goth scene? Michael MacDonald thinks so. MacDonald is co-creator of the Chamber, the new Thursday goth dance night at the Bolt Underground, in the basement of the Minneapolis Eagle gay bar. "We were hoping to fill that void, offering a slightly different feel and music style," says MacDonald. "Besides, it is a great space and wonderful to work with the people at the Eagle/ Bolt. They have been very receptive to us, the night and our scene."

Veteran scenester Dawn Fanberg says the Bolt "is elegant and classy and the bar staff is really nice. Plus, [the Eagle] doesn't mind us walking through their bar to use their smoking patio." The result is a positive place to drink and dance. It's also a beautiful place to spend time in, with a corridor-style setup, a long bar and social area, and a large dance floor at the end. The red, black and steel decor doesn't hurt, either.

Margaret Andrews, Star Tribune
On the dance floor at The Bolt Underground, located beneath the Minneapolis Eagle.

All in all, it seems the older goth contingent is leaning more toward the Chamber at the Bolt, whereas a new 18-plus goth crowd is just discovering Ground Zero and making it its own. Is this the natural order of things? Will the Chamber be able to sustain itself? Time will tell, but with DJ sets by well-known local spinners and a more mature setting, it seems promising.

Goth-friendly nights

Goth-friendly bands

These local bands may not all be goth per se, but they're all goth-compatible.

  • Bella Koshka: Reminiscent of 4AD label efforts by Cocteau Twins and Lush, Bella Koshka is a dark, ethereal, violin- and vocal-driven experience, full of layers that will wrap your ears in uneasy comfort.
  • Revolver Modele: Revolver began as a Joy Division clone just as Interpol was making it big, a boon and a bane to this local band. Its music has evolved, but you can still hear despair and emptiness in Ehsan Alam's voice.
  • Stellar Vector: Although there's a lot of prog-rock in their music, Stellar Vector knows how to lay down a moody sonic landscape. Charles Sadler sings in earnest, but there is always a bit of humor.
  • All The Pretty Horses: Vampy gothic gender bending, loud guitars, sexy dancers and the occasional use of power tools. Who could ask for more?
  • Thosquanta: Somewhere between electropunk and EBM (electronic body music) lies Thosquanta. They're bratty and synth-driven and they wouldn't have it any other way.
  • Amdeide: The last great straightforward EBM band left in the Twin Cities, Amdeide is loud and intense and will drive your feet to stomping.
  • Dissociate: No one twiddles a knob quite like Jonathan Ford. The Stellar Vector guitarist and former co-host of Radio K's "The Descent" moves elegantly about myriad synths to elicit industrial bleeps and whoops, with slurs of sound that bring a chill to your spine.
  • DemiEtoile: I liken the all-electronic efforts of DemiEtoile, aka Paul Teravskis, to running down a wet street in a "Blade Runner"-esque scene of urban decay; it's hopelessness and fear that you can dance to. He's playing Club Underground on Friday.
  • Autumn: Perhaps the oldest goth band on the scene, Autumn is evocative of Dead Can Dance and Clan of Xymox, with tribal rhythms and female vocals that wend sensuously through songs like elegies.
  • High Blue Star: Although it doesn't appear to be doing any gigs lately, High Blue Star is a truly darkwave band, creating dreamy, gentle nightmare music for the Projekt label.
  • Avenpitch: Todd Mellenacker's energy is ridiculously infectious. The way he can run around an audience, scream-singing and interacting with everyone, makes Avenpitch pure electropunky bliss.

Fall goth events

Goths wait all year for fall to come around, with the more pagan of us reveling in the observance of Samhain, or "End of Summer"(Oct. 31 or Nov. 1), which celebrates the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds being lifted. Not surprisingly, any and all Halloween events that glorify this are gleefully attended by the goth scene. It's also the time of year when bigger goth music acts roll through town, putting a smile on pale faces throughout the Twin Cities.

  • Zombie Pub Crawl: Goths love campy theatricality and morbid decay and are also generally fond of the drink. Pass the absinthe!
  • Horror Cabaret with the Bloody Turncoats, the Dregs, the Falls, Lusufer and Invocatio: A raucous good time with an Emerald Isle twist. These are a bunch of acts that aren't particularly goth, but have some members who are involved in the scene and as such, will be supported by it.
  • Ours with Revolver Modele: Ours frontman Jimmy Gneccho is like Jeff Buckley gone erotically demonic; his voice soars through octaves over moody guitars, taking you to murky depths and stunning peaks. Revolver's sexy, gloomy swagger should be the perfect match.
  • The Legendary Pink Dots: Goth Jazz, anyone? The Legendary Pink Dots are one of the oldest original goth acts still touring. Edward Ka-Spel's vocals are sneering and beautiful at once, and their amalgamation of styles is all spooky sinister and psychedelic, but alight with sassy saxophone, flute and clarinet bombast.
  • The Sisters of Mercy: After a couple albums of rich Euro goth rock in the early/mid-'80s, Sisters of Mercy turned to a more flashy leather-and-big-hair L.A. sound. Can Wayne Hussey and Co. bring it back home? Hopefully, as this is the most talked-about show of the season.
  • Goddamn Gallows, Stellar Vector and Oceans: Goddamn Gallows bring the goth punk and Stellar Vector bring the dark prog to the goth-popular Club Underground. (9 p.m. Oct. 25, Club Underground.)
  • Bella Morte, Thosquanta and the Gothscicles: Bella Morte is your average goth metal band in the vein of Evanescence. The draw here is the Chicago-based Gothscicles, a bleedin' hoot with their Nintendo beats, goth-lifestyle parodies and songs like "I Can Tell You Shop at Hot Topic." (9 p.m. Nov 28, Trocaderos)

Writer Sarah Moeding fronts the synth-rock band Milkbar.