Honest to Goth

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.

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.

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.

Writer Sarah Moeding fronts the synth-rock band Milkbar.