Review

Outburn Reviews ProjektFest LA

A review of the recent Projekt Festival appeared in Outburn Magazine, Issue 6. Here’s what Octavia said about our set:

The Los Angeles Projekt Festival: Faith & the Muse with Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Love Spirals Downwards @ Coven 13 – Los Angeles, CA 3.15.98

LA’s premiere goth hot spot, Coven 13, was host for Projekt’s first west coast festival. The El Rey Theater, with its beautiful chandeliers and comfortably large stage was the perfect place for the hundreds attending this darkwave gathering… Love Spirals Downwards’ radiant songs were enhanced by an additional guitarist and an electronic drummer to “add some get” to their usually acoustic set. The best songs came at the beginning where they worked some cool beats and electronics into their acoustic sounds. Unfortunately, the lovely and mellow mood was disrupted repeatedly by Suzanne Perry’s lengthy chit chat and attempted conversations with the audience, but the songs were enjoyed nevertheless… Overall, it was an astounding evening.

Glad to hear she enjoyed the new electronica songs from our upcoming album.

Band News

Flux release date

The release date for our new album, Flux, is August 11, 1998. That date is firm and should not change. Coming soon to the site, there will be some clips of songs from Flux to listen to on our audio page, as well as info on the album.

Band News

Recent News

Hello. It’s been a few months since my last update. Lots has happened, and the big news is that our new album Flux is finished and mastered. Its release date, last time I checked, is July 21, 1998. I’ll be sure to keep you informed here if that gets changed.

In other news, we had a great time onstage and off at the Los Angeles Projekt Fest show this past March. Thanks to those in attendance for making it the funnest show we ever had. And also thanks to Andrew Pluta of Arcanta and Rodney Rodriguez of the Von Trapps for joining on percussion and guitar respectively for this show. We hope to do more shows with the four of us, but I should say here and now that we will not be doing any of the Projekt Festival shows later this summer.

We have a new song on a new compilation put out by Pat Ogle’s (formerly of Projekt) new label Precipice Recordings. Our song, “Asleep,” can only be found on this compilation and will not be on our new album. Projekt is distributing this disc, so you can order it direct from them by calling 1-800-CD-LASER.

Interview

Love Spirals Downwards Interview on KUCI 88.9 fm

The All Purpose Nuclear Bedtime Story Phone-In

Projekt Records hooked us up with Love Spirals Downwards’ mastermind, Ryan Lum, to –ostensibly– discuss next weekend’s first-ever ProjektFest LA show at the El Rey Theatre hosted by Coven 13. As Ryan lives within walking distance of the venue, it makes for the perfect choice for this chill, go with the flow musician, who apparently was reluctant to leave his neighborhood as he opted to phone-in his interview rather than drive over for an in-studio conversation. None-the-less, Justin and I had a fun, informal chat with the composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who is currently on the verge of completing the band’s fourth full-length album for Projekt. But first he has to figure out the lineup of musicians for next weekend’s concert and whether or not he should strip on stage or set himself on fire. Read on to find out more.

Interview by Anji Bee & Justin Jay of KUCI 88.9 fm. Intro by Anji.


Anji: Gosh, this is really weird doing a phone interview. It’s weird not having the person in front of us. Are you there?
Ryan: I’m just a few miles away, so I’m kinda “there.”
Justin: What, you’re in a phone booth a few miles down the road right now?
Anji: (Laughs)
Ryan: Basically I got lost trying to find the station, so… No, actually I’m at my place about a half an hour, an hour away.
Justin: Don’t give away the location!
Ryan: (Laughs nervously) LA, somewhere.
Justin: LA. Okay. That’s good and general.
Ryan: (Chuckles)
Justin: That should protect you.
Ryan: (Chuckles) I dunno. I’ve never had any, like, psycho fans or devoted freaks try to find me.
Anji: You haven’t?  

Justin: Well, you know, if you wanna give it a shot you can always give out your home address right now.
All: (Laughs)
Ryan: And my phone number.
Justin: There you go. You can at least get some crank calls.
Ryan: (Laughing) Yeah, no, I don’t want that. It’d probably be people that don’t even like us, they just wanna crank call us.
Anji: You’re a pretty visible figure as it is. I mean, I see you at clubs and stuff.
Ryan: I’m tall. I guess I’m easy to spot and stuff.
Anji & Justin: Yeah.
Anji: You really are.
Anji & Justin: (Laughs)
Anji: Yeah, in fact, I saw you at Coven 13 the day. They were filming for some Gothic underground thing on Fox, or whatever.
Ryan: Oh, is that what was going on?  

Continue reading Love Spirals Downwards Interview on KUCI 88.9 fm →
Band News, Interview

Mean Streets on ProjektFest LA

Mean Streets So Cal, March 1998, Volume VIII – Issue 9

PROJEKT FESTIVAL: One of the most dramatic and beautiful nights of music awaits you…

By Ned Raggett

About 2000 years ago. plus a few, the Ides of March proved to not be a pretty good day. At least for a balding fellow named Julius Caesar. However, that was Rome and two millennia away, not Los Angeles and the middle of this March.

At the El Rey Theatre on Sunday, March 15, the third Projekt Festival will be hosted for many an appreciative fan, likely providing one of the most dramatic and beautiful nights of music for years. Organized by Projekt main man Sam Rosenthal, the festival, previously held in the in the label’s headquarter city of Chicago, will feature two of Projekt’s flagship bands— Los Angeles’ own Love Spirals Downwards and Rosenthal’s group Black Tape for a Blue Girl — and Santa Barbara’s faith and the Muse (who though not on Projekt are closely associated with the label via Darkwave distribution). Tickets can currentIy be purchased via Los Angeles at Retail Slut on Melrose, in Orange County at Ipso Facto in Fullerton, and through Projekt at 1-800 CD-LASER. All very well, you say, but why should you care?

Continue reading Mean Streets on ProjektFest LA →
Band News

L.A. Projekt Festival

The Los Angeles show that I referred to earlier, as some of you may have figured out, is the Los Angeles Projekt Festival at the El Rey Theater on March 15. Check Projekt’s Live Page for the latest info and details. I haven’t mentioned it here until now because the details of the show were constantly changing. The original idea for the show was supposed to be just us and labelmates, Thanatos. Now Thanatos is not playing and the show has become the “L.A. Projekt Festival.” Some of you know that Suzanne and I are not exactly blissful about festival shows, so this will be our last festival performance and your last opportunity to see us at one. Later in the year we plan to get back to doing our own shows again when we do some touring.

Band News

Dewdrops Records compilation

Dewdrops Records included our song “Delta” on their new 2-CD set, Splashed With Many A Speck, released this past December. The various artist compilation also features our friends Closedown, Faith & Disease, The Von Trapps, Lovesliescrushing, and many more, including Cocteau Twins. The Closedown track, “Bumblebee,” was actually mixed here at our home studio by me.

Splashed with many a speck
Interview

Interview in Sturm und Drang, Winter 1997/98

They say that every style has a limited life, from its prosperous origins to decline. There is, however, a current that has been in force for quite a few years and that has not declined at all: the heavenly voices. What began in the 80s with 4AD and continued with Hyperium now stars Projekt, a very successful American label that treasures some of the best ethereal music bands, such as LOVE SPIRALS DOWNWARDS, a Los Angeles duo formed by guitarist Ryan Lum and vocalist Suzanne Perry. In 1992 he made his debut with ‘Idylls,’ followed by ‘Ardor’ and his great and last work, ‘Ever.’

By Sonia Garcia

SUD: What is the meaning of the band name? Love Spirals Downwards? Does it have something to do with the acronyms that are formed with the initials, that is, the psychedelic LSD, and the effect that your music can cause?

Ryan: It’s just a name, we had to call ourselves somehow: it doesn’t mean anything.

Continue reading Interview in Sturm und Drang, Winter 1997/98 →
Band News, Interview

KUCI 88.9 FM Winter 1997 Program Guide [Scan, Transcript & Audio]

Interview and photography by Ned Raggett

It’s a beautiful name, Love Spirals Downwards. It calls up so many wonderful images, but the name would mean little if the band wasn’t so good as well. With Ryan Lum on guitars and other instruments and Suzanne Perry on vocals, LSD have created three excellent albums for Projekt Records over the past few years. The most recent, Ever, is quite something; a wonderful wash of Lum’s layered, exquisite acoustic and electric guitar work and Perry’s truly angelic vocals. LSD played an acoustic set on KUCI on Friday, November 15, after which they sat down for a talk about many and varied things — and during which they proved to have, as a duo, one of the best repartees around!

Ned: Ryan has mentioned elsewhere that he was trying to experiment more with electronics on this album. As the singer, what do you try to do on the new album that was different from the past?

Suzanne: I don’t know if ever try and aim for anything, I just see what comes out. The only aim is to do something different — or at least feels different. I don’t necessarily make something different, or consciously try to be different… I don’t know if this makes sense?

Ned: I’ve heard stranger explanations!

Ryan: I lost her!

Ned:  Well,  here’s another question for you, Suzanne…

Suzanne: Ask me a simple one, ‘cause I’m really stupid!

Ned: A simple one it is. Who are your influences, singing or lyrically?

Suzanne: Oh… (pause)

Ned: Never mind, that’s not so simple. Cancel!

Continue reading KUCI 88.9 FM Winter 1997 Program Guide [Scan, Transcript & Audio] →

Ethereal Shoegaze and Electronica from Projekt Records and Chillcuts