Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Philidelphia, Pennsylvania

Style of Music: Classic Poetry mixed with early Post-Punk/Funk/Art Rock

Bio: The Absinthe Drinkers spawn catchy, original pop/funk/rock/whatever songs from works of literature ancient and modern. The Drinkers have funkified Baudelaire, punkified Shakespeare, and rockified a number of modern writers. The Drinkers also project original video during live shows, completing the facial orifice stimulating trifecta. They're still working on smellivision.

Coming Soon...



Official Site

Facebook Page

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Style of Music: Steampunk storytelling powered by violin (Narrative inclusive of music)

Bio: The Absinthe Minded Professors are a steampunk performance troupe dedicated to bringing you the future past one twisted tale at a time framed by music and surreal science. Not a band but a refined science fiction theatrical experience inclusive of muse murdering the classics to help illustrate stories.

The faculty is composed of Professional storyteller and magician Joshua Safford. Professor of historical options and violinist Michi Regier, professor of musicology and mathematics. They are often joined by associate faculty member Dr. Bernard, hammer Dulcimer and esoteric instrumentation. Faculty members are free range floating apart under various performance aliases performing all over the country in various venues and recombining as The AMP.

Coming Soon...


Myspace Profile

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Style of Music: Experimental/Electronic/Neo-Classical

Bio: The wide world exists in front of me, and I change its sounds to create music. All the sounds I produce are a mirror of this existing world. Maybe, they can be a mirror of your world as it is existing right now. Everything can be as you want it to be.

"Gilded Age Records is very new and has a sense of future potential that has not been met before. That is why I am interested in it. The amazing fact that people of the same opinion get together, is a valuable property in my life. I am extremely happy to be able to have such beautiful ties with other people." - Bug


Myspace Profile

Location: Carbondale, Illinois

Style of Music: Burlesque / Circus / Cabaret / Ragtime / Swing

Bio: Cabaret Decadance began as a party joke in 1996. The party was 'themed' to invoke the spirit of the legendary Cabaret Voltaire. (The original one, not the 70s punk band by that name.) Cabaret Voltaire was created by artists from all over Europe who fled to Zurich in 1914 to escape the war. These draft dodgers shared a conviction that "Modernism" had let everyone down. The Enlightenment doctrine that social "progress" would be a natural consequence of a more scientific and rational society seemed naive as the First World War led a new 'descent into barbarism.'

We live in parallel times, and our cabaret party joke touched a nerve - a kind of provocative nostalgia. Friends begged for more. They joined us, and we became a full-blown burlesque revue. We've been causing trouble ever since. Cabaret Decadance has gone from being a joke, to becoming a sustained project to create a burlesque in the classic sense - "to parody or spoof." We draw our musical and performance aesthetics from a time before breakbeats, power chords, and "the new prudery" that teaches us to fear our desires rather than own them. We specialize in pulling down society's knickers for a laugh or two. We don't long for a simpler time. We just endeavor to bring a sense of humor and historical perspective to bear as we spoof the present human condition. It's our little bit to keep those possible futures more interesting - and as free as possible.

"Musicians' collectives are becoming crucial to the very possibility of musical creativity now that the music industry is becoming a floundering dinosaur - too self-referential and narrow in vision to see where the culture is going.

Vintage aesthetics and not-for-profit networking? It's a good fit for Cabaret Decadance. What's not to love about Gilded Age Records?" - Cabaret Decadance


ReverbNation Profile

Location: Oxford, UK

Style of Music: Dieselpunk Cabaret / Visual Kei

Bio: Dr. Carmilla [as played by MaKi Yamazaki] tells the twisted tales of a distopian future following WWII having ended very differently. Her unique blend of dieselpunk cabaret defies conventional classification and has been compared to the likes of Amanda Palmer, David Bowie, Nick Cave and Pink Floyd. From jazzed-up ballads of nuclear fallout, to the ever-unfolding, multiple-song stories of infection and love, her music invites audiences to laugh, cry or cringe in amusement.

Her stage presence, often accompanied by her backing band, The Mechanisms with a full ensemble of strings, percussion, piano, bass and flute has been described as both atmospheric and mesmerising. New York musician and label owner, Rachael Sage describes her as "able to not only create beautiful, stirring music - but to surprise the audience, multiple times. MaKi is an innovator and her text, as well as her music, is a layered, profound reflection of her own pathos, humor, vibrancy and intelligence."

Locked deep in the cavern of Silvana Studio, Dr. Carmilla is currently writing and recording her debut EP, whilst holding her distorted lens to a world that, quite frankly, could do with a wake up call.

MaKi Yamazaki is a feminist and an advocate of queer and disabled peoples' rights. She was also born with a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and works to raise awareness of this rare and disabling condition.

"As we delve deeper into the digital age, we find ourselves leaving behind a lot of the old ways of working with labels. Gilded Age Records is here to work with artists who want to leave behind a stifling, overly-commercialised world and look to one where outcasts and misfits of the old system are united together, waving our retro-futurist flag. I am proud to be part of this collective and to stand side by side with like-minded artists; to find a place in this brave, new world together." - Dr. Carmilla


Official Site

Location: Fort Collins/Denver, CO

Style of Music: A unique blend of punk, metal, rockabilly, bluegrass and southern stomp all wrapped up in a steampunk/carnival atmosphere.

Bio: Charles Von Vitic is best described as an eccentric madman hell-bent on assaulting the world with his incessant noise production and bizarre art. Vitic developed a deep, persistent loathing for all things mainstream and overworked early in his childhood and, after many years of misery, began to actively seek out anything uncommon, eclectic, or out of the ordinary. He is now an utterly hopeless case obsessed with creating sinister, ghoulish music and art for some hideously un-diagnosable reason. He is also completely terrified of mimes.

Everything is envisioned, created, produced, painted, programmed, mixed, performed, recorded and promoted by one slightly insane man with a top hat.

"There are sounds..Sounds not entirely unlike music..Sounds that wrench the soul and rip the heart..Sounds which I have absolutely no ability to render in any remotely coherent fashion." ~Charles Von Vitic

"Charles is incredibly excited to be joining Gilded Age Records and is extremely grateful for the support and encouragement he has received thus far. He looks forward to being part of a community of like- minded individuals and interacting with other great musicians interested in creating something more than the accepted standards. He has also temporarily taken to speaking about himself in the third person."


Myspace Profile

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Style of Music: Neo-Classical Electronic/Acoustic/Pop/Rock with Steampunk themes.

Bio: The Clockwork Dolls began in 2007 with a simple concept: to create music that serves not only as a source for recreation but as a means of narration, a storyteller much like the days of old. The trio's strength rests in their unique combination of skills. Their music combines Allison Curval's knack for the fusing of traditional classical music with the epic sounds of contemporary musical scores, modern electronica, and Helene De Fer's passion for poetic lyrics.

The music of The Clockwork Dolls involves an elaborate world that is simultaniously familiar and strange. It is one that is filled with flights of fancy, airships, and the technology of both past and future. With songs like Maiden Voyage telling the tale of a noble woman's dream of freedom and flight to the Ballad of Black Jack Jezebel, a story of a vengeful gambler set in the wild west, The Clockwork Dolls functions not only as a band but as a group of writers and actors telling a story of adventure, bravery, tragedy, and drama all mixed in with the occasional ho down.

"The Clockwork Dolls selected Gilded Age Records because of the range of artists on the label as well as the common goal each band holds dear: to create music for the future using elements of the past. We feel that the record label's goals and artistic visions matches our own and shares an appreciation for our desire to create music that not only entertains but allows the listener a chance to escape into a new and different world." - The Clockwork Dolls



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: DeLand, Florida

Style of Music: Steampunk Based Rock/Ragtime/Acoustic/Cabaret/Folk/Swing/Reggae and anything else that we feel inspired to write.

Bio: The Cog is Dead is a time traveling band with a bit of a musical identity crisis. Formed in Grimsby, England in 1893, the Cog is Dead have traveled to various points of time in an effort to save clockwork mechanics and steam power! Along the way they have discovered several types of marvelous music which has helped to inspire their own.

"We are delighted to join Gilded Age Records. It's so nice to see see so many others out there like us who are striving to bring the beauty and charm of the Victorian age back! It's truly wonderful!" - Captain John Sprocket


Myspace Profile

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Style of Music: 77' style Clockwork Punk Rock

Bio: The Cretins were formed in 2004 by four kids, three of which had no idea what they were doing. After a few years of slugging it out in Minneapolis, recording two EP's and minor line-up changes they finally recorded their debut full length album "Clock Rock 'n' Roll" in August 2007. "Clock Rock 'n' Roll" is a concept album conceived in 2005 by guitarist and founding member L.U.C. and was co-written by then vocalist M.D.C. When played start to finish it is one continuous piece of music and was recorded in just 3 days. One year after the release of "Clock Rock 'n' Roll" The Cretins removed original singer M.D.C. and current bassist A.L.X. was put on second guitar. In December 2008 The Cretins did not look like they were going to continue, down two members and only consisting of guitarists A.L.X. and L.U.C. and drummer Androog they began to write the follow up to their debut album, "Angel Rhythm and Devil Blues". "Angel Rhythm and Devil Blues" is a double album that contains 32 songs and was written from December 1st to December 24th. Recording from the album started January 1st 2009 and since then the band has secured both a new lead vocalist H.A.Z. and bassist S.A.M. and is set to play various punk festivals before the beginning the "Angel Rhythm & Devil Blues Tour" in late 2009.

The decision to include 19th century themes in our music is most seemingly an unconscious one due to the fact that we're not terribly fond of a lot of things we see these days. This is not to be confused with politics, we're mostly talking about human nature and the overall way people treat each other due to their narrow mindedness. -L.U.C.

"We've never been a traditional punk band and I think that is why we like Gilded Age Records and chose them for "Angel Rhythm & Devil Blues". They embrace the stranger stuff that we want to do where as other "punk labels" were immediately scared away when we told them the album was going to feature: marimba, mandolin, dulcimer, harmonica, synthesizers, banjo, acoustic guitars, slide guitar, piano, organ, a cappella singing over church bells, etc etc... It's times like this when it's nice to have people like Gilded Age Records who aren't going to hinder your creativity because it doesn't necessarily fit into a niche. You're never going to have a revolution if you're constricted to the narrow mindedness (there I said it again) of other people." - L.U.C. of The Cretins


Myspace Profile

Location: Paris, France

Style of Music: Steampunk influenced Coldwave/Cabaret/Minimal-Electronic

Bio: Crimson Muddle was born from Miss Hellebore's nightmares in 2003. It went through several incarnations, while Hellebore was trying to create the perfect creature... But since these various chimeres never lived long enough, she offered her numerous talents to the igoresque delirium of Deadchovsky. Then in 2008, Hellebore decided to give it another go... She sewed her head on a body made of Abesada's arms, Annie-Dog's legs and Little Spigaou's torso. They started recording a few songs for their first EP, played a few gigs then one morning, the torso ended up in a girlz cemetary! The girls decided to go on with a dream come true: a woman's body! To be continuated...

"We joined the Gilded Age Records because we can't imagine music as anything different that a bonding experience, our band is our family, and music is about people meeting other people with one dream: sharing musical journeys and enjoying creative interaction. So it's a real honour and pleasure for the Crimson Ladies to be a part of such a wonderful family!" - Crimson Muddle


Myspace Profile

Location: Birmingham, UK

Style of Music: Goth/Electronic/Experimental with Steampunk influences

Bio: Darklily was put together during a sweet summer evening in 2005. It is a project inspired by the beauty of darkness, intensities of emotion, and the wonders of eras past. It tingles the ears with a pinch of storytelling and a dash of strange. The desire to create delectable visuals through lyrics and music drives Vyolette to continue on with her experiments.

"Here is a welcoming community like no other that inspires the creative mind. Darklily is pleased to be a part of it." - Vyolette of Darklily


Myspace Profile

Location: Fantastica, South Carolina

Style of Music: Dark Cabaret/Gypsy-Punk/etc.

Bio: Out of the woods and into your ears! The Din of Thieves is an archaic music with dark themes that tell tales of ancient lore and modern mythos. Brooding basslines groove goosebumps on the back of your neck as siren guitar lines sing luring and devastating melodies at you. Twisted rhythmic wizardry entangles the dominant yet eccentric vocal personality disorders and upset monsters. The Din of Thieves offer a visual and sonic feast with wild stage antics and dramatic emphasis on performance. This is an eclectic cornucopia of music, style and old/new world themes mixed in a cauldron of rock and roll.

"Writhing in the interdimensional folds of the universe, we have uncovered our fleshy selves to find... others so like us that we realise the potential for duality of mind, spirit and music among other mortals. " - Din of Thieves



Official Site

Myspace Profile
Facebook Profile

Location: Pensacola, Florida

Style of Music: World, electronic, and industrial sounds, spoken word and sung vocals, and dramatic instrumentals all collide to form a soundtrack for a steampunk journey around the world.

Bio: Escape the Clouds is inspired by a confluence of rewritten history, exotic places, and memorable characters from a world that never existed outside of imagination. What if they were real? How could these stories be told and how would they sound?

Escape the Clouds finds the answer by interweaving tones from around the world - Japanese taiko drumming, industrial vocals, heavy guitars, Native American flute, and Turkish darbuka to name just a few influences - into dramatic, energetic songs about a range of subjects as wide as the Earth itself. Mankind's lust for exploration. A steampunked version of a Japanese civil war. The struggle of Native American tradition against westward expansion. The mechanical dalliances of a Russian nobleman. All of the latter and more may be found amongst these musical tales.

"The artists on Gilded Age are gifted storytellers who paint vivid, fantastic worlds through their music and words. It is so inspiring to find other creative people who appreciate similar themes and tastes. One could ask for no better company." - Mark Rossmore



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Lincoln, UK

Style of Music: Victoriana Occult inspired Progressive Black Metal for the New Golden Dawn

Bio: Created by Lord Eibon Blackwood around his interests in Victoriana Occult and Infernal Brigantia - The age of a bygone era and those halcyon days of spiritual discovery, Eibon la Furies encapsulates a love for avant-garde progressive black metal, classical ambience and the beginnings of photography and film. Lyrically Eibon la Furies explores the depths of truths, lies and legends of Brigantia's Imperial days through extensive reading of the historical and mythical stories of the Infernally Gaslit Isle.

A very visual band - Eibon la Furies incorporate pyros, magic and banner bearing girls into a grotesque Victorian Black Metal show. Eibon la Furies' first releases were on their own ‘The Ministry for Infernal Affairs' label. Their debut album will be released worldwide by Code666 / Aural Music. This is creativity from the dark side of the human condition!

"Although vastly different in musical styles and to some degree in aesthetics, it is heartening to see Gilded Age Records bringing a collective of musicians together promoted under the Steampunk/ Neo-Victorian banner- we revel in and appreciate the diversity of the scene and are proud to dwell at one end of it's extremity!" - Lord Eibon


Myspace Profile

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Style of Music: Rock/Pop/Funk with Steampunk themes.

Bio: The Extraordinary Contraptions, Atlanta, Georgia's own steampunk rock band combine superb musicianship with visuals from a time that never was. The rock and roll aesthetic meets the steampunk DIY ethic to produce unique sound and visual sensation.

"By far, the most difficult parts of making music are the logistics and organization that do not directly pertain to the creation and performance of music. The Extraordinary Contraptions are delighted to join up with the diverse-sounding and talented artists of Gilded Age to do our part to share the non-musical work load so we can all spend more time with instruments in our hands." - The Extraordinary Contraptions



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Style of Music: Chamber Rock

Bio: Emotion is at the core of all we do, but in todays era of music, it too often seems lost and forgotten. Fermata strives to blaze a trail through the empty sounds that suffocate our senses every day.

With only acoustic instruments and the human voice at their disposal, they weave stories with sound, cadence, and crescendos in a way that stirs us and reminds us why we seek out music in the first place - to feel.

"Fermata has joined Gilded Age Records because we feel that there is a sense of vision and emotion that is shared with many of the artists on board. In a time when many artists are only out for themselves, a little unity is quite refreshing." - Jon of Fermata


Myspace Profile

Location: New South Wales, Australia

Style of Music: Atmospheric Orchestral/Piano driven instrumentals

Bio: Flood of Rain was a project created in late 2003 by Adrian Windsor The purpose of Flood of Rain is to bring forth elements of a forgotten age of music and weave them into a mix of modern industrial rock.

lush strings and soft piano, combined with harsh guitars and epic soundscapes. Flood of Rain's purpose is to give people a chance to experience the beauty of the past, while giving birth to a new future in musical exploration.

In 2004, Flood of Rain began working on various demos until starting work on a future release in 2005. during the time between 2005 and 2006, Adrian had the opportunity to work with many talented artists and musicians, including the beautiful Moon-Eyes from japan (an extremely talented pianist) Yohei from the band Azaraco (an wonderful composer and guitar player) and Callum, of the epic metal band, The Spill of Infinity (a multi talented man who can play so many instruments with such expertise) Some of these collaborations were featured in Flood of Rain's Debut album Dream Sleep, which was released free online in 2007 for all to download.

during 2008, Flood of Rain became inactive, due to other musical commitments until becoming active in january of 2009, shortly followed with the new song "Farewell".

With a new-found sense of inspiration and excitement, Flood of Rain moves forward and begins on a second and more mature release to be released later in 2009...

Coming Soon...


Official Site
Myspace Profile

Location: London, UK

Style of Music: Rock/Punk/Goth with Steampunk themes.

Bio: "This hellish symphony shall guide you well..."

Stalking the cobbled streets; lurking in the shadows of the darkest alleyways... Dare you glance beyond the safety of the guttering gaslights? To where the gin-soaked moxie plies her trade, the dipper watches his mark and the drunken sailor staggers blindly...

It's this shadowy world of villains, rogues and rascals that Ghostfire calls home.

In the darkest corners of the flash taverns, we raise glasses with vagabonds, footpads, pirates and thieves. All seeking sanctuary in the anonymity only notorious London Town can afford...

"Come in and see the whole nightmare..."

"We appreciate the diversity of acts on Gilded Age; all linked and entwined by the glistening web of a history that's real or imagined. We're admirers of Tony Wilson/Factory Records/the Manchester music scene and to encounter somebody inspired by, and prepared to use Factory's social ethic as a template was pretty hard to refuse..." - Ghostfire


Official Site
Myspace Profile

Location: New York, New York

Style of Music: Gypsy Celtic Cabaret w/ Tribal and Punk elements

Bio: A dynamic amalgamation of on-stage chemistry, energy and musicality," New York duo, The Gypsy Nomads, also affectionately known as Frenchy and the Punk, channel the spirit of the gypsy sound, lacing it with a cabaret, celtic and neo-medieval flavor rooted in punk, folk and the vineyards of southern France.

The Nomads perform with a wide range of bands at an equally wide range of venues all over the US; from festivals featuring the fantastical and mystickal with stilt walkers, jugglers and fire throwers, to conventions geared to the steam punk/faerie/sci-fi/cabaret crowd to Burning Man-like events with performance artists, belly dancers, drum circles and bonfires blazing 30 feet in the air, to rock clubs and cafes.

The duo features French-born Brit. Samantha Stephenson, whose vocals have been likened to a cross between Siouxsie Sioux and Edith Piaf and veteran of the American hardcore punk scene Scott Helland on guitar whose first band Deep Wound, is listed in the Encyclopedia of Punk. Helland's innovative live looping technique coupled with Stephenson's animated percussion produces a sound that makes it hard to believe there are only two people on stage. The songs are catchy and the music is addictive, perfect therapy for a world gone mad.

"Coming Soon..."


YouTube Channel

Official Profile


Location: Brighton, UK

Style of Music: Victorian melodrama, Chanson réaliste, Tin Pan Alley, steampunk, exotica, folk and a little bit of reggae sneaks into everything.

Bio: As for me, I hawk my tunes about the the world in my unreliable tramp steamer and am currently anchored a little off-shore somewhere between 1890 and 2011 with a hold full of unusual instruments and a mind full of troubling ideas.

"Not being of a sociable disposition, it's a peculiar thing to be invited amongst like-minded people. I think I quite like it and for that reason alone, I can account Gilded Age Records an excellent institution! " - Alexandra Hamer



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Asheville, North Carolina

Style of Music: Psychotic-Cabaret with Steampunk influences

Bio: The Hellblinki Sextet was formed as a live act in the final days of the last century. Broken tooth blues in a Tux, choral fantasies for agnostic angels, peg-leg waltzes on the rim of Mt. Vesuvius... Hellblinki is prone to suprise, tension, and dramatic release. Dark and experimental, Hellblinki mixes elements of American folk, European cabaret, guerilla operatics, and Punk Rock experimentation into an intoxicating brew of transcendent madness...

"Look friends, there ARE others a bit like us, let's join the party! (and what might that be in the green bottle?)" - Andrew of The Hellblinki Sextet



Official CD Baby Profile

Myspace Profile

Location: Portland, Oregon

Style of Music: Lo-Fi/Psychedelic/Chamber pop...Soundtracks for Airship Flight.

Bio: In 1896, the Pacific Northwest was flooded with reports of an extraordinary flying machine. Whether mass hysteria or something more mysterious, that slowly drifting dirigible is an icon of Oregon's partly cloudy past and present, and Portland based ensemble Imaginary Airship has gotten more than a little inspiration from the surreal sightings of the Northwest's long-ago floating mystery. Combining old world aesthetics with the far-out song structures of 1960's pop and early 70's progressive rock, the band's swirling, soaring arrangements will captivate your imagination, taking you on a fantastic audio voyage you won't soon forget. There is nothing wrong with your phonograph. Do not attempt to adjust the stereo equipment.

"As an independent artist in an overwhelming sea of music, I've come to realize that networking with like-minded people is absolutely essential to survival. I'm a huge fan of musical collectives, and appreciate the sense of artistic community they help to foster. Gilded Age is a very diverse group of talented performers, and I like the idea of putting our heads together to help each other succeed." - Jonathan Moore of Imaginary Airship


Myspace Profile

Location: Portland, Oregon

Style of Music: "Tantrum-Folk" (Vaudevillian Folk/Punk Hybrid Music)

Bio: Insomniac Folklore are the founders of Tantrum-Folk as well as antagonistic veterans of the North-West music scene. This project is fronted by the charismatic vocalist/guitarist Tyler Hentschel with his ominous low voice and spastic stage presence. Tyler has over the years been joined by a rotating cast friends and family members to make up the group today known as Insomniac Folklore. Sincere, violent, beautiful, mournful and silly all at the same time. IF is cut from the fabric of a different time. Solo or full band Insomniac Folklore is an experience in itself.

We are inspired by: Coffee, Travel, Sewing, Indie comics, Dumpster diving, Hats, Good films and records, Pipe tobacco, Tea parties, Holy scripture & Friendship

"I am not just speaking for myself when I say that we are thrilled to be part of the Gilded Age family! I think it is great that so many wonderful and diverse musicians standing united under the same banner like this… Lets make our own future!” -Tyler (Dr Folklore) Hentschel


Myspace Profile

Location: Portland, Oregon

Style of Music: Gothic Americana with a heavy debt to Ennio Morricone and Mad Max.

Bio: A nihilist descendant of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave, Jim Strange can be found in various houses of ill repute performing, either solo or with his band The Proud and the Damned. The sound and lineup are ever evolving but the spirit remains the same. Ballads of the weird west coincide with broken faith dirges and trailer park death marches in a sound that has been referred to as "Death country" or "Gothic Americana". All labels aside Jim simply plays irony free American music unpolluted by conventional morality. He and his band are currently hard at work on recording their debut CD with plans for a summer release.

"I am very happy to cast my lot with a group that is flying the flag for music of such an idiosyncratic nature." - Jim Strange



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: London, UK

Style of Music: Vaudevillian/Cautionary Tales inspired by Danny Elfman/Tom Waits, etc.

Bio: Dear reader,

Hello. I'm Joe Black.

Pianist, accordionist and abuser of vocal chords. my voice was obtained by living on a diet of dust and tangerines. The accordion, from a drunken polka player on a deserted island. The piano, won from a game of black jack with the devil himself. The stamping, comes from my knees mainly....

So ready your gramophones, adorn your best feathered hat and pin your scarf. We are the waltzing cynics. And we do as we do.

It must be insisted, that you, do as you do as well. Let no being, alive or dead tell you that you cannot live, love and learn, or that you cannot be happy as you are, because that is a lie. Whoever you are, whatever you are, wherever you are and however you are... stay beautiful.

Yours sincerely, Mister Joe Black

"I joined "Gilded Age Records" because I love the unity, its inspirational to all other acts feeling out of place in the music world" - Joe Black



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Los Angeles, California

Style of Music: Rock and Pop with dramatic orchestral elements

Bio: Jon Magnificent was born in the mid-sixties in the middle of a rock and roll explosion. Location: Southern California. A born-tinkerer, musician and totally misunderstood by his parents, at age 12 he was exiled to his uncle's basement in the mid-west for the summer. Being unsupervised for weeks at a time, between recording radio broadcasts of Led Zeppelin songs on to his Uncle's reel-to-reel, he time-travelled to the 1800s and helped then President Grant quell threats to National Security by mad-scientists and others hoping to take over the country and the world. He returned to the 1980s and though appreciating the technological advances of keyboards, decided it the decade didn't rock enough and skipped it. He arrived in Seattle, Washington (actually, right across the street from Seattle, at the tip of Lake Washington in 1992 and spent time developing his song crafting, recording and performing there until 1997 when he relocated again to Southern California, where he now resides.

In 2008 he was awarded Orchestral Composer of the Year and nominated for Male Singer-Songwriter of the Year at the 18th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards.

In 2009, he was listed among other hopefuls on the GRAMMY Ballot in 2 categories: Best Rock Song and Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance, both for his song "Baby!".

In 2010 he is nominated for Best Rock Album for "You Won't Believe This" and Best Rock Single for "Proud To Be n American" at the 20th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards.

"Real rock and roll saves lives. I make real rock and roll. Steampunks make the future more imaginative and the present more fun. We, as Steampunks, USE our imaginations to create." - Jon Magnificent



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Style of Music: Rambunctious 19th Century inspired Southern Gothic/Blues Punk.

Bio: The Legendary Shack Shakers' hell-for-leather roadshow has earned quite a name for itself with its unique brand of Southern Gothic that is all-at-once irreverent, revisionist, dangerous, and fun. Led by their wildly charismatic, rail-thin frontman/blues-harpist, J.D. Wilkes, the Shack Shakers are a four-man wrecking crew from the South whose explosive interpretations of the blues, punk, rock and country have made fans, critics and legions of potential converts into true believers. With the recent addition of former Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison (Hank III/Tomahawk) and drumming wunderkind, Brett Whitacre, the Legendary Shack Shakers have quickly become known for providing some of the best entertainment (live or otherwise) that you can get for your hard earned money.

Coming Soon...



Official Website

Myspace Profile

Location: Paris, France

Style of Music: Dark Acoustic Classical/Steampunk Industrial/Experimental Pop

Bio: Life's Decay is a French project, based in Paris. It was born at the beginning of 2003. Lyktwasst is the author. Since its creation, five main albums were born : a CD named "Art Decay Extremism" in 2004, the album " Anleva " in 2005, "Lysselia" in 2006, "Szilentia" in 2007 and "Eklaasera", the new available album since September, 2008.

Until 2005, Lyktwasst was alone in the center of the project, realizing everything, from the concept to the accomplishment. Since, he is now working with Alea, feminine singer and lyric writer. In 2008 she also started to work on the music with Lyktwasst by introducing classical acoustic instruments.

Life's Decay has the will to create a personal universe, musically and visually, influenced by eclectic universes. A big musical evolution occurred between the first album "Art Decay Extremism" and "Eklaasera". Lyktwasst and Alea unites their passion of the music and innovation to offer different albums from one to another, invested and anchored in their own universe. The graphics has a huge importance in the project. Lyktwasst creates artworks made of only full black and white which establish a " retro - luxury " universe. Music and visuals are completely connected. He also realizes all the photos, music videos, web sites etc.... Lyktwasst created the label " Abstraktsens Produktions " in 2004 to assure the production, the promotion and the distribution of Life Decay. All the CD and the other productions of the project were released on this label.

"We joined Gilded Age, because we are always glad to join a collective of artists with a common interest." - Life's Decay



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Örebro/Roslagen, Sweden

Style of Music: Acoustic/Gothic/Rock with influences from folk music and cabaret.

Bio: With their dark and haunting sounds from the Swedish woods The Magnificent Seven has reached a new level in their quest to find their own unique sound. Their sound has sometimes been described as Gothic Country, Dark Cabaret or as Myspace Sweden said; "The Magnificent Seven's matchless sound is a blend of perfect pop melodies, cabaret and French chansons."

Dark, twisted lyrics about wolves, the Devil and death are accompanied by bittersweet string arrangements and haunting sing-a-long choruses.

The band is currently working on their debut album together with producer Christian Gabel.

"After visiting Gilded Age Records, we were inspired to join with the many creative artists and bands that share the same vision as The Magnificent Seven." - Fredrik Anjou of The Magnificent Seven.



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: London, UK

Style of Music: Dark Cabaret

Bio: Marcella and The Forget me Nots is the brainchild of Marcella Puppini, a UK multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.

The 8-strong all-girl orchestra, who look and sound like the house band from a Terry Gilliam dystopian fantasy, began in 2008 just for fun, but soon Marcella's clattery Cabaret Showtunes and quirky symphonic tales started to draw attention at London's trendiest Underground venues, such as The Last Days of Decadence and The Vauxhall Tavern, and at leftfield Arts festivals such as the Blackpool Festival of Circus.

The band's first recording was produced in May 2009 by Stephen Coates of The Real Tuesday Weld, who chose to record all the instruments in the Main Hall at The People Show Studios to create the same raw and warm sound that the band produce live.

Their debut video, Monster Mae, was the result of a collaboration with edgy American director Alex De Campi, who had previously lent her witty and quirky aesthetic to two Puppini Sisters tracks, and whose list of credits includes Amanda Palmer, The Real Tuesday Weld and Des O'Connor.

Marcella and The Forget Me Nots see themselves as the ultimate girl band.

"Marcella and The Forget Me Nots joined The Gilded Age of Records because it reinforces our feeling of being part of an exciting music subculture that's on the verge of exploding into something big. It's wonderful to be in the company of such diverse and interesting artists! " - Marcella Puppini.


Myspace Profile

Location: Dallas, Texas

Style of Music: Theatrical Progressive Psychedelic Punk Cabaret

Bio: With the ambitious wish to propel the entire world into a melodic vortex, Marquis of Vaudeville emits an extraordinary sound that spirals listeners on an utterly imaginative, musical merry-go-round. One never knows what moodswung journey they'll embark upon once these musical highwaymen hijack their consciousness.

Their music is whatever you, as the listener, hear within it and take from it. It's whatever you desire it to be, yet whatever it is to you, or represents, or relates to in your life, it's connection that drives this musical menagerie; to embolden, to enkindle, to express. Hate them, love them, they demand the world take notice, and merely wish to incite something genuine, to inspire sincere emotion despite the world's mind numbing mediocrity and generic mass production. Marquis of Vaudeville is a tantalizing flavor for even the most finicky musical appetite.

"We wish to share in Gilded Age Records old world romping and revelry. We are those who spend the day dreaming, imagining impossibilities, and who are passionate for the unique, the mysterious, the wondrous. We gather and wish to grow with other extraordinary individuals who hold such passions true and who exemplify all that we love." - Toby Lawhon



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Orlando, Florida

Style of Music: Imagine if an Orchestra had a three way love child with a synth and a djinn. It's about like that, but with far less ironic wish granting.

Bio: Mr. Maxwell is a gentleman composer who sailed the aural ether for new sounds. When his quest for the New failed, he looked to Old. So it was with this in mind that he consulted various Cabalistic manuscripts and technical manuals (Abdul Alhazred's Ancient Pacts and Old One summonings: a Treatise for Dummies) and stumbled upon a delightful mix of styles that seemed to work. His music ranges from sombre to severe, the serious to the satirical. Some of it will make you dance while other pieces will make you ponder Life's Unanswerable Questions. (Where did I leave my keys?)

Give him a listen. The worst thing that could happen is you end up liking him.

" I've joined this esteemed Hall of Musicians because it provides an exhaustive list of music that may otherwise go unheard in a range of styles with the panache of cravats and corsets. If it weren't for this site I may have never stumbled across Sunday Driver, whose music is so sublime my Ladyfriend won't stop playing it. I also joined for the bragging rights to my fellow Dandies. (In your face Mr. Philastorby!)" - Micah Maxwell


Myspace Profile

Location: Palmas, Spain

Style of Music: Experimental/Ambient/Industrial

Bio: In 2005, after his first band dissolved, Moloch decided that he wanted to explore different musical paths. He then started to experiment with sounds and noises and that was the beginning of Moloch 11811. In the time since his music has changed and begun to incorporate thematic elements drawn from the realms of Steampunk and Dystopian tales.

"Coming Soon"...



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: London, UK

Style of Music: Gypsy-Folk Noir

Bio: The Peryls have been poking around in some very odd places, and they've discovered some unusual things. There are skeletons in every closet but sometimes there are other things too - dancing bears, deranged doctors, and doomed experiments to name just a few. Opportunists to the last The Peryls have stolen these findings without so much as a thank you and have carefully woven them into a brand of creaky, sinister music, which is dark, lyrical and enchanting.

The Peryls' first two EPs were featured on BBC Radio 6 and www.soundsxp.com described them as “alt-folk at its folking best”. They've been gigging around London and the South for the past two years supporting the likes of The Clientele, It Hugs Back, and Murder by Death, and have played at the Luminaire, The Borderline, and the Windmill. Their new EP “I Have Not Slept one Wink” will be available in summer 2009 from Rough Trade, iTunes, and Amazon.

"Until now, we thought it was just us that felt this way..." - The Peryls.



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: New York, New York

Style of Music: Darkwave Fairytale Cyberpunk with electrogoth influences and a steampunk aesthetic

Bio: Hailing from a future dominated by neurotechnology, dendritic Internet connections and direct dream-downloads, Psyche Corporation is part of an early subliminal marketing initiative for a popular dream-manufacture company of the same name.

As a performance, Psyche Corporation is an alloy. One part cyberpunk trip-hop darkwave music, one part robotics exhibition, one part dreamscape art. Drawing much of its aesthetic from steampunk fashions and the neo-vintage movement, Psyche Corp. seeks to combine the best of many worlds: The music alludes to a world drenched in decadence, a world where nobles wear corsets and cages for fun, yet women enjoy at least as much autonomy as they do today. Having made an empire of past and present, Psyche Corp. goes on to claim the dearest dreams of science-fiction enthusiasts, namely life-extension and virtual reality servers full of wonderful nightmares. Using styles and art inspired by older eras, Psyche Corp. takes on a mystique markedly different from the usual jeans-and-tee band.

"I'm a big fan of the good old-fashioned future. A big, industrial, steam-powered fan with mahogany blades plated in brass. I don't know about you, but I've always been suspicious of those 21st century fans that spend all their time plugged into 'outlets'. There's more to life than outlets. Furnaces for instance. At Gilded Age Records, I feel understood. I feel like no one will ever try to stick me into a pigeon-hole or an electrical socket. Forty-seven rounds of shock therapy was quite enough for me." - Genevieve.


Myspace Profile

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Style of Music: Cabaret/Noir influenced Post-Punk/Experimental.

Bio: REVEL HOTEL is neo-classic experimental synth rock for the millennium and beyond. The band was born in the spring of 2008 in Brooklyn , New York , consisting of several multi-instrumentalists and otherwise bleeding hearts. Ever-changing in both sound and style, the band is currently recording a debut EP, and is eager to unveil their hauntingly beautiful vision into the world.

"Revel Hotel is proud to link up with all the fine bands of Gilded Age records, out of respect and love for the diversity and common goal of the label. We are all fans of the original Factory Records collective, and see Gilded Age as a sister compatriot of inspiration in these trying times." - Revel Hotel


Official Site
Myspace Profile

Location: London, UK

Style of Music: Steampunk Indie Prog Rock

Bio: Tom Slatter is a composer, singer and songwriter who writes records, plays and teaches in London, England.

Spinning the Compass is his first solo album. A mixture of acoustic indie with a steampunk theme and a hint of prog rock experimentation, Spinning the Compass explores themes of love, flying machines, nightmares involving cable cars and steam engine related body horror.

"Mr. Slatter’s music evokes images of ill-lit workshops, dark libraries in mansions where spirits are contacted, cabaret in run-down theaters and the taste of absinthe." The Traveler's Steampunk Blog

"Gilded Age Records is already home to musicians whose aesthetic and style I admire, from Vernian Process to the Wet Glass RO. It seemed only natural to join forces with such formidable artists. In this new age, musical adventurers like ourselves must surely stick together if we are to succeed." - Tom Slatter



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: London, UK

Style of Music: English Folk combined with various exotic eastern sounds

Bio: Sunday Driver's debut album encompasses songs ranging from the darkly comic to the mystical and hypnotic. Drawing on the band's diverse musical and cultural backgrounds, the album takes its inspiration from the Victorian backstreets of London and the chaos of Kipling's Calcutta - passing through the Antarctic and the courts of Henry VIII on the way. The album also features beautiful original artwork from Claudia Drake of Urgent Alchemy. It has featured on radio stations including BBC Asian Network (both the Nikki Bedi show and Pathaan's musical rickshaw), BBC 6 Music (Tom Robinson), BBC Radio Cambridgeshire (Sue Marchant show) and BBC 3 Counties "Introducing".

Sunday Driver, abstractly named after a gene commonly found in mice, are well known for their curiosity for experimenting with new sounds. The current line up includes clarinet, tabla, sitar, concert harp, guitar and vocals - and even a pair of dessert spoons. From the opening thrum of Gayatri Mantra, a Sanskrit prayer, to the haunting piano of closing track Naked Bodies, the album is a mix of acoustic, Indian, classical, jazz and folk influences. 'In The City Of Dreadful Night' was launched in Cambridge in October 2008 at a sell-out Victorian-themed night featuring Raindance Film Festival nominated artist and poet Beyonder.

Coming Soon...


Myspace Profile

Location: London, UK

Style of Music: Neo-Classical / Electronic / Experimental

Bio: The bizarre and sometimes tuneful experiements of one man with an unhealthy fascination for classical and industrial music. Having worked in a variety of styles and structures, it's certainly worth a look. Good for fans of videogames, classical peices, industrial overtones and... well, good music.

"I feel Gilded Age Records is a very good place to get my music out to the right sort of crowd." - Synthonym



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Style of Music: Grand Guignol themed Electronic with Neo-Classical and Rock elements.

Bio: Their second album "Grand Guignol" is the second instalment in the series of Murder, Lust and Depravity. It crash lands in the middle of the 19th century, going even further back in time than their debut album. A new assortment of aural pleasures awaits within, with a newer orchestral sound being explored, while still maintaining the clinical precision that only Analog and Digital Synthesisers can deliver.

Coming Soon...


Myspace Profile

Location: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Style of Music: Vaudevillian influenced Dark Cabaret/Circus music.

Bio: There are things here in the making, songs for the taking. Loading up on as much musical notation can't be bad. The fools from the illuminated hallways scream at glass mirrors and run from the light. All of the freakshows are charging a nickel for entry, a dime to leave. They tax your smiles and reward your sorrows. A few hairy gentlemen with canes tap for your attention, throwing their top hats into the foul smelling air... they come back down on the canes, twirling and whirling. They sing you a ratty old tale of whiskey nights and stolen dreams. They approach you, face to face.... shouting, "step right up and witness a world that people cringe from, a world where people like you dare not venture". He was once just an innocent thing, but through the tortures of a hideous past, he's been corrupted to loathe his very existence. Treat him as such. After you're done mocking and pointing, follow the signs down this pathway... walk into the dark, musty makeshift hallways, and know.... it is This Way to the Egress.

This Way to the Egress is a three piece band, consisting of Taylor Galassi on accordion,cello,and vocals. Sarah Shown on piano,mandola and vocals and M@ Verderosa on drums, percussion and vocals. They often can be seen with contortionists, fire eaters, and blockheads. Many other musicians sometimes join them on stage to create lots of antics, and crowd participation.

"We wanted to get involved with Gilded Age Records because we love that this group has gathered together so many bands! We want to become part of this community and help make it bigger!" - This Way to the Egress


Myspace Profile

Location: Los Angeles, California

Style of Music: Experimental/Electronic/Cabaret

Bio: The Tleilaxu Music Machine is a strange and multi-faceted device propelled by an array of metamechanical processes heretofore undiscovered. D. Bene Tleilax is the sole proprietor of this machine--he has both engineered and constructed it, and currently pilots it through the depths of American musical culture in all forms.

"I have chosen to associate with this fine league of aesthetes because of what it embodies--the focus of a group of eclectic and eccentric musicians on creating variations of an exciting theme uniquely comprised of both vintage and modern origins. with members both stylish and well-educated, i naturally find myself in good company within the Gilded Age collective and find it an accomodating channel for the dispersal of my own contributions towards this end." - D. Bene Tleilax


Myspace Profile

Location: San Diego, California

Style of Music: Piano driven Dark Cabaret with a focus on the live experience.

Bio: The Tragic Tantrum Cabaret is San Diego California's premier Dark Cabaret band. With z0e on vocals and Zephyrus Rexx on instrumentals, this two-piece is no typical group. Employing multi-media and theatrics, TTC has been hailed as one of the most creative and unique bands in San Diego.

Coming Soon...



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: New York, London or Wowtown

Style of Music: Mechanical Madness, Strange Melodrama and Sad Serenades

Bio: "Straight outta Wowtown, one-man steampunk band Thomas Truax is famed for his array of bizarre homemade instruments (including the now-legendary 'Hornicator'), captivating live performances, and ground-breaking recordings. He crafts some very potent songs...poetically evocative and rich with melancholy." -David Greenberger, Signal to Noise

After a history in bands in New York in the 90s, Truax, a stubborn DIY enthusiast, self-released his debut full-length solo CD 'Full Moon Over Wowtown' on his own label in 2002. It was snatched up by London-based Breakin' Beats for release in the UK and Europe, who also released his second album 'Audio Addiction' (2005). Truax's third album is 'Why Dogs Howl at the Moon' on Edinburgh-based SL Records, (2007). This was followed by an acclaimed all-covers album 'Songs From the Films of David Lynch' in 2009. Numerous singles on his own and various labels have been released between the cracks. Thomas's fifth and most recent album (at time of writing) is 'Sonic Dreamer'. Currently he calls London home, but he is frequently on tour and never seems to stay in one place too long.

"I arrived initially because my battered time machine broke down and left me here, and though I aimed to fix it as soon as possible, the food and company is so good I think I'll stick around a while." - Thomas Truax



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: San Francisco, California

Style of Music: Cello-based darkwave with cabaret and folk elements

Bio: Unwoman is a solo cellist/vocalist/producer who has also performed with Rasputina, Voltaire, Attrition, Jill Tracy, Stripmall Architecture (Halou), Vernian Process, and HUMANWINE. Her solo work draws comparisons to Kate Bush, Amanda Palmer, and Imogen Heap but is wholly unique. She has released three full-length albums and an EP entitled Trouble. Unwoman's musical goal is to combine the best elements of past and future into timeless pieces representing struggles for love, knowledge, and independence. Live solo performances include simultaneous cello & vocals, with or without electronic accompaniment.

"I'm very happy to join Gilded Age Records, a cadre of artists all embracing the beauty of the past while moving deftly forward." - Unwoman



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: San Francisco, California

Style of Music: Darkwave/Neo-Classical/Post-Punk/Industrial/Trip-Hop... aka. Steamwave.

Bio: Taking its name from the works of 19th Century author Jules Verne, Vernian Process is a Darkwave band that creates music themed around Victorian scientific romance, and its 20th century equivalent steampunk. Joshua began working on music under the name Vernian Process in the winter of 2003. He released a number of home made downloadable albums over the next 4 years and is currently working with Martin Irigoyen on their first official album. As of summer of 2010 the project features eight live members.

"I'm not only the president of Gilded Age Records, I'm also a member... but seriously, I started this collective as a way of strengthing the community spirit and collaborative efforts of likeminded artists. I'm totally happy to see that so many others have the same vision." - Joshua A. Pfeiffer



Official Site

Myspace Profile

Location: Hollywood, California

Style of Music: Odd-itory Frankenstein (Diverse & heretofore unrelated genres dissected and reassembled in unholy new combinations)

Bio: Veronique Chevalier is an eccentric theatrical & music director/ Vaudevillian comedienne/lyricist/vocalist/ specializing in the masterminding & shepherding of eclectic collaborative projects that involve a diversity of artists of various disciplines, ranging from a Polka Grammy-nominated muliti-instrumentalist; to Opera & Broadway Divas; to a Master Yodeler; to a Platinum Record-winning singer/songwriter; to a virtuoso Asian Jazz Fusion guitarist, as well as his equally virtuosic Gothic/Industrial bass & Warr Guitar-playing younger brother; to a World-renowned woodwind Instrument expert; to the founding drummer of a 70-80's pop/rock ensemble with multiple major radio hits; to a string-playing dynamo known as "The Jimi Hendrix Of Violin"; to a prolific former Nashville lyricist, turned newspaper columnist; to a Mime & Butoh-influenced performance artist; to, well, you get the idea...

Thus far, she has completed three full-length albums- two of which are collaborative compilations- "Cabaret4Choice" & "Polka Haunt Us", and one of which is of her solo work as a cabaret chanteuse. She prefers creating with a wide array of collaborators, and has set her sights on creating a body of work that will defy easy categorization. Finding cemeteries quaint in concept, but impractical in the 21st Century, she is determined to multi-task beyond the ability of any gravestone-carver to create a succinct epithet, thus ensuring she is either cremated (her first choice); interred in an unmarked mass grave (better for air quality, but a waste of space); or given a burial at sea (of questionable nutritional value for fish food ).

"Unlike Groucho Marx, MADemoiselle Veronique approves of joining the occasional club that would have her as a member, such as Gilded Age Records, as long as her fellow members are also in some way, shall we say, "tetched" in the head (in the best possible way, of course). Plus, she approves heartily of gilding the lily, so why not recordings as well?" - Veronique


Myspace Profile

Location: Paris, France

Style of Music: Electro, Rock, Balagan, with a steampunk fragrance of "uchrony"

Bio: Victor Sierra's transversal universe is made of sound and visual explorations and knows no limit. A powerful and imposing rhythmic roars in the engine room of a baroque vessel sailing on a rough sea to mysterious lagoons and ice fields on fire. Their melodies wind up and stretch out just like furious fever peaks. Words from varied origins open up to new roads that always take you further away.

On stage, Anouk's, Bob's and Big Machine's energies invite you to go beyond the horizon line, to be stirred in unison and to live unpredictable experiences. Victor Sierra just won't get lost on beaten tracks, they sublimate their past and look to the future. Welcome to our parallel nights.

"Perhaps we are a bit on the fringe of the Steampunk area but we definitely feel like part of the whole idea of alternate history. The engine rooms, mixed technologies, industrial poetry, etc." - Victor Sierra


Myspace Profile

Location: Sydney, Australia

Style of Music: Industrial-Metal with Steampunk themes.

Bio: Viral Millennium is a new project that was created by composer/guitarist - Adrian Windsor. the concept of Viral Millennium is to mould the beauty and mystery of the past and fuse it with the harsh soundscapes of modern industrialized rock. Viral Millennium set to share their hybrid style of music with the rest of the world. The beauty of music, is that it is a language which everybody can understand.

Coming Soon...


Myspace Profile

Location: Lincoln, UK

Style of Music: Electronica, Neo-Victorian, Alternative

Bio: It is 2022. The world is in turmoil after world nuclear war and mankind has been forced to survive in a post-apocalyptic environment.

The Wet-Glass Restoration Organisation (RO), lead by the infamous Captain Caspar Byron and the seclusive Doctor Aegis Mutton, are a small group of hopeful survivors that strive to succeed in restoring the planet to it's former beauty, while also filling in pieces of their own pasts in hope to find redemption for their mistakes...

The Wet-Glass RO are a varied duo of eclectic styles and musicality, involving a wide range of instruments in their music including guitars, pianos and laptops.

"This is a wonderful place to discover more steampunks and more performers! We have never come across such a fantastic community of talented musicians and entertainers as Gilded Age, and to be a part of this is a huge honour."


Myspace Profile

Location: Denver, Colorado

Style of Music: Gothic Americana

Bio: T'was the dark year of our Lord, 1775. King George III had just dispatched a fleet of his finest ships to snuff the rebellion abroad. When the dawn of October 30th broke on Captain George Duff, he and his men were just 100 miles out of Liverpool in the Celtic Sea. A deckhand called the Captain's attention to the mast of black ship about a quarter mile off their port side. Young master Johnny, the cabin boy, strained through his spyglass to see if the ensign bore the Jolly Roger, or perhaps it was Irish Navy. But as the massive old ship drew nearer, Johnny saw the ensign clearly, and it was one he had never seen before. An hour glass with angel wings was pinned to the tattered old rag of a flag with brick red pigment that seemed to drip like murder from the canvas. As Johnny panned the spyglass toward the deck, he heard wisps of voices on the wind. Singing? Yes it was; and how haunting at that. Like a corpse whispering promises through a flute made of bone. And then Johnny saw the figure head; a siren carved in ebony, the size of a Requiem Shark. Her eyes were deep and hollow, her hair seemed to move with the nature of eels, and a dark scarlet ink ran from her lips over the plaque she held in her spindly fingers. And on the plaque; Johnny strained to read… inlaid with bone, in a merciless font, stood the words, "The Widow's Bane." In an instant, the ship had swung broadside and before Johnny could speak, he saw a series of flashes emit from the ship's port holes. There was a sound not unlike that of the earth itself being torn asunder, and then poor Johnny heard no more. Come that evening, the crimson waves left in the wake of The Widow's Bane, reached all the way back to Liverpool.

And while this spectacle was certainly shocking to the fishermen that soaked their trousers in it that night, this account is only unique in the names of crew members and geographical locations. Apart from that, this story has been a part of almost every port town's history across the globe for the last three hundred years. Indeed, to this day, if a sailor hears that mournful tune on the high seas, he will know his options of fate are slim. If he has been a God fearing man and said his prayers, he will likely sleep in a watery grave that eve. However, if he has lived his life by the Devil's standards, his fate is sure to be far worse; an endless voyage of murder and mayhem, singing for his bread, and living among the dead, upon The Widow's Bane.

"The Widow's Bane has joined the pages of Gilded Age Records because it is our belief that only through the death and resurrection of the past can we bring sufficient horror to the present. We prefer dried roses to fresh ones, graveyards to shopping malls, postcards to e-mails, railroads to highways, and Nosferatu to Twilight. In all of this, we are comfortable at Gilded Age Records. To all of you who feel the same: Welcome home." - The Widow's Bane



Gilded Age Records is © 2009: Joshua A. Pfeiffer