Speaking of Sixteen Horsepower (two posts down,) one of the greatest American Gothic bands ever has sadly parted ways. They are however set to release a brand new live DVD in April, to go along with last year's double DVD, both on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label in the United States. The double DVD features the previously mentioned Brothers Quay video for Black Soul Choir, and two Joy Division covers. Shit... no excuse for not owning this already...

The two times I saw 16HP are easily among my top 10 concert experiences ever. The first was back in '97 or so, supported by Two Star Tabernacle, which of course later evolved into Blanche and the White Stripes.

If you're into dark, southern gothy stuff (read: if you're a Nick Cave or Tom Waits fan,) also check out the new film Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus, featuring 16HP's David Eugene Edwards, the New York Dolls' David Johansen, and Johnny Dowd. Aside from the easy but not necessarily fair comparisons to Cave, Waits, and Hank Williams Sr., Dowd has carved his own distinct voice from the diseased, blood-stained underbelly of Americana, earning such memorable reviews as "...like a serial killer trapped in a vacuum cleaner."