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The Rain Within

The Rain Within

Andy Deane grew up loving the horror movies and romantic comedies of the 80s. He could watch Michael Myers taking out promiscuous teens for 90 minutes and then shift gears to find out who Molly Ringwald was going to choose to be with at the school dance. There was inspiration to be found at both ends of the spectrum... the horrific and the beautiful, the tragic and the hopeful. Either way, a great soundtrack was the one thing that could put a film over the top.

This dichotomy shapes The Rain Within's sound in many ways; The cold synthesizers of John Carpenter and Vangelis colliding with the soulful, catchy pop structures of The Psychedelic Furs and Depeche Mode. Dance beats pound a path to the future as heartfelt lyrics draw the listener back with nostalgic words of love and loss.

After 2 successful self-released EPs, The Rain Within met up with Negative Gain Productions at a performance in Los Angeles on their first US tour. A bond was formed and from it Dark Drive was born. This ambitious release was written to move you, physically and spiritually, and builds a bridge between the New Wave sound of the 80s and today's audience. The future and the past are singing in harmony on Dark Drive.

Andy Deane is a modern renaissance man, having found success as a musician, a horror author, and most recently as a photographer. He studied voice training with a teacher specializing in opera for many years, and continues to learn on the job. He has toured the US extensively and found his way to Europe and the UK on several occasions with his goth rock band Bella Morte. The Rain Within is his latest musical conquest and tours are in the works to support Dark Drive.

https://therainwithin.bandcamp.com/

 

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Straplocked

Straplocked

Prepare to have your face melted by Straplocked: This is the live guitar-fueled synth you've been waiting for. 

Hailing from Connecticut, Christopher Carvache's razor sharp riffs create a full on retrofuturisc assault that will leave you reeling.  

Recently releasing the masterpiece of an album paired with Ray Gun Hero, "Stalemate" is not to be missed.  

https://soundcloud.com/straplocked

 

 

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Lame Genie

Lame Genie

Although they're the only band performing at NEON that doesn't fall under the vast #Synthwave umbrella (so far), we know you're going to love local Providence talents Lame Genie VGM as much as we do!

Their ultra-tight cover tributes bring video gaming's catchiest riffs to life in blistering metal waves of awesomeness. If Synth is NEON's soul, then video gaming is its heart. Rock on, boys.

Band Members
"Mega" Jeff McGowan
Mike "Costigunz" Costigan
"Guile" Kyle Sawaia
B.T. Jones
P.J. Jones
 

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Mecha Maiko

Mecha Maiko

“'I actually think of Mecha Maiko as a tragic figure: a cybernetic being who possesses immense power, but who will never fully realize what she trains to be, never aging or dying — a permanent spectacle — making that power all the more volatile,” she continued. “Kinda like a cyberpunk Claudia [the child vampire played by Kirsten Dunst] from Interview With The Vampire.”

Through Mecha Maiko, Stewart exercises a kind-of soft power. If we want to be punny, we could say a “mad but soft power.” Each of the record’s 10 songs packs a massive blast of seismic activity hidden in a shroud of composure. The brutality of the mecha is delivered in the enigmatic serenity and impeccable manners of the maiko.

Because she’s solo, Stewart has more freedom to experiment with composition and subject matter. Although she’s often associated with the synthwave scene — through Dead Astronauts or her guest work for artists such as Perturbator — Stewart uses her Mecha Maiko identity as a means to reach further, infusing her synthwave roots with a steady stream of influences that include Caribou, Jamie xx, and others." 

-Published 

 

 

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Dana Jean Phoenix

Dana Jean Phoenix

Dana Jean Phoenix is a synthwave singer/songwriter from Toronto. Dana attended the nationally renown Humber College Contemporary Music Program in Toronto and graduated the Musical Theatre program at Sheridan College. While at college, she would go to every open mic night she could find. "I would stay for hours just to get a chance at some stage time," says Dana Jean, who became known in Toronto's musical circles as 'DJP'.

Dana Jean then went on to perform with Melanie Durrant, Jully Black. Dana Jean toured internationally as the front woman for the Juno-Nominated band God Made me Funky, and has appeared at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Calgary Stampede, Ottawa Bluesfest, Toronto Beaches International Festival, NXNE (12), Canadian Music Week, New York M.E.A.N.Y Festival, and Cincinnati’s Midpoint Music Festival. She has appeared on Breakfast Television, Etalk, Canadian Idol, and Canada AM and has also shared the stage with the likes of Fergie, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Natasha Bedingfield, Kardinal Offishall, Joe, Divine Brown, and Suzanne Vega.

After being featured on PerezHilton.com by the celeb blogger, for winning 2nd Place in the Perez Hilton 'Can You Sing Competition', Dana received a tweeted shout out from hip-hop megastar Nicki Minaj for her A Capella version of Minaj’s hit ‘Starships’. Dana has garnered over 1 Million views on YouTube.

Dana has gained a following in the international synthwave scene, collaborating with Dreamwave and Darksynth heavyweights as GosT, Perturbator, Timecop1983, Highway Superstar, and Sunglasses Kid. Her original music has been featured on 'The Voice' (US), and the  'Inside Amy Schumer', and her collaboration with Dutch dreamwave artist Timecop1983 'Dreams (Feat. Dana Jean Phoenix)', was featured in the Netflix original films 'You Get Me' and 'Coin Heist', and will be featured in the upcoming video game 'Crossing Souls', an old-school action adventure with RPG touches, that will be released on PS4 and PC on Feb. 13, 2018. 

Her first full-length album ‘Drrty Shooz’ and sophomore album, 'Le Mirage' have landed in the top 10 of the !earshot National Electronic Charts. ‘Le Mirage’, features production from synthwave stalwarts such as: The Northern Lights, Silent Gloves, Patrick Gill, S.T.R.S.G.N, Till Wild, London Lazers, and The Amazing Mr. S.

In 2018, Dana's first tour was in Europe with sold-out shows in Vienna, Warsaw, London, and Stockholm. Dana's latest album, 'Synth City' is available on Bandcamp now, and features production from Timecop1983, The Northern Lights, Highway Superstar, Robots With Rayguns, London Lazers, Till Wild, and The Amazing Mr. S and has been featured on Synthwave's leading sites and blogs: New Retro Wave, Vehlinggo, Drive Radio, and Brutal Resonance. It has reached #1 on CFBX's Electronic Charts and #1 on CFMH's Top 30 Charts. 

 

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