Byline: Ngoc Huynh Staff writer
Jeffery Proia, of Syracuse, and Marco Terrazas, of Cortland, met as strangers on the Internet about three years ago. They joined the Central New York Goth Meet Up group and got together with members once a month in Ithaca or Rochester.
After a while, Proia said he got tired of the commute - and of hearing people complain about the lack of a Goth scene in Syracuse.
"There was nothing and you just wanted to do something to get people together," Proia said.
So, Proia and Terrazas, both 28, started their own gathering.
The two men and other members of the local Goth scene get together 10 p.m. Wednesdays at The Mill, 1417 W. Genesee St., Syracuse. They call their event Nekropolis, which is Greek for "city of the dead." Nekropolis is free and open to the public.
The Gothic movement grew out of the punk scene in Britain in the 1970s. Bands such as The Cure, Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees often wore white Kabuki makeup and heavy black eyeliner in their videos on MTV. Their lyrics spoke of mortality, sadness and mistrust.
While punk music depicts lots of anger about society, Goth illustrates the melancholic side of life, according to Terrazas. He said Gothic stereotypes include wearing all black, drinking blood and worshipping the devil. While some people dress the part, very few do the other things. Like any group, Terrazas said there are regular folks and there are those who go to an extreme.
Jamie Plunkett, of Cortland, wears jeans and casual clothing during the day. Plunkett, 20, calls herself a closet Goth because she only dresses in black, corsets and combat boots when she's at the club. Her job involves caring for young children and Plunkett said she does not want their parents to judge her.
Some people, on the other hand, show off their Gothic lifestyle to the world.
"The Amazing Race" on CBS features 11 teams of two people, including a Goth couple from Kentucky. Contestants race around the world to win $1 million. Uniquely different from their competitors, Kynt and Vyxsin execute challenges while wearing white makeup, black nail polish, dyed hair and Gothic clothing.
While viewers nationwide can tune into Kynt and Vyxsin for fun, few people in the Syracuse area have access to local Goth entertainment. That's why Proia, also known as "Electric Jesus," and Terrazas, also known as "DJ Galder," both deejay at Nekropolis for free. They also host other events throughout the year including Goth prom, picnics in the cemetery, themed dinners and fetish parties.
"We do it for the music and we don't charge," Proia said. "Goth music is definitely not Top 40 so you don't hear it on the radio."
While Rochester has a nightclub called Vertex that caters to Goth music, Terrazas said most places in Syracuse play rock and rap. Goth beats range from dark wave, industrial, synth pop to neofolk, he said. It can sound full of machine noises mixed with a keyboard. It can also have an upbeat dance rhythm like techno music with some violin. Others carry a more punky sound with a lot of drums and guitars.
When Nekropolis started about three years ago, five people showed up, Terrazas said. Now, the weekly event draws 30 to 40 people from Syracuse, Ithaca, Utica, Cortland and sometimes Rochester.
Maureen Shockey, 19, of Syracuse, said she was happy to find a local Goth scene.
"I was really glad to find a place where I can dance to the kind of music that I like," Shockey said. "It's really nice to meet people who have the same taste as you."
Marco Terrazas, 28, Cortland. Occupation: Audio editor and owner of Galder Productions, a graphic design and media production business."In my teenage years, I listened to a lot of metal, but metal can only go so far with the drums and guitars. Goth has a bigger range of creativity.""It's a subculture it's not just all about dressing up in black. It's a way of seeing life and we try to find beauty where there is none...not to see darkness and death as evil things."
Teri Solow, 28, Ithaca, Occupation: Web programmer at Cornell University Cooperative Extension."Of course, there's lots of things I like that have nothing to do with Goth. For instance, I really dig Buddy Holly, but just because I consider myself part of the subculture doesn't mean that that's all that I am."Really, the highlight for me isn't in going out to Nekropolis but rather the pre-party at Jeff's house before Nekropolis. Every week we have a different dinner theme (sushi, Polish, Indian, etc.) and everybody brings over food to match the theme."
Maureen Shockey, 19, Syracuse. Occupation: Student at Onondaga Community College and page at the Fairmount Library."It started in junior high. I read a lot of comic books so I was into the "X-Files,' "The Sandman,' and "Batman.' ""A big component for me were the silent films. I got into Tim Burton as a kid and I read that he was influenced by German expressionist films from 1919 to 1926. I tried to emulate the makeup and styles from those silent films.""I think people have a hard time discerning that there's a lot of subculture within the subculture. There's the purist Goths who listen to Joy Division and the Bauhaus, and then there's the young kids today who just go for the commercialized aesthetic."
Jeffery Proia, 28, Syracuse. Occupation: Bartender at Stefon's Place at the Park View Hotel in Syracuse and manager at Trexx Night Club in Syracuse."Music and art are the two driving forces for the Goth scene.""One of biggest misconceptions is that people think we sit around drinking blood...that we're satanic. Many of us are college graduates.""It's just a chance for people to get together and talk and have a good time."
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PHOTO
Mike Greenlar / Staff photographer
EVERY WEEK,Jeffrey Proia (left) hosts dinner at his house for friends, many of whom enjoy the local Goth scene. Proia sits with his friend Devin Martinolich and a monster prop he got from a local costume store before their weekly Nekropolis event at The Mill in Syracuse.
No credit
Jamie Plunkett
Marco Terrazas
Teri Solow
Maureen Shockey
Jeffery Proia
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