SACRED! Music Project
by Margot Day & Kurtis Knight 1999

SACRED! Press clips: Delirium - It may even raise a chakra. Like the ocean, SACRED! is lulling with some waves and an occasional white cap. VAE SOLIS - "fantasy and extremely exciting. I just love these tracks"! Oklahoma Gothic - "There are few who can rival the vision or voice of Margot Day. Something of a cultural icon in the industry, Margot Day has inspired more groups than one can conceivably identify". Perpetual Nightmare "Give in to your ancient passions: wandering , hauntingly beautiful. futuristic..". STARVOX - "Sacred is a plum ripe for the picking". The Gothic Preservation Society -" Lightning shifts from Disco Diva to demented operatic soprano .. to swamp-sorceress chant to werecat-caught-in-mid-transition.". LEGENDS - "legendary in her New York period as front woman for post-punk group. The Plague - I dare you to listen to this disc and try to concentrate on something else". OUTBURN - "The songs are so unusual, yet they work remarkably well... Margot Day is defiantly something to check out". --Octavia

 CLICK HERE FOR THE DISCOGRAPHY

"Ready to Globally Dominate"

Concert review from The Santa Barbara Independant; "Margot Day has a inescapable presence, capturing the audience with her long magenta curls veiling her milky white skin, lending to a romantic's vision of a mermaid. Her petite form embraced by a dark cloak revealing a purple bodice, skirt, and legs. The music then began. The electric and percussive melodies started a pulse that seemed to be pulling something up out of the ground -- and then Day began singing. She started off in a kneeling position.. as if her voice came from a well deep within her body, Day's voice began a steady chant, low in pitch. Gradually her voice began to rise in pitch as did her body. It was as if she was tapping into the energy in the room and pulling it up inside her. It was a courageous and original feat. The song was Wonderlust, and I suppose that was the reason the rest of us were there. To satiate a longing desire to be surprised by something curious, daring, and sensual..." Claudia Santa Barbara Independent 1999

Margot Day vox & flute/Kurtis Knight on Syn / Mike Watson Guitar / Joey Drums (from Motergrater). 

SHOW REVIEW IN MUSIC WE TRUST: Sumerland/Margot Day/Soy Futura
EJ's - Portland, Oregon - July 30th, 2000
By: Sonya Brown

Next on stage is Margot Day. Margot overtakes the stage and gives us a taste of the singer, actress and performer she is. This was not only a wonderful musical experience, but a visual one as well. Margot (vocals and flute) is an exotic gypsy in black lace and sequins (a gown, she tells me, that belonged to her mother). Kurtis Knight, cloaked in black, on a Kurzweil 2000 keyboard (with organic samples and loops) plays beautifully. The percussionist, Joey Z., shirtless and wearing grease-paint, uses strobes to illuminate his drumming; which further helps to create a canvas of sight and sound that ranges from darkly sinister, to tribal, to bright and heavenly. Margot's vocal range paints these contrasts with ease.

If you are not familiar with Margot Day, Margot was the lead singer for The Plague, an 80's band rooted in the New York underground music scene. Margot has also worked with Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys), Ira Elliot (Nada Surf), Jim Thirwell (NIN), Nick Zedd, R. Kern, London May(Misfits), Nick (Farenhieght 451), and Bones( Disassociates).

The set list for Margot Day included: Wonderlust, HereAfter, Neptune, Money God, When I grow up, BeautifulSoDeadly, Zenatopia, CyberDreams,Burned The Witch, and Sacred Life.

Margot presented me with a copy of their cd "Sacred". Sacred will be most treasured, as it is almost completely sold out. Margot tells me that "Sacred" is so named because of the beauty that surrounds the creation of this cd. She was living in Vermont at the time, in a lovely farm house surrounded by the things that she loves. "Sacred" reflects this beauty right down to the shiny gold wrapping that encases the music... yet another example of the wonderful musical and artistic visual experience that Margot Day creates

Interview by Jett Black For Starvox (2000) Hypnotic, dark magical, electronic trance-dance - Margot Day sings with such intensity, easily surfing high and low through octave ranges, sometimes wild and primal, sometimes soft and seductive soul dancing electro-industrial, hypnotic dance pop rock with gothic lyrical overtomes. Margot Day is progressive, haunting audiences with loops, natural and synthetic vocal mutations, samples from the galactic noise beyond this orb. Most of all, this music is made for fun, dance, and trance.... Highly acclaimed and adored, the gilded SACRED! cd has been celebrated by the press and club & radio DJ'S across the USA and abroad... Now, shut-me-up! and listen in as Margot Day draws you into the musical progression of her world...

What convinced to you to grow roots in Santa Barbara?

Margot: I'm being draw to the ocean, the night jasmine, the heat of the Jacuzzi under the stars…

How did you hook up with Mike Watson?

Margot: Mike just happened! He's a wild card! Unexpected! He adds a distorted fiery passion to the live show.

How did the fire, during your performance, start on Halloween at theYucatan? What's the story?

Margot: Opening for Das Ich - There was fire on Halloween, while we played "THEY BURNED THE WITCH"! Halloween at the Yucatan in Santa Barbara was a night to remember! Mike Watson got carried away while blowing fire from his mouth and the stage caught on fire! While smoke filled the room, I sang "They Burned the Witch, save the witch..", and the show went on, climaxing with SoBeautifulSoDeadly! Blessed Be! And of course, many special thanks to Gene who with burning feet stamped out the fire while others dashed on stage pouring water and squirting fire extinguishers.

Next, in Goleta, California, you took stage with Necrodolly, Cinema Strange, and Project Eden. What do you remember most about that night, in late Nov. '99?

Margot: I remember an excellent sound system, a powerful show, and enjoying the other bands.

Who is involved in your group, Margot Day, now?

Margot: We just did and April Fools Surprise show with a new drummer, Joey Z from Motograter. Very tribal and powerful. Joey transported me (with Kurtis Night on keyboards and Mike on guitar) to that rapture place, throbbing and transcending.

Which performances during the past year impressed you the most?

Margot: The Full Moon Solstice show with guest star Dru (from this Ascension) was unbelievable. The Full Moon being closer to the earth then usual, the pre-millennium turning tension, the Solstice, the packed room..some of the photo's in this interview are from that show.

How did you get noticed by CMJ? And what has come of that recognition?

Margot: I sent in my CD. I didn't have any special contacts. I am proud to say they just discovered it themselves, picked it out from the thousands of CD's sent in... CMJ called my music "futuristic"...I didn't know the review was there until one night, I was in my kitchen, being very un-glamourous, washing dishes and preparing dinner for my children when the phone started ringing. Big label A+R were calling me, they had seen the raving review featured in the futures section of CMJ. Nothing came of any of it, but it was entertaining accompaniment for dishwashing.......

Tell us about CyberDreams, and Cybertribes... what's that about?

Margot: The hope that we will unify, through the web, that we will become a Cybertribe and reach all kinds of people from all over the world. There are samples from faraway tribes, organic sounds, and sounds that are futuristic, creating a dreamy euphoria. You can hear CyberDreams at my website. Your music has been described as: "Ethereal-Gothic-Electro-Industrial-Ambient-Techno-Pop".

Describe methods you have used to explore these musical characterizations.

Margot: Ethereal: Meshing with the Mystical. Gothic: To embrace the Dark & the Light Electro: The sound of the future, the future of sound. Industrial: For the aggression, for the power. Ambient: Spacey, trippy, gateways to the other dimensions... Techno: Dancing and Throbbing Pop: To be unforgettable. To be heard everywhere.

You have described your absence from the music industry as one of seclusion "making babies and music in the wilderness". Tell us about your children and how the wilderness and the music came together.

Margot: Isolated with nothing but the web to connect me (and the collective consciousness) ...endless dark nights of winter... hearing the muse and the infinite songs to be created. This was a beautiful time, a special time, alone with my children and Kurtis. Learning from my wise elderly parents. My elderly mother still dancing and my father still painting. They were an inspiration. My children with their life force energy feeding and growing, there young softness and cuddlyness; an inspiration. The waterfall in my backyard, the fairy's on the moss hills; an inspiration. The longing, the yearning, for glamour and wild nights, fueled by memories of endless parties, endless lust, and endless dancing; an inspiration -this is what the SACRED! Cd is made of.

How did performing on the same stages with Fahrenheit 451, Bad Brains, and Sonic Youth in NYC inspire you and your musical developments?

Margot: It was a time of great exploration, rebellion, inventing, and boundary pushing, boundary breaking. Anything was possible, and anything could happen. It was NYC with out rules. Run by the underground. Inspired by talent with no restrictions. Free and wild. The beginnings of the club scenes, goth, punk, skins, dance… We were in it all together, with few prejudices of which tribe you walked with.

Where do you personally envision your music taking you?

Margot: I feel the music on the Sacred! CD is needing to be played and performed, that although it has been treasured, there are still so many people who have not heard it. I have only scraped the surface of the world.

How have you struggled to bring your music to the fore-front today?

Margot: Struggled. There is the understatement. All underground labels struggle with the fact that the major labels put millions into promotion and distribution. And the budget that I work with is totally out of pocket. I implore those into my music go to my website and buy my music or donate money if you can – I don't know how I can survive with giving it away forever? Is there any money in this scene to support those of us who give our life's blood?

What are RF waves? And what is it about RF waves that you wanted to capture and incorporate into your music?

Margot: RF = Radio Frequency Waves - Sound coming off of the planet (Neptune) recorded by the Voyager on its expedition. We sampled the sound from Neptune, and used it as a bass line and a background wash for the song Neptune on the SACRED! Cd. This is the evolution of music – to use organic sounds as instruments and make new music never possible before – In the past there was only instruments that we made, such as violins/guitars/drums ECT– and until recently we could not use the sounds of raindrops or the ocean melodically, rhythmically – now we can use a sampler to record and create music – even music from outer space!

How has your music pushed boundaries in the music industry?

Margot: I was rejected by Arista records even though they said it was "hit material" but my words where to "mystical"! Because of the web, the boundaries are being pushed, and the underground grows stronger and stronger… the big labels are dying there natural death. It is my hope to change the mainstream, to give people everywhere music with depth and meaning...

Please describe the video work Margot Day completed for cable tv in NYC. Which program, song and can we still find this video today?

Margot: Vampyre Dreams TV - cable TV there is a link to them at my website. Very special people(Vamps). They interviewed me at several live shows in NYC ( at CBGB'S ECT.), and played footage from the live show with the interviews. The video called Vampyre has the song Vampyre from my previous band the Plague. We filmed it in the wilderness of the Northeast kingdom in Vermont. It is played regularly on Vampyre Dreams TV in NYC. The Vampyre Video is for sale at my website. 

Describe one of your most inspirational moments in writing. When and where did this occur and how did it evolve?

Margot: Having lived in mommy-land for a few years, I missed making music so much it hurt through my whole being, I felt like I was going to throw up, puke, give birth, explode, combust. Though the cash flow was almost nothing, I went out and bought a keyboard, and a 4 track. I locked myself upstairs in our old farm house, cried to the spirits that be, I can do this, I will make music again. And then it came rushing out, Kismet (on the Margot Day CD), Wicked & Wize -"breakdown the walls and get away, forget the wastedtime, find me some wine, no rest for the Wicked &Wize" (my escape song). Hereafter was born then as well, by banging on the keyboard so hard that it caused distortion on the 4 track, everything in the red...

Margot Day: Vocals, Flute, programming, samples co-producer
Kurtis Knight: Programming,Syn,samples mixing, co-producer
Jeff Cooper: Drums, programming, samples, engineering, mixing, co-producer
Jim Harduby: Guitar

Margot Day 

STARVOX
Interview questions by Jett Black 
photos by Kristyne Mellett

Hypnotic, dark magical, electronic trance-dance - Margot Day sings with such intensity, easily surfing high and low through octave ranges, sometimes wild and primal, sometimes soft and seductive soul dancing electro-industrial, hypnotic dance pop rock with gothic lyrical overtomes. Margot Day is progressive, haunting audiences with loops, natural and synthetic vocal mutations, samples from the galactic noise beyond this orb.  Most of all, this music is made for fun, dance, and trance.

The diva, Margot Day has worked with such luminaries as Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys), Ira Elliot (Nada Surf), Jim Thirwell (NIN), Nick Zedd, R. Kern, London May (Misfits), Nick (Farenhieght 451), and Bones 
 (Disassociates).

As lead singer for The Plague, Margot Day erupted during the genesis of  the NYC Goth scene.  Mick Mercer for Melody Maker called her, "Impressively Disorientating, Spookily Effective... Saucy!"  The Plague album received regular college radio airplay (#1 at KMSA, WKKL) and intense press.

In 1999, Margot Day released a solo CD, self-titled.  Unique powerful songs had her last CD in the top 10 at KCPR (occultivation) and receiving increasing play on college stations (WRUV, WGDR, WVBR, WCAT, WUSB, WJUL, KCPR, WRAS, WPTS, WPCR, WNMH, CKMS, WWPW...) across the States, in Latvia, and Russia.  Her music is playing in US, UK, & Canadian clubs, with a review in the Futures section of the CMJ new music report.  OUTBURN wrote: "unusual and unexpected... remarkable", and INTERFACE wrote: "...we'd sure like to party at her place sometime."

Performances in '99 took Margot day to Santa Barbara (where she has laid new roots), San Diego, L.A., San Francisco, New England, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Boulder, CO, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and in NYC at CBGB's, Alchemy and The Bank.  Performing live with Electro Keyboard player  Kurtis Knight, Mike Watson on guitar (formally with various infamous bands)  and Power Percussionist Paul Sutherland (from This Ascension), her show is mesmerizing, pyro-teknik, visually and vocally awesome.  Taking audiences somewhere they've never been, and letting them remember what they've always known, an Experience!

Margot Day followed the self-titled debut with Sacred!  Highly acclaimed and  adored, the gilded  SACRED!  cd has been celebrated by the press  and club & radio DJ'S across the USA and abroad.  Email Margot Day today! And get on the Margot Day newsletter list.

Now, shut-me-up! and listen in as Margot Day draws you into the musical progression of her world...

What convinced to you to grow roots in Santa Barbara?

Margot:    I'm being draw to the ocean, the night jasmine, the heat of the Jacuzzi under the stars…

How did you hook up with Mike Watson?

Margot:    Mike just happened!  He's a wild card!  Unexpected!  He adds a distorted fiery passion to the live show.

How did the fire, during your performance, start on Halloween at theYucatan?  What's the story?

Margot:    Opening for Das Ich - There was fire on Halloween, while we played "THEY BURNED THE WITCH"! Halloween at the Yucatan in Santa Barbara was a night to remember!  Mike Watson got carried away while blowing fire from his mouth and the stage caught on fire!  While smoke filled the room, I sang "They Burned the Witch, save the witch..", and the show went on, climaxing with SoBeautifulSoDeadly!  Blessed Be!  And of course, many special thanks to Gene who with burning feet stamped out the fire while others dashed on stage pouring water and squirting fire extinguishers.

Next, in Goleta, California, you took stage with Necrodolly, Cinema Strange, and Project Eden.  What do you remember most about that night, in late Nov. '99?

Margot:    I remember an excellent sound system, a powerful show, and enjoying the other bands.

Who is involved in your group, Margot Day, now?

Margot:    We just did and April Fools Surprise show with a new drummer, Joey Z from Motograter. Very tribal and powerful. Joey transported me (with Kurtis Night on keyboards and  Mike on guitar) to that rapture place, throbbing and transcending.

Which performances during the past year impressed you the most?

Margot:    The Full Moon Solstice show with guest star Dru (from this Ascension) was unbelievable.  The Full Moon being closer to the earth then usual, the pre-millennium turning tension, the Solstice, the packed room..some of the photo's in this interview are from that show.

How did you get noticed by CMJ?  And what has come of that recognition?

Margot:    I sent in my CD.  I didn't have any special contacts.  I am proud to say they just discovered it themselves, picked it out from the thousands of CD's sent in... CMJ called my music "futuristic"...I didn't know the review was there until one night, I  was in my kitchen, being very un-glamourous, washing dishes and preparing dinner for my children when the phone started ringing.  Big label A+R were calling me, they had seen the raving review featured in the futures section of CMJ.  Nothing came of any of it, but it was entertaining accompaniment for dishwashing.

Which upcoming music festivals have grabbed your interest and why?

Margot:    Well of course the pre-convergence in Portland and then the Convergence in Seattle, and the Leipzig festival. Why?  Because I'm always hoping the scene will get stronger and bigger and reach the world over...

Where are you directing your marketing efforts now?

Margot:    HELP a cry for HELP.  I am almost sold out of all 3 CD's. I need someone to invest in making more (I am open to  signing with a label/distribution deal). I need HELP marketing/distributing the next batch. Future Records is looking for people who want to work for our label on a commission basis. 

Who might you be collaborating with now, or next?

Margot:    I am being drawn to some DJ's, singing while they're spinning. And I'm very inspired playing out with Joey Z, Mike, and Kurtis Knight. 

On SACRED!, which songs required the most work in production?

Margot:    All of them except the improvisational piece, DayDream, which just happened.

What progress have you made in the studio since SACRED! ?

Margot:    None.  Although I hear the muse whispering new songs, and many of the songs in the live show are aching to be recorded such as Burned the Witch and Wonderlust, I need a influx of cash-flow before I go into my studio world again.

Tell us about CyberDreams, and Cybertribes... what's that about?

Margot:    The hope that we will unify, through the web, that we will become a Cybertribe and reach all kinds of people from all over the world. There are samples from faraway tribes, organic sounds, and sounds that are futuristic, creating a dreamy euphoria.  You can hear CyberDreams at my website.

Your music has been described as: "Ethereal-Gothic-Electro-Industrial-Ambient-Techno-Pop".  Describe methods you have used to explore these musical characterizations.

Margot:    Ethereal:  Meshing with the Mystical. 
 Gothic:  To embrace the Dark & the Light 
 Electro:  The sound of the future, the future of sound. 
 Industrial:  For the aggression, for the power. 
 Ambient: Spacey, trippy, gateways to the other dimensions... 
 Techno:  Dancing and Throbbing 
 Pop:  To be unforgettable. To be heard everywhere.

You have described your absence from the music industry as one of seclusion "making babies and music in the wilderness".  Tell us about your children and how the wilderness and the music came together.

Margot:    Isolated with nothing but the web to connect me (and the collective consciousness) ...endless dark nights of  winter... hearing the muse and the infinite songs to be created.  This was a beautiful time, a special time, alone with my children and Kurtis.  Learning from my wise elderly parents.  My mother is 80 and is still dancing and my father at 83, still painting.  They were an inspiration.  My children with their life force energy feeding and growing, there young softness and cuddlyness; an inspiration.  The waterfall in my backyard, the fairy's on the moss hills; an inspiration.  The longing, the yearning, for glamour and wild nights, fueled by memories of endless parties, endless lust, and endless dancing; an inspiration -this is what the  SACRED! Cd is made of.

How did performing on the same stages with Fahrenheit 451, Bad Brains, and Sonic Youth in NYC inspire you and your musical developments?

Margot:    It was a time of great exploration, rebellion, inventing, and boundary  pushing, boundary breaking.  Anything was possible, and anything could happen.  It was NYC with out rules.  Run by the underground. Inspired by talent with no restrictions. Free and wild.  The beginnings of the club scenes, goth, punk, skins, dance…  We were in it all together, with few prejudices of which tribe you walked with.

Where do you personally envision your music taking you?

Margot:    I feel the music on the Sacred! CD is needing to be played and performed, that although it has been treasured, there are still so many people who have not heard it.  I have only scraped the surface of the world.

How have you struggled to bring your music to the fore-front today?

Margot:    Struggled. There is the understatement.  All underground labels struggle with the fact that the major labels put millions into promotion and distribution.  And the budget that I work with is totally out of pocket. I implore those into my music go to my website and buy my music or donate money if you can – I don't know how I can survive with giving it away forever? Is there any money in this scene to support those of us who give our life's blood?

What are RF waves?  And what is it about RF waves that you wanted to capture and incorporate into your music?

Margot:    RF = Radio Frequency Waves - Sound coming off of the planet (Neptune) recorded by the Voyager on its expedition.  We sampled the sound from Neptune, and used it as a bass line and a background wash for the song Neptune on the SACRED! Cd.  This is the evolution of music – to use organic sounds as instruments and make new music never possible before –  In the past there was only instruments that we made, such as violins/guitars/drums ECT– and until recently we could not use the sounds of raindrops or the ocean melodically, rhythmically – now we can use a sampler to record and create music – even music from outer space!

How has your music pushed boundaries in the music industry?

Margot:    I was rejected by Arista records even though it was "hit  material" because my words where to "mystical"!  Because of the web, the boundaries are being pushed, and the underground grows stronger and stronger… the big labels are dying there natural death.  It is my hope to change the mainstream, to give people everywhere music with depth and meaning...

Please describe the video work Margot Day completed for cable tv in NYC.  Which program, song and can we still find this video today?

Margot:    Vampyre Dreams TV - cable TV there is a link to them at my website.  Very special people(Vamps).  They interviewed me at several live shows in NYC ( at CBGB'S ECT.), and played footage from the live show with the interviews.  The video called Vampyre has the song Vampyre from my previous band the Plague. We filmed it in the wilderness of the Northeast kingdom in Vermont.  It is played regularly on Vampyre Dreams TV in NYC. The Vampyre Video is for sale at my website.

Please share some of the feedback you have received for Sacred!

Margot:    Here are a few press quotes (many more at my website)

Perpetual Nightmare Give in to your ancient passions: wandering , hauntingly beautiful.. futuristic...

STARVOX - Sacred is a plum ripe for the picking.

Oklahoma Gothic  - There are few who can rival the vision or voice of Margot Day. Something of a cultural icon in the industry, Margot Day has inspired more groups than one can conceivably identify.

Delirium - It may even raise a chakra. Like the ocean, Sacred is lulling with some waves and an occasional white cap.

VAE SOLIS - fantasy and extremely exciting. I just love these tracks!

The Gothic Preservation Society - Lightning shifts from Disco Diva todemented operatic soprano to 1-900-VAMPIRE to swamp-sorceress chant to werecat-caught-in-mid-transition..

LEGENDS - legendary in her New York period as front woman for post-punk group.

The Plague - I dare you to listen to this disc and try to concentrate on something else.

OUTBURN - The songs are so unusual, yet they work remarkably well... Margot Day is defiantly something to check out. --Octavia

Describe one of your most inspirational moments in writing.  When and where did this occur and how did it evolve?

Margot:    Having lived in mommy-land for a few years, I missed making music so much it hurt through my whole being, I felt like I was going to throw up, puke, give birth, explode, combust. Though the cash flow was almost nothing, I went out and bought a keyboard, and a 4 track.  I locked myself upstairs in our old farm house, cried to the spirits that be, I can do this, I will make music again. And then it came rushing out, Kismet (on the Margot Day CD), Wicked & Wize -"breakdown the walls and get away, forget the wastedtime, find me some wine, no rest for the Wicked &Wize" (my escape song). Hereafter was born then as well, by banging on the keyboard so hard that it caused distortion on the 4 track, everything in the red...

What plans have you cooked up for Margot Day during the remaining  months of 2000?

Margot:    Planless! I've never been planless before! Trying to make money to survive! Letting destiny take me where it wants to! Open to all suggestions!

How may our readers discover more about Margot Day and contact you with feedback?

Margot:    I invite you to my website, read the reviews, see the show, hear the music...