Chelsea Wolfe is a Sacramento musician with several records to her credit.  Currently, she's at work on a new EP, an LP called The Grime and the Glow and will open for Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls at The Blue Lamp, Tuesday June 29^th. 

* * * *

Nick Brunner: 
The title of your new EP, Ἀποκάλυψις, seems to carry ominous overtones, religious and otherwise. Tell me about where it comes from and how it fits into the theme of your music.

Chelsea Wolfe:
Ἀποκάλυψις   is the Greek word for apocalypse, a "lifting of the veil" or "revelation." Biblical language and themes have always inspired me, the Book of Revelation in particular.  Such heavy, dramatic imagery about the end of an era.  That imagery, along with the hideous state of the world and the matter-of-fact view of human deterioration in the book Atlas Shrugged really inspired me for this EP.  The songs deal with it on a grand scale and also on a very personal level. It was a spiritual study of the end of the world for me.   

NB: Your style has been referred to as goth folk music & described by SF Weekly as "goth music [with a] deep experimental curiosity." Do you identify with these descriptions? And why? 

CW: A "deep experimental curiosity" is a good description, yes. "Goth-folk" as well. Most all of my music deals with dark or melancholy subjects, but it's not typical 'goth' music obviously. Often there is a bit of hope that somehow infuses itself into the songs. I like to try different things with each group of recordings. Another purpose of this EP was to capture my current bandmates and I in the way that we play the songs live.



NB: So many photographs of you (show fliers, Facebook, SubMerge) see your face eclipsed. The cover of your EP stands in stark contrast to that theme - what brought you to that design? Who designed it?

CW: I like to include myself in the image of my music, but not in a completely straightforward way. I felt like showing my face for this cover would fit with the title so I took a self portrait and gave some prints of it to a friend of mine (C. Orr) who does these great drawings of strained faces and cryptic symbols - he uses the word "VOID" in his drawings a lot which I love - he did a few different versions, all with my eyes blanked out, some with drawings on them, but I liked the simplicity of this one in the end.

NB: Who are your favorite Sac Scene bands to tour, play shows with in town?

CW: I really love Mountshout, and Alak. Fancie is one of my favorite musicians from the area. As for a "scene" in Sacramento, I'm not really sure if there is one.

NB: When it comes to the show at Blue Lamp you, Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls all have rather dissimilar sounds. How did the decision to book you with those bands happen over say a lo-fi rock act?

CW: I don't think they were going to have a local band at all actually, but one of my bandmates is friends with Brandon from Crocodiles so when they said they were coming to Sacramento it just kind of worked out. Dum Dum Girls are rad. Should be a good show.

* * * *

I agree completely!  This week's Off Air has a song from Chelsea's Ἀποκάλυψις EP, have a listen then go see Chelsea Wolfe:

FRI - 6/25: Grace Cathedral | San Francisco - 9pm
TUE - 6/29: Blue Lamp | Sac. (Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls) - 9pm
FRI - 7/2: Concert in the Park | Sacramento - 5pm
SAT - 7/3: Black Bart | Murphys - 9pm