Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

What is the name of your band? vISION: "Tragic Black"

What does the name "Tragic Black" stand for? vISION: Tragic: would be the state of things. Black: would be the place where awakening occurs, where light emerges from the darkness.

What made you call the band "Tragic Black"? vISION: There is always an effect of every cause.  Our cause was for awakening. Awakening on various levels, spiritual, social, planetary, economic, political, etc.

How was the band formed? vISION: Vyle (currently the bass player, but he started out on keyboards) and I were great friends and we shared a love for music, so we began this journey of Tragic Black 13 years ago. We experienced some vivid visions which lead to all of what we have accomplished since.

What made you form the band? vISION: creativity, self-expression, decadence, creating art. Making something we believe in.

Can you briefly introduce your band and who you are? vISION: we are a five piece band from Salt Lake City Utah. We've been around 13 years. Released

many albums, toured a bunch and have more plans for the future. We're a very visual, dark,

rock/electronic band. We are basically a Goth band the pushes the limits beyond what you would

think a "Goth" band would do. We feel no restriction of what we can and cannot create, we unlimited

in our capacity to create.

Where are all band-members from? vISION: Most of us are from Utah, our drummer is from Wyoming.

Who does what in the band? vISION: I'm the singer. Vyle is the bass player. Seputus is the Drummer & also does backing vocals, as well as production for our albums. Johno Varoz & Kyle Leary are our guitar players. Old members include, Ashe, Hex, Stich, Jesse James & Filthy McWhiskey.

What was the ambitions of the band when you started? vISION: at first, our goal was to play a gig. Once we did that, we wanted to make an album. After we make and accomplish each goal, we make another goal. We wanted to be what we were at the time, very goth people into goth/industrial and other dark music. We express ourselves through not only music, but fashion/the way we dress. So it's always been about dark music & a visual/glam/dark look, pushing the barriers of what goth is thought to be, or could be.

Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? vISION: Depends on what album you listen to. We've been around so long & have so many guitarists, due to the various players, that affects our sound.  Early TB sounds very different from current TB, all in what I would say, a very good way. It makes listening to us a unique experience with each album we release. We've made songs some would label "goth", other songs people would label "deathrock", other songs people would label "industrial", other songs people would label "punk", other songs people would label "metal" and other songs people would label "new wave" or songs that people can’t decide what to label.  We care less about what style, and more about making interesting music that we enjoy making & performing live.

Where was your first gig? vISION: Club Sanctuary in Salt Lake City Utah, on Halloween 2000 with our friends Redemption.

Where was the latest gig? vISION: Dark Arts Festival at Area 51, in Salt Lake City Utah. 

Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? vISION: I write all the lyrics, but occasionally other members influence what I write or how I sing the lyrics.  As far as writing music, we each write our own parts of each song.

Who has the best since of humor in the band? vISION: Me? hahaha, maybe not. I'd say Vyle or Seputus. Hell, Kyle & Johno are funny bastards too, it's tough to say, as we are all in general: fun having funny ass mofo's.

What's good/bad with the band? vISION: it's all grey. It takes lots of work to accomplish everything we do.  We really enjoy travelling & seeing the world, while at the same time, doing that puts us in vulnerable or financial ruin.

What genre do you feel you are? vISION: a bunch all mixed together, done in a way that is unique. We don't like labels. Especially cause we evolve our sound album to album, with each member we gain or lose, our sound changes. I'd say that we are a goth band that does all kinds of things. We are a part of the deathrock scene, and while *some* of our music has that feel, we're more a part of that scene than we are a "deathrock band" but we also love industrial, electronic, rock, punk, metal, new wave, the list of inspiration or music we like, keeps on growing..

Why did you pick that particular style? vISION: at the time of our 1st gig (Oct 31st 2000) we were introduced as a "Deathrock" band and at the time we weren't familiar with the term (yet once we looked into what deathrock was defined: it was what we;d been listening to for years). We just considered what everyone is calling deathrock now, Goth Rock, back then. We did goth because we were (and still are) part of that scene for so many years, it was natural to make music that us & our fellow fiends would dig.

What are your songs about? vISION: all kinds of things. Since "The Decadent Requiem" each album has been connected to an Element. So for the Fire element album (The Decadent Requiem): its very fiery, angry, fast &

aggressive. Our Water album (The Cold Cares) was very melodic and fluid. Our Earth album (The

Eternal Now) is very emotional, big in sound, "Bombastic" if you will.

Do you write your own material or mainly covers? vISION: our own material.  We have done covers, but we've written way more of our own original music, than we have played cover songs.

Have you made any albums? vISION: Eight albums if you count everything we've released ourselves prior to working with Record labels, or Four if you just count albums released on a Record Label.

If yes what are they?

vISION: Articulate Lacerations (2002), Vatican Demonica (2002), The Sixx Premonitions (2004),

Burnt Black (2005), The Decadent Requiem (2006), The Cold Caress (2008), The Dead Fall (2010) &

The Eternal Now (2013).

Do you have any clips on YouTube? vISION: Many. We have music videos for; Surreal Catharsis, Faith In Decay, Circuit III & What In The World, so far.  There's tons of other videos of us performing live that fans recorded and put on youtube.  

What got you started in music? vISION: being obsessed with music got us into being in a band & making/performing music.

At what age did you start playing? vISION: 19 for me.

How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? vISION: 19 for me again.

What year was the band started? vISION: 2000

How old were you the first time you saw a live band play? vISION: I saw Guns N Roses in 1992

How old were you at your first gig? vISION: 19 for the first TB show, 11 or 12 years old, when I saw GN'R, my 1st concert

Best/worst gig you've played? vISION: Best is probably one of our Wave Gotik Treffen gigs (from either 2006 or 2008) 
and the worst, it's probably in Las Vegas when I was too drunk  a few years ago

What places will you be playing in in the immediate future?  vISION: Pocatello Idaho Nov 2nd, next month (Dia De Los Muertos aka, Day Of The Dead). This is a gig with our former guitar player Starfish, I mean Jesse James. We're playing with his new band. I'm VERY excited about this show.

Where have you played from then till now? vISION: United States: all over California, Las Vegas, Arizona, Chicago (three times), Texas, Colorado & Idaho. Mexico City Mexico. Europe: all over Germany, Austria, Belgium, Norway and we were supposed to play in Italy but were stuck in an airport in Norway & unfortunately missed those gigs.

What songs are in your live set's? vISION: current songs such as; Breaking A Broken Heart, What In The World, Doomsday & It Fades

Away. Old: Surreal Catharsis, Faith In Decay, Circuit III, Aparicion & others I can't recall right now.

Is it always the same set's live? vISION: we change it up each time, but there's a handful of fan-favorites we usually play.

What has been the best/most promising gig so far? vISION: We've performed all over the United States, and also performed at Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig Germany in 2006 & 2008.  We toured Europe in 2007. Performed in Mexico 2009. Still, we have a lot more things we want to do!

Have you had any bigger tours from start till now? vISION: European Tour in 2007 in support of our album "The Cold Caress" 

How big crowds do you usually play for? vISION: really depends on when and where we play.. varies from 20 people to 2000

What are the plans for the rest of the year? vISION: it's pretty much a secret, but I will admit that I have some big plans for the band.

Where do you usually play? vISION: there is no "usual" place for us.

How do you get psyched up for a gig? vISION: listening to bands we love, drinking some (not lots) booze and hanging out with the rest of

the band

What are your goals with your music? vISION: To make music that means as much as it does to me, as it does to our fans. To represent what things could be like, a vision of what the world could become, not what it currently is.  To do something for the scene from which we arose. To be to fans of goth, what bands I was a fan, were to

me/mean to me. 

When did you decide to go all in for the music? vISION: I feel like I have something  inside of me that needs to be expressed.  When we first formed TxB, I was a different person. I've evolved in so many ways since then, it's almost hard to relate to the person I was then, its more like past-life. TxB & life has brought me to new levels of awareness and I am so glad that has occurred.

Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? vISION: both. Older bands like Motley Crue, Specimen, Christian Death, Fad Gadget, Bauahus, Skinny Puppy all inspire me a lot (tons more other bands, too) and there's a handful of new bands I feel inspired by, many of which I know personally or have met before.

What are your sources of inspiration? vISION: life, death, heartache, politics, spirituality and whatever else life throws at me. I feel as if a lot of what I write are surreal messages to my lower self (physical form) from my higher self (metaphysical energy). It always happens: I'll write lyrics, we'll make the song as a band, then later when I listen & read the lyrics: I will realize new meanings and messages.  This,I feel is a great thing & feel the messages aren't just for me, but for those who listen to us.

What's the first step when making a new song? vISION: each song is like a place. It has it's own landscape. It's own dangers and luxuries. It get mentally inside the song when I record them, even it I record the song much later than when I wrote the lyrics. Some are full of pain or heartache, others come from a place of strength. Everything happens as it should.

How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? vISION: it's fine with me for the most part, especially if you're checking us out.. but once/if you decide

that you like us: I feel the right to do is purchase our music directly from us/the band so you can have

the actual album see the art we made for it and hear what we spent so much time & money

perfecting.

What would be your dreams for the band? vISION: to gain more success, play more festivals & really mean a lot to our fans, to make their lives better with our music. We're the soundtrack to their lives. For me, each album helps me grow in many ways. So, I look forward to keep growing as a human, to be more happy with what I'm doing.

Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? 
vISION: all kinds of goth, sleaze/hard rock, electronic, punk & metal.. Here's some bands I love; Afi,

Cradle Of Filth, Type O Negative, The Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Hardcore Superstar, Christian

Death, Shadow Project, Alice Cooper, Crashdiet, Blaqk Audio, Leather Strip, Malign, Virgin Prunes,

Specimen, The Unseen, Aus Rotten, Behind Enemy Lines, Rudimentary Peni, Subhumans, Hocico,

Vains of Jenna, Clit 45, Marilyn Manson, Megadeth, Kill Hannah & Nosferatu.

What do you hold most dear? vISION: My wife, she is there for me. She understands me, my need to create and all my decadence. We've been married almost two years and this, like many of the things that have changed in my life, has been a huge change for the good. I couldn't be happier.

What would be your greatest fears for the future? vISION: not finishing something I feel the need to create

When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? vISION: issues related to sound. It's the worst when you play a gig and for whatever reason, you have troubles with sound.  That's always a concern.

What songs and what years were they released? 
vISION: too many to name, but some of my favorite songs we've ever made are: Contortionist

Conformist & Nachtshleichen (Graveyard mix) (2002), The Black Chrysalis & Surreal Catharsis

(2004), Incinerate, Circuit III & Faith In Decay (2006), Red Lights Dance, Sink In, Missing Miles,

Aparicion & The Cold Caress (2008), Caught in the Noose (2010) & It Fades Away, Breaking A

Broken Heart, Beaten Path & The Plot to Destroy the World (2013)

Have you been part of any other projects? vISION: I'm the singer of a project "Spectre Theatre" with a friend from Germany. This is an experimental goth rock band, we have a bunch of songs online you can listen to.

Have you been in any other bands? vISION: I still am in another band! I'm the singer of "CORVID" which is a hard rock band, we've released one album "Feeding The Addiction" (mixed/mastered & backing vocals by Martin Sweet of Swedish Sleaze band Crashdiet) and we're currently working with him again on our second album. 

What do you work with outside of the band and the music? vISION: Cisco Systems is my job that pays the bills

What would you do if there was no music? vISION: I'd imagine there was. I love to draw, paint & write.

How important are your fans? vISION: as you see, I keep mentioning our fans a lot, which represents the love I have for them. Many

are like family. We have a TxB Society, were a handful of lifelong fans are with us, until the

end/forever.

What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? vISION: Alexz in Mexico created a necklace of the Tragic Black BatCross logo, as a birthday present for me. That touched my heart. There's a fan/friend Jordan, who was also our graphic designer (who I've never met in person, yet) who was basically a band member, who did so much for us,, I can't thank him enough, he is like family.  We have a fan in Russia who truly understands us, I'll never forget. We have a fan in California who really gets us, who's driven all the way to  Las Vegas to come see us. I could keep going, and not to leave out any important fans, but if you're a big TxB fan & written to us/me, met in person, etc,I know who you are, love ya & totally appreciate you to the fullest extent!!!!

How often do you rehearse? vISION: twice a week usually.

Where do you rehearse? vISION: our practice space moves.  It will be in our drummers basement, soon

Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? vISION: Lately I've been reflecting on what brought me to this Now, this present moment and have been listening to older Tragic Black, such as; Nevere, our Christian Death cover of "Figurative Theatre" and Lost Souls of Samhain.

What do you feel is the best liveband you've seen? vISION: Afi is my favorite band of the modern day (Motley Crue is my life-long fav band) and 
they both put on amazing shows. Very high energy. A dark look or feeling. They both rock.

What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? vISION: honesty, passion, the love for it & believing in what you do.

Do you have any webpages? 
vISION: yes, here's the main ones:
www.facebook.com/tragicblackofficial
www.soundcloud.com/tragicblack
www.reverbnation.com/tragicblack
www.tragicblack.com (currently out of date)

Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? vISION: give it your all, don't half ass it. Do what YOU think is right. Spend all the time, money &

Do you have anythingtoadd?vISION: I'd like to thank you for checking us out, asking these questions. I hope that in the near future we come to Sweden for a gig and meet you!!