Cindergarden, a musical act out of LA, may be new on the scene, but Jaymie Valentine, the creator and artistic developer, has influences that span ages even beyond her years. Cindergarden represents years of inspiration and work that Valentine has poured in. Reminiscent of music that came out of decades past, Cindergarden is still a forward-looking artistic statement that is sure to endure as their popular reach grows beyond the bounds of Southern California.
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With a new album released earlier in 2006 and a deal with Projekt: Darkwave Cindergarden is certain to gain the notice, not only of the Goth community of Southern California but also of those served by Projekt Records elsewhere. The unique sound of Cindergarden coupled with the artistic vision of the people that Jaymie collaborated with to realize the visual concept is noteworthy and without a doubt unmistakably well crafted. Even without hearing the music, you can already see that there is something special here. Within a short time of listening to Jaymie’s vision you are drawn into her world and experience the musical wonder that is Cindergarden.
Gothic Angst Webzine (GAW): How did Cindergarden get started?
Jaymie Valentine (JV): In some ways, Cindergarden is part of a long continuous line of material as I have been making music for several years. However, once about half the songs were finished for “Underground Light Machine” everything started to solidify and I just felt that it was the dawn of a new project …and I really felt the objective becoming the creation of a dark, surreal world that was its own little entity. I recruited some very talented musicians to bring this world to life onstage as well as some amazing artists to help translate it visually.
GAW: What are some of the biggest influences that have helped shape your
sound?
JV: It’s difficult to measure influences…. somewhere between psychedelics and silent films, I have a long list of musicians from Skinny Puppy to Billie Holiday. I also like Michael Hussar and Mark Ryden. I don’t think anything stimulates me to make music like the visual.
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GAW: You have a new album that you released back in June. Tell us about the
sound of this album.
JV: There are a lot of different styles fused in there in the realm of trip-hop and darkwave, but I like to keep it open to interpretation. The way I’ve heard the sound described in music reviews is far more interesting than anything I could come up with…I just make the music, I don’t really analyze it sonically.
GAW: Are you working on new material?
JV: Always, I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t working on new material.
GAW: What kind of direction will your music take in the future?
JV: There’s no way of telling. The future is a mystery in songwriting as well.
GAW: You are now being distributed through Projekt. How is that going?
JV: I’m very happy to see Cindergarden being distributed through Projekt: Darkwave mail-order. Unfortunately, as it is common for all new acts, there has been so much illegal downloading that internet sales don’t account for as much as they should. I also want to take moment to say at the websites that offer downloads of the album for a price, are in fact selling it without our permission and so we don’t see a dime of this. If you want to show your support to Cindergarden, http://www.projekt.com is the best place to buy the album.
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GAW: I know that you are from LA, and most of the shows that I have seen listed are for the LA area. What are your plans for shows or a tour outside of LA?
JV: We are independently run in every sense of the word, and so organizing things like touring is a big task. I wish I could give you more right now, but it remains to be seen.
GAW: You seem to have a very unique and interesting visual presentation on your site. Does this look and feel carry over to your live performance?
JV: The art you see on the website was designed by Wolfang Del Torro and it was important for us to make the web art complimentary with the album art, which was designed by Allison Meireding. I do leave a lot up to the visual artists to interpret the music in their way, because I have utmost confidence in the artists I choose.
As far as how this translates to the live show, without revealing too much, I can say that I take a lot from silent films. There are actually a lot of visual elements I would like to bring out in future Cindergarden performances that audiences have not seen before.
GAW: What can we expect from Cindergarden in the near and distant future?
JV: Right now we are getting ready for an event in Los Angeles to benefit the West Memphis Three. I don’t have all the details yet, but it will take place during the official West Memphis Three Awareness Week. Go to the official site, http://www.wm3.org/splash.php, for more details about the cause. Also, the second album is in the making, so you can expect new music sometime within the next year.
Find out more about Cindergarden at these sites:
http://www.myspace.com/cindergarden
http://www.cindergarden.com
