Brian Barcode: Your new record, Guide to Extinction, is your first round of new material in over three years. What caused the delay in getting new material out to your fans?

 

Lacey Connor: We were touring quite a bit -- Nocturne toured twice with Bile, once with King Diamond, once with a band out of Texas called Bozo Porno Circus. Then I toured with Bile as a back-up vocalist and I also tour with Pigface. So we were gone quite a bit. That's pretty much the reason it took so long to get the new album out.

 

BB: Guide to Extinction will be released on June 14th by Triple XXX Records. What pushed you to leave your previous label, Underground Inc?

 

LC: Actually, we were never signed to Underground Inc. They just licensed us through Triple X. We had a three album deal with Triple X, and Guide To Extinction completes our three albums with them. Everyone at both labels are all great though. I love Peter Heur and all the people at Triple X - just as I love Martin Atkins all the people at Underground Inc!

 

BB: You'll be out supporting Pigface on the "Free for All Tour", beginning in April. What's the lowdown on the catchy tour theme?

 

LC: Basically, people who buy a ticket to get into the show get that money back in the form of merchandise coupons. They can use the coupons at the merchandise area which will get them $5 off any the price of CDs, and the remaining balance off the price of a t-shirt! So they basically end up getting in for free, if they pick up a shirt and CD, because of the money they have saved with the coupons.

 

BB: Your previous records, Twilight, Paradise Wasted and Axis of Evil featured heavy, aggro industrial flavours. On your message board you've hinted previously that this new release would be a bit of a departure from that direction. How do you think this new recorddiffers from your previous works?

 

LC: The new record has a little more of an organic feel to it. It's still heavy and dark, but has less electronics than past Nocturne albums - also, we used a live drummer this time around, as opposed to the past where we programmed all of our drums.

 

BB: Have your recording or song writing techniques changed since Paradise Wasted?

 

LC: Um...that's a tough question. I don't really feel like we have a specific "technique" when we write or record, or if so I don't know what that is. We basically just write what we write, and what come out is what comes out. I

know that's not a great answer, but the only thing we consciously did was concentrate on writing an album that would be appreciated by a broader audience than just the "goth/industrial" scene, but while still maintaining the

traditional Nocturne flavor.

 

BB: Lacey, you've recorded and toured as a member of Pigface in the past. Beyond the upcoming tour, are there any plans to work as member of Pigface in the future?

 

LC: There are no specific plans, but anything is possible!

 

BB: Are there any other artists or bands out there you would like or plan to work with?

 

LC: Oh god, there are so many great bands out there that I would love to work with, that there are too many to list... We almost got a Nocturne/KMFDM tour going in the past. I still think that would be cool.

 

BB: Lacey, you were set to perform with Ministry on their most recent tour, in 2004. What prevented you from joining the tour?

 

LC: It turned out that we were not going to be able to finish our album in time if I had gone out with them, so unfortunately I was not able to go.

 

BB: Nocturne have been mainstays of the Dallas scene for a number of years, and seen a number of acts come and go. What's been the key to your longevity?

 

LC: The key has been Chris and I's refusing to separate as partners even though there were many times we wanted to kill each other! Ha, ha! Persistence, persistence, persistence!!!

 

BB: How do you feel the industrial/metal scene is fairing these days?

 

LC: I think there is definitely an audience for it, but unfortunately, pop and hip-hop music dominates this industry. The industrial/metal scene pretty much has always been an underground scene, and it's never going to be commercially mainstream, which is fine.

 

BB: What can supporters do to make a positive change in the scene?

 

LC: Go to shows. Quit burning CDs. I can't tell you how many people have e-mailed me saying "I just got a burned copy of your CD and love it!". People sometimes claim they are "too broke" to buy CDs, but musicians usually are

not rich and they are the ones who suffer because of this, so this argument is not very fair. They love the band but do not want to support them financially. This is our livelihood. I don't go to the grocery store and steal food from them and claim that I can't afford it. In that case, the store owners would have to shut down. People need to step up to the plate and support the bands they love.

 

BB: What were some of your influences prior to Nocturne, and what spins in your stereo these days?

 

LC: When we were younger: The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson, Ministry, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, etc

Now: Static-X, Rob Zombie, NIN (still), Korn, Hanzel Und Gretyl, the Genitorturers, etc.

 

BB: On your website, and thru Myspace.com, you've championed civil and animal rights on multiple occasions. Can you recommend some organizations to get involved with, or some small steps people can take to offset the

current political climate?

 

LC: Thank you for asking me about this! I really would like people to be educated -- and give a shit -- about issues concerning animals, human-rights, and the environment. Chris and I are fervently against racism, sexism, and the anti-gay mentality, and also am against the abuse of animals (ie, the fur industry, the circus, animal testing, the meat industry, etc, etc, etc.) The thing that I always tell people is to READ and RESEARCH about these issues and TALK about these issues to see how they can make a difference,and to see if something they are doing is unknowingly or unintentionally contributing to the suffering of animals

or other people, or to the destruction of the environment. I feel that the majority of the problems of this world are due to human greed, and apathy: The GREED of the governments, corporations, and individuals, who put financial profit over the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment, and the APATHY of those of us whoare too busy in our day-to-day lives to care or to do something about it. If we all would just do one small thing in our spare time, if we could all just make the tiniest effort when ever we are able – to befriend a stranger in need, help an animal, pick some trash up off the ground, send a letter to a political leader about a specific concern, refuse to wear fur, donate $5 a month to a charity, spread the word and open people’s eyes by talking withothers about these issues, spend one hour a month volunteering for a particular cause – or any small gesture at all – then this world will be on its way to a much better place. Here are some web sites that people can visit to

learn more about these issues:

 

 

Or they can visit the Nocturne message board, off of our web site (www.nocturne.cc), for discussions/questions/comments on any of these topics.

 

BB: Any final thoughts?

 

LC: I think that just about covers everything!

 

BB: Thank you for your time with us!

 

LC: You are more than welcome and thank you as well!!! I appreciate it!

 

 

 

 

by Eva Dameron

Members of the band Nocturne once had to floor their tour bus through a wall of flames shooting out of a semi on a highway at 3 a.m.

"That's the strangest thing that's happened to us on tour, off the top of my head," said Lacey Conner, frontwoman of the goth-industrial band from Los Angeles.

Conner won Best Female Vocalist of 2001 and 2003 from Dallas radio station KEGL. The band has put out its third album, Guide to Extinction.

"With the state of the world, the way that we view things and the way that we operate, it seems like we are slowly leading ourselves to our own demise," Conner said. "So hence the album's name."

She said the album is not quite as industrial as the last one and uses less loops and samples."It has an organic rock, metal feel to it that just goes along without changing pace," she said. "As you get older, you like different things, and I think our music reflects that."

In the studio, Nocturne consists of Conner and Chris Telkes laying down all the instruments and vocals. They both write songs for the album. They handle the business and deal with the label.

"But live, we need more people, so we always bring a live drummer and bassist with us," Conner said. "The guitarist lives in Dallas, our bassist in New Orleans, so we don't really practice until we're getting ready to go on tour."

She said the band has a lot of different views about politics, animal rights and the environment. "Our songs vary as far as the subject matter and the lyrics go," she said. "But all of our music is very dark, heavy and depressive."She said the person she presents on stage is only one side of herself."It's the aggressive side of me, but that's not all I'm about," she said. "I'm also down-to-earth and compassionate."

She said her main influence was The Cure, but she also likes some pop music and Frank Sinatra.

Her favorite song on Guide to Extinction is "I Lie." She said during the song, one can't tell whether she is saying, "I'm lying to you" or "I'm lying to myself." "So there's quite a bit you can read into that one," she said.

She said Nocturne fans are usually into bands such as Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, but the group has been attracting a wider audience.

"We're getting to a point where all kinds of people from different backgrounds and musical tastes are able to find enjoyment in our music," she said.