January, Friday the 13th, 2011
It's Friday the 13th!!!
...and that can only mean one thing.... well, two things if you count the whole "unlucky" thing, and that is that Voltaire will appear on the mega-popular, massive multi-user on-line role-playing game, AdventureQuest Worlds! (wow, that sentence had more words than the title of Voltaire's most recent album!).
Just like on every Friday the 13th in the past few years, Voltaire and his evil teddy bear character DEADY, will appear in animated form in the game to lead players on a multi-hour quest. As usual, Voltaire will also play some of his fabulous songs. In keeping with the theme of his latest album, this quest will involve black unicorns and mechanical girls and all sorts of other strange monsters that one might find down by the river. And as usual, there will be all sorts of exclusive in-game items that the players will have a chance to add to their inventory. The game begins LIVE at 7pm EST, so strap on your armor, mount your black unicorn and prepare to ride!
FROM THE ADVENTUREQUEST SITE:
Friday the 13th Part 1
Voltaire returns to help you save the day!
This weekend, fan-favorite and musical guest Voltaire will return when a GIANT MECHANICAL ROBOT terrorizes the countryside with rocket-lazers and deathray cannons! Sounds like the perfect way to spend part 1 of AQW's 2012 Friday the 13th triple-extravaganza! And you can bet Voltaire will be drinking from a chalice filled with the laughter of small children while he does!
AdventureQuest Worlds can be played here: http://www.aq.com/
BATTLE ON!
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December 31st, 2011
Happy New Year from Deady and Voltaire! We hope all of your dreams come true in 2012! (except for Deady's... he dreams of enslaving you all!)
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December 29th, 2011
Mystery Voltaire Theater 3000?
...Well, not quite.
Well, as threatened, the Vlogging has begun. That's "vlogging" as in "video blogging" not 'FLOGGING' as we're sure some of you read in a pinch of wishful thinking. In short, Voltaire has started an official channel for his music on Youtube. It's called The Lair of Voltaire and already, you can hear two full albums there, "To the Bottom of the Sea" and the latest one, "Riding a Black Unicorn..." (etc, etc). But to REALLY spice things up, Voltaire has created a Playlist for To The Bottom of the Sea that includes an intro by him and his co-host Orville Deadendbacher. There is also some commentary in the middle and a lengthy "Song Meanings and Origins" at the end where Voltaire goes through the creation of each song on the album! It's sort of like Mystery Science Theater 3000 but, uh... less annoying. Tune in at The Lair of Voltaire! Click on the link in the upper right hand corner for To the Bottom of the Sea PLAYLIST to begin.
Oh, and while there... PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! There will be many more videos and you won't want to miss them!
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November 23rd, 2011
It's VLOGGING time at The Lair of Voltaire!
Back from his US tour and UK dates, Voltaire has no other shows in 2011. So that means he can rest right? HELL NO! He's setting his sights on using this downtime to VLOG at The Lair of Voltaire, a new Youtube channel Voltaire has set up at http://www.youtube.com/VoltaireMusicPage.
"So many people were putting my songs up on Youtube, illegally, that I felt it was time I do something about it. I felt it was time to establish an official home for my music there and while I was at it, I figured, why not create other content?" Word on the street is that once the Lair of Voltaire is up and running, Voltaire will not only upload more of his albums, he'll also create an "Ask Voltaire" video vlog to take over for the written one here on this site. "I'm very verbose, so when someone asks me a question, it takes a very long time to type it out. By creating a video vlog I can answer the questions more quickly". He also plans to feature tutorials on how to play his songs.
The Lair is not up and running just yet. "Before I can really begin, I really need to make the space I'm shooting in operational. Right now it looks like a hurricane hit a flea market." But rumor has it the vlogs will begin before the end of the year. In the meantime, Voltaire has posted two vlogs from Whitby, England where he was performing at The Whitby Gothic Weekend.
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November 1st, 2011
Voltaire Invades the UK..... again.
Last summer saw Voltaire perform in several English cities including Bristol, London, York and Dublin (that last one is not in England you stupid Americans! It's in Ireland!!! Yeah, yeah, we know you already knew that!)
Voltaire returns to England on November 5th for a show at Whitby Gothic Weekend, a huge Goth festival in the seaside town where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula. A few days later on the 8th, Voltaire performs his first ever show in Scotland in Glasgow. Upon his return Voltaire headlines Projektfest in Cambridge, Mass on November 12th. Details for all of these shows can be found here:
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October, 28th 2011
Voltaire is back from his US tour...
but it's not over by a long shot!
Upcoming shows include: 10/28 Anne Rice's Vampire Ball in New Orleans, 11/5 Whitby Gothic Weekend in Whitby England, 11/8 in Glasgow and 11/12 PRojektfest in Boston!~ See the Calendar page for details.
The new ablum, RIDING A BLACK UNICORN (etc etc) is now available at CDbaby.com and iTunes!
You can hear samples from all of the songs here: http://www.voltaire.net/riding_a_black_unicorn
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Voltaire on US tour!
Voltaire is presently on a US tour with dark cabaret bands Hellblinki and This Way to the Egress in tow:
Voltaire's Black Unicorn Cabaret: A Villainous Vaudeville of Bawdy Burlesque, Music, Mischief and Mayhem- With Voltaire, This Way to the Egress, The Hellblinki Sextet and girls! girls! girls! Three of the finest Dark Cabaret bands are joined by local burlesque performers for a night not to be missed nor n'er to be forgotten!
Reviewers have called the tour "Tom Waits in Hell" and that's a pretty accurate description.
September 21st New Haven, CT @ Rudy’s
September 22nd Manchester, NH @ Milly’s Tavern
September 23rd Portland, ME @ Asylum
September 24th Providence RI @ Club Remi's
September 25th Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt
September 26th Pittsburgh, PA @ The Rex Theater
September 27th Richmond, VA @ Fallout
September 28th Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone
September 29th Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
September 30th Savannah, GA @ Yong’s
October 1st Jacksonville, FL @ FACTORY (At the Pit)
October 3rd Austin, TX @ Elysium
October 6th Scottsdale, AZ @ Martini Ranch
October 7th San Diego, CA @ Queen Bee’s Art & Cultural Center
October 8th Los Angeles, CA @ Bar Sinister
October 9th San Francisco, CA @ Stud Bar
October 11th Portland, OR @ Fez Ballroom
October 12th Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
October 14th Salt Lake City, UT @ Area 51
October 16th St. Louis, MO @ Crack Fox
October 17th Nashville, TN @ The Rutledge
October 18th Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont Club (CANCELLED)
October 20th Columbus, OH @ The Shrunken Head
October 21st Milwaukee, WI @ Club Anything
October 22nd Flint, MI @ The Masonic Temple of Flint
October 23rd Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
See CALENDAR for details!
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August 14th, 2011
It's coming!!!!
Hear excerpts from the album here: http://www.voltaire.net/riding_a_black_unicorn
Pre-order a copy here: http://www.voltaire.net/store
July 31st, 2011
Gary Numan narrates Voltaire's latest Chimerascope film
In keeping with the tradition of having narrations by singers in his Chimerascope Series films, Voltaire's latest film, "Odokuro" features the inimitable voice of legendary rocker, Gary Numan. Numan's brand of dark futuristic, dystopian coolness is the perfect match for the film which is a little Gothic piece about hauntings with a Twilight Zone kind of sci-fi twist. Says Voltaire. "It's really something of a dream come true! Like so many millions of artists, I was heavily influenced by Gary's work. The cassette for his album "Repicas" was always with me when I was a teenager, running away from home and entering the imposing brave new world that was New York City. This is music that saved my life. There is a scene in the film where that same "Replicas" cassette from my childhood is prominently featured! It's in the film because it meant so much to me, I never dreamed at the time the man himself would be voicing the film!".
See the film on August, 5th 2011 at Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Canada.
It will do the festival circuit for a year after that before it hits the web.
About the film series:
Before turning his attention to music, Voltaire's first love was stop-motion animation. He animated and directed some of the early MTV and Sci Fi Channel station IDs back in the 80s and 90s. These days he makes short films that pick up where those old station IDs left off. The "Chimerascope" series, a term coined by Voltaire to describe his short films "because they are like brief views into other worlds full of strange monsters" has swept the film festival circuit in the last few years garnering critical acclaim and roughly 20 awards between them. Four films have been released so far. Says, Voltaire, "They are short, weird as hell, animated in stop-motion animation and narrated by singers". So far the narrators have included Deborah Harry of Blondie, Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and Danny Elfman. The film featuring Mr. Elfman's voice played at 60 festivals in 2010 and won 12 awards in so many months.
Voltaire is poised to release the 5th film in the Chimerascope series. It's called "Odokuro" and it premieres at the Fantasia Film Festival on August 5th, 2011.
Want to see a sneak peek of Odokuro? Watch this animated opener Voltaire made for his friends at Glass Eye Pix. It's for their horror radio dramas "Tales From Beyond the Pale" and it uses footage from Odokuro! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYAqSA91rPo&feature=player_embedded
Gary Numan's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/GaryNumanOfficial?sk=wall
Gary Numan's official site: http://www.numan.co.uk/
The previous 4 Chimerascope films can be seen here: http://www.voltaire.net/chimerascope_films
Please tweet this story!!!! Tweet
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July 18, 2011
Hannah Thiem records violin on Voltaire's New Album
Hannah Thiem of the bands Copal and Nyxss joins the already staggering roster of talent on Voltaire's new album! Thiem has provided the violins for the title track "Riding A Black Unicorn...(etc etc)". Word from the studio is that her part has "gorgeous celtic leanings" and "makes you feel like you're riding a black unicorn down a the side of an erupting volcano and straight into Mordor!". There are only a couple of more days of recording in the studio and then the album gets mixed, mastered and released! Pre-orders for the album begin in the next 24 hours.
You can hear a sneak peek of the title track by clicking right HERE!
Hannah Thiem's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/hannah.thiem
Copal website: http://www.copalmusic.com/
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July 13, 2011
Franz Nicolay records accordions on Voltaire's New Album
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Will the madness just not stop???? First Dresden Doll, Brian Viglione lays down a mighty foundation by performing all of the drums on Voltaire's next album, then Melora Creager of Rasputina lends her talents, playing cellos on the record, Bauhaus Bassist David J. played bass and the Red Hook Ramblers came and blew everyone away with their horn parts for "The Dirtiest Song that Ain't". Well, now, accordion virtuoso, Franz Nicolay has just left the studio in stunned awe with the parts he's recorded for the songs "Cathouse Tragedy", "The Straight Razor Cabaret", "Don't Go By the River" and "When The Circus Came to Town." Franz is a multi-instrumentalist, mustachioed man-about-town who's been a member of The Hold Steady, World/Inferno Friendship Society and the gypsy-klezmer outfit, Guignol. He's also the founder of the Anti-Social Music collective. Fans of Voltaire's will remember Franz from his exquisite accordion work on the 2008 album, "To the Bottom of the Sea".
Franz Nicolay's website: http://www.franznicolay.com/
Franz Nicolay's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/franznicolay
Tweet this story: Tweet
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July 12, 2011
The Red Hook Ramblers Record Horns For Voltaire's New Album
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The amazing line-up for Voltaire's next album (see previous news stories) continues to grow. Burlesque darlings, The Red Hook Ramblers, a New Orleans-style, hot jazz band from Redhook-Brooklyn, New York have just laid down horns for one of the stand-out songs (and a live show favorite) "The Dirtiest Song That Ain't". You can hear a little excerpt from that song right here on Voltaire.net!
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July 1st, 2011
Legendary Bauhaus Bassist Joins Voltaire on new album
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: An already amazing line-up of talent for Voltaire's next album (Riding a Black Unicorn...) just got even more spectacular with the addition of bass player David J. A founding member of the seminal Goth group, Bauhaus and a fantastic solo artist in his own right, David J. has lent his talents to the album now in production. David is joined by drummer, Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls and cellist, Melora Creager of Rasputina. Can anyone say "super group"?
Click here to visit David J's Facebook page
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June 29th, 2011
Daarken paints Riding a Black Unicorn...cover
Looking for album cover art that was no less epic than the name of the record ("Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children") Voltaire turned to one of the most talented artists in the fantasy genre. If you've ever played World of Warcraft, Warhammer or Magic the Gathering, it's a good possibility that you've run into the work of Daarken, a master of his craft and fan favorite in the fantasy world. Well, his artwork for the album has just come in and it is nothing less than stunning! It immediately brings to mind Meatloaf's classic "Bat out of Hell" album cover and in no subtle way deftly illustrates the name of Voltaire's record. You can see more of Daarken's work here:
You can see details of the paining right here in the Photo Gallery.
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June 22nd, 2011
Melora Creager of Rasputina to Play Cellos on Voltaire's Next Album
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The line-up for the highly anticipated "Riding a Black Unicorn..." CD continues to astound and delight. Brian Viglione of Dresden Dolls fame has just finished recording a fantastic piece of drumming on all songs. And now that his work is done, the cellos on the album will be recorded by none other than Melora Creager of Rasputina!
http://www.facebook.com/OfficialRasputina
photo by kingdanlawl
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May 28th, 2011
VOLTAIRE APPEARS ON "ODDITIES" on SCIENCE CHANNEL
Voltaire appears in an episode of Oddities, a show on Discovery's Science Channel about a strange little shop in New York City's East Village. In the episode, the Oddities crew search for an item Voltaire needs for a photo shoot. The episode, which is called "Piece of Mind" aires for the first time on May 28th and then will continue to air in reruns. A schedule of showtimes can be found here:
http://science.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=48.15725.131351.40618.1&start=0
A clip from the episode can be seen right here in the "On Camera" section!
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May 25th, 2011
Riding A Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children!
If you haven't already heard, that is the name of Voltaire's next album and he's recording it RIGHT NOW! The album got its name when a young man named Alex posted on Voltaire's Facebook page that "Voltaire's music is the audio equivalent of Riding A Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children!" Voltaire saw that and said, "That's it! That's the name of the new album!"
The track list as of now looks like this:
1) Riding a Black Unicorn...
2) The Mechanical Girl
3) Straight Razor Cabaret
4) The Dirtiest Song that Ain't
5) Cathouse Tragedy
6) Don't Go By The River
7) Innocent
8) Oh Lord, Wake the Dead!
9) When The Circus Came To Town
You can download a little excerpt of Don't Go By the River right here:
DontGoByTheRiver_DemoExcerpt.m4v
Voltaire is shooting for a September 1st release.
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May, Friday the 13th!
TONIGHT on AdventureQuest Worlds ( www.aq.com ) at 7pm EST, Voltaire and Deady make their usual Friday the 13th appearance in what is sure to be the greatest live adventure yet! It's Steampunk cowboys vs. Aliens from Deady's homeworld of Necronus fighting to the death over the Vorutanian Key Blade (you might have seen a much smaller version of this key-shaped weapon hanging from Voltaire's neck in the form of a pendant). Well, now you'll finally come to know what this mighty weapon is actually for! And before the end, Deady might even reveal his true form for the first time in the game!
And... if that weren't enough, for the first time ever, DEADY SPEAKS! That's right, after years of silence and word bubbles, Deady will speak in-game. Voltaire and Artix are just bloody thrilled to announce that voicing Deady will be Michael Sinterniklaas (best known to many as the voice of Dean Venture of Cartoon Network's Venture Brothers and the voice of Leonardo on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
History will be made tonight as YOU the player fights Steampunk cowboys and Necrid skeletons while Voltaire sings songs from his country album and Deady.... well, tries to take over the world, probably. That's how he rolls. It all begins tonight at 7pm EST at www.aq.com
...and there will likely be a live Q and A beforehand with Voltaire so tune in early. See you there!
Battle on!
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MAY 9th 2011,
DEADY FINDS A VOICE!
Deady, that evil teddy bear creation of Voltaire's, first appeared in his first graphic novel in 2004. Since then he has appeared in various books and games and has been made into a dozen or so toys, but only now will we get to hear what he sounds like!
Voltaire and Artix Entertainment are extremely happy to announce that Deady has found a voice! Playing Deady in the upcoming AdventureQuest Worlds Friday the 13th event is voice actor, Michael Sinterniklaas, best known to some as the voice of Dean Venture from Adult Swim’s The Venture Brothers as well as the voice of Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series. Michael's lengthy resume of roles can be seen on his IMDB page HERE. The hallowed event takes place on Friday, May the 13th at www.aq.com.
This will be the fourth time, Voltaire and Deady (in animated form of course) lead players on a live quest in the popular on-line role playing game. As usual, during the adventure, Voltaire will play some of his songs while Deady causes trouble and maybe saves the day.
You can learn more about DEADY here under BOOKS or on his own website:
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APRIL 14th, 2011,
"DemiUrge Emesis", Voltaire's most recent short film from the 'Chimerascope' series (narrated by Danny Elfman) wins BEST ANIMATION at the Famous Monsters of Filmland Imagi-Movies Film Festival!
http://www.famousmonstersoffilmland.com/recap-imagi-movies-film-festival/
This is the film's 11th award in 12 months and 60th film festival screening in as much time!
You can see DemiUrge Emesis here right here on Voltaire.net! : http://www.voltaire.net/films
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APRIL 12th, 2011
BIG changes to the TOY sections! Dozens of photos added!
LOOK UNDER TOYS!
A new Chi-chian wepisode added every Tuesday at 8pm under FILMS!
LOOK UNDER FILMS!
Many more shows booked including Dallas, Orlando, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Saskatoon, Boise, Philly, York England!
CLICK ON CALENDAR!
Icon- Sci Fi Convention show this weekend in Stonybrook, NY! (Sat. April 16th)
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Big changes to the Chi-chian section! Take a look:
http://www.voltaire.net.hostbaby.com/chi_chian
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March 8th, 2011
Voltaire's next shows:
APRIL 3rd 2011: The Anachronism at Webster Hall in NYC. A Steampunk return to Candyland!
APRIL 16th 2011: Icon SF Convention in Stonybrook, NY
AND THEN A SHORT CANADIAN TOUR!
APRIL 20th, Vancouver
APRIL 22nd, Saskatoon
APRIL 23rd: Montreal,
APRIL 24th, Toronto
Go to the CALENDAR section for details.
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March, 2nd, 2011
Back from the Rasputina tour, Voltaire now embarks on a voyage to Wild West Con in the mountains of Tucson, AZ on Friday, March 4th.
The next day, Voltaire performs at the Crack Fox in St. Louis.
More info here:
http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_shows/933689
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Voltaire goes on tour with Rasputina from February 17th until the 26th
For tour dates please visit: www.reverbnation.com/voltairenyc
In the future, all Voltaire tour dates will be listed on this site.
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