C5 NOLA
Shrouded in river mist, softly lit with gas lanterns, haunted by pirate kings and voodoo queens - New Orleans is a perfect city in which to hold our yearly Gothic gathering! Heather Spear, Guymon Ebenezer Addams, and the cast of characters comprising the New Orleans Gothic mailing list offer you their proposal for a Convergence in the city that care forgot.
The Plan
Breaking with the tradition of Convergences past, C5 in New Orleans would be held during the end of Spring, avoiding the infamous heat and humidity of summer in the South. We are currently negotiating with venues that can accomodate us for a late March/early April weekend. Our plan is to provide you with three full days of opportunities to see live bands, dance to the music of an assortment of DJs, experience the magic of the city during planned daytime events, and meet with other Goths from around the country (and perhaps beyond!). Of course, you may choose from any or none of the above, as New Orleans herself is an excellent tour guide.
The Place
New Orleans exists in a state of elegant decay. The past and the present seem to overlap - the city does not easily give up its ghosts. Mysterious, romantic, and steeped in history, it welcomes such an unconventional convention as Convergence.
There is so much to do that it's impossible to include it all here. The cemeteries of New Orleans are a must-see. Due to the high water table, there are no underground burials - rows upon rows of whitewashed sepulchers form above-ground necropoli, true cities to house the dead. The Westgate Gallery is a purple and black mansion that contains a collection of paintings, sculpture, jewelry, and books dedicated to portraying Death as a sorrowful, compassionate entity. You can visit a real voodoo ceremony; take daytime or evening walking tours focusing on any subject you can imagine (haunted places, vampires, cemeteries, Anne Rice, you name it!); tour Antebellum plantations, Civil War battlefields, primordial swamps, and gracious turn-of-the-century manses; or just sit on a wrought-iron balcony or in a lush courtyard, sipping a cool drink and watching the sun set. Of course, there are also many fine museums, two lovely public parks, an award-winning zoo and record-setting aquarium, steamboat rides and horse-drawn carriages.
The selection of Goth-friendly stores in New Orleans has never been better. There's exquisite silver jewelry at Armed & Dangerous, fancy clothing for men and women at Gargoyles, CDs at St. Germain, and ooo-la-lingerie at Siren Song. Masks and other costume accessories are available in a variety found no place else, due to the city's passion for dramatic celebration. Antiques stores abound both inside and out of the French Quarter, filled with glass inkwells, ebony walking sticks, silk parasols - there's even a shop specializing in culinary antiques, where you can find that absinthe spoon you've been wanting.
The People
Here's some information about your prospective C5 organizers:
Heather Spear
Originally from Chicago. She co-organized the first Convergence, where she learned all about what NOT to do! She promises to apply this experience (plus all she's learned from hosting costume tea parties, club events, poetry readings, etc.) to making C5 in New Orleans an unforgettable extravaganza.
Guymon Ebenezer Addams
Migrated from Boston. He runs the Mere Mortal record label, so you can be assured that at least one of his bands would play a New Orleanian Convergence. Also, he has promised to offer both soundbites from C5 bands and online sale of C5 tickets on the Mere Mortal website, should we win your votes. He has the saintly patience, iron will, and lack of sanity required to pull of nationwide band tours, club events, and a giant net.goth gathering.
The NO-gothic mailing list
(we know how funny the name is, thank you very much!) is run by Jason Puckett, and is home to NOLA net celebrities like Twilight (Amy) and Shadowp1ay (Misha). Our many-talented list members have responded to the nomination of New Orleans with great enthusiasm, and will be a dedicated, efficient team for C5.
Bands
Local bands you may expect to see during NOLA's Convergence would include Ex-Voto, Cut Rate Box, and Falling Janus. Our scene is growing in leaps and bounds, and these three bands have contributed greatly to that growth.
Name Dropping
Name dropping for your vote! - some people who very well may be involved should Convergence come to our beloved city are local celebs Poppy Z. Brite and Anne Rice. Of course, if you're here, you can also just catch them walking down the street on their way home from the corner store... :}
The Boring Facts!
Travel to and staying in New Orleans is easy and inexpensive. All major airlines (including Southwest) fly into our airport, and we're accessible from both coasts and everywhere in between by Amtrak and Greyhound. Our city has more visitors' accommodations per capita than any other city in America, so we'll get some hotel deals together for you. Due to the popularity of New Orleans as a travel destination, hotels are nearly all within walking distance or a quick taxi/streetcar ride away from venues, clubs, shopping, and other places of interest.
Spring turns New Orleans into an Eden of banana trees, exotic flowers, and gorgeous weather. Expect the temperature to be about 50 to 70 degrees F, with the good possibility of a little rain.
At the writing of this proposal, the tattooing and piercing age is 18, and you must also be 18 to enter a bar. However, you must be 21 or over to purchase alcoholic beverages or enter an establishment offering gambling or gambling machines. People of drinking age may carry and consume drinks (in non-glass containers) in the street. "Bar time" is not set by government regulations, and many bars are open into the wee hours of the morning (a last call at 6:30am is not unusual). Some bars are open 24 hours.
Written by Twilight