We know - that's a lot of band names in one subject line.  But we also know it's hard for some people to think about an event that "isn't until next year" - even though it's only six weeks away.  So we're pulling out all the stops to grab your attention now, so that you can mark your calendars, buy your tickets, and return your thoughts to the usual end-of-year holiday chaos. 

Our next Dracula's Ball event is on Saturday, January 16th, 2010.  We have quite an array of talented performers joining us for this event.  Tickets for the Ball are $15 and are on sale now through the usual outlets (see below).

BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL: As one of the flagship bands of the Projekt record label, BTFABG was at the center of the "Heavenly Voices" style of swirly, ethereal music. With their most recent album, 10 Neurotics, Black Tape has branched out considerably, exploring more of the cabaret influences apparent in their recent work and adopting an earthier style. Spahn Ranch vocalist Athan Maroulis and eclectic soloist Nicki Jaine are part of both the studio album and the live show, helping Black Tape visionary Sam Rosenthal take the band into exciting new territory.
STAGE TIME - 10:35pm
http://www.myspace.com/blacktapeforabluegirl

I SCINTILLA: What's better than being able to rock out and dance at the same time? I:Scintilla gives you the opportunity to do both. Fans of electro-rock with catchy hooks and female vocals (like, say, Garbage, Collide or The Birthday Massacre) will surely enjoy this Chicago group's first Dracula's Ball performance. I:Scintilla just released a new EP, Prey on You, in November. They also have an exclusive new track on the Metropolis cancer benefit album, Electronic Saviors. Expect a performance that will be...(dare we say it?) scintillating!
STAGE TIME - 12:05am
http://www.myspace.com/iscintilla

For this Ball, we're very pleased to welcome Mark Jackson of VNV Nation and Joe Letz of Combichrist as our DJs on the Main Floor. Mark and Joe have toured all over the world with their bands and have amassed impressive music collections in the process. They look forward to playing some of your favorite tracks and introducing you to some of their favorites as well. In the White Room and the Velvet Underground, we are pleased to welcome back DJ Solaries from Washington DC, and Philadelphia's DJ Dave Ghoul. 4 DJs, 3 dancefloors, all night!

Tickets are $15.00 and are on sale now through IsoTank.com, Digital Ferret CDs, Ticketmaster retail outlets and Ticketmaster.com.  Admission at the door, if available, will be $17.  When doors open, people with tickets are admitted first, so having tickets in advance is not only cheaper, but more convenient as well.  Direct links to purchasing tickets are here:
(IsoTank)                http://www2.mailordercentral.com/isotank/prodinfo.asp?number=36445-0
(Ticketmaster)        http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/02004370A7B584A2?artistid=835478&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60
Remember that there may be service charges when purchasing from Ticketmaster. IsoTank offers free shipping on orders of 5 or more tickets.  If you have questions about where or how to buy or pick up tickets, please visit the FAQ on our website.  In fact, visit the FAQ on our site anyway.

This Ball takes place in our favorite location, Shampoo Nightclub, at 7th & Willow Streets in Philadelphia, PA (Mapquest/Google Maps info can be found on our website).  As always, the Ball is open to all ages, but you must be 21+ with proper photo ID to drink.  There is a large, free, enclosed parking lot, but it fills up quick for the Ball. Personal photo cameras are welcome.  Large professional camera rigs with unpleasant flash bulbs are not.  Video cameras are not allowed.

Doors open at 9pm and our event ends at 2am. 

Finally, photos from our Halloween event have been posted on our website.  As always, we're amazed by all of the fantastic and elaborate costumes.  Thanks for making our event such an exciting place to be!

We'll be in touch again to make sure this event doesn't slip your mind during the upcoming holidays.  January 16th will be here before you know it.

Best wishes,
[Patrick] & DB Staff

As always, a big thank-you to everyone who attended our Halloween event.  Our photographer got whiplash from turning his head every minute to photograph all of your great costumes, but we know it's impossible to catch them all.  A selection of photos from 10-31-09 has been added to our website in the Photo Gallery section:

http://draculasball.com/gallery.htm

The site will be updated soon with details about the next Dracula's Ball (January 16th, 2010) as well as exciting news about a new ticketing option we will be offering next year.


(A quick note for Philadelphia people - you can meet Skinny Puppy on Thursday afternoon at Digital Ferret and see them in concert later that evening at the Trocadero - details here)

There will be no tickets available at the door tonight - Dracula's Ball will be sold out some time in the next few hours.

Ticketmaster is no longer selling tickets online or by phone. At present, you can still get tickets in person at Ticketmaster outlets although there are just a few dozen left.

There are NO TICKETS remaining at Digital Ferret CDs / IsoTank. 

Again, there will be NO TICKETS AT THE DOOR tonight.  You need at ticket in order to attend tonight's event.

As always, thanks for your support. We'll see you tonight.

The deadline to order tickets by mail has passed, but it's still possible to get your hands on tickets for the Dracula's Ball event on 10/31/09.  There will not be enough tickets to meet demand, so advance tickets are very strongly recommended. 

BUY TICKETS IN PERSON
1. At Nocturne Wednesdays 9pm-2am on the night of October 28th
2. At Digital Ferret CDs 12pm-10pm daily
3. At Ticketmaster retail locations (service charges apply)

BUY TICKETS ONLINE FOR WILL CALL/PICKUP
1. At IsoTank - tickets must be picked up at Digital Ferret - they will NOT be at Shampoo.
2. At Ticketmaster Online - tickets will be at Shampoo (service charges apply)

Also, the following updates:

--> Traffic and transit update: there is a major sporting event in Philadelphia on October 31st.  It is in a different part of the city and should not affect us directly, but if you are coming from out of town, it may affect roads you are using to enter the city.  Areas that may be affected are Exit 349 (Sports Complex Exit) on Route 76, and Exits 19 (Packer Ave) and 17 (Broad Street) on I-95.  Local public transit may also be affected by several factors; check the SEPTA website if you plan on taking a train, bus or subway.

--> Daylight savings update: this is really not an update, but a reminder. At midnight, the date becomes November 1st, and not long after that, Daylight Savings ends. That means the clocks roll back an hour, so our party doesn't end until the "new" 2am - three hours after midnight.  Plan accordingly.

The documentary footage of Dracula's Ball that was shot for Comcast/NBC earlier this year starts airing today. The show is called "Vampires Revealed" and it runs on the Paranormal TV channel of the Comcast On-Demand service.  You need to have Comcast On-Demand in order to see the show.

The "Vampires Revealed" show is broken up into several smaller clips.  Dracula's Ball has its own clip so you should be able to find it easily. You can also see footage from the Ball in the other "Vampires Revealed" clips.

Don't forget that tickets for the 10/31 Dracula's Ball are very strongly recommended, so pick yours up before someone else picks them up!  

Hello to all of you,

Thanks so much for bringing such fantastic energy to our September 5th event.  This was definitely one of the most enjoyable Ball events we've ever produced.  We've added a small sampling of pictures to the photo gallery on our site (www.draculasball.com); go take a look.

Although the most recent Ball is just a few weeks behind us, we're already gearing up for the big one: Halloween.  This is always our largest Dracula's Ball of the year, and it has sold out for the past several years in a row, so we very strongly encourage you to buy advance tickets for this event.  On top of the usual list of reasons to attend, this year Halloween is a Saturday.  It also happens to fall at the end of Daylight Savings, which means that at 2am, instead of closing our doors, we join everyone else in rolling the clocks back to 1am, making this a six-hour long event.  Finally, we have a rare US performance (Tapping The Vein) and an exclusive US debut performance (Dope Stars Inc).  In other words, this is a very hot ticket!

Our website contains all the information you need about tickets (check out our FAQ in particular) but the essential details are as follows.  Tickets are $15 and are on sale now. You can pick them up in person from Ticketmaster outlets or at Digital Ferret CDs (www.myspace.com/digital_ferret).  You can get them online from Ticketmaster or IsoTank (www.isotank.com) - and note that IsoTank offers free shipping on orders of five or more tickets.  In the unlikely event that there are still a few tickets left at the door, there will not be enough for everyone, so order now.

As we mentioned in previous bulletins, we'll be flying in Italian electro-glam-rock band Dope Stars Inc. for their very first US concert appearance.  We're also pleased to welcome back our dear friends Tapping The Vein, who have not played a US show in some time.  

If you've never been to a Ball before and live bands aren't your thing, don't fret - we'll have four rooms open all night long, with a different DJ in each room. If you're not feeling the groove for some reason, there's always another room to check out.  Our DJ lineup will be announced in our next bulletin.

Our venue for this Dracula's Ball event is Shampoo Nightclub, located at 7th & Willow Streets in Philadelphia, PA (Mapquest/Google Maps info can be found on our website).  As always, the Ball is open to all ages, but you must be 21+ with proper photo ID to drink.  There is a large, free, enclosed parking lot, but it fills up quickly for the Ball. Personal photo cameras are welcome.  Large professional rigs with unpleasant flash bulbs are not.  Video cameras are not allowed. Doors open at 9pm and the event ends at 2am (sort of - see the note above about Daylight Savings).

It's Halloween, so costumes are encouraged.  Of course, costumes are always welcome at the Ball, but this is -the- occasion for that one special outfit you've been saving (or saving up for).  Costumes aren't required, but why not make the most of the opportunity?  If you need inspiration, check out our photo gallery to see some of the amazing costumes we enjoyed at previous Halloween events.  Naturally, we will have enough candy to give your dentist nightmares.

Some more about our performers:

TAPPING THE VEIN: As we're fond of pointing out, Tapping The Vein performed at the very first Dracula's Ball, so having them return for the 48th Dracula's Ball is a testament to how well their music and live performances have held up over the years. Their blend of hard rock and gothic music with female vocals that can range from a haunting whisper to full blown fury is a style that many other bands later attempted. Few managed to do it with the same level of skill as TTV. Fans of groups like Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation or Garbage will surely enjoy them. Since part of the band relocated to the UK, concert appearances in the US by TTV are uncommon, so catch them while you can. Expect to hear old favorites as well as material from their recent album, Another Day Down.
STAGE TIME - 10:30pm
http://www.myspace.com/tappingthevein

DOPE STARS INC: You know we love exclusives. On Halloween, we're very pleased to bring you the very first US concert appearance by the Italian band Dope Stars Inc. They're flying in from Italy for this show and flying out right after, so this is your only chance to see them in the USA. Their style and sound clearly have a glitter-glam influence, with an equal mixture of electro-industrial and rock-n-roll. Their song "Fast and Beautiful" (which is also an apt description of their performances) was chosen as the lead track for the Hot Topic / Asleep By Dawn "...Underground Club Mix #2" compilation. Their albums generated such huge sales as European imports that the band caught the notice of Metropolis Records, who gave the band's July 2009 album, 21st Century Slave, an official US release.
STAGE TIME - 12:05am
http://www.myspace.com/dopestarsinc

Again, we can't emphasize how important it is to get advance tickets for this event.  This is our last Dracula's Ball event until January 2010.  And for your reference, the next time that Halloween falls on a Saturday night will be 2015.  So, be sure to get your tickets...before somebody else gets them. 

We'll see you at the end of next month.

Best wishes,
[Patrick] & DB Staff

The next Dracula's Ball event is this Saturday, which means you're just about out of time to get advance tickets by mail.  IsoTank will stop taking orders for advance tickets by mail at noon EST tomorrow (Tuesday the 1st).  Remember that IsoTank offers free shipping on orders of 5 or more tickets. If you miss the deadline, you can still get tickets in person from Digital Ferret CDs or Ticketmaster.  You can also order tickets from IsoTank and have them held for pickup in person at Digital Ferret.  Admission at the door will be $18. 
(IsoTank)                http://www2.mailordercentral.com/isotank/prodinfo.asp?number=35621-0
(Ticketmaster)        http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/020042D09A625B37?artistid=835478&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

Don't forget that doors open at EIGHT O'CLOCK on Saturday. This is because Project Pitchfork is playing a 90 minute set, so our schedule for this event is a little different than usual.  Our bands are Carfax Abbey and Project Pitchfork, and our DJs are Annabel Evil, Damian Plague and RYG. We open at EIGHT pm for this event - an hour earlier than usual.

Project Pitchfork is one of the best-known bands in the industrial scene, with many club hits that you most definitely have danced to if you've ever been to a Ball or even a regular dark-alternative nightclub.  If for some reason you don't recognize the name, just check out the two video clips below and you'll recognize the songs right away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCDLLHibTtU          (Timekiller)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOhTXPGV7bU       (Steel Rose)
The band is from Germany and has not toured the US in over a decade.  We're very excited to be hosting them in Philadelphia and having them make their first Dracula's Ball appearance.  An occasion so grand should be savored, and a band with such a vast collection of hits should play as many of them as they can, so we are extending the party for another hour in order to give Project Pitchfork a 90 minute set.  Instead of the usual 9pm, this Ball will begin at 8pm.  The bands will start a little bit earlier than usual - and the parking lot will fill up a bit earlier than usual as well.  We've only done this once before, so be sure you don't miss this one!

Our second band, Carfax Abbey, has played at several Dracula's Ball events, but you haven't seen them play in awhile.  We can say that even though you are scattered across the country, because the band hasn't played any live shows in some time.  But after a little bit of arm-twisting, we coaxed Byron, Chris, Gary and Noel into playing this show for us.  Reports from the rehearsal space are that the guys have quite a bit of pent-up energy they're ready to release on stage.  We're looking forward to it!

If you've never been to a Ball before and live bands aren't your thing, don't fret - we have three rooms open all night long, with a different DJ in each room. If you're not feeling the groove for some reason, there's always another room to check out.  We're happy to be joined by DJs Annabel Evil, Damian Plague and RYG.

Our venue as once again our haunt of choice, Shampoo Nightclub, located at 7th & Willow Streets in Philadelphia, PA (Mapquest/Google Maps info can be found on our website).  As always, the Ball is open to all ages, but you must be 21+ with proper photo ID to drink.  There is a large, free, enclosed parking lot, but it fills up quick for the Ball. Personal photo cameras are welcome.  Large professional rigs with unpleasant flash bulbs are not.  Video cameras are not allowed.

Some more about our performers:

CARFAX ABBEY: If horror movies have taught us anything, it's that if something looks dead, one shouldn't assume it's safe - or even that it's really dead. So it is with Carfax Abbey. They've been hibernating for a bit, they admit, but they're far from dead. Byron, Chris, Gary and Noel are already rehearsing for this long-overdue performance, and you don't want to miss the explosion of energy they'll be unleashing for this show. If you're not familiar with their blend of hard rock and industrial with horror influences, check out their MySpace page. If you already know the band, then you know this show is a must-see.
STAGE TIME - 9:45pm
http://www.myspace.com/carfaxabbey

PROJECT PITCHFORK: If you've ever been to a Ball before, you've probably danced to a Project Pitchfork song. They have a stream of club hits that goes back over a decade or two (check out videos for Timekiller, Steelrose and Carnival - just to pick three) and their newest album proves that they are not slowing down anytime soon. We could mention all of the different styles they combine in their music, but it would be a long list. It's been over a decade since they've performed in the USA, and we're opening an hour early so that they can play a full 90 minute show that is certain to include many of your favorites.
STAGE TIME - 11:15pm
http://www.myspace.com/projectpitchfork

We'll be sending out one more update on ticket availability as the week draws to a close, and at the beginning of next week, we'll be updating our site and officially announcing the details for our Halloween event.  For now, however, we're very excited about this Saturday and look forward to sharing an amazing evening with you.

Best wishes,
[Patrick] & DB Staff

Draculas Ball Myspace Invitation

It's been a little while since we've been in touch. We hope you're enjoying the summer.  Our next Dracula's Ball event takes place on Labor Day weekend (Saturday September 5th), and if you'll excuse the bad pun, we've put a lot of labor into making sure it's a day (night?) you won't soon forget.  If it isn't already circled on your calendar (don't you get our postcards in the mail?) then mark the date now; it's closer than you think.

Project Pitchfork is one of the best-known bands in the industrial scene, with many club hits that you most definitely have danced to if you've ever been to a Ball or even a regular dark-alternative nightclub.  If for some reason you don't recognize the name, just check out the two video clips below and you'll recognize the songs right away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCDLLHibTtU             (Timekiller)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOhTXPGV7bU          (Steel Rose)
The band is from Germany and has not toured the US in over a decade.  We're very excited to be hosting them in Philadelphia and having them make their first Dracula's Ball appearance.  An occasion so grand should be savored, and a band with such a vast collection of hits should play as many of them as they can, so we are extending the party for another hour in order to give Project Pitchfork a 90 minute set.  Instead of the usual 9pm, this Ball will begin at 8pm.  The bands will start a little bit earlier than usual - and the parking lot will fill up a bit earlier than usual as well.  We've only done this once before, so be sure you don't miss this one!

Our second band has played at several Dracula's Ball events, but you haven't seen them play in awhile.  We can say that even though you are scattered across the country, because the band hasn't played any live shows in some time.  But after a little bit of arm-twisting, we coaxed Byron, Chris, Gary and Noel into playing this show for us.  Reports from the rehearsal space are that the guys have quite a bit of pent-up energy they're ready to release on stage.  We're looking forward to it!

If you've never been to a Ball before and live bands aren't your thing, don't fret - we have three rooms open all night long, with a different DJ in each room. If you're not feeling the groove for some reason, there's always another room to check out.  Our DJs for the evening will be Annabel Evil, Damian Plague, and for the first time, DJ RYG, who truly amazed us with his extensive collection of dancefloor-friendly goth rock.

Tickets are $15.50 and are on sale now through IsoTank.com, Digital Ferret CDs, Ticketmaster retail outlets and Ticketmaster.com.  If there is any admission available at the door, it will be $18.  For this event, advance tickets are recommended. Direct links to purchasing tickets are here:
(IsoTank)                http://www2.mailordercentral.com/isotank/prodinfo.asp?number=35621-0
(Ticketmaster)        http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/020042D09A625B37?artistid=835478&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60
Remember that there may be service charges when purchasing from Ticketmaster. IsoTank offers free shipping on orders of 5 or more tickets.  If you have questions about where or how to buy or pick up tickets, please visit the FAQ on our website.  In fact, visit the FAQ on our site anyway.

Our venue as once again our haunt of choice, Shampoo Nightclub, located at 7th & Willow Streets in Philadelphia, PA (Mapquest/Google Maps info can be found on our website).  As always, the Ball is open to all ages, but you must be 21+ with proper photo ID to drink.  There is a large, free, enclosed parking lot, but it fills up quick for the Ball. Personal photo cameras are welcome.  Large professional rigs with unpleasant flash bulbs are not.  Video cameras are not allowed.

Some more about our performers:

CARFAX ABBEY: If horror movies have taught us anything, it's that if something looks dead, one shouldn't assume it's safe - or even that it's really dead. So it is with Carfax Abbey. They've been hibernating for a bit, they admit, but they're far from dead. Byron, Chris, Gary and Noel are already rehearsing for this long-overdue performance, and you don't want to miss the explosion of energy they'll be unleashing for this show. If you're not familiar with their blend of hard rock and industrial with horror influences, check out their MySpace page. If you already know the band, then you know this show is a must-see.
STAGE TIME - 9:45pm
http://www.myspace.com/carfaxabbey

PROJECT PITCHFORK: If you've ever been to a Ball before, you've probably danced to a Project Pitchfork song. They have a stream of club hits that goes back over a decade or two (check out videos for Timekiller, Steelrose and Carnival - just to pick three) and their newest album proves that they are not slowing down anytime soon. We could mention all of the different styles they combine in their music, but it would be a long list. It's been over a decade since they've performed in the USA, and we're opening an hour early so that they can play a full 90 minute show that is certain to include many of your favorites.
STAGE TIME - 11:00pm
http://www.myspace.com/projectpitchfork

We'll be sending out invitations to this event on MySpace in the very near future. 

Tickets are already moving quickly for this event, so we suggest you get them sooner rather than later. We expect quite a crowd for this one.  The final Ball for 2009 will take place on October 31st, but we'll talk more about that later on. For now, our eyes are fixed on September 5th and we hope to see you there.

Best wishes,
[Patrick] & DB Staff