Now that I’ve had a week to recover, it’s time to share some of my thoughts on this year’s Dark Side of the Con. This three-day dark alternative convention took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Parsippany, New Jersey, from Friday, March 29, to Sunday, March 31. It was the event’s third year running, and the first year in which I was officially part of the core organizing staff! A couple weeks ago, I posted a preview of the event, highlighting all of the different panels, bands, and events I was looking forward to at the con. Did it live up to my expectations? Read on to find out. Continue reading Dark Side of the Con 2019: A Rundown
Tag: dark side of the con
Preview of Dark Side of the Con 3
For the third year in a row, it’s time for my favorite goth event: Dark Side of the Con! This event is a 3-day dark alternative convention in New Jersey hosted by the good folks at VampireFreaks. The convention is this weekend, March 29–31, and you can still purchase tickets at the Dark Side website as well as at the door.
There have been some exciting changes since last year’s Dark Side of the Con. First, we have a new venue! The Sheraton Parsippany is a gorgeous hotel built like a medieval castle—complete with crenellated battlements and little pointed towers! It’s also significantly larger than the previous venue, meaning it can fit more attendees and has room for more programming. The other big change is that I’m on staff this year! I’ve been working as the panelist coordinator, which means I’ve been behind the scenes making sure we have plenty of amazing guests ready to lead panels and workshops on a wide variety of topics. Below, I’ve highlighted just a few of the things you can look forward to at this year’s DSotC: Continue reading Preview of Dark Side of the Con 3
Check Out My Interview on Crash Chords: Autographs Podcast!
In case you missed it, I was featured on a podcast episode earlier this week! My good friend Matt Storm, a.k.a. Stormageddon, runs a podcast called Crash Chords: Autographs in which he interviews artists, performers, content creators, and all sorts of interesting people from different walks of life about their projects and their passions. 
Tune in to episode #115 to hear my interview! In it, Matt and I chat about how I started blogging, my work as a content creator for VampireFreaks.com, and what it’s been like serving as the Panelist Coordinator for Dark Side of the Con—a dark alternative convention in New Jersey that will be taking place at the end of March.
Search for “Crash Chords: Autographs” on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, GooglePlay, or Spotify and check out episode #115 “Feat. Julia O’Connell.” Or simply follow this link to the Crash Chords website and give it a listen.
Let me know what you think of the interview! Are there any other podcasts you’d like to hear me on? Drop some suggestions in the comments!
Preview of Dark Side of the Con 2
Who’s ready for Round 2 of a three-day gothic party? Last year, I attended the very first Dark Side of the Con, a dark alternative convention in New Jersey, hosted by VampireFreaks. This week, Dark Side is back and it’s darker than ever. The biggest difference this year is that VampireFreaks split with Jeff Mach after the latter was accused of a number of problematic behaviors earlier this year—so now Dark Side will be run solely by Jet and his VF team. Another big difference is that this year, I’m doing a bunch of panels! The convention is this weekend, March 16-18, at the Radisson Hotel in Piscataway, NJ. You can find more information and buy tickets at the Dark Side of the Con website. For a preview of the panels I’ll be running and the other aspects of the con that I’m looking forward to, read on!
I’ll be on four different panels at this year’s Dark Side of the Con. If you like the type of content that I post on this site, then you definitely don’t want to miss my first two panels! On Friday at 7:45pm I’m doing a panel called “The Literary Roots of Goth,” in which I’ll take you through the history of the Gothic literary movement. The next morning at 11:00am, I’m getting a little more in depth with “Gender & Sexuality in Gothic Literature.” This panel will explore the complicated relationship that this genre has had with gender and sexuality since its inception, and the way that these themes play out in individual works and the genre as a whole. For something a little more lighthearted, I’ll be moderating a “Vampires vs. Zombies” debate on Saturday at 5:00pm, in which writers MJ Brad and Tamsin Silver will argue over the merits of their preferred supernatural entity in pop culture. Lastly, you can catch me on Sunday at noon on a panel about “Corporate Goth.” There will even be some great panels at Dark Side that don’t feature me. I’m particularly excited for the “Paranormal” panel, which will be led by the Morris-Jumel Mansion’s professional paranormal investigator, Vincent Carbone.
There are a whole bunch of amazing bands that are going to be at the convention. This year, for real, I am finally going to see Ego Likeness. I keep saying that every time they’re at the same convention I am, yet somehow it never works out. This time, though, they’re a top priority. I’m also excited to get a second chance to see Xentrifuge. I was supposed to see them over the summer when they were performing in New York City but things didn’t work out, so I definitely want to catch them at Dark Side. There’s also an electro-goth-rock band called Spider Lilies, whom I had never heard of before but whose music sounds right up my alley, so I’ll definitely have to check them out! And of course, there are a few of my old favorites like Psyche Corporation and The Long Losts.
Apart from panels and performances, there are a lot of other things that will be going on over the weekend. Central to Dark Side of the Con are the DJed dance nights. Friday night, there’s two different dance parties going on: Cybertron, where the DJs from this well-known NYC club night will be spinning industrial, synthpop, and electro; and The Black Shamrock Ball, where a number of other DJs will be spinning goth, post-punk, and new wave. On Saturday night, DJs Jet and Swabby will be spinning emo, pop-punk, and 2000’s alternative for my new favorite dance event, The Black Parade. They will also be bringing back the Villains Ball and costume contest from last year. If you’re looking for me after midnight, I’ll probably be at one of these dance parties.
Will I see you at Dark Side of the Con? Are you coming to my panels? What events are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments!
Dark Side of the Con 2017: A Rundown of America’s First Goth Convention
Last weekend I went over to the Dark Side, at Jeff Mach and VampireFreaks’s newest convention, a three-day event designed specifically for goths. Dark Side of the Con came right on the heels of another brand new convention, Glimmerdark, which I attended and posted a rundown of last month. In my overview, I noted that Glimmerdark hit a few snags trying to figure out what kind of convention it was and what audience it wanted to cater to. Dark Side of the Con, I felt, had no such problem. The convention was geared toward a very specific audience—goths—and with VampireFreaks helping to run the show, it was an audience that the organizers knew well. A few weeks ago, I posted a preview of which aspects of the con I was looking forward to most. Overall, my expectations fared pretty well against reality, despite the fact that a poorly timed sore throat and headache prevented me from getting as much out of the weekend as I wanted to. Read on for some highlights of the convention.
Continue reading Dark Side of the Con 2017: A Rundown of America’s First Goth Convention
Gothtrepreneur: Interview with Jet from VampireFreaks
Last week, I gave you all a preview of what I’m looking forward to at the new goth convention, Dark Side of the Con. This week, I got to chat with Jet, VampireFreaks founder and co-host of the convention, to ask him about goth, gothic events, and more. Jet has had a huge influence in the goth scene over the past two decades, both in New York City and world wide via his website, and I’m very excited to have had the chance to meet him and get his perspective on the goth scene.
Continue reading Gothtrepreneur: Interview with Jet from VampireFreaks
Preview of Dark Side of the Con: Finally a Local Goth Convention!
Want to spend a weekend just letting your goth flag fly in a hotel full of other creatures of the night? This St. Patrick’s Day weekend, you can dodge the garish green and seclude yourself among like-minded admirers of a monochrome wardrobe at Dark Side of the Con. Last month I gave you all a sneak peek and then overview of a brand new faerie festival called Glimmerdark. Now I’ve been invited back to attend another inaugural Jeff Mach Event and report back with my thoughts. Dark Side of the Con, happening in Piscataway, NJ, on March 17–19, is a new goth convention co-hosted by Jeff Mach and Vampire Freaks—the creators of a thriving online goth community and purveyors of excellent gothic goods. I’ll give you the low-down after the con, but in the meantime, here’s what’s got me excited, so far:
Continue reading Preview of Dark Side of the Con: Finally a Local Goth Convention!