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In Tenebris

Singer Christina Fleming and guitarist/programmer Jdavyd Williams founded In Tenebris as a creative outlet, but both brought a wealth of musical education to the band; Fleming has a degree in music from the University of Virginia, while Williams has had eight years of classical guitar training. The pair filled out the band's rhythm section with bassist Nathaniel Acker and drummer Michael Johnson and released their debut EP, The Depths, early in 2006.

Based in Charlottesville, Virgina, In Tenebris has shared the stage with such gothic rock favorites as The Last Dance, Bella Morte, Ego Likeness, and Anders Manga and recently played their first West Coast shows. A debut full-length, entitled Transcendence, is due for release in the fall.

Tell us a little about how In Tenebris began. How did you get together, and how did you come up with the concept of the band?

Fleming: Jdavyd and I began writing music together around the age of 15 in friends' basements and in the woods behind my parent's house. From the very beginning, we have had this really intense musical connection which has evolved to be what it is today. There was never really a 'concept' for the band, per se; we were just a couple of spooky kids trying to express ourselves and figure things out through music.

You both have strong backgrounds in classical music, right? How does that training contribute to what you do in In Tenebris?

Williams: I studied classical guitar for eight years. My teacher specialized in baroque and flamenco styles.

Fleming: I began studying classical voice around the time that Jdavyd and I met,and continue to go four times a week today. My voice is naturally extremely high, so the ranges that I sing in with In Tenebris aren't always easy for me. The training keeps my voice healthy and prevents me from developing any bad habits. In addition, I am able to approach singing certain difficult vocal lines from a more technical perspective. The classical training has equipped both of us with certain tools and knowledge of our instruments we wouldn't have otherwise.

With songs like "At Sea" and "The Depths," you seem to refer to the ocean a great deal. Was this a conscious decision? What are your lyrical inspirations?

Williams: All of my songs are written about my feelings, for people that I've met and for events that I've lived through. I have always felt that the most important thing I could do as a lyricist would be to write songs that were both true to what I was feeling in addition to being open enough for anyone, from any walk of life, to find something of themselves in as well. The ocean was a perfect image for those songs because it imparts a feeling of power, of weight and size, as well as being something that we all have an understanding of. In the case of 'As we're swimming through the empty sea,' the empty sea is an existence without meaning. 'The Depths' is about a search for that meaning.

Fleming: One major theme in both Jdavyd's and my lyrics is introspection. We put a great deal of ourselves in these songs, taken from our experiences, thoughts and ideals. It can make you feel kind of vulnerable sometimes, because we are emotionally baring ourselves in front of our audience. I guess the good thing about both of us writing lyrics is that if asked about them, we can always pin it on the other person.

You have a full-length album, Transcendence, coming out later this year. What can you tell us about it? Will the songs from your EP, The Depths, appear on the album as well?

Fleming: We plan for most of these songs to be on our full length, though ironically most likely not 'The Depths.' We thought it would be neat to offer it as a special bonus for those who buy the EP. I will admit the song line-up has changed a few times, partly because we keep writing new ones that we get excited about. As of now, we plan to have 10 songs on the CD, including four from the EP.

The vocal production on your first release is excellent. What's your studio set-up like? What kind of gear do you use, and in particular how were the vocals recorded?

Your songs incorporate some very strong guitar parts in addition to the electronic elements like keyboards and drum machines. With rock music on one end of the spectrum and electronic on the other, where do you think In Tenebris fits?

Williams: I try to not think about what we're writing and where it fits in the music world. I'd like to think that we create something that transcends genre labels. The members of In Tenebris listen to all kinds of music, not strictly goth, rock, or electronic styles, and what we create reflects that multitude of influence.

How difficult is it to transfer your sound, with the vocal layering and electronics, to the live setting?

Williams: It's certainly not a standard "rock band" setup, that's for sure! The biggest step for us was the integration of live drums, which did complicate things a bit but has been completely worth the effort. We are currently using a hybrid, half triggered and half acoustic drum set. We also don't use standard amps at live shows; both the guitar and bass rigs are built around Tech 21 Sansamp systems, which are completely analog. This means we have the portability without the canned digital sound. For our backing tracks, we use an Alesis ADAT HD24. The versions of the tracks that we use live are slightly different, mostly to account for the live drums and to fill up space where some of the layered guitar tracks sit on the album versions.

You recently played your first West Coast shows. How did that go, and is there a chance of a bigger U.S. tour when the album comes out? Do you have other upcoming plans you'd like to share with our readers?

Williams: I can't think of any way the trip to California could have gone better! We were very lucky to have been given the chance by our friends The Last Dance, and we found the promoters and audiences to be nothing but receptive. We hope to return soon and are working to expand our region of performance for the future. We are also very excited to be incorporating live keyboards into the show before the end of the year.