Dichroic Mirror Interview-Outburn Magazine, Los Angeles Spring 1997
The hauntingly beautiful sounds of Dichroic Mirror are fueled by the song
writing duo of Eileen Bowe and Michael Gougis. Together they create gothic
rock music that is enhanced by ten years of song writing experience and a
dedicated creative passion. Working hard at perfecting their art, Dichroic
Mirror have definitely achieved success with their most recent release,
Nocturnal Garden. It is a polished and moving exploration into sorrow and
lonliness.
In the past Eileen has been a part of many different bands, most having
brief lives. The first group that had potential was Hidden Colors. "It
actually had live drums, and it was more alternative rock," comments
Eileen. During that time, she did a video show called "The Alternative" on
Long Beach cable. Her partner booked Twist of Fate, the band Michael was
in, to perform. "I narrowly escaped Twist of Fate with my life," says
Michael. "The music was great. It was a wonderful band if you weren't a
member of it." When Michael left Twist of Fate, Eileen convinced him to
join Hidden Colors.
"As we wrote and progressed, things were clicking between us and no one
else," says Eileen. The drummer, who is now in Babylonian Tiles, was very
talented, "but his ideas of songs were not the same as ours." Following the
practical path of many bands, Eileen exclaims, "So we got a drum machine
and a Tascam 4-track..and damn it, we were going out on our own!" Their
first project as Dichroic Mirror was an experimental music video.
Eileen continues to work in the visual field, producing programs for the
public access channel in Long Beach. Perhaps it's not surprising that their
name, Dichroic Mirror, was derived from Eileen's technical background.
"It's a prism inside of a camera lens. It seperates white light into its
component elements," explains Eileen.
Eileen has also recently become an official member of Stone 588, playing
keyboards and bass. Michael compliments fellow guitarist Dave Rhine of
Stone 588 by saying, "He is one of the finest guitarists I've ever heard."
Stone 588's singer, Terri Kennedy, is also the owner of Ipso Facto, an
eclectic fashion and music store. The two bands have been long-time
friends, sharing similar attitudes and inspriations, but Dichroic Mirror
tends to write long developed songs, while Stone 588 is known for its
brevity.
After joining Dichroic Mirror, Michael moved to Chicago to be a writer for
the Associated Press. "For a Southern Californian boy, the first couple of
years were fun. The fourth year was just cold. It was real hard when I was
there, because I was on call seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day..so
you never knew what your schedule was going to be," he laments. Michael was
still able to collaborate with Eileen by mailing tapes back and forth, but
it just wasn't enough. "That was the hardest thing when I left here in
1990. Family..sure, no problem. Job, friends..not a problem. But geeze..I
can't be a musician!" When he quit his job and moved back to California in
'94, he was full of inspiration and creative energy. "We've been in a
song-writing spree since then," he says.
Michael and Eileen collaborate amazingly well. Michael believes, "It's what
we do best." They have been working together for so long that they
completely trust each other's criticisms and critiques. "As an artist, you
never know yourself if it's realy good. You're so completely wracked with
insecurities. I'm very fortunate that Eileen does that for me..and vice
versa. Whenever she comes up with something, I'm sitting here thinking..why
didn't I come up with that? Of course that goes there!" They value their
working relationship, and Eileen asserts that, "A little respect for each
other in a band goes a long way."
The pair understand that their music is not going to appeal to everyone.
However they do know that there is a growing audience that appreciates
their work. They perform live on a semi-regular basis at clubs or smaller
venues in Southern California. "We just played a coffee house in Pomona,"
says Michael. "It was small, but it was nice because they liked what we
did. It had been a long day, and I was going to cut the set a bit short. I
looked up, and no one had left. Forty-five minutes into it, and they were
eating it up. That felt really good."
Dichroic Mirror are accepted by the gothic community because of their
tasteful and romantic portrayal of the melancholia of life. For Michael and
Eileen their music is about self-expression, not simply a fashion trend.
"Our lyrics are darker in nature than most 'normal' people want to hear,"
says Eileen. "We used to say we're not a gothic band, but I've stopped
saying that. What's the point, since that's where we get the best
response." Michael adds, "Any artist seeks out an audience that's receptive
to his or her message.. It's not easy music to listen to or easy music to
understand. When we do it right, hopefully we are talking to people on a
fairly deep level..much deeper than anything you hear on the radio when
you're driving in your car."
Dichroic Mirror have found the internet an effective place to contact an
audience who would otherwise be inaccessible. They appreciate the power of
the elctronic age, because as Michael explains, "If we have three fans
here in the Southland, nobody would ever hear us..we're going nowhere. If
we can get three fans in each of the fifty states and three in each of the
Canadian provinces, that gives us enough support to continue doing what we
love to do..which is write new music."
Eileen and Michael made a trip to Boston last year for the Convergence
gathering which featured bands, vendors, and entertaining events. "It was
great!" exclaims Eileen. "The scene was thriving, the audience was open to
new bands, and the people were exceptionally friendly." The most memorable
Convergence experience for Dichroic Mirror was the graveyard tour. Over a
hundred people, dressed in black, created quite a spectacle as they walked
down the street and hopped on the subway to the graveyard. "It was
hilarious!" chuckles Eileen. "It was a great graveyard..we didn't even
scratch the surface." Michael recalls, "The caretaker came running out with
the Rules of Behavior." Eileen noted that some of the rules were: no loud
talking, no sitting on the grass, and NO SKIING! "Where are we going to ski
today? Oh the graveyard!" Michael kidded. "It's amazing the things you have
to tell people not to do!"
Michael and Eileen's sense of humor, maturity, and commitment to their
music make them one of the freshest and most satisfying bands in the Los
Angeles are. Dichroic Mirror's two CD releases, Nocturnal Garden and
Silence is Foo, are available from Mesmeric Records.
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