- Salem frontman John Holland on guitar.
- Heather Marlatt on keys.
- The trio was mostly absorbed in the music and didn't talk too much to the audience.
- Jack Donoghue rhyming.
- What does goth hip hop look like? Something like this.
- Though he rapped most of the time, every member of Salem did some singing, Donoghue included.
- The young band gave one of their strongest performances.
- The three made a massive sound together, despite their chilled out demeanor.
- They shared various duties on stage.
- Marlatt contributed vocals as well.
- That's a Wisconsin Badgers jersey, by the way.
- Holland sang as well.
- Their brooding charms and hypnotic songs won the CMJ crowd over.
- Their fans were out in force, but there could be no encore on a tight CMJ schedule.
Midwestern witch house trio Salem treated the CMJ crowd at Santos Party House to a bit of their strange — and strangely alluring — dark electronica.
Chopped and screwed beats and freaky samples stretched and distorted beyond all hope of recognition were the order of the night.
The blogging world and its malcontent commenters have generated a lot of free publicity for the group, who just released their debut album King Night, but it’s the trio’s new gothic soundscapes that cast an evil spell at their late night showcase and captured the room’s rapt attention.
Salem makes relatively few live appearances, but we have the photos of the mysterious group’s set right here. Click through and see how things went.
All Photos: Nichole McCall