The Gothic M.O.

Call Me Alice is in the final stages of completing their new CD How Motivation Killed the Man, scheduled for release this fall. At least, that seems to be the plan. The San Diego techno-goth five-piece has been working on the CD since 2005, the year they were voted “Best Rock Band” at the first annual Inland Empire Music Awards (IEMA). Their first CD, All About Sive, has been remixed by local DJs in the clubs.

True to the gothic M.O., the band members are only known by their stage names: Crosby the vocalist, Epiphany the bass player, Jude the keyboardist and electronic sound programmer, Aughustine the guitarist, and a percussionist known only as THRaWN.

“One thing you can say about us as a band is we’re not snobs about when and where we play,” says Crosby. “We’ll play pretty much anywhere, any time-slot if we can grab some new listeners, especially young ones. Yes, we’ll talk shit about it later, but we’re very considerate and only badmouth those places to one another or several years later in interviews like this one.”

IN THAT CASE, WHAT ISSUES DO YOU HAVE WITH LIVE SHOWS?

Epiphany: “Many venues have too many bands on one bill, which means bands are rushed with short sets and no sound checks, so by the time the sound is dialed in — if at all — your set is almost over. We’re a bit more HM [high maintenance] than other bands because we also use keys, samples, and electronic drums, which all need to get mixed in on top of the usual guitar, bass, drums, and vox.”

HISTORY OF YOUR GEAR?

Jude: “My keyboard is getting really old, by technology standards; I can’t seem to let it go, though.”

Crosby: “I was born with it. It makes me feel good to use it. I’m glad I can take it with me wherever I go, no matter what I’m doing.”

Aughustine: “The history of my main CMA axe is it was broken in two pieces when I bought it. I repaired it, hated it, and I never played it. Khrys Maxwell, who helped us produce our new album, strongly suggested I use it on the recording. It sounded great, so I’ve grown to love it and compare most axes to it these days.”

BEST SAN DIEGO HANGOUT?

Crosby: “McDonald’s. I’m severely addicted to vanilla iced coffee. I know they put narcotics in it because I can feel the chemicals in my brain change when I begin to drink one. Watch for me at your local Mickey D’s, and if you’re in front of me, hurry, get your stuff, and get out of my way.”

Epiphany: “By the looks of me I’d have to say the tattoo shops, specifically Guru or Avalon.”

Aughustine: “Hill Street Cafe. The vibe is right, the people are right, and it’s locally owned.”

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY?

Jude: “Riding in the child’s seat on my dad’s bike.”

Crosby: “In the mountains somewhere with large trees everywhere, the air is cool, playing with a tiny green John Deere tractor in a pool of water — possibly a creek? But then again maybe this wasn’t me but just a dream that I’m misinterpreting as a memory.”

THRaWN: “Throwing my middle finger in the air and watching relatives or my parents’ friends laugh at me. They thought it was the funniest thing.”

BEST GIG?

THRaWN: “Some battle-of-the-bands thing we played in Vegas. We hate doing contests and only did it because it was a free trip to Vegas. We didn’t really care about the contest at all, got liquored up, went out and did our thing, and still placed second. We got back to the hotel around 2:30 a.m. and headed for the casino in full makeup.”

WORST GIG?

Epiphany: “Was it the random strip club we played in Anaheim up on a stage not built for bands with the dirty pole in our way the entire set? Was it the bowling alley full of kids waiting to see us play but couldn’t because we kept blowing the power in the place a minute into a song? Or was it the show we did at an ice rink where we had to drag all our gear out on the ice and play while kids and families skated around us? You pick the worst. Not many bands can top those gems.”