September Mourning Collecting Souls at the Aftershock

May 2, 2015

Be sure to listen to our interview with September at the bottom of the page!

It was the last Thursday of April at The Aftershock Live Music Venue and summer has just started to peek around the corner here in Kansas City. Although I, as well as everyone else, is ready for the summer heat, I couldn’t have been happier seeing September sooner than expected. September Mourning is not yet as popular as one would assume but after six years since the birth of the band, things are finally starting to take off. If you are not familiar with the story of September Mourning brace yourself. With the multi platform media base, and the joint genius of Marc Silvestri at their side, rock fans and comic book fans are rejoicing everywhere.

Lead singer Emily Lazar, or September, teamed up with Marc Silvestri in 2009 to bring the idea of September Mourning to life. Marc Silvestri, the CEO of Top Cow Productions, is notable for his artistic works with big names like Marvel, DC, and then on to Image Comics, where he is one of several of the original artists.

Marc Silvestri has been illustrating the comic book series based around the story of September Mourning for the past couple years. In the comic book, September was deemed by Fate to have her soul collected. So Fate sent a reaper named Riven (Guitarist) down to take her soul and instead of taking September’s soul to Mordum, Riven fell in love with September. Riven sacrificed his powers to September making her half human and half reaper. September filled with humanity and the new powers gained by Riven, she walks the Earth finding broken people who have souls and swapping their souls with souls from people who have purpose and a life to live. The story line continues to develop when Fate sends Wraith (Guitarist), Rasper (Bassist) and Stich (Drummer) after September. September battles as the defender of humanity and allows people to choose their fate and become “Children of Fate”. The story coupled, with a group of talented musicians, is strong foundation for the band’s future. The comic book is set to release later this year.

September Mourning’s concerts are more than just a band on a stage. Mix synchronized LED light shows, a themed set, and fog when September and the Reapers take the stage and you’re bound to witness a good time. All the members of the band carry a dark presence when playing their asses off and crowds can feel it.

Less than half the crowd Thursday night knew of September Mourning before they took the stage. After their performance, the entire crowd was left satisfied and wanting more. September Mourning opened with “Children of Fate”, which even had me shouting “We are children of fate!” at the top of my lungs. Towards the middle of the set Rasper flipped his bass so fluently if you would’ve blinked you would have missed it. Following the flip Rasper didn’t miss a beat while continuing to kill it in the best way possible. Wraith and Riven behind their guitars used the stage and their dark essence to the fullest extent during every song. Riven was caught between coordinating the technical aspect of the show and playing throughout the course of the show. Something that won’t be an issue when the band proceeds on the tour to bigger and more established venues. It doesn’t take much to see that each character/band member takes pride in their work. Despite previous instances in the bands past the current group of members seems to be September Mourning’s bread and butter.

After having a chance to speak with almost all the members of the band one thing to me was clear, the professionalism and determination to provide quality rock is going to push their musical journey to great things. Since 2009, the band has toured with many big-name bands including Marilyn Manson, Hanzel Und Gretyl, The Birthday Massacre, and Gemini Syndrome. This year September Mourning has a busy schedule, making the rounds playing and promoting their story. We can find them at various Comic Cons as well as at The Download Festival in the UK later this June. Please take a moment to listen to the one on one interview with myself and September for a more personal insight on the band. September has some great things to say about the story, the bands past and future, as well as herself. We can expect September Mourning to have an album out around the same time as their comic if everything runs according to plan. I’m going to be pleased to add September Mourning’c comic book and album to my collections.

Review by Kyle Scranton