This Ascension is a gothic/

ethereal Ethereal may refer to: * Ethereal (horse), a horse that won Australia's Caulfield Cup as well as Melbourne Cup in 2001 *Ethereal wave, or simply ethereal, a subgenre of dark wave music *Wireshark, formerly named Ethereal, a free and open-source pac ...

band from Santa Barbara, Southern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

that formed in 1988. They released four albums and two 7" vinyl singles on their label Tess Records, between 1989 and 1999. They also released a best of compilation: "Deeper and Further Away" on

Projekt Records Projekt is a Portland, Oregon-based independent record label started by Sam Rosenthal in 1983. Projekt releases music in the styles of darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret. Projekt artists include S ...

in 2014. This Ascension toured coast to coast in the United States in 1994, 1995, and 1997. The band also toured the west coast prolifically, sharing the stage with bands including

Clan of Xymox Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox, are a Dutch rock band from Nijmegen formed in 1981 best known as pioneers of darkwave music. Clan of Xymox featured a trio of singers and songwriters – Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, and Pieter Noot ...

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they re ...

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song " Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", " Baby ...

The Wolfgang Press The Wolfgang Press was an English post-punk band, active from 1983 to 1995, recording for the 4AD label. The core of the band was Michael Allen (vocals, bass), Mark Cox (keyboards), and Andrew Gray (guitar). The group is best known for its 1 ...

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

and

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origin ...

. After Tess Records gave up the ghost in 2001, the band signed with Projekt Records. Their back catalogue was re-released, though the band became inactive soon afterwards. The group re-united with bassist Cynthia Coulter for several shows in 2004 and announced plans to write and record new material in 2013. The band also performed a reunion show in October, 2015 in Houston, Texas. Vocalist Dru Allen (Dru) (b. 11 November 1969) has sung for the neo-classical project Mirabilis and the ambient/electronic act Falling You. Dru and Cynthia Coulter have gone on to join Erick R. Scheid in the ethereal goth/

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

band Mercury's Antennae. Bassist Cynthia Coulter (Cindy) (b. 22 February 1971), younger sister of

William Faith William Faith (born August 28, 1967) is an American goth/punk musician. He is a former member of the gothic bands Rozz Williams' Christian Death, Shadow Project, Mephisto Walz and briefly as support for Sex Gang Children during a one-off ...

(William Coulter), went on to become the touring bassist for Faith & the Muse from 1999 - 2007. She later relocated from

Van Nuys, CA Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

Portland, OR Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous coun ...

and became the bassist for the Portland-based band 'Pitchfork Motorway'. Founding guitarist Kevin Serra (b. 4 July 1971), studied music theory in New York, and ran the music review site Kevchino. Serra records music for a singles project with guest vocalists under the name Cloud Seeding. The first single "Ink Jar/Unquestioning" features Boston's

Marissa Nadler Marissa Nadler (born April 5, 1981) is an American musician and fine artist. Active since 2000, she is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union, and released her ninth full-length studio album, ''The Path of the Clouds'', in Oc ...

, which was followed by a second single "The Light." Former Bassist Charlie Dennis re-joined his previous band

Nerf Herder Nerf Herder is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass) and Steve Sherlock (drums). They describe themselves as a " geek rock" band, and are known for simplist ...

. This Ascension's cover of the song "Carol Of The Bells" was featured on ABC TV show

Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series) ''Brothers & Sisters'' is an American family drama television series that centers on the Walker family and their lives in Los Angeles and Pasadena, California. It aired for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 2006, to May 8, 2011. For the e ...

during the episode "Cold Turkey" which aired on December 12, 2010.

Discography

Albums

* ''Tears in Rain'' (LP/CD) - Tess Records - 1989 * ''Light and Shade'' (CD) - Tess Records - 1991 * ''Walk Softly, A Dream Lies Here'' (CD) - Tess Records - 1994 * ''Sever'' (CD) - Tess Records - 1999 * ''Deeper and Further Away'' (Digital) - Projekt: Archive - 2014

Singles

* ''Isabella'' (7" single) - Tess Records - 1989 * ''Spirit of Christmas Past'' (7" single) - Tess Records - 1997

External links

Cyberia - This Ascension homepage

Cindy's Myspace page

Dru's homepage

Mercury's Antennae

Tess Records

Projekt Records Artist page
American gothic rock groups Projekt Records artists Musical groups established in 1988 1988 establishments in California Ethereal wave musical groups {{US-indie-rock-band-stub