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 (musician), American rapper and record producer * Ethereal wave, or simply ethereal, a subgenre of dark wave music * W ...

band from Santa Barbara, Southern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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 Records is an independent record label established by Sam Rosenthal in 1983, the label focuses on darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret releases. History Projekt was founded in 1983 by Sam ...

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 formed in 1981 best known as pioneers of dark wave music. Clan of Xymox featured a trio of singer-songwriters – Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, and Pieter Nooten – and gained ...

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Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and sig ...

, The Wolfgang Press, Pixies and

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. 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 Falling You is an American ambient/electronic project based in San Francisco, California, United States. The band was founded by composer and musician, John Michael Zorko, with then-partner, Jennifer McPeak, serving as lyricist and vocalist. Af ...

. 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 volum ...

band Mercury's Antennae. Bassist Cynthia Coulter (Cindy) (b. 22 February 1971), younger sister of William Faith (William Coulter), went on to become the touring bassist for

Faith & the Muse Faith and the Muse is an American rock music, rock band composed of Monica Richards and William Faith. Their music encompasses many genres, from folk music to dark wave, drawing on many sources and influences, notably Dead Can Dance. Richards i ...

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 190 ...

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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 singer-songwriter. 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 October ...

, 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 simple ...

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

References

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