The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Leila Abdul-Rauf of Vastum, Cardinal Wyrm, Ionophore, and More

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I try not to define it too much. I attempt to recreate the sounds I either dream about or imagining in my head that satisfy my perpetual urge to craft something that is exquisitely beautiful while at the same time, incredibly disturbing. The path to my ever-evolving creative process came with a lot of struggle, an unfortunate amount of strife and gaslighting from others, painful self-discovery and the courage to never neglect my inner voice.

Describe your first musical memory.

It was probably the sound of my mother’s singing voice when I was in the womb, because the soothing sound of her voice is and will be forever embedded in my unconscious. And the sound of my father singing the call to prayer at home and in the mosque when I was a kid. And going through my mom’s record collection when I was 5 or 6 years old: Bee Gees, Beatles, Journey, David Bowie, etc.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

There are a lot that I would consider equally best. In my formative teen years, I saw a lot of amazing acts that shaped my musical path: Skinny Puppy, Peter Murphy, Einsturzende Neubauten, Lush, Cocteau Twins, Jesus and Mary Chain in the early ’90s. Seeing Slayer, Cannibal Corpse and Deicide in the late ’90s. Being exposed to fusion jazz in my 20s: Mahavishnu Orchestra/Shakti/John Maclaughlin, Return to Forever/Chick Corea/Al DiMeola, Weather Report, Allan Holdsworth, etc. Or any time I’ve seen Judas Priest, Bauhaus, Secret Chiefs 3, Harold Budd or Kitka live.

As a performer, there are many best memories as well. My trumpet teacher invited me to play an outdoor concert with the New Jersey Bergen Philharmonic when I was 12 years old. Opening for The Great Kat at CBGBs when I was in high school. Performing with Amber Asylum at Wave Gotik Treffen in 2010 and Wroclaw Industrial Fest in 2011; performing solo as main support for William Basinski at Hopscotch Fest; with Vastum at Heavy Montreal fest in 2016 and leveling the main stage at Killtown Death Fest in Copenhagen 2019 were all quite spectacular.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

There has never been a time in my life when they haven’t been tested; the world and commonly held beliefs are constantly changing and in some ways I feel like a lot of the world is finally catching up to where I was mentally 20 years ago; I relate more to the way younger people think and sometimes I feel like I was born a generation too early. It’s ok to talk about so many things now that weren’t acceptable back then. And still, the constant testing of my own beliefs is what leads me to continue to grow psychologically and spiritually.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I can’t speak for others, but for me, it leads to a deeper understanding of myself and others throughout different phases of life, as well as the universe as we currently understand it; a thinning of the veil between “real” and “imagined,” earth vs. spirit worlds…

How do you define success?

I feel success is always something that should be self-defined yet unfortunately we often let others define it for us, driven by the economic realities of our world. If an idea is rolling around in your head and it becomes a reality, that sounds like success to me. In music, if you finish recording an album that gives you goosebumps when you listen to it, I’d say mission accomplished. And of equal importance is success in relationships: if you have inspiring, healthy and stimulating relationships with collaborators, hold onto them forever; they’re gold. I’m so fortunate to have several of them.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

So many things, but most of all, the effects of out-of-control economic disparity and climate change while civil rights are being perpetually stripped away from marginalized populations by brainwashed politicians.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

Entering the film soundtrack composition world would be a bit of a dream. I’ve also always fantasized about developing visual art skills. Perhaps it will happen someday.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To reflect life in a way that is bigger than ourselves as individuals and will outlast our short lives. Specifically in music, understanding that humans and all living beings originate from sound vibration energy that is as old as time itself, which in my view, is the reason musicians are driven to compose; we first came from sound, in order for sound to come from us.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Traveling to parts of the world I still have yet to see and visiting with friends again.

https://leilaabdulrauf.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/therealleilaabdulrauf
https://www.facebook.com/leilaabdulrauf
https://www.cycliclaw.com
https://cycliclaw.bandcamp.com
http://www.cloisterrecordingsus.bigcartel.com
https://www.facebook.com/cloisterrecordings.us

Leila Abdul-Rauf, Phantasiai (2021)

Vastum, Official Purge (2019)

A wintry companion to each autumn’s Shadow Woods fest, the inaugural Shadow Frost Music & Arts Festival is set to take place not in the forest — probably a practical choice, given, you know, winter and all — but at the Clarion Inn Frederick Event Center in Frederick, Maryland, on Feb. 21 and 22. And let’s be honest, that’s not as romantic or as kvlt an idea as having a party out in the woods in the waning days of summer, but from where I sit, it’s also kind of awesome. Think of it this way: Here’s an all-ages festival infiltrating an otherwise normal, unassuming space that, instead of a campground, gives you on-site hotel amenities. Of all the fests you’ve ever been to, how many have listed “free breakfast” and “Saturday morning yoga” — which I’m going to assume will be led by Darsombra, who are also playing, and if that’s not true I don’t want to know — among its resources? Imagine going for a swim before you see some “pizza-themed punk/grind.” This could be your life.

Like Shadow Woods, the lineup for Shadow Frost 2020 carries a rich and admirable sense of curation, loyal to its Chesapeake home, but unafraid as well to branch out in multiple directions, as festival director Mary Spiro continues to proliferate her vision of an underground that transcends genre barriers and unites communities who probably have more in common than they think.

Awesome project, especially for a first run. I hope it goes off without a hitch:

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL: Frederick, Maryland’s Exclusive Indoor Winter Gathering Announces Updated Lineup + Merch Presales

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL, Frederick, Maryland’s exclusive indoor winter gathering, will take place February 21st and 22nd, 2020.

Produced by Shadow Woods Productions, LLC, this inaugural, hotel-based gala will feature Oakland’s crushing Vastum with a special set from their guitarist/ambient industrialist Leila Abdul-Rauf. The lineup rounds out with East Coast cult thrashers Deceased, Vermont’s thunderous Barishi, Boston traditional metallers Magic Circle, and Houston’s Doomstress. Also performing are heavy psych throwbacks Alms and the otherworldly Darsombra (both from Baltimore), Detroit black metalists Fell Ruin, and up-and-coming doom maestros from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Yatra. Tickets and the full daily lineups can be found here at THIS LOCATION.

Exclusive SHADOW FROST merch has also been released for presale until February 1st. Designed by Legerdemain’s Brian Sheehan, Wailing Wizard’s Rebecca Magar, and Art Noir’s Yuriy Seroff, these phenomenal creations all evoke the chilling winter months. Merch can be found HERE.

SHADOW FROST is heavily focused on Maryland-based artists including Alms, Darsombra, Spiral Grave, Radamanthys, and Yatra and is geared toward those who want to step outside their comfort zone and explore. “There is so much great music being created that totally flies under the radar in the music scene, even among people who seem to know a lot about music trends,” said SHADOW FROST producer M A Spiro. “I am not trying to host bands that you can see at a lot of other festivals, but I want to showcase a few of the best that that underground music has to offer. That has been my philosophy with every event I have done, and I don’t plan to change that.”

While previous Shadow Woods fests have been outdoors, the hotel setting provides attendees with unique opportunities to mingle. Hotel amenities include an indoor pool and game room, tavern serving traditional pub fare, and free breakfast every morning. Festivities will occur in the ballroom and pre-function area of the event center, which is attached via an indoor corridor to the hotel. No need to step outside in the cold! SHADOW FROST will also host arts and music vendors, workshops, Saturday morning yoga, table games, and other fun activities. The fest will have the feel of an event such as a horror or comic convention.

Friday – February 21st:
Barishi — Vermont prog-psych rock
Leila Abdul-Rauf — Oakland dark ambient multi-instrumentalist
Doomstress — Texas heavy rock
Alms — Baltimore proto-metal
Fell Ruin — Detroit blackened sludge
Capitalist — New Jersey crust grind
Infinite Pizza — Baltimore pizza-themed punk/grind

Saturday – February 22nd:
Vastum — Oakland death metal
Deceased — East Coast death metal legends
Darsombra — Baltimore trans-apocalyptic galaxy rock
Arsantiqva — New York black metal
Magic Circle — Boston traditional heavy metal
Frost Giant — Philadelphia viking metal
Volur — Toronto ambient doom
Spiral Grave — Maryland/Virginia heavy metal
Witching — Philadelphia blackened sludge
Yatra — Maryland death doom
Mo’ynoq — Raleigh DSBM
Polemicist — Philadelphia blackened death
Radamanthys — Maryland tech death

SHADOW FROST is an all ages event, however, children’s tickets (ages 5-17) will be available at the door with a PAID parent or guardian on-premises. Children under 5 get in for FREE with a paid parent or guardian.

Tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/shadow-frost-music-and-arts-festival-tickets-85987128817
** Please note tickets do NOT include hotel reservations. **

Hotel reservations can be made separately at: http://ow.ly/VWzY50xCrMw

http://shadowwoodsproductions.com
http://shadowwoodsproductions.bigcartel.com
http://www.facebook.com/events/319480581997089
http://www.instagram.com/shadow.woods.metal.fest/

Shadow Frost 2020 YouTube Playlist

Shadowfrost, the wintry incarnation of the Shadow Woods fest, has announced its initial lineup, cutting a cross-section through various sorts of heavy and varying degrees of extremity within that. Sounds neat, you say? It is. Alongside technical death metal and ambient this and that, one finds a good amount of doom and sludge, with Spiral Grave taking part to represent Frederick’s native doom scene and the likes of Asthma Castle and Yatra checking in on behalf of Baltimore. Primitive Man will bring their ultra-violent noise, and Magic Circle head south from Boston to herald a traditionalist approach to heavy metal that, as you can hear on their latest album streaming below, still sounds fresh and deadly in kind.

It’s a good lineup thus far, and they take pains to note that this isn’t everything. With such a swatch and a sense of reach, I’ll be curious to see who else gets added, geographically as well as stylistically, and I shudder to think of the poor cleaning staff at that hotel once this weekend is over.

Feb. 21 and 22 at the Clarion Inn in Frederick, Maryland, is the place to be.

Here’s info from the PR wire:

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL Issues Initial Lineup; Frederick, Maryland Two-Day Winter Gala To Feature The Chasm, Vastum, Primitive Man, Thantifaxath, Magic Circle, And Many More

SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL, Frederick, Maryland’s exclusive indoor winter gathering coming February 21st and 22nd, 2020, is excited to announce a nearly complete lineup for its inaugural event.

Produced by Shadow Woods Productions, LLC (creators of Shadow Woods Metal Fest), this hotel-based gala features two days of metal, rock, industrial, and punk. Headliners include Chicago-based old-school death metallers The Chasm, who will share the stage with Oakland’s crushing Vastum, Denver’s oppressive Primitive Man, Toronto’s enigmatic Thantifaxath, and Boston traditional metallers Magic Circle. Also performing are California’s dark ambient industrialist Leila Abdul-Rauf, heavy psych throwbacks Alms and their stoner brothers from Asthma Castle (both from Baltimore), Detroit black metalists Fell Ruin, and up-and-coming doom maestros from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Yatra.

With two more acts still to be announced, the fest will feature twenty bands in total. The entire curated lineup thus far, in alphabetical order is listed below:

Arsantiqva — New York black metal
Asthma Castle — Baltimore stoner rock
Capitalist — New Jersey crust grind
The Chasm — Mexico City/Chicago death metal
Fell Ruin — Detroit blackened sludge
Frost Giant — Philadelphia Viking metal
Infinite Pizza — Baltimore pizza-themed punk/grind
Leila Abdul-Rauf — Oakland dark ambient multi-instrumentalist
Magic Circle — Boston traditional heavy metal
Mo’ynoq — Raleigh depressive black metal
Primitive Man — Denver blackened doom
Radamanthys — Maryland tech death
Spiral Grave — Maryland/Virginia heavy metal
Thantifaxath –Toronto technical dissonant black metal
Vastum — Oakland death metal
Völur — Toronto ambient doom
Yatra — Maryland Eastern Shore death doom

Additionally, SHADOW FROST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL will offer gaming, workshops, vendors, and of course a pool party at the Clarion Inn Frederick Event Center, located near the interchange of I-270 and I-70 in Frederick, Maryland.

Tickets:
SHADOW FROST is an all ages event, however, tickets for those under 18 may only be purchased at the door with an adult or guardian present who is willing to sign a waiver of liability. Kids under 5 get in free with paid parent or guardian. All other weekend passes, single-day tickets, and tickets for extremely limited VIP packages may be purchased online at: https://shadowfrost2020.bpt.me.

Lodging:
Special rates apply for festival attendees at the hotel. We encourage you to book a room to enjoy the full festival experience. To reserve a room, go to http://ow.ly/kVFL50uMWQp.

http://shadowwoodsproductions.com
http://www.facebook.com/events/319480581997089
http://www.instagram.com/shadow.woods.metal.fest/

Magic Circle, Departed Souls (2019)

Stop me if I’ve said this before, but Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2017 has be as close to an absolute no-brainer as I’ve ever seen in terms of attendance. I mean, so you’re gonna go out to the woods and listen to a bunch of meticulously curated doom and folk and black metal and psych for a weekend, camp out and top the whole thing off with a Panopticon set under starlight? Jesus. How much more could you really ask of a live event than that?

Cheers to Mary Spiro on a job incredibly done with this lineup. I don’t even know what else to say about it other than it’s pretty unreal and there’s nothing else like it happening that I know of in the US or maybe even anywhere else. Seriously. Who’s pulling bands from both coasts and Europe across genres like this for an outdoor event the vibe of which you can already feel just from the press release? Who’s got Castle on the same bill with West Virginian folk black metal?

It’s not all my bag, but I tip my hat:

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2017 – Official Lineup Announcement

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST, the Mid-Atlantic’s only open-air camping heavy metal gathering, is pleased to announce the complete lineup for the 2017 festival, which runs from Thursday, September 14th through Sunday, September 17th at White Hall, Maryland’s Camp Hidden Valley. For the third year, the festival will host 39 of the undergrounds leading bands, representing all genres and subgenres of heavy metal.

Over three days, the four stages of SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST will come to life inside the woodsy landscape of Camp Hidden Valley. “Every year has been special, but I am just particularly stoked about what we have curated”, says Mary Spiro, organizer of Shadow Woods Productions LLC. “I am extremely honored to present the lineup this year because I think it reflects the best of the underground metal scene as well as some of the personal favorites of the festival organizers. Several of these bands, I have been trying to host at the fest since the first year and I am happy to finally have them play.”

Beginning on Thursday night, the Pavilion stage will light up and set the tone to the weekend with all-acoustic and intimate performances with Texas dark-folk maudit AMIGO THE DEVIL, Portland’s dark-folk soloist AERIAL RUIN and West Virginia’s Appalachian folk duo, NECHOCHWEN. Friday includes exclusive performances by Oregon’s haunting black metal band UADA and Georgia’s tortured blackened death quartet WITHERED.

On Saturday, as darkness falls over the Woodland Stage, atmospheric blackened folk giants PANTOPICON will play an exclusive, 70-minute set under the backdrop of the stars. Brooklyn black metal titans WOE, Rhode Island sludgy-doom foursome CHURCHBURN, mysterious blackened grind band DEAD IN THE MANGER (one of two east coast shows), and San Francisco extreme death quintet VASTUM (one of two east coast shows), will all deliver exclusive performances to SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST.

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST is proud to be sponsored this year by Moxie Bookkeeping and Tridroid Records and to receive promotional support from Grime Studios, Leftover Pizza Productions, and Perfect World Productions.

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST 2017
Complete Lineup (in alpha order):
Aerial Ruin – Portland, OR (Ritual folk)
All Hell – Asheville, NC (Crusty black metal)
Amigo the Devil – Spicewood, TX (Dark folk) **
Bearstorm – Richmond, VA (Blackened southern death-prog)
Black Table – NY/NJ (Progressive black metal)
Castle – San Francisco, CA (Heavy doom metal)
Churchburn – Pawtucket, RI (Blackened sludge) **
Cut the Architect’s Hand – Richmond, VA (Death metal)
Dark Water Transit – Baltimore, MD (Instrumental heavy rock)
Dead in the Manger – coast to coast – (Blackened grind) **
Dee Calhoun – Frederick, MD (Acoustic; vocalist of Iron Man)
Earthling – Richmond, VA (Thrash metal)
Elagabalus – Baltimore, MD (Experimental metal 2-piece)
Erlkonig – Baltimore, MD (Blackened death metal)
Fiakra – Freehold, NJ (LARPower metal)
Foehammer – Annandale, VA (Sludge)
Green Elder/Paul Ravenwood – Johnson City, TN – (Nature folk)
Heavy Temple – Philadelphia, PA (Psychedelic-doomed rock)
Hexis – Copenhagen, Denmark (Hardcore/black metal)
Human Bodies – Boston, MA (Crusty blackened hardcore)
Immaculate Deception – Baltimore, MD (Death metal)
Infera Bruo – Boston, MA (Black metal)
Kyoty – Dover, NH – (Instrumental post metal)
Mome – Portland, ME (Power psych rock)
Nechochwen “unplugged” – Wheeling, WV (Appalachian acoustic folk metal) **
Night Raids – Philadelphia, PA (Thrash/grind)
Panopticon – KY/MN (Black folk metal) **
Percussor – PA/DE (Old school death metal)
Seasick Gladiator – Washington, DC (Experimental doom prog)
Sloth Herder – PA/VA/MD (Sludge grind)
Take to the Woods/Jo Cosgrove – Baltimore, MD (Dark folk)
The Owls Are Not What They Seem – York, PA (Ritual noise)
Toke – Cape Fear, NC (Stoner doom)
Uada – Portland, OR (Black metal) **
Vastum – San Francisco, CA (Death metal) **
Withered -Atlanta, GA (Black/death metal) **
Woe – Brooklyn, NY (Black metal) **
Worthless- NY/NJ (Black metal) **
ZUD – Portland, ME (Black and blues metal)
** EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCES

SHADOW WOODS METAL FEST DETAILS
Location:
Camp Hidden Valley
White Hall, Maryland

Ticket Link: http://shadowwoodsmetalfest2017.bpt.me
Price: $175 Full weekend package (Thursday evening-Sunday morning) including all musical events and camping
Cabins: $20 bed (shared cabin)

Shadow Woods Metal Fest is 21+
Food & beverage vendors: Various food, beverage, and alcohol vendors will be on site with both vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore selections. No outside alcohol is permitted.
Marketplace vendors: Multiple record labels, distros, and artisans will be located in the Hall. For more information on becoming a vendor, contact shadow.woods.llc@gmail.com

PROMOTIONAL ARTWORK: Brian Sheehan
PROMOTIONAL VIDEO: Mary Spiro

http://shadowwoodsmetalfest2017.bpt.me
http://www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com/
https://www.facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest/
https://www.instagram.com/shadow.woods.metal.fest/
http://twitter.com/ShadowWoodsMF

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 2017 promo video

True to what’s been their mission all along, the lineup thus far unveiled for Shadow Woods Metal Fest 3 offers diversity, extremity of various stripes, and an immediate sense of vibe that feels once again perfectly suited to its outdoor, campground setting in White Hall, Maryland. From Aerial Ruin‘s dark folk to the deathly push of Percussor, to the New England psychedelia of MoMe — previously unknown to me, which seems like dereliction of duty on my part — and beyond with familiar faces like Virginian doomcrushers Foehammer, an acoustic set from Dee Calhoun of Iron Man, North Carolinian sludgers Toke and Philadelphia’s Heavy Temple, it’s got enough intrigue even among the names already announced to have one checking the calendar, and as earlybird tickets go on sale today, they’re only likely to build from here. Kudos, as ever, to Mary Spiro on putting it together.

What info is out is below, as well as the link to where you can get your tickets. If you can do that, you probably should:

Shadow Woods Metal Fest 3

September 14 – September 17
Camp Hidden Valley
White Hall, Maryland 21611

The best weekend of your life is back for a third year with an even more diverse lineup than ever. Nearly 40 bands over three days of camping in the woods. See below for important details!

Schedule: Several acoustic sets on Thursday evening in the Pavilion only. Full production with three alternating stages Friday and Saturday only from noon til approximately midnight each night. No performances on Sunday (as per usual).

BANDS ANNOUNCED SO FAR (MORE TBA)
Aerial Ruin – Portland, OR (ritual folk)
Amigo the Devil – Spicewood, TX (murderfolk; TWO EXCLUSIVE and DIFFERENT SETS).
Castle (San Francisco)
Dee Calhoun (Frederick, MD)
Bearstorm – Richmond, VA (blackened southern deathprog)
Black Table (NY/NJ)
Elagabalus – Baltimore, MD (experimental metal 2-piece)
Foehammer (Northern Virginia)
Green Elder /Paul Ravenwood (Johnson City, TN)
Heavy Temple (Philadelphia)
Hexis (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Human Bodies (Boston) blacked hardcore
Mome (Portland, ME) psych rock
Panopticon – exclusive performance (KY/MN)
Percussor – Philadelphia/Wilmington (old school death metal)
Seasick Gladiator – Washington, DC (experimental doom prog)
The Owls Are Not What They Seem (York, PA)
Toke (Cape Fear, NC)
Vastum – one of two East Coast performances (San Francisco)
ZUD – black and blues rock and roll (Portland, ME)

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:
** Earlybird tickets (which are full Thursday – Sunday passes at a discount over the regular price and include non reserved camping) go on sale at Noon Friday, Feb 17.
** There are NO RESERVED CAMPING AREAS; it is camp where you may in designated areas.
** Cabin bed tickets will be on sale FRIDAY. (The cabins are NOT private; they are bunkhouse summer camp style.)
** We remain at our previous location in White Hall, MD.
** An updated FAQ will appear soon on our website. www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com
** Once you buy your ticket you will be able to join a private SWMF FB group. READ THE EMAIL THAT CONFIRMS YOUR TICKET PURCHASE FOR DETAILS.
** You may choose how your tickets are delivered to you: WILL CALL (name at the door only); print at home; or physical tickets that will be mailed to you.
** THE EVENT IS 21 and up!
** The event is NOT BYOB. Do not bring outside alcohol. Beer and wine will be for sale.
** Food vendors will be on site
** Marketplace vendors will be in the HALL as usual. If you are interested in vending email Shadow.Woods.LLC@gmail.com with information and links about what you want to sell.
** Thursday night (Sept 14) will feature an acoustic only stage where several groups will perform in an intimate setting.
** On Friday and Saturday (September 15 and 16), the fest will be in full production with three stages running from noon to midnight each day.
** There are NO BANDS on Sunday. That’s the day you pack up and go home.

http://shadowwoodsmetalfest2017.bpt.me/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1795871643988618/
https://www.facebook.com/shadowwoodsmetalfest/
www.shadowwoodsmetalfest.com

MoMe, The Slime Between all Things (2015)