Plasmata is a gothic project from the windy city of Chicago, with Trent Jeffries as the man behind it all. It all began in 2012, with a full band, being courted by music labels and on the verge of a debut album…..that is until tragedy struck. Jeffries suffered an aneurysm, which then led to a stroke. He nearly didn’t survive the whole affair and had some major hurdles to get over in order to return to the music he loves so much. Luckily for us he did, because after the release of a few singles, came the powerful EP, Portraits Of Pain in 2021.

Throughout, you can hear his love of old monster and horror flicks, which he has also connected to his near death experience, such as not dying to rise another day and that nightmares lurk in the dark crevices of your mind awaiting to take your life at their whim. This journey has also forged some deep friendships and powerful musical collaborations. What is a glampire, do they drink your blood or raid your velvet coats and can they haunt your dreams? Well darlings, better start reading to find out……..

Dear Trent Jeffries, he who is Plasmata. Welcome to the hallowed ground of Onyx.

Trent, you live in Chicago, which seems a hotbed of gothic music. Have you always lived there and what is it like to be a part of this darkwave renaissance?

I’m a lifelong Chicagoan. The only other place I could imagine living is London. I really enjoy being part of the music scene here. The city is rich with genres and sub-genres of music, and bands from adjacent styles will often play shows together. The audiences are very open minded, which leads to some wide ranging and surprising bills. And I think that’s great.

You describe yourself as a glampire. Does it surprise you to find out many do not realise the gothic scene very much has its roots in 70s glam music?

It does. Even a cursory glance back at the glam movement will show the participant’s goals were in line with today’s scene. The theatricality, statement-making attire and the blurring or eliminating of the lines of convention. The Gothic community chooses to marry that aesthetic to the more macabre, dark side of life.

What does it mean to you being a glampire of Chicago?

The city of Chicago, especially its creative community, appreciate those who show who they are and fly their flag proudly and it is very freeing and rewarding. Its an amalgamation of all that I love, and all that I wish to convey visually. People are much more interested and attracted to roses than to crabgrass. If people take the time to come see you, then I feel you should bloody well give them something to see!

Plasmata isn’t a new band, with its inception in 2005.What was the concept behind the creation of the project?

Plasmata came about because I had music in my head, and lyrics, that I was not finding elsewhere. My love of horror movies definitely shaped my creativity, and the attraction/fear/repulsion of popular vampire lore led me to various avenues of exploration for expressing myself. Nosferatu was hideous, Louie and Lestat were golden gods, Count Dracula somewhere in between. Some people fear what they don’t understand, some are intrigued and some are drawn to it. I compose to play to the myths and also dispel them. Communally, we all experience similar things in life, so I also dive in personally to exorcise demons and hopefully relate to someone who’s going through similar things.

We come to 2012 and the band suddenly disappears from the scene. Since then we have discovered you had a major health issue, which actually involved an aneurysm. What happened?

Plasmata had an entire debut album recorded, and were being courted by a few record labels. In January of that year, I suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage, which is a ruptured aneurysm that causes bleeding in the brain. That also triggered a haemorrhagic stroke. After 6 months of recovery and rehabilitation, I was released back into the world. The band members, understandably, had each gone elsewhere since the chances of me being able to function or create at even a fraction of what I was previously seemed remote at best.

That must have been a bloody scary time for you, but you managed to survive and even thrive. Are there any issues for you since this awful period in your life and how has it impacted on you creatively?

There are, although I’ve come to accept them. It was an episode I was not supposed to survive, therefore I move forward with purpose knowing I’ve beaten the odds. I’m playing with house money from here on out, so I strive for personal happiness which aligns very well with my passion to create. But in regards to the effects of the trauma; large parts of my memory are gone, I have vertigo issues, migraines, hand/eye coordination deficiencies. I have difficulty on stairs at times. My ability to play guitar vanished. I’ve become more impulsive, which as a glampire could be both a blessing and a curse.

2020 saw you return to releasing music. How good did this feel?

It took that long to regain enough ability to translate all that I had in my head to music. Initially, I was unsure if what I was creating was any good. Fortunately I was able to have my friend William Faith listen to some of the first songs I’d done and provide encouragement and understanding. Honestly I’m not certain the EP would have happened without him. The feeling of release, of validation, was overwhelming.

By 2021, we see you releasing your EP, “Portraits Of Pain”. The music is a mixture of gothic rock and industrial, but it is the imagery I would like to touch on. The EP feels painted, like a Victorian Hammer Horror set and indeed it would not feel odd to see Cushing, Lee or Price loom out of the darkness. Was this something you purposely did or did it just end up that way?

It was definitely an unconscious occurrence. Thank you very much for the compliment! William and I have a lot of similar musical and celluloid references and that probably had a lot to do with the way the songs were developed and executed. I cannot say enough about how he understood exactly what I was trying to accomplish, and the right brushes to use for the “painting”.

The EP was recorded at 13 Studio by the masterful William Faith. This seems to have become a firm friendship, with Faith mixing your single “Leviathan”. There is also your friendship with Michel Rowland (Disjecta Membra). How important are these relationships to you?

My friendship with Michel came about via a recommendation from William as to whom I should trust to handle my publicity. He’s become a dear friend and confidant, we get on famously, and I tell anyone who will listen that working with Michel has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made musically. Its a wonderful thing when you get to work closely with people who truly understand you as an artist and a person. I also treasure my friendship with William for similar reasons. He just gets me. Our friendship grew exponentially during the recording process. I would describe a particular sound I was looking for, and he would reference a band or particular song that was immediately spot on. Lots of time swapping stories and laughing at all that we’ve been able to experience. I admire and respect both of these gentlemen immensely.

The last single “You Call Him The Devil”, is originally the track “Ten Bells” off the EP, which also features Aly Jados, the lead singer of Blood People. The single version a re-working by Ben Christo (Sisters Of Mercy), so how did all this happen?

Ben and I met through a mutual friend several years ago. He was already playing in Sisters at that point, plus we were both endorsed by the same guitar company at the time. So lots of things to bond us. And I’ve been to London several times. I knew I wanted Ben to try his hand at remixing one of the tracks, so I sent him links to the EP. Well, being a Brit and having lived in London, He was eager to have a go at Ten Bells. He said he could give it a proper reworking since he was very familiar with the story of Jack. I gave him free reign to do what he liked with it, and was blown away with the results.

The track itself is about Jack the Ripper. How much are you into the Ripper lore?

Very much. And to my surprise (and extreme pleasure), William was very well versed on the story as well. That enabled us to really give it a raw, visceral feel. Aly’s vocal was the icing on the cake. I love her voice; its powerful, raspy, smoky, seductive and urgent all at the same time.

So far, do you have a favourite track you have released and if so why?

I was just talking to a friend recently who asked the same question. Its funny, but on different days any one of them could be a favorite. But If I had to choose one, it would be Death of Hope. That song was written in the absolute depths of despair, and is a challenge to perform live because I invariably float in that dark water as I deliver the lines. But every show I look forward to baring my soul and showing that its ok to be vulnerable. It has become a centerpiece of our live set, and is a powerful moment that we get to share with the audience.

Trent, you blew life into this project when the world seemed to be going to hell in a hand basket. Now with Covid no longer shutting down cities, are you planning on more live gigs, and is this something you enjoy?

Collectively, we live for the stage. The live band is a juggernaut. We have been playing a show every month since February and will continue to do so. We’ve been offered some touring opportunities which we will probably agree to, with sights set on a UK swing in the spring of ’24.

What are the musicians that first lured you into the grasp of gothic music?

Bauhaus for sure. The Sisters of Mercy, the Cure, and although they are probably not on a lot of “Goth” checklists, Black Sabbath. Also, horror movie soundtracks have shaped me musically.

What do you listen to now?

I am obsessed with Chelsea Wolfe. I’ve also been listening to Then Comes Silence, Gary Numan, Peter Murphy, Killing Joke.

You are putting together a compilation of your favourite darkwave tracks. Who is making the cut?

That’s a tough one. A lot of what I listen to has hints of what would be considered Darkwave. I suppose it would include Bootblacks, Actors, Clan of Xymox, Panterah, The Bellwether Syndicate, early VNV Nation, Wolfsheim

What is in the future for Plasmata?

We have new songs written, and I have about 8 or 9 other ones that are in progress. We will be recording a new single soon, with an accompanying video to be released at that time. More shows, photo shoots, interviews, dark mayhem.

Thank you Trent for your time!

Thanks! It was my pleasure!

Music | Plasmata (bandcamp.com)

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