NEW ALBUM: The Electric Witch – Wave of Sympathy

released May 5, 2018

Four years and four days since their last album of original material, The Electric Witch is back with their fourth album Wave of Sympathy. The album spans a period of significant change, featuring robotized vocals from both retired member Marcus Matthews and the current embodiment of the TEW spirit Mary Bue. Years spent translating the previous albums into live performances has affected the trajectory of the new songs, taking them from dark internal monologues to grand theatrical experiences.

“…you think I’m asking…”

While the Witch has always strived to strip the humanity from their work, Sympathy is rife with emotion, both raw and bold. Fleshy hands are always at the controls. The fractured hiss and crackle of analogue technology is celebrated as a sign of life in the wires.

“…i’ve been so bad…”

Included in the track list are three a capella tracks. While still effected by the vocoder, they capture the essence of each performance and bring it to the fore. Again, the humanity once abandoned is here resurrected and its twisted wreckage celebrated.

“…fuck it, fade.”

Lyrics/Vocals:
1 and 5 (sort of) by Mary Bue
2 and 4 by Marcus Matthews

Everything else: Zac Bentz

Video for “Hallowed” youtu.be/isjvs4Fm46o
(Special thanks to the “Murder Hike” crew!)

Tracks 2, 3 and 4 have been remastered, previously available (with alternate mixes) here:

Hallowed: zacbentz.bandcamp.com/album/hallowed
Barb (Don’t Be A Stranger): zacbentz.bandcamp.com/album/barb-dont-be-a-stranger
Fuck It – Fade: zacbentz.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-it-fade

Thank You x10

I have nothing but massive thanks and humble appreciation for the first ten subscribers to my various musical efforts. I hope you’re enjoying all the extra stuff. And don’t worry, non-subscriber fans. Lots of regular releases are in the works (NEScapism 2??? Finally??? Maybe???) and will be rolling out throughout the year.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to swim in a lake of very black coffee…Good morning.

MORE INFO ON SUBSCRIPTIONS HERE

Dirty Knobs and The Electric Witch at Homegrown 2015

The 2015 Homegrown Music Festival schedule is out! Both Dirty Knobs and The Electric Witch will be playing on seperate nights, and TEW singer Mary Bue will also be playing her own music. Check the info below and we hope to see you out there:

Monday, April 27
Red Herring Lounge
5pm Opening reception for Homegrown Photo Show
5:30pm Tim Kaiser
>>6:30pm Dirty Knobs<<
8:15pm Superfly McFlash
9:15pm Lorenzo’s Tractor
10:15pm I Am the Slow Dancing Umbrella

Friday, May 1
Pizza Lucé
10:30pm Retribution Gospel Choir
>>11:30pm Mary Bue<<
12:30am WOLF BLOOD

Saturday, May 2
Duluth Flame Nightclub
10:15pm Danecdote
11:15pm The Horror
>>12:15am The Electric Witch<<

Xero Music Subcriptions

You can now subscribe to Xero Music. What? Why?

This is music that’s not for everyone. This is why I value your support so dearly.
I make a lot of music and this is the best way to get everything in one place. Everything from Dirty Knobs, The Electric Witch and more. Exclusive access to secrets that might not be ready for the wider world. All will be gathered in one place so you will never miss a release and can avoid having to chase things down on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Soundcloud etc. All without any added noise.

And you will also get the ENTIRE back-catalog…that’s over 30 albums!

Of course, if you’re supporting one artist, you are likely to be supporting several artists. With that in mind, I wanted to make your choice as easy as possible by offering a simple year-long subscription for what I hope is a reasonable price. Of course you CAN pay more if you feel so compelled. How much music did you buy last year? At what price? What is this all worth? Adjust accordingly. (Note: I released 9 albums last year, as well as several odds and ends.)

Another thing to consider is that you can stream the entire catalog anywhere, anytime. I do NOT get paid AT ALL for these tens-of-thousands of free streams a year. How often do you listen to Bandcamp songs right from an album page or the app? What might that be worth?

So, what’s in it for you? What’s in store for the next year?

I’m currently planning four (4!) new Electric Witch albums/EPs, a lot of new Dirty Knobs stuff (hoping to play a lot of live shows this year and make as much of that available) as well as an entirely INSANE new project that’s been swimming around for a couple years now. Subscribers will get early access to all new releases as well as exclusive in-progress demos, photos and anything else I can think of. I hope to capture as many live performances as possible on video, which will be subscriber exclusives as well.

Your support will go towards more live gigs, more time spent recording, merch (at a huge discount for subscribers), physical releases (who wants vinyl?) and general musical-life-sustaining needs.
As always, thank you for your continued support. You are all I have.

MORE INFO ON SUBSCRIPTIONS HERE

KUMD Interview 10/31/12

Zac spoke with KUMD about Dirty Knobs, The Electric Witch, The Surfactants and much more. You can listen here:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kumd/.jukebox?action=viewPodcast&podcastId=17564

Direct MP3 links:

Part 1
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kumd/.jukebox/media/kumd/1021039/mp3/sessions/podcast/17564/1021039.mp3

Part 2
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kumd/.jukebox/media/kumd/1021040/mp3/sessions/podcast/17564/1021040.mp3

The Electric Witch – NEScapism

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The Electric Witch – NEScapism

Released: September 4, 2012

NEScapism is a love-letter to the video games I grew up with. The games whose music meant just as much to me, if not more, as the escapism they provided my isolated imagination. These are the songs that I would let play over and over, ignoring whatever might have been happening on-screen. Letting them loop and spiral outward. I’ve tried to capture that feeling on this album, adding my own inner echos.

Full album download comes with 3 variant album covers.

The Electric Witch is Zac Bentz.

Synth: Animoog, Sunrizer (iOS)
Drums: DM1 (iOS)

Illustration of The Electric Witch by Tubbypaws. Design by Zac and Steph Bentz.

LISTEN/BUY

REVIEWS/PRESS:

“wonderful” —Kotaku
kotaku.com/5954014/

“…a drifting, space-age journey through the mind and soul.” —Destructoid
www.destructoid.com/belated-alert-buy-zac-bentz-s-nescapism-synthpop-album-237169.phtml

“NEScapism becomes a best-selling album on Bandcamp with remade NES game themes” —Polygon
www.polygon.com/2012/10/26/3560580/nescapism-becomes-a-best-selling-album-on-bandcamp-with-remade-nes

GoNintendo:
gonintendo.com?mode=viewstory&id=184783

IGN Denmark:
dk.ign.com/news/186/NEScapism-er-retroguf-for-%C3%B8regangene

“…the music is genuinely ace.” —Nintendo Gamer
www.nintendo-gamer.net/2012/10/23/electric-ambient-nes-tribute-is-all-floaty-and-lovely/

“…a highly recommended download for anyone with a fondness for the music of the NES era.” —Nintendo Life
www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/10/take_an_ambient_musical_trip_through_8_bit_history_with_nescapism

“…beautifully calming soundtracks” —Nintendo Fans Online
www.nintendofansonline.co.uk/2012/10/news-escape-to-nes-era-with-nescapism.html

“‘NEScapism’ succeeds gorgeously in borrowing the looped themes from the games of our collective childhoods, and create something amazing.” —Complex
www.complex.com/video-games/2012/10/nescapism-is-a-synth-pop-journey-through-your-childhood

“…the purpose of NEScapism was to capture the memories he had listening to the classic tunes, and I think he’s done an excellent job doing so…” —Zelda Dungeon:
www.zeldadungeon.net/2012/09/synthpop-tribute-to-the-legend-of-zelda/

“That Final Fantasy track made the hairs on my back tingle!” —comment on Wii’s World
www.wiisworld.com/news/nescapism-music-album.html

“Escape with The Electric Witch into a world where NES games are always playing, and their music breezes across your ears like a soft wind.” —Game Music 4 All
gamemusic4all.com/wordpress/2012/09/the-electric-witch-nescapism-album-release/

Synthtopia:
www.synthtopia.com/content/2012/09/07/free-music-from-the-electric-witch/

“…a mesmerizing rendition of my 8 bit favorites!” —Infendo
www.infendo.com/nescapism-captures-the-sound-of-8-bit-music-and-gives-it-life/

“Mejor escuchen!” —Wii4Everybody
www.wii4everybody.com/2012/10/nescapism-por-electric-witch.html

“…a slick little album” —Treon’s Realm
treonsrealm.blogspot.com/2012/10/treat-your-ears-to-some-nescapism.html

“beautiful” —Alea Iacta Est
portal.aie-guild.org/2012/10/24/nescapism-the-electric-witch/

The Electric Witch – Assassin

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The Electric Witch – Assassin

Released: September 4, 2012

The Electric Witch is:
Zac Bentz: Synth, Vocoder, Bass Guitar, Programing, Vocals
Marcus Matthews: Vocals

All music written, performed and recorded by Zac Bentz (ASCAP).
All lyrics written, performed and recorded by Marcus Matthews (ASCAP),
except “Back to You,” written, performed and recorded by Zac Bentz.

Synth: Animoog (iOS)
Drums: DM1 (iOS)
Vocoder: MicroKorg

Photography and design by Zac Bentz. Logo by Steph Bentz.

Full album download includes lyrics, liner notes and art.

LISTEN/BUY

REVIEWS/PRESS:

“Pounding the synth noir electro button for all its worth till the vocoder effect rips through your throat…Robotic non stop and exquisite.” —Fokkawolfe
fokkawolfe.blogspot.com/2012/11/assassin-by-electric-witch.html

Synthtopia:
www.synthtopia.com/content/2012/09/07/free-music-from-the-electric-witch/

The Surfactants – Our Dead Bodies

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The Surfactants – Our Dead Bodies

Released: October 31, 2011
©2011 Xero Music
xmcd017

All music written by Zac Bentz (ASCAP) and all lyrics written by Marcus Matthews (ASCAP) except “Pentagram,” words and music by Greg Cougar Conley and “Hawaii,” words and music by Haley Bonar / Spit Comet Music (BMI).

The original version of “The One, The Wayward” appears on the album Diminishing Returns.

Recorded by The Surfactants. Edited, mixed and mastered by Zac Bentz.

The Surfactants are:
Eric Anderson – Bass
Zac Bentz – Programming, Drums
Greg Cougar Conley – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Vocals on “Pentagram”
Marcus Matthews – Vocals
Brett Molitor – Guitar
Also featuring Steph Bentz – Live Keyboards

Photography and design by Steph and Zac Bentz.

LISTEN/BUY

PRESS:

“BRAIN DOES NOT COMPUTE. Still, I really dug their hard-driving songs and would recommend checking them out.” —Andrea Swensson/The Current
blog.thecurrent.org/post/2012/05/duluth-homegrown-2012-highlights-14th-annual-twin-ports-festival

“Five Local Bands to Watch in 2012”
—Duluth Superior Magazine

“…one of the most exceptional albums to come out of the area,”
—Reader Weekly

“…a really unique sound and the energy is just crazy.”
—SoundOut