Society of the Silver Cross – Kali Om, When You’re Gone

The Great Joe Reineke (of Alien Crime Syndicate and some other bands) is back with Society of the Silver Cross and that’s very good news. He was one of the good guys in the sometimes fraught 90s Seattle rock fraternity. Cool, confident and f-ing hilarious, Joe could always be counted on for a joke, a few Frank Black (not Jack Black) stories, and trippy tales of life on the road.

“Kali Om” is a call for awakening to the universality of all people and things, in that state we become aware of our true self and are free. Kali represents the great redeemer, an aspect of divinity that relentlessly cuts through ignorance and leads to liberation, and Om being the universal sound of consciousness in all matter. The sound and textures of the song are dark and crashing while carried by an uplifting and feminine grace. It plays with the duality of darkness and beauty in the quest for meaning. Instrumentally it features the haunting tones of the shahi baaja (Indian autoharp), harmonium, 12 string guitar, dilruba (bowed Indian instrument), clavinet, B3 organ, synthesizers and drums.

Society of the Silver Cross’s debut album 1 Verse is an epic musical journey crossing over to mystical landscapes and otherworldly terrains, while playing with concepts of life and death, shadows and light and going beyond the veil. Songwriters Joe Reineke (The Meices, Alien Crime Syndicate) and life partner Karyn Gold-Reineke score lush, bombastic and ethereal layers of instrumentation and vocals with the intention of sparking an emotive inner-experience for the listener. Joe and Karyn’s travels to India, and resulting deeply devotional yogic path bears influence to their artistic expressions both musically and poetically with chant-like vocals at times, and recurring themes of seeking deeper spiritual truth and wisdom. Their unique songwriting style also blends east and west with gothic undertones. The album features eastern instruments (harmonium, shahi baaja, dilruba, ghungroo bells), 12-string guitar, esoteric synthesizers (swarmatron, therevox, mellotron), Hammond B3 organ, heavy rhythmic percussion and gritty soundscapes.

Everything about Society of the Silver Cross is heavy with mystery: they lure the listener into their sound, and their world, like ghost lights in a dense forest. Follow, if you dare, and what you’ll discover is a band that has developed a singular style – one that draws from darker, more cinematic moods, textures and cosmic atmospheres resulting in an otherworldly blend of musical bliss.

But while their music seems to be coming from a strange, parallel universe, there’s nothing unusual about the origins of the Society of the Silver Cross. Frontman and songwriter Joe Reineke was part of The Meices, the energetic punk rock band that lit up the Bay Area and beyond in the ‘90s. After that, he led the ambitious Alien Crime Syndicate, whose 2004 album Ten Songs In The Key Of Betrayal landed on many year-end best-of lists. After the breakup of ACS, Reineke and his Silver Cross collaborator (and life partner) Karyn Gold-Reineke traveled the world and immersed themselves in the musical culture of India. They’ve brought back some unusual instruments too, including a harmonium, a small pump organ used traditionally for chanting and a shahi baaja, or Indian autoharp, and they’ve incorporated their discoveries into their songs.

Having toured the world with many bands over the years, Joe started road testing some new solo material, and toured Europe with Karyn as a duo, the project quickly evolved and was reestablished as Society of The Silver Cross. They have written and produced their debut album, which will see the light in the summer of 2019. The album was recorded and produced at Orbit Audio, Seattle. Stay tuned for more exciting news on this upcoming release, and be on the look out for when it hits shelves and DSPs on June 28th.