“Things will work out,” the singer says. “I have a lot of faith in the goth scene. And a lot of faith in the post-punk scene, [and] in the darkwave scene. Faith in our counterculture kids, and I see kids as an all-inclusive term.”
The founder and frontwoman of Rosegarden Funeral Party has gone from house shows, to albums and tours and, most recently, to creating and producing her own music festival, Obituary Fest, on July 6 at the Granada. Tickets are $50 and available now.
Outside of producing house shows at the aptly named “Rosegarden Funeral Home,” the house she used to live in with a bandmate, this is her first venture into the music festival realm.
The idea for Obituary Fest has been playing in Lane’s head since at least 2020, when COVID shut it down, or at least postponed it until now.
“Four years have gone by since then and I’ve met a lot more bands than I knew back then,” says Lane. “When I decided to resurrect the idea of Obituary Fest, I realized I have so many more resources now, and I can put together like, a kind of country-spanning group of bands and bring them all into town.”
Aside from Rosegarden Funeral Party, Obituary Fest will include bands that Lane knows and with whom she is friends, all from the post-punk/goth/darkwave scene. Appearing will be Forever Grey, House of Harm, Deceits, Urban Heat, Trigger Discipline, Astari Nite and Lorelei K, as well as DJs Sean Templar and Dave Bats. They're coming from all over the country and will be sequestered in the Granada for the day.
Dark Dream
“It is, y' know, a coast-to-coast representation of kind of the DIY post-punk and goth scene as it stands right now,” Lane says. “That’s why collaboration has always been such a big part of my band [Rosegarden Funeral Party] and kind of everything I do as an artist, I really try and involve other people in my endeavors as much as possible. I do it because I think that’s what builds a strong scene and a strong community.”The show is completely DIY and without sponsors. It’s a two-person show, and outside of promoter Angela Alameda, Lane is putting it together herself. She has invested her life savings in the event to get it running.
What’s striking is just how personal the event is to Lane. It’s not simply a day-long music festival, but a venture of love. She cares about creating a space for the community and is putting herself on the line to make it happen.
The same positivity she has for her festival is the same energy she applies to other aspects of her life.
“You don’t have to overthink things you want to do,” says Lane. “That’s kind of what Obituary Fest is, you know, at its core. It’s a testament to what you can do if you just do it. You do what you have to to make it happen.”
Putting on a music festival is no easy venture, but the faith Lane has in the counterculture keeps her going.
“The reason that we’re attracted to this kind of music and this kind of lifestyle is because we’re all kind of a kindred spirit,” says Lane. “[And] I have a lot of faith in that spirit.”
