Nightlands Festival and Pictures of Apocalypse Book/LP Release Event Reflections

Jonathan Dennison, the founder of Cadabra Records put on an absolutely magical event of weird fiction in the form of the Nightlands Festival that took place on June 2nd and 3rd , 2023 in Hammonton, NJ!

A celebration of literary nightmares, it featured weird fiction and poetry by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft, Thomas Ligotti, Edogawa Rampo, Charles Baudelaire, M.R. James, and Algernon Blackwood; renowned voice actors including Andrew Leman, Laurence R. Harvey, Jon Padgett, and Robert Lloyd Parry; fine artists like Jeremy Hush, Matt Jaffe, Paul Romano, Dave Felton, and Josh Yelle; scholar and premier Lovecraft expert S.T. Joshi; moderator extraordinaire the Joey Zone; and music by Slasher Film Festival Strategy and myself along with Barry Knob. It was electrifying for Barry and I to perform such powerful works of weird fiction and poetry alongside such stellar voice actors throughout the 2 full days of the festival.

Nightlands was a thrilling experience and I'm still in awe of all the extraordinary talent that Jonathan was able to put together for the festival. The strange and beautiful Kathedral Event Center proved to be the perfect setting for such a unique festival. It was unreal to be in a room with so many amazing and talented individuals each and every day. The Cadabra community is a beautiful one and I feel so grateful to have met such wonderful people through a love for the label and all of its brilliance. 

Also, the opening night book and record release of Thomas Ligotti’s “Pictures of Apocalypse” at Book Restoration Bindery in Haddonfield, NJ on June 1st, 2023 was another extraordinary event! Thanks to Domonique Alesi for providing such a phenomenal and fitting setting for an intimate performance. It was incredible to see Jonathan Dennison’s stunning works of art on display that night that make up some of the outstanding illustrations that accompany the poems throughout “Pictures of Apocalypse.” I had an exhilarating time performing “Call Me Corey” with Matthew M. Bartlett and performing the entirety of Tom’s masterful “Pictures of Apocalypse” with Jon Padgett that evening.

From everyone I spoke with it seems like an awesome and memorable time was had by all throughout the three days. It was an absolute honor of the highest order to perform alongside so many unbelievably talented voice artists. I can't wait for the next Cadabra event whenever and wherever that might be!

Photo by Eric Wier.