DAVID J (Bauhaus/Love & Rockets) forms new band, SHIVA SAVES, with Austin musicians, RONA ROUGEHEART AND CURSE MACKEY

AUSTIN, TX - David J, founding member of highly influential post-punk band Bauhaus and 90’s alt-rock supernova, Love & Rockets, joins musical forces with Austin, TX musicians, Rona Rougeheart of SINE and Curse Mackey (Pigface, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult) to form a new collaborative band called, SHIVA SAVES.  

SHIVA SAVES consists of David J on vocals, bass and spoken word - Curse Mackey on vocals, synths, and programming - Rona Rougeheart on vocals, drums, synths and programming, along with contributions from Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Alain Whyte (Morrissey), Mark Gemini-Thwait (Peter Murphy, Gary Numan), Adrian Utley (Portishead), Julian Shah-Tayler (The Singularity), Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd), and Kim Fowley (The Runaways).

The formation of this unique band was a profound occurrence, seeing that Rougeheart was approached by concert promoter AEG Live to have her band, SINE, open for Peter Murphy on the final date of Murphy’s “40 Years of Bauhaus Ruby Celebration featuring David J” on April 4, 2019 in Orlando, FL. The show was the second make-up date for Murphy’s cancellation two months prior. As fate would have it, Murphy was again taken ill and unable to make this second show. In order to prevent further heartbreak for the sold-out crowd upon the announcement that Murphy would not be performing, David J swiftly enlisted Rougeheart and Mackey to join him, Mark Gemini Thwaite (Guitar) and Marc Slutsky (Drums) on stage to perform an impromptu eight-song set of Bauhaus classics with Rougeheart joining on synths and percussion and Mackey providing lead vocals in Murphy’s absence.

This spontaneous, unrehearsed set was so well-received that at show’s end the audience was chanting “David! David! David!”
https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2019-04-08/austin-musicians-help-salvage-bauhaus-set/
https://www.post-punk.com/peter-murphy-cancels-orlando-bauhaus-40th-anniversary-makeup-date-and-david-j-and-curse-mackey-give-improvised-set/

David J explains the experience and how it lead to the creation of Shiva Saves:

“When it comes to performance I relish the dangerous edge and due to circumstances beyond my control, I found myself walking precariously along that path in Orlando. While watching from the wings as the captivating Rona performed I was seized by the idea of roping her into the maelstrom that was to come. Then when Curse joined her on stage for a song, I was immediately impressed by his stage presence. Ok! Another Shang-hai victim! To their credit, they did not think twice about my proposition and together with Mark Gemini Thwaite and Marc Slutsky, we went out on stage to deliver an improvised set based around Bauhaus material. ‘Improvise. Deconstruct. Dub’ was the mantra adopted for that night and about ten minutes in, it occurred to me that this could actually be the seminal moment where a new collaborative project comes into being - the prospect of which is extremely exciting! The future is unwritten and we now have a pen with a steel sharp nib and a lot of ink!”

And like that, the new band was formed!

Rougeheart tells of how some of the Shiva Saves songs came about:

“About a year prior to recording the Shiva Saves material, I had reviewed all of my random demos and discovered that I had a group of songs that didn’t quite fit SINE, but I still liked them and wanted to use them for something. I thought…another project, maybe? Little did I know back then, that Shiva Saves would be it! It’s the most amazing experience!”

Recording of the Shiva Saves album began in July of 2019, when the trio spent a week in Austin, TX at COMA L Studio to record the 11 songs.

Mackey recalls working with David in he and Rona’s home studio:

“It was towards the latter part of a spirited evening spent talking about art, music and experiences both normal and paranormal that we went into our studio and began recording David’s bass. It was a magical experience engineering the session as David conjured brilliant, dub-inspired bass lines that meshed in perfect synchronicity with the electronic and percussive pieces Rona had created. The flow was inspiring.”

While the new album was well underway, the trio made their next on-stage appearance together in New York City on November 24, 2019 as part of the grand finalé of PERFORMA, the largest performing arts festival in the U.S. where the group performed a specially commissioned work entitled, “Radio Voices”.   

Production on the debut album was delayed multiple times due to the pandemic and an ever changing schedule of Bauhaus dates.  In Jan of 2023,  Mackey, Rougeheart and Haskins reunited in Texas where they were joined by producer Chase Dobson (Rihanna, Rüfüs Du Sol, Röyksopp) for the long-awaited completion and mix down of Shiva Saves self-titled debut album.

The album opens with the blistering “Miss My Addiction” setting the stage for an album that evokes a post-punk structure laden throughout with elements of heavy dub, electro-rave, trip-hop (including contributions from Portishead’s Adrain Utley), shoegaze and industrial.  Across the 11 tracks there is a beautiful meshing of the principal players influence and style.  Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner played on eight tracks and his signature guitar style drives industrial glam rockers such as “Uncertain Universe” to stellar heights. “Amor Fati” where Rougehearts’  sardonic and sultry vocals are paired with Alain Whytes’ achingly emotional guitar work to create a song that would be right at home alongside the finest of Massive Attacks’ catalog.  Listeners will be in for a rare treat on several tracks with David J vocalizing in an almost stream of conscious film-noir like setting, cinematic in its narration and sonic palette. 

SHIVA SAVES waits in the wings, ready to take flight in 2024.  

Video of David J, Rona Rougeheart, Curse Mackey performing impromptu Bauhaus set (See how it all started)
https://youtu.be/h-MrC2EJtVI

Links:
https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2019-04-08/austin-musicians-help-salvage-bauhaus-set/
https://www.post-punk.com/peter-murphy-cancels-orlando-bauhaus-40th-anniversary-makeup-date-and-david-j-and-curse-mackey-give-improvised-set/