Absence+ Alchemy
Absence+Alchemy is a Gothic rock/deathrock/post-punk band from Omaha, Nebraska. The members include Sara Sexton on drums, Nathan Smith on vocals as well as rhythm guitar, Daniel Martinez on bass and Skylar Carrasco on lead guitar. Their name was derived from Sara's interest in the occult "holding the idea of absence inherently birthing energy, or alchemy." Nathan thought the name needed something to tie the words together "I had just watched the giallo film knife+heart and thought the plus would be a perfect addition."
With the plus sign being in their band name, it has led to some fans and locals mispronouncing it. Nathan states "PLUS, not "and", not "with", not "from", not "of", not any of that. Absence PLUS Alchemy."
The band was formed because the members believed Omaha was missing that deathrock/gothic rock sound in the local music scene. "We wanted to do something different, not invent a new genre, but just do what nobody else was doing in our town."
Their debut performance was on April 27th, 2024 at Maloney's Live in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Since then they've had a consistent roster of local shows, released an EP titled "The Traveler's Bag," and are currently working on new music that is projected to release later this year. Their most recent show was at The Sydney - a bar located in Downtown Benson, where they were opening for another local band, DSM5. The show was fun, vibrant and an overall two-stepping, head banging good time. Absence+Alchemy's music is available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. However if you are local to Omaha, they are definitely worth checking out at their next show on Friday, September 26th at the Down Under lounge. They also have physical CDs available for sale through BandCamp.
The band can be found on
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557179492805
Or
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/absence.alchemy?igsh=d2l6YTVjdXJtZm8z