The name “Cities Below” was coined by singer Jessica Jackson many years before the project came to fruition. She was on a red eye flight home from Austin, TX and saw cities glittering below in the dark of night. She was taken by the concept of beauty in darkness, and filed the name away for a future project. Fast forward to many years later when she crossed paths with producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Sergio Salvucci; she shared the concept and they immediately began writing music which they have fondly termed as “goth pop rock.” It takes many of their goth rock influences from bands such as HIM and the 69 Eyes, setting the sounds in a modern pop context reminiscent of artists like Lady Gaga and Kerli. Both members of the duo share a music background in rock and metal with classical training, so fully venturing into the alt-pop territory has been both refreshing and challenging to their typical writing styles. They also share a big love of horror films, Halloween, and goth subcultures. While currently a duo/recording project, Cities Below does hope to take the show into the realm of live music in the future. Their first album “Love Songs For the Damned” is due by Fall of 2023, presenting songs about vampires, demons, ghosts, gorgons, and more.