Clockwork Vaudville

Steam Powered Giraffe
My latest musical obsession has finally busted a barrier I had discussed IN a COUPLE previous posts. Mostly about how I felt that most "steampunk" expressions try a bit to hard to fill the culture with more of the same instead of creating something to be amazing and it happens to fit the scene.

I have mentioned a couple previous endeavors that really speak to me as far as being Steampunk or just being a creation that's amazing and not trying too hard.

"SPG" does this, and really screams to me as a group, as music, as performance, as art.
The above video has, from left to right, "The Jon" who left the group recently, The Spine, Rabbit, and Upgrade, who left the group a while back, performing on their "home turf" busking at a local park.
All of them having trained in Mime, Clown, music & dance, formed this group and developed these characters as well as a backstory and everything.
Anyone who knows me in a theatrical sense knows this sort of thing really turns me on artistically and I have fallen in love.
Honestly, if given the opportunity, I would buy a concertina & develop a robot in a heartbeat if given the chance to perform with them. No lie, I would LOVE to add my tenor to the troupe.

A year or so back they even produced a DVD through a Kickstarter, which led to some excellent music videos showcasing a new clean sound along with some superb music videos.

Although their ravenous fans post excellent video after video from their numerous performances in Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, and the Steampunk Con circuits, its also great to have high quality, high production value samples to show new potential fans. As of the composing of this post I have infected half a dozen other new SPG fans directly and countless other secondary targets.

I would of course like to give thanks to THIS SOURCE where I came across  #5 Brass Goggles Via Houston Press "Top 10 Steampunk Songs" and have been hooked ever since. I literally consumed their media for the week preceding our trip to Disneyland.

I love the attention to detail of their robotic movements and how The Spine has a pneumatic "bounce" to him, and how Rabbit truly moves like one of those mechanical show bots from an amusement park, with the small little isolated ticks and rotations. And then of course their musical talent as a group. In every incarnation of the group so far each member is a master of multiple instruments (vocals count) often switching instruments for different songs. If you have not listened to any of thier music yet, let me tell you, hearing The Spine go from a high sustained harmony and suddenly dropping to a rich baritone just makes your music heart rumble with his vocal chords. And watching Rabbit prance around to Captain Albert Alexander reminds you they're true performers in every respect, not just a band with a gimmick.

They recently added Hatchworth to the lineup, to round out the trio (no punn intended) as he was one of their "humans" until The Jon left, so now the Ticking Mantle shall tell how it sits upon the newest robot.

Above is the song I was introduced to them with and I hope it gets you just as excited as it did me. HERE IS THEIR SITE! There you can get almost everything Steam Powered Giraffe related, including info on where the bots are from, where they went, how to throw money at them for things, as well as a COMIC! It hasn't been updated in a while, but rumor has it from a friend of mine that Rabbit is also a graphic designer (good reason as to why he designed most of their art) so, he might understandably be busy.


And as a nod to "Honeybee," their song which they've intro'd with Rabbit talking about his love Jenny the toaster, I give you, my own bit of SPG fanfic, Jenny
 
She has gone into a life of performance as well, this is her after a production of Taming of The Shrew. Petruchio used her to tie up Kate, it was set in the generic time frame of 50-60's sitcoms.

Bat(man) Country

Pic from http://www.bryanyoungfiction.com/2011/10/lost-at-con-audiobook.html

I saw this book blip up on my radar a while back and tucked it away for later, like I do (speaking of which, I think I need out seek out "Scoundrels") and when (I saw it "free on Kindle for limited time" I jumped on it and thought I might read it on the cloud through my browser, but then I "shared" it with my fiance through her Kindle and blasted through the book in no time. I read it like a fiend.  After I read it, I actually bought the hard copy because I found it fantastic. As far as why, below I leave, what I believe to my my only Amazon review of ANYTHING to date.

Just Like A Con
It started a little slow, but the Gonzo Journalism feel it had kept me in until . . . I don't want to spoil anything, so I will say, to me, it felt like after the first third of the tale, it got into full swing. And don't worry, the first third will zoom by, just like an actual con, it was over much too quickly.
I will openly admit here that for a short time I thought this book was non-fiction and based on actual events (other than all the ridiculous things us con-goers KNOW actually happen every con) and was ready to start reading another Thompson-esque author with a secret Nerd-on. But alas, this was a beautiful, heartfelt, perfectly plausible flight of fantasy.
When I got into, what I felt was the "guts" of the story (Saturday night into Sunday night?) I could not put down the book. I blazed through the pages ready for the next event, no matter how terrible, or absurd. I was well rewarded.
I felt it got a little mushy at the end but it's brief enough and it was all info I wanted for closure, and I've read worse, so it was fine.
So yes, much like attending a con, all excited to start, trying to pace it out, make it last, then you get embroiled in the flurry of it all, a whirlwind of adventure punctuated by exhausted blackouts. And finally, the lingering painful ending filled with heartache that it's over but the safe knowledge that it will be there again, and is happening all over the world, hopefully making the human race a little less revolting to be a part of.

Pic from http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsatrap/2820804290/in/photostream/

 If you want to borrow it from me, let me know, its short, and it's an awesome read, highly recommended.

Get a Steampunk RUSH in Your Head!

I've mentioned in the past, somewhere, I don't remember where, that I don't come into contact with NEARLY enough Steampunk things, so that I'm left with the vague impression that there are good Steampunk things, but I had not come across anything Steampunk that I came away thinking "AWESOME!"

Well, the wait is over, and something amazing has come.

Can you feel that Bass!?!?!
YES! YEAS! its a Steampunk album  by the epic rock band Rush that isn't a gimmick, they made the music because they felt like it. What part of that sentence does not hold great promise? Want some more? From there official Youtube channel?


But wait, there's more, if you thought that wasn't awesome enough . . HOW BOUT SOME FICTION BY NOTED AUTHOR AND FREIND OF RUSH DRUMMER/LYRICIST NEIL PEART, KEVIN J. ANDERSON!?!?!?! Imma-punch-you-in-the-dick is how awesome it is!!

I have attempted to chronicle the saga for you in order since February and you can follow Anderson's Blog HERE for continual KJA news. Oh yeah, and if you can't wait to read even part of it, Check the links above as they pertain to a free preview of the novel!

Punk Music! STEAM punk music.

As per usual, I was trolling my usual feeds and this guy and here re-invigorated my internal debate as to what constitutes "steampunk music."

There is the obvious, yes, Abney Park, Clockwork Quartet, a few others I've found. These are honest musicians and there is little doubt as that they are unique in their style and are embraced by, if not, seek the embrace of certain communities. Other artists I've come across of note include: Unwoman, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, & Vernian Process. All reside around, or have been in the Norcal Bay area.

Honestly, for me, the music has to take me there. You know who does? Mumford & sons, also other real bands like The dubliners & Bellowhead, as long as the music has that flavor, its there for me. There is something about Mumford & sons' "Little Lion Man" that puts me in a steampunky mood, probably the banjo and the subtle accent to the singers voice. Also, "The Cave" always reminds me of the Parable of The Cave, which we we're reading in my Sci-Fi/Fantasy Class, the same time I had decided to seriously seek out and begin to study Steampunk.
I need to see the people who live and breath the steam, walk the dingy streets with man made cloth clouds overhead. Many "histories" revolve around alternate Earth histories and so I feel many old folk songs fit RIGHT in the worlds. I know a lot of groups push the DIY and sci-fi music to explain more modern instruments and sounds. Many times, for me, these experimentation's fall short and take me out of the world. I'm sure others enjoy them, as I will aknowledge your -thing- is art even though I may or may not enjoy it or get it (speaking in a much broader, general sense). I haven't really come across any "sophisticated" music (as covered in the above article) where "refined" more classical style music that is composed and orchestral.

(I could not find a good recording of this song, but it's one of my faves and always held a mystic yet tangible human element I would jam to.)

I think it needs to come from the aesthetic (Once more, speaking in a sweeping generality, that applies elsewhere) and then is created for it's own sake, and then is amazing. Not something made to fit in a niche that doesn't feel inspired.

And as an added bonus, an online steampunk radio station
http://www.sepiachord.com/
I have not yet opened it wide up for a listen, but when I get cracking on my Steampunk Epic, it will most likely get a mass of play time along side my other inspirations.

Timewright Tease & Validation

The second item first: 3rd 4 t3h Nrrd is on schedule, so fear not.

First item second: a little taste of a tale I'm tinkering away on, short, but I think thoroughly entertaining.

"I do not approve of the new fashion of wearing engineer's glasses when one is not even a mechanic. Perhaps when one is on the deck of a ship, with smoke, steam, airborne pests and the whistling wind, I can understand.
But when I meet someone of rank donning these vestigial optics I am insulted that they often cannot comprehend even the most basic principles of physics or workings of simple jennies."
-SkyBaron Antonius Timewright, "Quotes from Quarlous" by Elias Clipwick

(yeah, my half assed costume pwnz j00, enjoy it in all its "taken for myspace" style glory.)

I Know, It's Late

Well H47ites, here we are, a half dozen days into the month and more than 3 days into the week and I know.
In the interest of consistent and entertaining posts I will post 3rd 4 T3h Nrrd a little later in the week.

Today, I will share some things fermenting in my mind.

I'm writing and starting to develop some serious Nerdcore Hip Hop lyrics and hope to start searching out a DJ, or even learn to mix myself.
Some Con-centric stuff, table top stuff, anime and video gaming stuff, maybe even some music about my job. I think I want to start with some re-written covers of mainstream songs, one of my other plans is to finally record some of my old music and then use that for samples to mix into Nerdcore music.

Something else I have simmering is maybe National Novel Writing Month, but mostly, once my show is over, I have a Steampunk story circulating in my notes and it might just grow into something. They say "write what you know" and some of the subject matter I know VERY well.

The show is coming along well, some great stuff there. If it isn't the most amazing show I've ever been part of, it is definitely not one of the easiest shows. A lot of work has been put into it from everyone, and I think the two central characters/actors are working their hearts out. It's painful to watch over and over, they have to live it.

School: well, I'm grinding my way through reading, one reading assignment at a time and hope to be caught up by the end of the month. My sci-fi class is helping me read no less than five classic stories before Thanksgiving and I'm psyched.
My Poli-sci class and my History class have me chronically depressed by how shitty our country is. Then, our sci-fi teacher goes and shows us a chunk of "An Inconvenient Truth" so, depression all around now.
On the positive side, it is compelling me to be active and pursue the things that are important to me, even if they are not in line with preservation of earth or our Union, I should be walking my talk and living the things I said I wanted to do with my life. There is nothing stopping me but myself.

Down & Dirty

So, let me get this rollin then shall we? Through some other friends and by watching a few episodes with theatreg33k now I am addicted to "Last Airbender" I know I'm very late to this band wagon, but if you've seen anything else on this blog you know this is nothing new. I really enjoy the series, its hilarious, the characters are engaging. many of them are multifaceted beings with many thoughts and relate-able traits. I love Uncle Iroh with his depressing as hell son story and his ridiculous wisdom, I think I am Sokka as I may have my moments but they are never when I want them and as awesome as I tell other I am I feel I am in a world of people with greater abilities than me PLUS dude has the most tragic love life out of all of them in my opinion, and finally, FUCK YEAH ZUKO. 1. Rufio, no for reals, look it up and come back, I'll wait . . . . I know, right!? 2, dude is a badass with serious issues that give him depth, comedy, and great fight scenes, AND I agree with one of the Korean artists from the documentary that he has the most development out of ALL the characters, were currently at the end of book 2 and I cant wait to see where Zuko goes.

I am in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, acting is hard and don't let anyone tell you different. But, luckily we all have a sense of humor, all sorts of Russian comedy, very dark and sarcastic. Although most of us yell "for Yakov" because we cut the character named Yakov and then many "in mother Russia . . ." jokes are spewed every night.

Finally, I am getting into Steampunk with a vengeance and I have read H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" and Westerfeld's "Leviathan" which I would argue are a "deep roots" piece as well as a modern pillar of Steampunk literature.
The Time Machine was excellent, Well's is a great literary mind, everyone should put at least ONE of his books on their "read before I die" list. it was blessedly short and concise and now I know that story.
"Leviathan" utterly whelmed me. I liked it, it was a great read, it was fun, it was interesting and I was constantly fascinated by the different technology and the alternative history aspect. BUT, it did not change my life nor did I feel it had any soul shaking depth. I hope I am clear that I enjoyed the book and will most likely read the sequel Behemoth as I want to continue to follow the adventures of Alek & "Daryl" and that the book greatly helped to give me more perspective on what the culture of "steampunk" looks to for its influences and roots.

So far, in general, I can not point to any product of the culture that has a "great work." Many of its "ancient roots" like Wells & Verne don't count in my opinion but to be fair, I have not gone half as deep as I intend to. I still need to talk to some active people living the culture and I think my next reads will be from the gentlemen who actually began using the term.

Have Walking Stick or Parasol, Will Defend Self

I've said it before and I will say it again here; Tonys are not to be trusted, trust me. But more on that in a moment.

Bartitsu/ Baritsu: I have mentioned this before. I discovered it two years ago while doing research on self defense schools and their mode and philosophies. I saw the word in conjunction with Judo/jiu-jitsu and was instantly intrigued as it smacked of Non-Asian in nature. To be honest it sounds exactly like it is, an un-clever yet straightforward name from its originator and the school it was born of.

Born in Victorian England it is a cross-training of Judo, boxing, Swiss grappling and french cane fighting. Roughly.
I wont mince words here. This is pretty sweet to me, yes, it has blatant steam punk overtones and I think that any martial art that allows me to use my cane, is "win" in my book.

Apparently, this martial art was so prevalent at the time that even many ladies of class learned it for self defense, and even more proactive pursuits. Yes, suffragettes were using their parasols and Bartitsu expertise to fight off angry mobs and even police.
Kind of bad ass, when I order a few of the books and manuals I might snag the one about Edith Garrud. Tink was definitely interested.

Now, as I went about my research (click link, click link, Google search, etc. . ) I noticed a familiar white haired figure on the Bartitsu site.

Tangent: Back when I was writing a paper on the history of stage combat/fight choreography I came across a book that hadn't been fully published yet called "A Terrific Combat" and was intrigued but couldn't pursue it further as I had a due date to contend with, so it was left to fall from my memory. I did remember the name as I attempted to find the same author in conjunction with other published works concerning stage combat.
Okay, back: This guy was Tony Wolf, what's he doing on the Bartitsu . . oooOOoooohhh . . . . Of course, Tony is among the leading modern revivalists and educators of Neo-Bartitsu and the editor of pretty much ALL of their literature AND a co-producer/co-director/co-dude-on-the-spot of their documentary.
See, Tonys are not to be trusted, trust me.

I'll be honest (perhaps, due to a phenomena, or something I haven't quite explored or thought very deeply about, But something I WILL post about soon, I have the notes typed up) something still feels pedestrian or amateurish about the whole affair. Not that there is anything wrong with that, nor does it lessen how cool this is and how much respect I have for all involved for going out and doing it (something which I need to do more of). Perhaps it is because it is so new and those involved are focused on the core subject and let other things be addressed as they come, or because it is that obscure that there is no need for anything more elaborate as far as the website and the movies and the books. Look for my next post to explain the feeling I have (ooh boy, feelings, I know) about professionals in like areas of expertise as martial arts, fight re-enactors/stage combatants/even weapon specialists and their interactions..