Much to do, the random links version

Abney Park have put out the finished version of the aerialist's performance from their latest show: http://nstv.fdiskc.com/abneypark/edison/AerialistOpheliaEdit.mov
She's sex on a silk, but I don't like the sepia-toning. The unedited, natural-color version is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0vK6v2065s

Abney Park are on LJ (I have just recently discovered) as, of course, abneypark. I'm so blind sometimes. Reading their entries you can find out that they're going to SF in the fall to headline at The 2008 California Steampunk Convention.
(EDIT: Ha! They replied to my comment about the toning: "The real reason for the sepia toning is that the second camera was accidentally set to Nightvision mode, so the only way to get the footage to cut together was to tone it.")

Today's PartiallyClips (http://www.partiallyclips.com/) made me giggle. Tamidon I'm looking at you, here.

Finally, something Nikki linked to a few days ago that I finally watched: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nIybz6axr1Q
Hummus rap. Yes, really.

Much to do, the random links version

Abney Park have put out the finished version of the aerialist's performance from their latest show: http://nstv.fdiskc.com/abneypark/edison/AerialistOpheliaEdit.mov
She's sex on a silk, but I don't like the sepia-toning. The unedited, natural-color version is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0vK6v2065s

Abney Park are on LJ (I have just recently discovered) as, of course, abneypark. I'm so blind sometimes. Reading their entries you can find out that they're going to SF in the fall to headline at The 2008 California Steampunk Convention.
(EDIT: Ha! They replied to my comment about the toning: "The real reason for the sepia toning is that the second camera was accidentally set to Nightvision mode, so the only way to get the footage to cut together was to tone it.")

Today's PartiallyClips (http://www.partiallyclips.com/) made me giggle. Tamidon I'm looking at you, here.

Finally, something Nikki linked to a few days ago that I finally watched: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nIybz6axr1Q
Hummus rap. Yes, really.

Most amazing friends, the performative version

Thanks to the last-minute intervention of Calliope we were able to go out and see Mischief in the Machine on Saturday night. Wow. What an amazing show and a tremendous accomplishment by all involved.

Coraline is keeping a record of posted public reviews here: http://coraline.livejournal.com/891841.html

There's not a lot I can say that hasn't been covered in other reviews, including the amusing stringing-together-of-nouns trying to describe ENSMB's musical stylings. It's 'dancing about architecture,' to some degree. There was a CD on sale at the show and you can probably still get a copy. To say it needs to be heard to be understood doesn't capture it, so picture the scene in my kitchen with two adults trying to explain to a five-year-old what "steampunk" and "Victorian" are - and realize you need a frame of reference to think about these things, and how a new things isn't quite the same but still relates to that frame.

Which leads me to the other thing I wanted to say about the show. People have compared this to Cirque du Soleil. That's understandable, as CdS is the best-known instance of circus-performative-story art. But at the same time, CdS is sort of the wrong way to think about this. The Soleil is the sun, and CdS features big voices, polished bright performances, and usually hidden instruments. Mischief was darker, and featured the band on stage at all times (even if they did duck/sit down now and then).

In searching for a catch-phrase for Mischief in the Machine the closest I could get was Cirque du Coeur - Circus of the Heart. Every person on that stage has a 'day job' and they're doing this out of love, a performance not for money or show values but for feeling and passion. (Don't quibble with me - I'm sure CdS's performers love what they do, but there's a wide gap between begging your friends to be ushers at the last minute and getting guaranteed Equity rates.)

I'm sure there are other practitioners of the Cirque du Coeur - nothing like this gets invented out of whole cloth - but when I think about the circus of the heart I will always think of the awesome production I saw this weekend and be so honored to know people on stage and behind the scenes who can pull something like this together.

Bravo!

(EDIT: I've stewed on this post for a while and I'm sure I'm not saying it right. I don't want to set up a this-bad/this-good dichotomy. Just that I feel there's something unique and different about what MitM presented that making certain analogies misses. It's more a this-good/that-good-but-different-good-than-this, if that makes any sense.)

Most amazing friends, the performative version

Thanks to the last-minute intervention of Calliope we were able to go out and see Mischief in the Machine on Saturday night. Wow. What an amazing show and a tremendous accomplishment by all involved.

Coraline is keeping a record of posted public reviews here: http://coraline.livejournal.com/891841.html

There's not a lot I can say that hasn't been covered in other reviews, including the amusing stringing-together-of-nouns trying to describe ENSMB's musical stylings. It's 'dancing about architecture,' to some degree. There was a CD on sale at the show and you can probably still get a copy. To say it needs to be heard to be understood doesn't capture it, so picture the scene in my kitchen with two adults trying to explain to a five-year-old what "steampunk" and "Victorian" are - and realize you need a frame of reference to think about these things, and how a new things isn't quite the same but still relates to that frame.

Which leads me to the other thing I wanted to say about the show. People have compared this to Cirque du Soleil. That's understandable, as CdS is the best-known instance of circus-performative-story art. But at the same time, CdS is sort of the wrong way to think about this. The Soleil is the sun, and CdS features big voices, polished bright performances, and usually hidden instruments. Mischief was darker, and featured the band on stage at all times (even if they did duck/sit down now and then).

In searching for a catch-phrase for Mischief in the Machine the closest I could get was Cirque du Coeur - Circus of the Heart. Every person on that stage has a 'day job' and they're doing this out of love, a performance not for money or show values but for feeling and passion. (Don't quibble with me - I'm sure CdS's performers love what they do, but there's a wide gap between begging your friends to be ushers at the last minute and getting guaranteed Equity rates.)

I'm sure there are other practitioners of the Cirque du Coeur - nothing like this gets invented out of whole cloth - but when I think about the circus of the heart I will always think of the awesome production I saw this weekend and be so honored to know people on stage and behind the scenes who can pull something like this together.

Bravo!

(EDIT: I've stewed on this post for a while and I'm sure I'm not saying it right. I don't want to set up a this-bad/this-good dichotomy. Just that I feel there's something unique and different about what MitM presented that making certain analogies misses. It's more a this-good/that-good-but-different-good-than-this, if that makes any sense.)

Most amazing friends, the birthday version

Late yesterday I was presented with my Birthday Present (capital letters and all). A collective effort from my amazing friends to help me get something I've been wanting for a while now.

I promise to post more when the concept becomes reality, but I wanted to post a big thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. The names on the card:
Phil and Liz
Robert
Carrie
Alex & Bridget
Benji
Persis
Scott & Rachel
Jay
Rachel & Phi
Nancy
Jonathan
Mike and Leah
Andrew
Ellen and Tim
Calliope
Joan and Mark
Jon & Bobbi
Sybil
Zeph
Iago & Laurie
Jess
David & Natalie
Greg & Pam
Mike & Allison
Terence
Rich & Alex
Amq
Nikki
Ny
Shaz & Aries
Thomas
Rick

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Just looking at the card makes me a bit teary. My friends are wonderful in so many ways.

And saving the best for last - thanks to the most amazing Wifey.

Most amazing friends, the birthday version

Late yesterday I was presented with my Birthday Present (capital letters and all). A collective effort from my amazing friends to help me get something I've been wanting for a while now.

I promise to post more when the concept becomes reality, but I wanted to post a big thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. The names on the card:
Phil and Liz
Robert
Carrie
Alex & Bridget
Benji
Persis
Scott & Rachel
Jay
Rachel & Phi
Nancy
Jonathan
Mike and Leah
Andrew
Ellen and Tim
Calliope
Joan and Mark
Jon & Bobbi
Sybil
Zeph
Iago & Laurie
Jess
David & Natalie
Greg & Pam
Mike & Allison
Terence
Rich & Alex
Amq
Nikki
Ny
Shaz & Aries
Thomas
Rick

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Just looking at the card makes me a bit teary. My friends are wonderful in so many ways.

And saving the best for last - thanks to the most amazing Wifey.