Steamfest Australia 2013 - Steam Down Under via Doc Fantastique!

I am always thrilled to hear about great events occuring among our cousins on the other side of the globe.  Take a look at this article about what's been shaking "down under"!



http://doctorfantastiques.com/2013/09/australia-steamfest-2013/

Tesla Motors Uses the Wonder of Modern Inventors to Force Real innovation in Cars Today!

Tesla Could Be Big Disruptor, Says GM – No Kidding (via Clean Technica)

This article originally published on Gas2by Christopher DeMorro General Motors is a company that represents both the endless possibilities of automotive technology, and the “old guard” that often seems just behind of trends in innovation. Under…

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Dragonball Z League at Anime Fest!

Fantasy Sports League goes Anime at Anime Fest!!! Dragonball Z League, the most popular program for the internet gamers channel TGN, will be presenting their innovative approach at AnimeFest at 6 pm Friday in P2 and Monday 11 am in P6. This presentation will not only explain the league, but actually allow some of the most avid fans in the audience to customize their own team and pit them against the other side of the room during the presentation.   

This extraordinary online game system, comprised of both man/woman and machine, staffed primarily by volunteers, allows anime fans to custom modify/train the characters from the Dragon Ball Z universe and compete in an international sports league with regulation tag team combat matches that makes the characters of that anime universe real like never before! If you are near Dallas and you like anime or fantasy sports leagues, this is an event not to be missed!!!

Whether you enjoy being an active part of forging a winning team out of something less, making a good team great, or just sitting back and watching the action, this may be just what you have been waiting for.  For those who like to bet on their favorite teams, this league has something for you as well, though it limits such betting to entertainment purposes only at this time for legal reasons, but don't think that reduces fan enjoyment of placing a wager on the under dog and watching them pound the favorites into dust!  

Instead a few players against others, this league allows hundreds, (about 200 at present) and possibly thousands in the future (spectators of the live stream game topped 3000 last week, to directly contribute to making their favorite team of Dragonball Z team into a fighting force that their opponents never saw coming!  Try to get out to this great event and learn what you've been missing.

Cogs N Crossbones Was a Rousing Success!

The recent Cogs N Crossbones event, sponsored by Panoptikin and produced by Kali's Hourglass was a rousing success!

The evening started off with Steampunk Music from an international assortment of bands at a volume appropriate for socializing and getting to know one another.  This is an element often lacking in many events, so we made sure it was available form 8 to 9 at this one.  Attendance was very good for the evening making the club very full, but not too crowded to dance, and dance we most certainly did after the show!

While people arrive at very different times, this ensured the ones that like to come early had time to speak meet new people, and in theory at least, meet some of the performers and hosts of the event before they get too busy.  In practice, both are often scrambling to ensure the stage, lighting, sound system etc. are perfect and doing sound checks before the show.  All the guests, however, had a very good opportunity to meet one another and socialize while final preparations converting a dance club into a concert venues were made just right.

As Panoptikon's venue had very high quality sound equipment, but like msot dance clubs, cannot be linked into safely for concert purposes, and the lighting is not designed for that purpose either, we had been planning the best methods to adapt and overcome for some time in advance.  We managed to put together a pretty good stage and lighting for Darwin and helped her get the dance club turned into a music venue for the show such that everything happened on schedule.

Darwin Prophet and the Chronus Mirror gave an excellent concert that had people very impressed with what they could do for the community.  We also managed to sell enough steampunk gear and pull in enough profit at the door to give them some love on a monetary level in thanks for their efforts after the show.  At one point while selling music and Steampunk items donated to their merchandise table, we counted the cash so far, just before the show, and it came out to exactly 42.

Darwin and I had a good laugh and saw that as a great omen since it is the precise number given by the universe's most advanced supercomputer as the exact answer to the question "What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?" or words to that effect in some alien tongue, in one of our favorite comedic sci fi series "Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

After the concert, while the band was still breaking down their equipment, the lights went down, the fog machine kicked in, and the dance music pored into the club drawing attendees into the dance without hardly skipping a beat.  Panoptikon's resident DJs and hosts Lord Byron and Son of Sam, poured out the very finest in darkwave, industrial, new wave, steampunk, and unusual dance tracks with a strong 3/4 time beat pulsing through every fiber of the club!  The amazing number of video screens played music video for many of the tracks as well.  The dancers were good enough to leave a clear path to one side of the small stage for removal of band equipment as the dance floor began to fill, so everything moved smoothly transitioning from one portion of the program into the next.

Some of the fashion Show participants after the show - much thanks to Ron Wheeler for this photo

The Steampunk and Pirate Fashion show at midnight was also very well attended in that we programmed not only experienced models, but also most of the highly decorated attendees, to strut their stuff and show off their creations and ensembles on the catwalk from midnight to 1230 am!  We started out the evening with a few experienced models and costumers scheduled, but recruited more and more from the audience to add more variety to lineup prior to the show, until it became very much the audience participation event we had hoped to produce!

Naturally by the end of the night and after tallying the door to ensure expenses and the door and Djs were paid, we still had considerably more to make a modest, but tidy profit, all of which we in Kali's Hourglass chose to give to the band, who more than earned it!  There are some things that are worth far more than money like spending such a fun time with good friends!  It also made it seem we can indeed produce a Steampunk Event that does well locally if we try to keep it reasonable, casual, fun, and put together both a program and budget appropriate to local needs and interests.

The vendors seemed pretty happy with the event as well.  We knew that at a 6 hour event where there would be loud music and low lights it was a less than ideal setting for vendors, so we didn’t actually charge them for their space.  They paid normal admission and provided their own tables.  We provided advertising and customers.  In the end they came through as we had hoped adding extra color, sights, sounds, and wares to delight those attending the event.  When the vendors are part of the show, and we are using a venue that won’t hold more than around 200 max, it hardly seems right to charge extra for the space.  As a result, they were able to make some profit while having a good time, and everyone left happy!

Thank you all so much for everyone that came and especially to Darwin Prophet and the Chronus Mirror, Lord Byron, Son of Sam, the Exclusives staff, and all the lovely people that agreed to participate in our Steampunk & Pirate Fashion Show at midnight. A special thanks also to our Vendors who helped to add color and interest to the evening. I hope you all had a great time!

You can see some photos of the event and the attendees as well as most of the fashion show participants on the event page at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1374526556103577/

Review of New EP: Darwin Prophet and the Chronus Mirror

Darwin Prophet and the Chronus Mirror recently released a new EP by the same name.  This little number is a real jewel with a warm, bluesy kind of Rock and lyrics as wonderfully strange and unique as the mind of the lead singer Darwin herself.   This band is getting pretty well known around the Steampunk Community in Texas the surrounding states for high quality strings with warm soulful voices presenting Steampunk Music.  They first achieved notariety, in their current form as one of the best loved bands at The Difference Engine Steampunk Convention in December 2011.  They have since performed at The Nightmare Machine, Arcadian Clockwork, Time Traveller's Ball, and many other Steampunk Events in addition to their normal shows and performances.  They will very shortly be performing as headliner band at Cogs N Crossbones on July 26th, 2013. 

So what is Steampunk Music?  The definition varies from musician to musician, and they rebelliously plan to keep it that way, but the basic idea is to present music with lyrics and styles that blend the very old with the futuristic in one package.  While electric guitars may be used, they usually blend with classical strings and sometimes far more exotic instruments.  Vocals vary in style, but they are intended to deliver storytelling at it’s finest.  Something that passionately takes the listener into another world, often set in the past, but with mad inventors, wild adventurers, and sometimes dimension hopping explorers.  Steampunk, at it’s source, is science fiction, set in lush artistic times of the past filled with polished mahogany and brass with loud steam driven power and an eye toward the strangest of horizons.  In this, Darwin and the Chronus Mirror excel! 

This EP takes us into a dimension hopping excursion through the galaxies of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide”, make not so cryptic references to the Star Trek sagas, and go to places that exist only in the mind of the songwriter.  The songs weave stories of danger, loyalty, adventure, commitment, and love.  As this band’s back-story is set as visiting aliens observing and interacting with the mad inventors and adventurers, as well as the great poets and social rebels of Earth’s history, their lyrics take a road less traveled, but should really appeal to the hearts of science fiction fans of all genres and times.  Darwin voice, backed by the sultry Darkrys’ voice and viola, are as warm, sweet, and sensual as fresh molasses in mint juleps from the Deep South.   Maestro’s violin underneath everything is truly beautiful.  You really should try this EP and see what you've been missing.

Cogs N Crossbones - Steampunk Pirate Concert, Dance, & Fashion Show

Cogs N Crossbones - Steampunk Pirate Concert, Dance, & Fashion Show - presented by Kali’s Hourglass.

This is a new Steampunk special event invited by Panoptikon Goth Industrial dance weekly event as a special added feature for July 26th at Exclusives Nightclub at 4207 Maple Avenue, Dallas, Texas. (Oak Lawn district of Dallas at intersection of Maple and Knight streets) 

At 8 pm there will be Steampunk music in the background, a Steampunk social hour, and steampunk vendors, at 9 pm there will be a performance by Darwin Prophet and the Chronus Mirror, and at the stroke of midnight there will be a Steampunk Fashion show.

But first, the dance must commence!

At 10 pm the Goth/Industrial dance will begin with a short intermission for the fashion show then continue until 2 am. The music format typically includes the best of Darkwave, Electronica, and other styles blended into what many consider the finest Gothic dance event in Texas.

Cover is a ridiculously low $5. Drinks specials include $1 for a small draft beer, $2.50 for vodka punch, and $3.50 for well drinks. The two best dance DJs in Texas, Lord Byron and Sam Nicholson will be spinning from 10 till 2. Steampunk and/or pirate attire is encouraged, but anything that makes you happy is fine. Naturally by steam punk we also mean Clockpunk, Dieselpunk, Post Apocalyptic, or any other type of Punk you prefer!

As this is a licensed Bar and dance club, we are not able to permit entry to those under 18, and please do not bring any actual working cutlasses or flintlocks etc. Any costume weapons that are not obviously costume only will need to be approved by the bar owner or left in the car, just like at a real Pirate establishment!!!


Steampunk Pirate Fashion show by Kali's Hourglass at Cogs and Crossbones a Panoptikon special event.

We are looking for all sizes of models to show their creations or their finest Steampunk and/or Pirate apparel from their closet. This includes Dieselpunk, Clockpunk, Post Apocalyptic Punk, or any other type of Punk that floats your ship!

No experience necessary! This is to show the variety and beauty of our community! Please do not be shy- we know we have many talented artists out there in our community.

Please send me the following:

Your preferred name or the name of your Steampunk or Pirate Persona

Brief description of your outfit including: what parts if any did you make yourself, what designer or label for purchased items, and any interesting details about the props and accessories with your ensemble and how all of it relates to your persona/outfit.

In the interest of time, we will be forced to edit this down to a length we can clearly read to the audience during the time it takes you to make your first walk around the edge of the stage showing off your finery.

If you are interested in costuming ideas on a budget try one of these sites:

How to Steampunk an outfit

Historical Pirate Attire


If interested in being a steampunk vendor, participant in the fashion show, or just have other questions, please contact us covenantofthekraken@yahoo.com 

or at the event site itself at:

Cogs N Crossbones

Native American Steampunk via Beyond Victorianna

As a Native American I both long to do Native American Steampunk and at the same time shy away from it, knowing how sensitive my Northern Native cousins are about "cultural misappropriation" issues.  I think this article actually suggests some ideas though that are just too wonderful to pass up.  Take a look!

http://beyondvictoriana.com/2011/12/21/musing-about-native-steampunk-guest-blog-by-monique-poirier/