Kick

Where Magic Happens 
(no not Criss Angels place)

Just discovered this awesome Kickstarter project
... they just made their goal (which is awesome) but, giving more can/will make it more gooder.

If nothing else, give them a few minutes of your time and check out the trailer

Over 200 hours of footage?
wow.

Pod

My last blob was a blab about the MagiFest ... 
Well, today I'd like to draw your attention to another review of the fest & one in which yours truly , along with Scot Robinson join Scott Wells & his "Magic Word" podcast

The segment with Scot & I can be found here:
http://themagicwordpodcast.com/magifest-2013-day-two

Check out his awesome site for the full review (more podcasts, pix, etc)

http://themagicwordpodcast.com/

Scott is doing an excellent job with his convention coverage & beyond. Love it.

I found a few resources I was not aware of on the Scott's site, if you haven't checked it out, fix that error ASAP.

Magifest 2013

Well, the Magifest has come and gone. I blinked and it was over. Fortunately, I was there & have a bunch of GREAT memories... I'd like to share some of those with you for now (and myself for later; short term memory loss has it's advantages ;)

Let's start with the drive up: 14 hours was a bit hard on my 40 y/o hiney. Ouch. We left New Orleans at midnight the day before and arrived in Columbus approx 4pm. Getting pulled over in KY for 'careless driving' was a hoot. Note to self and others: watching  EMC DVD's while shuffling cards and driving (a stick) may lead to big ass KY copper pulling you over. Thankfully, I just got a “courtesy notice”. *I road tripped with fellow busker Tommee Pickles: a worthy road trip companion: THANKS T!

Day 1: Thursday

After a much needed siesta, I awoke just in time to head down and catch Scott Robinson's workshop / lecture. This was a big hit and a huge highlight for me. Scott included some hands on props that allowed us to rehearse the routines he was teaching. He went over some easy workers and also taught some bad-ass slight of hand. His version of, uh, I guess you call it a 'Mystery Card' is a mystery to me and the 3 for one purse transpo was a thing of beauty. That said, my personal fave was his gaffed version of the Willy Wonka Card Trick. I'd tried out the non-gaffed handling before and was a bit worried over the angles (which he proved are really not so bad) My purist mindset mistakenly glossed over the gaffed version … whoops. It's killer. Really great.  In a hall/session, I also got the opportunity to see a few 'sub rosa' things & they will remain subrosa until Scott's book is released (by Vanishing Inc.) I for one, will be first in line to purchase this tome: sure to be a must-have.

Immediately following Scott, it was time for Simon Lovell's one man show. I almost skipped this (as my most awesome roomie: Zack Lambert had just arrived as this was starting.) Missing this event would have been a big mistake. Not only was I completely entertained, I learned a lot 'between the lines'. A Great, great show. Thank you Simon. For me, this event was a top 3 highlight.  Post Lovell, I got in some party/jam/session time in, but my drive/lag only alllowed me to stay up until 3 a.m....

Scott Robinson and Simon Lovell (above / below)

Day 2: Friday

Friday was JAM PACKED with events and opened with John Gustaferro's lecture. (another top tier event... yeah, I'll put it in the top 3) I've been a big John G fan for years, but this was the first time I've had the pleasure to see him perform / lecture live. He debuted a few new items from his “Discoveries and Deceptions” as well as teaching some time proven chestnuts from his other 'Storms'. One of the highlights for me was is 'in the specs hands assembly' I think he said this was in “Ready Set Go” (time to go dig through the efiles to re-read that one.) Great / commercial handling for a congregation of quads. Another hit was his Bending Straw IMO: destined to go down in history as one of the great impromptu 'bits'. Last, but certainly not least was his tips on the multiple selection. I'm not giving it away here; Buy his notes (well worth the $20.) John's presentation was smooth as silk, he was very likable and continued that presence into the to session areas. He was always around / accessible & I was happy to see some of his other stuff in the bar/ the hallways / the round tables (where I got to see some of the most excellent 'passport act'.) Very cool stuff. Good Guy. WTG John G.

The next event of the day was a panel discussion that included a potpourri of Magi teaching a lot of different things. John Archer spoke on comedy magic. Andi popped a few balloons and the Ohio football fans.

Mahdi Gilbert proved ANYTHING is possible. <Wow. Justin Flom showed and spoke on how to make YouTube work for you. Watching Tony Chang do his thang was another hit of this session. Both he and Eric Jones had some great tips and touches on how to handle “angles”. Highlight : Chang another guy who was highly visible throughout the event: IMHO, the presenters of the events should be visible / accessible to the convention attendees... most were. Chang was for sure.

I shamefully missed the first ½ of Troy Hooser's new lecture. Doh! That was an error. (Got caught up in the dealer room.) I arrived to see him wrapping up a ribbbon routine (shades of Paul Curry) and then he taught his “Charming Chinese Challenge”. Charming indeed. Troy has been an inspiration for years and continued that tradition through this event.. Troy should be the poster boy for how a magician should conduct himself.

Speaking of the dealers room (above) if there was any prob with this convention, that was it. Way (way) too small for the fantastic array of dealers. It took twice as long to get to what you wanted and often had to squeeze your way through an arseload of magi to get there. I'm sure that whoopsie will be fixed next time (there will be a next time right guys?)

The Justin Flom lecture followed. It was chock full with great stuff. He had some awesome touches on his “Card Artistry” as well as a new version where a signed card appears in a painting' frame. His high energy and expertise working close-up from the stage made this event flow like silk from a vernet tip. I don't think I got any usable material, but I do know, I was interested & attentive during the entire lecture. Look for Flom (helluva good looking guy) on a TV near you. He's destined to have a TV special... it's inevitable.

The night time events were:

Dani Da'Ortiz in Concert

and

Simon Aronson & Ginny “The Thought That Counts”

Both were GREAT and If you didn't get fooled at some point: you're lying.

Love, love loved the one man shows. Simon, Dani and Simon/Ginny were all superb.
Note to convention organizers: I personally would love to see more of this.

After the shows, the jamming flowed into the halls, the lobby and the bar. The bar... to quote Dani: wow. Wow! There was some serious mojo going on in there; I'd list names but I don't wanna leave anyone out. You shoulda been there.

One sidenote: Josh and Andi really, REALLY did a GREAT job of bringing the youth to the Con and promoting the youth into the future. 3 scholarships to 'magic camp' were given out & I know many youngsters at the convention were there thanks to the Magi-fest Scholarships given out. Well done gents. Well done. (thanks)

Day 3: Saturday

I slept through the John Archer lecture. <something I really wanted to see. I can only hope that mistake will be corrected sometime through the future. I won't say I regret it... Hopefully the time I spent staying up and jamming gave me as much / more brain food than I would have received from this event. Jamming indeed. This convention was session heavy and that is simply awesome.

Speaking of awesome: The afternoon panel discussion was great. I will note: both Panel discussions were completely disjointed... I kind of expected a 'theme' of sorts for these formats to follow. Yet, there was no rhyme or reason to the gathering of these magi. That said I enjoyed both and I'm not really complaining.

I walked into the 2^nd panel event on Sat afternoon as Peter Pitchford was wrapping up his talk. Kainoa Harbottle completely floored me with one of the best 'misters dream' routines I've ever seen, and Simon Arronson followed with a couple of high standard card routines. Speaking of cards;  Andi Gladwin did his “Five Moves in Five Minutes” and I'm sure everyone walked away from this with something to add to their repertoire; I know I did. Steven Kline followed and taught me things a close-up guy should never know. This session ended with an inspiring talk by Ben Train and Chris Mayhew. Their focus was the development of an upcoming release “A Series of Unfortunate Effects” They showed several clips as well as a full trailer and filled the interim time by discussing the ins and outs of pursuing such a project. Lemme tell ya: this thing looks great; the ante has just been upped. “Well Done” fellas (Lee Asher reference ;)

Dani Da'Ortiz lecture was the last teaching session of the convention. His high energy and unique material is not to be missed. Really. His work with an 'imaginary deck' is off the chain. If you haven't seen this guy work... correct that mistake ASAP. Option: You could do worse things than buy his UTOPIA DVD set: it's not cheap and it's well worth every penny.

The Evening closed with a 'Gala Comedy Show' featuring: Simon Lovell (MC) John Archer, Peter Pitchford, Justin Flom and Justin Kredible. The whole show was great (though IMHO, Archer was a bit out of place in this group.) The young guns ruled the roost and tore the house down. Kredible was Credible. I woulda put Flom in the Closing spot. Really... this guy is going places. Watch.

After the gala show, the conference continued with a pizza party and further sessioning.... and sessioning and sessioning. I think I went to bed around 3 a.m. (again)

There was an optional workshop Sunday a.m. Harbottle Jones & Thomas teaching the 'real work'. As much as I'd like to have attended, a 14 hour drive home awaited me and I had to miss it.

Considering the full house and the inaugural re-generation of the event, I'm surprised how smooth the event flowed. The only real gripe was the tight dealer space and the only reason that was a problem was because so many magi attended; the more the merrier IMO!

Without having one ounce of info about next years plans (assuming they'll do it again) I'll be making free space on the calendar to attend... only difference is: I won't be driving! 

Josh, Andi, you should be proud. Job well done!

Thanks for the great weekend.

Zzzz

Recovering from the most excellent MagiFest

After Sleep (phase 2 of my life plan)
I'll get around to a review post or something along those lines

For now... Cuddling with Lucy & catching up on some zzzzz's

Freedom

BTL

My " Built to Last" DVD set is being reviewed in Genii this month.

I've known for months that the set is bad-ass, but then again... I'm biased.

Ive tried to hold back and not blabber on & on about the awesome production (& for that, we have Rich Aviles' from TRCKY.com to thank. **thanks Rich)

So Anyhoo; now we get to read an extra opinion , before making the plunge...
Go ahead, crack your Genii's , I'll wait here

When you're ready to me the plunge, I'm waiting for yee @ connmagic.com
(there's a link to your right >> )

The two disk set is only $50
And I'm currently offering a couple freebies along with free shipping.
Truly a good time to buy

I also highly reccomend "Pinky Swear" while you're at the site. $15 gets ya a nice addon DVD

Check em out on www.connmagic.com

Questions? Email me; connmagic@gmail.com

End Scene

Geek

Geek Out

Magic Geeks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyb57b-n2-4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I geeked out on this & really appreciate the creativity
(ok, well , semi-Ron-Burgundyish Creativity. The Whether man is cool & I want that nest of wallets)
looking forward to more of these young men having fun with magic

Expose Geeks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBNBeBB9d_I&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Uh. Standard fare this week... Flom slobbering on a card on the Ellen show was fair at best

Review Geeks (WPR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wu0FGgHVl8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
(Vernet's Anima' looks very useable!)

*sidenote: I was just on Facebook  & apparently Wayne Dobson is still upset at Mr Penn... Yikes.


Wishing the IPhone app had a link blogger link widget right bout now....
I'll try and hop on the lappy later and link these up properly.
(and.... 9 hours later... done ;)

Geek out geekers!

Me ;)

Alright, after devoting a day to doctors, dentists, pharmacies and grocers (all for my lovely girlies :) Barring one overdue trip to the post office, today is "productive me" day!

I think (after making a new Pudar reader: Stackview fans see link below ) study of Rioboos Mem stuff (combined with a lil "discovered" Conover wisdom, is well overdue!)

http://musings.stackview.com/stackview_musings/2008/11/pudar-binary-marks.html. (members only... Get one!)

SIB pix

Was an honor to be part of this tradition.

Fun was had by all

Thanks to all my fellow magi for their enthusiastic response.

Stage Photos by
Oh, My Dar-Len Productions

SAM/IBM

Sharing some time with fellow magi tonight at the International Brotherhood of Magicians and Society of American Magicians, New Orleans Installation Banquet. That's today: Friday January 11, 2013

*It's kinda like Hogwarts, muggles will need to continue their normal blessed lives as this event happens in hallowed halls (but if your interested in going, lemme know & I'll see if the powers that be will let ya through @ the "train station")

Doors will open at 6:00 PM and a buffet dinner will be served at 7:00 PM. After dinner will be the installation of officers for 2013, followed by the magic show.

The cost is $29 per person (not bad for dinner & a show!)

Mike Dardant will be the MC & will be,
Featuring the magic of yours truly, Joe Harrison, Joe Dalgo and a surprise guest!

Looking forward to seeing some old (& some new) freindly faces...

http://www.samnola.com/

M.E.

Masters Edition?

Nope. These Cards are no better than average bikes & the damn box started falling apart almost immediately. I did like the two matching jokers , but aside from that:
Fail!

Come on; if you're gonna double the price of playing cards give the buyer something!

Word

I love Magic podcasts

IMHO: When driving (or maybe doin some housework) it's so much gooder to plug a phone / pod into your aux & listen to stuffs that interest ya (though the beebs is a close 2nd :)

From time to time I'll mention faves here & that time is now:

themagicwordpodcast.com
Is Scott Wells superb "cast"
Superb nuff to have its own app:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-magic-word/id460397314

Check it out (& u do already listen to "Magic On The Side" right?) Do the right thing: make u & the magic world a better place.

Yo: don't be a narrow minded numskulI I also HIGHLY recommend ya check out other (nonmagic) podcasts w/subject matter that interest ya. For example, I'll give a shout out to the WTF cast (which focuses on comedy.) Great stuff: look it up

All for now
Word

Who?

Shoutout to my buddy Jimmy Talksalot who's been busy "typing a lot" (lately) over on his Sidewalk Performer "Who's Who" blog. Check it out & learn some stuff about some great performers ya might otherwise miss:

sidewalkperformerswhoswho.blogspot.com/?m=1

This is one of two busking related blogs he manages, the other being a "how to" that is hard to beat... Check it out:
jimmytalksalot.blogspot.com/?m=1

Yo *Most of this info was wonderfully compiled into his book "To lure with spectacle & our mysterious society"

HIGHly Recommended!

Love ya Bro!

Impudence

"Flourishes are a matter of style and personality. For me to make rules to govern another's style would be impudence."

Yes indeed

Do YOU