Surprisingly our Lord Baron Joseph CR Vourteque IV and Mr M made the News Tribune in central Illinois, and it wasn’t for the crime spree! (‘The less said the better.)

Clockworks, corsets, airships and automatons are all remnants of another time. Together, they’re remnants of a time that never was but might have been — a time the steampunk movement is bringing to life.

The Tribune ran an article “This Is Steampunk.” And so it is!

Two years ago, in the blustery month of March, we started a little shindig called “Clockwork Vaudeville” at a little bar called Exit.  Within those two years Steampunk Chicago has proudly brought a large variety of acts to Chicago and the greater midwest, and so we felt it was time to bring back our flagship event series, Clockwork Vaudeville!

We launch this Saturday (February 18th) and couldn’t be more excited for the acts we have.  Hailing from the rolling hills of Kentucky, land of bourbon and bluegrass, comes The Ford Theatre Reunion.  If you’ve not heard their circus-inspired blend of punk, vaudeville, and Americana then check it out below.

Also joining us are Detroit’s own Lubberly Brothers, a duo that hearkens back to the era of The Marx Brothers. They guarantee laughs or your money back, unfortunately they don’t have any money, so you’ll just have to trust them on it!  In the meantime check out one of their films below.

Not only that but we’ll be having Highwind Steamworks vending, tarot readings from The Lady No Lucky and drinks specials from Tipton Spirits all night and a VIP open bar for those who buy patron passes!

Lastly, check out this spot Windy City Live did earlier today, thanks for the plug guys!

So don your best (or just a shirt and pants, we don’t judge) and join us this Saturday as we bring back Chicago’s original  steampunk event, The Clockwork Vaudeville!

Regardless of what anyone says, I stand by the notion that steampunk is an impossible idea to ultimately define (at least as I write this it still seems to be). That does not, however, mean it is impossible to talk about the various aspects that feed into the greater idea of what Steampunk is, and one of those core tropes, I would argue, is that of  The Circus.

Before I continue on, yes, this article is precisely being timed to go live as we at Steampunk Chicago build up promotional steam for our next big show – The Gearbox Fantastique – which is, unabashedly, a steampunk circus event. But more on that later.

The circus. To run away and join it is freedom, to actually work it is often destitution, to find fame in it a Herculean task and yet the image of The Circus, both in reality and in the fantastique, refuses to die.  I was first exposed to the whimsy of circus through such modes as the music of Tom Waits, the film The City of Lost Children and the television show Carnivale, amongst a whole host of other things.  To say the least, I found the circus in exactly the same places I found steampunk, and for me, the two are inextricably linked.

But why are they linked?  Yes, the circus does not typically include big gears or airships, but I’ve never felt that gears and airships directly label something as steampunk either.  Aesthetics aside, the two essentially come from the same place.  A world on the brink of something, where laws and rules are shoddy at best and non-existent at worse (I do stand by the “punk” in steampunk. )  Both celebrate a strong DIY ethos and a means toward self-invention.   The steampunk world is one composed of inventors, tinkerers, fringe academics and ideologues.  The circus, carnivale, vaudeville and cabaret are populated by re-invented people, fringe entertainers, bigger than life barkers and people who either just don’t fit, or refuse to fit, into every day culture.

Perhaps at it’s core, this is why I see them so intrinsically linked.   The circus is just another part of the steampunk motif.  What type of entertainment could be better for those of us who, while we still enjoy our television and Internet, are finding a new vitality in seeing live acts? In one night you see more unbelievable things (before your eyes none-the-less) than you see on the average television program anymore, and keep in mind, television has post-production going for it.

In this environment of growing mainstream banality, is it any surprise that over the past five years some very large, and mainstream, acts have evoked both steampunk and circus themes?  Britney Spears, Rush, Motley Crue and Primus are just a few of the many.  These are performers who are trying to reach and excite a new audience while retaining their old, and it seems that the DIY, retro-future appeal of steampunk, cabaret and the circus are just the vehicle for the job. That said, I have no issue with popular culture trying to capitalize on any of the aforementioned.  Certainly some acts have done a great job incorporating the subtlety and whimsy of it all while others have grotesquely abused the form.  That aside, I feel that still the most honest and best of such acts can be seen on your smaller stages (but who’s to complain should we all be graduated to larger ones?). I only hope the number of stages and acts grows in each coming year.

So! Did I catch your whimsy? I do hope so, because The Gearbox Fantastique is this Friday, featuring the triumphant return of The Squidling Brothers with Bunny Savage on guitar, Maray Fuego on Squeezebox and Haley Jane performing burlesque.  Alongside these phenomenal show-people are The White Ghost Shivers, a band that I can guarantee will be a crowd pleaser. We round the event off with Chicago’s own Mutiny Sideshow with their mind bending suspensions and the crowd favorite, Magician Michael Burke.   Of course we also have The Steampunk Chicago Djs on the Fusion-O-Scope, The Ladies of Dieselpunk hosting and myself – The Lord Baron – as your MC.   You can RSVP for reduced admission at either Do312.com or Yelp.com (and win tickets!)  Or if  you prefer to purchase them, simply go HERE.

Oh, what was that?  You are starting to think this entire article was just a big ploy to get you into the big tent?

Well then good readers, all I can say is welcome to the circus.

Back in August we introduced you to our first version of Professor Evad & The Lord Baron Vourteque’s Amazing Aural Amplification and Fusion-O-Scope Machine just in time to premiere it for our Gypsy Nomad’s show.

As with all inventions, there were a few notable bugs during that show – the most glaring being the over-heating of our transformer that is housed on the left side of the machine.  We fixed this at the show with a small fan, but decided we had to take it back into the shop and do some re-working.

Through Evad’s esteemed knowledge of everything (truth be told, while I did most of the aesthetic design, it was Evad who did 99% of the engineering), we salvaged a fan from the same heater we got the housing from, then added a drum switch (essentially a two way knife switch, as can be seen above the housing) and re-worked the wiring.  This gave us both a significantly better looking and more aesthetically pleasing on/off switch as well as a really elegant looking fan on the side, it also gives the rig a much more dramatic “start up” – were as the DJ can wait until everyone is watching, turn the crank and the entire rig starts up with a “whirrrrr”.

Our other main problem was with the monitoring system. We used a small electronic monitor that is housed underneath the gramaphone horn, and while the little guy packs a real punch, it would often run out of juice halfway through our events.  Though this wasn’t a huge problem as the system itself can be plugged into larger systems via our XLR outs, it was an inconvenience to the DJ (who would be without a monitor) and detracted from the performance aspect of the machine – as audience members very much enjoyed hearing sound come from the horn itself.

We fixed this by installing an additional plug box, which can be seen sticking out the back.  We re-routed the power supply through the plug box first and then into the on/off switch.  Next, we internally ran a power cord from the speaker into the box (the plugs are on the inside).  This also gave us a power supply for the light, which is essentially gas-pipe and a simple pull-chain lamp socket.  We chose not to route the box through the on/off switch so that as long as the machine is plugged into a power source, the monitor charges and the light works regardless if the DJ rig itself is on.   This also allows the DJ to open the central panel and make use the light to make switch modifications on the back of the rig while keeping the machine off.

Finally we also added doors to the CD trays themselves, something that had been missing and was really really bugging Evad.  We also switched out the old plastic cord for a cloth covered cord and a big metal plug!

Technical jargon aside – Fusion-O-Scope 2.0 will be premiering at Ohayocon in Columbus, Ohio TOMORROW (Friday Jan 28th).  If you would like to know more and are in the Columbus area, Evad and myself will be hosting a panel at 9pm this Friday in the Hayes Room where audience members can see the rig up close and ask questions about it.  I will also be performing with the rig at the Clockwork Crescendo and Steampunk Dance on Friday Night and the Lolita Crush on Saturday afternoon.

The rig will also be used at The Gaslight Sessions at The Charleston in Chicago on Tuesday Feb 1nd, at Stitches with the Airship O’Reilly at Clark Bar in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois on Thursday Feb 3rd and at the Fraudeville show in Detroit on  Saturday Feb 5th at the Eagle Theatre!

And OF COURSE it will be on stage as our main rig for our BIG event in February – The Gearbox Fantastique!  But more to come on THAT soon!

Some additional “glamor” shots of the machine are below – ENJOY!

Best!
-The Lord Baron

With a mechanical arm, typewriter key beard, and fanciful monocle on a real wooden hat, Steampunk Santa greeted guests and provided cheer to hundreds at the year’s end Clockwork Christmas! Fancy dressed patrons, steampunk angels, and fortune tellers from miles around poured through the doors with much jollity and gaiety at Exit this December.

Patrons were treated to fanciful sights and sounds until 4 o’clock in the morning. Ammunition presented a hot and amazing fire breathing, angle grinding show, showering the audience with sparks and pleasure.

Ammunition aflame, courtesy W. Dezoma

If fire, noise and sparks failed to amuse, one could have one’s fortune read by the lovely Snow Queen. Fortune telling via Tarot rekindled our love with the victorian parlour.

The Enchanting Medium, the Snow Queen, courtesy Glitter Guts

Strange holiday music from The White City Rippers echoed in the chamber as the sounds of Theremin and Concertina filled the air.

The White City Rippers, courtesy Glitter Guts

Many thanks to KL Kenzie for her fabulous collection of booked acts and the rest of the RLGEMS for their unbridled steampunkery patriotism!

The RLGEMS, courtesy Glitter Guts

For more photos of the lively steampunk crowd, please visit Glitter Guts!

A happy, steamy new year to all! Stay tuned to SteampunkChicago.com, as we have more events in the works, such as an outing to the Field Museum in January, and a massive gathering of eccentric talent in February!

Cheers!