After stuffing my face with old-world dumplings and hefty European brews at Szalas and Klas in 2011, it’s time to make a New Year’s resolution to improve my physical fitness (and avoid the rich man’s disease: gout). Fortunately, Forteza Fitness in Ravenswood, Chicago will be offering just the program for the likes of me.

Forteza Fitness, Physical Culture and Martial Arts will be opening a 5000 square foot center at 4437 N. Ravenswood. The space will feature Indian clubs, medicine balls, an 1880s rowing machine and an upstairs gentlemens’ club and library. One must exercise the mind as well as the body.

February will feature fencing, fighting and self-defense.  A website is expected to arrive shortly.

To kick things off, Mr. Tony Wolf will lead a 6-week bartitsu course on January 22, 2012. This method of self-defense utilizes canes or umbrellas and was devised by Edward William Barton-Wright in 1899.  Sherlock Holmes was a (fictional) practitioner.  Make haste, as it has been filling up rapidly!

Fresh on the heels of Justin Bieber’s bizarre attempt at a steampuk music video, and in the vein of such rockers as Primus and Rush, comes the news that T-Pain’s new tour and album will be, of course, steampunk.  And to be honest, I could not be more pleased.

In the wake of Bieber’s attempt at the genre there has been a lot of talk about the mainstream destroying, commandeering or taking over steampunk, but those who fear a mainstream take over, I think, are missing the point of steampunk.  It’s an inherently artisanal movement, you can’t package it and sell it as a stamped out commodity because that is so antithetical to the core of a movement that celebrates the DIY and maker ethos.

So what does this have to do with T-Pain?  Well for one, the rapper hired steampunk artist, Thin Gypsy Studios, to make him quite the microphone.  Check it out below.

Hell, I want one!  That said, the music itself is not particularly steampunk, but let’s be honest, how much “steampunk” music is?  It’s not so much a genre as a collective of musicians and artists who relate to each other under the same DIY, every-man ethos with an aesthetic that ranges somewhere between 1870 and 1930.  Looking at the pictures from the show I see a bit of this too.   More-so, I commend T-Pain for not getting (from what I can tell) over the top about it.  I think he’s used just enough.  Subtlety (or at least in terms of how live music goes) is something sorely lacking in pop acts.

Of course, I’m a bit biased.  As I pointed out in our post on Bieber’s video, I’m a promoter as well.  The bigger steampunk gets the more people are interested in it and that benefits us at Steampunk Chicago.  But doesn’t that really benefit us all?  Those few who buck at the widening interest in steampunk are welcome to hole themselves up from the rest of the world and complain that they were their first, but for the rest of us, I say we welcome performers, like T-Pain, with open arms.

Ah music!  That’s kind of a lot of what we do here at Steampunk Chicago.  It probably helps that 4 of the 5 main contributors are musicians, DJs and/or producers in their own right.  That aside, do check out the new music video from Frenchy & The Punk, shot at The ModVic house, Bruce & Melanie Rosenbaum’s amazing steampunk’d abode, in Sharon, Massachusettes and featuring many lovely scenesters, amongst whom is one Emperor of the Red Fork Empire and close confidant of my own, Justinian Stanislav.

With that – enjoy!

Also, we have decided to officiate the once creatively titled “Steampunk Chicago DJs” as an actual group of legitimate DJs.  We now go by Lords & Ladies (Vaudevillian Disk Jockey Extra-Ordinaries).  We have ourselves a Facebook Fan Page (Facebook is terrible though so that’s to come soon) as well as a SoundCloud page, complete with remixes and digital mix tapes (well the original one is still there, but new ones to come soon!)  So if you’d like to book some “steampunk” DJs, replete with steampunk DJ gear – just click contact above and contact us!

On Saturday, July 2nd Jellyboy The Clown of The Squidling Brothers was caught in a non-performance related fire in his friend’s Queens apartment.  He’s presently in critical, but stable condition and can use any and all of our wishes and prayers.

I’ve had the wonderful pleasure of getting to know Jelly Boy, as well as counting him amongst one of my friends.  He’s as genuine a gent as you can get and a truly dedicated performer.  I, for one, can attest to it that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him sans-make up.  On stage, and off stage, he’s as charming as one can get, and we’re always honored to have him, and the rest of the Squidlings, here with us in Chicago.

As with many performers, Jelly Boy does not have ample enough insurance to help with the needed medical costs.  If you’re in New York definitely check out this show, it’s happening July 15th at Leyla’s in Brooklyn.  Here in Chicago we, too, are working on some events.  Doubly, you can always go to the PayPal Donation Page to help out.  Every little bit does.

Much love Jelly Boy, we’re all rooting for you.

We’re a bit smitten with The Loneliest Monk. They make us giddy live. Our earlier post on them described Michelle Morales’ sexy cello appeal. Masked drummer Miles Benjamin comes across as a combination of a dapper jewel thief and a mysterious stranger from a masquerade ball.  If you’ve not had the chance to see them live, now you can.  Pre-ordering their new 7″ will get you into their July 8 show at Reggie’s Rock Club!

The pre-order comes with a digital download of the tracks “Hiding Places” and “He Is the Bad One”. “Hiding Places” has a feedback wash and a heavy beat that you can expect to hear the Steampunk Chicago DJs spin soon. When I heard them play “He Is the Bad One” at a recent show at the Hideout, I knew I would have to pick it up, and by pre-ordering you’re guaranteed a copy of the red 7″ itself at the show along with a limited edition photobook by Ishootrockstars.com.

$10 gets you the download, the 7″, the photobook and the show, what a deal!

The Loneliest Monk plays an 18+ show at Reggies’s Rock Club on July 8th with Stephen Paul Smoker and Flying Cars.