Yeah, my New Year's Resolution should be to streamline all my posting so I'm not having to retrace my steps and everything can be automatic.
By the time you read this, I'll be with MY BOYFRIEND in NC, but I did want to get SOMETHING out before my State Of The Bastard 2026, namely my recap of Midwest Furfest 2025!
The one MAJOR hurdle to this year was not having Critter Kickback help us with the merch booth, but Pepper Coyote and Scurrow of I've Made Too Much Pasta lend us lesser musicians their table space. At the very least, registration was straight forward, and we were able to get our passes right away.
Most of my con was manning the table, and we did a damn good job of running that place! There was nothing like learning Mahjong or how to make balloon animals this year, it was just a nice con of catching up with online friends and spending quality time with my boyfriend after being so far apart for way longer than we usually are in between cons.
That doesn't mean there wasn't ANY exploration. I also took part in Herr Wozzeck and Trio Menagerie's "Furry In C, which is a bunch of furries who can play instruments performing composer Terry Riley's "In C", a minimalist piece where the performers play 53 different arrangements over the course of the piece. There's no restrictrions, except for time. Speaking of time, in order to maintain tempo, there's no contuctor so there are a couple people who are required to play C over and over again to keep time, and I was one of those people.
For the 30 minutes I was playing a high-C on my guitar, I was able to get lost within the piece. All the segments are in the Key of C, but there's little recurring motifs that your ear picks up on as the players progress. There was one other person keeping time, and we locked in for that hal hour connecting in that unique way that only a symphony can.
You can listen and see it here!
Saturday, right after we finished tabling, before my soundcheck, Jeff and I went exploring to grab dinner. Now that I've been to these cons multiple times, I'm more comfortable exploring the city around the convention center. We got tacos at the place called Fat Rosie's where there was also an ice skating rink, a piano bar, a comedy club, and a bowling alley with an arcade not too far away.
This is my first who where I have visual accompaniment, and it worked well for the most part. Still need to figure out my timing, but it gives my shows a big boost. MFF did record the video, but it'll be a while before they post it.
Slowly but surely, I'll be doing more videos as part of my usual live staples and all my new tracks. The animation MY BOYFRIEND WHO IS TALENTED made for "R-H-Y-T-H-M" made its debut, and Patrons can get a look at the one for "Thrash Panda".
If you are a video editor and want to make visuals for one of my songs, send me an email to RHYTHMBASTARD@GMAIL.COM
After my show, we cuddled in post-show glow and a job well done as Rebel and Cleric begun their soundcheck. Rebel and Cleric's gimmick is they perform in masks resembling Animal Crossing charcaters, but their sound and stage show can best be described as WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY WANT AS LOUD AS THEY DAMN WELL PLEASE, which I'm glad I make a good opener for. My ears rang out and my neck was sore days afterward, so not only am I 37, but they also put on a kick ass show. Pick up their new album, Isabelle RAW!
Sunday was the convention winding down, and that night me and my boyfriend ordered sanwiches from a nearby pizzaria and watched "Ha Ha You Clowns", the new Adult Swim show. Honestly, it's so wholesome it's a farce, but nowhere near as cynical as what you'd expect from adult animation.
I think one of my favorite parts of the con was when a girl came to me after my show and told me that it was a must see, because it was where she asked her girlfriend out at LAST year's Midwest Furfest. I first tied the knot with Jeff at Megaplex, so I understand how important these things can be. I may feel old, but I'm glad I can make these moments for others at a con.
There was a Twitter post not to long ago about someone lamenting about how "Christmas doesn't feel magical anymore", probably as bait for some RETVRN fashy shit, but the most popular response to it was "You were a kid. When you grow up, you have to pay the magic forward." and this makes me feel like I paying the magic forward.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
