UMICON RECAP MOFOS!!!
-To all of you I gave a card/CD to, WELCOME!!! Sorry about the mess...
I got there on Saturday a little after noon. It's about a 3 hour drive, but a straight shot down I-95. First thing I did was check in, and WOW the room was nice. I decided to stay there since it was only one night, and it was worth it, especially considering lugging my equipment is not something I've gotten down to something I can handle in one trip.
However, I did manage to pack up all my sound equipment in the box I got my USB Audio Interface in, and put that alongside all my merch in one box. I dubbed it the "Cardboard Roadie".
After I got my room all set up, I played some Magic in the Tabletop room, before settling into the Dealer's Room with S.S. Hanami before the show. I sold some CDs, and turned a couple people on to Dino Hunter MD.
S.S. Hanami BTW? Super nice guys, one of two reasons I have any live footage. The other reason? 16GB Micro SD Card.
Funny story: a girl tried to buy some stuff from me with Yu-Gi-Oh cards. She only wanted buttons, so I sold 2 for 2. It's no Voice Of Resurgence for all the merch I have, BUT I GUESS IT'S OK.
Another sidenote? Playing with the giveaway 30 card Magic Decks was a fun way to pass the time at the booth.
So, on to the show itself:
First up, The Cog Is Dead. While they do have more members, they had a skeleton crew of their guitarist/lead singer and drummer. Even stripped down, they had a fun jazzy sound to them, and it's a shame the hall wasn't more crowded, because it could have gotten the people dancing. The best way to describe them would be like a Steampunk The Black Keys.
Then ME! Sound was a bit off at times, since I couldn't hear the laptop, but I was suggested an in-ear monitor, and will be looking into that.
Then came S.S. Hanami. I probably already talked about their music in a previous recap, but they still put on a good show, and I even got to play the koto (the Japanese harp used in some of their songs) when we were at the booth on Sunday. I got live video of them which I'll have to sort through and torture my poor computer with the frightening task of "Making A Video Brighter".
It was fun. but suffered the same fate as AFO: it was kind of out of the way. Granted, it was all in one direcection, so you would pass it by on the way to something else, but the sound couldn't reach beyond the immediate area.
Also, they commited what should be a cardinal sin of cons: NO SCHEDULES IN FRONT OF THE ROOMS. Instead, they had one chart by the registration desk.
Then I got booze, and hung out with two guys dressed as Aquabats, and I got pretty drunk. It didn't help that The Aquabros had a backpack loaded with beer... And the hotel gave me free drink tickets...
The big thing of the night was the Quinton Flynn 18+ Panel, where he joked around, did some impressions, and answered some questions. Then Todd Haberkorn and John Swayse showed up, and they all goofed around. It's good to see guys who probably do a lot of conventions have a good time together instead of looking like they're sick of it all.
Really that was it for me, Sunday I couldn't stay too long, since I had a three hour drive ahead of me. I managed to get a couple more games of Magic in, and get a good breakfast before heading back.
Umicon, I would love to be back next year!
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