Join us, Friday, November 6th!

Chrononaut: a Steampunk Clubnight

Featuring Demonika & The Darklings, DJ Professor Greyshade,
vendors, film and the most fantastically attired Ladies & Gentlemen in the space/time continuum.

The Darkling's sound is rich, romantic and sexy. They have an old school rhythm section with drums and bass laying down slow dance beats. There are no guitars, instead Devlyn (aka J. Francis of The Unextraordinary Gentlemen) weaves her violin though Demonika's cool cat's purr vocals. Picture the band that would play at an intimate candlelit midnight dance in the ballroom of the airships of our dreams.
Professor Greyshade will be spinning an eclectic & anachronistic mix of alternative folk, gypsy punk, dark cabaret, gothic, fusion, circus punk, neo-classical and more.
Join us this Friday, November 6th, from 8 pm to 12 am, $8, All Ages
at Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, CA 92104

Chrononaut Returns!

Chrononaut Steampunk Club Night

A night for temporal adventurers

Featuring performances by Eli August & Veronique Chevalier.

Ladies and Gentlemen, announcing the return of Chrononaut, Friday September 18th. We are excited to present Eli August, featuring members of Fermata, on their first US tour. The evening will also feature the scintillating sounds of chanteuse Veronique Chevalier accompanied by Seth Bedford of Huxley Vertical. Your host, Prof. J. S. Greyshade, selects sounds from eclectic destinations throughout the space-time continuum such as steampunk, alternative folk, gypsy punk, dark cabaret, gothic, middle eastern, circus punk, and extremely mutated hip-hop. Plus vendors, photo booth & other pleasant diversions.

Join us, 7 pm to 12 am at Queen Bee's 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, CA. All ages.
Steampunk, neo-Victorian, dark cabaret and anachronistic dress welcomed.
Club photos, information & links can be found at Chrononaut Club website
Chrononaut artwork by the ever fantastic Winona Cookie

An Evening of Silent Cinema

Please join Machina Fatalis Friday, September 11th for an evening of music & mirth at the movies. The Birch North Park Theatre is presenting the Buster Keaton classic,"Sherlock Jr." with live musical accompaniment by Dr. Philip Carli. "Sherlock, Jr." (1924) has been described as having astounding creativity. It features Buster Keaton as a projectionist who retreats into the fantasy world of the films he shows. The evening also includes two short films & a classic cartoon.

Dr. Philip Carli is the staff accompanist for the George Eastman House in NY and is a silent film historian.
Admission to the theatre is $12, students $10. Steampunk attire encouraged, including Dieselpunk, 1920's & 1930's wear.

Old Town Steampunk Picnic & Tour

Machina Fatalis is hosting a Steampunk Picnic Sat. August 15 at 1 pm on the plaza in Old Town San Diego. Come enjoy the company of other local steampunks with your picnic lunch and stay for our historic tour of Old Town. If our group is of a certain size (tbd) we may even get an exclusive peek at the Cosmopolitan Hotel reconstruction currently underway. Dress in your finest steamwear (or Victorian/Edwardian if you prefer) and join us on the South corner of the plaza lawn under the large shade tree. Pipe smokers welcome to bring their pipes as the park allows smoking & the tobacco store will give samples of their blends. 1 picnic bench is available, picnic blankets or lawn chairs encouraged. Look for our group directly across from Racine + Laramie tobacconists. Space to place picnic gear while on the tour will be available at the tobacco store. See you there!

The Ventricular Engine July 25th

Club Deadline and Chrononaut have joined forces to present a night of steampunk and old school gothic fun

with the Unextraordinary Gentlemen
and DJs Synexx and Prof. Greyshade
plus other surprises TBA

July 25th at The Radio Room
3519 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

From downtown, if you are at Comic-Con: take Park Blvd through the park until the right lanes turn onto El Cajon Blvd. Take El Cajon Blvd over the 805 until just past 35th St. The club is on the right.

21 and up. $7 at the door, very reasonable drink prices

Balboa Park Steampunk, Victorian & Edwardian Picnic and Scavenger Hunt

Welcome Summer!

Miss Emmaline Pierpont, has organized a most stimulating afternoon for all on June 14, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.

Dress in your finest costumes, and bring your picnic lunch, rugs/chairs, etc. We will be meeting on the lawn to the left of the Botanical Building-Lily Pond. Lunch and conversation at 12:30, followed by the scavenger hunt at approximately 1:30 p.m. Learn a little history while having fun!

We will be breaking into teams. Each team will receive a set of clues and will have one hour to find them. Make sure at least one person on your team has a digital camera or a cell phone camera, because as you find each clue, you will be taking a picture of it for proof! First team back to home base with all the clues is the winner! There will be (silly) prizes.

There will be at least one or two people at home base (picnic area) to guard your personal belongings, so you don’t have to worry about running everything back to your car before the hunt. If possible, please RSVP so we know how many prizes to have on hand. See you there!

Chrononaut: San Diego's First Steampunk Club Night

UPDATE! Pictures of the evening are now up! You can see them at Jerry's photosite and at RattMice's photos. Thank you for coming. We had a fantastic night.

Machina Fatalis is pleased to announce its most ambitious project to date. Our goal for nearly a year has been to create a uniquely steampunk club experience based on the precedent set by the Davenport sister’s Clockwork Ball and the musical influence of the Sepiachord group. Chrononaut is a club at which the gothic side of steampunk music is balanced by the whimsy of Dr Steel and Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer and all is guided by the mash-up of old and new that is the soul of steampunk.
Now it is here.Opening night: Friday June 5th at
The 8teen Center
3925 Ohio St, San Diego, CA 92104
featuring
The Unextraordinary Gentlemen
in their first San Diego appearance.
Plus vendors, silent cinema and good company for all.
The venue is all ages, beer and wine are available for those of age. Food and drink is available for all.
The club is open from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door and are on sale now.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/65884
More information is available on the Chrononaut myspace page. We hope to have nights in July and August also, but that depends entirely on advance sales for June.
Please support steampunk and innovative nightlife.
Buy your tickets now.

Croquet Noir 2!

It was silly. It was fun. We have to do it again! Please join us on Friday, the 24th of April at 10:00 in the evening for a rousing round of croquet. We will meet in Heritage Park on the lawn at the far end of the park, adjacent The McConaughey House (map here). As there is no seating in this area, lawn blankets are encouraged. Feel free to bring small flashlights, black lights, comestibles and potables. Alcohol under 20% is allowed for those of age. As this is a county park, there is no closing hour. However, this is an urban location near homes, so please use manners as befit gentlemen and ladies. Steampunk, neo-Victorian, dark cabaret, or generally anachronistic clothing enthusiastically welcomed at this event. Please contact us via this blog or our email should you have any questions. Be there or my wife will beat me with a croquet mallet. What? You think I’m joking? Look at this picture. She’s dangerous!

Tea on the Lawn

Please join Machina Fatalis and the San Diego Costumer's Guild for a Steampunk Victorian Edwardian Tea on the lawn at Heritage Park. We will be meeting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 29th for tea, luncheon and lawn games. Proper attire encouraged.

Attendees should bring a tea time dish to share for 8 people. There are no benches or tables in the park, so please bring a blanket or lawn chair for seating. Tables will be provided for the food.
Heritage Park is located in Old Town at 2454 Heritage Park Row. We will be on the upper lawn adjacent to The Burton House. Map here. Please contact Machina Fatalis (link at left) should you have any questions. See you there!

Sherman-Gilbert House, Heritage Park - photo by bisyan lady (flickr)

Steampunk at the Library, a Final Viewing

I am pleased to report that the steampunk display at the San Carlos Branch Library has been well received indeed. The patrons of the library have been truly delighted to discover the existence of our movement. The exhibit is due to be taken down on Sunday the 15th of March. Mr. Datamancer needs his keyboard back and Captian Octavio must be returned to Ms. Cookie. The exhibit was set up late on a Monday evening and did not have a proper send off; instead we will make an occasion of its final viewing on March 15th at 3:00. Tea and cookies will be served in the community room of the library at 3:30. During the course of the event we will open the display cases and plug in Mr. Datamancer’s keyboard, an event indeed for those of use who have not yet made one of our own! Proper attire is encouraged.

Steampunk: The Fiction & The Non-Fiction

Machina Fatalis presents a new exhibit on Steampunk. Titled Steampunk: The Fiction & the Non-Fiction, the exhibit discusses the development of steampunk from a literary genre to an activist movement. Four elements of Steampunk are showcased: literature & film, the maker aspect, music & fashion, and art & activism. The highlights of the exhibit are a Sojourner keyboard graciously loaned by Datamancer, and an original collage by Winona Cookie. A number of library events have been planned to accompany the exhibit, including showings of Steamboy & Castle in the Sky, a craft day making a Steampunk lamp, and a day devoted to Dr. Steel. The exhibit is on display from February 16th to March 15th, 2009. The exhibit and all events take place at the San Carlos Public Library located at 7265 Jackson Drive, in San Diego. Full event details, including dates & times can be found at the San Carlos Friends of the Library website. A Machina Fatalis viewing will be arranged in the near future. Check this page for details when they are available. For those that cannot make the exhibit in person, you can view the exhibit and its creation on our flickr page at steampunkexhibit.

An Evening at The Bijou 2/20/09

Please join us for an Evening at The Bijou! We are hosting an evening of vintage film on Friday, February 20th at 8 p.m. at the home of the Chamberlins. We will be showing SHE, starring Randolph Scott, Helen Gahagan and Nigel Bruce. Based on the H. Rider Haggard novel, SHE is a ripping adventure tale following the quest for the legendary "flame of life". Our hero's journey takes them to a fantastic, subterranean kingdom ruled by She Who Must Be Obeyed. The film has fantastic art deco sets, gorgeous costumes, and has been restored by Ray Harryhausen. Along with our feature, we will present a silent short, The Thieving Hand, the misadventure of a man and his clockwork prosthesis. No visit to the Bijou would be complete without vintage candies, crakerjack and Moxie. If you would like to attend, please email Ingred with your RSVP and for directions: thievingmagpie(at)mindspring(dotcom). See you at The Bijou!

Restructured at the Device Gallery

The Device Gallery in La Jolla has once again put together an amazing
exhibit of steampunk art. It features 9 artists, including Nemo Gould, Mike Libby, Chris Bathgate, and the awesome Paul Loughridge. Machina Fatalis is visiting the gallery on Saturday January 24th. We are first meeting at The Living Room Cafe at 1010 Prospect Street,
La Jolla at 10:30 a. m. for coffee and snacks. After the gallery we may visit Powells Sweet shop if there is time but since many of us are attending a brass etching workshop 12:30 this may not happen.

Naultilist Ball, New Year's Eve with Abney Park

A wondrous evening of music and steampunk! We of the Machina Fatalis eagerly awaited the announcement of Abney Park's performance at The Edison. Once tickets were made available, their cost was prohibitive. It seemed we would be unable to attend! Curses! Enter Captain Robert of Abney Park, sweeping in from above, knife in sail, landing on both feet! Captain Robert used his piratical ways to ensure we, among many others, would not face dissapoint! And dissapointed we were not, as our evening was most enjoyable. Our night began with the usual, less-than-pleasant commute into Los Angeles from San Diego. Once firmly within our hotel, time for a quick change and race over to The Edison. Due to traffic and slow hotel service, our arrival was delayed until 10 p. m. Once inside, we quickly realized that AP was on stage! We had not missed their first performance. A quick trip to the front of the stage to find Emmaline Pierpont and Tobias Eastman. Many quick hellos, then all attention on the band. Once again, a fine performance with many people dancing. After the performance, Lucent Dossier came out with performances all over the club. Caught an interesting act in a giant bird cage, and later, in the generator room. A quick trip to the bar for our first drinks (Alas! The Bar was out of St. George!), then socializing all around. Met many online friends, new and old, and marveled at outfits. Aha! An absinthe bar in the corner! This is where our drinking would take place for the rest of the evening. More exploring the Edison led us to the smoking lounge upstairs. Walking into the lounge, we ran into an old friend from our San Francisco days, Rachael, looking as fantastic as ever! Plenty of reminiscing took place. While Mr. Greyshade headed back down to the dancefloor, I stayed and discussed matters of import with Atrus. Soon we realised the lateness of the hour and hurried down to the stage to join AP in our New Year's countdown. After much confetti, a fabulous champagne toast, and a few kisses, our Captain Robert led us in Auld Lang Syne. Once again, AP regaled us with song and dance until, sadly, the evening was over. Many hugs then we were off to hotel and home. We certainly look forward to next year's Nautilist Ball and hope many of you join us!

Absinthe Tasting Party - December 13th, 2008

By way of celebrating a successful year of steampunk events extraordinare (and the birthday of one of our members), Machina Fatalis hosted an absinthe tasting. Our evening began with the arrival of many finely attired guests. Much mingling and merriment followed. Once everyone was present, our sommelier for the evening, Carol, began our tasting. She made some fine dishes to accompany our absinthe: Gnocchi with fennel pollen, goat cheese and onion tartlets, 4 types of artisan chocolate, and other tasty nibbles. Yummy! Our tasting began with a Czech absinthe, Fruko Schulz. It was determined by all to be nigh undrinkable, with comments like "looks like mouthwash, but not as good", and "what is this stuff you're making us drink?". Only lighting it afire seemed to make it consumable. After each tasting, Tayopa read a history of the brand, with tasting notes. Quite enlightening and amusing. Next on our tasting menu was Lucid, the most popular absinthe in bars. Lucid was determined to be acceptable, nicely flavoured, but a bit strong on the anise flavor. A short time out to dine on the divine gnocchi and tartlets. Carol is a wonderful sommelier and a fantastic cook. Everyone raved about the food. Then on to the last 2 tastings. Next on our list was Le Tourment Vert, the house absinthe at The Edison. Though quite tasty, the truly artificial color could be improved upon. Lastly, one of our own, S. Sprocket graciously offered a bottle of St. George. An absinthe with a deep green, smoky color and complex taste. Divine! Determined to be our official absinthe from now on. Once the last of the absinthe was gone it was time for photos and fun, with many staying until all hours debating and conversing.
Jerry Abuan's beautiful photos of the evening, including the one shown here, can be seen at his photography site. Carol Wafer may be contacted for events at carolwafer@gmail.com.

Steampowered Convention 10/31 - 11/02

Over Halloween Weekend, Machina Fatalis attended the first all Steampunk convention, Steampowered, in San Jose, CA. It was a very exciting and interesting time. Despite our best plans, we arrived late on Thursday night (thanks SouthWest), and promptly went to bed. No socialising that night! Friday we saw the lobby of The Domain Hotel transformed from an ultra-mod atrium into a steampunk exhibition space complete with gentlemen's sitting room. Whilst all the building continued, we went in search of thrift shops (directly across the street as it happened), and absinthe for our later enjoyment. Both quests were met with success, as we now had a video of The Golem, odd brass bits, John Lydon's book "Rotten", a bottle of St. George, sugar cubes and an absinthe spoon! Once back at the hotel, we picked up our registrations, and headed for the dealer's room. I could tell much money would be spent. There were the usual t-shirt & booksellers, band swag and pretty steampunk outfit vendors. But, best of all, was the Etsy Steamteam tables, filled with handmade goodness from our steampunk bretheren. Turns out the steamteamers themselves were pretty rockin' people. Friday night, we left our room and passed the quickly crowded hotel bar. Though it was filling up with 'punks quickly, it really had no steamy atmos at all, very Ikea-modern mostly, perpsex-backed bar stools and the like. So, wanting to meet & greet, we headed on for the main lobby and ballroom. What this? The gentlemen's club that was only being assembled a few hours before is now functioning as a makeshift bar and lounge! Oh joy! What atmosphere, charming company, and middle-of-everything locale! Quickly we headed back to our room to pour ourselves some St. George and meet back at the "club". Turns out this Victorian parlor was Norman Barringer's stained glass booth at the Dicken's Faire, now with added steampunkiness. The Adventurer's Club, as we now called it, was hosted by 3 charming gentlemen, who all crafted beautiful steamy objects d'art. We spent most of our evening therein, with frequent trips back to our room to fill up our glasses and those of our compatriots for the night. The evening ended on the grand staircase, Eric & Nathaniel creating the Steampunk Gang Sign, Choklit & Stache and Sarah, Gareth and myself all being shushed for too much talky-talky too late in the evening. We all retreated to our room to finish off the bottle of St. George and wish each other a good evening.
Saturday was filled with interesting panel discussions, a chance to meet James Blaylock and get his latest book signed, more shopping adventures, a theremin concert at the Dr. Grordbort booth, and the keynote address by Jake Von Slatt. Very inspiring and well thought out discussion on why steampunk and maker culture is increasingly popular from a personal point of view. Definitely worth reading. After showing off his Wimshurst machine (AKA Victorian taser), we were off to dinner and an outfit change before the Platform One/Abney Park concert that evening. Once back from dinner, we awaited the shuttle to the venue, since it was raining quite a bit. Turns out the "every 15 min." shuttle was more like 40 minutes, so we missed most of Platform One's performance. What we did catch was quite good and I wish we'd been there earlier. Abney Park was fun as usual, and Finn presented Jake Von Slatt his Mad Scientist award from Dragon*Con, as he was unable to attend. Much silliness ensued. Then it was back to the hotel for much needed warmth and rest. Sunday was more panels, including the panel on Steampunk your life. Turned out to be very interesting, and listening to Kymric Smythe of Neverwas was very inspiring. His discussions with Jake Von Slatt and our dear Baron Verndorf were quite illuminating. After that it was all packing, goodbying and loads of promises to keep in touch. We have made quite a few friends from this con and I hope to attend next year's Steampowered. You can view all of Machina Fatalis' pictures of our adventures here