The 21st Annual New England Gathering Of The Magi
Formely  known as The Inner Circle Of Bizarre Magic Gathering. 

DATE HELD: November, 15th., 16th., 17th., 2012.
At the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Resorts,
1284 Strongtown Road,
Southbury, C.T. , U.S.A.

  NOW SEE & THEN READ  WHAT YOU MISSED!

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 REVIEWS

Bruce Barnett writes:-

 I recently attended the New England Gathering of the Magi (presented by Joe Cabral/Inner Circle of Bizarre Magic), in Southbury CT.  Joe Cabral arranged a wonderful weekend for those that attended.

 I missed the Thursday night lecture by E. Raymond Carylye.

The first event was the Friday morning lecture by Craig Dickson - this year's guest of honor. One of the items he discussed was a ring and looped chain effect, with a patter by Leslie Melville. I liked the potential of this routine a lot, and it inspired me to do some research. Martin Gardner's Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic, Page 493, is a similar effect. While playing around, I discovered a couple of new ideas, which I may write up.  Craig also talked about various force decks, and some forcing techniques. He discussed the Jaks wallet, and some peek tips, and some new radius cutters for cards. His presentation was rapid paced, and filled with solid tips.

Next was the lecture by Shawn Farquhar. He described his pokerchip matrix with photographs of his hand, and some very interesting CD/DVD effects using the flap principle. He described a deck switch, his card to wallet, and an interesting effect using a plastic photo sleeve in your wallet. He discussed some ways to present these effects for businesses as well.  He also covered the Omni Deck, and Telekinetic Timber - which he purchased the rights for (Palmer Magic).

Next was a fabulous signed "Torn and Almost Restored Photo," that can establish your reputation as a miracle worker, especially with the right preparation.  He described some variations with bills. This one certainly stirred up my mental activity.

Works in Progress was next on the agenda. Daniel Greenwolf kept
the performers on track.

Timothy Cripe performed an effect with a bell, skull and Tarot deck
effect that I felt was a little jumbled.

Chris Walden did an piece that is in the same genre as Brother Shadow's Seance, where the perceived experiences are personal and private. There was no moment of magic, which some of the audience expected. Consequently, some audience members were confused about this presentation. I think letting the audience know what to expect beforehand would have prevented the confusion.

Geist (Gale Alexander) performed a card coincidence effect.

Odes Odner did a humorous Walt Disney coincidence effect.

CJ May performed next, followed by Daniel Greenwolf, who did a number prediction.

Levonid(?) performed a card prediction.

S. Patrick(?) performed a I Ching ribbon and coin effect.

Tom Smith presented an effect delving into the mystery of Jack The Ripper. I think if this were performed on an easel instead of a tabletop, people could see better.

E Raymond Carlyle gave a mini-lecture on the phone book prediction using a paper clip device, and discussed tent cards.

The Friday Evening show was Emceed by Dr. Mombo (Gil Earl) and Junior Juju (David Mousch). Gil makes me laugh just by walking on stage. I can't help myself.

Harley Newman started the evening by cleansing some of his orifices. Cringe-worth material, with a bit of wicked humor. From the screams and the groans in the audience, you can tell they really wanted "Seconds." I've seen sword swallowing before, but Harley elevates the entertainment to a new level.

Daniel Greenwolf performed an ESP coincidence effect.

Shawn Farquhar rose to the challenge and presented an effect that fit right in to the evening of Bizarre. He told us about a rag doll he grew up with, made by a colorful New Orleans "Grandmother." He has such an affinity with this doll, that he could sense what happened to the doll while turned away. Bend a doll's arm, and Shawn's arm twists the same way. I liked his story - it sucked me right in.

The Steelgraves performed the Hindu basket - a classic illusion, with Angelic doing a costume change at the end.

Evildan and Coleen performed the Breadstick of Death and the Human Straw. This act keeps improving over time.

Late Friday - we had a real treat. Todd Robbins brought along the film of his Play Dead - filmed during theater performances in Greenwich Village. This was the "dark evening" show written by Todd and Teller.  Diane and I saw this in NYC, and this is the best "ghost experience" I have ever seen. The second best was Eugene Burger's Manifestations - at the first Invocational.

Performing this style of "entertainment" is, in my opinion, the most difficult show in the world. It's a delicate balance of truth and illusion; one mis-step and either the illusion is destroyed, or an audience member can be brought to a place of emotional turmoil.

"Play Dead" has the right pacing, humor, effects, and audience participation, combined with stories based on real events, and yet has the right audience participation to ensure a thrill ride one won't easily forget.

Robbin's "Play Dead" is a masterwork - something that others who wish to provide a "haunting" should study long and hard. I am not generous with my compliments, so I hope others get a chance to see this film, or better yet, in person.

I should mention that the hospitality suite was outrageous as usual. There was crock pots filled with chili, meat balls, pulled pork, as well as a huge deli platter, pasta salad, and beverages galore.

First up Saturday - The Close-up Event.

Daniel Greenwolf performed his Diary of a Madman. He is now selling this effect, and it's a great presentation for a 400-year-old effect.

Chris Capehart did some very entertaining and excellent coin and card work. It ended too soon.

Shawn Farquhar performed a pairs coincidence effect, followed by his legendary effect - a signed card is lost, and discovered in a sealed deck. Jawdropping material.

Dirk Losander - the Master of the Air - was next with his "Floating" lecture. Bubbles and bills floated effortlessly. I've seen this before, but each time I still get something from it. He also presented his "Chain Breaker" the Thumb Tie effect, and his new effect "The Diary." This is a book with a wooden cover, small enough to fit in an inside pocket, which can float in the air when covered by a cloth. The gaff is self-contained in the book, and the book can be shown both sides.  This effect is perfect for close-up, table hopping, and street magic. There is no reset, and the book can be partially revealed when floating. In my mind, this is the most practical of Losander's various "Floating" effects, and a real winner.

Chris Capehart's lecture "Doing in on the streets - or how to make $1500 a week on the streets." was next. I loved this lecture. A lot of it was based on good hard-earned common sense, which is blindingly obvious once you hear it.  He gave lots of tips on how to gain confidence, and how to bring in the money, and compared to some of the books on Street Magic I've read, Chris was the real deal - and not a pretender like some of the "experts" I've seen and read. If you are serious about street magic, get Chris's book and/or his DVD. Your investment will be returned to you many fold.

The routines he used were classic close-up - coins across, card transpositions, etc. But the presentation was well honed, and filled with entertaining patter that will get strong reactions from those on the street. He also showed some linking ring moves that are unbelievable even to those who know the gaff. His crash link move is the one Shoot Ogawa uses for the Ninja rings, and when you see Chris do it inches from your face - it's just unbelievable.

Chris also gave some great advice on selecting and using rabbits, including a tip on how to pick out the best one in the pet store.

We were talking to Chris after wards at the Hospitality suite, and he was giving lots of advice to those interested in Street Magic. One thing he mentioned was that the best street performers he had even seen when it comes to bringing in the money, was acrobats Tic and Tac - - (example video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3d8awHnK6I ) These guys know how to collect! They would not only get everyone to put money in the "hat" or in their case - several jumbo shopping bags, they would get people to put money in 2 or 3 times each! There are lessons to be learned here, gang!

Chris also had a nice tip on marked decks, using a special pen. As someone who found the Boris Wild cards useless, this was great.

Between lectures and shows, we hung out at the dealers area - which was the main room. There were 9 dealers.

Finally it was a Saturday Banquet and Evening Show. Artie Kidwell was the Emcee, with a fine touch of Kentucky humor. The evening was filled with some fine performers. Timothy Cripe opened with the Sands of Egypt, and filled the room with song. The Steelgraves performed a comedy routine with whips and balloons, and color-changing feather rings, and ended with a large penetration illusion.

I really enjoyed performances by Dirk Losander, Chris Capehart and Shawn Farquhar. I've seen Losander before, but he does a great job of making magic happen effortlessly. Chris has a great nonchalant "whatever" attitude, that leads you down a garden path of thinking the magic was almost secondary to his audience interactions. And then he blows you away with magic that just has you shaking your head in wonder as your sides shake with laughter.

Shawn Farquhar has a wonderful personality on and off stage. He loves what he does, and this just wraps your attention into the magic he weaves, and then he does stuff that is just incredible. I was having too much fun to take notes, but he did perform his cups famous cups and balls routine with the kicker ending, and the signed card in a sealed deck also makes my head ache..

I thought the performance highlights of the weekend were done by Losander, Capehart, and Farquhar. The "Play Dead" film was also a high point. In the hospitality suite, I spent hours listening to Chris Capehart and Shawn, and could have easily spend hours more - they are wonderful story-tellers. The beer, wine and food was plentiful. The only thing we didn't have enough of - was sleep.

I want to add a comment directed to all Bizarre magicians out there. I've seen a lot of "bizarre" routines that combine some story with some props like placards, cards, dice, books, etc. When I try to recall the story after wards, in most cases the story and props used in the story just don't fit together, and because of this, the presentations are very forgettable. Of all of the bizarre presentations, Daniel's Diary of a Madman, and Shawn's Ragman routine were the stories that stayed with me days later. In these cases, the story and the objects used were indistinguishable - they cannot be separated.

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Jack Shea writes:-

At long last I made it to my first Gathering and now that I did I've been kicking myself for waiting so long.

This was , for me, perfect! Just the right size so you weren't up to your ears in massive crowds of hobbyists with their large wallets and ego's larger yet acting like they needed to be bowed to, while showing of the latest packet trick. Here were 'real' people who actually worked their art and they were folks who respected the art of magick and were open and friendly.

I met many old friends that I haven't seen in years and met email friends face to face for the first time. It was a highly rewarding weekend for so many reasons. I learned so many things from the dealers and the folks who performed for us. So many highlights that I could go on for pages but I'll leave this concise and just say that I will be trying to salt away some bucks each month in hopes that I can come back next year.

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Cyril May writes:-

This year's ICBM Gathering was wonderful.   Headliners included Shawn Farquar, Chris Capehart, Losander and New England's own Steelgraves.  In addtion to great performances and lectures we were treated to great interactions with these and others in the Hospitality Suite and other environs.  It all began with E. Raymond Carlyle offering an amazing history of his life in magic which, wonderfully, is somewhat synonymous with the history of magic in the 20th century.  He has had interaction with the greats of magic over the decade.  His storytelling format was wonderful. There is so much to share....perhaps others who attended can chime in...

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EVILDAN writes:-

Some of the highlights of this year's Gathering for me was:  Craig Dickson's
lecture. He always has a cut to the chase practical approach to  magic that is for the workers. This year's lecture was no exception. Really  loved the Ring and Chain routine with Leslie Melville's routine.   Shawn Farquhar giving us a new line for our Human Straw routine during the  Friday night bizarre show. You know his brain is buzzing a million miles a  minute to come up with this. But then again, it seems so obvious, I don't know  how no one else came up with it.   Watching Losander float....whatever. I see him float tables, books, picture frames and damn it if they aren't really floating. It doesn't matter if he's on stage or behind his dealer table. He is a true master and I never tire of
watching him work.

Chris Capehart in the hospitality suite on Friday Night. He got there late, sat
down and became family. We got so much good info about street performing that  was further filled in by his lecture on Saturday. He's got chops and is one of  the people we really wanted to meet this year.   Meeting Artie Kidwell. Really a nice guy and a super emcee (a true professional). Next time we have to spend more time hanging out in the hospitality suite.  Some Misses......   Robin Dewitt and Kardor, Bob Fenton, Brother Shadow, Bob Neale, Adrian & Liz  Deery, and Vlad.

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"Joseph Caulfield" writes:-

Lady BlackSword and I so enjoyed this Gathering. It just was such a loving and nurturing Magickal Space. Somehow special, different, and better than others we've attended.

Something set aside from the World; a Garden of Infinite Delight. To see and touch old friends, to make new friends, to truly realize we are a Family. And one not limited by distance or even by life and death. Of course, the shows, lectures, and dealers were great. But, there was just something about the vibes this weekend that we had never experienced before. Blessing on Grand Magus Cabral!

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Shawn Farquhar writes:-

I had such an enjoyable time at the gathering and found that the majority of the
people in attendance were true students of magic and story telling.  I hope to
learn from many of you.