The latest book in the Dr. Grordbort universe is out. Created by Greg Broadmore, it’s a romp through the cosmos with Lord Cockswain..

Review at…

http://members.shaw.ca/hacsart/weta/triumph/index.html

 

 

 

Free Download to Brassgoggles Readers!

‘A backdrop of ornate, Sgt Pepperish Victoriana…A band to watch, without question’ – The Sunday Times

 “The Mutiny is as beautiful and dangerous as a Bengal tiger caught by the tail….an album that can work on so many levels because there are so many aspects to it” – Fatea

“Sunday Driver are a welcome breath of fresh air in a music scene that has been a little adrift in places over the last few years. Drift no longer, you’ve found your shaker makers.” The New LoFi

4 Stars! The Financial Times

 

It’s been three long years since the launch of Sunday Driver’s debut album ‘In the City of Dreadful Night’, a record that brought the band to international acclaim. Inspired by the backstreets of Kipling’s Calcutta and Gustav Dore’s dark visions of Victorian London the band created an album that was lauded by Fatea Magazine as, “A street festival distilled into music”.

Since the release of ‘Dreadful Night, Sunday Driver have added drums to their line up and much more steam and sitar to their sound. Their song writing has reached new heights of creativity and the band members are extremely excited about The Mutiny!

The Mutiny explores the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the effect of the Raj across Indian society from every day citizens recruited to the British army to Ghandi.

The band have worked with many members of the Brassgoggles forum, and are offering Brassgoggles first heads up that their single Concubine Waltz  can be downloaded for free from bandcamp!

http://sundaydriver.bandcamp.com/album/concubine-waltz

We’d advise jumping over to their website and picking up all 13 killer tracks!

http://sundaydriver.co.uk/merch.html

They ship CDs to any corner of the world.

3rd Annual Steampunk Worlds Fair coming soon.

Posted by on March 23rd,2012

The 3rd Annual Steampunk World’s Fair is coming up soon.  The fair will run May 18-20 in Piscataway, NJ and will host more guests, welcome more attendees, and provide more entertainment than any other Steampunk event in the world More info to follow, stay tuned!

Steampunk Worlds Fair

Are Zeppelins the Future of Air Travel?

Posted by on March 22nd,2012

An article over at Treehugger may not be exactly Steampunk, but it will warm the heart of any Steampunk.

Zeppelins – Air Travel of the Future?

As reader Matt Summers puts it:

“….the concept designs are decidedly lacking in copper and it’s lovely alloys as well as wood. There are lightweight bamboo based composites which are exceptionally strong and with a proper veneer of woods which have more of a soul they are aesthetically pleasing as well. The copper and brass need not be the great heavy masses which would challenge the lighter than air concept. Their presence though is needed. The technology of today might please the eye or the tip of the finger for a moment, but the the design which does not leave you feeling empty comes from another age:

  • Wood with a soul which can resonate with your own.
  • Metal with an inner fire that makes it glow even when cool to the touch.
  • Buttons which are buttons and not pads or pictures to occupy the fingers as well as the mind.
  • Machines which even without power or an operator to run them have an identity and occupy sight, touch and thought.
  • Airships that want to fly and if released would climb skyward and explore the skies and the winds on their own.

Classic!


Just Glue Some Gears On It (And Call It Steampunk)

ALERT!!!!

DON’T FIGHT IT,

ITS BIGGER THAN BOTH OF US

2011 “Steampunk: tomorrow as it used to be” exhibition is underway!

Opening 15th October
Closing 27th November
The Forrester Gallery,
Thames St., Oamaru
Steampunk – Tomorrow as it Used to Be

Fancy a Trans-European Steampunk Convention?

Posted by on October 7th,2011

If you do, here’s your chance to get in on the planning.

Via email,  came this:

EuroSteamCon I

So here it is, the idea of a European Steampunk Convention. Since a lot of things are happening on the other side of the Atlantic and some decent events have taken place in Britain, it is about time something major happens in continental Europe. Thus far, conventions and meet-ups have only been local or country-based affairs. There are active steampunk scenes from Spain to France to the Low Countries to Germany to Poland, all of them have thus far existed in relative isolation.

Now it is time to change this. It is time we all got together somewhere.  If people travel across the length and breadth of North America to attend a convention, so can we, and we have far less ground to cover.

Maybe there will be one location where we all meet up. Maybe the convention will take place in several places all over Europe connected by life video streams. I do not care what the final shape of the event will be as long as it connects the steampunks, dieselpunks and related scenes across Europe. If we manage to turn it into a 24 hour world-wide event, even better, but for now, the working title is:

EuroSteamCon I

Some of my closest friends in and outside the scene have already given me a thumbs up and pledged their support, among them the informal head of the Austrian Steampunks. Philippa Ballantine of Ministry of Peculiar Occurences fame has also signalled her interest in participating. Now we need to connect the scenes across Europe.

So, if you are interested in joining the crew and get this project on the road, get in touch. Everybody is welcome, the more, the merrier, the more diverse, the better. If you are a lonely steampunk somewhere in Transylvania, contact me and I will help you get to the event when it happens.This is for all of us. I also want to reach out to our Spanish and French friends, we know you are out there, but we seldom meet, online or offline, let’s change this. If you can contribute, if you are a musician, a DJ, a technician, if you know, own or have access to a great location, get in touch. Let us work together and create the first European Steampunk Convention!

This is the age of the ætherweb, we can reach more people with the click of a mouse than our Victorian ancestors could hope for reaching in a life time. Let us use our connections. Spread the word! Translate this message and share it with your friends!

And to all of you who know already have an idea how they can contribute, help out or actively participate in any way, contact me: webmaster@dailysteampunk.com

 

Steampunk Week at Tor Books.

Posted by on October 5th,2011

Join Tor.com for Steampunk Week, starting Monday and running through Friday, October 7th.

Please come and support our fellow steampunk bloggers as they take Tor through the ins-and-outs of our community: Margaret “Magpie” Killjoy, Lord Bobbins, Andrew Fogel, Captain Donna Ricci, Janus Zarate, Ekaterina Sedia, Kaja Foglio, Lee Ann Farruga, Fabio Fernandes, Simon J. Berman, John Coulthart, Nisi Shawl, Gina Gagliano, Jaymee Goh, Cat Rambo, John R. R. Leavitt, Tyson Ness, Jess Nevins, Mike Perschon, Glenn Freund, and Pablo “Mr. Saturday” Vazquez III.

Steampunk Week at Tor Books

A new book, “A Strange Engine of War: The “Winan” Steam Gun & Maryland in the Civil War” is due to be released by historian John Lamb, through the Chesapeake Book Company.

Lamb, inthe book, states: ““Charles Dickinson, who was apparently a dancing instructor and gymnasium operator, went into partnership with Joslin and another investor.  They built several versions of the device, and then sought a patent, but had a falling out when the patent came out in Joslin’s name only. “   Dickinson would go on to patent his own device, which would be steam driven,  and after exhibiting the hand powered gun in the Midwest, he had a working prototype built in Boston, then took it to Baltimore, no doubt hoping to find buyers or investors, Lamb says.  “In the great tradition of American snake oil and patent demonstrations, Dickinson invited Baltimore’s city council to a demonstration of the gun outside his home in February, 1861.”

More at Strange Engines

A while back, during a sherry infused evening, I was happily sorting through my collection of railroad photos, interspersed with browsing through “Victory” from the Dr. Grorborts collection from Weta.. I was struck by a what i thought was an interest8ing revelation.. or was it the sherry? In any case.. I give you my ramblings on the styles of the classic Weta rayguns, and ask the question.. “Was Dr. Grorbort a railfan?”

Rayguns and Railroads – an essay on style.