As you’ve surely noticed, the Coilhouse blog has been preoccupied with this big fundraising push in NYC, lately. This must be frustrating for everyone who’s too far away to feel included or helpful. But we’ve been wanting to tell you something verrrrrrrry exciiiiiting. That Silent Auction we’ve been mentioning, the one that’s going to be physically based in NYC at The Black & White & Red All Over Ball? It’s INTERNATIONAL. YES! Absolutely anyone, anywhere in the world with reliable internet who takes a look at the following donated items and falls in love with one or more of them (we know we have!) can bid on any of these incredible listings, donated by a dream team of contributors and supporters. And anyone who wins something after bidding remotely will immediately have their item shipped to them, insured, anywhere in the world.

We <3 the future! We’re giddy that in addition to gathering together friends in distant cities to Turntable.fm DJ portions of the event, and livestreaming the party so anyone can poke their head in, we’ll be able to honor silent auction bids from as far away as Japan, Australia, or Alaska. And we sincerely do hope you bid! Even if you don’t, we would like to ask you, our cherished readership, a small favor: it has taken longer than anticipated to get this huge promotional post about the auction up and running. We MUST start loudly, aggressively getting the word out online to start drawing eyes to the auction list! Please, pretty please, immediately Tweet, Facebook, Tumblr, blog, email or otherwise get the word out about this auction and link here. Time is running out, but we are counting on getting a lot of international eyes looking this way, and hopefully, BIDDERS. We want to honor all of the wonderful people who generously donated by keeping this a very lively auction. More bluntly, we are keen to keep Coilhouse Magazine + Blog strong and healthy during a difficult time.

The auction starts right now and ends at 11 EST, Sunday night. Click here to view all the auction items. Major credit cards and PayPal are accepted. A brief description of each item follows below. Happy bidding, comrades! As always, thank you for your support.

“Dark Siren” Original Art Piece – Donated by Nicole Aptekar. After successfully selling out almost every piece in her expansive “New / Paper / Explorations” show (which only debuted last Friday), Nicole set about the task of creating a custom piece that reflects the color and theme of this party and Issue 06. 11×15″ in its permanent frame, “Dark Siren” is laser-cut from red, white and charcoal grey paper, and arranged into a unique piece of “dimensional graphic design”. The work is completely one of a kind, is not part of any edition, and was created exclusively for this fundraiser. Read more about Nicole’s artwork on Coilhouse. Starting bid: $310. Market value: $500.

“Vessel” Giclee Photographic Print Donated by Kate O’Brien “I shot this image in 2010 with the amazing Isabelle. This concept was strongly influenced by Steampunk and the game Bioshock and took me such a long time to put together. One of my personal favorites!” Giclee print is 30×24″, framed. Kate O’Brien’s dreamy, yet hyper-detailed photography was featured in Coilhouse Issue 02. Starting bid: $70. Market value: $150.

“Girl and Octopus” serigraph donated by Molly Crabapple. A serigraph of one of Molly’s most detailed and whimsically tentacular illustrations, this 15″ x 22 1/2″ piece features a Victorian showgirl, an octopus wearing a top hat, and bubbles. Limited edition. 100% cotton Magnani Revere silk paper with deckle edges, printed in navy & shimmering gold inks. Signed and numbered. Molly, as previously mentioned, has been a kind friend and contributor to Coilhouse from the very beginning, and her work was featured in Issues 02 and 05. Starting bid: $83. Market Value: $150.

Four separate item listings have been donated to the auction by Matthew Borgatti of  Sleek and Destroy. There are Guy Fawkes Earrings and Guy Fawkes Cufflinks (“We do not forgive. We do not forget. We are stylish.”), a Courage Wolf Pendant (“Wear Necklace. Death learns to fear you.”), and, of course, everyone’s favorite friendly and precocious ursine internet celebrity, represented by a naughty, metallic Paedobear Pendant. Starding bids: $12-15 (depending on item.) Market value: $15-23.

“Little Red Riding Hood” Hand-Painted and Framed Print – Donated by Dame Darcy. From alternative cartoonist and artist Dame Darcy (previously featured in Coilhouse Issue 04): “Little Red Riding Hood, the iconic story to warn young women of the dangers of becoming a woman (the red cape symbolizing her first period) drawing the wolf to her (symbolizing the newly found attraction to her now womanly self).” Starting bid: $12. Market value: $25.

Three lots of beautiful books and artwork have been donated by Thomas Negovan from Century Guild! (Holy cow… we’re speechless, guys. Definitely click through to take a closer look at the HUGE glut of gorgeousness included.) There are three lots: the “Sea Lot”, the “Witches, Freaks and Fractures Lot” and the “Hope and Sadness Lot”. Beautiful books, posters, art prints, postcards, comics, apparel and other items. Autographed contributions from Dave McKean, Gail Potocki, Chris Mars, Jeremy Bastian, Dan Brereton, Stephanie Leonidas. Extremely rare, limited editions. Starting bids are between $90 and $190 on these lots, which retail for between $200 – $400 depending on the lot. (By the way, Thomas will also be performing at the event, accompanied by drummer Brian Viglione and our very own Mer!)

“Invasive Species II” Signed Archival Print and Accompanying Autographed “Waldkammer” Book donated by Madeline von Foerster. Achival print made on 340 gsm Cotton Rag paper. The additional full-color catalog-style book tells the story of each of the forty-five plant and animal species depicted in this series of paintings, with a forward by the artist and an introduction by Nancy Pick and printed on 100% recycled paper. Madeline’s work has been feature many times on Coilhouse blog, as well as Issue 02 of the print magazine. Starting bid: $95. Retail value: $170.

Framed “Blind Love” print & Framed “Blixa Bargeld” print [two separate listings] both donated by longtime Coilpal Paul Komoda. “Blind Love” [pictured] is an infamously sexy illustration of Paul Komoda’s character Courtney Claveloux and her tentacled friend. It was originally published on the cover of “Cthulhu Sex” Magazine. Print is 8 1/2 x 11″, framed dimensions are 14 1/2 x 11″. Paul’s second donation [click here to see, do it, do it now!] is a scintillating, textured print of young Blixa Bargeld, a founding member of Einstürzende Neubauten (who just so happens to be featured in our upcoming Issue 06). Blixa print is 10 1/2 x 6″. Framed dimensions are 14 1/2 x 11 1/2″. Starting bids: $65 on both items. Retail value: $165.

Framed Neil Gaiman Poster donated by Allan Amato A portrait of the critically acclaimed, powerhouse author Neil Gaiman by one of Coilhouse’s most prolific staff photographers, Allan Amato! Allan has contributed to every issue of Coilhouse since Issue 01. This image was part of the shoot Allan undertook for our Coilhouse Issue 05 feature interview with Amanda Palmer and Gaiman. Framed dimensions: 18×24″. Starting bid: $15. Retail value: $35.

Framed “Unicorn Chaser” print donated by Jason Levesque, featuring Xeni Jardin. A high quality, one-of-a-kind print featuring a delightful illustration by Levesque (aka “Stuntkid”). This art was originally created for our article on Xeni in Coilhouse Issue 03. Framed dimensions are 20×24. Starting bid: $55. Retail value: $150.

“Black Magick Shaman’s Neckpiece” Necklace – Donated by Asha Beta. A beautiful, unique necklace, crafted by Nicomis Blalock, owner of jewelry company Asha Beta. The Black Magick Shaman’s Neckpiece is a talisman worn to deflect and dispel the effects of Black Magick directed at the individual. It contains a variety of organic elements believed by primitives to provide certain “prophylactic virtues”, thus providing essential protection to the Shaman during necessary journeys to the “spirit world” or “land of the dead”. Materials: bronze, brass, quartz crystal, black jade, human hair, hand-carved horn, ebony, and ivory. Starting bid: $99. Retail value: $200.

Dancing With Invisible Light print donated by Audrey Penven An image of aerialist Mike Estee from Penven’s 2010 photo series. Estee, who also assisted in the shoot, explains the process behind Penven’s concept: “A computer graphics technique called “Structured Light” [was used] to build a depth map of the field of view, [allowing an] Xbox Kinect camera to discern shapes and ultimately build a skeletal model of the person standing in front of it […] projecting a grid of tiny infrared dots across the room, and reading the position of those dots with another camera. […] Projected against a person, they create interesting contours and patterns.” Read more about these haunting images here. Starting bid: $100. Market value: $180.

Autographed Strange Nature art book donated by Jessica Joslin. A signed collectible edition featuring all manner of Ms. Joslin’s delightful brass and bone beasties . Hardbound. 152 pp., 140 full-color plates! Publication date: April 2008. Jessica Joslin’s feature was the biggest piece in print mag Issue 01. Since that time, she has contributed many articles and blog posts to Coilhouse. (More ‘Haus love for Jessica here). Starting bid: $55. Market value: $85.

“Rudolph Valentino” Framed Illustration donated by Jared Joslin. This stunning, two-sided color illustration by our dearly loved friend, artist Jared Joslin, features the legendary Rudolph Valentino as both a dashing military man, and as a wistful, colorful clown. This is a one-of-a-kind, INCREDIBLY rare piece from Jared! He would normally sell it for upward of $600. We are presenting this original art lovingly in a freestanding, double-paned and double-sided frame. Starting bid: $240. Market value: $600.

Black Serpent Rouge Belt donated by Rachel Brice. The incomparable Rachel Brice, a world-renowned innovator in the field of Tribal Fusion belly dance, has generously donated one a one-of-kind, meticulously and lovingly handmade belt of her very own. This breathtaking piece, crafted from countless different antique, vintage, and impossible-to-duplicate materials, was exclusively worn by Rachel during the sold-out 2010 Serpent Rouge tour of her dance troupe, The Indigo. Whenever Ms. Brice sells them herself, pieces like these regularly sell for anywhere between $500 and $700 dollars. Starting bid: $345. Approx. market value: $650.

Coilhouse Magazine, Issues 01-05. Rare, out-of-print first editions of our previous five issues. 96 pages each and produced over the last three years, these are physical copies of And Other Curiosities (01), Beauty Is A Choice (02), The “Hold My Gold” Issue (03), Onaim, Perantes, Rasonastos (04), and Let All the Children Boogie (05). Starting bid: $155.00. Market value: $200.

Ganymede Signed Advanced Reading Copy – Donated by Cherie Priest. Cherie Priest, “the high priestess of steampunk” and a longtime friend and supporter of ours, is donating a signed copy one of her advanced reading copies of Ganymede, the fourth book in her award-winning, wildly popular Clockwork Century series. The book won’t officially come out until end-of-Septemberish. Starting bid: $18. Market value: $20.

Dr. Grordbort’s Righteous Bison Indivisible Particle Smasher – Donated by Sir Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop. The Righteous Bison is no ordinary raygun. Far from it. Where traditionally manufacturers in the Wave Oscillation genre have (some say lazily) gone down the well charted route of heft and mass, the Righteous Bison has been designed with the handler in mind. Portability and wieldability have been the guiding lights for the ground breaking team of young talent that’s been put in charge of this whimsical undertaking. It is furthermore an eminently suitable accessoire to your pseudo-Victorian attire for weekending in the country or impressing your peers at parties or other large gatherings. The Righteous Bison can take a fair amount of man-handling. And even more woman-handling! Starting bid: $45. Market value: $99.

“Jill Tracy Care Package” – Donated by Jill Tracy. LAST in the limited edition series! Songstress Jill Tracy handmade doll by October Effigies. Autographed by both Jill Tracy and cult-hero dollmaker Kerry Kate. Autographed copy of J ill Tracy’s CD, “The Bittersweet Constrain.” Exclusive pre-release copy of Projekt’s brand new compilation, “A Dark Cabaret 2.” (This will not even be in stores until Sept 24!) Plus: photo postcards, “The Fine Art of Poisoning” stickers. Starting bid: $40. Market value: $65.

Ossaserpia’s Opus alchymicum CD, Hardback Book and Poster donated by Madeline von Foerster. Pressed CD in paper sleeve with impression; 16-pages A5 hard-bound book with impression on the cover, equipped with flyleafs at the front and the back including printed alchemical symbols; 6 alchemical graphics by Madeline von Foerster with an overlays; A3 poster with explanatory text to each alchemical graphic, and impression again; embossed CD sleeve-jacket.  Limited edition of oversized hard-bound book. VERY rare print (audio/bibliophilia) for all occult fans of musick & alchemy! Starting bid: $45. Market value: $70.

The title of this post WAS gonna be “Reasons Why We Love Molly Crabapple, Part #2369138459008164548939347”, but we decided on something sliiiiightly less effusive– only because it more properly trumpets the existence of her beautiful new “Happy Birthday, Coilhouse” print to high heaven:

Limited edition serigraph by Molly Crabapple. BUY IT HERE.

Yes! Indeed, Coilhouse’s 4th birthday is upon us. Although the site didn’t officially launch until October, we first started blogging in August of 2007. In recent, tumultuous days, as we’ve revved up the fundraising engines to ensure our wee company’s continuing evolution and stability, countless incredible people have stepped up to help. One of our most tireless and powerful champions has been Molly Crabapple.

Since day one of Coilhouse, Molly has been relentlessly generous with her time, her contributions, her immense resources, and even her checkbook.

Ms. Crabapple’s latest contribution to our continuing push for growth and financial stability is this gobsmackingly lovely limited edition Commemorative Coilhouse Birthday Serigraph– a high-end print which we are offering for sale internationally as a supplemental fundraising item to the big Black & White & Red All Over Ball in New York City this coming Sunday. Molly obviously kept the palette of the party and our forthcoming Issue 06 in mind when she drew this loveliness. (Isn’t our newest poster child a dream, with her grandiose cake hat, red ringlets and mischievous smile? We covet her bird mask.)

A bit of background on how this print came to be: when Molly found out we were throwing a fundraising ball in her backyard, she was among the first to start helping us organize it. During one brainstorming session, she came up with a great suggestion; undoubtedly, there will be many folks all over the world who can’t make it to the ball, but would nonetheless like to substantially support our fundraising efforts. Maybe we could offer a really meaningful, experiential way for them to help us from afar?

Molly got in touch with her frabjous friend Melissa Dowell. Melissa, an accomplished artist herself, will be taking the time and effort to create these hand-silkscreened prints for us at cost at Bushwick Print Lab. (Melissa. Holy cow. Thank you.)

Within less than a day of suggesting an auxiliary fundraising art object, Molly had made good on her offer of artwork for a gorgeous commemorative print. Later this week, Melissa will produce a very limited edition run of them. The Commemorative Coilhouse Birthday Serigraph by Molly Crabapple is 19″ x 25″, printed in matte red and semi-gloss black ink onto smooth 100+ paper stock from the deliciously-designed French Paper, with a thick border of white paper to frame the print. The edition size is a mere 35, and we are selling them for sixty-six dollars and sixty cents bucks a pop ($66.60 USD, plus shipping).

Comrades, please know that by purchasing this beautiful birthday print, you’ll not only be helping Coilhouse tremendously in a financial way– you will be celebrating with us, too. Four years on, we are still so glad to be here, and we’re ecstatic that you’re here, too. Thank you.

CLICK HERE TO BUY.

Oscar Wilde from Molly Crabapple’s delightful “Saints and Sinners” series.

Back to Ms. Crabapple for a minute, now…

Mindful as we are of Molly’s long list of previous kindnesses toward Coilhouse, it’s still astonishing to us that this world-class woman, in the midst of everything else piled up on her drawing table, took the time to make this happen for us, for free, without even blinking. We can never thank her enough, or tire of singing her praises.

Many of you will have, no doubt, already heard all about Molly and her many art projects, but just in case you haven’t, please do give MollyCrabapple.com a visit and take a look at the many remarkable ventures she’s been up to lately.

• Saints and Sinners “Portraits of whores, scoundrels, scammers and heroes from history, all of whom I like, whether or not they deserve it.”
• Sixty Six Project “Here’s my capsule of some people I adore, who awe me. …writers and artists and porn stars and firebrand journalists and rockstars.”
• Molly Crabapple’s “Week In Hell” Kickstarter phenomenon.
• Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School.
• Wired Magazine on Molly Crabapple’s Week In Hell.
• Mer interviews Molly for SXSW.
• A handful of Molly’s many previous appearances on Coilhouse Blog: “I Have Your Heart“, “Fashion Week During the Apocalypse Part One and Part Two“, and “Thank You, Tura Satana“.

And one more time, CLICK HERE to buy the beautiful Coilhouse/Crabapple limited edition fundraising print.

GEMINI & SCORPIO Present: The Black & White & Red All Over Ball. (Flyer by Nadya & Nicole, inspired by Courtney Riot. Imagery courtesy of Helen White & Amelia Arsenic.)

For years and years and years, we’ve been talking about throwing an epic Coilhouse party in New York City. There’s a lot to celebrate: our vibrant family of East Coast-based Coilhouse contributors and compatriots, the four-year anniversary of the Coilhouse site, and, of course, the imminent release of Coilhouse Issue 06… which is gorgeous, by the way! (It’s visually unlike anything else we’ve attempted thus far. So much hard and occasionally heartrending work has been poured into this issue over the past year, by a big team of devoted staffers, contributors, interns and editors.)

In keeping with the distinct color scheme of Issue 06, and with a cheery nod to the slapdash, seat-o-the-pants times Coilhouse currently finds itself in, we’re calling our Coilbash The Black & White & Red All Over Ball. We are striving to make it the fanciest, most weird and wonderful costume ball of our career thus far. And, quite frankly, we’re not only hoping for, but counting on a healthy turnout, in spite of the short notice-ness. We really hope to see you there. It’s not just about the Benjamins. Honestly, we’re aching for a proper Big Apple shindig. We dearly want to meet and greet and hug the stuffing out of all our East Coast lovelies, and then maybe dance the night away, if that’s all right with you? We feel like it’s way past due.

With a little (actually a LOT) of help from our friends, we’ve been getting the word out, and lining up an incredible array of art and performance. Two dozen fabulous silent auction items have been donated by Coihouse featured artists, friends and contributors. We’ve locked down a lavish venue, and we’re ready to rock your socks off. HOLY SHIT. GUYS. LET’S DO THIS.

Please do read further for more details.

Our beautiful venue, the Red Lotus Room.

First of all, check out the space! We shall be getting our boogie on in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, at the sumptuous, sprawling, velvety Red Lotus Room, home of the legendary Shanghai Mermaid speakeasy. When Mer first sent out a big “CALLING ALL CARS” email to her NYC crew, several people recommended we get in touch with the lovely Juliette, who runs both the space and the speakeasy. Juliette is a kindred spirit for sure, deeply committed to DIY community and the arts. Asian lanterns and chandeliers, exposed wood beam ceilings, red velvet-draped walls… oh my!

Upon arrival at the Red Lotus Room, revelers will enter a secret, lush cabaret universe to an extravaganza of live music, dance and circus performances. Aerialists… fire… projec​tions… Dadaist spectacle… surprises galore. Dance to rollicking sets from DJ luminaries. Bid on silent auction items donated by longtime supporters and featured Coilhouse artists: a splendid array of autographed prints and books, and one-of-a-kind art objects. (PS: we’re working to see if we can’t arrange for this to be an international auction, to make things more interesting!) Mix and mingle with Coilhouse staff and family of longtime East Coast contributors, including Molly Crabapple, Clayton James Cubitt, and Jeff Wengrofsky. Angeliska Polacheck is even flying in from Austin for this! Plus, partygoers will get the first glimpse of Coilhouse Issue Six, and an opportunity to pre-order it at a discount. There will be tea ceremony, there will be booze, there will be belly dancers and cabaret, flaming poi and flying trapeze. Most of all, there will be a whole lotta love in the dang room, because the night of August 21st is all about Coilhouse celebrating its birthday, and most importantly, its community.

So, yes. As you can see, the space is amazing. Then there’s the phenomenal party production team, Gemini & Scorpio, who are presenting the evening’s festivities. G&S have stepped up in the most gobsmackingly incredible way to help us to list, promote, organize, cat-herd and co-curate this shindig.  Run by “two artsy New York City gals and creators of G&S’ Fabulous Guide to Online Dating (old, but useful!)” our cherished and generous G&S team are: “Smart, creative, funky and different, just like the people we are here to meet. Our email list spreads the word on underground happenings in NYC you’d otherwise never hear about, and our own–sometimes unbelievable–parties bring our thousands-strong creatives’ community offline.” Holy macaroni, they’re badass.

With their help, combined with the counsel and kindness of our dear friend Shien Lee of Dances of Vice (be sure to scroll down and take note of the DoV/Coilbash two-event deal!), and the wisdom of the aforementioned Juliette and Shanghai Mermaid, we have been able to reach further and deeper into the NYC underground than we ever could on our own from way over here in sunny Cali. Our lionhearted comrade and champion, Molly Crabapple, has also been helping out tremendously with backline support. In the midst of all of this last-minute chaos, whenever we take a brief moment to catch our breath, we feel like we’re swooning in the outpouring of love, support and advice we’ve received from all of these women, their extended networks, and beyond. (Thank you, lovely ladies. THANK you, thank you, thank you. We can never say it enough. We are so darn grateful to all of you.)

With their help, and in cahoots with countless other members of da ‘Haus’s own extensive tribe in NYC (who will undoubtedly be getting a ton of blog shout-outs and love over the next few weeks), we’ve been able to confirm a lot of fantastic talent over the past couple of days, with more acts to be added over the next week. Here’s the current roster:

Kim Boekbinder. Photo by Marianne Bijou.

Franz Nicolay. Photo by Konstantin Sergeyev.

Brian Viglione. Photo by Ethan Miller.

The Fishtank Ensemble (Promo photo.)

MUSIC: Kim Boekbinder (Vermillion Lies) Our beloved genre-defying songstress of murderous waltzes and epic pop ballads will woo us with voice, guitar, looping pedal and a bag full of mystery. In Coilhouse’s review of her album The Impossible Girl, Mer described her as  “a bravely vulnerable, electrifying lightning rod of a woman.” She is all that and more. The wondrous Fishtank Ensemble (fellow Californians who just happen to be in NYC this week) will give us a blissful, heartmelting, booty-shakin’ dose of their signature blend of Roma, Serbian, flamenco, manouche, Turkish and Greek music, plus original compositions! Franz Nicolay (World Inferno, Hold Steady, Guignol) is a dashing moutsachioed multi-instrumentalist, composer, and the hardest working boho-accordionist in NYC. Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls, World Inferno, Gentlemen & Assassins), who will be providing us with an assortment of unfettered, theatrical DRUM SOLOS throughout the evening, is an energetic, expressive, percussive powerhouse. Thomas Negovan, bless his beautiful heart, is flying all the way from Chicago to give us a delicious taste of occult-tinged, erotic, 1920s cabaret songcraft. Kelvin Daly, builder of unique musical instruments, will favor us with mysterious and elegant performances. Theremina (yes, that’s Mer’s stage name, shhh!) will humbly provide a wee bit of wistful, theremin-drenched ambient music to sway and swoon to. Ooo, and then there are the DJs! Wengrofsky – Scrappy and eclectic vinyl wizardry. PUREVILE! – Sets of new wave, dark glam, new romantic from the co-founder of DISKO NOUVEAUX.

Sarah Hassan

Sky Claudette. Photo by Jeffrey Grossman.

Our ringmaster, SF SLIM. Photo by Jacob Appelbaum.

DANCE/CABARET: Our darling, delicious blog contributor, Sarah Hassan, will be taking the stage as a Bellow Dancer & Bedouin Showgirl. Paige & Ahnika (recently ‘Haused here) will provide a set of electrifying, emotive, empowering belly dance. LeRoi Prince is bringing us a bit of Weimar drag/burlesque genderfuckery with swagger and class. Liron & Daly, a bewitching husband and wife team, will give us aerials performed to live musical accompaniment. Eros Fyre – Sky & Vlad will perform feats of fire magick. Ian Baker of Interpretive Arson will be bringing out the fire rope dart. Our Master of Ceremonies is the one and only SF SLIM. Slim’s been a friend of ours for years; he’s a charming collaborative culture evangelist and a nattily-dressed Joy-Facilitator who “eats concepts and makes things”. We’re overjoyed that he’s agreed to be our ringmaster, in addition to helping out behind the scenes.

Muffinhead! Photo by Gabi Porter.

Some of Empire S.N.A.F.U.’s unsettling art.

PUREVILE!

MISCELLANEOUS SPECTACLE & ODDITY: Some sort of gorgeously unsettling, as-of-yet-determined “art incident” courtesy of EMPIRE S.N.A.F.U will occur. S.N.A.F.U. is “a feverish visual and theatrical mélange of dystopian technology, sexual obsolescence, and implied religion,” painstakingly assembled from a vast and unsettling assortment of found materials. Muffinhead – Lavishly costumed, colorful performance absurdist; a spectacular cartoon imaginary made real. The PUREVILE! girls – Exquisite living dolls unearthed from some great-great-auntie’s steamer trunk, bedecked in bespoke post-apocalyptic Victorian finery. Three-minute theremin lessons from Mer, if you’re game to make some woo-woo noises. AND! Last but not least, a Black & White & Red All Over Photo Booth.

SILENT AUCTION. Items will include art donated by Diamanda Galas, Molly Crabapple, Jessica Joslin, Paul Komoda, Jason Levesque & Xeni Jardin, Century Guild, Disinfo, PUREVILE!, Kate O’Brien, Nicole Aptekar, and Asha Beta. There will also be a full set of the out-of-print, highly collectible back-issues of Coilhouse (Issues 1-5).

COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Sharp curves in black and white and red, in keeping with the German Expressionist/Bauhau​s/Constructivist color palette of the upcoming Coilhouse print issue. Think decadent Weimar, 1920s Soviet Union, Klaus Nomi, origami-inspired, architectural, Metropolis, or De Stijl fashion. Polar Bear & Penguin? Nun in red fishnets! Valentine’s Day Zebra. Vampire and Midnight Snack. Anything in the color scheme goes, as long as you GO FOR IT.

VIP TICKETS: Donations over $30 will grant patrons 5 pm admission for an East-meets-West tea service, and first access to the silent auction. The tea service will be from 5-7. Enjoy live acoustic music and crackling wax-cylinder ambiance, private salon performances, and cozy conversation with Coilhouse co-founding editors Nadya Lev and Meredith Yayanos. Depending on donation level, there are many goodies to be had! VIP pricing structure is as follows:

• $30 Coilhouse buttons + stickers + baubles
• $50 Coilhouse buttons + stickers + Coilhouse I/I/I coffee mug
• $75 Coilhouse buttons + stickers + plus codes for DRM-free, high res PDF downloads of Coilhouse out-of-print back issues 1-5 + Coilhouse laptop vinyl.
• $100 All of the above + limited edition “Interstellar Vanguard” print by Zoetica Ebb. (Print exclusive to this tier.)
• $150 Everything in $75 gift bag + free pre-order of upcoming Issue Six print mag + a signed one-of-a-kind magazine proof from a past issue of Coilhouse.
• $200 All of the above + second printer’s proof + a trip to the COILBOX to pick out a final “mystery merch” item worth $30 – $50
• $300 All of the above + acknowledgment in print Issue 07 as a Coilhouse Print Patron + personalized thank-you card from Nadya Lev and Meredith Yayanos.

GENERAL ADMISSION. The main event starts at 7:00 and goes until midnight. Entrance is $15.

Admission to the main party event is included with all VIP tea service and salon tickets.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR DANCES OF VICE ATTENDEES! The DoV Enchantment Under the Sea Dance is happening on Saturday, August 20th. Why not make a cross-pollinating, bohemian art and culture blow-out of the whole weekend? We’ve teamed up with Shien and Co. to offer a special ticket to those who attend both events. For $25, you can be a guest at both parties. This will gain you general admission entrance to both events.

LOCATION. Red Lotus Room. 893 Bergen (between Classon and Franklin). It’s a wee bit off the beaten path, but hey, aren’t we all?! There is a subway stop close by, and we’re arranging to have some clear (and possibly quite entertaining) signposts up for all folks coming by public transit from the train station to the venue.

WHAT NOW? All that’s left is for you to buy tickets and RSVP! See you there, loves.

• Buy Tickets Here
• RSVP on Facebook

You may have heard rumblings, rumors of a splendid event in New York. You may have even seen a Facebook Event about it.

It’s true. Coilhouse is coming to New York! We’re throwing an extravagant party on Sunday, August 21st: The Black & White & Red All Over Ball. With the help of our friends at Gemini & Scorpio and Dances of Vice, we’re organizing this event to mark two very special milestones: our fourth birthday, and the upcoming release of Coilhouse Issue Six. Held at a lush cabaret room deep in the heart of Brooklyn, the event will feature live music, circus, art, projections, dadaist spectacle and surprises galore.

We have so much more to tell you, dear readers. Tune in on Monday for a full announcement. For now, mark your calendars. New York, New Jersey, Philly, Boston, Bawlmer, DC folks and beyond, save this date. Check back on Monday for some very exciting news!

WARNING: Extreme, toonish violence involving children.

I suppose that, on some level, I should be completely appalled by the video for Is Tropical’s debut single, “The Greeks”. It could be argued that one should not encourage the use of violence by children. That said, I love the absolutely crazed carnage of Megaforce’s video. With the help of animation by Seven, they’ve taken the Nerf gun battles of my youth and brought the imagined destruction to life. What follows is a series of firefights and faux drug deals gone bad, set to a frenetic dance club beat — a blood soaked crime spree in a world populated by kids who know that cool guys don’t look at explosions.

via Super Punch

Coilhouse Issue 06 is coming soon, but it’s not quite there yet. With more pages, more contributors, and more articles than any previous issue, it’s been quite a journey to put this one together. Thank you all – readers, friends, collaborators, and advertisers – for your patience. Because this issue is still deep in the production stage, we’d like to share our new Issue 06 advertisers here on the blog. Joining our existing family of small-business advertisers, these guys will appear on the pages of Issue 06. Check them out and support their wonderful creations. Here they are!

Medina Maitreya is a costume designer who crafts unique outfits and accessories by mixing new and vintage materials. Working a palette of vintage lace, beads, coins, feathers, silk, flowers and other “antique bling”,  Medina constructs bespoke items inspired by everything from belly dance to circus arts to Erté. You may have seen some of Medina’s extravagant costumes sported by the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque, March Fourth Marching Band, Kami Liddle of the Bellydance Superstars, and  Zoe Jakes of Beats Antique. You can see some of Medina’s creations on her blog, and many more on Facebook.

Casual Animation specializes in creating affordable custom animations based on your concepts. You supply the idea, pictures and audio: animator-for-hire Kenneth Sanders will create an original cartoon in your preferred file format (avi, mov, m3v, etc.) based on the assets that you provide. Collaborate on any concept your heart desires: experimental surreal shorts, character sketches, music videos. Plus, an optional DVD of your cartoon could be mailed to you. You also have the option of having your cartoon featured on the Casual Animation website.

Constance is a freelance artist, designer and photographer whose work and blog can be seen at i heart constance. Constance specializes in helping small business craft a unique identity. Recent clients include Blue Betta Media, Big Purple Tree, and Saucy Ladies. A full portfolio of Constance’s 2011 design work can be found here. Constance is available for any design task ranging from a complete brand/identity overhaul to custom type treatments, business cards, package development, logo design, information layout, posters, flyers and much more. She’s also available for photography assignments including commissions portraits, product shots (yum!), compositing and retouching. In her website manifesto, Constance writes, “I write to inspire you to push your creativity / I write to provoke your sense of adventure / I write to motivate you to dream big.”

Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School is a worldwide alternative drawing movement in which art, booze, and burlesque collide. Every month, over 3,500 artists gather in nearly a hundred cities to sketch glamorous alt-culture models and compete in drawing contests in an atmosphere of creative mayhem. Artist, model and oft-Coilhouse collaborator Molly Crabapple (who’s about to embark on a Week in Hell) kicked off the first Dr. Sketchy’s event at a dive bar in 2005 as an antidote to the stiff, sterile life drawing classes she had posed for in the past. Local Dr. Sketchy’s branches are known for outrageous themed nights. At a recent Dr. Sketchy’s event in New York, for example, an elaborately-costumed Stoya and Jiz Lee acted out the story of Jack the Ripper while raising funds for a local sex workers’ rights campaign.

Ember Nomad a clothing company created by fashion designer Danica, and specializes in flowy, fun clothing “for travellers, dancers, and anyone who wants to feel a little bit of magic in their life.” The image above is from Ember Nomad’s 2010 Aphrodisia fashion show; more images can be seen here. Check Ember Nomad’s Facebook Page and Etsy Store for new items. Stripey bloomers, ruffled boleros, leather harnesses, hooded tank tops, and more! The cleavage-enhancing circus vest is hot.

The Pornographic Portrait Project is a series of paintings by artist Molly Peck depicting the intimate orgasmic experience in a lush large-scale format. The current series includes several vibrant portraits of people in the throes of passion, and Molly needs your help to grow the project. “Shortly after embracing the idea of this project,” writes Molly, “I realized that it would be difficult for me to capture source images/photo references myself, which is where the collaborative or subject-submission angle came from. I am asking you to send me an image of the moment you ‘let go’, from which I will create a painting (if it inspires one).” The initial concept for the series focused on people’s faces, but has expanded to include “a more broad representation of release, as the individual sees it or defines it (but sticking in the sexual/erotic arena).” Molly welcomes submissions: check the FAQ for more info!

Night Flight is an aerial performance and training company based out of Portland, Orgeon. Founded by performers Gemma Adams and Stephanie Lopes, Night Flight performances combine breathtaking aerial artistry and playful storytelling. The Night Flight Aerial Art Studio offers 8-week intensive series classes, drop-ins, and private lessons focusing for aerial arts silks (tissu), static trapeze, hoop (lyra), rope (corde lisse), sling and straps, as well as strength and flexibility training. The next batch of classes starts up in July; check the class schedule for details. Those of you who don’t live in Portland should still check out this breathtakingly sensuous performance by Night Flight on silks and duo hoop, as well as this gorgeous Flickr photo set featuring Night Flight performers shot by Christopher Perez.

Opir is a politically-charged industrial music project by New York-based artists Spencer Thomas and Vivienne Gucwa. Opir’s first album – America: 25 Years in Review (1983-2008) – is a thoughtful reflection on America’s politics from the rise of Reagan to present day. Opir’s polished, caustic soundscapes, rhythmic textures, distorted samples, and dark ambient industrial beats recall Frontline Assembly, Hocico, Mentallo & the Fixer, and Muslimgauze. Beneath the visceral, corrosive auditory assault and dancefloor appeal of each track lies a richly-contextualized political message. Opir’s website provides a breakdown of song lyrics for the first three tracks, referencing economic theorists, social policies, historical events and legislations to help break down each song’s meaning. You can hear three song samples on Soundcloud, and you can get the album on iTunes or on Amazon.

The Idirlion Project is a fusing of chaos magick / sigilization with old school shamanism, all filtered through a future tech approach to altering reality. Readers who enjoyed our Grant Morrison interview in Issue 04 (as well as our articles on Jodorowsky, Larkin Grimm, Kenneth Grant, and other mystics throughout time) will appreciate the services that the Idirlion Project has to offer. Drawing on both Irish and Peruvial traditions, Idirlion will aid the client in the creation, casting and charging of a sigil. “The catchy tagline that we use on the site is ‘Shamanic Sigilzation For A Better Tomorrow.’ Kind of adds a nice silver age, Bradbury-esque touch to what can often be serious work.” Last month, the founders of the Idirlion Project helped launch the Starseed Institute For Shamanic Studies, an intensive four-weekend training program that explores the four aspects of the shamanic medicine wheel.

Jewels by Mouse, created by Valerie Fordham (Mouse) and Jon Boisseau, offers unique handmade jewelry and jewelry boxes. Mouse describes her jewelry as “sparkly, tactile, beautiful, and peculiar.” Tentacles, mixed metal and rivets, unusually shaped stones, spiraling organic forms, iridescent glass beads, cast bones, and “textures that want to be touched.” Mouse only uses sterling or fine silver, never plate, and the copper and brass in her jewelry are backed by sterling. Check out the onyx spiral earrings, Midsummer Vines necklace, copper keyhole bracelet, and spiral dragonfly pin.

Retro-a-Go-Go sells accessories, jewelry and home décoror inspired by the 50s and beyond: hot rods, rockabilly, Irving Klaw, kustom kulture, psychobilly, robots, zombies, monsters, tattoos and pop art. Exclusive lines include Bettie Page, Buck Rodgers, Hot Rod Deluxe, Ken the Flattop, and Mitch O’Connell. There are flasks, bill boxes, parasols, cigarette cases, belt buckles, and lots of retro tees for guys and dolls featuring everything from pin-up starlets to pulp horror novels.

Previously featured on Coilhouse, Miyu Decay is the new jewelry venture by artist Stephanie Inagaki. Since we last covered Miyu Decay, the shop has grown significantly. Whereas previously, some of the jewelry was only available in sterling silver, there are now pewter versions for those of us on a budget. For example, this gorgeous bat skull necklace for $350 is now available in pewter for $50. Other new creations in the Miyu Decay shop include an asymmetrical feather and lace collar, the Scottish tribal queen headdress, and the black chain skull bracelet.

All these companies, along with many of the advertisers we’ve blogged about previously, will appear in our upcoming Issue 06. Stay tuned for more updates!

Tomorrow, April 21st, at 11:59pm PST, our PDF Download Launch Sale concludes. Thank you to everyone who purchased a PDF of Issues 01-05 this month. The sale was a huge success for us, and we’re so grateful. Issue 06 will be bigger and better than ever because of you!

In the next few weeks, we’ll be reinstating the PDFs in our shop. However, the current special introductory price for our back issues – $5 per issue, and $20 for all five – is only available until tomorrow at midnight. We’ll post an announcement about when the PDFs will be returning to our shop, as well as what their regular price will be, in the weeks to come.

The PDF Shop is still open for a little more than 24 hours. Thank you, everyone, for your support!

Before we close the shop, one more free article for your enjoyment. This is our Neil Gaiman + Amanda Palmer interview from Issue 05:

Nadya, Zo & Mer as the Star, the Moon and the Sun Tarot cards illustrated by Bethalynne Bajema

The Coilhouse editorial team is honored to be part of the beautiful Black Ibis Tarot Deck, conceived and illustrated by artist Bethalynne Bajema (previously on Coilhouse here and here).

The Black Ibis Tarot Deck is a companion to Bajema’s Sepia Stains Tarot Deck, and both decks exist to accompany a nine-book graphic novel series that Bajema is currently working on called The Black Ibis. Book I, The Secret London, will be available on May 27th. More about this project, from Bethalynne Bajema’s Kickstarter page:

The Black Ibis is a graphic novel told in nine books. Each book takes you a little deeper into a dark fairy tale that is based upon my own love of the idea that there exists a world beneath the world. This idea that sometimes a door is not just a mundane door but an entrance to someplace we reserve for our dreams. The story, at its heart, is a simple one. It revolves around one sister trying to find her sister who has become lost. She must follow the same path her sister has set out on going a little farther into this underground world of dark cabarets and strange theaters as she attempts to catch up to her sister, who is falling faster down this path in her desire to finally find a performer known as the Black Ibis. The story is absurd at times, illustrated in my particular style and filled with my legion of wonky characters and enigmatic performers.

Bajema has launched a Kickstarter project to support the printing of the first book and the Tarot Deck. Although Bajema has already reached her modest goal of $2K, the fundraiser still has 3 days left to go. Pledge rewards include signed metallic prints, graphic novels, decks, original sketches, handmade deck boxes, pages of artwork from the novel, and even a chance to appear in one scene in a cabaret scene in the final chapter of the graphic novel.

As the fundraiser continues, Bajema has been revealing more and more cards from the deck on Twitter. Follow her for the latest!

Oh, HAI, gorgeous!

Our Creative Director, the indelible, unstoppable Courtney Riot, is a quarter-of-a-century old today. It’s been an eventful and revolutionary year for the Most Badass Graphic Designer of Her Generation, so let us take a minute to mark the occasion of her birth with solemnly raised fists, and this animated panda gif:

Should ye be feelin’ extra sinister, you can continue to celebrate Courtney’s relentless Reign of Amazingness with a Coilhouse-curated collection of Riotcentric YouTube clips, embedded below.

We love ya, Art Star. Can’t wait to show the world what you’ve got in the works for Issue 06. Have a fantastic day.

A glimpse of the Helpless Corpses Enactment film shoot. Photo by Meredith Yayanos and Gooby Herms.

Click here to download a free Coilhouse Magazine PDF: Lives Transformed Through the Power of Confusing Music: Nils Frykdahl on Art and Kinship.

With solemnity, gratitude and a touch of sorrow, Coilhouse must acknowledge that Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, the most gloriously unclassifiable American band currently in existence, is about to call it quits. After a dozen relentless years of composing, recording, touring and performing some truly jaw-dropping music, the Oakland-based vanguards will play four final shows later this week in California: one in San Diego on April 7th, one in Los Angeles on April 8th, and two in San Francisco, both on April 10th (the evening show sold out, so they added a matinee).

Throughout the late nineties and all of the aughts, the legendary DIY road warriors of SGM crisscrossed the continental United States two, sometimes three times a year (and later on, toured Europe). Arriving at venues like a cheerful doomsday circus in their beautifully renovated vintage Green Tortoise bus, the curators entertained audiences with everything from puppet shows to Butoh dance to passionate readings of Italian Futurist manifestos. Flustered reviewers and reluctant converts, determined to pigeonhole SGM, labeled the avant-garde act as everything from neo-RIO (Rock in Opposition) to avant-prog metal, to grindcore funk theater, to, in the words of one concertgoer, “Satanic Anarchic Viking Shit”. But none of these descriptors come anywhere near encapsulating the band’s eclectic sound, style, or ethos. Not even close.

SGM on tour, 2009. Photo by Olivia Oyama.

The quintet has penned lyrics inspired by the Unabomber, James Joyce, madness, stroke-stricken baby doctors, love, death, cockroaches, and the end of the world. They have employed strange, esoteric contraptions from various folk traditions as well as several homemade instruments, such as the Viking Row-Boat, the Wiggler, the Spring-Nail Guitar, and a brutal, seven feet long piano-stringed bass behemoth called The Log. They have developed stage shows with stark lighting and elaborate costumes, sporting tooth black and spiked leather gauntlets and bonnets and bihawks and military khaki and antique lace nighties. They have sung lilting post-modern folk melodies. They have delivered face-melting blasts of pure, untrammeled metal.

They have rocked harder, more intelligently, and with more unabashed strangeness than anyone else around.

They will go down in legend.

Take comfort in knowing that these final shows won’t be the very last we’ll hear/see of them–the band has a comprehensive live DVD compilation in the works, as well as short film called The Last Human Being, and a final album. (We’ll be sure to announce all of those here when they’re released.)

Photo of Nils Frykdahl by Mikel Pickett.

In honor of the band, and to give our readers another peek at the variety of stuff we cover in the print magazine, Coilhouse is offering this free PDF download of our interview with Nils Frykdahl of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (as well as Idiot Flesh, Faun Fables, and several other acts) printed in Issue Three, summer of 2009.

Frykdahl is a fascinating artist with a lot of delight and wisdom to share. That goes for all of the curators of SGM, truly. (Nils, Dan, Carla, Matthias, Michael, Shinichi, Frank, Moe! et al: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Lots of love, and best of luck with all of your future endeavors.)

Click here to download a free Coilhouse Magazine PDF: Lives Transformed Through the Power of Confusing Music: Nils Frykdahl on Art and Kinship.