When was the last time you had all your mental polarities reversed?

To mark the 5th anniversary of the passing of Robert Anton Wilson the folks over at Boing Boing are devoting a week to this great modern philosopher and comedian. Be sure and check it out.

“To make everybody less sure of themselves, that’d be great, huh?”-RAW

“Consciousness itself is an infinite regress. This explains coincidences.”

“This New Years Eve join State V Pan for Cafe (un)American’s reprisal – an elegant evening of music, magic and mayhem. Join DK Pan and a constellation of debutantes, degenerates, aristocrats and anarchists for an unforgettable New Years Eve featuring 35 performers, specialty cocktails crafted from Sound Spirits liquors, award winning food from Madison Park Conservatory, desserts by Victoria Yee Howe and Theo Chocolates. Expect to enjoy an open bar and a special champagne toast at midnight, games of chance and skill, burlesque performances, music from many original Cafe (un)American performers, and full night of entertainment and surprises.”

Produced by:
State V Pan
Free Sheep Foundation
Canoe Social Club
Vital 5

Music by:
Jherek Bischoff
DJ Darek Mazzone
Gabriel Teodros
Nate Quiroga with Thomas Hunter
Sten Skogen
King Dro
DJ Steve Miller
Kate Ryan
AND featuring Special Uninvited Guests!
MC by:
Jed Dunkerley
Art installation by:
Celeste Cooning

One-take solo improvisation on Kimball “Voyager” organ recorded 11-20-11
Video and music by Aubrey Nehring

Bird Dance by Virna Haffer

As most of the Northwest knows Tacoma has been turning itself around of late. Check out the Spaceworks Tacoma installations around the Theater District and take a walk around oldtown to fully grasp this rejuvenation of the artistic community. Then make sure to swing by The Tacoma Art Museum’s stunning exhibit of Virna Haffer’s Photography, Photograms and Woodcuts entitled A Turbulent Lens: The Photographic Art of Virna Haffer to ponder its very long experimental artistic legacy. Born in 1899 and raised in the anarchist community of Home, Washington Haffer began her career as a photographer in the 1920′s, continuing to create a prolific, internationally acclaimed body of work in many varied forms until the early 1970′s.

 If you cannot make it the show (it ends November 6th) the Tacoma Public Library houses an image archive of her work…

Thanks to all of the amazing bands that played this year- Fruiting Bodies, Lunar Grave, This Blinding Light, Swahili, Midday Veil, Ayahuasca Travelers, Macrocosm, Rose Windows, Diminished Men and Fungal Abyss (the perfect finale! Great job dudes).
And to the DJs (Explorateur, Gel-Sol, Adam Svenson, Mama Casserole, Papa Yod and Miss Clarita -you guys are the jam) and video artists: David Golightly(Midday Veil), Darlene Nordyke(Lunar Grave), Ellie Dicola(Rose Windows), Rena Bussinger(Swahili) and Aubrey Nehring(everything else).
Thanks to all of the many people who made it happen this year. Emily Pothast, David Golightly, Rena Bussinger and Darlene Nordyke (yall is freaks!) Scott and Li at the Lo-Fi, Dave Segal, Jonathan Meepers, Steve Quenell and a very big thanks to Andrew Crawshaw of 112 Printworks for the fantastic screenprint job on the Escalator III posters (We still have copies left for $10- contact aubrey@portableshrines.com to procure this fine hand made 3-color print).

And of course thanks to all you super freaks for coming down and hanging with us. It was a great weekend.

This year’s poster was the first collaboration between Aubrey Nehring and Steve Quenell. A limited edition screenprint will be available through Andrew Crawshaw at 112 Printworks in Fremont.

If you haven’t stopped by the 112 Printworks Shop you’d best do so. Aside from being a gallery of fine screenprinted art with new artists every month it also the new home to the most fabulous Leary Records formerly located at Resolution Audio in Ballard. They’ll be having a groovy DJ party next month to celebrate the merger.