In case you missed all the subtle hints around here the last few months, you’re probably aware that I’ll be a performer/guest at Dragon*Con in Atlanta this year, serving as bass player for Cary, NC’s premiere wizard rock band The Blibbering Humdingers. If you weren’t aware, please consider this your official notification.

Dragon*Con, for the uninitiated, is probably the largest sci-fi/fantasy/comic/nerd/whatever convention on the east coast, taking over much of downtown Atlanta, and attracting somewhere north of 50,000 people over Labor Day weekend. It’ll definitely be the biggest con I’ve ever been to, and the first con where I’m an honest-to-Cthulu guest rather than just a reasonably well-socialized attendee. Kind of intimidating, but I think it’ll be a lot of fun.

So, how’d I get myself into all this? The Humdingers (Scott and Kirsten) and I run in some of the same regional nerd circles, and have become friends over the years. Musicians as we are, often find ourselves talking tunes and playing together in filk circles, and eventually, that becomes me sitting in with the band for the occasional con set or wizard rock show. When D*C gig came up, they decided they needed a full band, and I was willing and available.

I spent last weekend deep in rehearsal with Scott and Kirsten at Humdinger central, and we’ll be doing the same thing this weekend, adding in our drummer and hopefully knocking out our set lists. Lots of songs, and an instrument that’s not my primary talent, but something I’m forcing myself to get a bit better at. I’m also getting a crash course in live bass sound (thanks to the advice of my friend and Cha-Cha’s Cadillac bassist Steve Wyse), which gave me the excuse to buy some new gear this week. All kinds of stretching of my boundaries…exactly the kind of thing I ought to be doing on the eve of my 40th birthday*.

Anyway, if you’re in Atlanta Labor Day weekend, be sure to stop by a show or four, and enjoy some music, comedy, wit, and occasional wistfulness, and lots of songs about house elves and unresolved literary sexual tension.

As it stands right now, our schedule of performances looks like this:

• Friday 8/29: 4-4:30pm Concourse II – Hilton
• Friday 8/29: 7-7:40pm Hyatt International North
• Sat 8/30: 5:30-6:30pm SCA/Medieval Music in Hyatt basement “Edgewood” room (just the medieval scholars here, not me)
• Sat 8/30: 8:15-9pm Hyatt International North
• Sun 8/31: 8:10-9pm Hyatt International North

I expect there may be a couple of ninja gigs stuffed in there somewhere as well, if the spirit moves us. The official schedule of the filk track (featuring performances from lots of great acts, including Tom Smith, and our friend Mikey Mason) can be found here, though bear in mind, the organizers stress that nothing on the schedule is final until after it’s actually happened.

So, that’s the big news from here. Now I need to get back to rehearsing.

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* – This boundary stretching does not, however, explain why my skin is suddenly breaking out like I’m a pubescent teenager. I swear. This is not something an adult should have to go through.