Marscon, were we in normal times, would be happening this weekend in Williamsburg. It is perhaps my favorite weekend of the year, where I get to spend time with my chosen family of creative, awesome people, making music, making each other laugh, sharing the occasional fortified beverage, and generally enjoying each other’s company.

We are not, however, in normal times. The pandemic still ravages the land, preventing large gatherings, and driving things like this out of the real world and into so-called Cyberspace.

Marscon is, of course, special to me. While not my first science fiction convention, it’s the one that feels like home. It’s where my creative self grew from the guy hiding in the back of the filk room, to the guy occasionally playing along, to becoming the bass player for wizard rock phenoms The Blibbering Humdingers, becoming the “World’s Okayest Bassist”, and finally arriving at having my own solo show last year, where dozens of people came out at 10am on a Saturday morning to see me sing my songs and buy out my stock of CDs.

It is, as they say, significant, and I shall always be grateful for Butch and all the rest of the staff for creating a space for me to experience things such as I have. This would’ve been my tenth year attending. My anniversary.

However, you can’t keep a good convention down. Like many others, Marscon is going online. This gathering is special to us, and lots of us regulars are doing online things to keep the tradition going.

That includes me. I’m planning on hosting a Marscon Happy Hour Hangout on Saturday at 4pm, where I will, do, well….what I included in the description of things:

Marscon and it’s people have meant so much to me for the past ten years. It’s thanks to everyone’s love, support, and encouragement that I’ve grown from a guy hiding in the back of the filk room to performer with the Blibbering Humdingers (and damned near everyone else at one time or another), to being the “world’s okayest” solo act!
Even though Marscon’s not happening IRL this year, I still want to be part of it, so I’m planning on doing an informal streaming set/hangout/happy hour for anyone who cares to join in. I’ll play some tunes (including some you might not have heard before!), share a story or two, and generally try to be entertaining for an hour or so, and I’d love it if you came and hung out with me!

It should be a good time, folks are being wonderful and telling me they’re coming, so I’ll have to put on a good show. I’ve got plenty of tunes, and am working up a set list (including some new stuff Marscon may not have heard), though nothing’s set in stone. Marscon, after all, is one of the original “Relax-a-Cons”, so we’re not going to get too structured. Plus, I’ll be drinking some good local craft beer while hosting and making music, and all attending are also welcome to indulge as well; it’ll be more fun that way.

I’m also planning on participating in the grand Marscon tradition that mere viruses can’t keep at bay, the Musical Round Robin, which traditionally closes the con on Sunday afternoon, but due to various conditions, we’re doing on Saturday night at 7pm, because the world doesn’t make sense anymore, and we can make our own rules, so there! Anyway, it’s where all the many musical guests Marscon has become famous for hosting (along with people like me) take turns playing tunes, making each other laugh, and generally enjoying ourselves for the entertainment of the gathered crowd for a couple of hours. It’s a thing we all greatly look forward to every year, and we’re not going to miss it.

Anyway, if you’ve got some time this weekend, pop into the FB group linked in paragraph four (and again here because I’m not a monster), and check out the events that the Marscon family is putting on to keep the magic alive.