Anime Matsuri

I want to apologize for this post being so late. I’ve been having some internet issues at my house but thankfully that problem has been fixed. But anyway this post is all about mine and May-May’s trip to Houston where we went to Anime Matsuri.

Starting the trip off right we went to bed early, for us that is, and woke up around seven. We ended up leaving the house around ten and began our five hour road trip. Now I love road trips but the only thing I hate about them is that I see so much beautiful scenery. If I had my way we would have stopped at least fifty thousand times to take a picture of flowers, trees, puppies, hills, or roll down said hills, etc, etc. At one point in time our GPS, named Slagathor, took us on a random detour but it was still nice, very scenic. And it no time we were in Houston. After roaming around for a few minutes we found parking and then we lugged all of our bags and boxes to get signed in.

(I told him I was going to post this picture)

After unloading we went to Registration. Now at this point I thought I would have to buy a whole new pass. May-May was telling me that I was supposed to print off my conformation email which of course I didn’t do. So the entire way down the stairs (which is my only complaint about the Con but we’ll get to that later) I was a little depressed. $45 wasted on nothing. But then we get to the line, which was super fast, and I ask the lady if I needed the email and she smiled and said no before handing my badge. At that point I knew this trip was going to be golden.

So we began to set up for the show. As we’re getting ready May decides to tell me that I’ll be doing the majority of my own hair and make up. Instantly I began to panic. I had done only minor, and I do mean minor, make up before. But, according to May, I did a good job for my first time.

(What do you think?)

 He did help my eyes. I’ve always had an issue with eye make up but with the help of my Fairy Ho’ Mother we were off to perform a show!

(“We gonna make you look like a ho’”)

The turn out was smaller than we had hoped but due to the fact we had to change times at the last minute we were just happy to have people in our commandeered hotel room. And it was fun. There were plenty of laughs and we attempted the longest awkward silence ever. I’ll tell May to hurry up with that video because it was just perfect. Another thing that really made was finally getting to meet a very special Sprinkle in person.

I’m pretty sure it was it was Anime Matsuri 2010 when May-May met Alyssa and she fell in love with C.C. She was always so sweet to us and she emailed me a few times asking if I was going to go to AM and the past couple of times I just wasn't unable to. But finally I was and I am so glad I did. She enjoyed the show very much. Especially when May sang her favorite song The Raven.

With the show over and after we made promises to see everyone again the next day, May-May and I went to go see our first Rocky Horror Picture Shadowcast. Unfortunately we missed cast picking out all the virgins

Virgin-Noun-1^st definition. Someone who has never partaken in sexual activity. 2^nd definition a person who has never been to a Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadowcast

But we watched and laughed and then the show began. So much yelling, so much cursing, so much toilet paper being thrown everywhere. Oh it was magical. I loved dancing the Time Warp and even more doing Columbia’s tap dance routine with another girl. The show was spectacular. As we got up to go to the rave upstairs a lady with incredibly long fingernails pulled us aside. Her name was Claws.

“So what shadowcast are you two from?” she asked us.

“We’re not.” We told her.

“But you know all the words to the audience participation.”

“We’re Rocky Horror enthusiasts.”

And from there we began to tell her about our band and how we too wanted to perform a Rocky Horror Shadowcast. She gave us some good tips and told us that she wanted to see us at more conventions. For more on these amazing people click here and like them on Facebook here.

So we went upstairs to the rave. May-May danced some but I laid down with a few friends from previous conventions.

And so around 2 or 3 am I went upstairs to shower, shave, and get some sleep for the next day. Then around 10 am I got up and started my rounds around Artist Alley and then the Dealer Room.

Then May and I stopped for a quick bite to eat before I went back upstairs to take a short nap. Funny thing happened though, I slept for six hours. It just hits you sometimes I guess. May and I got ready for the rave and I had a lot of fun getting ready. Honestly I thought I looked pretty kick ass.

And we danced and danced till we couldn’t dance anymore. I had to sit down for a bit but watched all the lights and that was just as good.

Again we crashed at a late time but we got up before check out, loaded up the car, and did one last trip around the con. We made 30 bucks off of what we sold the whole weekend and gave out at least half of our business cards. Plenty of people were asking us about future cons. I know I can’t do A-Kon because I have previous engagements but I know A-Fest is extremely possible.

Overall this trip was incredible and I can’t believe I missed out on this for three years. I can’t wait to go back.

(My badge and my gift from Alyssa. Anime Matsuri, I'll be dreaming about you)

Icing kisses,

J.S.

P.S. we also have a new video up!

VIP with OED

Currently I am in a very nice hotel room with the love of my life after driving for a good three and a half hours to Little Rock, AR. Oh the adventures we have together but that is going to have to be a story for another week, Sprinkles…

This week is all about One-Eyed Doll. Now May-May met OED at Ikki-kon 2011. Thanks to our car wreck we actually missed the show. However, when we got to the con we were able to meet Kimberly. We told her about our wreck and missing the show and she hugged us both and autographed some stickers for us. We asked her if she would promote our album, FVITD, and she happily agreed. That video can be seen here. Well one night I was on the computer and I got an email from the One-Eyed Doll mailing list saying that OED would be coming to our hometown. Of course I booked our tickets and told May, who then immediately got us VIP passes.

So on St. Patty’s Day we headed to one of the local bars where the show was going to start. There we met Melinda, One-Eyed Doll’s Merch Monkey. She was really sweet to both of us and later in the evening we found out she was a Sprinkle! We had nice chat with her but then the show was starting.

Now the first band that played I didn’t catch their name. I knew they were from Italy but I, and the venue, had no idea why they were playing in the first place. Not to say that they weren’t good but they weren’t on the posters. But after they gave a wonderful show, Picture Me Broken began and holy fucking fuck they were spectacular. I loved watching them and I was really sad that I had already spent all of my money on OED merch but I made sure to remember their name because I was definitely going to get some of their music later.

 And then the band that we had been waiting for had arrived.  

I had forgotten how cute this woman is. Seriously if you have never seen a One-Eyed Doll show I implore you all to go to one. Expect Kimberly to jump out into the audience, also except costume changes, and props being thrown at you as well. Words cannot give Kimberly or Jr. justice. I loved singing Plumes of Death (as heard on the Titanic soundtrack, My Little Pony, and The Passion of the Christ 3-D) and having Kimberly step on my shoulder for support as she sang to the crowd. I thoroughly enjoy yelling “Hail Satan!” during Be My Friend. I really wish that they had been head-lining because they give a good show every single time.

But after that was over we got in line for merch. We were at the end of it and when got to Kimberly (after touching her finger and getting hugged) she said that we looked familiar. We reminded her of our story to Austin and she grabbed Jr. and said “Hey it’s the guy’s from Ikki-kon”.

“Wait…you remember us?”

“Yeah you guys were the most memorable part of that trip.”

Then she noticed that we had VIP passes and started freaking out as did we. Jr. went out for something and Kimberly kept signing autographs. While that was going on May-May and I watched OTEP’s show. Wow. That is all I will say on the matter. Wow. My face and everything was rocked so hard.

Following that everyone started packing up their stuff and May and I helped Melinda and Jr. load up the van. Afterwards we all loaded up and cruised around town for a little bit.

We gave Kimberly her C.C. CD that we had promised two years ago and she loved it. We have another video of her endorsing it so watch out for that one. Besides that we just hung out and chilled and listened to music in the van. It was really peaceful and nice. We talked about growing up in small towns where people really don’t understand you and I feel like we all really connected. We drove back to the bar and then we had cupcakes. Which I would love to make it a rule that we should end every visit like this whether it be with friends or VIPs or whatever. Cupcakes make everything better.  And what made it even better was that our cupcakes came with little bow rings. So now May-May, Kimberly, Melinda, and I are all engaged. We haven’t set a date yet but I already know that the bridal shower is going to be kick-ass.

And then we said our goodbyes to everyone. Melinda promised to mention us on her blog and we promised to mention her in ours. I really hope we all see each other again soon. And maybe, if the fates allow, we’ll play with One-Eyed Doll.

P.S. Kimberly I went to the Arkansas Music Hall today and I found the OED sticker on the wall. They said they can’t wait to see you guys again.

Till next Thursday,

Love

Jay

Everyday Magic

Hello, Sprinkles!

First off I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for being so amazing. All of you have made May and me very happy with all of the positive comments, the likes, and telling everyone and your grandmother about us. We feel very loved and blessed and we are working our little Victorian butts off to make you all proud. And hopefully we will be seeing some of you guys face to face in upcoming tours (we pray). Please stay tuned as the official release date of the CD is fast approaching. Not to mention all the new merchandise. 

So today I wanted to write something personal before we jump back through the twisted metal gates of the Bastille Asylum. I am a believer in magic. I do believe that it exists and that sometimes magic just seems to speak to us.

Two weeks ago May-May had made himself a mermaid tail and I asked him to make me one too. He did and the next week I tried mine out in the pool. Ever since I was a little boy I had always wanted to be a merperson. The idea of having a tail and swimming through the sea, collecting sunken treasure, and playing with dolphins and other little fish had always been a fantasy I wanted to make true. And now here I was in the water with a bright turquoise tail covering my legs. It wasn’t easy at first but I was able to finally swim with it. I felt at home in a way and I won’t lie I very much wanted to belt out Part of your World from the Little Mermaid. For a brief hour or so I felt like mermaid. I had visions of sitting on a rock near shore and brushing my hair with a fork and holding a piece of broken glass to gaze at my reflection. I looked over at May and he was a natural. My pyromaniac pirate friend was an absolute perfect mermaid and I was so happy to share this with him. We talked of the ocean and songs and other magical things.  I really wished I had an underwater camera so I could show you all how amazing it was. Maybe the next time I’m over at May’s I’ll get a picture of each of us in our tails. Wouldn’t that be a sight ;) ?

But the magical thing about it all was that a terrible storm was fast approaching our little mermaid paradise. The sky rumbled and cracked with lightning and yet not a single drop of water nor any powerful wind breached our sanctuary. We swam for a long time and we could see the storm was very much upon us yet it never fully reached us. Maybe it was the sea nymphs and fairies. Maybe they thought we were their kin and protected us. All I know is that as soon as we dried off and headed inside the sky opened and the rain fell.

Another moment of magic was just two days ago. I went to go visit the love of my life and he was talking on the phone with his aunt. After he finished we hugged and said our hellos and he smiled happily and told me that I needed to go see something in his room. I walked in and I saw something I hadn’t seen in a very long time. A fort, a fort made of pillows and blankets. He jumped up and down and I couldn’t help but smile and laugh with him. It was another magical moment when we crawled under the fort and held each other and watched movies later that night. I felt like I was six years old again. I remember making similar forts to read my books or watch movies or to hide under if I was ever scared. That same feeling of safety and happiness washed over me as we spent hours talking about the week and the future. We laughed as we played with the fringe and tassels from the blankets. It was wonderful. The fort felt impenetrable to the outside world and even time itself. As we snuggled watching the movie I felt the best magic of all. Love.  And just like that another happy memory in my life was born.

I guess the message in today’s post is that magic is all around us if we look hard enough. It can be something as fantastic as being a mermaid or something as simple as building of small fort and being with the one you love. Never forget the magic, Sprinkles. Take joy in all the small things.

With much love and icing kisses,

J.S.

P.S. I hope you’re ready from some new characters. The Asylum is about to gain some new members. 

Our First CD Giveaway

(I would like to apologize for the lateness of this post. I should have been here weeks ago but due to some technical difficulties I was unable to put this on the blog. Hope you all will forgive me for my tardiness)

Hey Sprinkles! Sorry for the delayed posting. Internet is in short supply here but we’ve been working our little Victorian bums off trying to finish Filthy Victorians in the Dark as soon as possible. There have been some difficulties but we’re so close to the finish line I can practically taste it. Also the promise of possible gigs and being on T.V., that’s right the ole boob-tube, have me practically giddy. But the main reason I am happy is because C.C. just had their first CD giveaway. It was our poetry EP Sugar (cubes) and Syringes and we were able to hand deliver the first three to some good friends and devoted sprinkles.

Our care package. It contained a hand-written letter from May-May Macabre (my handwriting is terrible but I have promised to write heartfelt emails but I may write letters in the future), a blood-stained Asylum hand-cuff for the inmate on-the-go, and of course the CD. Each care package was wrapped up in white and red tulle and tied together with some black ribbon. We met our sprinkles at Akon, the second biggest convention in the nation, and we had our own little get-together.

And the lucky girls were: Kirstie, Rebekah, and Christine are our first official owners of Sugar (cubes) and Syringes. We had recorded the experience but unfortunately the disc for the camera was corrupted and we lost all the footage. But we did get very nice pictures and it was a fun experience for all. Now we are working hard to get the money to send all of the CDs to everyone that ordered. We’re putting all our blood, sweat, tear, magic, and love into them. Be patient they will be there soon, Sprinkles.

Know that we love each and every one of you. You are our friends and family. Thank you all so much for sticking with us.

Sincerely,

Jay Scarlet 

The Door: An Evening With Emilie Autumn

Hello sprinkles! How have you been? Sorry this update is a few days late. My computer has caught yet another virus so I'm going to start saving up money for a new one. That'll probably help with future blog posts : ). So last Tuesday May and I were able to see Emilie Autumn again. It was definitely a night to remember.

We start off at our roadie's apartment to get ready for the day. This included breakfast, showers, shaving, pulling up our stockings, make up, early morning hijinks, and hair. There was a case of May's sleep sowing where he finished his corset in his sleep. Wonderful talent to have, agreed?

Here we have us doing our famous Michelle Horse Smile.

Michelle was a girl from a short lived teen reality series called Queen Bees. It was about girls who were bitches and were sent for rehabilitation. Michelle had a horse smile (as seen above) and she was one of our favorites so we always take at least one picture with her smile every chance we get.

May is the Make Up Magician here at C.C.  He never disappoints me or anyone else. He powdered our faces and added bush, lipstick, and liquid eyeliner to the appropriate places and we turned out quite sexy if I do say so myself.

See? We do look sexy. May looks more like a clown and I think I am trying to imitate Natalie Portman.

Because you know, I'm crazy and I'm trying to be perfect. Just the minus the drugs and the lesbian relationship with Mila Kunis. I like my guys more. What can I say? So after we were all dolled up our tiny voodoo dolls waved good-bye to us as we headed to Dallas. There were minor complications though. Most of the consisted of our roadie swearing after missing the exit to the Prophet Bar and every turn after that. It was still an adventure and we more than happy to be on it. We finally arrived at our destination and  May and Garrett, the roadie, went to grab some food at the nearby 7-11. I was all alone at the entrance and I was confused to why there wasn't a long line at the door. Suddenly an army of Plague Rats turned the corner and congregated by me. There was a slight mix up as to where the entrance would be so the PRs were on the other side of the building. After a few minutes May and I went inside for the VIP meet and greet. There we sampled Basil's Brew, a concoction made up by Emilie. This is coming from a former anti-tea activist, THIS WAS THE  MOST AMAZING FUCKING TEA I HAD EVER TASTED. Caps too much? I'll keep them. So Emilie proceed to play her violin for us. She danced around us all and it was like we had come home from a long journey. And here we were, in another's home and we were being treated like family. Tea warmed our bodies and lovely music filled our ears and our souls. When the music was over we went to see Emilie. The first words out of her mouth was "how the fuck have you two been? I missed you!" And we were hugged. She asked tons of questions about our music and if we had progressed. We told her that we had and we gave her our first two cuts of Filthy Victorians in the Dark and Sugar(cubes) and Syringes and she was speechless.

She told us of our first demo and how much she liked it and that she couldn't wait to listen to it on the bus. She took a quick picture with us and gave each of us another hug and said to us the words that every student wants to hear from their mentor.

"I'm so proud of you and I love you both"

This pretty much made our night but the good times were still rolling and we weren't going to miss any of them. So as you know, Aprella is busy doing acting right now so she was unable to be at the concert. Emilie, Maggot, Veronica, and Contessa did a good job in Aprella's absence but you could tell she was missed. The night was amazing to say the least. We had tea spat on us, cupcakes thrown at us, and innocent girls corrupted for sick, sick pleasure on stage. There was fire, glitter, electric violin, aerial silk, burlesque dancing, stilt walking, and rock and roll. Still the feeling of family never left us. In fact it grew. We were all relatives at a reunion and we didn't want to leave. We wanted to be with our brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, estranged cousins that only appear when there is alcohol...erm..."tea". All the weird freaks in the surrounding area were at home at the Asylum. We shared happy memories together that night and we can only hope for more from future concerts and of course with you, Sprinkles. This, sadly, was the end of the Opheliac part of the tour. Emilie's new album F.L.A.G. aka Fight Like A Girl will be released at the end of the tour and will replace Opheliac.  Speaking of plug-ins for all of those who would like their free copy of Sugar(cubes) and Syringes please leave a message on our Facebook page. The deadline is March 25th so if you want one better hurry.

If we were females this is who C.C. would be.

Emilie was completely in her element as she played

You'd never fuck with Maggot. She's a pirate, she dances with fire, and she has an axe.

Veronica trying to corrupt us. Like that's at all possible :)

The Blessed Cannibal Contessa in all her wonder.



And is the winner of the Dallas, Texas Rat Game:

Our friend Kirstie! We practically threw that girl up there and she was enjoyably corrupted before all of us.

And here we are with the Front Row Asylum Crew or F.R.A.C. We had fun posing with our Sprinkles/Plague Rats/Friends.

Afterwards we headed home and it was a long drive but thanks to Whataburger, and it's late night hours, we did not go hungry. It was a nice family reunion and we had a blast. Emilie already told us, via Maggot, that the CD was great and they enjoyed our cover of Manatee Retard. Like I said it was a night to remember and if you missed it my heart goes out to you. You were missed.

Asylum Letters will start back up ASAP, Sprinkles. I hope you're looking forward to it.

Icing kisses and love,

J.S.