2020-10-31: What Comes After? Songs from Afterland

Half a decade ago, we made (some 90 seconds or so of) music for Afterland, a collectible card game for smartphones, which launched in October of 2015. Its support from its developers was scattered, and as often happens in this rapidly changing world of tech, it soon disappeared from the marketplace, leaving a wide community of thwarted fans disappointed that they could never again enjoy the game's wonderful sights and sounds.

Well, we can't do much about the sights, but since we never signed a contract with Imaginary Games, the music has remained ours all along - and the time has finally arrived, five years since the game first took flight, for us to fulfil the numerous requests we've received from Afterland's devotees to liberate its soundtrack. Go get your fill at https://creakingplanks.bandcamp.com/

(This Afterland-adjacent artwork of a squeezebox carnie was made by the creative dynamo at the heart of Afterland, Elin Jonsson, for the 2016 installment of the Accordion Noir Festival.) (Speaking of which, you ought to be made aware of that festival's virtual 2020 installment, taking place next weekend!)

2020-01-18: Creaking and Planking at the Stupid Accordion Tricks anarchy celebration

I know, I know -- it's the time of year to throw a Creaking Planks anniversary concert. And yet... as Blackbox Squeezebeard discovered at his 40th birthday party last year, the only sure way to ensure a worthwhile Creaking Planks turnout these days is to book a solo gig. So, as to best assure the involvement of many Creaking Planks -- he has invited nearly two dozen of them -- he has booked another solo gig.

This one celebrates the fulfillment of his 2019 New Year resolution to record and share an accordion cover song video every week, a throwback to the last huzzah of the most recent regular incarnation of the Creaking Planks as a band that skipped the late nights at bars and just played songs in their living room for the benefit of the internet. He dubbed the series "Stupid Accordion Tricks", and by gum, he played all the songs -- some of them old Planks standards, others Planks discards, others Planks "don't you dare suggest it!"s. So this Saturday, he descends upon Spartacus Books -- final home to his 57 Varieties open stage series, last-one-standing accessible venue for strangeness on an intimate scale, and, as always, a place where things can happen that simply cannot happen anywhere else... to make something happen that cannot happen anywhere else.

And while he's not making any specific promises, the idea is that there'll be a crew of musical friends on site -- some Planks, some mere 2x4s -- who will take turns joining him for a song or two. (Inadvertently, he's kind of reinvented the "jam" from first principles. Oh well! It should be fun!)

Saturday, January 18th
EARLY SHOW: 4-7 pm
at SPARTACUS BOOKS (3378 Findlay Street)
admission by donation, no one turned away due to lack of funds