[FAN CONVENTION] ‘The Rusty Gear’ aims to bring Metalocalypse, Venture Bros fans together - June 28 to July 1, 2012

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The Rusty Gear

Contact: Anna Ramm

(781) 599-6123

[email protected]

 

 

‘The Rusty Gear’ aims to bring Metalocalypse, Venture Bros fans together

Natick MA will host metal-heads and super-science nerds alike in June

 

[ PRESS RELEASE DATE - April 3, 2012]
2012 marks the inaugural year of The Rusty Gear, a conference catering to fans of the Adult Swim cartoons Metalocalypse and Venture Bros. It will be held June 28 to July 1, 2012 in Natick MA at the Hampton Inn Boston-Natick.  

As a fan-run conference, all the programming is being run by and for fans of the shows, so the specific focus (as opposed to the more general nature of most conventions) means that attendees have the opportunity to “really dig into those two shows; their characters, their plots, their fan communities” says the Convention Chair, Anna “Supergirl” Ramm. But why combine those two programs specifically? While there is a fair amount of overlap in the fan-base, Ramm says there’s more to it than that. “The [adult swim] comedy roster is great, but not all the shows have a lot of depth … these shows happen to be two of the few [as] comedies that can be discussed on a serious level, because of their complex plots and characters.”

Metalocalypse and Venture Bros have never received this kind of focused attention from the fan-base on the scale of a conference before. The Rusty Gear is keeping the focus on fans’ love of the show, with programming featuring artists, fan fiction writers, costumers, and even fandom-based baked goods. Event attendees can expect to be engaged with the planned events; not only can they participate in discussions of plotlines, characters and themes but also get hands-on with workshops or try their hand at re-enacting their favorite scenes.

Registration, as well as information about sponsorship and vendor tables is available online through The Rusty Gear website located at http://therustygear.org. The Hampton Inn Boston-Natick can be reached for reservation inquires at (508) 653-5000 (mention the conference to get their special rate) or book online using the link on the “Hotel” page of The Rusty Gear website.

The Rusty Gear is a not-for-profit event run by Massachusetts-based Awesome Conferences Inc.

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For more information about The Rusty Gear please contact [email protected] or visit http://www.therustygear.org


—
Clay Fernald / Clay N. Ferno
M: +1 (617) 30-COMIC (google voice)
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ZiD Tribute - Clay S. Fernald / Clay N. Ferno / DJ Hank Venture, March 28, 2011

Phantom Limb (ZiD) DJ set, January 2010

This podcast contains explicit content  | Download | Duration: 01:12:55

I can’t DJ. Well, I’ve been billing myself as a DJ for half a decade, but I’m terrible at mixing. Going from Kiss on ‘1’ to Hellacopters on the ‘2’ doesn’t exactly require Grandmaster Flash type skills. I don’t even own any gear and most shows I’m using some combination of iTunes, my laptop, a hard drive, an iPod and sometimes my iPhone. When I go up, it’s to bring back some musical memories for myself and my pals that *hopefully* showed up for my gig. I’ve DJ’d for hire as well, but my track list motivation is largely the same among strangers. I play Cake’s ‘Going the Distance’ or Blues Traveler’s ‘The Hook’ for purely a nostalgic look back at my college years at the ice cream store.
Adam was a dude that could DJ. He could blend. He could sample. He cared about how each note inter-played with the next. His gear and technique were top notch and above all was always prepared for a set. As DJ ZiD, he rocked a monthly industrial and goth dance night at ZuZu. The sets were accompanied by visual treats, clips from horror movies, and a well crafted 3D logo bouncing around the screen STAINLESS - DJ ZiD. Dude had his shit tight, on lock, and fully loaded. He’d be in his tall buckle boots, and sometimes a gas mask for full effect. You should have been there when we installed his video screen and realized it took up the whole front wall. 
When us goths and punks and comic book nerds in New England see that first orange leaf, we start to obsess over our Halloween costumes. Adam loved Adult Swim’s Venture Bros. I booked us for the Middle East Corner stage on Friday, October 30, 2009 for ‘A Very Venture Halloween’: DJ Phantom Limb (DJ ZiD of Stainless) vs. DJ Hank Venture (DJ Clay N. Ferno) - indie punk and hip hop. Adam loved lots more than goth and industrial music, and this set allowed him to branch out a bit into the hip hop and some indie rock. We got the costumes together and Ines took some great photos of us in the alley for the flyer. I submitted the photos to the io9 website and we were mentioned as part of their favorite Halloween cosplay of that year!
The night came and we had encouraged pals to dress up in Adult Swim costumes. To our bewildered surprise, we had henchmen of the Monarch, a Devil and Lucy (Daughter of the Devil) show up! Us nerds gotta stick together — I’m most at home in the comic shop on a Wednesday cracking jokes with strangers about Guy Gardner (Space Cop!) or isolating among swarms of introverts at New York City Comic Con. These are my people and I love them to pieces! Sure, I’ll take a free hug.
Sometime between my birthday, October 6, and the date of this event, I made some changes in my lifestyle. I was only two weeks into my recovery as an alcoholic. I only point this out because my body, mind, and spirit at this point in early recovery could best be described as BAT SHIT INSANE. I did what I thought was best for me at the time. Instead of pounding beers and shots all night, I drank just as much Red Bull. Bad Idea Jeans! I played some dope tracks on my iPod / Laptop setup. Swingin’ Utters, Lot Six, Gza, MF Doom, The Clash, Cheeseburger. I work by dancing around my hard drives, letting the synapses connect in my head, connecting the dots of my playlist based on personal memories. Singing Sloppy Seconds with old friends on a school bus apartment. Associating Nine Inch Nails with a college dorm friend that liked to listen to Downward Spiral, high on weed, in the shower. Clapping myself back to reality with Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothing to Fuck With on an ill-fated, infamously psychedelic, winter’s day. You know, Rock Star shit.
Adam, hurm…excuse me, Phantom Limb, took the headlining spot. He was so stoked to see the Henchmen (21+24) staring up at us. It honestly felt like we were in a cartoon. This is exactly the kind of thing that would happen on Venture Bros.
What I’m posting is a version of the set he played as Phantom Limb. You’ll notice it’s quite put together and tight. He actually rehearsed the thing, and I KNOW he wouldn’t have burned it to a CD for me if he wasn’t happy with it. You’ll hear Les Savy Fav, Busta Rhymes, Deltron 3030, MF Doom (he always told me which Doom track he was going to play in case my trail led me to Danger Doom or Madvillian - he knew it would!), Beck, KRS-ONE (Bwaaamp Bwaaaamp - Edutainment!) and so much more on this mixtape. 
One day I hope to have the focus to drop a mix like this on the world. Can you imagine being this skilled of a DJ and mixing your own video to your tracks on top of that? Dude was so crisp.
April of last year, The League of Ordinary Gentlemen were blessed with Phantom Limb DJing our first Boston Comic Con After Party.
As we approach our second annual, we’ll have that deep and heavy feeling that something important is missing, but damn well should be there. — Clay S. Fernald / Clay N. Ferno / DJ Hank Venture, March 28, 2011