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I'm Andrew. I write about the past and future of tech, music, media, culture, art, and activism. This is my blog.

Ellijay Makerspace Anniversary

Posted: January 29, 2023

A year ago, we officially opened the Ellijay Makerspace and to celebrate, as we did when we openned the place, we threw a concert. We taped it, and it’s available below.

Michael Cera Palin performing at the Ellijay Makerspace in Jan of 22.

When we opened the makerspace, on Jan 29th 2022, we threw a concert with Michael Cera Palin and King Luka. MCP surprised us with an impromtu New Clear Lawn Chairs reunion. Bits of that can be seen here:

Last night, Jan 28th 2023, Hurly Burly and the Volcanic Fallout, Crosstalk, and a newly reformed and bigger than ever New Clear Lawn Chairs played again, and you can see the entire show here:

This is the Lo-Fi Stream, recorded on a pair of analog tube cameras from 50 years ago and a single shotgun mic placed in the middle of the room. If you want a hifi version, with multi channel audio and HD, color video, it’ll exist eventually in this same channel, but those things take much longer to produce.

Analog Revolution presents:

live in concert at the Gilmer Arts playhouse.

This is the one year Anniversary show for the Ellijay Makerspace and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate all we accomplished in our first year. Hurly Burly has been with Analog Revolution from the very first day, and The New Clear Lawn Chairs were featured in the second issue of our magazine. This was the first time I can remember seeing Crosstalk live, but frontwoman Helena has been a part of many of the things that led to the creation of the Ellijay Makerspace over the last ten years.

The show is full of surprises and heart and it made me cry. These are bands that have been performing, in one incarnation or another, for a decade or more, at least two of the bands were founded when their members were in high school. That was a long time ago, but it was really wonderful to be able to get them all back together, in the same room, to shout and share and destroy a giant volcano.

Look for a split LP from Hurly Burly and the Volcanic Fallout and The New Clear Lawn Chairs out in March from Analog Revolution.

I’m incredibly lucky to have some wonderful friends, and honored to be able to share the music and art they make with the world. I spent last week doing things I didn’t really want to do, and I came home angry and stressed and unhappy.

I woke up this morning to news that a friends mother had passed away suddenly, and that the staff at the makerspace was sick, and a million other things that left me stressed and feeling sorry for myself.

But then Hurly Burly played, and the New Clear Lawn Chairs played, and Crosstalk played, and I got to spend a few hours in a big mostly empty room with people I care about, listening to beautiful music, pointing old cameras at people, watching my friends kids destroy a cardboard volcano and … and I’m lucky to be here.

I’m fortunate to have shared this moment with these friends and strangers.

I’ll cherish this, and share it with you all.


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