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Steam Powered Giraffe

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by QuackOfaThousandSuns (talk | contribs) at 21:11, 19 December 2012 (→The Robots: changed "she" to "he" (Bunny is male, his real name is Christopher)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Steam Powered Giraffe
Steam Powered Giraffe From left to right: The Jon, Rabbit, The Spine
Steam Powered Giraffe
From left to right: The Jon, Rabbit, The Spine
Background information
OriginSan Diego, California, United States
GenresFolk, rock, Steampunk, cabaret
Years active2008-present
MembersDavid Michael Bennett
Christopher "Bunny" Bennett
Michael Philip Reed
Sam Luke
Steve Negrete
Past membersErin Burke
Jon Sprague
Websitewww.steampoweredgiraffe.com

Steam Powered Giraffe (SPG) is a musical project formed in San Diego in 2008 that is popular in the steampunk subculture. The act combines the visual of robot pantomime with sketches, pop culture references, improvised comedic dialogue, and original music.

Career

The members of Steam Powered Giraffe met while taking Theatre Arts at Grossmont College. Afterwards they became members of local San Diego mime group Troupe SD. Trained in pantomime by Seaport Village mime Jerry "Kazoo" Hager, and with collective backgrounds in clown, theater, music, and visual design, Jon Sprague and the Bennett twins, Bunny and David, started street busking as quirky robotic characters (then known as Peoplebots) in January 2008 at Balboa Park, California, along with fellow mime artist Erin "Upgrade" Burke, who left the group in 2011.[1]

Since their inception, the band has performed at popular Southern California venues including The San Diego County Fair, The San Diego Zoo,[2] The Wild Animal Park, Legoland California, Ontario Mills, The Queen Bee's Art & Cultural Center, and at numerous Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Steampunk Conventions. Festival and convention appearances have included:

  • The Temecula Music Festival 2009
  • ConDor in San Diego, California, March 2010[3]
  • Anime Conji in San Diego, California, April 2010[4]
  • Oceanside Music Festival (OMFest) in Oceanside, California, October 2010[5]
  • Wild Wild West Con at Old Tucson Studios in Tucson, Arizona, March 2011 - VIP Dinner[6]
  • Anime Conji in San Diego, California, March 2011 - Musical Guests of Honor[7]
  • Gaslight Gathering steampunk convention in San Diego, California, May 2011 - Performers and panelists[8][9]
  • Holiday Masquerade Steampunk Ball in San Diego, California, December 2011
  • Her Royal Majesty's Steampunk Symposium, Queen Mary (Long Beach), California, January 2012
  • Clockwork Con, Austin, Texas, January 2012
  • World Steam Expo, Dearborn, Michigan, May 2012 - Performers and panelists
  • Youmacon 2012, Detroit, Michigan, November 2012 - Performers and panelists

In October 2009 the band released their first album, Album One. It contained the previously released single from May 2009 titled "On Top of the Universe".[10] In early 2011 the band released a single, "Honeybee", announcing that it would be on an upcoming second album,[11] and in late 2011 the band announced the release of an interim "live" album entitled Live at the Globe of Yesterday's Tomorrow.[12] Their second studio album, entitled The 2¢ Show, was released in May 2012.[13] Their music can also often be heard on a number of steampunk radio broadcasts that stream worldwide, such as The Clockwork Cabaret.[14] The band's song "Electricity Is In My Soul" is available on the Rock Band Network.

On October 30, 2011, the band was mentioned by name in the comic strip Luann. The strip showed the title character and two of her friends dressed in steampunk attire, going out to attend a SPG concert.[15] The title frame, which didn't appear in the online version but only in print, showed a giraffe's head and neck with steam escaping its ears and nostrils.

In 2012, they were voted Best Live Comedy act (and runner up for Best Family Entertainment act) on San Diego A-List.[16]

Besides their musical endeavors, the band publishes a web comic[17] and has produced a card game based on characters in their backstory.[18] In 2012 they released a DVD entitled, Steam Powered Giraffe: The DVD (and the Quest For the Eternal Harp of Golden Dreams).

On September 24, 2012, the band announced on their Tumblr that Jon Sprague was leaving/let go from the group.[19] On October 1 it was announced that the drummer for the band, Sam Luke, would become the latest robot in the band, "Hatchworth".[20]

Backstory

The band's fictional backstory explains why they pantomime as robots. According to that narrative, the "musical automatons" were invented by a rich San Diego inventor named Colonel P. A. Walter in 1896 and kept in the Walter family over the years. Called the 8th 1/2 Wonder of the World, the robots were a technological marvel that ran off steam powered engines and artificial intelligence. The band's name is said to come from Walter's first robot, a giant mechanical giraffe. A fictional timeline on the band's website chronicles the band's supposed "appearances" throughout the years at such notable places as the 1933 Chicago World's Fair and The Ed Sullivan Show.[21]

The Robots

File:Rabbit of Steam Powered Giraffe playing a Melodica.png
Rabbit of Steam Powered Giraffe
  • The Spine (David Michael Bennett) is a futuristic dieselpunk robot with a titanium alloy spinal column and convincing human mannerisms. His skin is smooth silver, and he wears a black fedora and red tie. He plays guitar, bass, mandolin and keys.
  • Rabbit (Bunny Bennett) is a malfunctioning copper clockwork android, who wears a short black tophat with steampunk-style goggles on it and a black tunic with red accents. He plays the melodica and the accordion.
  • Hatchworth (Sam Luke) is an art deco robot made from a stove, introduced on October 1st, 2012. He was one of Colonel P. A. Walter's original robots, but was locked away due to a leaking power core. When the robot The Jon left the band, Hatchworth was released from lockdown and refurbished as a musician. He was formerly the drummer as a human member of the band. He also plays bass. He wears a bowler, sports a bushy red mustache and wears a black military tunic with red accents.

The Humans

In current times, the robots are assisted by two humans.

  • Michael Philip Reed is known as the "One Man Band"; he assists as a back up vocalist, guitar player, banjo player, bass player, drum player and keyboard player.
  • Steve Negrete is the band's dedicated sound engineer.

Past Members

  • The Jon (Jon Sprague) was a gold art deco robot part of the original four members, who wore a black shirt, striped pants and red suspenders. He was famous for his childish mannerisms and was refurbished in the 90s to run off of Crystal Pepsi. It was said the red suspenders he wore were the same mentioned in the song 'The Suspender Man', although he was not the character in the song. Jon Sprague left the band in 2012 due to commitment issues and currently works as an artist in San Diego, California.
  • Upgrade (Erin Burke) was a silver and pink stylized robot part of the original four members. She wore a black dress and cap and was known for being extremely girly with tough, tomboyish outbursts. She constantly daydreamed of her future plans to become a princess, or a hover tank. Erin Burke left the band in 2011 due to creative differences.

The Cavalcadium

When Steam Powered Giraffe grew in popularity, David Michael Bennett (The Spine) released a fansite called the Cavalcadium (thecavalcadium.com). The website features more in-depth lore of the Steam Powered Giraffe universe, an area to help promote the band, and a fan forum. According to the band's lore, the Cavalcadium was an organization established by a mysterious group of men known as the Brown Coats, to keep the power sources the robots run off of in control and out of the hands of evildoers. The power source, a mysterious energy known as Blue Matter, is kept in check by the Cavalcadium members, or rather, the fans who register on the forums. Currently there are three known active Cavalcadium "officers" or moderators.

Cavalcadium Officers

Though not recognized officially in lore, Steam Powered Giraffe employs volunteers to help moderate and run their forum. They are commonly referred to as officers of the Cavalcadium.

  • Tongue is a young woman whose namesake comes from her extremely long tongue, which is apparently extendable and prehensile. She is also known for her ability to juggle and claims to be able to travel through different realities, and monitors the general well-being of the forum.
  • Sprocket, also a young woman, is the newest officer of the Cavalcadium. Apparently being trained by Tongue, the two can be seen constantly bickering across the website in a form of friendly rivalry. Sprocket is an artist well-known on the fan art section of the forum, and helps monitor the live chatroom featured on the site.
  • Phineas is a mysterious southern gentleman who claims to be an airship builder. His appearances on the website are rare and usually only involve giving input on changes or matters involving the Cavalcadium.

Discography

Albums

  • Album One (2009)[22]
  • Live at the Globe of Yesterday's Tomorrow (2011)
  • The 2¢ Show (2012)

Singles

  • On Top of the Universe (2009)
  • Honeybee (2011)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Steam Powered Giraffe - Artist Bio". ReverbNation. Retrieved 10/31/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "San Diego Zoo : Extended Summer Hours and Entertainment at Nighttime Zoo". Random San Diego. June 9, 2011. Retrieved 11-01-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ "Steam Powered Giraffe to appear at ConDor: Announcement". ConDor Conventions. 02-13-2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Anime Conji Music Festival". March 6, 2010. Retrieved 11-02-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ "Oceanside 'Music Man' honored at OMFest". The Coast News. 2010-10-08. Retrieved 10/31/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "Wild Wild West Con VIP Dinner Concert". Wild Wild West Con. Retrieved 10/31/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ "Anime Conji: Guests". Anime Conji. March 23, 2011. Retrieved 10-31-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Michael Pao (May 26, 2011). "The Inaugural Flight of San Diego's First Steampunk Convention: The Gaslight Gathering". Nerd Reactor. Retrieved 10-31-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ Maria Brown. "The Con Report: Gaslight Gathering 2011". Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders. Retrieved 10-31-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ "New Single With An Album On The Way!". Blogspot. Retrieved 06-12-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ The Spine (February 2, 2011). "Steam Powered Giraffe Blog: Honeybee Now Available!". Blogspot. Retrieved 11-01-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ Steam Powered Giraffe (11-16-2011). "Live at the Globe of Yesterday's Tomorrow". Facebook. Retrieved 11-19-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  13. ^ "The 2¢ Show Now Available!". Blogspot. Retrieved 06-12-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ "The Clockwork Cabaret Podcast". Retrieved 11-01-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  15. ^ Luann comic strip at Comics.com Retrieved 2011-10-30
  16. ^ "2012 Award Winner". San Diego A-List. Retrieved 09-24-2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  17. ^ "Steam Powered Giraffe The Webcomic". The Webcomic List. Retrieved 11-02-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  18. ^ "Steam Powered Giraffe The Card Game". Game Night Guys. February 24, 2011. Retrieved 11-01-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ http://officialsteampoweredgiraffe.tumblr.com/post/32204911846/jon-sprague-departing-steam-powered-giraffe-dear
  20. ^ http://steampoweredgiraffe.blogspot.com/2012/10/welcome-hatchworth.html
  21. ^ "Steam Powered Giraffe Pseudo-History". Retrieved 10-31-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  22. ^ "Steam Powered Giraffe – Album One". discogs.org. Retrieved 10-31-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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