Kabarett 391Chief Broadcast Engineer
Posted on June 16, 2021
Radio Transmitter Engineers are becoming a thing of the past. It seems like a career choice few would make in today’s Internet Age. I can’t even imagine my kids generation even knowing that this is a career choice.
Of course, in my world, I get to make believe that Radio Broadcasting is the next big thing. Call me an old soul stuck in the 1920’s …
Cod Peace Head
Posted on June 14, 2021
Full Stage with Transmitter, Engineers, Audience and Performers
Kiss the KLAM
To commemorate the (almost) beginning of summer, I offer you Cod Peace Head Broadcasting’s Summer Beach Spectacular. Cod Peace Head, located on the quaint Maine coast in the imaginary seaside hamlet with its peaceful beach and great fishing.
Everything about Cod Peace Head is imaginary – from the “Song Ideas” to the characters, to the olde tyme radio broadcasts and call letters.
The silly double entendres are free, but believe me, I just wasted a minute or three of your valuable time!
First Puppet Theatre Photo Shoot
Posted on May 2, 2021
Its a GREAT day – I’ve worked for months to get to this point. In some ways, today is “Day One” as far as this crazy puppet theatre idea goes. Its all started one afternoon – I had several weird thoughts that came together . . . . . take my music and combine it with creepy puppets – somehow. Video? Still Life Photography? YES to both and anything else that I can conjure up.
You will see a skirt around the stage – and also two backdrops – one is the constellations, and the other is a standard stage looking curtain that is maroon. My wonderful wife Kat taught me how to sew this weekend with her cool high tech sewing machine. So yeah – the biggest part of this is that I made everything – from the subfloor that I stand on when building “miniatures” – like the bench the audience is sitting on, to the piano – and the microphones.
Here are 10 photo’s out of a big photo shoot that made todays “cut”:
Oh well – that was a nice weekend. Guess its back to the sausage factory tomorrow . . . .
Dress Rehearsal
Posted on April 23, 2021
I built the stage deck today out of two pieces of an old Ikea butcher block table top. I’ve used that table top for quite a few things – synthesizer stand, drum box easel and now the stage.
I also have the curtain rod done. The upright parts are the last of some 1/2 inch iron pipe I had laying around and a piece of aluminum from an old ham radio antenna.
I even started building a park bench where up to two puppets can sit at any one time.
I just love building these miniatures. The thought process of thinking in scale is way more fun that I had ever imagined.
Copper Tube Proscenium
Posted on April 22, 2021
Yesterday I posted a picture of a pretty snazzy puppet theatre proscenium / arch but it turns out, the scale was not right for anything ornate. I also wondered what color would work. Both texture and color are perfect and the lines also match the rest of the theatre. It is the bow on the package.
I wrote another great Baseline and will complete a song tomorrow.
Puppet Theatre Miniature Piano and Microphones
Posted on April 18, 2021
I’ve completed my first miniatures for the puppet theatre – and now I have enough props to do a first photo shoot and small puppet music video.
The scale is 1:5 – meaning the piano and bench are 1/5th the size of the real thing. I’ll do a proper photo shoot soon. My workshop and puppet theatre are now fully organized, and I have all my tools and wood and other tchotchke’s organized like a pro.
KLAM is an AM radio station in Cordova, Alaska. Funny logo – and what a beautiful part of the world. I chose KLAM because for me – it has great possibilities as an acronym – I’m working on the ultimate one. Keep Listening (to) Alternate Music is my best so far. Share your ideas with me.
As I understand it – they used these call letters in the movie Stand By Me as a fictional Portland, Oregon rdio station – that’s good enough for me. That’s a superb movie. In any case, its just a fun set of call letters.
I’ve got a new song brewing – with a killer bass line. Watch for it in the next few days.
New Piano!
Posted on April 11, 2021
I have this old oak box and with a few cuts, it’s starting to look like a piano. At least a marionette piano. It will be pretty easy to add nice finishing trim, a music shelf, black and white keys, and the legs and front bottom parts.
I Want My PTV
Posted on April 10, 2021
The Puppet Music Television Network is a series of skits I’m thinking about. PTV seems to make sense. I could write songs and sing them as each character would sing them. Since the name of my blog is Kabarett 391 – fashioned after the Zurich Dada movement in the late teens or early 20’s of the last century, it all falls together.
Maybe make this a puppet vaudeville act?
Red Piano
Posted on April 7, 2021
My first attempt at building a miniature scale model out of bass wood is the Puppet Theatre. I’ll make a proper post of it when finished.
That starter experience now has me thinking about the next project and it will either be a Red Piano or a Park Bench.
By sketching first, I can figure out how I will fabricate and join each part. I did finish the 8 vertical puppet controllers yesterday, so now I can start building props and even sets for my puppet skits. Just having one puppet who has a moving mouth play the piano would be a great first little skit, so I think I’ll do that.
Puppet Theatre Set Design
Posted on April 5, 2021
Once I have the 8 puppet controllers built, which will be by end of this week, I can start on building scenery and props.
After that I can score music and start filming. I’m not sure if I will try stop motion, live action or a combination of both. I think before I decide, ill do a bunch of stills that explore lighting and whatnot.
As you can see, puppet theatre is an excuse for me to bridge my photography and music hobbies.
