September 2024 – Page 2 – MagicShow.Tips

Waiting for the Sound Guy…

The sound guy is late getting to my stage, so I took a picture of my audio set up, just waiting for the XLR cords to plug into their PA.

I use three channels on the soundboard. One is for a handheld mic, the next is for my headset mic and the final is for my music.

Here’s a breakdown of the gear that I use:
Sennheiser G4 camera mount wireless mic packs.
Mogan headset mic (not shown)
Shure SM58S handheld mic
LTI laptop di box
MediaStar
Iphone 7 with showcues
Lightning to USB adapter

That’s what I use for my audio.

One of the important things is the handheld mic that has an on/off switch. The reason for that is so the sound person can leave that channel on during the show, and I flip it on or off on the mic. If it doesn’t have a switch, the sound person will mute it on the board when it’s not in use, then have to turn it on when it is. That can give a bit of lag where they have to realize it needs to be on and then physically have to turn it on. I don’t like that, I prefer the mic to be on when I need it to, and to avoid the awkward moment of someone talking into a mic that’s muted.

So, that’s my audio gear.

-Louie

Mike Gallo’s The Ball and Vase

When I was a teenager I came across a copy of Michael Skinner’s Intimate Magic book. In it he teaches his legendary Ball and Vase routine. Basically it’s uses the basic ball and vase trick that comes in most beginners magic kits and turns it into a solid magic routine.

Then there’s Mike Gallo’s The Ball and Vase routine, which I think I’ve encountered decades ago, but never really did. I recently found the set for the trick with instructions and learned it.

Here’s what it looks like:

@louiefoxx You wont believe how cool something so simple can be! #simple #cool #magictrick #ball #what #magic #magician #louiefoxx #michaelskinner #mikegallo #easymagic ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

This trick is fun to do, and I think it’s better than the original Skinner version of the trick. With it having no gimmicks aside from an extra ball, it’s really practical. The only problem for me is that it doesn’t quite fit my close up performing style. also it requires a table, and all of my close up had to be able to be done without a table. Sometimes the non-tabled version of the stuff I do will lack a phase or uses the audience’s hands as a makeshift table. Unfortunately, neither of these is an option for that.

-Louie

Don’t Be Tacky

Recently my wife and I went to a concert in the park in the town we live in.

The thing that drew my eye was that the band had a guitar case open for tips.

Personally I think this is tacky. I know what things like concerts in the park pay and they don’t need the tips. Watching the show, the amount of tips they got was negligible, when split over 4 people, maybe $15 bucks per person. Yeah, I get that that’s gas money…or you could charge what you need to make for the gig!

Another option would be to get some merch, sell stickers, CD’s or whatever.

How does this apply to magic? Simple, if you’re getting paid, don’t solicit tips.

-Louie

Quit Complaining!

One of the things that really bugs me are magicians that complain about people stealing their tricks or ideas when they don’t take the most basic steps to protect them.

There are basic ways to protect your ideas, for example my school assembly show is called Incredible Idioms®. I really like the title and would be bummed if someone took the title, so awhile ago I filed the trademark for it. Last week that trademark was approved!

Filing a trademark is super easy to do and not that expensive. It’s around $250 to do it and you can do it yourself, the USPTO.gov website has tons of tutorials as to what you can and can’t trademark as well as how to do it.

Another good resource is Sara Crasson’s book Own Your Magic A Magicians Guide to Protecting Your Intellectual Property, which covers patents, trademarks, and copyrights. I highly recommend this book!

-Louie

Projection for seniors!

While I don’t do a ton of shows at senior communities anymore, I still do a fair amount of them. Here’s one from last week, you’ll notice that I’m now using projection in these shows.

I have a very simple set up and don’t ask for it, but if they have a TV or projector in the room, I use it!

The two tricks that I specifically use the projector for at:
The Russian Shell Game
That Way More (my version of the ambitious card)

Both of these routines are interactive, in that they aren’t tricks that the audience just watches. They are involved in some level of the trick. For me, I think that it’s important when doing things that can only be seen with projection is to have an interactive component to the routine. That’s my style, not everyone is like that.

That said, I’m really liking my video set up, it’s small and easy to travel with!

-Louie
PS if you want to learn more about performing for senior communities, check out my book: How To Perform For Seniors

The Moisture Festival Podcast – Jose De Howitt

On this episode we welcome in the keyboard player from the Georgetown Orbits Jose De Howitt.

We learn about Jose’s upbringing in Ecuador, what brought him to the states and how he learned to play the keys. We learn about the differences between Ska and Reggae and some of the top artists that influenced Jose. A fun conversation with a member of one of the backing bands at the Moisture Festival.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Audio Ape Belt Clip

Way back in January of 2020 I made a 3D design for a replacement clip for my Audio Ape remote control and posted a picture of it on Facebook.

audio ape remote control replacement belt clip

Recently this post has had a second life with people asking me if they can get the .stl file. I’ve offered it for a few bucks and what’s funny is everyone expects it for free.

Why would I give them my work for free?

It’s literally a piece of my life that I spent to create this. There’s a cost associated with it AND there’s a reason why they don’t just make their own. It’s either they’re too lazy to do it, or they don’t know how and are too lazy to learn how to use 3d modelling software. Either way, their being lazy doesn’t entitle them to my time with no benefit to me. Also, I should mention that these are the same people who complain about being asked to do free shows!

I did just print out a few of them for a friend of mine who I was working with an noticed he had broken his original Audio Ape belt clip and his replacement was duct tape and cardboard.

If you need a replacement belt clip for your Audio Ape, you can get them at:
https://www.magicshow.tips/audio-ape-replacement-belt-clip-4-pack/

Louie

Vanishing Bird Cage!

I love that there are people who know what I’m into and when they run into thing that they think I’d like, they text me! For example, I collect vanishing bird cages and last month at magic live my buddy Clive Hayward sent me some pictures of a vanishing bird cage that was for sale there.

This cage is unusual, you’ll notice the side bars are attached by string!

I have a vanishing bird cage in my collection that’s similar, however it has metal parts that connect the sidebars to the cage. I’m curious if maybe this vanishing birdcage was a “budget” model of one with metal connectors, or if this was a home repair.

I’m glad this one is in my collection!

-Louie

Stand Up Comedy at a Fair?!

One of the styles of acts/shows that you don’t really see at a fair (aside from grandstand shows) are comedians. I think there are several reasons for this, but the main one is that comedy doesn’t really work before about 6pm and it needs a lot more attention than a juggler or magician.

Last week there was a comedian at the fair that I was at!

The comedian was Dan McGowan, and I was usable to catch his shows his first day, but ran into him at the grocery store that night!

I recognized him because he was wearing the same shirt he’s wearing in the video on his website! We chatted for a bit and he’s super friendly! I came in early to the fair the next day to catch a little bit of his show.

Dan is a solid comic and blended material with going off script and doing crowd work with the audience. Performing a show at 12:30pm is not for beginners, I think this is also another reason that you don’t see a lot of stand up comedians at fair is that the experience level you need to be at, there aren’t a lot of people that can do it.

A huge challenge for Dan was the gap between the stage and the audience. There was gap was huge, so it’s extremely hard to make a connection over that “moat”.

Dan had a lot of obstacles and he overcame them!

Many fairs that I perform at have a gap between the stage and the audience and it’s a HUGE challenge to overcome. Usually what I will do when I encounter this is do in my in the grass in front of where the audience is sitting. Sure, I’m in the sun, but the way I see it, I’m being paid to be there, so I can stand in the sun.

If you’re thinking of performing at fairs, you need to figure out the best way to handle a gap between you and the audience for your show or style of performing

-Louie

Look It Up!

This summer teenagers have been saying, “That’s soo sigma” or just “Sigma” when I perform close up magic for them. I had a feeling that “sigma” meant cool, based on the context it was used in. However, to be sure, I did a Google search to figure it out.

Nothing in life has made me feel older than researching slang on the Today Show’s website!

That confirmed what I thought, and now I can use it correctly. While I think that when a older magician uses kid slang it feels like they are trying to pander to the kids and never seems cool.

In my close up I now say, “that’s soo sigma” but I do it in a way where I’m almost making fun of saying it. Very tongue in cheek, and not using it like it’s something I would normally say.

It’s important to keep an eye or ear out for these trends that kids do and figure out how you can use them to your advantage. For example, there’s the trend of kids asking you to “do a backflip”. I came up with two version of this trick to do when they ask:

@louiefoxx Do a Back Flip! #doabackflip #backflipchallenge #backflip #louiefoxx #magic #magictrick, #surpriseending #old #magician #cardtrick ♬ original sound – Louie Foxx

The other version and the one that I use is published in Vanish Magazine about a year ago.

Simply knowing how to respond to these things will put you ahead of the game!

-Louie