On this episode of the Moisture Festival Podcast we welcome in 1/3 of the Mud Bay Jugglers Doug Martin. We discuss how they got their name, how they developed their own style and the creative choices they made to continue to be so unique.
He tells us about the different incarnations throughout the years and the secrets to keeping a group together for over 40 years. A great conversation with a festival favorite.
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At a recent Halloween event, I was hired to perform at a close up magic station. This was simply a table that kids came by and I did close up magic for them.
This was a fun format to perform in, and with the table, I had more props with me than I would usually for a roving gig. When the crowd grew bigger, I did a couple of bigger tricks.
Another thing you can’t see in the picture is that I brought a speaker with me and used it to amplify my voice. The event was in a noisy gym, so a bit of audio support was nice!
-Louie
When I visit a television show, I try to be a good guest. Last week, I visited Everyday Northwest in the Portland, OR area to promote National Magic Week. Before the interview, they give out a sheet with the show’s timing and some of the questions that they’ll ask you.
Once I got the sheet and saw the questions, I started writing my answers in my notebook. The act of writing them down puts them in my head, and I fumble a little bit less when saying them. It’s like a mini rehearsal for me.
Also, when I see the questions, I try to write some jokes. In the interview, I’m asked “how magicians celebrate National Magic Week” and I have an answer with a joke. That’s part of the effort I put into these media spots: I try to be prepared and offer them more than just flat answers.
If you do a TV spot, make it a unique experience; don’t just rehash what you’ve done a million times.
-Louie
When I see this sign, I know it’s going to be a good show!
The simple fact that they thought to put out a sign let’s me know that they have thought about other things that are needed to make the show happen. Things like reading my tech requirements, etc.
-Louie
Last week, I was at a booking conference and they had a “pitch and perform” event. In this event, each person had 5 minutes to introduce themself, tell what they did, and give a short sample of what they do.
Here’s what I took with me:
There are two routines, one I intended to do is my Stand Up Chop Cup (it’s in my 2025 lecture notes) and the back up routine is a rope routine. Both magic routines would run about three minutes and the other two minutes would be the pitch part. What’s important about these two routines is that there is no set up and no clean up and they have a lot of magic!
I always try to have a back up routine for things like this. It’s only five minutes, but sometimes I’ll see the room and decide my main trick isn’t right, or there will be another magician who may do something similar to what I had planned. That’s why the two tricks I brought were very different visually and in effect.
A little bit of planning can help a lot!
-Louie
Recently I was doing a gig at a retirement community and one of the people that lived there was magician Dick Barry!
Dick is retired now; however, he has created many magic tricks that were sold. He was also a performer at the Magic Castle. I had a great time chatting with Dick before the show. This is one of the great things about performing at a retirement community, you never know who you’ll run into!
If you want to learn more about performing at retirement communities, check out my book How to Perform for Seniors.
-Louie
This month I’m doing a few dates at a Halloween festival that runs 5 weekends. One of the days that I was performing, it was raining, and this was an outdoor festival. The stage was covered, but the audience seating was not covered.
The act before me performed for a few people with umbrellas that were standing behind the wet seats. What I did was move a bunch of seats onto the stage and dry them off.
I managed to fill up the stage seating and had great shows!
When you arrive at a show and the scenario isn’t ideal, consider how to improve it. I’ll usually run the idea by my contact at the gig to ensure there’s no reason why I shouldn’t do that.
-Louie
Recently the Portland Society of Magicians has their amateur magic contest. This was for people who don’t really perform for pay.
What I love about things like this is getting to see all the different styles of magic that are performed. Also, it lets me see the various trends that are going around magic.
One thing I noticed in the contest was that there were two acts where the trick didn’t work, and they ended at that point. That’s something that separates pros from amateurs: how they deal with mistakes. A pro will plow on and figure out a way out of it, whereas the amateur doesn’t necessarily have that “toolbox” to get them out of the situation. How do you get the “toolbox” of outs, simple, you fail a lot! Failure is part of the learning process and a very important part of it!
The more you fail, the better you get!
-Louie
After probably more than a decade I finally upgraded my sound system. I used to use the Roland Street Cube EX, which is great and after about 10 years it still works great! What I liked about this system is that is has all the inputs that I need, so I don’t need to add a mixer to it. It also runs on AA batteries, so if there is a low battery issue, I just throw new ones into it.
I’m switching to the Bose S1 Pro. The main reason I’m switching to it is for a tour I’m doing in the spring of 2026, and the Bose speaker is much smaller than the Roland Street Cube EX. The Bose S1 Pro also has better sound, but both speakers have enough sound for what I need.
I also bought a carrying case for the Bose speaker.
This case has plenty of pockets and holds all my audio gear, eliminating the need for another case.
I’ve done a few shows with the Bose S1 Pro so far, and it works great!
-Louie
In Washington State where I live they just passed a tax on “live presentations”. The way the new tax is described it’s unclear as to whether I’m supposed to start charging sales tax. Previously, service businesses didn’t have to charge sales tax.
Here’s what the rule looks like on their state’s website:
The state has an email address that you can use to get an official ruling as to what you’re supposed to do. I sent them a question asking them if I have to start charging sales tax and here’s what the state had to say:
That’s great news, as the new rule took effect on 10/1/25, and I had shows scheduled with “all inclusive” pricing long before this new tax was announced. Those shows I’d lose 10% on, so I’m glad that magic shows are exempt (for now) from this new tax!
If you’re in Washington State and do magic shows, you should email the Department of Revenue and get an official, binding ruling for your business.
-Louie
