Over the next couple of weeks TheOneRing.net is conducting a pledge drive to raise funds to keep our servers running. We have some unique auctions going on over at ebay, including something very special and truly one of a kind that highlights a key event that TORn put on for fans earlier this year — a signed canvas with autographs and drawings by many of the artists who participated in our “Unexpected Art Show”.
We were proud to present this one night only gallery exhibit held on February 22, 2013 at Lot 613 in the historic arts district of downtown Los Angeles. In this cool space, we featured a variety of artists who use many different mediums and are creatively inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth universe. The all volunteer TORn staff spent hours setting up the space, coordinating and meeting with artists from around the world, and cleaning up after a wonderful night of music and artwork. We then had to hurry over to help set up for our next event — the Oscar party we threw the very same weekend! As you can imagine, it was quite tiring but very rewarding to see and meet so many fans admiring the beautiful artwork and having a chance to mingle with such an incredible group of talented artists. It was a true celebration of how much J.R.R. Tolkien’s works mean to all of us.
Acclaimed artists Tim Kirk, Donato Giancola, and Jerry VanderSelt were on hand to meet fans, sign prints, and in the case of Tim, get a portrait of yourself drawn as a playful Hobbit! They also took the time to autograph and draw on a special TORn stretched canvas panel for us. Tim drew Smaug, Donato drew Gandalf, and Jerry sketched Strider. Eleven other artists who attended the show also signed the canvas including LEGO artists OneLug, graphic artist Nancy Steinman, stained-glass artist Christie Wood, and more. You can own this truly unique and one of kind piece of artwork from this spectacular TORn event by bidding today!
The Road to DragonCon team is frolicking around the mountains of Colorado today on their way to the first fan meet-up in Denver. Details on that in a little bit! First a bit of a recap from yesterday.
Justin, Doug and Ryan woke up in the rain at Lake Powell, Utah – allowing them only 4 hours of sleep that night. Rain in the desert is not as uncommon as one might think! They made their way to a local Denny’s where the manager and waitress gave them the all-star treatment.
In addition to writing stuff in my spare time for TORn, yours truly also reviews and photographs a lot of live music. Normally, the two hobbies don’t intersect, but on Saturday evening I caught rock-violinist Lindsey Stirling at The Powerhouse Theatre in Brisbane. I was able to both photograph and review the performance for a small Australian publication.
I figured a few of you might be fans of Stirling, having previously seen her extremely popular video medley of music from The Lord of the Rings soundtrack (it’s had some 13 million views, which is not too shabby). So here’s my review, and a selection of the best photos I took on the night. If this is your thing, enjoy!
Act: Lindsey Stirling
Venue: Brisbane Powerhouse
Date: August 24, 2013
There’s a long wait for rock-violinist Lindsey Stirling this evening at The Powerhouse — at least 15 minutes long, to be honest. For a touch over an hour, Kiwi DJ 1000 Ninjas labours manfully from a cubbyhole spot almost side-of-stage. In a club environment his chill-out grooves and odd samples would probably win a better reception, but this crowd is expecting action and movement, and that’s something beyond 1000 Ninjas’ scritchy-glitchy stillness tonight.
By contrast, Stirling is all movement. Over the course of an hour and twenty minutes she barely halts — whirling, twirling, jumping and pirouetting. Formal ballet it isn’t, still Stirling’s show is as much an act of dance as it is a musical performance. All with a carbon-fibre violin jammed under her left ear. And the capacity crowd — a peculiar mixture of young and old; gamers and geeks reflective of the diversity of her fanbase — laps it up.
It could all easily come off as a gimmick, yet Stirling’s undeniable chops on the fiddle allow her to deliver a set of engaging tunes high on verve while avoiding the cheese factor.
Many of the highlights flow from her self-titled long-player: Anti-gravity is a punchy and aggressive opener, the livewire drumming of Drew Steen lends bottom-end grunt to Electric Daisy Violin, while the lurching percussion and insistent see-sawing violin of Moon Trance make a strong contender for tune of the night.
Our Adventurers are on the road! After leaving Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles yesterday, they’ve travelled through Barstow, Las Vegas and camped in Utah. After traveling through a Mines of Moria-esque tunnel, they are now at the Denny’s in Page, Arizona.
Justin, Doug and Ryan are fueling up to continue the adventure today – with plans to visit Monument Valley, Mexican Hat and other amazing locations. You can follow their progress along the way on our 24/7 LIVE Event page. [Route]
Did you know, you can help shape what #Road2DCon becomes, in real time, as we stream LIVE from our cart…err car. Set the conversation topic! Force an unexpected detour! Make the roadtrippers eat somewhere unique! As Fan Producer, the live show is in your hands.
As you are well aware, TheOneRing.net is a 100% volunteer not for profit website. We’ve been fan-powered for nearly 14 years, and are looking to keep it that way. From Aug 24 through Sept 4th, we are holding our first annual pledge drive, appropriately named, ‘Light the Beacons: TheOneRing.net’s Fellowship Fundraiser.’ If you believe your experience with TheOneRing.net brings value to your personal Tolkien experience, please consider a donation. We’ve set-up a variety of pledge levels, each with a unique item or opportunity.
After seeing Geoff Boucher at Entertainment Weekly start a Twitter hashtag earlier this month called “Great Moments in Fake Hall H history” TORn staffer Justin wondered what a similar series based around The Hobbit animated movies of the ’70s would have looked like. Here are his thoughts.
Over the next couple of weeks TheOneRing.net is conducting a pledge drive to raise funds to keep our servers running. We have some unique auctions going on over at ebay, including something very special and truly one of a kind that highlights a key event that TORn put on for fans earlier this year — a signed canvas with autographs and drawings by many of the artists who participated in our “Unexpected Art Show”.
We were proud to present this one night only gallery exhibit held on February 22, 2013 at Lot 613 in the historic arts district of downtown Los Angeles. In this cool space, we featured a variety of artists who use many different mediums and are creatively inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth universe. The all volunteer TORn staff spent hours setting up the space, coordinating and meeting with artists from around the world, and cleaning up after a wonderful night of music and artwork. We then had to hurry over to help set up for our next event — the Oscar party we threw the very same weekend! As you can imagine, it was quite tiring but very rewarding to see and meet so many fans admiring the beautiful artwork and having a chance to mingle with such an incredible group of talented artists. It was a true celebration of how much J.R.R. Tolkien’s works mean to all of us.
Acclaimed artists Tim Kirk, Donato Giancola, and Jerry VanderSelt were on hand to meet fans, sign prints, and in the case of Tim, get a portrait of yourself drawn as a playful Hobbit! They also took the time to autograph and draw on a special TORn stretched canvas panel for us. Tim drew Smaug, Donato drew Gandalf, and Jerry sketched Strider. Eleven other artists who attended the show also signed the canvas including LEGO artists OneLug, graphic artist Nancy Steinman, stained-glass artist Christie Wood, and more. You can own this truly unique and one of kind piece of artwork from this spectacular TORn event by bidding today!
Our Adventurers are on the road! After leaving 
After seeing Geoff Boucher at Entertainment Weekly start a Twitter hashtag earlier this month called “Great Moments in Fake Hall H history” TORn staffer Justin wondered what a similar series based around The Hobbit animated movies of the ’70s would have looked like. Here are his thoughts.