Currently in a state of information overload – going to panel discussions, being jetlagged, trying to follow loads of tweets on Twitter, meeting new people, coping with 80 degree heat and being over excited…so rather than trying to digest whats going on, here are a few random shots of what we’ve been up to so far. When my brain can get to grips with it all I will write up a more meaningful post but in the meantime enjoy Austin through the eyes of a Capsule Granny…

Hat Game gets launched by the Umbrella Group

Giant cocktail olives

Trying out the famous margarita with olives

Random goat in someones yard

Fran's hamburgers - best veggie burger

Hunting out prizes for the Hat game winners

just trying on the prizes for size

Lego area in the conference centre gets the creative juices going

Rescue dog petting outside the convention centre

The Umbrella Group heads out SXSWi festival

A delegation of the country’s leading digital artists and producers are heading over to Austin, Texas this week to attend this year’s SXSW Interactive festival, funded by Arts Council England. The Festival celebrates the creativity and passion behind the coolest new media technologies. In addition to panel sessions that cover everything from web design to bootstrapping to social networks, attendees can make new business connections at the three-day Trade Show & Exhibition.
The delegation, known as The Umbrella Group, will research new opportunities, view work, spot emerging digital trends and experience first hand one of the biggest international conferences and festivals of the year.

Managed by iShed, The Umbrella Group comprises of Dan Efergan of Aardman, Sarah Ellis of Apples and Snakes, Simon Evans of Simon Games, Alex Fleetwood of Hide & Seek, Steve Manthorp of Manthorp ACT, Lisa Meyer and Jenny Moore of Capsule, Simon Poulter of Viral, Duncan Speakman, Nina Steiger of Soho Theatre, Jess Tyrell of Germination and Andrew Wilson of Blink. They will be joined by Clare Reddington of iShed and David Drake, Sally Luton and Adrian Friedli of Arts Council England.

Whilst out at the Festival The Umbrella Group, who are easily spotted as they carry umbrellas, will be running The Hat Game designed by Simon Games. Featuring a gps tracked bowler hat, festival attendees will be able to make contact with The Umbrella Group, track the hat online and claim the hat, wearing it for as long as they can until it is claimed by someone else.

Find out more at http://www.umbrellagroup.org
and keep up to date with the group at their blog:
http://www.ished.net/projects/sxsw

or by searching twitter for #uksxsw.

Frank The Pup

Frank is at work today, quietly sitting under my desk, just listening to some music and keeping an eye on everything, whilst looking after ‘Suckles the Clown’. On the whole he is pretty well behaved in the office other than when he decided to wee on Jens camera bag.

If you like this picture check out stuff on my mutt for such beauties as:

Could be me & Jen…
and of course for fans of the feline stuff on my cat

Thanks to Dorian Wood for introducing us to these sites, we spent a good few hours of browsing on Sunday afternoon with slices of cake.

We have just confirmed a slew of aural delights for your listening & viewing pleasure over the coming months. The very talented artist/illustrator (best known for his designs for Static Caravan recordings) Ben Javens has created some quite extraordinary posters for us. Its well worth checking out his blog and shop to sample more of his work.

First off on Friday 30th of Jan – WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, an eco Black Metal band of the darkest and most ferocious kind, support comes in the form of the mighty Welsh trio TAINT and ex Doom/Police Bastard and featuring Brummie of the Year, Johnny Dooms band HAXAN – this will take place on Friday 30th of Jan at The Dragon Bar, located on Digbeth High Street. (+ a plug for House Of Gods 16th Birthday at the Rainbow Warehouse which takes place on the same night with the dark lords PCM live from 10pm – 6am)

Then in Capsule style we have a special event for Friday the 13th of Feb with a headline show by Birmingham’s PRAM, visuals by Filmficciones, support from Jagjaguwar (home to Bon Iver + Black Mountain) latest signing WOMEN, this is on  Friday 13th of Feb at the Hare & Hounds.

Later that month, a very rare live collaboration between drummer extraordinaire CHRIS CORSANO and the legendary jazz Sax player PAUL DUNMALL, with support from THEO aka Sam Knight, the solo guitar/drums act which blew audiences away when he performed last year for Capsule.
Advance tickets for these shows are available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk, and we’ve introduced an e-ticket which means a minimal booking fee for you. Tickets are also available from Swordfish in Birmingham city centre and Polar Bear on York Road in Kings Heath.

Tickets are also on sale for American folk band VETIVER and in time to celebrate their 10th anniversary MONO from Japan will be performing in Birmingham in March.

For those of you that enjoy a good power ballad and a little bit of reach and grab action, you’ll be pleased to know that we’ll be DJing at ATP Festivals ‘ Nightmare Before Xmas’ this weekend in MInehead.
You’ll find us in the Crazy Horse venue on Friday night 1am – 4am – oooh its a late one for the grannies!!!
Should be an amazing weekend with Melvins, Squarepusher, Big Business and Torche to name but a few, do come and say hello…

FRIDAY DJ SLOTS – CRAZY HORSE
9PM – 1AM – DECLAN ALLEN
1AM – 4AM – CAPSULE GIRLS

Murcof interview

We only have 3 shows left for 2008. To begin the countdown this Sunday we have esteemed Mexican electronic composer MURCOF, accompanied by live strings performing at the Hare & Hounds, support comes from Oren Marshall,  a pioneering player of acoustic and electric tuba who, crossing between classical – jazz – improvised- world music, has collaborated with the likes of Derek Bailey, Keith Tippet, the Pan-African Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. This tour has been commissioned by the CMN.

Followed on Thursday by Domino Records’ CLINIC performing in collaboration with renowned animator Clemens Habicht, famous for his work with Franz Ferdinand and many others. This takes place at the Factory Club at the Custard Factory.

Then sadly it will be our last Capsule gig of the year on the following Sunday and we wanted it to be a raucous affair, so come and get your fix of balls-out riff-heavy fun provided by RACEBANNON from Indianapolis with support from Casio-grindcore trio TRENCHER and who knows what to expect with DREAM DREAMS THE DREAMER. This takes place at the Hare & Hounds.

Trencher -‘Mouth to Anus’

Tickets for all three shows are available from  ticketweb
Polar Bear – Kings Heath or Swordfish in the city centre

Its that time of year again – when the entertaining website ‘Birmingham is Not Shit’ holds their ‘Brummie of The Year’ nominations, Capsule were lucky enough to come third last year,  winner was the outspoken Digbeth landlord John Tighe, who founded the campaign to keep Digbeth vibrant! Second was Blogger extraordinaire Pete Ashton, who pretty much single handedly got the creative industries blogging, including getting us started.

So who would be worthy this year, its a hard one – let us know who you think deserves to be nominated and crowned as Brummie of The Year?

I think it would be hard for me to choose between Johnny Doom better known as being the late night dj for Kerrang! Radio and previous lead vocalist of the band Doom,  Johnny has been an amazing advocate for our Home Of Metal project, his early support and first hand knowledge has been invaluable. But whats best is he isn’t a man afraid of hard work and got stuck in when he was co-ordinating the stage crew for us at this years Supersonic Festival, his crew are clearly the unsung heros of the festival, along with our volunteers and sound crew.

Photo courtesy of Penny  Mcconnell
My other nomination would go to Helga Henry at Fierce Earth, for the way she so generously shares her knowledge and contacts and the way she encourages so many of us working in the creative industries, and most importantly for her work in the tea room at Supersonic.
Get involved here – http://www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk/award

The BBC Midlands Today featured The Home Of Metal Open Day which took place last Thursday at The New Art Gallery Walsall.

Watch here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7722704.stm

Next open day at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 7th of Feb – plenty of time for you to hunt out your photos, programmes, ticket stubs and stories. Or you can upload your own images to the archive and contribute to this project, which aims to celebrate Birmingham & The Black Country as the birth place of Heavy Metal.