DucKon 21 Finally Legal June 1-3, 2012
DucKon Filk Guests of Honor




Announcing the DucKon 21 Filk Guest of Honor, The Bedlam Bards

The Bedlam Bards is a musical group with two-and-a-half members; that is to say, usually there's two of us (Hawke and Cedric), but sometimes there's three. When people ask what kind of music we play, we often say Celtic, but in fact we play "Renfolk Music," that unique blend of Celtic, English, Scandinavian, and American folk music mixed in with period tunes from the Renaissance and Middle Ages that rubs shoulders with the occasional incognito rock song at most Renaissance festivals. And we have a lot of fun playing it.

Our instruments include guitar, fiddle, mandola, bones, bodhran, pocket fiddle, pennywhistle, guitarron, mandolin, strumstick, kazoo, and voice. We don't claim to have pretty voices (except for auxiliary bard Lilly, who really does), but we're really not about sounding pretty. We're about the loud, sweaty, heart-pounding, foot-stomping, beer-swilling, hand-clapping, tankard-clanking, dancing-in-the-aisles-and-laughing-your-ass-off kind of music. The kind of music your mother warned you about -- that's us.

Past Filk Guests

Sandy Adina


The Black Book Band The Black Book Band on Facebook

It's taken them ten years to recover from the Brain Weasels tour, but they're back. They haven't performed together in seven years, but they're back. Their members have been scattered to the four winds, or at least three different states, but they're back. So who are they, you ask? Well, Michael Kube McDowell is an author, Gwen Zak McDowell is a professional mother, Barry Childs-Helton is a folklorist, Sally Childs-Helton is an ethnomusicologist, and Mary Ellen Wessels is a proto-teacher (otherwise known as graduate student). Together, they rock hard - and loudly. Come hear them blow the roof off the house!

Nate Bucklin

A former "foreign service brat" and musical prodigy, Nate Bucklin has played gigs in seven decades, in three countries, on two continents. In addition to playing country lead guitar (and bass/keyboards/drums), he has arranged strings, horns, and vocal harmonies for local recording studios; taught guitar for Anoka-Ramsey Community College; released three tapes and two CDs of his original songs; and had five short stories published professionally.

Dave Clement | Live Journal


Samuel Travis Clemmons

Samuel T. Clemmons was born in Central Kentucky and resided in the city of Lexington before meeting the love of his life right here at DucKon several years ago. He now lives in the Chicago metro area and during the past few years has won several awards for his story telling performances and comedy routines. Titles of his routines include: Mark Twain: The Time Traveler and Python University.

Eric Coleman | Live Journal

Eric Coleman is a semi-reformed ex-punk rocker from Iowa, who has moved on to develop an acoustic folk style that is uniquely his own. A frequent performer at DucKon, he has also appeared at other regional conventions, and his music has been heard on the Dr. Demento show. He has two albums out and is hard at work on a third.

Dandelion Wine


Mark Ewbank

Mark Ewbank started playing guitar in his mid-20s. Although he has always enjoyed making up his own words to existing songs, he was only formally introduced to filk at Archon in St. Louis a few years ago.

Jane Garthson | Live Journal


gundo | Live Journal


Judith and Dave Hayman


Randy Hoffman

After spending too many years in college, Randy Hoffman spent even more years writing manuals for keyboard/video/mouse switches. Along the way, he discovered science fiction fandom and filk music. He's now a technical editor for Westinghouse Nuclear Systems Engineering, has written more than 150 songs, and has run the music track at Pittsburgh's Confluence for over a decade.

Tom Jeffers | Live Journal


Talis Kimberly | Live Journal Talis Kimberly on Facebook

Working either solo, or with her floating backing band, Talis is equally at home in the intimate setting of an Arts Centre or on a festival stage. Her material veers away from the common singer-songwriter self-obsession, but deals with subject matters as diverse as Peak Oil and the BBC commentary on Greek history. Her compelling lyrics are wrapped in multi-layered melodies and arrangements which showcase the songs perfectly. You can never be sure whether Talis' next song will move you to tears, laughter or dance - or possibly all three!

Graham Leathers | Live Journal

Clever, witty, sometimes sentimental, often satirical and always whimsical, this stuff will put a smile on your face, a laugh in your belly and a tap in your toe. Graham delivers an eclectic blend of styles ranging from blues to rock to traditional Celtic, Bluegrass and contemporary folk music. Graham attributes most of his influences to Stan Rogers, Steve Goodman, Spike Jones and Bugs Bunny. He plays guitar, 5-string banjo, bodhran and fills in the cracks with a bit of keyboard. Blessed with a quick wit, a playful sense of the whimsy as well as a more touching side, Graham promises a musical romp you won't regret.

the great Luke Ski | Blog the great Luke Ski on Facebook

At Dragon*Con 2004, Dr. Demento declared "the great Luke Ski" to be his radio program's "Most Requested Artist of the 21st Century". Since then, Luke held onto that title by having a song within the top five of "The Dr. Demento Show's" year-end "Funny 25" countdown of his most requested songs of the year for five years in a row, including two of them at #1 ("Peter Parker" in 2002, and "Stealing Like A Hobbit" in 2003). His song parodies, originals, stand-up and sketches about pop culture pheonema (doot doo, do-do-do!) have make him a favorite performer at science-fiction and fandom conventions all across the midwest and beyond. He's released nine albums and a DVD over the past fifteen years, many of which feature collaborations and cameos by his fellow comedy musicians of the FuMP, most significantly Carrie Dahlby, who often sings lead vocals on Luke's parodies of female musicians. His past hits amongst his fans include songs about Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Pirates of the Caribbean, with more recent hits about 24, the Office, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Doctor Who, Heroes, and Family Guy. He is the musical jester of sci-fi, the emissary of rap dementia, the pimp of the geek nation, and a prominent bacon enthusiast. So join the Dementia Revolution, and become a Luke Ski fan today.

Brooke Lunderville | Live Journal

Pharmacist by day, troublemaker by night
Be warned, Brooke is wandering the halls with a banjo. Few can resist or provide an accurate description to the police of the charms of her touching, heartfelt, extremely serious songs about dry-cleaning, LiveJournal, and the Giant Squid. Her band "Brooke vs. John" is releasing their first album this year - Steel Cage Match. Her concert at DucKon represents a rare solo appearance, and she is planning to wear twice as many silly hats to celebrate the occasion.

Steve Macdonald


Kathy Mar

Kathy Mar started her professional music career as a street singer and folk artist in the clubs and coffeehouses of Denver and environs, where she discovered filk and filk discovered her. Kathy has won seven Pegasus awards and was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in only the second year of its existence. She is opinionated, very approachable, a little shy, and loves what she does with her whole being. She is infamous for keeping the Saturday filk at every convention she attends going until dawn and sometimes beyond.

Seanan McGuire | Live Journal Seanan McGuire on Facebook

DucKon's 2009 Filk Guest of Honour is much, much more than you, the concom, and local authorities have bargained for. She writes. She sings. She composes. She draws. Does she ever freaking sleep? Is her real name Mary Sue? But I know her dark secret. No one person could do all the things she does, let alone do them all with such superlative skill and grace. And no one person does, for Seanan McGuire is actually an army of very, very talented clones.

Amy McNally | Live Journal

Amy McNally (also known as Amy McFiddler) is that chick with the hair, in a skirt and no shoes, who sits on the floor with a violin and a stash of Pixy Stix. She's been hanging around filk circles for at least nine years, and has been playing fiddle for a couple of decades. She's been sighted singing with Lady Mondegreen, and on recordings with Wild Mercy, Seanan McGuire, Adam Selzer, and other assorted musicians and rogues. Amy does folk, Celtic, and historical music too, but considers herself a filker first. She currently lives in the Midwest, and likes Doctor Who, sugar, roller coasters, single malt, books, and pie, although maybe not all at once.

Rob Middleton

What can I say? The man is a pirate. There's usually at least one in every crew, singing chanteys. Rob has been such for longer that I've known music existed. Rob is also involved in the Chicago traditional folk music scene and works as the musical chair of the Cotswold Renaissance Faire when he is not performing either by himself or with his band CrossRougues. Come see him; it's Sing Like A Pirate Day.

Lady Mondegreen


Phil Mills | Live Journal

Phil describes himself as an "Old fogey F&SF fan" with a taste for musical variety and a habit of letting weirdness escape into his music. Although he was only introduced to filk in the summer of 2004, that introduction inspired him to pick up a guitar, write songs, and generally reach a new level of obsession about musical things. His first CD, Rain on the Sand, is now available.

Riverfolk

Riverfolk is a folk group, based Minneapolis but performing as far afield as Winnipeg, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Chicago. Chas Somdahl and Becca Allen feature tight harmonies and skilled instrumentals on songs that are familiar, songs that are less than familiar, and songs you won't hear anywhere else. Performing a little blues, country and even a couple of show tunes, Riverfolk are repeat visitors to DucKon, and can now Meander into your living room on their first CD.

Bill Roper | LiveJournal


Gretchen Roper | LiveJournal


SASS!


Tom Smith | Live Journal Tom Smith on Facebook

The World's Fastest Filker
With the lyrical complexity of Ashman and Sondheim, the vocal fireworks of Meat Loaf, the comedic timing of Robin Williams, and the dynamic physique of the Skipper from Gilligan's Island, the only thing Tom won't be is boring. No one alive combines the musical chops, the bizarre yet somehow plausible premises, the catchy tunes, and the barrage of godawful puns that Tom brings to the table. And no one is likelier to break your heart with one song, your head with the next, and your funny bone with the one after that. He has released ninteen albums, received fourteen Pegasus Awards for excellence in filking, and in 2005 entered the Filk Hall Of Fame.

Stone Dragons

Stone Dragons is the duo of Tom and Sue Jeffers. Recently married, they have recently started performing together. Tom is familiar to DucKon audiences as half of Dandelion Wine, our 2002 Filk GoHs.

Bill Sutton


Brenda Sutton | Live Journal


Three Parts Invention

Susan Urban is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Chicago who writes story and slice of life songs. Sandy Andina is a professional folksinger from Chicago who has performed and recorded at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Ingrid Frances Stark is a singer, songwriter, artist, and poet from Wisconsin. Together, they're Three Parts Invention, and completely unforgettable.

ToyBoat ToyBoat on Facebook

This filk rock group made their concert debut at DucKon in 2008. Described as "filk gone horribly right", they've been performing at cons across the upper Midwest since then. Their performances to date have been marked by outbreaks of dancing and clapping, and a (surprising) dearth of torch-waving hordes. Will this be the con that breaks that streak? Be there to find out!

Susan Urban


Vixy & Tony

Vixy & Tony have been performing acoustic music as a duo since 2005. Their folk/rock musical style, and science fiction and fantasy lyrics, combine to tell engaging stories. Vixy was formerly the lead singer and songwriter for the band "Escape Key", whose album Shadowbeast contains the Pegasus-award-winning song "Girl That's Never Been".

Vixy & Tony have together released the album Thirteen, containing the Pegasus-award-winning song "Emerald Green", and the Firefly-inspired hit, "Mal's Song". Their live performances are highlighted by Tony's skillfully played acoustic guitar, and Vixy's smooth, sultry voice.

Wild Mercy

Wild Mercy - also known as "Three Women and a Giraffe" - is an Indiana-based Celtic Folk Fusion group comprising Barry Childs-Helton, Sally Childs-Helton, Debbie Gates, and Jennifer Midkiff. They take guitar (Barry, Debbie), bass (Barry, Jen), harp (Jen), keyboards (Debbie), assorted percussion (Sally, Debbie), and voices (Barry, Jen, Debbie) and weave them into a full sound that runs the gamut from traditional folk pieces to rock-influenced folk to original music.

Worm Quartet | Blog

Worm Quartet is a Rochester, NY-based band that forcibly staples punk and electronica together and throws them into a blender with hysterically twisted lyrics. They have been featured repeatedly on the Dr. Demento show, with many Funny Top Five appearances, and had the most requested song of the year in both 2004 ("Great Idea For A Song") and 2005 ("Inner Voice" with Sudden Death.) The sole member of Worm Quartet is a 6'4" long-haired manic who insists on being called Shoebox" and who poses by day as a mild-mannered software engineer.